Improved link adaptation in wireless LAN system

Abstract

The present specification (disclosure) may relate to a method and / or a device related to link adaptation (LA) of a wireless local area network (WLAN) system. For example, the method of the present specification may relate to a method for receiving a signal including a quality of service (QoS) data frame and transmitting a signal related to LA on the basis of the received signal. For example, an STA having received the QoS data frame may transmit acknowledgement (ACK) information related to the QoS data frame and LA information related to QoS data. For example, the LA information may include modulation coding scheme (MCS) information. For example, the QoS data frame may have a preconfigured subtype field value on the basis of triggering of transmission of the LA information. For example, the ACK information may include block ACK (BA) information.

Description

Improved link adaptation in wireless LAN systems

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wireless LAN system, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for supporting improved link adaptation by setting appropriate parameters for a link of a wireless LAN system.

[0002] Wireless local area networks (WLANs) have been improved in various ways. For example, the Extreme High Throughput (EHT) standard can utilize newly proposed increased bandwidth, an improved PHY layer protocol data unit (PPDU) structure, improved sequences, and Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) techniques. The EHT standard can also be referred to as the IEEE 802.11be standard.

[0003] The EHT specification supports high throughput and high data rates, which may include wide bandwidth (e.g., 160 / 320 MHz), 16 streams, and / or multi-link (or multi-band) operation.

[0004] In the EHT specification, wide bandwidth (e.g., 160 / 240 / 320 MHz) can be used to achieve high throughput. Preamble puncturing and multiple RU transmissions can also be used to efficiently utilize bandwidth.

[0005] WLAN systems can be further improved through the Ultra High Reliability (UHR) standard. UHR systems can be referred to as the IEEE 802.11bn standard. UHR systems aim to support ultra-high reliability when transmitting signals to STAs. To achieve this, various technologies are being considered for UHR systems, including high throughput, low latency, and extended range support.

[0006] This specification relates to signal transmission and reception in wireless LAN systems. Specifically, to support the ultra-high reliability (UHR) discussed in next-generation wireless LAN systems, a link adaptation technique that sets optimal transmission parameters must be proposed.

[0007] In conventional wireless LAN systems, link adaptation could be performed based on a sounding procedure. This procedure required the sequential transmission of NDPA (Null Data Packet Announcement) frames and NDP (Null Data Packet) frames, which announce control information regarding sounding.

[0008] These conventional sounding procedures or link adaptation procedures suffer from the problem of requiring multiple frames to be exchanged and taking a relatively long time to determine appropriate parameters. If the link adaptation procedure takes a long time, it can be difficult to accurately measure information on the rapidly changing wireless channel, making efficient signal transmission and reception on the wireless LAN transmission channel difficult.

[0009] This specification proposes various technical features. These technical features can be applied to various types of STAs / devices.

[0010] For example, the technical features of the present specification may relate to various wireless communication systems including a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) system. For example, the technical features of the present specification may relate to a method and / or device related to Link Adaptation (LA). For example, the method of the present specification may relate to a method of receiving a signal including a Quality of Service (QoS) data frame and transmitting a signal related to LA based on the signal. For example, an STA that has received a QoS data frame may transmit ACK (Acknowledgement) information related to the QoS data frame and LA information related to the QoS data. For example, the LA information may include MCS (Modulation Coding Scheme) information. For example, the QoS data frame may have a value of a subtype field that is preset based on what triggers transmission of the LA information. For example, the ACK information may be composed of BA (Block ACK) information. For example, a procedure may be performed in which an ADDBA request frame and an ADDBA response frame are exchanged to configure the above BA information.

[0011] The technical features described in this specification can produce various beneficial effects. For example, this specification proposes an improved QoS data frame. The Link Adaptation (LA) information triggered by the QoS data frame proposed in this specification is delivered relatively quickly and without unnecessary delay, thereby enabling accurate measurement of rapidly changing wireless channel information, thereby supporting efficient signal transmission and reception over wireless LANs.

[0012] Additionally, this specification proposes a BA (block ACK) request / response frame with improved technical features and a related negotiation procedure. This allows Link Adaptation (LA) information according to this specification to be transmitted along with the BA frame, enabling faster transmission of wireless channel information.

[0013] Figure 1 illustrates an example of a transmitting device and / or a receiving device of the present specification.

[0014] Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the structure of a wireless local area network (WLAN).

[0015] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a general link setup process.

[0016] Figure 4 illustrates one embodiment of a multi-link (ML).

[0017] Figure 5 illustrates a PPDU transmitted / received by an STA of this specification.

[0018] Figure 6 is a diagram showing the layout of resource units (RUs) used for 20MHz PPDU.

[0019] Figure 7 is a diagram showing the layout of resource units (RUs) used for 40MHz PPDU.

[0020] Figure 8 is a diagram showing the layout of resource units (RUs) used for 80MHz PPDU.

[0021] Figure 9 shows the operation according to UL-MU.

[0022] Figure 10 shows an example of channels used / supported / defined within the 2.4 GHz band.

[0023] Figure 11 illustrates an example of channels used / supported / defined within the 5 GHz band.

[0024] Figure 12 illustrates an example of channels used / supported / defined within the 6 GHz band.

[0025] Figure 13 shows an example of a header of a MAC frame.

[0026] FIG. 14 illustrates a modified example of a transmitting device and / or a receiving device of the present specification.

[0027] Figure 15 shows an example of performing an LA operation according to this specification.

[0028] Figure 16 is a diagram showing an example of an ADDBA extension element.

[0029] Figure 17 is a drawing showing the structure of a BA frame.

[0030] Figure 18 is a diagram showing the structure of the BA control field.

[0031] Figure 19 is an example of a BA information field according to this specification.

[0032] Figure 20 is a diagram showing a procedure for exchanging various frames proposed in this specification.

[0033] Figure 21 is a procedure flow diagram showing an example of an STA in which the above-described technical features are performed.

[0034] Figure 22 is a flowchart showing an example of an STA in which the above-described technical features are performed.

[0035] As used herein, "A or B" can mean "only A," "only B," or "both A and B." In other words, as used herein, "A or B" can be interpreted as "A and / or B." For example, as used herein, "A, B or C" can mean "only A," "only B," "only C," or "any combination of A, B and C."

[0036] As used herein, a slash ( / ) or a comma can mean "and / or." For example, "A / B" can mean "A and / or B." Accordingly, "A / B" can mean "only A," "only B," or "both A and B." For example, "A, B, C" can mean "A, B, or C."

[0037] In this specification, "at least one of A and B" may mean "only A", "only B" or "both A and B". Additionally, in this specification, the expressions "at least one of A or B" or "at least one of A and / or B" may be interpreted identically to "at least one of A and B".

[0038] In addition, parentheses used in this specification may mean "for example". Specifically, when it is indicated as "control information (UHR-Signal field)", the "UHR-Signal field" may be proposed as an example of "control information". In other words, the "control information" in this specification is not limited to the "UHR-Signal field", and the "UHR-Signal field" may be proposed as an example of "control information". In addition, even when it is indicated as "control information (UHR-Signal field)", the "UHR-Signal field" may be proposed as an example of "control information".

[0039] Additionally, as used herein, "a / an" can mean "at least one" or "one or more." Additionally, terms ending in "(s)" can mean "at least one" or "one or more."

[0040] Additionally, the expressions "based on" or "on the basis of" or "according to" used herein mean "based at least in part on" and not "based solely on".

[0041] Technical features individually described in a single drawing in this specification may be implemented individually or simultaneously.

[0042] The following examples of this specification can be applied to various wireless communication systems. For example, the following examples of this specification can be applied to wireless local area network (WLAN) systems. For example, the following examples of this specification can be applied to the IEEE 802.11a / g / n / ac / ax / be / bn standards. In addition, the examples of this specification can be applied to the Ultra High Reliability (UHR) standard or the next-generation wireless LAN standard that enhances IEEE 802.11bn. In addition, the examples of this specification can be applied to mobile communication systems. For example, the following examples of this specification can be applied to mobile communication systems based on the Long Term Evolution (LTE) and its evolution based on the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard.

[0043] In order to explain the technical features of this specification, the technical features to which this specification can be applied are described below.

[0044] Figure 1 illustrates an example of a transmitting device and / or a receiving device of the present specification.

[0045] An example of FIG. 1 can perform various technical features described below. FIG. 1 relates to at least one STA (station). For example, the STA (110, 120) of the present specification may also be referred to by various names such as a mobile terminal, a wireless device, a Wireless Transmit / Receive Unit (WTRU), a User Equipment (UE), a Mobile Station (MS), a Mobile Subscriber Unit, or simply a user. The STA (110, 120) of the present specification may also be referred to by various names such as a network, a base station, a Node-B, an access point (AP), a repeater, a router, a relay, etc. The STA (110, 120) of the present specification may also be referred to by various names such as a receiving apparatus, a transmitting apparatus, a receiving STA, a transmitting STA, a receiving device, a transmitting device, etc.

[0046] For example, STA (110, 120) may perform the role of an AP (access point) or a non-AP role. That is, STA (110, 120) of the present specification may perform the functions of an AP and / or a non-AP. In the present specification, AP may also be indicated as an AP STA.

[0047] The STA (110, 120) of this specification can support various communication standards other than the IEEE 802.11 standard. For example, it can support communication standards according to the 3GPP standard (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR standard). In addition, the STA of this specification can be implemented in various devices such as mobile phones, vehicles, and personal computers. In addition, the STA of this specification can support communication for various communication services such as voice calls, video calls, data communications, and autonomous driving (Self-Driving, Autonomous-Driving).

[0048] In this specification, STA (110, 120) may include a medium access control (MAC) and a physical layer interface for a wireless medium that follow the provisions of the IEEE 802.11 standard.

[0049] Based on the sub-drawing (a) of Fig. 1, STA (110, 120) is described as follows.

[0050] The first STA (110) may include a processor (111), a memory (112), and a transceiver (113). The illustrated processor, memory, and transceiver may each be implemented as separate chips, or at least two blocks / functions may be implemented through a single chip.

[0051] The transceiver (113) of the first STA performs signal transmission and reception operations. Specifically, it can transmit and receive IEEE 802.11 packets (e.g., IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be, etc.).

[0052] For example, the first STA (110) can perform the intended operation of the AP. For example, the processor (111) of the AP can receive a signal through the transceiver (113), process the received signal, generate a transmission signal, and perform control for signal transmission. The memory (112) of the AP can store a signal received through the transceiver (113) (i.e., a reception signal) and store a signal to be transmitted through the transceiver (i.e., a transmission signal).

[0053] For example, the second STA (120) can perform the intended operation of a non-AP STA. For example, the transceiver (123) of the non-AP performs signal transmission and reception operations. Specifically, it can transmit and receive IEEE 802.11 packets (e.g., IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be, etc.).

[0054] For example, the processor (121) of the Non-AP STA can receive a signal through the transceiver (123), process the received signal, generate a transmission signal, and perform control for signal transmission. The memory (122) of the Non-AP STA can store a signal received through the transceiver (123) (i.e., a reception signal) and store a signal to be transmitted through the transceiver (i.e., a transmission signal).

[0055] For example, in the specification below, the operation of a device indicated as AP may be performed in the first STA (110) or the second STA (120). For example, if the first STA (110) is an AP, the operation of the device indicated as AP may be controlled by the processor (111) of the first STA (110), and a related signal may be transmitted or received through a transceiver (113) controlled by the processor (111) of the first STA (110). In addition, control information related to the operation of the AP or a transmission / reception signal of the AP may be stored in the memory (112) of the first STA (110). In addition, when the second STA (110) is an AP, the operation of the device indicated as an AP is controlled by the processor (121) of the second STA (120), and a related signal can be transmitted or received through a transceiver (123) controlled by the processor (121) of the second STA (120). In addition, control information related to the operation of the AP or the transmission / reception signal of the AP can be stored in the memory (122) of the second STA (110).

