Communication device and communication method

Abstract

The communication device includes: a receiving circuit for receiving information related to at least one of a plurality of modes, the plurality of modes being related to the allocation of a common data signal to a plurality of subcarrier groups; and a control circuit for controlling the merging of signals allocated to the plurality of subcarrier groups based on the mode-related information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to communication devices and communication methods. Background Technology

[0002] As a successor to the IEEE 802.11 standard, namely 802.11ax (hereinafter referred to as "11ax"), the Task Group (TG) is planning to develop the technical specifications for 802.11be (hereinafter referred to as "11be").

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Non-patent literature

[0005] Non-patent document 1: IEEE P802.11ax D7.0, September 2019

[0006] Non-patent document 2: IEEE 802.11-20 / 986r1, DCM for range extension in 6GHz LPI, March 2020

[0007] Non-patent document 3: IEEE 802.11-20 / 965r4, 6GHz LPI Range Extension, August 2020

[0008] Non-patent document 4: IEEE Std 802.11, 2016

[0009] Non-patent literature 5: IEEE 802.11-19 / 780r0, Consideration on HARQ, May 2019 Summary of the Invention

[0010] However, there is still room for research into methods to enhance coverage in wireless communications.

[0011] The non-limiting embodiments disclosed herein help to provide communication apparatus and methods for increasing coverage in wireless communication.

[0012] A communication apparatus according to an embodiment of this disclosure includes: a receiving circuit that receives information related to at least one of a plurality of modes, the plurality of modes being associated with the allocation of a common data signal for a plurality of subcarrier groups; and a control circuit that, based on the mode-related information, controls the merging of signals allocated to the plurality of subcarrier groups.

[0013] It should be noted that these general or specific methods can be implemented by systems, devices, methods, integrated circuits, computer programs or recording media, or by any combination of systems, devices, methods, integrated circuits, computer programs and recording media.

[0014] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, coverage in wireless communication can be enhanced.

[0015] Further advantages and effects of one embodiment of this disclosure will be clearly presented by the specification and accompanying drawings. These advantages and / or effects are provided by various embodiments and the features described in the specification and drawings, but not all of them need to be provided to obtain one or more of the same features. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the format of the Dual Carrier Modulation High Efficient Single User Physical Layer Convergence Procedure Protocol Data Unit (DCM HE SUPPDU).

[0017] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an example of Binary Phase-Shift Keying (BPSK)-DCM and BPSK-DCM-DUP (DUP: Duplicate) PPDU formats.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the BPSK-DCM-DUP PPDU format.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a diagram representing an example of a non-high-throughput (HT) PPDU format.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a circular buffer.

[0021] Figure 6 This is a sequence diagram representing action examples of access points (APs) and stations (STAs).

[0022] Figure 7 This is a block diagram illustrating a structural example of a portion of the AP in Implementation 1.

[0023] Figure 8 This is a block diagram illustrating a structural example of a portion of the STA in Implementation Method 1.

[0024] Figure 9 This is a block diagram illustrating a structural example of the AP in Implementation Method 1.

[0025] Figure 10 This is a block diagram illustrating a structural example of the STA in Implementation Method 1.

[0026] Figure 11 This is a diagram representing an example of a generalized dup mode PPDU format.

[0027] Figure 12 This is a diagram illustrating the coding rate setting example of Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) structure example 1.

[0028] Figure 13 This is a diagram illustrating the structure example of the RV (Redundancy Version) of LDPC structure example 1.

[0029] Figure 14 This is a diagram illustrating the structure of RV in LDPC structure example 1.

[0030] Figure 15 This is a diagram illustrating the coding rate setting example of LDPC structure example 2.

[0031] Figure 16 This is a diagram illustrating the structure of RV in example 2 of LDPC.

[0032] Figure 17 This is a diagram illustrating the structure of RV in example 2 of LDPC.

[0033] Figure 18 This is a diagram illustrating the coding rate setting example of LDPC structure example 3.

[0034] Figure 19 This is a diagram illustrating the structure of RV in example 3 of the LDPC structure.

[0035] Figure 20 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the Extreme High Throughput (EHT) Signal (SIG) field in Example 1.

[0036] Figure 21 This is a diagram representing an example of the EHT SIG field in Example 2.

[0037] Figure 22 This is a diagram of an example of the PPDU format representing the EHT repeat mode (Time dup) of Example 3.

[0038] Figure 23 This is a diagram representing an example of the EHT SIG field in Example 3.

[0039] Figure 24 This is a sequence diagram representing an example of the EHT SIG field in Method 1.

[0040] Figure 25 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the combination of RVs for the sub-channels in Method 1.

[0041] Figure 26 This is a diagram representing an example of the Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) table for Method 2.

[0042] Figure 27 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the PPDU format in other implementations.

[0043] Figure 28 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a generalized repeating pattern PPDU format for other implementations.

[0044] Figure 29 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a generalized repeating pattern PPDU format for other implementations.

[0045] Figure 30 This is a diagram illustrating an example of Joint Transmission (JT).

[0046] Figure 31 This is a diagram illustrating an example of distributed Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO).

[0047] Figure 32 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the PPDU format for a multi-user (MU) DCM. Detailed Implementation

[0048] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] Dual Carrier Modulation (DCM)

[0050] In 11be, DCM was discussed, for example, with the aim of enhancing the communicable range (e.g., also referred to as “coverage”) of low-power indoor (LPI) terminals in the 6 GHz band (refer to non-patent literature 1).

[0051] Figure 1 The High Efficient Single User Physical Layer Convergence Procedure Protocol Data Unit (HESUPPDU) format is used as an example of a frame format for DCM.

[0052] In DCM, multiple (e.g., all) data subcarriers are divided into two groups. For example, the group of divided data subcarriers is called a "subchannel". Additionally, in DCM, a common (e.g., identical) data (payload) is assigned to each subchannel, and a dedicated modulation mapping is applied to each subchannel.

[0053] For example, 11be proposed two DCMs.

[0054] The first method is to set (in other words, limit) the DCM to a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) of 0 and a spatial stream (e.g., Spatial Stream (SS)) number of 1. This method is referred to, for example, as "Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK)-DCM" (e.g., see Non-Patent Document 2).

[0055] The second method involves replicating multiple BPSK-DCM signals within a non-censored frequency bandwidth (e.g., bandwidth (BW) or channel (BW)) in the 6 GHz band and transmitting these signals to a single user (or, also referred to as a "station (STA)"). This method is, for example, referred to as "BPSK-DCM-duplicate (DUP)" (e.g., see Non-Patent Document 3). For example, BPSK-DCM signals with bandwidths of 40 / 80 / 160 MHz can also be replicated and transmitted using a non-censored frequency bandwidth of 80 / 160 / 320 MHz in the 6 GHz band, respectively.

[0056] Figure 2 This diagram illustrates an example of the frame format (PPDU format) for BPSK-DCM. In the case of BPSK-DCM, the two payloads correspond to a group of data subcarriers that are divided into two parts. Figure 3This diagram illustrates an example of the BPSK-DCM-DUP frame format. In the case of BPSK-DCM-DUP, BPSK-DCM is applied to the lower half of the data subcarrier of the transmit bandwidth and copied to the higher half of the transmit bandwidth. For example, the presence or absence of BPSK-DCM and BPSK-DCM-DUP can be notified to the STA in the MCS field. Furthermore, the MCS field can, for example, be included in... Figure 2 and Figure 3 Signaling fields such as the Extremely High Throughput (EHT)-SIG field are shown. Additionally, during the planning and development of the 11be technical specifications, the identification information contained in the MCS field (e.g., referred to as the "MCS index" or "EHT-MCS index") was undetermined (To Be Determined (TBD)).

