Method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving PPDU in wireless LAN system

Abstract

Disclosed are a method and an apparatus for operating in a wireless LAN system. A method performed by a first STA in a wireless LAN system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may comprise the steps of: generating a specific type of SIG content channel for OFDMA transmission including a first common field; and transmitting a PPDU of a specific type including the SIG content channel of the specific type to a second STA, in which the first common field includes a first coding block, at least one intermediate coding block, and a last coding block, the first coding block and the last coding block including two resource unit (RU) allocation sub-fields, and each of the at least one intermediate coding block may include four RU allocation subfields.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to communication operations in a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving a physical protocol data unit (PPDU) in the wireless LAN system. Background Art

[0002] New technologies have been introduced for wireless LAN (WLAN) to improve transmission rates, increase bandwidth, improve reliability, reduce errors, and reduce latency. Among WLAN technologies, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 series of standards may be referred to as Wi-Fi. For example, technologies recently introduced to WLAN include enhancements to the Very High Throughput (VHT) standard of the 802.11ac standard and enhancements to High Efficiency (HE) of the IEEE 802.11ax standard.

[0003] In order to provide a more complete wireless communication environment, enhanced technologies for EHT (Extremely High Throughput) are being discussed. For example, technologies for supporting increased bandwidth, effective use of multiple bands, and increased spatial streams, multi-access point (AP) coordination and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) are being studied, and in particular, various technologies for supporting low-latency or real-time services are being studied. In addition, new technologies that support ultra-high reliability (UHR) by including improvements or extensions of EHT technology are being discussed. Summary of the invention

[0004] Technical issues

[0005] A technical problem of the present disclosure is to provide a method and apparatus for performing PPDU transmission and reception in a wireless LAN system.

[0006] A technical problem of the present disclosure is to provide a method and apparatus for performing PPDU transmission and reception including a signal field for OFDMA transmission in an extended bandwidth of a wireless LAN system.

[0007] The technical objectives achieved by the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned technical objectives, and other technical objectives not described herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the relevant art from the following description.

[0008] Technical Solutions

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method performed by a first station (STA) in a wireless LAN system may include: generating a specific type of SIG (signal) content channel for OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing access) transmission including a first common field; and sending a specific type of PPDU (physical protocol data unit) including the specific type of SIG content channel to a second STA, and the first common field may include a first coding block, at least one intermediate coding block and a last coding block, and the first coding block and the last coding block may include two RU (resource unit) allocation subfields, and each of the at least one intermediate coding block may include four RU allocation subfields.

[0010] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method performed by a second station (STA) in a wireless LAN system may include: receiving a specific type of PPDU (Physical Protocol Data Unit) including a specific type of SIG (Signal) content channel for OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) transmission including a first common field from a first STA; and decoding the specific type of PPDU, and the first common field may include a first coding block, at least one intermediate coding block, and a last coding block, and the first coding block and the last coding block may include two RU (Resource Unit) allocation subfields, and each of the at least one intermediate coding block may include four RU allocation subfields.

[0011] Beneficial Effects

[0012] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a method and apparatus for performing PPDU transmission and reception in a wireless LAN system may be provided.

[0013] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a method and apparatus for performing PPDU transmission and reception including a signal field for OFDMA transmission in an extended bandwidth of a wireless LAN system may be provided.

[0014] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, when a signal is transmitted using an extended bandwidth of a wireless LAN system, signaling information may be efficiently transmitted and reliability of signaling may be increased.

[0015] Effects achievable by the present disclosure are not limited to the above-described effects, and other effects not described herein may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The accompanying drawings, which are included as a part of the detailed description for understanding the present disclosure, provide embodiments of the present disclosure and describe technical features of the present disclosure through the detailed description.

[0017] Figure 1A block configuration diagram of a wireless communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0018] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary structure of a WLAN system to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0019] Figure 3 is a diagram for describing a link setting process to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0020] Figure 4 is a diagram for describing a backoff process to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0021] Figure 5 is a diagram for describing a CSMA / CA-based frame transmission operation to which the present disclosure may be applied.

[0022] Figure 6 is a diagram for describing an example of a frame structure used in a WLAN system to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0023] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PPDU defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0024] Figure 8 is a flowchart for describing a method in which a first STA transmits and receives a PPDU according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Fig. 9 is a flowchart for describing a method in which a second STA transmits and receives a PPDU according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Fig.10 Formats of a next-generation wireless LAN frame and a next-generation SIG content channel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0027] Fig.11 and Fig.12 The format of the next generation SIG content channel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The detailed description to be disclosed by the accompanying drawings is intended to describe exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than to represent the only embodiment in which the present disclosure can be implemented. The following detailed description includes specific details to provide a complete understanding of the present disclosure. However, those skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that the present disclosure can be implemented without these specific details.

[0029] In some cases, well-known structures and devices may be omitted, or may be shown in the form of a block diagram based on the core functions of each structure and device in order to prevent ambiguity in the concepts of the present disclosure.

[0030] In the present disclosure, when an element is referred to as being "connected", "combined" or "linked" to another element, it may include an indirect connection relationship between another element and a direct connection relationship. In addition, in the present disclosure, the term "comprising" or "having" specifies the presence of the mentioned features, steps, operations, components and / or elements, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, stages, operations, components, elements and / or groups thereof.

[0031] In the present invention, terms such as "first", "second", etc. are only used to distinguish one element from another element and are not used to limit the elements, and unless otherwise specified, they do not limit the order or importance between the elements. Therefore, within the scope of the present disclosure, the first element in an embodiment may be referred to as the second element in another embodiment, and similarly, the second element in an embodiment may be referred to as the first element in another embodiment.

[0032] The terms used in this disclosure are intended to describe specific embodiments rather than to limit the claims. As used in the description of the embodiments and the appended claims, the singular form is intended to include the plural form unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term "and / or" used in this disclosure may refer to one of the related enumerated items, or mean that it refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of two or more of them. In addition, unless otherwise stated, the " / " between words in this disclosure has the same meaning as "and / or".

[0033] Examples of the present disclosure may be applied to various wireless communication systems. For example, examples of the present disclosure may be applied to wireless LAN systems. For example, examples of the present disclosure may be applied to wireless LANs based on IEEE 802.11a / g / n / ac / ax standards. In addition, examples of the present disclosure may be applied to wireless LANs based on the newly proposed IEEE 802.11be (or EHT) standard. Examples of the present disclosure may be applied to wireless LANs based on the IEEE 802.11be version-2 standard corresponding to the additional enhanced technology of the IEEE 802.11be version-1 standard. In addition, examples of the present disclosure may be applied to next-generation standard-based wireless LANs after IEEE802.11be. In addition, examples of the present disclosure may be applied to cellular wireless communication systems. For example, it may be applied to cellular wireless communication systems based on technologies based on long term evolution (LTE) and technologies based on 5G new radio (NR) based on the third generation partnership project (3GPP) standard.

[0034] Hereinafter, technical features of examples to which the present disclosure can be applied will be described.

[0035] Figure 1A block diagram of a wireless communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0036] Figure 1 The first device 100 and the second device 200 illustrated in the figure may be replaced by various terms, such as terminal, wireless device, wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), user terminal (UT), mobile subscriber station (MSS), mobile subscriber unit (MSU), subscriber station (SS), advanced mobile station (AMS), wireless terminal (WT) or simple user, etc. In addition, the first device 100 and the second device 200 may include an access point (AP), a base station (BS), a fixed station, a node B, a base transceiver system (BTS), a network. It may be replaced by various terms such as an artificial intelligence (AI) system, a road side unit (RSU), a repeater, a router, a repeater and a gateway.

[0037] Figure 1 The devices 100 and 200 illustrated in FIG. 1 may be referred to as stations (STAs). For example, Figure 1 The devices 100 and 200 illustrated in the figure may be referred to by various terms such as a transmitting device, a receiving device, a transmitting STA, and a receiving STA. For example, STA110 and 200 may perform an access point (AP) role or a non-AP role. That is, in the present disclosure, STA 110 and 200 may perform the functions of an AP and / or a non-AP. When STA 110 and 200 perform an AP function, they may be referred to as AP for short, and when STA 110 and 200 perform a non-AP function, they may be referred to as STA for short. In addition, in the present disclosure, an AP may also be indicated as an APSTA.

[0038] refer to Figure 1 , the first device 100 and the second device 200 can transmit and receive radio signals through various wireless LAN technologies (eg, IEEE802.11 series). The first device 100 and the second device 200 may include interfaces for a media access control (MAC) layer and a physical layer (PHY) conforming to the IEEE802.11 standard.