[0056] For example, in the specification below, the operation of a device indicated as a non-AP (or User-STA) may be performed in the STA (110) or the second STA (120). For example, if the second STA (120) is a non-AP, the operation of the device indicated as a non-AP may be controlled by the processor (121) of the second STA (120), and a related signal may be transmitted or received through a transceiver (123) controlled by the processor (121) of the second STA (120). In addition, control information related to the operation of the non-AP or the transmission / reception signal of the AP may be stored in the memory (122) of the second STA (120). For example, if the first STA (110) is a non-AP, the operation of a device indicated as a non-AP is controlled by the processor (111) of the first STA (110), and a related signal may be transmitted or received through a transceiver (113) controlled by the processor (111) of the first STA (120). In addition, control information related to the operation of the non-AP or the transmission / reception signal of the AP may be stored in the memory (112) of the first STA (110).

[0057] In the following specification, devices called (transmitting / receiving) STA, first STA, second STA, STA1, STA2, AP, first AP, second AP, AP1, AP2, (transmitting / receiving) Terminal, (transmitting / receiving) device, (transmitting / receiving) apparatus, network, etc. may refer to the STA (110, 120) of FIG. 1. For example, devices indicated as (transmitting / receiving) STA, first STA, second STA, STA1, STA2, AP, first AP, second AP, AP1, AP2, (transmitting / receiving) Terminal, (transmitting / receiving) device, (transmitting / receiving) apparatus, network, etc. without specific drawing symbols may also refer to the STA (110, 120) of FIG. 1. For example, in the example below, the operation of various STAs transmitting and receiving signals (e.g., PPPDU) may be performed by the transceivers (113, 123) of FIG. 1. In addition, in the example below, the operation of various STAs generating transmission and reception signals or performing data processing or calculations in advance for transmission and reception signals may be performed by the processors (111, 121) of FIG. 1.For example, an example of an operation for generating a transmission / reception signal or performing data processing or operation in advance for a transmission / reception signal may include 1) an operation for determining / obtaining / configuring / computing / decoding / encoding bit information of a subfield (SIG, STF, LTF, Data) field included in a PPDU, 2) an operation for determining / configuring / obtaining time resources or frequency resources (e.g., subcarrier resources) used for a subfield (SIG, STF, LTF, Data) field included in a PPDU, 3) an operation for determining / configuring / obtaining a specific sequence (e.g., a pilot sequence, an STF / LTF sequence, an extra sequence applied to SIG) used for a subfield (SIG, STF, LTF, Data) field included in a PPDU, 4) a power control operation and / or a power saving operation applied to an STA, 5) an operation related to determining / obtaining / configuring / computing / decoding / encoding an ACK signal, etc. Additionally, in the examples below, various information (e.g., information related to fields / subfields / control fields / parameters / power, etc.) used by various STAs for determining / acquiring / configuring / computing / decoding / encoding transmission / reception signals can be stored in the memory (112, 122) of FIG. 1.

[0058] The device / STA of the sub-drawing (a) of the above-described FIG. 1 can be modified as in the sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1. Hereinafter, the STA (110, 120) of the present specification will be described based on the sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1.

[0059] For example, the transceiver (113, 123) illustrated in sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1 may perform the same function as the transceiver illustrated in sub-drawing (a) of FIG. 1 described above. For example, the processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1 may include a processor (111, 121) and a memory (112, 122). The processor (111, 121) and the memory (112, 122) illustrated in sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1 may perform the same function as the processor (111, 121) and the memory (112, 122) illustrated in sub-drawing (a) of FIG. 1 described above.

[0060] The mobile terminal, wireless device, Wireless Transmit / Receive Unit (WTRU), User Equipment (UE), Mobile Station (MS), Mobile Subscriber Unit, user, user STA, network, Base Station, Node-B, Access Point (AP), repeater, router, relay, receiving device, transmitting device, receiving STA, transmitting STA, receiving Device, transmitting Device, receiving Apparatus, and / or transmitting Apparatus described below may refer to the STA (110, 120) illustrated in the sub-drawings (a) / (b) of FIG. 1, or may refer to the processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in the sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1. That is, the technical feature of the present specification may be performed in the STA (110, 120) illustrated in the sub-drawings (a) / (b) of FIG. 1, or may be performed only in the processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in the sub-drawings (b) of FIG. 1. For example, the technical feature that a transmitting STA transmits a control signal may be understood as a technical feature that a control signal generated in a processor (111, 121) illustrated in the sub-drawings (a) / (b) of FIG. 1 is transmitted through a transceiver (113, 123) illustrated in the sub-drawings (a) / (b) of FIG. 1. Alternatively, the technical feature that a transmitting STA transmits a control signal may be understood as a technical feature that a control signal to be transmitted to a transceiver (113, 123) is generated in the processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in the sub-drawings (b) of FIG. 1.

[0061] For example, the technical feature of a receiving STA receiving a control signal can be understood as a technical feature of a control signal being received by a transceiver (113, 123) illustrated in sub-drawing (a) of FIG. 1. Alternatively, the technical feature of a receiving STA receiving a control signal can be understood as a technical feature of a control signal received by a transceiver (113, 123) illustrated in sub-drawing (a) of FIG. 1 being acquired by a processor (111, 121) illustrated in sub-drawing (a) of FIG. 1. Alternatively, the technical feature of a receiving STA receiving a control signal can be understood as a technical feature of a control signal received by a transceiver (113, 123) illustrated in sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1 being acquired by a processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in sub-drawing (b) of FIG.

[0062] Referring to the sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1, software code (115, 125) may be included in the memory (112, 122). The software code (115, 125) may include instructions that control the operation of the processor (111, 121). The software code (115, 125) may be included in various programming languages.

[0063] The processor (111, 121) or processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in FIG. 1 may include an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), another chipset, a logic circuit, and / or a data processing device. The processor may be an application processor (AP). For example, the processor (111, 121) or processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in FIG. 1 may include at least one of a digital signal processor (DSP), a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), and a modem (modulator and demodulator). For example, the processor (111, 121) or processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in FIG. 1 may be a SNAPDRAGON® series processor manufactured by Qualcomm®, an EXYNOS® series processor manufactured by Samsung®, an A series processor manufactured by Apple®, a HELIO® series processor manufactured by MediaTek®, an ATOM® series processor manufactured by INTEL®, or an enhanced processor thereof.

[0064] In this specification, uplink may mean a link for communication from a non-AP STA to an AP STA, and uplink PPDU / packet / signal, etc. may be transmitted through the uplink. In addition, in this specification, downlink may mean a link for communication from an AP STA to a non-AP STA, and downlink PPDU / packet / signal, etc. may be transmitted through the downlink.

[0065] Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the structure of a wireless local area network (WLAN).

[0066] The upper part of Figure 2 shows the structure of the infrastructure BSS (basic service set) of IEEE (institute of electrical and electronic engineers) 802.11.

[0067] Referring to the top of FIG. 2, the wireless LAN system may include one or more infrastructure BSSs (200, 205) (hereinafter, BSS). The BSSs (200, 205) are a collection of APs and STAs, such as an access point (AP) 225 and a station (STA1, 200-1), that have successfully synchronized and can communicate with each other, and are not a concept that designates a specific area. The BSS (205) may also include one or more STAs (205-1, 205-2) that can be associated with one AP (230).

[0068] A BSS may include at least one STA, an AP (225, 230) providing a distribution service, and a distribution system (DS, 210) connecting multiple APs.

[0069] A distributed system (210) can connect multiple BSSs (200, 205) to implement an extended service set (ESS) 240. An ESS (240) can be used as a term to indicate a network formed by connecting one or more APs through the distributed system (210). APs included in a single ESS (240) can have the same SSID (service set identification).

[0070] The portal (portal, 220) can act as a bridge to connect a wireless LAN network (IEEE 802.11) to another network (e.g., 802.X).

[0071] In a BSS such as the upper part of Fig. 2, a network between APs (225, 230) and a network between APs (225, 230) and STAs (200-1, 205-1, 205-2) can be implemented. However, it may also be possible to establish a network and perform communication between STAs without an AP (225, 230). A network that establishes a network and performs communication between STAs without an AP (225, 230) is defined as an ad-hoc network or an independent basic service set (IBSS).

[0072] The bottom of Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram showing IBSS.

[0073] Referring to the bottom of Fig. 2, the IBSS is a BSS that operates in ad-hoc mode. Since the IBSS does not include an AP, there is no centralized management entity. That is, in the IBSS, STAs (250-1, 250-2, 250-3, 255-4, 255-5) are managed in a distributed manner. In the IBSS, all STAs (250-1, 250-2, 250-3, 255-4, 255-5) can be mobile STAs, and access to the distributed system is not permitted, forming a self-contained network.

[0074] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a general link setup process.

[0075] In step S310, the STA may perform a network discovery operation. This network discovery operation may include scanning by the STA. That is, for the STA to access the network, it must find a network it can join. Before joining a wireless network, the STA must identify compatible networks. The process of identifying networks in a specific area is called scanning. Scanning methods include active scanning and passive scanning.

[0076] Figure 3 illustrates a network discovery operation that includes an active scanning process as an example. In active scanning, an STA performing scanning transmits a probe request frame to discover which APs exist in the vicinity while moving between channels and waits for a response. A responder transmits a probe response frame to the STA that transmitted the probe request frame in response to the probe request frame. Here, the responder may be the STA that last transmitted a beacon frame in the BSS of the channel being scanned. In a BSS, the AP transmits the beacon frame, so the AP becomes the responder. In an IBSS, the STAs within the IBSS take turns transmitting beacon frames, so the responder is not constant. For example, an STA that transmits a probe request frame on channel 1 and receives a probe response frame on channel 1 can store BSS-related information included in the received probe response frame and move to the next channel (e.g., channel 2) to perform scanning (i.e., transmitting and receiving probe requests / responses on channel 2) in the same manner.

[0077] Although not shown in the example of FIG. 3, the scanning operation can also be performed in a passive scanning manner. An STA performing scanning based on passive scanning can wait for a beacon frame while moving between channels. A beacon frame is one of the management frames in IEEE 802.11. It announces the presence of a wireless network and is periodically transmitted so that the scanning STA can find the wireless network and participate in the wireless network. In the BSS, the AP periodically transmits the beacon frame, and in the IBSS, the STAs within the IBSS take turns transmitting the beacon frame. When the scanning STA receives a beacon frame, it stores the information about the BSS included in the beacon frame and moves to another channel, recording the beacon frame information on each channel. An STA that receives a beacon frame can store the BSS-related information included in the received beacon frame, move to the next channel, and perform scanning on the next channel in the same manner.

[0078] An STA that discovers a network can perform an authentication process through step S320. This authentication process may be referred to as the first authentication process to clearly distinguish it from the security setup operation of step S340 described below. The authentication process of S320 may include a process in which the STA transmits an authentication request frame to the AP, and the AP responds by transmitting an authentication response frame to the STA. The authentication frame used for the authentication request / response corresponds to a management frame.

[0079] The authentication frame may include information such as an authentication algorithm number, an authentication transaction sequence number, a status code, a challenge text, a Robust Security Network (RSN), and a Finite Cyclic Group.

[0080] An STA can transmit an authentication request frame to an AP. The AP can determine whether to grant authentication to the STA based on the information contained in the received authentication request frame. The AP can provide the result of the authentication process to the STA via an authentication response frame.