[0057] [Non-high throughput (HT) repetition]

[0058] As a method for allocating general data to multiple sub-channels in the same way as DCM, there is "non-HTduplicate" (for example, see Non-Patent Document 4). Figure 4 This diagram illustrates an example of a non-HT repeating frame format (PPDU format). In non-HT repeating, for example when using a BW above 40MHz (in... Figure 4 In the example where the transmission is at 80MHz, the BW is divided into sub-channels in 20MHz units, and common data is allocated to each sub-channel.

[0059] The above illustrates an example of a method to enhance coverage by distributing general data across multiple sub-channels.

[0060] However, the gains obtained by LPI terminals in the 6GHz band through methods such as DCM or non-HT repetition are sometimes insufficient to enhance coverage.

[0061] For example, the transmit power density (power spectral density (PSD)) usable by an LPI terminal in the 6 GHz band is lower than that usable by a terminal in the 5 GHz band (in other words, the transmit power density is limited). Therefore, for LPI terminals in the 6 GHz band, whose coverage area tends to be narrower than that of the 5 GHz band, the same coverage enhancement as that of terminals in the 5 GHz band is expected. In other words, the expected method (e.g., also referred to as the "mode") for coverage enhancement will differ depending on communication conditions such as the communication frequency band.

[0062] In one embodiment of this disclosure, a method for improving coverage and thus enhancing communication quality in wireless communication is described.

[0063] [HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request)]

[0064] In 11be, for example, "HARQ" is discussed, which is a technique that saves the signal that has caused the signal error to a buffer and improves the reception quality (or, communication quality) by combining the signal saved in the buffer with the retransmitted signal.

[0065] For HARQ in 11be, a retransmission method known as "Incremental Redundancy (IR)" has been studied, for example.

[0066] Figure 5 This diagram illustrates an example of a circular buffer used in IR. A circular buffer is a buffer containing a coded sequence, which consists of coded sequence data and parity bits corresponding to the coded sequence data. The coded sequence contained in the circular buffer is divided by the transmit block size, thereby assigning a buffer index. A circular buffer has the property that if the buffer index exceeds the end of the buffer, it returns to the beginning of the buffer. IR is, for example, a method in which, on the transmitting side, based on the start position of the transmission of the coded sequence stored in the circular buffer (e.g., called the "redundant version (RV)"), a coded sequence containing different parity bits corresponding to the number of transmissions is transmitted, and then merged (hereinafter referred to as "HARQ merging") is performed on the receiving side, thereby improving the coding gain (e.g., see Non-Patent Document 5). For example, in the case of retransmitting a signal that has produced a signal error, the buffer index (e.g., RV) of the circular buffer is changed on the transmitting side to transmit a coded sequence different from the previously transmitted signal, and HARQ merging is performed on the receiving side (in other words, in the case of no signal error, no retransmission is performed, and the RV of the circular buffer is not changed). This process can be repeated until there are no signal errors. Furthermore, even when retransmitting repeatedly with the same coded sequence as the initial signal, the coding gain will increase due to time diversity.

[0067] [Structure of a wireless communication system]

[0068] One embodiment of the wireless communication system disclosed herein includes at least one access point (AP, or also referred to as a "base station") and one terminal (referred to as a "station"). For example, in downlink (DL) communication, the AP corresponds to a "downlink wireless transmitter" and the STA corresponds to a "downlink wireless receiver". Additionally, in uplink (UL) communication, the AP corresponds to an "uplink wireless receiver" and the STA corresponds to an "uplink wireless transmitter".

[0069] In one embodiment of this disclosure, for example, the data portion (e.g., data field) of a frame (e.g., a PPDU) includes multiple subcarrier groups (or subchannels) of a signal generated by generalized (or identical) information bits. This communication mode including the data portion is referred to as a "generalized repetition mode". Furthermore, a PPDU in a generalized repetition mode is referred to, for example, as a "generalized repetition mode PPDU".

[0070] Thus, in the generalized repetition mode, multiple modes can be set for the allocation of general data signals for at least multiple sub-channels configured in the frequency domain.

[0071] For example, as one of the generalized repetition modes, the mode that includes a general non-HT repetition PPDU in two or more sub-channels can be listed as the "HT / non-HT repetition mode".

[0072] Additionally, as one of the generalized repetition patterns, the "HE repetition pattern" can be listed as a pattern that includes a DCM HE SU PPDU or an HE Extended Range (ER) PPDU.

[0073] Additionally, as one of the generalized repetition modes, the "EHT repetition mode" can be listed, which includes BPSK-DCM PPDU or BPSK-DCM-DUPPPDU. Furthermore, the EHT repetition mode can include multiple modes with different RV settings for multiple sub-channels (an example will be described later).

[0074] For example, the AP can send the generalized repeating mode PPDU and the control information associated with the generalized repeating mode to the STA. The STA can, for example, determine (or, also called "determine" or "discriminate") the generalized repeating mode set for the STA based on the control information associated with the generalized repeating mode, and perform receiving processing of the generalized repeating mode PPDU.

[0075] The following example illustrates how an AP sends a generalized repeating pattern PPDU to a STA in 11be.

[0076] Figure 6 This is a sequence diagram illustrating the actions of AP100 and STA200 of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, related to the transmission of a generalized repeating mode PPDU.

[0077] exist Figure 6 In this process, STA200, for example, sends an association request signal (S101) to AP100 containing capability information (e.g., referred to as "Capability") related to the generalized repetition pattern of STA200. STA200 can request to connect to AP100 by sending the association request signal.

[0078] For example, in response to an association request signal from STA200, AP100 sends an association response signal to STA200 (S102). AP100 can, for example, allow STA200 to connect to AP100 by sending the association response signal.

[0079] Furthermore, the signals sent from STA200 to AP100 that include performance related to the generalized repetition mode are not limited to association request signals; for example, they may also be other signals such as beacon signals, probe response signals, or re-association signals.

[0080] AP100, for example, determines the generalized repetition pattern of the transmitted signal to STA200 based on at least one of the performance of STA200 obtained from STA200 and the received signal strength (e.g., referred to as "Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI)") of the signal from STA200 (e.g., the associated request signal), and allocates resources such as frequency resources (referred to as "Recourse Unit (RU)") or data subcarriers to each subchannel (S103).

[0081] In addition, "assignment" can be used interchangeably with other terms such as "allocation" or "mapping" for multiple sub-channels.

[0082] Additionally, AP100 generates a generalized repetition pattern PPDU (S104) based on information about the resources allocated to each sub-channel, and sends the generated generalized repetition pattern PPDU (S105) to STA200.

[0083] STA200, for example, performs reception processing (S106) of the generalized repetition mode PPDU transmitted from AP100. For example, STA200 can demodulate and decode the data signal contained in the generalized repetition mode PPDU of each sub-channel based on the channel estimate obtained using the reference signal (e.g., long training field (LTF)) contained in the preamble of the generalized repetition mode PPDU, and the control information related to the generalized repetition mode contained in the preamble.

[0084] STA200 generates a response signal (acknowledge, referred to as "ACK") based on the result of receiving and processing the data signal, and sends an ACK to AP100 (for example, information indicating whether there is an error or not) (S107).

[0085] The above describes the action examples related to the transmission of generalized repeating mode PPDUs by AP100 and STA200.