[0039] In addition, the first device 100 and the second device 200 may additionally support various communication standards (e.g., 3GPP LTE series, 5G NR series standards, etc.) technologies other than wireless LAN technology. In addition, the device of the present disclosure may be implemented in various devices, such as mobile phones, vehicles, personal computers, augmented reality (AR) devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, etc. In addition, the STA of the present specification may support various communication services, such as voice calls, video calls, data communications, autonomous driving, machine type communications (MTC), machine to machine (M2M), device to device (D2D), IoT (Internet of Things), etc.

[0040] The first device 100 may include one or more processors 102 and one or more memories 104, and may further include one or more transceivers 106 and / or one or more antennas 108. The processor 102 may control the memory 104 and / or the transceiver 106 and may be configured to implement the description, function, process, proposal, method and / or operation flow chart disclosed in the present disclosure. For example, the processor 102 may send a wireless signal including the first information / signal through the transceiver 106 after generating the first information / signal by processing the information in the memory 104. In addition, the processor 102 may receive a wireless signal including the second information / signal through the transceiver 106, and then store the information obtained by the signal processing of the second information / signal in the memory 104. The memory 104 may be connected to the processor 102 and may store various information related to the operation of the processor 102. For example, the memory 104 may store software code including instructions for executing all or part of the process controlled by the processor 102 or for executing the description, function, process, proposal, method and / or operation flow chart disclosed in the present disclosure. Here, the processor 102 and the memory 104 may be part of a communication modem / circuit / chip designed to implement wireless LAN technology (e.g., LTE 802.11 series). The transceiver 106 may be connected to the processor 102 and may send and / or receive wireless signals through one or more antennas 108. The transceiver 106 may include a transmitter and / or a receiver. The transceiver 106 may be used in conjunction with an RF (radio frequency) unit. In the present disclosure, a device may refer to a communication modem / circuit / chip.

[0041] The second device 200 may include one or more processors 202 and one or more memories 204, and may further include one or more transceivers 206 and / or one or more antennas 208. The processor 202 may control the memory 204 and / or the transceiver 206 and may be configured to implement the description, function, process, proposal, method and / or operation flow chart disclosed in the present disclosure. For example, the processor 202 may generate third information / signal by processing the information in the memory 204, and then send a wireless signal including the third information / signal through the transceiver 206. In addition, the processor 202 may receive a wireless signal including fourth information / signal through the transceiver 206, and then store the information obtained by signal processing of the fourth information / signal in the memory 204. The memory 204 may be connected to the processor 202 and may store various information related to the operation of the processor 202. For example, the memory 204 may store software code including instructions for executing all or part of the process controlled by the processor 202 or for executing the description, function, process, proposal, method and / or operation flow chart disclosed in the present disclosure. Here, the processor 202 and the memory 204 may be part of a communication modem / circuit / chip designed to implement wireless LAN technology (e.g., IEEE 802.11 series). The transceiver 206 may be connected to the processor 202 and may send and / or receive wireless signals through one or more antennas 208. The transceiver 206 may include a transmitter and / or a receiver. The transceiver 206 may be used in conjunction with an RF unit. In the present disclosure, a device may refer to a communication modem / circuit / chip.

[0042] In the following, the hardware elements of the device 100, 200 will be described in more detail. It is not limited thereto, but one or more protocol layers may be implemented by one or more processors 102, 202. For example, one or more processors 102, 202 may implement one or more layers (e.g., functional layers such as PHY, MAC). One or more processors 102, 202 may generate one or more PDUs (protocol data units) and / or one or more SDUs (service data units) according to the description, function, process, proposal, method, and / or operation flow chart disclosed in the present disclosure. One or more processors 102, 202 may generate messages, control information, data, or information according to the description, function, process, proposal, method, and / or operation flow chart disclosed in the present disclosure. One or more processors 102, 202 may generate signals (e.g., baseband signals) including PDUs, SDUs, messages, control information, data, or information according to the functions, processes, proposals, and / or methods disclosed in the present disclosure to provide them to one or more transceivers 106, 206. The one or more processors 102, 202 may receive signals (e.g., baseband signals) from the one or more transceivers 106, 206 and obtain PDUs, SDUs, messages, control information, data, or information according to the descriptions, functions, processes, proposals, methods, and / or operational flow charts disclosed in the present disclosure.

[0043] One or more processors 102, 202 may be referred to as controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, or microcomputers. One or more processors 102, 202 may be implemented by hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. In an example, one or more ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), one or more DSPs (Digital Signal Processors), one or more DSPDs (Digital Signal Processing Devices), one or more PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), or one or more FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) may be included in one or more processors 102, 202. The descriptions, functions, processes, proposals, methods, and / or operational flowcharts included in the present disclosure may be implemented using firmware or software and the firmware or software may be implemented to include modules, processes, functions, etc. Firmware or software configured to execute the descriptions, functions, processes, proposals, methods, and / or operational flowcharts included in the present disclosure may be included in one or more processors 102, 202 or may be stored in one or more memories 104, 204 and driven by one or more processors 102, 202. The descriptions, functions, processes, proposals, methods, and / or operational flowcharts included in the present disclosure may be implemented by firmware or software in the form of codes, commands, and / or command sets.

[0044] One or more memories 104, 204 may be connected to one or more processors 102, 202 and may store data, signals, messages, information, programs, codes, instructions, and / or commands in various forms. One or more memories 104, 204 may be configured with ROM, RAM, EPROM, flash memory, hard drive, registers, cache memory, computer-readable storage media, and / or combinations thereof. One or more memories 104, 204 may be located inside and / or outside one or more processors 102, 202. In addition, one or more memories 104, 204 may be connected to one or more processors 102, 202 via a variety of technologies such as wired or wireless connections.

[0045] One or more transceivers 106, 206 may send user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. mentioned in the methods and / or operation flow charts, etc. of the present disclosure to one or more other devices. One or more transceivers 106, 206 may receive user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. mentioned in the descriptions, functions, processes, proposals, methods, and / or operation flow charts, etc. included in the present disclosure from one or more other devices. For example, one or more transceivers 106, 206 may be connected to one or more processors 102, 202 and may send and receive wireless signals. For example, one or more processors 102, 202 may control one or more transceivers 106, 206 to send user data, control information, or wireless signals to one or more other devices. In addition, one or more processors 102, 202 may control one or more transceivers 106, 206 to receive user data, control information, or wireless signals from one or more other devices. In addition, one or more transceivers 106, 206 may be connected to one or more antennas 108, 208, and one or more transceivers 106, 206 may be configured to send and receive user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. mentioned in the description, functions, processes, proposals, methods and / or operation flow charts, etc. included in the present disclosure through one or more antennas 108, 208. In the present invention, one or more antennas may be multiple physical antennas or multiple logical antennas (e.g., antenna ports). One or more transceivers 106, 206 may convert received wireless signals / channels, etc. from RF band signals to baseband signals by using one or more processors 102, 202 to process received user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. One or more transceivers 106, 206 may convert user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. processed by using one or more processors 102, 202 from baseband signals to RF band signals. Therefore, one or more transceivers 106, 206 may include (analog) oscillators and / or filters.

[0046] For example, one of the STAs 100 and 200 may perform the intended operation of an AP, and the other of the STAs 100 and 200 may perform the intended operation of a non-AP STA. Figure 1 The transceivers 106 and 206 of the present invention may perform transmission and reception operations of signals (e.g., packets or physical layer protocol data units (PPDUs) compliant with IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be). In addition, in the present disclosure, operations in which various STAs generate transmission / reception signals or perform data processing or calculation on transmission / reception signals in advance may be performed by Figure 1 The processors 102 and 202 are executed. For example, examples of operations of generating a transmit / receive signal or performing data processing or calculation on the transmit / receive signal in advance may include 1) determining / obtaining / configuring / calculating / decoding / encoding bit information of fields (signal (SIG), short training field (STF), long training field (LTF), data, etc.) included in the PPDU, 2) determining / configuring / obtaining time resources or frequency resources (e.g., subcarrier resources) used for fields (SIG, STF, LTF, data, etc.) included in the PPDU; 3) determining / configuring / obtaining a specific sequence (e.g., pilot sequence, STF / LTF sequence, additional sequence applied to SIG) for fields (SIG, STF, LTF, data, etc.) included in the PPDU action, 4) power control operations and / or power saving operations applied to STAs, 5) operations related to ACK signal determination / obtaining / configuring / calculating / decoding / encoding, etc. In addition, in the following examples, various information used by various STAs to determine / acquire / configure / calculate / decode / encode transmission and reception signals (e.g., information related to fields / subfields / control fields / parameters / power, etc.) may be stored in Figure 1 in the memories 104 and 204.