[0081] A successfully authenticated STA may perform an association process based on step S330. The association process includes a process in which the STA transmits an association request frame to the AP, and the AP transmits an association response frame to the STA in response. For example, the association request frame may include information related to various capabilities, such as a beacon listen interval, a service set identifier (SSID), supported rates, supported channels, RSN, mobility domain, supported operating classes, a Traffic Indication Map Broadcast request, and interworking service capabilities. For example, the association response frame may contain information related to various capabilities, status codes, Association ID (AID), supported rates, Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) parameter sets, Received Channel Power Indicator (RCPI), Received Signal to Noise Indicator (RSNI), mobility domains, timeout interval (association comeback time), overlapping BSS scan parameters, TIM broadcast response, QoS maps, etc.

[0082] In step S340, the STA may perform a security setup process. The security setup process of step S340 may include, for example, a process of setting up a private key through a four-way handshaking using an Extensible Authentication Protocol over LAN (EAPOL) frame.

[0083] Figure 4 illustrates one embodiment of a multi-link (ML).

[0084] As illustrated in FIG. 4, multiple multi-link devices (MLDs) can communicate over a remote link. The MLDs can be categorized into AP MLDs including multiple AP STAs and non-AP MLDs including multiple non-AP STAs. That is, the AP MLD can include affiliated APs (i.e., AP STAs), and the non-AP MLD can include affiliated STAs (i.e., non-AP STAs, or user-STAs).

[0085] A multilink may include a first link and a second link, and different channels / subchannels / frequency resources may be allocated to the first and second links. The first and second multilinks may be identified through a link ID of 4 bits (or other n bits). The first and second links may be configured in the same 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz band. Alternatively, the first link and the second link may be configured in different bands.

[0086] The AP MLD of FIG. 4 includes three affiliated APs. In the example of FIG. 4, AP1 may operate in the 2.4 GHz band, AP2 may operate in the 5 GHz band, and AP3 may operate in the 6 GHz band. In the example of FIG. 4, the first link in which AP1 and non-AP1 operate may be defined as a channel / subchannel / frequency resource within the 2.4 GHz band. Furthermore, in the example of FIG. 4, the second link in which AP2 and non-AP2 operate may be defined as a channel / subchannel / frequency resource within the 5 GHz band. Furthermore, in the example of FIG. 4, the third link in which AP3 and non-AP3 operate may be defined as a channel / subchannel / frequency resource within the 6 GHz band.

[0087] In the example of FIG. 4, AP1 may initiate a multi-link setup procedure (ML setup procedure) by transmitting an Association Request frame to non-AP STA1. In the example of FIG. 4, non-AP STA1 may transmit an Association Response frame in response to the Association Request frame. Each AP (e.g., AP1 / 2 / 3) illustrated in FIG. 4 may be identical to the AP illustrated in FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 2, and each non-AP (e.g., non-AP1 / 2 / 3) illustrated in FIG. 4 may be identical to the STA (i.e., user-STA or non-AP STA) illustrated in FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 2.

[0088] The specific features of this specification are not limited to the specific features of FIG. 4. That is, the number of links can be defined in various ways, and multiple links can be defined in various ways within at least one band.

[0089] FIG. 5 illustrates a PPDU (physical protocol data unit or physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit) transmitted / received by an STA of this specification.

[0090] The STA (e.g., AP STA, non-AP STA, AP MLD, non-AP MLD) of the present specification can transmit and / or receive the PPDU of FIG. 5. The PPDU described in the present specification may have, for example, the structure of FIG. 5. In addition, the PPDU described in the present specification may be called by various names such as a transmission PPDU, a reception PPDU, a first type PPDU, or an Nth type PPDU, etc. The PPDU described in the present specification can be used in a WLAN system defined according to IEEE 802.11bn and / or a next-generation WLAN system that improves IEEE 802.11bn.

[0091] The PPDU of FIG. 5 may be related to various PPDU types used in a UHR system. For example, the example of FIG. 5 may be used for at least one of a single-user (SU) mode / type / transmission, a multi-user (MU) mode / type / transmission, and a null data packet (NDP) mode / type / transmission related to channel sounding. For example, if the example of FIG. 5 is related to NDP, the Data field illustrated may be omitted. If the PPDU of FIG. 5 is used for a trigger-based (TB) mode, the UHR-SIG of FIG. 5 may be omitted. In other words, an STA that has received a trigger frame for UL-MU (Uplink-MU) communication may transmit a PPDU with the UHR-SIG omitted in the example of FIG. 5.

[0092] In FIG. 5, L-STF or UHR-LTF may be called a preamble or physical preamble, and may be generated / transmitted / received / acquired / decoded in the physical layer (included in the transmitting / receiving STA).

[0093] Each block illustrated in Fig. 5 may be called a field / subfield / signal, etc. The names of these fields / subfields / signals may be, as illustrated in Fig. 5, L-STF (legacy short training field), L-LTF (legacy long training field), L-SIG (legacy signal), RL-SIG (repeated L-SIG), U-SIG (Universal Signal), UHR-SIG (UHR-signal), etc.

[0094] The subcarrier spacing of the L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, U-SIG, and UHR-SIG fields in FIG. 5 may be set to 312.5 kHz, and the subcarrier spacing of the UHR-STF, UHR-LTF, and Data fields may be set to 78.125 kHz. That is, the tone index (or subcarrier index) of the L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, U-SIG, and UHR-SIG fields may be expressed in units of 312.5 kHz, and the tone index (or subcarrier index) of the UHR-STF, UHR-LTF, and Data fields may be expressed in units of 78.125 kHz.

[0095] In the PPDU of Fig. 5, L-LTF and L-STF may be identical to conventional fields (e.g., non-HT LTF and non-HT STF defined in conventional WLAN standards).

[0096] The L-SIG field of FIG. 5 may include, for example, 24 bits of bit information. For example, the 24 bits of information may include a 4 bit Rate field, a 1 bit Reserved bit, a 12 bit Length field, a 1 bit Parity bit, and a 6 bit Tail bit. For example, the 12 bit Length field may include information about the length or time duration of the PPDU. For example, the value of the 12 bit Length field may be determined based on the type of the PPDU. For example, if the PPDU is a non-HT (non-High Throughput), HT (High Throughput), VHT (Very High Throughput) PPDU, or an EHT (extremely high throughput) PPDU or UHR PPDU, the value of the Length field may be determined as a multiple of 3. For example, if the PPDU is a HE PPDU, the value of the Length field may be determined as "a multiple of 3 + 1" or "a multiple of 3 + 2". In other words, for non-HT, HT, VHT PPDU, EHT PPDU, UHR PPDU, the value of the Length field can be determined as a multiple of 3, and for HE (High Efficiency) PPDU, the value of the Length field can be determined as "a multiple of 3 + 1" or "a multiple of 3 + 2". In other words, the Length field in an UHR PPDU is set to a value satisfying the condition that the remainder is zero when LENGTH is divided by 3.

[0097] For example, (non-AP and AP) STAs can apply BCC encoding based on a code rate of 1 / 2 to the 24 bits of information in the L-SIG field. Then, the transmitting STA can obtain 48 BCC coded bits. BPSK modulation can be applied to the 48 coded bits to generate 48 BPSK symbols. The transmitting STA can map the 48 BPSK symbols to positions excluding the pilot subcarriers {subcarrier index -21, -7, +7, +21} and the DC subcarrier {subcarrier index 0}. As a result, the 48 BPSK symbols can be mapped to subcarrier indices -26 to -22, -20 to -8, -6 to -1, +1 to +6, +8 to +20, and +22 to +26. The transmitting STA can additionally map the signal {-1, -1, -1, 1} to the subcarrier indices {-28, -27, +27, +28}. The above signal can be used for channel estimation for the frequency domain corresponding to {-28, -27, +27, +28}.

[0098] For example, (non-AP and AP) STA can generate RL-SIG, which is generated in the same manner as L-SIG. BPSK modulation can be applied to RL-SIG. Receiving (non-AP and AP) STA can determine whether the received PPDU is a HE PPDU, EHT PPDU, or UHR PPDU based on the presence of RL-SIG. In other words, if RL-SIG is present, receiving (non-AP and AP) STA can determine whether the received PPDU is one of HE PPDU, EHT PPDU, or UHR PPDU. In other words, if RL-SIG is not present, receiving (non-AP and AP) STA can determine whether the received PPDU is one of non-HT PPDU, HT PPDU, or VHT PPDU. In other words, the RL-SIG field is a repeat of the L-SIG field and is used to differentiate an UHR PPDU from a non-HT PPDU, HT PPDU, and VHT PPDU.

[0099] After the RL-SIG in Fig. 5, a U-SIG (Universal SIG) may be inserted. The U-SIG may be called by various names such as the first SIG field, the first SIG, the first type SIG, the control signal, the control signal field, the first (type) control signal, the common control field, and the common control signal.

[0100] A U-SIG can contain N bits of information and can include information for identifying the type of EHT PPDU. For example, a U-SIG can be formed based on two symbols (e.g., two consecutive OFDM symbols). Each symbol (e.g., an OFDM symbol) for a U-SIG can have a duration of 4 microseconds. Each symbol of a U-SIG can be used to transmit 26 bits of information. For example, each symbol of a U-SIG can be transmitted and received based on 52 data tones and 4 pilot tones.

[0101] For example, A bit information (e.g., 52 uncoded bits) can be transmitted through U-SIG, and the first symbol of U-SIG can transmit the first X bits of information (e.g., 26 uncoded bits) out of the total A bit information, and the second symbol of U-SIG can transmit the remaining Y bits of information (e.g., 26 uncoded bits) out of the total A bit information. For example, the transmitting STA can obtain 26 uncoded bits included in each U-SIG symbol. The transmitting STA can perform convolutional encoding (i.e., BCC encoding) based on a rate of R=1 / 2 to generate 52 coded bits, and perform interleaving on the 52 coded bits. The transmitting STA can perform BPSK modulation on the interleaved 52 coded bits to generate 52 BPSK symbols allocated to each U-SIG symbol. A single U-SIG symbol can be transmitted based on 56 tones (subcarriers) from subcarrier index -28 to subcarrier index +28, excluding DC index 0. The 52 BPSK symbols generated by the transmitting STA can be transmitted based on the remaining tones (subcarriers) excluding the pilot tones -21, -7, +7, and +21.

[0102] For example, A bit information (e.g., 52 uncoded bits) transmitted by U-SIG may include a CRC field (e.g., a 4-bit long field) and a tail field (e.g., a 6-bit long field). The CRC field and the tail field may be transmitted through the second symbol of the U-SIG. The CRC field may be generated based on 26 bits allocated to the first symbol of the U-SIG and the remaining 16 bits excluding the CRC / tail field within the second symbol, and may be generated based on a conventional CRC calculation algorithm. In addition, the tail field may be used to terminate the trellis of the convolutional decoder and may be set to, for example, "000000".

[0103] The A bit information (e.g., 52 uncoded bits) transmitted by the U-SIG (or U-SIG field) can be divided into version-independent bits and version-dependent bits. For example, the size of the version-independent bits can be fixed or variable. For example, the version-independent bits can be assigned only to the first symbol of the U-SIG, or the version-independent bits can be assigned to both the first symbol and the second symbol of the U-SIG. For example, the version-independent bits and the version-dependent bits can be called by various names, such as the first control bit and the second control bit.

[0104] For example, the version-independent bits of the U-SIG may include a 3-bit PHY version identifier. For example, the 3-bit PHY version identifier may include information related to the PHY version of the transmitted and received PPDU. For example, a first value (e.g., a value of 000) of the 3-bit PHY version identifier may indicate that the transmitted and received PPDU is an EHT PPDU. In addition, a second value (e.g., a value of 001) of the 3-bit PHY version identifier may indicate that the transmitted and received PPDU is an UHR PPDU.