[0086] Figure 7 This is a block diagram illustrating a structural example of AP100, an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 7 In the AP100 shown (e.g., equivalent to a communication device), a control unit (e.g., equivalent to a control circuit) sets one of multiple modes (e.g., a generalized repetition mode) for the STA200. These multiple modes (e.g., the generalized repetition mode) are related to the allocation of general data signals for at least a plurality of sub-channels configured in the frequency domain. A transmission unit (e.g., equivalent to a transmission circuit) transmits information related to the mode set for the STA200, as well as signals allocated to the plurality of sub-channels.

[0087] Figure 8 This is a block diagram illustrating a structural example of a STA200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 8 In the STA200 shown (e.g., equivalent to a communication device), the receiving unit (e.g., equivalent to a receiving circuit) receives information regarding the mode set for the STA200 among multiple modes (e.g., a generalized repetition mode) related to the allocation of general data signals to at least multiple sub-channels configured in the frequency domain. The control unit (e.g., equivalent to a control circuit) controls the merging of signals allocated to the multiple sub-channels based on the mode-related information.

[0088] [Structure example of AP100]

[0089] Figure 9 This is a block diagram illustrating a structural example of AP100 (e.g., a downlink wireless transmitter). Figure 9The AP100 shown may include, for example, a wireless receiver 101, a received signal decoder 102, a resource allocation unit 103, a data generator 104, a data encoder 105, a data modulator 106, a preamble generator 107, and a wireless transmitter 108.

[0090] Furthermore, at least one of the following components may be included in: the received signal decoding unit 102, the resource allocation unit 103, the data generation unit 104, the data encoding unit 105, the data modulation unit 106, and the preamble generation unit 107. Figure 7 The control unit and wireless transmitter 108 shown may be included in Figure 7 The transmitting unit is shown.

[0091] The wireless receiver 101 receives signals transmitted from the STA200 (e.g., a downlink wireless receiver) via an antenna, and performs wireless reception processing on the received signals, such as down-conversion and analog-to-digital (A / D) conversion. For example, the wireless receiver 101 divides the processed received signal into a preamble section (also called a "preamble signal") and a data section (also called a "data signal"), and outputs them to the received signal decoding unit 102.

[0092] The receiving signal decoding unit 102 can perform demodulation processing, such as Fourier transform (e.g., Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)) on the preamble signal and data signal input from the wireless receiving unit 101, respectively, to extract the control signals contained in the preamble signal and data signal. The control signals may include, for example, bandwidth (BW), MCS, or encoding method.

[0093] Furthermore, the receiving signal decoding unit 102 can, for example, use control signals and channel estimation signals obtained from the preamble signal to perform channel equalization on the FFT-derived data signal, and then demodulate and decode it, thereby performing error detection such as Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC). For example, if the data signal has no errors (in other words, no decoding errors), the receiving signal decoding unit 102 outputs the decoded data signal and control signal to the resource allocation unit 103. On the other hand, if the data signal has errors, the receiving signal decoding unit 102 may not output the decoded data signal.

[0094] Resource allocation unit 103 determines the generalized repetition pattern of the data signal to be transmitted to STA200, for example, based on the reception quality information of the data signal input from the received signal decoding unit 102 (e.g., Packet Error Rate (PER) or RSSI, etc.) or the performance of STA200. Furthermore, resource allocation unit 103 allocates (or assigns or maps) resources such as the number of sub-channels, the number of data subcarriers, and frequency resources (e.g., RUs) to the sub-channels based on the determined generalized repetition pattern. Resource allocation unit 103 outputs information related to the allocated resources (e.g., referred to as "resource allocation information") to data generation unit 104, data encoding unit 105, data modulation unit 106, and preamble generation unit 107.

[0095] The data generation unit 104 generates a data sequence to be sent to the STA 200 based on resource allocation information input from the resource allocation unit 103, and outputs the data sequence to the data encoding unit 105.

[0096] The data encoding unit 105, for example, divides the data sequence input from the data generation unit 104 and the allocated data subcarriers by subchannel based on resource allocation information (e.g., the number of data subcarrier divisions or data subcarrier information) input from the resource allocation unit 103. Then, the data encoding unit 105, for example, encodes each subchannel and outputs the encoded data to the data modulation unit 106.

[0097] The data modulation unit 106 modulates and performs inverse Fourier transform (e.g., inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT)) on the encoded data input from the data encoding unit 105 based on resource allocation information (e.g., modulation mapping information) input from the resource allocation unit 103, and outputs the data signal to the wireless transmission unit 108.

[0098] The preamble generation unit 107 generates a preamble signal, for example, based on resource allocation information input from the resource allocation unit 103. The preamble signal may include, for example, control information related to the generalized repetition pattern (e.g., the number of data subcarrier divisions, i.e., the number of sub-channels (Number of Duplicates)). dup (e.g., types of generalized repetition patterns). For example, the preamble generation unit 107 modulates and performs IFFT processing on the preamble signal, and outputs the preamble signal to the wireless transmission unit 108.

[0099] The wireless transmission unit 108 generates a wireless frame (which may also be referred to as a "packet signal" or "packet") containing a data signal input from the data modulation unit 106 and a preamble signal input from the preamble generation unit 107. The wireless transmission unit 108 performs wireless transmission processing on the generated wireless frame, such as digital-to-analog (D / A) conversion and up-conversion to a carrier frequency, and transmits the processed signal to the STA 200 via an antenna.

[0100] <Structural Example of STA200>

[0101] Figure 9 This is a block diagram illustrating a structural example of the STA200 (e.g., a downlink wireless receiver). Figure 9 The STA200 shown may include, for example, a wireless receiver 201, a preamble demodulation unit 202, a data demodulation unit 203, a data merging unit 204, a data decoding unit 205, a transmission signal generation unit 206, and a wireless transmitter 207.

[0102] Furthermore, at least one of the preamble demodulation unit 202, data demodulation unit 203, data merging unit 204, data decoding unit 205, and transmission signal generation unit 206 may be included in the Figure 8 The control unit shown, the wireless receiver 201 may be included in Figure 8 The receiving unit shown.

[0103] The wireless receiver 201 receives signals transmitted from the AP100 via an antenna and performs wireless reception processing such as down-conversion and A / D conversion on the received signals. The wireless receiver 201 extracts the preamble from the processed signal and outputs it to the preamble demodulation unit 202. Additionally, the wireless receiver 201 extracts the data signal from the processed signal and outputs it to the data demodulation unit 203.

[0104] The preamble demodulation unit 202 performs demodulation processing, such as FFT, on the preamble signal input from the wireless receiver 201, and extracts control signals (e.g., BW, MCS, or encoding methods) for demodulating and decoding the data signal from the demodulated preamble signal. The preamble demodulation unit 202 outputs the extracted control signals to the data demodulation unit 203 and the data decoding unit 205, for example. Furthermore, the preamble demodulation unit 202 performs channel estimation based on a reference signal (e.g., LTF) contained in the preamble signal and outputs channel estimation information to the data demodulation unit 203. Additionally, the preamble demodulation unit 202 outputs control information related to the generalized repetition pattern contained in the preamble signal (e.g., the number of sub-channels or the type of generalized repetition pattern) to the data combining unit 204.

[0105] The data demodulation unit 203 performs processing such as FFT, channel equalization, or demodulation on the data signal input from the wireless receiving unit 201 based on control information and channel estimation information input from the preamble demodulation unit 202, and outputs the demodulated data signal to be sent to the STA 200 to the data combining unit 204.