[0047] Hereinafter, downlink (DL) may mean a link for communication from an AP STA to a non-AP STA, and a DL PPDU / packet / signal may be transmitted and received through the DL. In DL communication, a transmitter may be a part of an AP STA, and a receiver may be a part of a non-AP STA. An uplink (UL) may mean a link for communication from a non-AP STA to an AP STA, and a UL PPDU / packet / signal may be transmitted and received through the UL. In UL communication, a transmitter may be a part of a non-AP STA, and a receiver may be a part of an AP STA.

[0048] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary structure of a wireless LAN system to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0049] The structure of a wireless LAN system may consist of multiple components. A wireless LAN that supports STA mobility transparent to upper layers may be provided through the interaction of multiple components. A basic service set (BSS) corresponds to a basic building block of a wireless LAN. Figure 2 It is exemplarily shown that two BSSs (BSS1 and BSS2) exist and two STAs are included as members of each BSS (STA1 and STA2 are included in BSS1, and STA3 and STA4 are included in BSS2). Figure 2 The ellipse representing the BSS in FIG. 1 may also be understood to represent a coverage area in which the STAs included in the corresponding BSS maintain communication. This area may be referred to as a basic service area (BSA). When a STA moves out of a BSA, it cannot directly communicate with other STAs in the BSA.

[0050] If you don't consider Figure 2 , the most basic type of BSS in a wireless LAN is an independent BSS (IBSS), if the DS shown in is included. For example, an IBSS may have a minimal form containing only two STAs. For example, assuming that other components are omitted, BSS1 containing only STA1 and STA2 or BSS2 containing only STA3 and STA4 may correspond to representative examples of IBSSs, respectively. This configuration is possible when STAs can communicate directly without an AP. In addition, in this type of wireless LAN, it is not configured in advance but can be configured when a LAN is needed, and this may be referred to as a self-organizing network. Because the IBSS does not include an AP, there is no centralized management entity. That is, in the IBSS, STAs are managed in a distributed manner. In an IBSS, all STAs may be composed of mobile STAs, and access to a distributed system (DS) is not allowed, thereby forming a self-contained network.

[0051] The membership of a STA in a BSS can be changed dynamically by turning the STA on or off, entering or exiting a BSS region, etc. To become a member of a BSS, a STA can join the BSS using a synchronization process. In order to access all services of the BSS infrastructure, a STA should be associated with the BSS. This association can be established dynamically and can include the use of distributed system services (DSS).

[0052] The direct STA-to-STA distance in a wireless LAN may be limited by PHY performance. In some cases, this distance limitation may be sufficient, but in some cases, communication between STAs at greater distances may be required. A distributed system (DS) can be configured to support extended coverage.

[0053] DS means a structure in which BSSs are interconnected. Specifically, Figure 2As shown in , the BSS can exist as an extended form of a network composed of multiple BSSs. DS is a logical concept and can be specified by the characteristics of the distributed system medium (DSM). In this regard, the wireless medium (WM) and the DSM can be logically separated. Each logical medium is used for a different purpose and is used by different components. These media are not limited to being the same or different. In this way, the flexibility of the wireless LAN structure (DS structure or other network structure) can be explained by the logical difference of multiple media. That is, the wireless LAN structure can be implemented in various ways, and the corresponding wireless LAN structure can be independently specified by the physical characteristics of each embodiment.

[0054] DS can support mobile devices by providing seamless integration of multiple BSSs and providing logical services necessary to address addresses to destinations. In addition, DS can further include a component called a portal, which serves as a bridge for connection between wireless LAN and other networks (e.g., IEEE 802.X).

[0055] The AP enables access to the DS through the WM for the associated non-AP STAs and means an entity that also has the functionality of a STA. Data movement between the BSS and the DS can be performed by the AP. For example, Figure 2 STA2 and STA3 shown in the figure have the functionality of STA and provide the function of allowing the associated non-AP STA (STA1 and STA4) to access the DS. In addition, because all APs basically correspond to STAs, all APs are addressable entities. The address used by the AP for communication on the WM and the address used by the AP for communication on the DSM are not necessarily the same. A BSS composed of an AP and one or more STAs can be called an infrastructure BSS.

[0056] Data sent from one of the STAs associated with an AP to the STA address of the corresponding AP can always be received on an uncontrolled port and can be processed by the IEEE 802.1X port access entity. In addition, when the controlled port is authenticated, the transmission data (or frame) can be delivered to the DS.

[0057] In addition to the above structure of DS, an extended service set (ESS) can also be configured to provide wide coverage.

[0058] ESS means a network in which a network of arbitrary size and complexity is composed of DS and BSS. ESS may correspond to a set of BSSs connected to one DS. However, ESS does not include DS. The ESS network is characterized by being regarded as an IBSS in the logical link control (LLC) layer. STAs included in the ESS can communicate with each other, and a mobile STA can move from one BSS to another BSS (within the same ESS) which is transparent to LLC. APs included in one ESS may have the same service set identifier (SSID). SSID is distinguished from BSSID, which is an identifier of BSS.

[0059] The wireless LAN system does not assume anything about the relative physical location of the BSS, and all of the following forms are possible. BSSs may partially overlap, which is a form commonly used to provide continuous coverage. In addition, the BSSs may not be physically connected, and logically, there is no limit to the distance between the BSSs. In addition, the BSSs may be physically located in the same location, which can be used to provide redundancy. In addition, one (or more) IBSSs or ESS networks may physically exist in the same space as one (or more) ESS networks. When an ad hoc network operates in a location where an ESS network exists, when physically overlapping wireless networks are configured by different organizations, or when two or more different access and security policies are required in the same location, this can be similar to the form corresponding to an ESS network.

[0060] Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining a link setting process to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0061] In order for a STA to establish a link with respect to a network and send / receive data, it first discovers the network, performs authentication, establishes association, and needs to perform an authentication process for security. The link establishment process may also be referred to as a session initiation process or a session establishment process. In addition, the processes of discovery, authentication, association, and security settings of the link establishment process may be collectively referred to as an association process.

[0062] In step S310, the STA may perform a network discovery operation. The network discovery operation may include a scanning operation of the STA. That is, in order for the STA to access the network, it needs to find a network that it can participate in. The STA should identify compatible networks before participating in a wireless network, and the process of identifying networks existing in a specific area is called scanning.

[0063] Scanning schemes include active scanning and passive scanning. Figure 3The network discovery operation including the active scanning process is exemplarily illustrated. In active scanning, the STA performing the scan sends a probe request frame while moving the channel to find out which APs exist around it and wait for a response thereto. The responder sends a probe response frame to the STA that has sent the probe request frame as a response to the probe request frame. Here, the responder may be the STA that last sent a beacon frame in the BSS of the scanned channel. In the BSS, because the AP sends a beacon frame, the AP becomes the responder, and in the IBSS, the STAs in the IBSS take turns sending beacon frames, so the responder is not constant. For example, a STA that sends a probe request frame on channel 1 and receives a probe response frame on channel 1 may store the BSS-related information included in the received probe response frame, and may move to the next channel (e.g., channel 2) and perform scanning in the same manner (i.e., transmission / reception of probe requests / responses on channel 2).

[0064] Although Figure 3 Although not shown in the figure, the scanning operation can be performed in a passive scanning manner. In passive scanning, the STA performing the scan waits for a beacon frame while moving the channel. The beacon frame is one of the management frames defined in IEEE 802.11, and is sent periodically to notify the existence of a wireless network and allow the STA performing the scan to find the wireless network and participate in the wireless network. In the BSS, the AP is used to send beacon frames periodically, and in the IBSS, the STAs within the IBSS take turns to send beacon frames. When the STA performing the scan receives the beacon frame, the STA stores the information for the BSS included in the beacon frame and records the beacon frame information in each channel while moving to another channel. The STA receiving the beacon frame can store the BSS-related information included in the received beacon frame, move to the next channel, and perform scanning in the next channel in the same manner. Comparing active scanning and passive scanning, active scanning has the advantages of less delay and lower power consumption than passive scanning.

[0065] After the STA discovers the network, an authentication process may be performed in step S320. In order to clearly distinguish it from the security setup operation of step S340 to be described later, this authentication process may be referred to as a first authentication process.

[0066] The authentication process includes a process in which the STA sends an authentication request frame to the AP, and in response thereto, the AP sends an authentication response frame to the STA. The authentication frame for authentication request / response corresponds to a management frame.

[0067] The authentication frame includes an authentication algorithm number, an authentication transaction sequence number, a status code, a challenge text, a robust security network (RSN), and a limited cycle group, etc. This corresponds to some examples of information that can be included in the authentication request / response frame, and can be replaced with other information or can further include additional information.