[0105] In other words, when the (AP / non-AP) STA transmits an EHT PPDU, it can set the 3-bit PHY version identifier to the first value. In other words, the receiving (AP / non-AP) STA can determine that the received PPDU is an EHT PPDU based on the PHY version identifier having the first value, and can determine that the received PPDU is an UHR PPDU based on the PHY version identifier having the second value.

[0106] For example, the version-independent bits of U-SIG may include a 1-bit UL / DL flag field. The first value of the 1-bit UL / DL flag field relates to UL communication, and the second value of the UL / DL flag field relates to DL communication.

[0107] For example, the version-independent bits of U-SIG may contain information about the length of the TXOP and information about the BSS color ID.

[0108] For example, if a UHR PPDU is classified into various types (e.g., a type related to SU transmission (performed based on UL or DL), a type related to DL transmission, a type related to NDP transmission, a type related to DL non-MU-MIMO, a type related to DL MU-MIMO, a type related to Multi-AP operation, a type related to CBF (Coordinated beamforming), SR (Spatial Reuse), a type related to C-OFDMA (Coordinated OFDMA), a type related to C-TDMA (Coordinated TDMA)), information about the type of the EHT PPDU (e.g., 2-bit or 3-bit information) can be included in the version-dependent bits of the U-SIG.

[0109] For example, U-SIG may include 1) a bandwidth field including information about bandwidth, 2) a field including information about a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) technique applied to UHR-SIG, 3) an indication field including information about whether a dual subcarrier modulation (DCM) technique is applied to UHR-SIG, 4) a field including information about the number of symbols used for UHR-SIG, 5) a field including information about whether UHR-SIG is generated over the entire band, 6) a field including information about the type of UHR-LTF / STF, and 7) a field indicating the length of UHR-LTF and the CP length.

[0110] Preamble puncturing may be applied to the PPDU of FIG. 5. Preamble puncturing refers to applying puncturing to a portion of the entire bandwidth of the PPDU (e.g., the secondary 20 MHz band). For example, when an 80 MHz PPDU is transmitted, the STA applies puncturing to the secondary 20 MHz band within the 80 MHz band, and can transmit the PPDU only through the primary 20 MHz band and the secondary 40 MHz band.

[0111] For example, the pattern of preamble puncturing can be preset. For example, when the first puncturing pattern is applied, puncturing can be applied only to the secondary 20 MHz band within the 80 MHz band. For example, when the second puncturing pattern is applied, puncturing can be applied only to one of the two secondary 20 MHz bands included in the secondary 40 MHz band within the 80 MHz band. For example, when the third puncturing pattern is applied, puncturing can be applied only to the secondary 20 MHz band included in the primary 80 MHz band within the 160 MHz band (or 80+80 MHz band). For example, when the fourth puncturing pattern is applied, a primary 40 MHz band included in the primary 80 MHz band within the 160 MHz band (or 80+80 MHz band) may be present, and puncturing may be applied to at least one 20 MHz channel that does not belong to the primary 40 MHz band.

[0112] Information regarding preamble puncturing applied to the PPDU may be included in the U-SIG and / or UHR-SIG. For example, the first field of the U-SIG may include information regarding the contiguous bandwidth of the PPDU, and the second field of the U-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing applied to the PPDU.

[0113] For example, U-SIG and UHR-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing based on the following method. If the bandwidth of the PPDU exceeds 80 MHz, the U-SIG may be individually configured in units of 80 MHz. For example, if the bandwidth of the PPDU is 160 MHz, the PPDU may include a first U-SIG for the first 80 MHz band and a second U-SIG for the second 80 MHz band. In this case, the first field of the first U-SIG may include information regarding the 160 MHz bandwidth, and the second field of the first U-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing applied to the first 80 MHz band (i.e., information regarding the preamble puncturing pattern). Additionally, the first field of the second U-SIG may include information about a 160 MHz bandwidth, and the second field of the second U-SIG may include information about preamble puncturing applied to the second 80 MHz band (i.e., information about a preamble puncturing pattern). Meanwhile, the UHR-SIG consecutive to the first U-SIG may include information about preamble puncturing applied to the second 80 MHz band (i.e., information about a preamble puncturing pattern), and the UHR-SIG consecutive to the second U-SIG may include information about preamble puncturing applied to the first 80 MHz band (i.e., information about a preamble puncturing pattern).

[0114] Additionally or alternatively, U-SIG and UHR-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing based on the following methods. U-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing for all bands (i.e., information regarding preamble puncturing patterns). That is, UHR-SIG may not include information regarding preamble puncturing, and only U-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing (i.e., information regarding preamble puncturing patterns).

[0115] U-SIGs can be configured in 20 MHz units. For example, if an 80 MHz PPDU is configured, U-SIGs can be duplicated. That is, four identical U-SIGs can be included within an 80 MHz PPDU. PPDUs exceeding the 80 MHz bandwidth can contain different U-SIGs.

[0116] The UHR-SIG of FIG. 5 may include control information for a receiving STA. The UHR-SIG may be transmitted via at least one symbol, and each symbol may have a length of 4 us. Information regarding the number of symbols used for the UHR-SIG may be included in the U-SIG.

[0117] UHR-SIG provides additional signals to the U-SIG field to enable STAs to interpret / decode UHR PPDUs. The UHR-SIG field may contain U-SIG overflow bits that are common to all users. The UHR-SIG field also contains resource allocation information, allowing STAs to look up resources used in fields containing data fields / UHR-STF / UHR-LTF (i.e., UHR modulated fields of an UHR PPDU).

[0118] The frequency resources of the UHR-LTF, UHR-STF, and data fields illustrated in FIG. 5 can be determined based on RUs (resource units) defined by multiple subcarriers / tones. That is, the UHR-LTF, UHR-STF, and data fields of this specification can be transmitted / received through RUs (resource units) defined by multiple subcarriers / tones.

[0119] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the layout of resource units (RUs) used for a 20 MHz PPDU. That is, the UHR-LTF, UHR-STF, and / or data fields included in the 20 MHz PPDU can be transmitted / received through at least one of the various RUs defined in FIG. 6.

[0120] As shown at the top of Fig. 6, 26 units (i.e., units corresponding to 26 tones) can be arranged. Six tones can be used as a guard band in the leftmost band of the 20 MHz band, and five tones can be used as a guard band in the rightmost band of the 20 MHz band. In addition, seven DC tones can be inserted in the center band, i.e., the DC band, and 26 units corresponding to 13 tones can exist on each side of the DC band. In addition, 26 units, 52 units, and 106 units can be allocated to other bands. Each unit can be allocated for a receiving station, i.e., a user.

[0121] Meanwhile, the RU arrangement of FIG. 6 is utilized not only in a situation for multiple users (MUs) but also in a situation for a single user (SU), in which case it is possible to use one 242-unit as shown at the bottom of FIG. 4, in which case three DC tones can be inserted.

[0122] In the example of Fig. 6, RUs of various sizes, such as 26-RU, 52-RU, 106-RU, and 242-RU, are proposed. Since the specific sizes of these RUs can be expanded or increased, the present embodiment is not limited to the specific size of each RU (i.e., the number of corresponding tones). In this specification, N-RU may be represented as N-tone RU, etc. For example, 26-RU may be represented as 26-tone RU.

[0123] Figure 7 is a diagram showing the layout of resource units (RUs) used for 40MHz PPDU.

[0124] As in the example of Fig. 6 where RUs of various sizes were used, the example of Fig. 7 can also use 26-RU, 52-RU, 106-RU, 242-RU, 484-RU, etc. In addition, 5 DC tones can be inserted at the center frequency, 12 tones can be used as a guard band in the leftmost band of the 40 MHz band, and 11 tones can be used as a guard band in the rightmost band of the 40 MHz band.

[0125] Additionally, as illustrated, 484 RUs may be used when used for a single user. Meanwhile, the specific number of RUs may be changed, as in the example of FIG. 6.

[0126] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating the layout of resource units (RUs) used for an 80MHz PPDU. The layout of resource units (RUs) used in this specification may vary. For example, the layout of resource units (RUs) used in the 80MHz band may vary.

[0127] Figure 9 illustrates an operation according to UL-MU. As illustrated, a transmitting STA (e.g., AP) can acquire a TXOP (925) by performing channel access through contending (i.e., backoff operation) and transmit a trigger frame (930). That is, the transmitting STA (e.g., AP) can transmit a PPDU including a trigger frame (930). When a PPDU including a trigger frame is received, a TB (trigger-based) PPDU is transmitted after a delay of SIFS.

[0128] TB PPDUs (941, 942) are transmitted at the same time and can be transmitted from multiple STAs (e.g., User STAs) whose AIDs are indicated in the Trigger frame (930). The ACK frame (950) for the TB PPDU can be implemented in various forms. For example, the ACK frame (950) for the TB PPDU can be implemented in the form of a BA (block ACK).

[0129] In FIG. 9, transmission(s) of a Trigger Frame (930), TB PPDU (941, 942) and / or ACK frame (950) can be performed within a TXOP (925).

[0130] Figure 10 shows an example of channels used / supported / defined within the 2.4 GHz band.

[0131] The 2.4 GHz band may be referred to by other names, such as the first band (band). Furthermore, the 2.4 GHz band may refer to a frequency range in which channels with a center frequency adjacent to 2.4 GHz (e.g., channels with a center frequency between 2.4 and 2.5 GHz) are used / supported / defined.

[0132] The 2.4 GHz band may include multiple 20 MHz channels. The 20 MHz within the 2.4 GHz band may have multiple channel indices (e.g., indices 1 through 14). For example, the center frequency of a 20 MHz channel assigned channel index 1 may be 2.412 GHz, the center frequency of a 20 MHz channel assigned channel index 2 may be 2.417 GHz, and the center frequency of a 20 MHz channel assigned channel index N may be (2.407 + 0.005*N) GHz. The channel indices may be referred to by various names, such as channel numbers. The specific numerical values ​​of the channel indices and center frequencies may change.

[0133] Figure 10 exemplarily illustrates four channels within the 2.4 GHz band. The illustrated first frequency region (1010) to fourth frequency region (1040) may each include one channel. For example, the first frequency region (1010) may include channel 1 (a 20 MHz channel having an index of 1). In this case, the center frequency of channel 1 may be set to 2412 MHz. The second frequency region (1020) may include channel 6. In this case, the center frequency of channel 6 may be set to 2437 MHz. The third frequency region (1030) may include channel 11. In this case, the center frequency of channel 11 may be set to 2462 MHz. The fourth frequency region (1040) may include channel 14. In this case, the center frequency of channel 14 may be set to 2484 MHz.

[0134] Figure 11 illustrates an example of channels used / supported / defined within the 5 GHz band.

[0135] The 5 GHz band may be referred to by other names, such as a second band / band, etc. The 5 GHz band may refer to a frequency range in which channels with center frequencies greater than or equal to 5 GHz and less than 6 GHz (or less than 5.9 GHz) are used / supported / defined. Alternatively, the 5 GHz band may include multiple channels between 4.5 GHz and 5.5 GHz. The specific figures shown in FIG. 11 are subject to change.

[0136] Multiple channels within the 5 GHz band include Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (UNII)-1, UNII-2, UNII-3, and ISM. UNII-1 may be referred to as UNII Low. UNII-2 may include frequency ranges called UNII Mid and UNII-2Extended. UNII-3 may be referred to as UNII-Upper.

[0137] Within the 5 GHz band, multiple channels can be configured, and the bandwidth of each channel can be variously configured, such as 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or 160 MHz. For example, the 5170 MHz to 5330 MHz frequency domain / range within UNII-1 and UNII-2 can be divided into eight 20 MHz channels. The 5170 MHz to 5330 MHz frequency domain / range can be divided into four channels through a 40 MHz frequency domain. The 5170 MHz to 5330 MHz frequency domain / range can be divided into two channels through an 80 MHz frequency domain. Alternatively, the 5170 MHz to 5330 MHz frequency domain / range can be divided into one channel through a 160 MHz frequency domain.