[0106] The data merging unit 204 determines whether to merge the decoded data signal input from the data demodulation unit 203 based on the control information input from the preamble demodulation unit 202. For example, if the communication mode corresponding to the demodulated data signal is different from the generalized repetition mode (in the case of a non-generalized repetition mode), the data merging unit 204 outputs the demodulated data signal input from the data demodulation unit 203 to the data decoding unit 205. On the other hand, if, for example, the communication mode corresponding to the demodulated data signal is a generalized repetition mode, the data merging unit 204 performs data merging based on the type of generalized repetition mode and outputs the merged data to the data decoding unit 205.

[0107] The data decoding unit 205, for example, decodes the data signal input from the data merging unit 204 based on the control information input from the preamble demodulation unit 202, performs error determination such as CRC, and outputs information indicating the error determination result to the transmission signal generation unit 206.

[0108] The transmission signal generation unit 206 generates a response signal (e.g., ACK or Block ACK (BA)) based on information indicating the error determination result input from the data decoding unit 205. Additionally, the transmission signal generation unit 206 generates a radio frame (e.g., a packet signal) by appending a preamble signal to a data signal (e.g., an uplink data signal) and outputs it to the radio transmission unit 207.

[0109] The wireless transmission unit 207 performs wireless transmission processing such as D / A conversion and up-conversion to carrier frequency on the wireless frames input from the transmission signal generation unit 206, and transmits the processed signal to the AP100 via the antenna.

[0110] [Operating examples of AP100 and STA200]

[0111] Next, an example of the operation of AP100 and STA200 in this embodiment will be described.

[0112] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the multiple generalized repetition modes that can be set for STA200 may include an EHT repetition mode, in which a signal (e.g., a coded sequence) corresponding to one of the RVs of the error correction code for the data signal is included in multiple sub-channels.

[0113] For example, in EHT repetition mode, there may be a mode that allocates a dedicated RV (e.g., a different RV) to the data subcarrier (or subchannel). In other words, in EHT repetition mode, there may be a mode that changes the RV of the subchannel.

[0114] In this mode, for EHT repeating mode PPDUs, the encoded sequence data stored in the cyclic buffer, such as HARQ-IR, can be allocated to multiple sub-channels for different RV encoded sequences.

[0115] Figure 11 This is a diagram illustrating an example of an EHT repeating mode PPDU format containing different RV coding sequences in each sub-channel. Figure 11 In the example shown, multiple data subcarriers are divided into two sub-channels, with RV=0 assigned to one sub-channel and RV=1 assigned to the other. By assigning different RVs to each sub-channel, the receiver (e.g., STA200) can obtain the coding gain resulting from HARQ combining, such as improving coverage.

[0116] Furthermore, for example, in 11be BPSK-DCM and BPSK-DCM-DUP, the usable coding rate is 1 / 2. In this case, because the ratio of parity bits to data bits is small, it is difficult to send different parity bits according to RV, and therefore, it is difficult to obtain the coding gain generated by HARQ combining.

[0117] Therefore, in one embodiment of this disclosure, for example, a coding rate smaller than coding rate = 1 / 2 (e.g., coding rate = 1 / 3 or 1 / 4) can be set in the above-described EHT repetition mode. Hereinafter, an example of the RV structure will be described in the case where binary convolutional code (BCC) and low-density parity-check (LDPC) are used as error correction codes.

[0118] <Example of BCC structure>

[0119] When using BCC, for example, the AP100 can use an encoder with a coding rate of 1 / 2 to achieve a coding rate smaller than 1 / 2.

[0120] For example, the AP100 can also use an encoder with a coding rate of 1 / 2 to encode the data sequence twice, thereby achieving a coding rate of 1 / 4.

[0121] Alternatively, for example, the AP100 can prune the encoded data bits with a coding rate of 1 / 4 resulting from two encoding operations to achieve a coding rate of 1 / 3. In this case, the AP100 can, for example, change the puncturing pattern of the encoded data bits according to RV. By changing the puncturing pattern, it is easy to send different parity bits, thus obtaining the coding gain generated by HARQ combining.

[0122] <Example 1 of LDPC structure>

[0123] In LDPC Structure Example 1, for example in the case where different coding sequences of RV are included in each sub-channel (e.g., also known as "the case with IR"), the target coding rate is achieved by setting (in other words, changing) the codeword (e.g., called "Codeword (CW)") length.

[0124] Figure 12 This is a diagram illustrating an example where the target coding rate is 1 / 3.

[0125] In LDPC, information bits are, for example, a sequence of bits that includes data bits and shortened bits.

[0126] For example, such as Figure 12 As shown, the circular buffer generated when the target coding rate is 1 / 3 and the information bit length is 972 bits, based on a coding rate of 1 / 2, consists of information bits (e.g., 972 bits) and parity bits 1 and 2 (e.g., each 972 bits). Figure 12 As shown, the CW length is 1944 bits with a coding rate of 1 / 2 (e.g., without IR), while the CW length is 2916 bits with a coding rate of 1 / 3 (e.g., with IR).

[0127] For example, such as Figure 13 As shown, when using a specified CW length of 1944 bits as the transmission unit, the AP100 can also transmit RV=0 (e.g., information bits and parity bit 1) in sub-channel 1 and RV=1 (e.g., information bits and parity bit 2) in sub-channel 2. In this case, because common information bits are transmitted in multiple sub-channels, the gain generated by DCM can be obtained. Furthermore, because different RVs are transmitted in multiple sub-channels, the gain generated by HARQ combining can be obtained.

[0128] Similarly, for example, a circular buffer (CW) with a target coding rate of 1 / 4, based on an information bit length of 972 bits at a coding rate of 1 / 2, consists of information bits (e.g., 972 bits) and parity bits 1, 2, and 3 (e.g., each 972 bits). In this case, the CW length is 1944 bits for a coding rate of 1 / 2 (e.g., without IR), and 3888 bits for a coding rate of 1 / 4 (e.g., with IR). At this time, for example, as... Figure 14 As shown, when using a specified CW length of 1944 bits as the transmission unit, the AP100 can also transmit RV=0 (e.g., information bits and parity 1) in sub-channel 1 and RV=1 (e.g., parity 2 and parity 3) in sub-channel 2. In this case, because different RVs are transmitted in multiple sub-channels, the gain generated by HARQ combining can be obtained.

[0129] <Example 2 of LDPC structure>

[0130] In LDPC Structure Example 2, for example, in the case where different coding sequences of RV are included in the mode of each sub-channel (in the case of IR), the target coding rate is achieved by setting (in other words, changing) the information bit length.

[0131] Figure 15 This is a diagram illustrating an example where the target coding rate is 1 / 3.

[0132] For example, such as Figure 15 As shown, the circular buffer generated when the information bit length is 972 bits based on a coding rate of 1 / 2 and the target coding rate is 1 / 3 consists of information bits (e.g., 648 bits) and parity bits 1 and 2 (e.g., each 648 bits). Figure 15 As shown, the information bit length is 972 bits when the coding rate is 1 / 2 (e.g., without IR), and 648 bits when the coding rate is 1 / 3 (e.g., with IR).

[0133] In the structural example 2 of LDPC, as follows Figure 15 As shown, the CW length is the same with and without IR.