[0068] The STA may send an authentication request frame to the AP. The AP may determine whether to allow authentication of the corresponding STA based on the information included in the received authentication request frame. The AP may provide the result of the authentication process to the STA through an authentication response frame.

[0069] After the STA is successfully authenticated, an association process may be performed in step S330. The association process includes a process in which the STA sends an association request frame to the AP, and in response, the AP sends an association response frame to the STA.

[0070] For example, the association request frame may include information related to various capabilities, beacon listening interval, service set identifier (SSID), supported rates, supported channels, RSN, mobile domain, supported operation category, traffic indication map broadcast request (TIM broadcast request), interworking service capabilities, etc. For example, the association response frame may include information related to various capabilities, status code, association ID (AID), supported rates, enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) parameter set, received channel power indicator (RCPI), received signal-to-noise ratio indicator (RSNI), mobile domain, timeout interval (e.g., association recovery time), overlapping BSS scanning parameters, TIM broadcast response, quality of service (QoS) map, etc. This corresponds to some examples of information that may be included in the association request / response frame, and may be replaced with other information, or may further include additional information.

[0071] After the STA successfully associates with the network, a security setup process may be performed in step S340. The security setup process of step S340 may be referred to as an authentication process through a robust security network association (RSNA) request / response, and the authentication process of step S320 may be referred to as a first authentication process, and the security setup process of step S340 may also be referred to simply as an authentication process.

[0072] The security setup process of step S340 may include, for example, a process of establishing a private key through a 4-way handshake of an Extensible Authentication Protocol over LAN (EAPOL) frame. In addition, the security setup process may be performed according to a security scheme not defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard.

[0073] Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining a backoff process to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0074] In a wireless LAN system, the basic access mechanism of the medium access control (MAC) is the carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) mechanism. The CSMA / CA mechanism is also called the distributed coordination function (DCF) of the IEEE 802.11 MAC, and basically adopts a "listen before talk" access mechanism. According to this type of access mechanism, the AP and / or STA may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) for sensing a wireless channel or medium within a predetermined time interval (e.g., a DCF interframe space (DIFS)) before starting transmission. As a result of the sensing, if it is determined that the medium is in an idle state, frame transmission is started through the corresponding medium. On the other hand, if it is detected that the medium is occupied or busy, the corresponding AP and / or STA does not start its own transmission, and a delay period (e.g., a random backoff period) for medium intervention may be set and frame transmission may be attempted after waiting. By applying a random backoff period, collisions can be minimized because several STAs are expected to attempt frame transmission after waiting for different time periods.

[0075] In addition, the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol provides a hybrid coordination function (HCF). HCF is based on DCF and point coordination function (PCF). PCF is a polling-based synchronous access method, and refers to a method in which all receiving APs and / or STAs periodically poll to receive data frames. In addition, HCF has enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) and HCF-controlled channel access (HCCA). EDCA is a contention-based access method for a provider to provide data frames to multiple users, and HCCA uses a non-contention-based channel access method using a polling mechanism. In addition, HCF includes a media access mechanism for improving the QoS (Quality of Service) of a wireless LAN, and QoS data can be sent in both a contention period (CP) and a contention-free period (CFP).

[0076] refer to Figure 4 , the operation based on the random backoff period will be described. When an occupied / busy medium becomes idle, several STAs may attempt to send data (or frames). As a method for minimizing collisions, each STA may select a random backoff count respectively and attempt to transmit after waiting for the corresponding time slot time. The random backoff count has a pseudo-random integer value and may be determined as one of the values ​​ranging from 0 to CW. Here, CW is the contention window parameter value. The CW parameter is assigned CWmin as an initial value, but may take a value twice as large if a transmission failure occurs (for example, when an ACK for a transmitted frame is not received). When the CW parameter value reaches CWmax, data transmission may be attempted while maintaining the CWmax value until data transmission is successful, and when data transmission is successful, the CWmin value is reset. The values ​​of CW, CWmin, and CWmax are preferably set to 2n -1 (n = 0, 1, 2, ...).

[0077] When the random backoff process starts, the STA continuously monitors the medium while counting down the backoff slot according to the determined backoff count value. When it detects that the medium is occupied, it stops the countdown and waits, and when the medium becomes idle, it resumes the remaining countdown.

[0078] exist Figure 4 In the example of , when the packet to be sent arrives at the MAC of STA3, STA3 can send the frame immediately after confirming that the medium is idle for as much as DIFS. The remaining STAs monitor and wait for the medium to be occupied / busy. At the same time, data to be sent may also occur in each of STA1, STA2 and STA5, and when the medium is monitored as idle, each STA waits as long as DIFS, and then the backoff slot can be counted down according to the random backoff count value selected by each STA. Assume that STA2 selects the minimum backoff count value and STA1 selects the maximum backoff count value. That is, the case where the remaining backoff time of STA5 is less than the remaining backoff time of STA1 when STA2 completes the backoff count and starts frame transmission is illustrated. STA1 and STA5 temporarily stop the countdown and wait while STA2 occupies the medium. When STA2 occupancy ends and the medium becomes idle again, STA1 and STA5 wait for DIFS and resume the stopped backoff count. That is, after counting down the remaining backoff slot within the remaining backoff time, frame transmission can be started. Because the remaining backoff time of STA5 is less than that of STA1, STA5 starts frame transmission. While STA2 occupies the medium, data to be sent may also appear in STA4. From the perspective of STA4, when the medium becomes idle, STA4 can wait for DIFS, and then perform a countdown according to the random backoff count value selected by STA4 and start sending frames. Figure 4 The example shows a case where the remaining backoff time of STA5 coincides with the random backoff count value of STA4. In this case, a collision may occur between STA4 and STA5. When a collision occurs, neither STA4 nor STA5 receives an ACK, so data transmission fails. In this case, STA4 and STA5 can double the CW value, select a random backoff count value, and perform a countdown. STA1 waits while the medium is occupied due to the transmission of STA4 and STA5, waits for DIFS when the medium becomes idle, and then starts frame transmission after the remaining backoff time has elapsed.

[0079] like Figure 4As shown in the example of , a data frame is a frame for transmitting data forwarded to a higher layer, and may be sent after performing a backoff after DIFS has elapsed from when the medium becomes idle. In addition, a management frame is a frame for exchanging management information that is not forwarded to a higher layer, and is sent after performing a backoff after an IFS such as DIFS or a point coordination function IFS (PIFS). As subtype frames of the management frame, there are beacons, association request / responses, reassociation request / responses, probe request / responses, authentication request / responses, and the like. A control frame is a frame for controlling access to a medium. As subtype frames of the control frame, there are request to send (RTS), clear to send (CTS), acknowledgement (ACK), power save poll (PS-Poll), block ACK (BlockAck), block ACK request (BlockACKReq), empty data packet announcement (NDP announcement), and triggers, and the like. If the control frame is not a response frame of a previous frame, it is sent after performing a backoff after DIFS has elapsed, and if it is a response frame of a previous frame, it is sent without performing a backoff after a short IFS (SIFS) has elapsed. The type and subtype of a frame can be identified by the type field and subtype field in the frame control (FC) field.

[0080] Quality of Service (QoS) STA can perform a backoff performed after the arbitration IFS (AIFS) of the access category (AC) to which the frame belongs, that is, AIFS [i] (where i is a value determined by AC), and then can transmit the frame. Here, the frame that can use AIFS [i] may be a data frame, a management frame, or a control frame other than a response frame.

[0081] Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining a CSMA / CA-based frame transmission operation to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0082] As described above, the CSMA / CA mechanism includes virtual carrier sensing in addition to the physical carrier sensing in which the STA directly senses the medium. Virtual carrier sensing is intended to compensate for problems that may occur in media access, such as hidden node problems. For virtual carrier sensing, the STA's MAC can use a network allocation vector (NAV). NAV is a value that indicates to other STAs the remaining time until the medium is available for use by the STA that is currently using or has the right to use the medium. Therefore, the value set to NAV corresponds to the period in which the medium is scheduled for use by the STA that sends the frame, and the STA that receives the NAV value is prohibited from accessing the medium during the corresponding period. For example, the NAV can be configured based on the value of the "Duration" field of the MAC header of the frame.

[0083] exist Figure 5In the example of FIG. 1 , it is assumed that STA1 intends to send data to STA2, and STA3 is in a position to eavesdrop on some or all frames sent and received between STA1 and STA2.