[0138] Figure 12 illustrates an example of channels used / supported / defined within the 6 GHz band.

[0139] The 6 GHz band may also be referred to by other names, such as the third band / band. The 6 GHz band may refer to the frequency range in which channels with center frequencies above 5.9 GHz are used, supported, or defined. The specific figures shown in Figure 12 are subject to change.

[0140] For example, the 20 MHz channel of FIG. 12 can be defined from 5.940 GHz. Specifically, the leftmost channel among the 20 MHz channels of FIG. 12 can have an index of 1 (or channel index, channel number, etc.), and a center frequency of 5.945 GHz can be assigned. That is, the center frequency of the indexed channel N can be determined as (5.940 + 0.005*N) GHz.

[0141] Accordingly, the indexes (or channel numbers) of the 20 MHz channels of FIG. 12 are 1, 5, 9, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29, 33, 37, 41, 45, 49, 53, 57, 61, 65, 69, 73, 77, 81, 85, 89, 93, 97, 101, 105, 109, 113, 117, 121, 125, 129, 133, 137, 141, 145, 149, 153, 157, 161, 165, 169, 173, 177, 181, 185, 189, 193, It can be 197, 201, 205, 209, 213, 217, 221, 225, 229, 233. Also, according to the (5.940 + 0.005*N) GHz rule mentioned above, the indices of the 40 MHz channels in Fig. 12 can be 3, 11, 19, 27, 35, 43, 51, 59, 67, 75, 83, 91, 99, 107, 115, 123, 131, 139, 147, 155, 163, 171, 179, 187, 195, 203, 211, 219, 227.

[0142] Below, the structure and types / subtypes of MAC frames are described.

[0143] Fig. 13 illustrates an example of a header of a MAC frame. As illustrated, the MAC frame may include a frame control field / information of 2 octets in length, a duration field / information of 2 octets in length, a RA (Receiver Address) field / information of 6 octets in length, and a TA (Transmitter Address) field / information of 6 octets in length. As illustrated in Fig. 13, the four fields may be consecutive to each other. The MAC header of Fig. 13 may be modified in various ways, and a new field may be inserted between the four illustrated fields, or at least one of the illustrated fields may be omitted.

[0144] The MAC header illustrated in Fig. 13 may be positioned at the very front of a MAC frame. That is, the MAC frame may include a MAC header as illustrated in Fig. 13 and MAC body fields / information subsequent to the MAC header. The MAC frame including the MAC header of Fig. 13 is inserted / included in the data field of the PPDU (e.g., UHR PPDU) illustrated in Fig. 5.

[0145] The MAC frames included in the data field of the PPDU of this specification can be classified into various types. For example, the MAC frames of this specification can be classified into control frames, management frames, and data frames.

[0146] For example, the management frame includes Association Request, Association Response, Reassociation Request, Reassociation Response, Probe Request, Probe Response, Beacon, Disassociation, Authentication, and Deauthentication frames / signals defined in conventional WLAN. For the management frame, the values ​​of the type fields (B3 and B2) in FIG. 13 are set to 00. In addition, the values ​​of the subtype fields (B7, B6, B5, B4) in FIG. 13 are as follows: Association Request (0000), Association Response (0001), Reassociation Request (0010), Reassociation Response (0011), Probe Request (0100), Probe Response (0101), Beacon (1000), Disassociation (1010), Authentication (1011), Deauthentication (1100).

[0147] For example, the control frame includes Trigger Beamforming Report Poll, NDP Announcement (NDPA), Control Frame Extension, Control Wrapper, Block Ack Request (BlockAckReq), Block Ack (BlockAck), PS-Poll, RTS, CTS, Ack, and CF-End frames / signals defined in conventional WLAN. For the control frame, the value of the type field (B3 and B2) in FIG. 13 is set to 01. Also, the values ​​of the subtype fields (B7, B6, B5, B4) of FIG. 13 are as follows: Trigger (0010), Beamforming Report Poll (0100), NDP Announcement (0101), Control Frame Extension (0110), Control Wrapper (0111), BlockAckReq (1000), BlockAck (1001), PS-Poll (1010), RTS (1011), CTS (1100), Ack (1101), CF-End (1110).

[0148] For example, the data frame includes (QoS) Data, (QoS) Null, etc. defined in conventional WLAN. For the management frame, the value of the type field (B3 and B2) of Fig. 13 is set to 10.

[0149] The MAC frame / signal used in this specification can be identified through the type field / information and subtype field / information described above. For example, the "trigger frame" in this specification can mean a MAC frame in which the type bits B3 and B2 bits in the frame control field of the MAC header are set to 01, and the subtype bits B7, B6, B5, B4 bits in the frame control field are also set to 0010. Various MAC frames described in this specification are inserted / included in the data field of various PPDUs (e.g., HE / VHT / HE / EHT / UHR PPDU).

[0150] FIG. 14 illustrates a modified example of a transmitting device and / or a receiving device of the present specification.

[0151] The devices (e.g., AP STA, non-AP STA) illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 may be modified as illustrated in FIG. 14. The transceiver (630) of FIG. 14 may be identical to the transceivers (113, 123) of FIG. 1. The transceiver (630) of FIG. 14 may include a receiver and a transmitter.

[0152] The processor (610) of FIG. 14 may be identical to the processor (111, 121) of FIG. 1. Alternatively, the processor (610) of FIG. 14 may be identical to the processing chip (114, 124) of FIG. 1.

[0153] The memory (150) of FIG. 14 may be the same as the memory (112, 122) of FIG. 1. Alternatively, the memory (150) of FIG. 14 may be a separate external memory different from the memory (112, 122) of FIG. 1.

[0154] Referring to FIG. 14, a power management module (611) manages power to a processor (610) and / or a transceiver (630). A battery (612) supplies power to the power management module (611). A display (613) outputs results processed by the processor (610). A keypad (614) receives input to be used by the processor (610). The keypad (614) may be displayed on the display (613). A SIM card (615) may be an integrated circuit used to securely store an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) and an associated key used to identify and authenticate a subscriber in a mobile phone device, such as a mobile phone or computer.

[0155] Referring to FIG. 14, the speaker (640) can output sound-related results processed by the processor (610). The microphone (641) can receive sound-related input to be used by the processor (610).

[0156] Next Wi-Fi (beyond 11be or IEEE 802.11bn) aims to support ultra-high reliability (UHR) when transmitting signals to STAs. To this end, various technologies are being considered for supporting high throughput (HT), low latency (LL), and extended range (ER). When transmitting and receiving signals using various newly defined technologies to support ultra-high reliability (UHR), next-generation wireless LAN systems (e.g., IEEE 802.11bn and later systems) may consider efficiently performing link adaptation (LA) to improve the efficiency of signal transmission by using transmission parameters appropriate to the channel conditions of transmitting and receiving signals. In this specification, a link adaptation (LA) method / device that sets optimal transmission parameters for efficient signal transmission and reception on a transmission channel in next-generation wireless LAN systems (e.g., IEEE 802.11bn and later systems) is proposed.

[0157] In next-generation wireless LAN systems, improved link adaptation (LA) can be considered to immediately apply (TX / RX) parameters appropriate to channel conditions in order to increase transmission efficiency and improve throughput for signal transmission and reception.

[0158] The LA proposed in this specification may be called by various names. For example, the LA technique proposed in this specification may be used interchangeably with various names such as ILA (Improved LA), ELA (Enhanced LA), and ULA (UHR LA). In this specification, the terms LA, ILA, ELA, and ULA may be used interchangeably, and the technical features of this specification are not limited by the use of a specific term. That is, the method / device of this specification having technical features improved by conventional techniques may be referred to by various terms such as LA, ILA, ELA, and ULA hereinafter.

[0159] The ILA (Improved LA) based on this specification can be performed in the corresponding TXOP when transmitting and receiving DL / UL signals between an AP and a non-AP STA. In addition, the (TX / RX) parameters set through the ILA can be applied when transmitting other signals within the corresponding TXOP or signals within the next TXOP.

[0160] In order to apply LA of the next-generation wireless LAN system, AP and non-AP STA can indicate information (e.g., 1-bit information) on whether ILA (improved link adaptation) is supported by the STA / Device through capability negotiation / exchange. For example, the information on whether ILA is supported can be included in the Management frame. For example, the Management frame can include the above-described Association Request, Association Response, Reassociation Request, Reassociation Response, Probe Request, Probe Response, Beacon, Disassociation, Authentication, and Deauthentication frames / signals.

[0161] Additionally or alternatively, the above capability may be defined as an example and immediately Link adaptation.

[0162] Additionally or alternatively, when supporting the improved Link adaptation (ILA), the capability may be set / indicated to a first value (e.g., 0 / 1). In this case, when the capability is set to the first value, an AP (or non-AP STA) supporting the ILA may collect information on the entire band / part of the band of the wireless channel from data (e.g., QoS Data frame) received from a non-AP STA (or AP) and measure LA information (e.g., various TX / RX parameters including MCS information) for the next transmission.

[0163] LA (i.e., ILA, ELA, or ULA as described above) of the next generation wireless LAN system can be performed using the following method.

[0164] In order to perform ILA based on this specification, an AP (or non-AP STA) can transmit a signal including a request for LA (link adaptation) when transmitting data (or when transmitting a PPDU including a data frame). The STA (i.e., AP or non-AP STA) receiving this can measure LA parameters (i.e., TX / RX parameters) for the next transmission using the received data (or PPDU) and perform feedback based on the measurement results. At this time, the above procedure is performed within a TXOP (i.e., within one and the same TXOP), and the STA (i.e., AP or non-AP STA) that has received information about LA can transmit a signal using the corresponding information (i.e., TX / RX parameters) in other data (or PPDU) within the TXOP or in the next TXOP (i.e., a TXOP immediately following the TXOP or a subsequent TXOP discontinuous from the TXOP).

[0165] In order to quickly perform LA using the channel information measured during signal transmission and reception as described above, a data frame can be defined as follows. As already explained in FIG. 13, etc., the MAC frames included in the data field of the PPDU of this specification can be classified into various types, and for example, the frames of this specification can be classified into a control frame, a management frame, and a data frame. The data frame below can mean a frame excluding the control frame and management frame described above.

[0166] Technical Features 1. New data frame for ILA

[0167] Technical Features 1.A. To perform signal transmission / reception and LA measurement within one TXOP, a new data frame can be defined as follows.

[0168] Technical Features 1. For example, if ILA is supported to efficiently perform feedback on LA parameters set through LA measurement, such as previously set QoS Data + CF-ACK + CF Poll, the data frame can be defined as QoS data + CF-ACK + CF LA.

[0169] Technical Features 1. Ai1. You can use the data type field to indicate a newly defined data frame.

[0170] Technical Features 1.Ai1.A. For example, a new subtype subfield of Frame Control field value can be assigned, and can be set to one of the values ​​0001~0011, 0101~0111, 1101. More specifically, the subtype of the data field can be determined according to the B3, B2 type fields (or type bits / values) and the B7, B6, B5, B4 subtype fields (or subtype bits / values) illustrated in FIG. 13. For example, the B3, B2 type fields (or type bits / values) and the B7, B6, B5, B4 subtype fields (or subtype bits / values) included in the MAC header of the data frame of the WLAN system of the present specification can be set as follows. For example. The data frame related to the above-described QoS Data + CF-ACK + CF Poll may have the B3, B2 type values ​​set to 1, 0, and the B7, B6, B5, B4 subtype values ​​set to 1, 0, 1, 1. For example, the B3, B2 type fields (or type bits / values) included in the Frame Control field in the MAC header of the New data frame for ILA (or QoS data + CF-ACK + CF LA) of this specification may be set to 1, 0, and the B7, B6, B5, B4 subtype values ​​may be set to any one of 0001 to 0011, 0101 to 0111, and 1101 shown in the table below.