[0134] For example, such as Figure 16As shown, when using a specified CW length (e.g., 1296 bits) as the transmission unit, the AP100 can also transmit RV=0 (e.g., information bits and parity bit 1) in sub-channel 1 and RV=1 (e.g., information bits and parity bit 2) in sub-channel 2. In this case, because common information bits are transmitted in multiple channels, the gain generated by DCM can be obtained. Furthermore, because different RVs are transmitted in multiple sub-channels, the gain generated by HARQ combining can be obtained.

[0135] Similarly, for example, a circular buffer generated with a target coding rate of 1 / 4, based on an information bit length of 972 bits at a coding rate of 1 / 2, consists of information bits (e.g., 486 bits) and parity bits 1, 2, and 3 (e.g., each 486 bits). In this case, for example, as... Figure 17 As shown, when using a specified CW length (1296 bits) as the transmission unit, the AP100 can also transmit RV=0 (e.g., information bits and parity bits 1, 2) in sub-channel 1 and RV=1 (e.g., information bits and parity bits 1, 3) in sub-channel 2. In this case, because common information bits are transmitted in multiple sub-channels, the gain generated by DCM can be obtained. Furthermore, because different RVs are transmitted in multiple sub-channels, the gain generated by HARQ combining can be obtained.

[0136] <Example 3 of LDPC structure>

[0137] In LDPC Structure Example 3, for example, in the case where different coding sequences of RV are included in each sub-channel, the target coding rate is achieved by setting (in other words, changing) the data bit length.

[0138] Figure 18 This is a diagram illustrating a setting example for the data bit length.

[0139] like Figure 18 As shown, dummy data bits can be used to reduce the actual data bits contained in information bits. For example, all bits of a dummy data bit can be 0.

[0140] For example, with a CW length of 1944 bits, the circular buffer obtained by the generator polynomial with a coding rate of 1 / 2 consists of 972 information bits and 972 parity bits. Therefore, for example, with a target coding rate of 1 / 4, the data bits contained in the information bits can be set to 324 bits. For example, with a target coding rate of 1 / 4, the circular buffer obtained by the generator polynomial with a coding rate of 1 / 2 can consist of information bits (e.g., 972 bits (data bits (324 bits) + virtual data bits (648 bits))) and parity bits 1, 2, and 3 (e.g., each 324 bits). Furthermore, the coded sequence of each RV contained in the sub-channel may not contain virtual data bits.

[0141] Thus, in LDPC Structure Example 3, the target coding rate is achieved by changing the data bit length in the information bit with IR relative to the data bit length in the information bit without IR.

[0142] For example, such as Figure 19 As shown, when using a specified CW length of 648 bits as the transmission unit, the AP100 can transmit RV=0 (e.g., information bits and parity bit 1) in sub-channel 1 and RV=1 (e.g., parity bits 2 and 3) in sub-channel 2. In this case, because different RVs are transmitted in multiple sub-channels, the gain generated by HARQ combining can be obtained.

[0143] The above illustrates the structural example of RV.

[0144] Next, examples of patterns in which different RV coding sequences are included in each sub-channel will be described (e.g., Examples 1 to 3).

[0145] <Example 1>

[0146] In an EHT repetition mode, for example, there may be a mode in which the modulation mapping and RV are different for signals (e.g., coded sequences) assigned to two or more sub-channels (hereinafter referred to as "EHT repetition mode (DCM+IR)"). In other words, in an EHT repetition mode, there may be a mode in which the DCM of BPSK-DCM or BPSK-DCM-DUP is changed to DCM and IR (e.g., DCM+IR).

[0147] In EHT repetition mode (DCM+IR), for example, different modulation mappings are applied to at least a portion of a common coded sequence in multiple sub-channels. Additionally, in EHT repetition mode (DCM+IR), for example, multiple sub-channels contain coded sequences with different RVs.

[0148] Figure 20This is a diagram illustrating an example of an EHT-SIG containing control information for the EHT repeating mode (DCM+IR) in Example 1.

[0149] like Figure 20 As shown, AP100 can, for example, notify STA200 of control information related to the EHT repetition mode (DCM+IR). This control information related to the EHT repetition mode (DCM+IR) may include, for example, the number of data subcarrier divisions (e.g., the number of sub-channels (N, DCM+IR)). dup Information on the type of generalized repeating mode (here, EHT repeating mode (DCM+IR)) (e.g., generalized repeating mode), and information on the RV of each sub-channel.

[0150] In addition, Figure 20 In the example, the number of sub-channels N is shown below. dup Common fields shared by multiple users (STAs), generalized repeating patterns, and user-specific fields (RVs) shared by users (STAs). However, the fields containing control information are not limited to these fields; control information may also be contained in at least one of the common fields and user-specific fields, or in other fields.

[0151] exist Figure 20 In the example shown, at least a portion of the coded sequence with RV=0 in sub-channel 1 and the coded sequence with RV=2 in sub-channel 2 are common. For example, the coded data bits may be common in sub-channel 1 and sub-channel 2, but the parity bits may differ.

[0152] Through EHT repetition mode (DCM+IR), for example, frequency diversity gain resulting from transmitting at least a portion of common data in each sub-channel with different modulation mappings, and coding gain resulting from HARQ combining (transmitting different RVs in each sub-channel) can be obtained.

[0153] <Example 2>

[0154] In EHT repetition mode, for example, it can contain different RV modes in two or more sub-channels (hereinafter referred to as "EHT repetition mode (IR)"). In other words, EHT repetition mode can contain a mode that changes the DCM of BPSK-DCM or BPSK-DCM-DUP to IR.

[0155] In EHT repetition mode (IR), for example, multiple sub-channels contain different RV coding sequences. Additionally, in EHT repetition mode (IR), for example, different modulation mappings may not be applied to the multiple sub-channels.

[0156] Figure 21 This is a diagram illustrating an example of an EHT-SIG containing control information for the EHT repeating mode (IR) in Example 2.

[0157] like Figure 21 As shown, AP100 can, for example, notify STA200 of control information related to the EHT repeating mode (IR). The control information related to the EHT repeating mode (IR) may include, for example, an indication of the number of sub-channels N. dup Information on the type of generalized repetition mode (here, EHT repetition mode (IR)) (generalized repetition mode), and information representing the RV of each sub-channel.

[0158] In addition, Figure 21 In the example, the following case is used: the number of sub-channels N dup The information is contained in general fields, generalized repeat patterns and RVs are contained in user-specific fields, but the fields containing each control information are not limited to these fields. Each control information may also be contained in at least one of the general fields and user-specific fields or other fields.

[0159] exist Figure 21 In the example shown, the coded sequence of RV=0 in sub-channel 1 and the coded sequence of RV=1 in sub-channel 2 are different.

[0160] Through EHT repetition mode (IR), for example, the frequency diversity gain resulting from the transmission of coded sequence data in each sub-channel and the coding gain resulting from HARQ combining can be obtained.

[0161] <Example 3>

[0162] In an EHT repeat mode, for example, it may include a mode (hereinafter referred to as "EHT repeat mode (time repeat)") that, in the time domain (or, also referred to as "time direction"), contains two or more sub-channels of signals (e.g., coded sequences) assigned different RVs.

[0163] In EHT repetition mode (time repetition), for example, in multiple sub-channels configured in the frequency domain (or, also called "frequency direction") and time domain, the RVs (radical values) of at least the sub-channels in the time domain can be different. For example, in EHT repetition mode (time repetition), coded sequences with different RVs can be contained in multiple different sub-channels in the frequency domain and time domain.

[0164] Figure 22 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a frame format (e.g., PPDU format) for EHT repeat mode (time repeat). Additionally, Figure 23This is a diagram representing an example of an EHT-SIG containing control information for EHT repeating patterns (time repeating).