[0084] In order to reduce the possibility of transmission conflicts between multiple STAs in CSMA / CA-based frame transmission operations, a mechanism using RTS / CTS frames can be applied. Figure 5 In the example of , while STA1's transmission is being performed, as a result of STA3's carrier sensing, it can be determined that the medium is in an idle state. That is, STA1 may correspond to a hidden node of STA3. Alternatively, Figure 5 In the example of , it can be determined that the carrier sensing result medium of STA3 is in an idle state while the transmission of STA2 is performed. That is, STA2 may correspond to a hidden node of STA3. By performing the exchange of RTS / CTS frames before data transmission and reception between STA1 and STA2, STAs outside the transmission range of one of STA1 or STA2, or STAs outside the carrier sensing range for transmission from STA1 or STA3 may not attempt to occupy the channel during data transmission and reception between STA1 and STA2.

[0085] Specifically, STA1 can determine whether the channel is in use through carrier sensing. In terms of physical carrier sensing, STA1 can determine the channel occupancy idle state based on the energy level or signal correlation detected in the channel. In addition, in terms of virtual carrier sensing, STA1 can use the network allocation vector (NAV) timer to determine the channel occupancy state.

[0086] When the channel is idle during DIFS, STA1 may send an RTS frame to STA2 after performing backoff. When STA2 receives the RTS frame, STA2 may send a CTS frame to STA1 after SIFS as a response to the RTS frame.

[0087] If STA3 cannot eavesdrop on the CTS frame from STA2 but can eavesdrop on the RTS frame from STA1, STA3 can set the NAV timer for the subsequent consecutively transmitted frame transmission period (e.g., SIFS+CTS frame+SIFS+data frame+SIFS+ACK frame) using the duration information included in the RTS frame. Alternatively, if STA3 can eavesdrop on the CTS frame from STA2, although STA3 cannot eavesdrop on the RTS frame from STA1, STA3 can set the NAV timer for the subsequent consecutively transmitted frame transmission period (e.g., SIFS+data frame+SIFS+ACK frame) using the duration information included in the CTS frame. That is, if STA3 can eavesdrop on one or more of the RTS or CTS frames from one or more of STA1 or STA2, STA3 can set the NAV accordingly. When STA3 receives a new frame before the NAV timer expires, STA3 can update the NAV timer using the duration information included in the new frame. STA3 does not attempt channel access before the NAV timer expires.

[0088] When STA1 receives a CTS frame from STA2, STA1 may send a data frame to STA2 after SIFS from the time point when reception of the CTS frame is completed. When STA2 successfully receives the data frame, STA2 may send an ACK frame to STA1 as a response to the data frame after SIFS. STA3 may determine whether the channel is being used by carrier sensing when the NAV timer expires. When STA3 determines that the channel is not being used by other terminals during DIFS after the NAV timer expires, STA3 may attempt channel access after a contention window (CW) according to random backoff has elapsed.

[0089] Figure 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of a frame structure used in a WLAN system to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0090] With the help of instructions or primitives (meaning a set of instructions or parameters) from the MAC layer, the PHY layer can prepare the MAC PDU (MPDU) to be sent. For example, when receiving a command requesting the PHY layer to start transmission from the MAC layer, the PHY layer switches to the transmission mode and configures the information (e.g., data) provided from the MAC layer in the form of a frame and sends it. In addition, when the PHY layer detects a valid preamble of the received frame, the PHY layer monitors the header of the preamble and sends a command to the MAC layer notifying the PHY layer of the start of reception.

[0091] In this manner, information transmission / reception in the wireless LAN system is performed in the form of a frame, and for this purpose, a PHY layer protocol data unit (PPDU) frame format is defined.

[0092] The basic PPDU frame may include a short training field (STF), a long training field (LTF), a signal (SIG) field, and a data field. The most basic PPDU format (e.g., Figure 7 The non-HT (high throughput) shown in the PPDU format may consist of only the legacy STF (L-STF), the legacy LTF (L-LTF), the legacy SIG (L-SIG) field and the data field. In addition, depending on the type of PPDU format (e.g., HT mixed format PPDU, HT-greenfield format PPDU, VHT (very high throughput) PPDU, etc.), additional (or different types of) RL-SIG, U-SIG, non-legacy SIG field, non-legacy STF, non-legacy LTF (i.e., xx-SIG, xx-STF, xx-LTF (e.g., xx is HT, VHT, HE, EHT, etc.)), etc. may be included between the L-SIG field and the data field.

[0093] STF is a signal used for signal detection, automatic gain control (AGC), diversity selection, precise time synchronization, etc., and LTF is a signal used for channel estimation and frequency error estimation. STF and LTF may be referred to as signals for synchronization and channel estimation of the OFDM physical layer.

[0094] The SIG field may include various information related to the transmission and reception of the PPDU. For example, the L-SIG field consists of 24 bits, and the L-SIG field may include a 4-bit rate field, a 1-bit reserved bit, a 12-bit length field, a 1-bit parity field, and a 6-bit tail field. The RATE field may include information about the modulation and coding rate of the data. For example, the 12-bit length field may include information about the length or 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, for non-HT, HT, VHT, or EHT PPDUs, the value of the length field may be determined as a multiple of 3. For example, for HE PPDUs, the value of the length field may be determined as a multiple of 3 + 1 or a multiple of 3 + 2.

[0095] The data field may include a SERVICE field, a physical layer service data unit (PSDU), and a PPDU tail bit, and may also include padding bits if necessary. Some bits of the SERVICE field may be used for synchronization of a descrambler at the receiving end. The PSDU corresponds to a MAC PDU defined in the MAC layer and may include data generated / used in an upper layer. The PPDU tail bit may be used to return the encoder to a 0 state. The padding bit may be used to adjust the length of the data field in predetermined units.

[0096] MAC PDU is defined according to various MAC frame formats, and a basic MAC frame consists of a MAC header, a frame body, and a frame check sequence (FCS). A MAC frame can be composed of a MAC PDU and transmitted / received through a PSDU of the data portion of a PPDU frame format.

[0097] The MAC header includes a frame control field, a duration / ID field, an address field, etc. The frame control field may include control information required for frame transmission / reception. The duration / ID field may be set to the time for transmitting the corresponding frame, etc. For detailed information on the sequence control, QoS control, and HT control subfields of the MAC header, please refer to the IEEE 802.11 standard document.

[0098] The Null Data PPDU (NDP) format refers to a PPDU format that does not include a data field. That is, NDP refers to a frame format that includes a PPDU preamble (i.e., L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG fields and additional non-legacy SIG, non-legacy STF, non-legacy LTF (if present)) in a general PPDU frame format and does not include the remaining part (i.e., data field).

[0099] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PPDU defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0100] In standards such as IEEE 802.11a / g / n / ac / ax, various types of PPDUs have been used. The basic PPDU format (IEEE 802.11a / g) includes L-LTF, L-STF, L-SIG, and data fields. The basic PPDU format may also be referred to as non-HT PPDU format (such as Figure 7 (shown in (a)).

[0101] The HT PPDU format (IEEE 802.11n) includes the HT-SIG, HT-STF, and HT-LFT fields in addition to the basic PPDU format. Figure 7 The HT PPDU format shown in (b) may be referred to as an HT-mixed format. In addition, an HT-greenfield format PPDU may be defined, and this corresponds to a format consisting of an HT-GF-STF, HT-LTF1, HT-SIG, one or more HT-LTFs, and a data field, excluding L-STF, L-LTF, and L-SIG (not shown).

[0102] An example of a VHT PPDU format (IEEE 802.11ac) includes the VHT SIG-A, VHT-STF, VHT-LTF, and VHT-SIG-B fields in addition to the basic PPDU format (e.g. Figure 7 (shown in (c)).

[0103] An example of HE PPDU format (IEEE 802.11ax) includes, in addition to the basic PPDU format, repeated L-SIG (RL-SIG), HE-SIG-A, HE-SIG-B, HE-STF, HE-LTF(s), Packet Extension (PE) field (such as Figure 7 (d)). According to the detailed example of the HE PPDU format, some fields may be excluded or their lengths may vary. For example, the HE-SIG-B field is included in the HE PPDU format for multi-user (MU), and the HE-SIG-B field is not included in the HE PPDU format for single user (SU). In addition, the PPDU format based on the HE trigger (TB) does not include the HE-SIG-B, and the length of the HE-STF field may vary to 8us. The extended range (HE ER) SU PPDU format does not include the HE-SIG-B field, and the length of the HE-SIG-A field may vary to 16us. For example, the RL-SIG can be configured to be the same as the L-SIG. The receiving STA is able to know whether the received PPDU is a HE PPDU or an EHT PPDU based on the presence of the RL-SIG, which will be described later.

[0104] The EHT PPDU format may include Figure 7 (e) EHT MU (multi-user) and Figure 7 (f) EHT TB (trigger-based) PPDU. The EHT PPDU format is similar to the HE PPDU format in that it includes an RL-SIG followed by an L-SIG, but may include a U (universal)-SIG, an EHT-SIG, an EHT-STF, and an EHT-LTF following the RL-SIG.