[0171] Type Value B3 B2TypedescriptionSubtype valueB7 B6 B5 B4Subtype description10Data0000Data10Data0001 - 001110Data0100Null10Data0101 - 011110Data1000QoS Data10Data1001QoS Data +CF-Ack10Data1010QoS Data +CF-Poll10Data1011QoS Data +CF-Ack +CF-Poll10Data1100QoS Null10Data110110Data1110QoS CF-Poll10Data1111QoS CF-Ack +CF-Poll

[0172] Technical Features 1. Ai2. In the above, the CF LA is transmitted by the STA that received the QoS DATA. That is, the STA that received the newly defined data frame (e.g., a new data frame whose subtype is determined as QoS data + CF-ACK + CF LA) can transmit information related to the LA (e.g., information related to the LA including TX / RX parameters).

[0173] Technical Features 1. Ai3. By setting up a new data frame as described above, LA feedback transmission through LA measurement can be guaranteed, unnecessary channel contention can be reduced, and LA can be applied quickly.

[0174] Technical Feature 2. As another example, without defining a new data frame (e.g., without newly defining the above-described Subtype value B7 B6 B5 B4), it is possible to indicate or identify that the ILA of the present specification is performed by using a capability bit (e.g., specific N-bit or 1-bit information in the above-described management frame) and / or a data type field explicitly defined in Table 1 (e.g., QoS Data +CF-Poll, QoS Data +CF-Ack +CF-Poll, etc.).

[0175] Technical Feature 2.A. As described above, an STA supporting ILA based on a technique for exchanging or negotiating the Capability bit can recognize the CF Poll as the CF LA and perform the LA operation of this specification when the Subtype description for the received data frame is set to QoS Data + CF-ACK + CF Poll.

[0176] Technical Features 2.Ai The above CF Poll can be configured to include LA information measured through data frame reception.

[0177] Technical Feature 2.B. At this time, the CF Poll or CF LA can be generated and transmitted by the STA that received the data frame.

[0178] Figure 15 shows an example of performing an LA operation according to this specification.

[0179] The illustrated example relates to an example in which a QoS Data frame is transmitted by an AP, and a non-AP STA that receives the QoS Data frame generates LA information (i.e., information including TX / RX parameters) and transmits it to the AP. The QoS data frame illustrated in FIG. 15 may be a QoS Data +CF-Ack +CF-Poll frame in which the Subtype value B7 B6 B5 B4 described in Table 1 is indicated as 1011. For example, in the above case, before the QoS Data frame of FIG. 15 is transmitted, it may be indicated that the CF-Poll means the CF LA through a capability bit included in a management frame or the like (e.g., specific N-bit or 1-bit information in the management frame described above). Additionally or alternatively, the QoS data frame illustrated in FIG. 15 may have the Subtype value B7 B6 B5 B4 described in Table 1 set to any one of 0001 to 0011, 0101 to 0111, and 1101.

[0180] As illustrated in FIG. 15, for fast LA application, LA information can be transmitted through an LA frame, and at this time, the frame can be configured as follows. As illustrated in FIG. 15, an LA frame (a frame including LA info of FIG. 15) transmitted after an ACK frame can be configured as follows. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the IFS between the QoS data frame and the ACK frame can be set to SIFS, and the IFS between the ACK frame and the LA frame can be set to SIFS. That is, an STA that has received QoS data can quickly transmit an LA frame without performing separate contention / backoff.

[0181] Detailed technical features that can be applied to the LA frame illustrated in Fig. 15 (i.e., the frame including the LA info of Fig. 15) are as follows.

[0182] Technical Feature 3. The LA frame of this specification can be configured in various ways. For example, to reduce frame overhead during LA transmission, the LA frame can be configured with a null data field that does not include a frame body.

[0183] Technical feature 4. Since it consists of a null data field, the LA information included in the LA frame can be transmitted by being included in the Mac header.

[0184] Technical Feature 4.A. Additionally or alternatively, the LA info can be defined through the A-control field and a new Control ID subfield value can be assigned to indicate the ILA. Specifically, the data frame can include a 4-octet long HT control field. That is, the HT control field can include B0 to B31 bits, of which B2 to B31 bits can be configured as an A-Control field. The A-control field can include a 4-bit long Control ID subfield. A control information subfield contiguous to the 4-bit long Control ID subfield can be defined. The control information subfield defined in the A-control field can have various lengths. For example, when the value of the Control ID subfield is set to 1, the control information subfield can include information about an OM (operating mode), and the length of the control information subfield can be set to 12 bits.

[0185] Technical Feature 4.Ai For example, the value of the Control ID subfield may be set to one of 8 to 14. Specifically, when the LA info of the present specification is defined within the A-control field, the value of the 4-bit Control ID subfield included within the A-control field may be set to one of 8 to 14. In addition, the length of the control information subfield following the 4-bit Control ID subfield may be set to 26 bits.

[0186] Technical Feature 4.A.ii. The newly defined ILA control field (e.g., TX / RX parameters included in the 26-bit long control information subfield) can be configured as follows. For example, the ILA control field can include various types of LA information (i.e., various TX / RX parameters described below). That is, the LA information of the present specification can include information related to at least one of PHY identifier, MRQ, RU allocation, PS 160, BW, MSI, MCS, and Nss, as follows.

[0187] Technical Feature 4.A.ii.1. According to an example of this specification, LA measurement and feedback are performed through the received data frame (or signal). Accordingly, the LA information described below may be configured to include only a portion of the information below in the unsolicited case.

[0188] Technical Features 4.A.ii.2. The LA info of this specification may include information about the protocol version (or PHY version). For example, it may be configured to include information about the protocol version that supports ILA, and this information (PHY identifier) ​​may be configured with 2 or 3 bits.

[0189] Technical Feature 4.A.ii.2.A. For consistency with the backward system, the 2-bit or 3-bit values ​​may not be set to 00 or 000 when supporting ILA in this specification.

[0190] Technical Feature 4.A.ii.3. The LA info of this specification may include information related to an MRQ (MCS request). The information related to the MRQ (MCS request) may indicate a recommended MCS request or response / feedback for ILA execution.

[0191] Technical Feature 4.A.ii.4. The LA info of this specification may include information related to RU allocation. The information related to the RU allocation may be required when applying ILA for UL TB PPDU transmission and reception. For example, the RU allocation may have various lengths, such as 8 bits (or 9 bits). Since the RU allocation may include information for UL TB PPDUs transmitted from a non-AP to an AP (e.g., information about recommended RUs), the RU allocation may be set to reserved when related to DL.

[0192] Technical Feature 4.A.ii.5. The LA info of this specification may include information related to PS 160. The information related to PS 160 may be required for UL TB PPDU transmission and reception, similar to the 8 / 9 bit RU allocation. The information related to PS 160 may be 1 bit information indicating a primary 160 MHz channel or a secondary 160 MHz channel. Since the information related to PS 160 may include information for UL TB PPDU, the information related to PS 160 may be set to reserved when related to DL.

[0193] Technical Features 4.A.ii.6. The LA info of this specification may include information regarding bandwidth (BW). The BW information may be 3 bits long.

[0194] Technical Features 4.A.ii.6.A. The information about the BW indicates the BW for measuring information about the ILA and may indicate at least one of the bandwidths of 20 / 40 / 80 / 160 / 320 MHz.

[0195] Technical Feature 4.A.ii.7. The LA info of this specification may include information about MSI (MCS request sequence indicator).

[0196] Technical Feature 4.A.ii.7.A. The information about the MSI may include information about a sequence number used to identify the ILA being performed. For example, a sequence number between 0 and 6 may be included to identify a specific MCS feedback request.

[0197] Technical Features 4.A.ii.8. The LA info of this specification may include information about MCS.

[0198] Technical Features 4.A.ii.8.A. The information about the above MCS may indicate information about a recommended MCS index set based on measured channel information and / or SINR (or RSSI) for ILA application.

[0199] Technical Features 4.A.ii.8.B. Information about the above MCS is set when ILA information is fed back, and when it is a request frame requesting information about the MCS, the information about the above MCS can be set to reserved.

[0200] Technical Feature 4.A.ii.9. The LA info of this specification may include information about Nss (e.g., information about the recommended number of spatial streams).

[0201] Technical Features 4.A.ii.9.A. The information about the Nss can be configured based on the measured channel information for the ILA of the present specification. The value of the Nss can be configured with 8 or fewer values. The information about the Nss can be included in the LA info when configured as a response to an MRQ. If configured as a request for an MRQ, the information about the Nss can be set to reserved.

[0202] The ILA operation according to this specification may be modified in various ways.

[0203] For example, the ILA operation according to this specification can be performed based on transmission and reception of data frames and transmission and reception of BA (Block ACK) frames.

[0204] When establishing a BA for the ILA implementation of this specification, negotiation for the ILA may also proceed concurrently. This ILA negotiation may be performed through the exchange of ADDBA (Add Block ACK) request and ADDBA response frames. For this ILA negotiation, the ADDBA request and response frames may be structured as follows.

[0205] To indicate that the ADDBA request / response frame contains information about an ILA (e.g., information for negotiation of the ILA of this specification), the ADDBA request / response of this specification may have the following technical characteristics:

[0206] For example, an ADDBA request / response containing information about the ILA may be defined with a name such as ILA / MRQ ADDBA request (or ILA / MRQ ADDBA response). A new Block ack action field value may be assigned to indicate a new ADDBA request / response.

[0207] As a specific example, the value of the Block ack action field for the above-described ILA / MRQ ADDBA request (and / or ILA / MRQ ADDBA response) may be indicated using at least one of the values ​​4-127, 131, or 135-255.

[0208] Block Ack Action field values0ADDBA Request1ADDBA Response2DELBA3PBAC WinStart Update4-127128NDP ADDBA Request129NDP ADDBA Response130NDP DELBA131132BAT ADDBA Request133BAT ADDBA Response134BAT DELBA135-255

[0209] The ILA / MRQ ADDBA request and / or ILA / MRQ ADDBA response defined as above may have the following characteristics.

[0210] For example, the ILA / MRQ ADDBA request and / or ILA / MRQ ADDBA response may further include LA info (e.g., various TX / RX parameters including MCS information) according to the present specification in addition to the existing BA negotiation information.

[0211] For example, information about MRQ (MCS request) and MFB (MCS feedback) can be defined as new fields in the ADDBA Request / response frame Action field. The existing ADDBA Request / Response Action field included information related to the ADDBA Request based on the order of 1 to 12. According to the proposal of this specification, the LA information included in the ILA / MRQ ADDBA request and / or ILA / MRQ ADDBA response can be included based on the order of 13 or higher.

[0212] The LA information field (i.e., LA info), defined as having an order value of 13 or higher, may be composed of the following combination of information for MRQ or MFB. The specific characteristics of the information fields / bits below may be identical to the characteristics of the LA info included in the example of FIG. 15 described above.

[0213] 1st information field / bit: MRQ - indication of whether MRQ or MFB is recognized

[0214] Second information field / bit: MCS

[0215] The second information field / bit related to the above MCS can be interpreted in various ways.

[0216] First, the case where the transmission of LA info together with the BA establishment is negotiated through the (ILA / MRQ) ADDBA request / response is described as follows. When MRQ is indicated, the MCS information included in the LA info can be used / interpreted as a feedback request for MCS or a recommended MCS request. That is, it can be used to request MCS information when feedback for LA info is performed. In response, the MCS can be used as information for MCS feedback or configured as reserved. Consequently, in this case, LA info (e.g., various TX / RX parameters including MCS information) can be transmitted together with BA (Block ACK).