[0165] like Figure 23 As shown, AP100 can, for example, notify STA200 of control information related to the EHT repeating mode (time repeating). The information related to the EHT repeating mode (time repeating) may, for example, include an indication of the number of sub-channels N. dup Information on the type of generalized repetition mode (here, EHT repetition mode (IR)) (generalized repetition mode), and information representing the RV of each sub-channel.

[0166] In addition, Figure 23 In the example, the following case is used: the number of sub-channels N dup The information is contained in general fields, generalized repeat patterns and RVs are contained in user-specific fields, but the fields containing each control information are not limited to these fields. Each control information may also be contained in at least one of the general fields and user-specific fields or other fields.

[0167] Additionally, in the EHT repetitive mode (time repetition), for example, such as Figure 22 As shown, the RV can be changed according to the MAC (Medium Access Control) Service Data Unit (MPDU). For example, the STA200 can refer to the MAC header of each MPDU contained in the received signal, and if a common sequence number is included, identify that the RV contained in the MPDU corresponding to that MAC header is an encoded sequence of the RV of a common (e.g., the same) circular buffer.

[0168] Alternatively, for example, a portion of the coded sequence (e.g., an MPDU or CW as a retransmission unit of HARQ) may be contained in different sub-channels in the time domain, while the remainder of the coded sequence may be contained in common sub-channels in the time domain (e.g., different sub-channels in the frequency domain).

[0169] By using EHT repetition mode (time repetition), in addition to transmitting different RV coding sequences in the frequency domain, different RV coding sequences are also transmitted in the time domain, which increases the number of coding sequences that can be transmitted for HARQ combining, thereby improving coding gain.

[0170] Furthermore, for the frequency domain in Example 3, the allocation example of the RV coding sequence in Example 1 or Example 2 can also be applied.

[0171] The above illustrates an example of a pattern in which different RV coding sequences are included in each sub-channel.

[0172] Furthermore, the notification method for control information related to the generalized repetition pattern is not limited to the ETH-SIG-based notification example in Examples 1 to 3 above. Other examples of notification methods for control information related to the generalized repetition pattern will be described below.

[0173] <Method 1>

[0174] In Method 1, a portion of the user information (e.g., information in user-specific fields) is replaced with control information related to the generalized repetition pattern.

[0175] Figure 24 This is a diagram representing an example of ETH-SIG in Method 1.

[0176] For example, in BPSK-DCM and BPSK-DCM-DUP of 11be, the spatial stream count is set (in other words, limited) to 1. Therefore, in BPSK-DCM and BPSK-DCM-DUP, because the spatial stream count is fixed to STA200, control information related to the spatial stream count may not be communicated to STA200. Thus, as... Figure 24 As shown, a portion of the user information can be replaced with control information associated with the generalized repetition pattern, based on the type of generalized repetition pattern (e.g., DCM+IR, IR, or time repetition).

[0177] For example, such as Figure 24 As shown, in EHT repeat mode, AP100 and STA200 can display the Number of Space-Time Streams subfield (N) contained in the EHT-SIG user-specific field. sts (For example, 4 bits) is replaced with the number of sub-channels N. dup (e.g., 2 bits) and the RV (e.g., 2 bits) of a portion of the sub-channel (e.g., sub-channel 1).

[0178] Additionally, for example, such as Figure 24 As shown, in EHT repeat mode, AP100 and STA200 can replace the EHT-SIG reserved subfield with a retransmission identifier (called "New Data Indicator" (NDI)) (e.g., 1 bit). In other words, STA200 can replace the user-specific field (terminal-specific control field) with information that differs from the information about the generalized repeat mode (in... Figure 24 N is in the middle sts At least a portion of the (or reserved field) receives information related to the generalized repetition pattern.

[0179] For example, in Figure 24 In the case of notifying the EHT repeat mode via a generalized repeat mode, the STA200 can be based on N sts The field contains the RV of sub-channel 1 and the number of sub-channels N. dup The combination of RVs for each sub-channel is identified by the retransmission identifier (NDI) contained in the reserved field and the length of the circular buffer obtained through decoding.

[0180] For example, such as Figure 25 As shown, the STA200 identifies the combination of RVs for each sub-channel based on control information related to the generalized repetition pattern and notification information from the AP100, such as the length of the cyclic buffer. For example, in Figure 25 In this context, STA200 can determine the RV of other sub-channels 2-4 that are different from sub-channel 1 based on notification information. Furthermore, in... Figure 25 In the diagram, L represents the length of the circular buffer, and N... rv This indicates the number of RVs contained in the circular buffer.

[0181] According to method 1, AP100 can notify STA200 of control information related to the generalized repetitive mode without adding new signaling, thus suppressing the increase in signaling overhead.

[0182] In addition, Figure 24 In the middle, although it is explained that N sts The field includes RV and the number of sub-channels N. dup And the reserved fields include examples of NDI, but N sts The control information related to the generalized repetition pattern contained in the fields and reserved fields is not limited to this information. Furthermore, the fields that notify control information related to the generalized repetition pattern are not limited to N. sts Fields and reserved fields, or other fields.

[0183] <Method 2>

[0184] In method 2, control information related to the generalized repetitive pattern is communicated to STA200 in combination with MCS.

[0185] Figure 26 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the association between the MCS index (e.g., the EHT MCS index) of Method 2 and control information (e.g., control information containing information related to the generalized repetition pattern). Figure 26 For example, an example of representing associations in tabular form (MCS Table) is shown.

[0186] exist Figure 26The MCS table shown may include, for example, the type of generalized repetition mode (modulation), coding rate, and number of sub-channels (N). dup Control information on generalized repetition patterns, such as the combination patterns of RVs in each sub-channel, can be used as modulation candidates. Furthermore, the MCS table can also include candidate modulation schemes such as BPSK, Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK), Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM), 64-QAM, 256-QAM, 1024-QAM, or 4096-QAM (not illustrated). In other words, multiple candidates, including modulation schemes for the data signal and multiple generalized repetition patterns (e.g., BPSK-DCM, BPSK-DCM-DUP), can be associated with the MCS index (identification information).

[0187] Furthermore, the MCS index associated with the generalized repetition pattern can be any value (in... Figure 26 In this context, "Undecided (TBD)" is used to represent the patterns. For example, the same 4-bit MCS index as 11ax can be used, and a portion of the unused MCS12 to MCS15 from 11ax can be used to represent the various patterns of the generalized repeating pattern. Alternatively, the MCS index can be extended to 5 bits or more, and the indices from MCS16 onwards can be used to represent the various patterns of the generalized repeating pattern. Furthermore, the generalized repeating patterns contained in the MCS table are not limited to... Figure 26 The example shown can contain other generalized repetition patterns or combinations of other generalized repetition patterns.

[0188] For example, STA200 can receive the MCS index notified by AP100, and based on the received MCS index, refer to... Figure 26 The MCS table shown identifies the type of generalized repetition pattern and the number of sub-channels N. dup and the RV of each sub-channel.

[0189] According to method 2, even if the number of spatial streams in the DCM is not set to 1, the AP100 can still use the MCS table to notify the STA200 of control information related to the generalized repeating mode. Therefore, the AP100 can notify the STA200 of control information related to the generalized repeating mode without adding new signaling, thus suppressing the increase in signaling overhead.

[0190] The above illustrates examples of methods for notifying control information related to generalized repetition patterns.