[0105] Figure 7 The EHT MU PPDU in (e) corresponds to a PPDU that carries one or more data (or PSDU) for one or more users. That is, the EHT MU PPDU can be used for both SU transmission and MU transmission. For example, the EHT MU PPDU can correspond to a PPDU for one receiving STA or multiple receiving STAs.

[0106] Compared with EHT MU PPDU, Figure 7 The EHT TB PPDU in (f) omits the EHT-SIG. A STA that receives a trigger (eg, a trigger frame or a trigger response schedule (TRS)) for UL MU transmission may perform UL transmission based on the EHT TB PPDU format.

[0107] The L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, U-SIG (Universal Signal), EHT-SIG fields may be coded and modulated so that even legacy STAs may attempt to demodulate and decode, and may be mapped based on a determined subcarrier frequency interval (e.g., 312.5 kHz). These may be referred to as pre-EHT modulation fields. Next, the EHT-STF, EHT-LTF, Data, PE fields may be coded and modulated so that they may be demodulated and decoded by a STA that successfully decodes a non-legacy SIG (e.g., U-SIG and / or EHT-SIG) and obtains the information included in the field, and may be mapped based on a determined subcarrier frequency interval (e.g., 78.125 kHz). These may be referred to as EHT modulation fields.

[0108] Similarly, in the HE PPDU format, the L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, HE-SIG-A, and HE-SIG-B fields may be referred to as pre-HE modulation fields, and the HE-STF, HE-LTF, Data, and PE fields may be referred to as HE modulation fields. In addition, in the VHT PPDU format, the L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, and VHT-SIG-A fields may be referred to as free VHT modulation fields, and the VHT STF, VHT-LTF, VHT-SIG-B, and data fields may be referred to as VHT modulation fields.

[0109] Figure 7 The U-SIG included in the EHT PPDU format may be configured based on, for example, two symbols (e.g., two consecutive OFDM symbols). Each symbol (e.g., OFDM symbol) used for the U-SIG may have a duration of 4us, and the U-SIG may have a total duration of 8us. Each symbol of the U-SIG may be used to transmit 26 bits of information. For example, each symbol of the U-SIG can be transmitted and received based on 52 data tones and 4 pilot tones.

[0110] U-SIG can be constructed in units of 20MHz. For example, if an 80MHz PPDU is constructed, the U-SIG may be repeated. That is, the same 4 U-SIGs may be included in the 80MHz PPDU. PPDUs with bandwidth exceeding 80MHz may include different U-SIGs.

[0111] For example, A uncoded bits may be sent via U-SIG, a first symbol of U-SIG (e.g., U-SIG-1 symbol) may send the first X bits of information out of a total of A bits of information, and a second symbol of U-SIG (e.g., U-SIG-2 symbol) may send the remaining Y bits of information out of a total of A bits of information. The A bits of information (e.g., 52 uncoded bits) may include a CRC field (e.g., a 4-bit long field) and a tail field (e.g., a 6-bit long field). For example, the tail field may be used to terminate a grid of a convolutional decoder and may be set to 0.

[0112] The bit information sent by U-SIG can be divided into version-independent bits and version-dependent bits. For example, U-SIG can be included in Figure 7 In a new PPDU format not shown in the EHT PPDU format (e.g., UHR PPDU format), and in the format of the U-SIG field included in the EHT PPDU format and the format of the U-SIG field included in the UHR PPDU format, the version-independent bits may be the same, and some or all of the version-related bits may be different.

[0113] For example, the size of the version-independent bit of the U-SIG may be fixed or variable. The version-independent bit may be assigned only to the U-SIG-1 symbol, or to both the U-SIG-1 symbol and the U-SIG-2 symbol. The version-independent bit and the version-dependent bit may be referred to by various names, such as a first control bit and a second control bit.

[0114] For example, the version-independent bits of the U-SIG may include a 3-bit physical layer version identifier (PHY version identifier), and this information may indicate the PHY version (e.g., EHT, UHR, etc.) of the transmitted / received PPDU. The version-independent bits of the U-SIG may include a 1-bit UL / DL flag field. The first value of the 1-bit UL / DL flag field is related to UL communication, and the second value of the UL / DL flag field is related to DL communication. The version-independent bits of the U-SIG may include information about the length of a transmission opportunity (TXOP) and information about a BSS color ID.

[0115] For example, the version-related bits of the U-SIG may include information directly or indirectly indicating the PPDU type (eg, SUPPDU, MU PPDU, TB PPDU, etc.).

[0116] Information necessary for PPDU transmission and reception may be included in the U-SIG. For example, the U-SIG may further include information about bandwidth, information about an MCS technology applied to a non-legacy SIG (e.g., EHT-SIG or UHR-SIG, etc.), information indicating whether a DCM (dual carrier modulation) technology (e.g., a technology that achieves an effect similar to frequency diversity by repeatedly using the same signal on two subcarriers) is applied to the non-legacy SIG, information about the number of symbols used for the non-legacy SIG, and information about whether the non-legacy SIG is generated across the entire band, etc.

[0117] Some information necessary for PPDU transmission and reception may be included in the U-SIG and / or the non-legacy SIG (e.g., EHT-SIG or UHR-SIG, etc.). For example, information about the type of non-legacy LTF / STF (e.g., EHT-LTF / EHT-STF or UHR-LTF / UHR-STF, etc.), information about the length of the non-legacy LTF and the CP (cyclic prefix) length, information about the GI (guard interval) applicable to the non-legacy LTF, information about preamble puncturing applicable to the PPDU, information about RU (resource unit) allocation, etc. may be included only in the U-SIG, only in the non-legacy SIG, or may be indicated by a combination of the information included in the U-SIG and the information included in the non-legacy SIG.

[0118] Preamble puncturing may mean transmission of a PPDU in which there is no signal in one or more frequency units within the bandwidth of the PPDU. For example, the size of the frequency unit (or the resolution of the preamble puncturing) may be defined as 20 MHz, 40 MHz, etc. For example, preamble puncturing may be applied to a PPDU bandwidth of a predetermined size or greater.

[0119] exist Figure 7 In the example of , non-legacy SIGs such as HE-SIG-B and EHT-SIG may include control information for receiving STAs. Non-legacy SIGs may be transmitted on at least one symbol, and one symbol may have a length of 4us. Information on the number of symbols used for EHT-SIG may be included in a previous SIG (eg, HE-SIG-A, U-SIG, etc.).

[0120] Non-legacy SIGs such as HE-SIG-B and EHT-SIG may include common fields and user-specific fields. Common fields and user-specific fields may be compiled separately.

[0121] In some cases, the common field can be omitted. For example, in a compressed mode that does not apply OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Multiple Access), the common field can be omitted, and multiple STAs can receive PPDUs (e.g., data fields of PPDUs) through the same frequency band. In a non-compressed mode that applies OFDMA, multiple users can receive PPDUs (e.g., data fields of PPDUs) through different frequency bands.

[0122] The number of user-specific fields may be determined based on the number of users. A user block field may include up to two user fields. Each user field may be associated with a MU-MIMO allocation or may be associated with a non-MU-MIMO allocation.

[0123] The common field may include CRC bits and tail bits, and the length of the CRC bits may be determined to be 4 bits, and the length of the tail bits may be determined to be 6 bits and set to 000000. The common field may include RU allocation information. The RU allocation information may include information about the locations of RUs assigned to multiple users (ie, multiple receiving STAs).

[0124] RU can include multiple subcarriers (or tones). RU can be used when sending signals to multiple STAs based on OFDMA technology. In addition, RU can be defined even when sending signals to one STA. Resources can be allocated in units of RU for non-legacy STF, non-legacy LTF and data fields.

[0125] The applicable size of RU can be defined according to the PPDU bandwidth. For the applied PPDU format (e.g., HE PPDU, EHT PPDU, UHR PPDU, etc.), the RU can be defined the same or differently. For example, in the case of 80MHz PPDU, the RU placement of HEPPDU and EHT PPDU may be different. The applicable RU size, RU number and RU position, DC (direct current) subcarrier position and number, empty subcarrier position and number, protection subcarrier position and number, etc. for each PPDU bandwidth can be referred to as a tone plan. For example, a tone plan for high bandwidth can be defined in the form of multiple iterations of a low bandwidth tone plan.

[0126] RUs of various sizes may be defined as 26-tone RUs, 52-tone RUs, 106-tone RUs, 242-tone RUs, 484-tone RUs, 996-tone RUs, 2Х996-tone RUs, 3Х996-tone RUs, etc. MRUs (multiple RUs) are distinguished from multiple individual RUs and correspond to a group of subcarriers consisting of multiple RUs. For example, one MRU may be defined as 52+26 tones, 106+26 tones, 484+242 tones, 996+484 tones, 996+484+242 tones, 2Х996+484 tones, 3Х996 tones, or 3Х996+484 tones. In addition, the multiple RUs constituting one MRU may or may not be continuous in the frequency domain.