[0217] Second, the case where LA info is transmitted together with BA establishment via the (ILA / MRQ) ADDBA request / response is described as follows. In this case, the MCS information included in the Request can be used / interpreted as a feedback request for MCS or a recommended MCS request. In addition, the MCS information included in the Response can be set as a recommended MCS. In this case, the LA info is transmitted via the ADDBA response, and the LA info can be used for transmitting a data frame (e.g., QoS Data frame) transmitted after the ADDBA response. The QoS Data frame may be a new data frame for LA measurement, as shown in FIG. 15, and in this case, new LA info may be included in the BA frame corresponding to the QoS Data frame.

[0218] Third information field / bit: MSI - sequence indication to identify LA performance

[0219] 4th information field / bit: BW

[0220] 5th information field / bit: RU allocation

[0221] 6th information field / bit: PS 160

[0222] Additionally or alternatively, the existing ADDBA frame format can be used instead of the newly proposed ADDBA frame format. In this case, additional indications (information) regarding the LA or MRQ can be included. This allows for the transmission of information for ILA implementation during ADDBA negotiation.

[0223] To indicate whether to perform LA during ADDBA negotiation or establishment, the ADDBA request frame may further include an indication of whether to perform LA establishment.

[0224] The ADDBA request frame transmitted to perform ILA is composed of the following information:

[0225] Information 1: ILA support field

[0226] The above information can be transmitted via an ADDBA extension element and, for example, can be set using the B3 bit and / or the B4 bit in the ADDBA extension element. The ILA support field can have various lengths, for example, 1 bit or 2 bits in length.

[0227] Fig. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of an ADDBA extension element. Whether LA is performed according to the present specification can be indicated through the B3 bit and / or the B4 bit of Fig. 16.

[0228] The subfield configured through the B3 bit and / or B4 bit of FIG. 16 may indicate that information on parameters for measuring LA info is included.

[0229] The above LA info can be configured by defining a new order in the ADDBA Request frame Action field.

[0230] The ADDBA response frame can also be configured to include the corresponding indication to indicate whether ILA is performed, just like the ADDBA request frame. That is, just like the ADDBA request frame, the ILA support field can be included in the ADDBA extension element as shown in FIG. 16.

[0231] Based on the value of the ILA support field in the ADDBA response frame, it can be determined whether LA info will also be transmitted when BA is transmitted. For example, if the ILA support field has the first value (e.g., 0 / 1 / 00 / 11, etc.), the STA can transmit feedback on information measured for LA (i.e., transmission of LA info) while transmitting BA.

[0232] Additionally, if the ILA support field is set in the ADDBA response frame, LA information may be reserved or not included, unlike the ADDBA request frame.

[0233] When ILA is established through the exchange of ADDBA request frame and ADDBA response frame as described above, the BA frame (created / transmitted thereafter) can be configured as follows for transmitting LA info of this specification.

[0234] In order to indicate that the BA frame includes information about ILA (e.g., LA info), the BA control field included in the BA frame may include information about it (e.g., the indication information).

[0235] For example, the BA type of the BA control field can be utilized to indicate that it is a BA frame including the above LA info.

[0236] A BA frame including the above LA info can be defined as a new BlockAck frame variant. For example, to identify a BA frame including the above LA info (i.e., a new BlockAck frame variant), it can be defined using at least one of the BA Type values ​​0, 4-5, 9, and 12-15.

[0237] BA TypeBlockAck frame variant01Extended Compressed2Compressed3Multi-TID4-56GCR7EDMG Multi-TID8EDMG Compressed910GLK-GCR11Multi-STA12-15

[0238] Fig. 17 is a diagram showing the structure of a BA frame. As shown, a BA control field with a length of 2 octets may be included. The BA control field shown in Fig. 17 may have the structure shown in Fig. 18. That is, the bits / information / subfields regarding the BA type defined according to Table 3 may have a length of 4 bits as shown in Fig. 18, and the 4-bit information may identify a BA frame (i.e., a new BlockAck frame variant) including the LA info.

[0239] Additionally or alternatively, since each BA variant can contain LA info, we can redefine a frame that contains LA info for each BA type.

[0240] Additionally or alternatively, the BA frame may be configured to include indication information indicating that the BA frame includes the LA info, without defining a new BlockAck frame variant as described above.

[0241] The above indication is transmitted in the BA control field and can be defined as MFB presence.

[0242] Fig. 18 is a diagram showing the structure of a BA control field. As described above, the BA control field has a length of 2 octets. Fig. 18 may include bits / information / fields related to the MFB presence, and the bits / information / fields related to the MFB presence may have a length of 1 bit. That is, the bits / information / fields related to the MFB presence may have a first value (e.g., 0 or 1) to indicate that the corresponding BA frame includes the LA info.

[0243] For example, the bit / information / field related to the MFB presence may be defined based on at least one bit among the B0 bit, B5 to B8 bits of the BA control field illustrated in FIG. 18.

[0244] For example, when the above information is set (for example, when MFB presence = 1), the BA Information field may include a LA parameters set (i.e., TX / RX parameters or LA info defined in this specification). At this time, the BA information field including the LA parameters set may be configured as shown in FIG. 19.

[0245] Fig. 19 is an example of a BA information field according to the present specification. That is, the BA information field illustrated in Fig. 17 (i.e., the BA information n field consecutive to the BA control field) can be configured as in the example of Fig. 19. As illustrated, a BA information field defined based on an individual BlockAck frame variant (e.g., the BlockAck frame variant defined in Table 3) can be defined, and an LA info field consecutive to the corresponding BA information field can be defined. That is, when LA info is transmitted together with a BA frame, the LA information can be located in the BA information field as illustrated in Fig. 19.

[0246] FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for exchanging various frames proposed in this specification. The various frames proposed in this specification can be exchanged as shown in FIG. 20. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 20, LA info transmitted and received through ADDBA REQ frame (2010), ADDBA RES frame (2020), and BA frame (2040) can be exchanged. In the example of FIG. 20, the ADDBA REQ frame (2010) and ADDBA RES frame (2020) are included, but even if frames (2010, 2020) related to ADDBA are omitted, as in the example of FIG. 15, the LA info can be transmitted to the first STA (e.g., AP).

[0247] As shown in Fig. 20, an ADDBA REQ frame (2010) may be transmitted by a first STA (e.g., an AP). As a response to the ADDBA REQ frame (2010), an ADDBA RES frame (2020) may be transmitted by a second STA (e.g., a non-AP).

[0248] As described above, the ADDBA REQ frame (2010) and / or the ADDBA RES frame (2020) may include information for BA negotiation between the first STA and the second STA (e.g., information for configuring ACK / NACK information included in the BA frame (2040) of FIG. 20), and may additionally include information related to the LA according to the present specification. For example, as described above, the ADDBA REQ frame (2010) and / or the ADDBA RES frame (2020) may include information on the MRQ (MCS request) and MFB (MCS feedback) described above (e.g., at least one of the first information field / bit to the sixth information field / bit). For example, as described above, the ADDBA REQ frame (2010) and / or the ADDBA RES frame (2020) may be applied with technical features related to Table 2 (e.g., new Block Ack Action field values). Additionally or alternatively, the ADDBA REQ frame (2010) and / or the ADDBA RES frame (2020) may include the ILA support field described above. Additionally or alternatively, the ADDBA REQ frame (2010) and / or the ADDBA RES frame (2020) may include the ADDBA extension element illustrated in FIG. 16.

[0249] As described above, the ADDBA REQ (2010) may be referred to as an (ILA / MRQ) ADDBA request. In addition, the ADDBA RES (2020) may be referred to as an (ILA / MRQ) ADDBA response. In addition, as described above, the LA info may be transmitted together with the BA establishment through the ADDBA REQ (2010) and the ADDBA RES (2020), or the LA info may be transmitted through the BA frame (2040). For example, when the LA info is transmitted together with the BA establishment through the ADDBA REQ (2010) and the ADDBA RES (2020), the MCS information included in the ADDBA REQ (2010) may be used / interpreted as a feedback request for MCS or a recommended MCS request. In this case, the MCS information included in the ADDBA RES (2020) may be set as a recommended MCS. That is, LA info is transmitted to the first STA (e.g., AP) through ADDBA RES (2020), and the LA info can be used for transmission of a data frame (e.g., QoS Data frame (2030)) transmitted after ADDBA RES (2020).

[0250] Additionally or alternatively, the QoS Data (2030) illustrated in FIG. 20 may include various technical features proposed in the present specification. For example, the subtype of the QoS Data (2030) may be set to the above-described QoS data + CF-ACK + CF LA. Additionally or alternatively, the subtype of the QoS Data (2030) may be set to various subtypes illustrated in the above-described Table 1. Additionally or alternatively, the QoS Data (2030) may include at least one of the above-described technical feature 1 (and its detailed features), technical feature 2 (and its detailed features), technical feature 3, and / or technical feature 4 (and its detailed features).

[0251] The above QoS Data (2030) may be transmitted after the first STA (e.g., AP) acquires a Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) through a backoff process, etc. After the QoS (2030) is transmitted, a BA frame (2040) including ACK / NACK information corresponding to the QoS (2030) may be configured. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 20, the IFS between a signal / frame transmitting the BA frame (2040) and a signal / frame transmitting the QoS Data (2040) may be set to SIFS. That is, the QoS Data (2030) and the BA frame (2040) may be exchanged within the same TXOP.

[0252] The BA frame (2040) may include information related to the above-described LA. That is, the BA frame (2040) may include the LA info in addition to the BA information related to the ACK / NACK information for the QoS Data (2030) frame. The LA info included in the BA frame (2040) may include various TX / RX parameters regarding the channel status. For example, the LA info included in the BA frame (2040) may include information related to at least one of the technical features 4.A.ii.1 to 4.A.ii.9.A.

[0253] Figure 21 is a procedure flow diagram showing an example of an STA in which the above-described technical features are performed.

[0254] The procedure of FIG. 21 can be performed in an STA (e.g., an AP STA).

[0255] As illustrated in FIG. 21, a STA (station) can receive a signal including a QoS (Quality of Service) data frame (S2110). For example, the QoS data frame described in step S2110 may be the QoS data illustrated in FIG. 15 or the QoS data illustrated in FIG. 20. For example, the QoS data frame described in step S2110 may include various technical features proposed in the specification. For example, the subtype of the QoS data frame described in step S2110 may be determined as the above-described QoS data + CF-ACK + CF LA. Additionally or alternatively, the subtype of the QoS data frame described in step S2110 may be set to various subtypes illustrated in Table 1. Additionally or alternatively, the QoS data frame described in step S2110 may include at least one of technical feature 1 (and its sub-features), technical feature 2 (and its sub-features), technical feature 3, and / or technical feature 4 (and its sub-features) described above.

[0256] As illustrated in FIG. 21, the STA (station) can transmit ACK (Acknowledgement) information related to the QoS data frame and LA (Link Adaptation) information related to the QoS data (S2120). For example, the ACK information described in step S2120 may include ACK / NACK information transmitted through the ACK frame illustrated in FIG. 15. Additionally or alternatively, the ACK information described in step S2120 may include Block ACK / NACK information included in the BA frame (2040) illustrated in FIG. 20. For example, the LA information described in step S2120 may include LA information included in the LA frame illustrated in FIG. 15. Additionally or alternatively, the LA information described in step S2120 may include LA information included in the BA frame (2040) illustrated in FIG. 20.

[0257] The ACK information and LA information received through step S2120 may be received through one frame as in the example of FIG. 20, or may be received sequentially based on SIFS as in the example of FIG. 15.