[0191] Thus, in this embodiment, STA200 receives control information related to the generalized repetition mode set for STA200 in multiple generalized repetition modes, and controls the merging of signals allocated to multiple sub-channels based on the received information related to the generalized repetition mode.

[0192] Through this control, the STA200 can, for example, switch the desired coverage enhancement method (e.g., generalized repetition mode) based on communication conditions such as the communication frequency band. Furthermore, in generalized repetition mode, the STA200 can improve coverage by setting a dedicated RV for each sub-channel, utilizing the frequency diversity gain or coding gain generated by the generalized repetition mode. Thus, for example, even when using a 6GHz band (a frequency band where the coverage of a 6GHz LPI terminal is likely to become narrower than that of a 5GHz band terminal) that is available to LPI terminals (or a frequency band where transmit power density is limited), the same coverage enhancement as the 5GHz band can be achieved.

[0193] Therefore, according to this embodiment, the communication quality in wireless communication can be improved.

[0194] The above describes various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0195] (Other implementation methods)

[0196] (1) For example, in 11be, although DCM is set (in other words, limited) for SU, it is not limited to SU. The generalized repetition mode of one embodiment of this disclosure can also be applied to multi-user transmission (Multi-User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MU-MIMO) or Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)).

[0197] (2) The modulation method, coding rate and number of spatial streams used in the above embodiments are examples and are not limited. Other values ​​can also be set.

[0198] (3) The retransmission unit in the above embodiments can be an MPDU, a CW, or other transmission units.

[0199] (4) In the above embodiments, although a method for notifying the RV of each sub-channel has been described, the RV contained in the generalized repeating mode PPDU of the first transmission (e.g., the case of NDI=0) may be fixed by sub-channel.

[0200] For example, in the initial transmission of a generalized repetition mode PPDU, subcarrier 1 can always contain a coded sequence with RV=0, and subcarrier 2 can always contain a coded sequence with RV=1. Therefore, for example, in the initial transmission of a generalized repetition mode PPDU, control information related to the RV of each subchannel may not be included. This reduces RV-related signaling and thus improves overhead.

[0201] (5) In the above embodiments, for example, the midamble may be included in the data section. The midamble can, for example, adapt to fast fading environments.

[0202] Figure 27 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a frame format (e.g., PPDU format) that includes an intermediate code (e.g., EHT-LTF). For example, similar to 11ax, AP100 can also notify STA200 whether the intermediate code is included in the data section in the Doppler field contained in the preamble section.

[0203] Additionally, the AP100 can, for example, change the RV of the data section before or after the intermediate code.

[0204] Additionally, for example, if the Doppler field in the preamble of the received signal is 1, the STA200 can also convert the N in the user-specific field of the EHT-SIG. sts At least a portion of it is replaced with the period of the intermediate code. For example, similar to 11ax, STA200 can also replace N sts The least significant bit is replaced with the period of the middle code (called the "Midamble periodicity"). For example, it could also be that the STA200 in N... sts When the least significant bit is 0, it is replaced with an intermediate code period of 10 data symbols, in N sts When the least significant bit is 1, it is replaced with an intermediate code period of 20 data symbols.

[0205] The STA200, for example, can use the reference signal (e.g., LTF) contained in the intermediate code to obtain a channel estimate that follows fast fading fluctuations.

[0206] Alternatively, as in Example 3 above, the intermediate code can also be included between sub-channels in different time domains of RV. In this case, AP100 can, for example, use a Doppler field to indicate the presence or absence of the intermediate code. Additionally, in this case, STA200 may not need to include N. sts A portion of it is replaced with the period of the intermediate code.

[0207] (6) In the above embodiments, the size of the RU that is assigned to transmit signals is not limited. In addition, for example, multiple RUs may be assigned to a STA200 (for example, referred to as "Multi-RU").

[0208] Figure 28 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a generalized repetitive mode PPDU format when using a RU with a clock speed greater than 80MHz. Additionally, Figure 29 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a generalized repeating pattern PPDU format using multiple RUs.

[0209] In these cases, the STA200 performs, for example, reception processing of an 80MHz segment including the main channel. The STA200 determines the size of the RU allocated to it based on the values ​​of the BW field and puncturing information field contained in the preamble section.

[0210] For example, such as Figure 28 As shown, when the number of RUs allocated to the STA200 is greater than 80MHz, the STA200 can also perform reception processing on other 80MHz segments that do not include the main channel, and perform HARQ combining of the coded sequences of each sub-channel contained in the multiple RUs allocated to the STA200.

[0211] Additionally, for example, such as Figure 29 As shown, when multiple RUs are allocated to the STA200, the STA200 can divide the data subcarriers contained in the multiple RUs according to the number of sub-channels, thereby deriving the number of data subcarriers contained in each sub-channel and performing HARQ combining.

[0212] (7) An embodiment of this disclosure can also be applied to multi-AP operation. Figure 30 and Figure 31 This is a diagram illustrating an example of multi-AP operation.

[0213] For example, such as Figure 30 As shown, two or more AP100s (in) Figure 30 AP1 and AP2 can also simultaneously send generalized repetitive mode PPDUs to STA200 (in Figure 30 In this context, RV = 0, 2 (for example, referred to as "Joint Transmission (JT)"). Thus, in addition to the coding gain generated by HARQ combining, the beamforming gain generated by JT can also be obtained.

[0214] Additionally, for example, such as Figure 31 As shown, two or more AP100s (in) Figure 31AP1 and AP2 can also simultaneously send generalized repetition mode PPDUs (e.g., referred to as "distributed MIMO") containing different coded sequences for RV to STA200. Thus, by increasing the number of coded sequences used for HARQ merging, the coding gain can be improved.

[0215] (8) In the above embodiments, when performing DCM without performing IR generalized repetition mode, the styles of BCC interleaver and LDPC tone mapper can also be changed according to sub-channel.

[0216] For example, a new field can be added to the preamble section (e.g., EHT-SIG) that indicates the style of switching the BCC interleaver and LDPC tone mapper by sub-channel.

[0217] (9) In the above embodiments, STA200 that does not support the DCM function (or STA200 that has not activated the DCM function) may also receive DCM signals in the main channel.

[0218] As an example, AP100 can send spatially multiplexed data to STA1, which supports DCM, and STA2, which does not support DCM. Figure 32 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the PPDU format of the MU DCM signal in this case.

[0219] For example, AP100 can transmit signals obtained by applying DCM to data from STA1 and STA2. Since STA1 supports DCM, it can receive signals transmitted from AP100 in each sub-channel, and by extracting and combining the signals destined for STA1, it can obtain the frequency diversity gain generated by DCM. Conversely, since STA2 does not support DCM, it can receive signals transmitted from AP100 in the main channel, extract the signals destined for STA2, and decode them.

[0220] (10) In the above embodiments, as an example, a structural example based on the 11ax frame format has been described, but the format of an embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to the 11ax format.

[0221] (11) In the above embodiments, the actions in DL communication have been described, but one embodiment of this disclosure is not limited to DL communication, and may be applied to UL communication or side link, for example.

[0222] (12) This disclosure can be implemented by software, hardware, or software in cooperation with hardware. The functional blocks used in the above embodiments are implemented partially or wholly as LSIs (Large Scale Integration), and the processes described in the above embodiments can also be controlled partially or wholly by a single LSI or a combination of LSIs. An LSI can be composed of individual chips, or it can be composed of a single chip containing some or all of the functional blocks. An LSI can also include data input and output. Depending on the degree of integration, an LSI can also be called an "IC (Integrated Circuit)," a "System LSI," a "Super LSI," or an "Ultra LSI."