[0127] The specific size of the RU may be reduced or enlarged. Therefore, the specific size of each RU (i.e., the number of corresponding tones) in the present disclosure is not restrictive and is illustrative. In addition, in the present disclosure, within a predetermined bandwidth (e.g., 20, 40, 80, 160, 320 MHz, ...), the number of RUs may vary depending on the RU size.

[0128] Figure 7 The name of each field in the PPDU format is exemplary, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited by the name. In addition, the examples of the present disclosure may be applied to Figure 7 The PPDU format shown in FIG. Figure 7 The PPDU format of the present invention excludes some fields and / or adds some fields to the new PPDU format.

[0129] PPDU transmission and reception method in extended bandwidth

[0130] In the next generation wireless LAN system, signals can be transmitted and received over an extended bandwidth (e.g., 480 MHz, 560 MHz, 640 MHz, etc.). However, in a wireless LAN system based on the IEEE 802.11be standard, only PPDU transmission using a 320 MHz bandwidth is defined. Therefore, when transmitting and receiving signals over an extended bandwidth in the next generation wireless LAN system, a signal field for OFDMA transmission of the extended bandwidth can be configured.

[0131] Hereinafter, a method of configuring a signal (or signaling) field including an RA (Resource Allocation) field to transmit a signal to a non-AP STA via OFDMA using an extended bandwidth is described.

[0132] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for a first STA to transmit and receive a PPDU according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 8 and Fig. 9In the embodiment, each of the first STA and the second STAs may be an AP or a non-AP STA.

[0133] The first STA may generate a specific type of SIG (signal) content channel for OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) transmission including a first common field ( S810 ).

[0134] In non-compressed mode (ie, OFDMA transmission), the first STA may generate a SIG content channel of a specific type. Here, the specific type may refer to a next generation wireless LAN version (or format) (eg, UHR). As an example, the SIG field of a specific type may refer to a UHR-SIG field.

[0135] The first common field may include a first coding block, at least one intermediate coding block, and a last coding block. In describing the present disclosure, at least one intermediate coding block may mean at least one coding block located between the first coding block and the last coding block.

[0136] For example, the first coding block and the last coding block may include two RU (Resource Unit) allocation subfields, and at least one middle coding block may each include four RU allocation subfields.

[0137] The first STA may transmit a specific type of PPDU (Physical Protocol Data Unit) including a specific type of SIG content channel to the second STA ( S820 ).

[0138] Here, the specific PPDU may include a U-SIG field, and a value of a PHY version identifier field included in the U-SIG field may be set to 1. When the value of the PHY version identifier field is set to 1, this may indicate a next generation wireless LAN based standard (eg, UHR).

[0139] As an example of the present disclosure, it is assumed that the bandwidth through which a specific type of PPDU is sent is 320 MHz (ie, the total bandwidth is 320 MHz). In this case, the first coding block may include U (Universal) -SIG overflow information, two RU allocation subfields, a cyclic redundancy code (CRC), and tail bits. A single intermediate coding block (ie, the second coding block) may include four RU allocation subfields, a CRC, and tail bits. The last coding block (ie, the third coding block) may include two RU allocation subfields, a CRC, and tail bits.

[0140] As another example of the present disclosure, assume that the bandwidth through which a specific type of PPDU is sent is 480 MHz. In this case, the first coding block may include U-SIG overflow information, two RU allocation subfields, CRC, and tail bits. Each of the two intermediate coding blocks (e.g., the second coding block and the third coding block) may include four RU allocation subfields, CRC, and tail bits. The last coding block (e.g., the fourth coding block) may include two RU allocation subfields, CRC, and tail bits.

[0141] As another example of the present disclosure, assume that the bandwidth through which a specific type of PPDU is sent is 640 MHz. In this case, the first coding block may include U-SIG overflow information, two RU allocation subfields, CRC, and tail bits. Each of the three intermediate coding blocks (e.g., the second, third, and fourth coding blocks) may include four RU allocation subfields, CRC, and tail bits. The last coding block (e.g., the fifth coding block) may include two RU allocation subfields, CRC, and tail bits.

[0142] As another example of the present disclosure, assume that the bandwidth through which a specific type of PPDU is sent is 560 MHz. In this case, the first coding block may include U-SIG overflow information, two RU allocation subfields, CRC, and tail bits. Each of the two intermediate coding blocks (e.g., the second and third coding blocks) may include four RU allocation subfields, CRC, and tail bits. The last coding block (e.g., the fourth coding block) may include two RU allocation subfields, two additional RU allocation subfields, CRC, and tail bits.

[0143] That is, when the bandwidth is 560 MHz, the last coding block may include four RU allocation subfields.

[0144] Additionally or alternatively, the first common field may include padding bits for OFDM symbol alignment, and the padding bits may be arranged to follow the last coded block. However, this is just one embodiment, and the padding bits may be freely arranged at any specific position of the first common field.

[0145] As another example of the present disclosure, it is assumed that a specific type of SIG content channel for MU (Multi-User)-MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) transmission including a second common field is generated by the first STA. In this case, the second common field may include U-SIG overflow information and a non-OFDMA user number field. The maximum number of users indicated by the non-OFDMA user number field may be 16.

[0146] In addition, the SIG content channel of a specific type for MU-MIMO transmission may include a user-specific field. The user-specific field may include two user fields, CRC, and tail bits. Furthermore, the U-SIG overflow information and the number of non-OFDMA users field and the two user fields, CRC, and tail bits included in the user-specific field may be configured as one coding block.

[0147] By Figure 8 The method performed by the first STA described in the example of Figure 1 The first device (100) performs. For example, Figure 1 The one or more processors (102) of the first device (100) may be configured to generate a specific type of SIG content channel for OFDMA transmission including a first common field. The one or more processors (102) may be configured to send a specific type of PPDU including the specific type of SIG content channel to a second STA via one or more transceivers (106).

[0148] In addition, the one or more memories (104) of the first device (100) may store instructions for executing when executed by the one or more processors (102). Figure 8 Instructions for the methods described in the examples.

[0149] Fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method for a second STA to transmit and receive a PPDU according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0150] The second STA may receive a specific type of PPDU including a specific type of SIG (Signal) content channel for OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) transmission including a first common field from the first STA (S910).

[0151] The second STA may decode the specific type of PPDU ( S920 ).

[0152] Here, the first STA and the second STA may be, but are not limited to, a specific type of STA (eg, UHR STA). Figure 8 Configuration of a specific type of PPDU and a specific type of SIG content channel are described, and thus a redundant description will be omitted.

[0153] Depend on Fig. 9 The method performed by the second STA described in the example can be performed by Figure 1 The second device (200) in the embodiment executes. For example, Figure 1The one or more processors (202) of the second device (200) in the embodiment of the present invention may be configured to receive a PPDU of a specific type from the first STA via one or more transceivers (206), the PPDU of the specific type including a SIG content channel of a specific type for OFDMA transmission, the SIG content channel of the specific type including a first common field. The one or more processors (202) may be configured to decode the PPDU of the specific type.

[0154] In addition, the one or more memories (204) of the second device (200) may store instructions for executing when executed by the one or more processors (202). Fig. 9 The examples describe the methods in the commands.

[0155] Hereinafter, a method for efficiently transmitting RU / MRU allocation information for each bandwidth and extended RA information in an extended bandwidth when transmitting and receiving a signal for OFDMA transmission to each STA in an extended bandwidth is described.

[0156] Example 1

[0157] Embodiment 1 relates to a channel combining method for RU / MRU allocation in extended bandwidth (eg, 480, 560, 640 MHz).

[0158] As an example of the present disclosure, when the bandwidth is 480 MHz, the bandwidth may be composed of a 320 MHz channel and a 160 MHz channel. In this case, the 320 MHz channel may be set as the primary channel, and the 160 MHz channel may be set as the secondary channel.

[0159] In another example of the present disclosure, when the bandwidth is 480 MHz, the bandwidth may be configured with channels in units of 160 MHz (ie, three 160 MHz channels). The first channel may be set as a primary 160 MHz channel, the second channel may be set as a secondary 160 MHz channel, and the third channel may be set as a secondary 320 MHz lower 160 MHz channel or a third 160 MHz channel.

[0160] As another example of the present disclosure, when the bandwidth is 560 MHz, the bandwidth may be composed of a 320 MHz channel and a 240 MHz channel. In this case, the 320 MHz channel may be set as the primary channel, and the 240 MHz channel may be set as the secondary channel.