[0258] The LA information received through step S2120 may include various LA information and / or TX / RX parameters proposed in this specification. For example, the LA information received through step S2120 may include at least one of the technical features 4 (and their detailed features) described above.

[0259] The procedure of FIG. 21 can be modified in various ways. For example, it can additionally include a step of transmitting and receiving the ADDBA REQ frame and ADDBA RES frame proposed in the present specification. For example, as in the procedure illustrated in FIG. 20, it is preferable that the transmitting and receiving of the ADDBA REQ frame and ADDBA RES frame are performed before the reception of the QoS data frame described in step S2110. For example, as in the procedure illustrated in FIG. 20, the transmitting and receiving of the ADDBA REQ frame and ADDBA RES frame may be performed first, and then TXOP acquisition may be performed by the first STA (e.g., AP), and then the QoS data frame of step S2110 may be received by the second STA (e.g., non-AP).

[0260] Figure 22 is a flowchart showing an example of an STA in which the above-described technical features are performed.

[0261] The procedure of FIG. 22 can be performed in an STA (e.g., a non-AP STA).

[0262] According to step S2210 of FIG. 22, a step of transmitting a signal including a QoS (Quality of Service) data frame may be performed by the STA (station) proposed in this specification. The technical features applied to step S2210 of FIG. 22 may be identical to the technical features applied to step S2110 of FIG. 21.

[0263] According to step S2220 of FIG. 22, a step of receiving ACK (Acknowledgement) information related to the QoS data frame and LA (Link Adaptation) information related to the QoS data may be performed by the STA (station) proposed in this specification. The technical features applied to step S2220 of FIG. 22 may be identical to the technical features applied to step S2120 of FIG. 21.

[0264] The technical features of the present specification (e.g., the technical features described in at least one of FIGS. 1 to 22) may be implemented by various devices. The devices of the present specification may be the devices described in FIGS. 1 and 14. The devices of the present specification may include at least one processor; and at least one computer memory operably connectable to the at least one processor, the computer memory storing instructions that perform operations based on being executed by the at least one processor.

[0265] For example, the processor may be a processor described in FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 14. That is, as described above, the processor of the present specification may include at least one of a digital signal processor (DSP), a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), and a modem (modulator and demodulator). The processor may include not only computers having various architectures such as single / multiprocessor architecture, sequential (Von Neumann) / parallel architecture, but also specialized circuits such as FPGAs, ASICs, signal processing devices, and other devices. For example, the processor of the present specification may be a SNAPDRAGON® series processor manufactured by Qualcomm®, an EXYNOS® series processor manufactured by Samsung®, an A series processor manufactured by Apple®, a HELIO® series processor manufactured by MediaTek®, an ATOM® series processor manufactured by INTEL®, or a processor that enhances the same.

[0266] For example, the instructions may refer to computer program instructions executed by the at least one processor. The (computer program) instructions provide logic and / or routines that enable the technical features of the present specification to be performed by the processor. The at least one processor can load and execute a computer program by reading the at least one memory.

[0267] The computer program(s) defined by the above instructions may be delivered to the device (e.g., STA) of the present specification via an appropriate delivery mechanism. The delivery mechanism may be, for example, a computer-readable storage medium, a computer program product, a memory device, a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD, or a product tangibly embodying the computer program. The delivery mechanism may be a signal configured to reliably transmit the computer program via a wireless or electrical connection.

[0268] The above (computer program) instructions may include software or firmware for a programmable processor (e.g., programmable content of a hardware device whether instructions for a processor, or configuration settings for a fixed-function device, gate array or programmable logic device, etc.).

[0269] For example, the memory may be the memory described in FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 14. That is, as described above, the memory of the present specification may store control information related to the operation of the STA of the present specification or information about signals transmitted and received by the STA (e.g., PPDU including management / control / data frames).

[0270] The technical features of this specification may be implemented in at least one computer-readable recording medium (CRM). The CRM includes instructions that are executed by at least one processor as described above. The instructions stored in the CRM may be computer program instructions as described above.

[0271] The device of the present disclosure may further include a transceiver. The transceiver may be operably connectable to the memory / processor, etc. The transceiver may be the transceiver illustrated in FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 14.

[0272] The technical features of this specification described above are applicable to various applications and business models. For example, the technical features described above can be applied to wireless communication in devices that support artificial intelligence (AI).

[0273] Artificial intelligence (AI) is the study of artificial intelligence or the methodologies for creating it, while machine learning (ML) defines various problems in the field of AI and studies the methodologies for solving them. Machine learning is also defined as an algorithm that improves performance on a task through consistent experience.

[0274] An artificial neural network (ANN) is a model used in machine learning. It can refer to a model with problem-solving capabilities, consisting of artificial neurons (nodes) formed by the connection of synapses to form a network. An ANN can be defined by the connection patterns between neurons in different layers, the learning process that updates model parameters, and the activation function that generates output values.

[0275] An artificial neural network may include an input layer, an output layer, and optionally one or more hidden layers. Each layer contains one or more neurons, and the artificial neural network may include synapses connecting neurons. In an artificial neural network, each neuron can output a function value of an activation function based on input signals, weights, and biases received through the synapses.

[0276] Model parameters are parameters determined through learning, including synaptic connection weights and neuron biases. Hyperparameters are parameters that must be set before learning in machine learning algorithms, including the learning rate, number of iterations, mini-batch size, and initialization function.

[0277] The goal of learning an artificial neural network can be seen as determining model parameters that minimize a loss function. The loss function can be used as an indicator for determining optimal model parameters during the learning process of an artificial neural network.

[0278] Machine learning can be classified into supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning depending on the learning method.

[0279] Supervised learning refers to a method for training an artificial neural network when given labels for the training data. The labels can refer to the correct answer (or output value) that the artificial neural network must infer when the training data is input to the artificial neural network. Unsupervised learning can refer to a method for training an artificial neural network when the training data is not given labels. Reinforcement learning can refer to a learning method in which an agent defined within a given environment is trained to select actions or action sequences that maximize the cumulative reward in each state.

[0280] Machine learning implemented with a deep neural network (DNN) containing multiple hidden layers among artificial neural networks is also called deep learning, and deep learning is a subset of machine learning. Hereinafter, the term "machine learning" is used to encompass deep learning.

[0281] Additionally, the above-described technical features can be applied to wireless communication of robots.

[0282] A robot can be defined as a machine that automatically performs or operates a given task based on its own capabilities. Specifically, a robot capable of perceiving its environment, making independent judgments, and performing actions can be called an intelligent robot.

[0283] Robots can be categorized into industrial, medical, household, and military applications based on their intended use or field. Robots are equipped with actuators or motors, enabling them to perform various physical actions, such as moving robot joints. Furthermore, mobile robots incorporate wheels, brakes, and propellers into their actuators, enabling them to move on the ground or fly in the air.

[0284] Additionally, the above-described technical features can be applied to devices that support extended reality.

[0285] Extended reality is a general term for virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). VR technology presents real-world objects and backgrounds as CG images only, AR technology presents virtual CG images over images of real objects, and MR technology is a computer graphics technology that blends and combines virtual objects with the real world.

[0286] MR technology is similar to AR in that it presents both real and virtual objects simultaneously. However, while AR uses virtual objects to complement real objects, MR uses virtual and real objects on an equal footing.

[0287] XR technology can be applied to HMD (Head-Mount Display), HUD (Head-Up Display), mobile phones, tablet PCs, laptops, desktops, TVs, digital signage, etc., and devices to which XR technology is applied can be called XR devices.

Claims

1. A method performed in a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, A step of receiving a signal including a QoS (Quality of Service) data frame by a STA (station); and A step of transmitting, by the STA, ACK (Acknowledgement) information related to the QoS data frame and LA (Link Adaptation) information related to the QoS data, wherein the LA information includes MCS (Modulation Coding Scheme) information; How to include.

2. In the first paragraph, the QoS data frame is received through a first signal, the ACK information is transmitted through a second signal, the LA information is transmitted through a third signal, the IFS (Inter Frame Space) between the first signal and the second signal is set to SIFS (Short Inter Frame Space), and the IFS between the second signal and the third signal is set to the SIFS. method.

3. In paragraph 1, The above QoS data frame includes a MAC (Medium Access Control) header, the MAC header includes a Frame Control field, the Frame Control field includes a type field and a subtype field consecutive to the type field, Based on the above QoS data frame triggering the transmission of the LA information, the value of the subtype field has a preset value. method.

4. In paragraph 1 The above subtype field is composed of B7 bits to B4 bits, and the preset value for the B7 bits to B4 bits is set to one of 0001 to 0011, 0101 to 0111, and 1101. method.

5. In paragraph 1 The above LA information is included in the MAC header within the NDP (Null Data Field) that does not include the frame body. method.

6. In paragraph 5, The above LA information includes at least one of information related to a PHY version (Physical Version) related to LA (Link Adaptation), information related to an MRQ (MCS Request), information related to an RU allocation (Resource Unit Allocation) related to an UL TB PPDU (Uplink Trigger-Based Physical Protocol Data Unit), information related to a PS (Primary / Secondary) 160 MHz related to the UL TB PPDU, information related to a bandwidth (Bandwidth) related to the LA, information related to an MSI (MRQ Sequence Indicator), and information related to the number of spatial streams. method.

7. In paragraph 1, The above ACK information is composed of BA (Block ACK) information. method.

8. In paragraph 7, A step of receiving an ADDBA (Add Block ACK) request frame related to the BA information by the STA; and A step of transmitting an ADDBA response frame by the STA in response to the above ADDBA request frame. Including more method.

9. In paragraph 8, The above BA information and the above LA information are included in the same response frame, The IFS between the QoS data frame and the response frame is set to the SIFS. method.

10. In a STA (station) in a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, at least one processor; and At least one computer memory operable to said at least one processor, said memory storing instructions for performing operations based on being executed by said at least one processor, The instructions of at least one computer memory are: Receive a signal containing a QoS (Quality of Service) data frame, Transmit ACK (Acknowledgement) information related to the QoS data frame and LA (Link Adaptation) information related to the QoS data; wherein the LA information is set to include MCS (Modulation Coding Scheme) information. STA.

11. In the 10th paragraph, the STA additionally performs the operations of the 2nd to 9th paragraphs. STA.

12. In a method performed in a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, A step of transmitting a signal including a QoS (Quality of Service) data frame by a STA (station); and A step of receiving, by the STA, ACK (Acknowledgement) information related to the QoS data frame and LA (Link Adaptation) information related to the QoS data, wherein the LA information includes MCS (Modulation Coding Scheme) information; How to include.

13. In the 12th paragraph, the STA additionally performs the operations of the 2nd to 9th paragraphs. method.

14. In a STA (station) in a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, at least one processor; and At least one computer memory operable to said at least one processor, said memory storing instructions for performing operations based on being executed by said at least one processor, The instructions of at least one computer memory are: Transmits a signal containing a QoS (Quality of Service) data frame, Receive ACK (Acknowledgement) information related to the QoS data frame and LA (Link Adaptation) information related to the QoS data, wherein the LA information is set to include MCS (Modulation Coding Scheme) information. STA.

15. In the 14th paragraph, the STA additionally performs the operations of the 2nd to 9th paragraphs. STA.

16. In a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, at least one computer-readable recording medium including instructions based on being executed by at least one processor, A step of receiving a signal including a QoS (Quality of Service) data frame by at least one processor; and A step of transmitting, by at least one processor, ACK (Acknowledgement) information related to the QoS data frame and LA (Link Adaptation) information related to the QoS data, wherein the LA information includes MCS (Modulation Coding Scheme) information. Performing an operation that includes Recording medium.

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