[0223] The method of integrating LSIs is not limited to LSIs; it can also be implemented using dedicated circuits, general-purpose processors, or special-purpose processors. Alternatively, LSIs can be used to fabricate programmable FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), or reconfigurable processors that allow for reconfiguration of the connections or settings of the circuit blocks within the LSI. This disclosure can also be implemented for digital or analog processing.

[0224] Furthermore, if advancements in semiconductor technology or the emergence of other derivative technologies lead to integrated circuit technologies that can replace LSIs, these technologies could also be used to integrate functional blocks. There are also possibilities for applications such as biotechnology.

[0225] This invention can be implemented in all kinds of devices, apparatuses, and systems with communication capabilities (collectively referred to as "communication devices"). A communication device may also include a wireless transceiver and processing / control circuitry. The wireless transceiver may also include a receiving unit and a transmitting unit, or perform the functions of these units. The wireless transceiver (transmitting unit, receiving unit) may also include an RF (Radio Frequency) module and one or more antennas. The RF module may also include an amplifier, an RF modulator / demodulator, or similar devices. Non-limiting examples of communication devices include: telephones (mobile phones, smartphones, etc.), tablet computers, personal computers (PCs) (laptops, desktops, laptops, etc.), cameras (digital cameras, digital camcorders, etc.), digital players (digital audio / video players, etc.), wearable devices (wearable cameras, smartwatches, tracking devices, etc.), game consoles, e-book readers, remote health / telemedicine (remote healthcare / medical prescription) devices, vehicles or transportation vehicles with communication capabilities (cars, airplanes, ships, etc.), and combinations of the various devices described above.

[0226] Communication devices are not limited to portable or movable devices, but also include all kinds of devices, equipment, and systems that cannot be carried or fixed, such as smart home devices (home appliances, lighting equipment, smart meters or meters, control panels, etc.), vending machines, and all other "things" that can exist on the IoT (Internet of Things) network.

[0227] In addition to data communication via cellular systems, wireless LAN (Local Area Network) systems, and communication satellite systems, communication also includes data communication via a combination of these systems.

[0228] In addition, the communication device also includes devices such as controllers or sensors that are connected or linked to a communication device performing the communication functions described in this disclosure. For example, it includes a controller or sensor that generates control signals or data signals used by the communication device to perform the communication functions of the communication device.

[0229] In addition, the communication device includes infrastructure equipment that communicates with or controls the various devices described above (not limited to these), such as base stations, access points, and all other devices, equipment, and systems.

[0230] A communication apparatus according to an embodiment of this disclosure includes: a receiving circuit that receives information related to at least one of a plurality of modes, the plurality of modes being associated with the allocation of a common data signal for a plurality of subcarrier groups; and a control circuit that, based on the mode-related information, controls the merging of signals allocated to the plurality of subcarrier groups.

[0231] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the plurality of modes includes a first mode, which indicates that a signal corresponding to a redundancy version (RV) of the error correction code for the data signal is included in the plurality of subcarrier groups.

[0232] In one embodiment of this disclosure, in the first mode, the RV and modulation mapping are different among the plurality of subcarrier groups.

[0233] In one embodiment of this disclosure, in the first mode, the RV is different among the plurality of subcarrier groups.

[0234] In one embodiment of this disclosure, in the first mode, the RVs configured in the time domain are different among the subcarrier groups.

[0235] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the receiving circuit receives at least a portion of the field in the terminal-specific control field that is different from the pattern-related information.

[0236] In one embodiment of this disclosure, multiple candidates are associated with identification information, the multiple candidates including a modulation scheme for the data signal and multiple modes, and the receiving circuit receives the identification information associated with one of the multiple candidates.

[0237] A communication apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a control circuit that sets at least one of a plurality of modes, the plurality of modes being associated with the allocation of a common data signal for a plurality of subcarrier groups; and a transmission circuit that transmits information associated with the modes and signals allocated to the plurality of subcarrier groups.

[0238] In a communication method according to one embodiment of this disclosure, a communication device receives information related to at least one of a plurality of modes, which are associated with the allocation of a common data signal for a plurality of subcarrier groups, and controls the merging of signals allocated to the plurality of subcarrier groups based on the mode-related information.

[0239] In a communication method according to one embodiment of this disclosure, a communication device sets at least one of a plurality of modes, which are related to the allocation of general data signals for a plurality of subcarrier groups, and transmits information related to the mode and signals allocated to the plurality of subcarrier groups.

[0240] The entire contents of the specification, drawings and abstract of the specification contained in Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-185778, filed on November 6, 2020, are incorporated herein by reference.

[0241] One embodiment of this disclosure is useful for wireless communication systems.

[0242] Industrial applicability

[0243] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0244] 100AP

[0245] 101, 201 Wireless Receiver

[0246] 102 Receiver Signal Decoding Unit

[0247] 103 Resource Allocation Department

[0248] 104 Data Generation Department

[0249] 105 Data Coding Department

[0250] 106 Data Modulation Section

[0251] 107 Preamble Generation Unit

[0252] 108, 207 Wireless Transmission Unit

[0253] 200STA

[0254] 202 preamble demodulation unit

[0255] 203 Data Demodulation Department

[0256] 204 Data Merging Department

[0257] 205 Data Decoding Department

[0258] 206 Signal Generation Unit

Claims

1. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A receiving circuit receives a Physical Layer Convergence Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) comprising a signal field, a first data signal, and a second data signal, wherein the first data signal and the second data signal are generated based on the same information bits, and the signal field includes a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) field, wherein the MCS field indicates a value for indicating at least one of a plurality of modes relating to the allocation of the first data signal and the second data signal to a first subcarrier group and a second subcarrier group, respectively, wherein the value indicates that dual-carrier modulation (DCM) is applied to the at least one of the plurality of modes; as well as The control circuit, based on the value, controls the merging of the first data signal and the second data signal respectively allocated to the first subcarrier group and the second subcarrier group.

2. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The signal field is the Extremely High Throughput (EHT)-SIG field, which includes general fields and user-specific fields, and the user-specific fields include the MCS field.

3. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The plurality of modes includes a first mode, which indicates that the signal corresponding to a redundant version, i.e., RV, of the error correction code for the first data signal and the second data signal is included in the plurality of subcarrier groups.

4. The communication device as claimed in claim 3, wherein, In the first mode, the RV and the modulation mapping are different among the plurality of subcarrier groups.

5. The communication device as claimed in claim 3, wherein, In the first mode, the RV is different among the plurality of subcarrier groups.

6. The communication device as claimed in claim 3, wherein, In the first mode, the RVs configured in the time domain are different among the subcarrier groups.

7. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, Multiple candidates are associated with identification information, and these multiple candidates include the modulation scheme and multiple modes for the first data signal and the second data signal. The receiving circuit receives the identification information associated with one of the plurality of candidates.

8. A communication method, characterized in that: A communication device receives a Physical Layer Convergence Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) comprising a signal field, a first data signal, and a second data signal, the first data signal and the second data signal being generated based on the same information bits. The signal field includes a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) field, which indicates a value for at least one of a plurality of modes relating to the allocation of the first data signal and the second data signal to a first subcarrier group and a second subcarrier group, respectively. The value indicates that dual-carrier modulation (DCM) is applied to the at least one of the plurality of modes. The device also controls the merging of the first data signal and the second data signal based on information relating to the at least one of the plurality of modes.

Images