[0161] In another example of the present disclosure, when the bandwidth is 560MHz, the bandwidth may be composed of three 160MHz channels and one 80MHz channel. The first channel may be set as the primary 160MHz channel, the second channel may be set as the secondary 160MHz channel, the third channel may be set as the secondary 160MHz channel, and the fourth channel may be set as the 80MHz channel.

[0162] As another example of the present disclosure, when the bandwidth is 640MHz, the bandwidth may be composed of 320MHz and 320MHz channels. In this case, the first 320MHz channel may be set as the primary channel, and the remaining 320MHz channels may be set as secondary channels.

[0163] As another example of the present disclosure, when the bandwidth is 640 MHz, the bandwidth may be configured with channels in units of 160 MHz (ie, four 160 MHz channels). The first channel may be set as a primary 160 MHz channel, the second channel may be set as a secondary 160 MHz channel, the third channel may be set as a third 160 MHz channel, and the fourth channel may be set as a fourth 160 MHz channel.

[0164] Example 2

[0165] As an example of the present disclosure, it is possible to Fig.10 The configuration shown in (a) transmits a next-generation wireless LAN (or next-generation Wi-Fi) (eg, UHR) frame in an extended bandwidth via OFDMA.

[0166] The next generation wireless LAN frame may include a U-SIG field and a next generation SIG field. The U-SIG field may include an independent field of the same version as the U-SIG field included in the EHT PPDU. At this time, the PHY version identifier field included in the U-SIG field may be set to 1 to indicate the next generation wireless LAN version.

[0167] That is, when the PHY version identifier field value included in the U-SIG field is set to 1, this may indicate a next generation wireless LAN version (e.g., a standard after IEEE 802.11be) (e.g., UHR). However, this is merely one embodiment, and the PHY version identifier field value indicating the next generation wireless LAN version may be defined as a different value.

[0168] To use Fig.10The frame format illustrated in (a) sends a signal to the UHR STA within the extended bandwidth, and the Next-SIG field (or UHR-SIG field) can be configured differently in each of the compressed mode (e.g., in MU-MIMO transmission) or the non-compressed mode (e.g., in OFDMA transmission), similar to the EHT-SIG field.

[0169] Example 2-1

[0170] Embodiment 2-1 relates to configuration of the next-SIG field (or UHR-SIG) field in compressed mode (ie, MU-MIMO transmission).

[0171] As an example, Fig.10 (b) illustrates the configuration of a Next-SIG (or UHR-SIG) content channel for non-OFDMA transmission (ie, compressed mode transmission) to multiple users.

[0172] The Next-SIG (or UHR-SIG) field consists of a 20MHz sub-channel, which can be transmitted by duplicating in units of 20MHz within the BW. For example, it can be configured identically to the EHT-SIG configuration for full-bandwidth MU-MIMO transmission.

[0173] In the next generation wireless LAN system (or, UHR-based wireless LAN system), 16 SSs (spatial streams) can be supported, which is larger than 8 SSs (spatial streams) supported by the EHT-based wireless LAN system. As the number of SSs (number of spatial streams, NSS) that can be supported increases, the number of STAs transmitted through MU-MIMO may also increase. For example, as the NSS increases to 16, the maximum number of MU-MIMO users that can be supported may also increase to a maximum of 16.

[0174] Considering the indication of the increased number of MU-MIMO, the non-OFDMA user number field transmitted through the Next-SIG (or, UHR-SIG) field may consist of 4 bits. Up to 16 users may be indicated by the non-OFDMA user number field consisting of 4 bits.

[0175] Considering the extended non-OFDMA user number field, the common field of the Next-SIG (or UHR-SIG) field in the compressed mode may include the U-SIG overflow and non-OFDMA user number fields.

[0176] Here, the U-SIG overflow may include spatial reuse, GI+LTF size, EHT-LTF symbol number, LDPC additional symbol segment, pre-FEC padding factor, PE disambiguation, ignore, etc. included in the common field of the EHT-SIG. For example, the U-SIG overflow may consist of 17 bits, similar to the U-SIG overflow included in the EHT PPDU, but is not limited thereto.

[0177] And, the number of non-OFDMA users field may consist of 4 bits. Each value of the number of non-OFDMA users field can be used to indicate up to 16 users.

[0178] In order to quickly decode during compressed mode transmission, the common field of the Next-SIG (or, UHR-SIG) field can be encoded and transmitted in symbol units. Therefore, in order to align the symbol unit, during compressed mode transmission in the next-generation wireless LAN system (or, UHR-based wireless LAN system), the common field of the Next-SIG (or, UHR-SIG) field can be encoded like a 2-user field. Therefore, a common coding block can be formed by the common field of the Next-SIG (or, UHR-SIG) field.

[0179] Here, the user field can consist of 22 bits, which is the same bit size as the EHT user field.

[0180] For example, in compressed mode transmission, a common coding block may consist of (U-SIG) overflow (17 bits), a non-OFDMA user number field (4 bits), 2 user fields (44 bits), CRC (4 bits), and a tail (6 bits). That is, the number of information bits for a common coding block may be 75, and when considering MCS (Modulation Coding Scheme) 0, the common coding block may consist of 3 symbols.

[0181] For example, to ensure that the information in the common coding block matches the symbol boundary, the coding block may include 3 padding bits.

[0182] Example 2-2

[0183] Embodiment 2-2 relates to the next-SIG field (or UHR-SIG field) in non-compressed mode (ie, OFDMA transmission).

[0184] In non-compressed mode (ie, OFDMA transmission), the SIG field in a next-generation wireless LAN system (or a UHR-based wireless LAN system) may include content channels (CC) 1 and CC2, which consist of 20 MHz sub-channels, similar to the EHT-SIG field for OFDMA transmission.

[0185] Each CC may include a common field and a user-specific field containing resource allocation information for 20 MHz sub-channels within a BW, similar to an EHT-based wireless LAN system.

[0186] The next generation wireless LAN system (or UHR-based wireless LAN system) can transmit signals using an extended bandwidth of 320 MHz or more (eg, 480, 560, 640 MHz). When the extended bandwidth is used, the number of RA (Resource Allocation) fields transmitted through the CC can be increased.

[0187] Hereinafter, configuration of a common field of CCs for efficiently transmitting an RA field in an extended bandwidth is described.

[0188] Example 2-2-1

[0189] When using wide bandwidth, each CC may include RA for 20 MHz sub-channels within the BW.

[0190] As an example of the present disclosure, assuming a case where the (total) bandwidth is 320 MHz, CC 1 may include RAs for odd-order 20 MHz subchannels (e.g., RA 1, RA 3, RA 5, RA 7, RA 9, RA 11, RA 13, and RA 15), and CC 2 may include RAs for even-order 20 MHz subchannels (e.g., RA 2, RA 4, RA 6, RA 8, RA 10, RA 12, RA 14, and RA 16).

[0191] Here, the RA number may represent resource allocation information for 20 MHz subchannels arranged in a low frequency order within the BW. As described above, when the total bandwidth is 320 MHz, CC 1 and CC 2 may each include 8 pieces of RA information.

[0192] As another example of the present disclosure, assuming a case where the (total) bandwidth is 480 MHz, CC 1 may include RAs for odd-order 20 MHz subchannels (e.g., RA 1, RA 3, RA 5, RA 7, RA 9, RA 11, RA 13, RA 15, RA 17, RA19, RA 21, and RA 23), and CC 2 may include RAs for even-order 20 MHz subchannels (e.g., RA 2, RA 4, RA 6, RA 8, RA 10, RA 12, RA 14, RA 16, RA 18, RA 20, RA 22, and RA 24).

[0193] As described above, when the total bandwidth is 480 MHz, CC 1 and CC 2 can each contain 12 pieces of RA information.

[0194] As another example of the present disclosure, assuming a (total) bandwidth of 560 MHz, CC 1 may include RAs for odd-order 20 MHz subchannels (e.g., RA 1, RA 3, RA 5, RA 7, RA 9, RA 11, RA 13, RA 15, RA 17, RA 19, RA21, RA 23, RA 25, and RA 27), and CC 2 may include RAs for even-order 20 MHz subchannels (e.g., RA 2, RA 4, RA 6, RA 8, RA 10, RA 12, RA 14, RA 16, RA 18, RA 20, RA 22, RA 24, RA 26, and RA 28).

[0195] As described above, when the total bandwidth is 560 MHz, CC 1 and CC 2 can each contain 14 pieces of RA information.

[0196] As another example of the present disclosure, assuming a (total) bandwidth of 640 MHz, CC 1 may include RAs for odd-order 20 MHz subchannels (e.g., RA 1, RA 3, RA 5, RA 7, RA 9, RA 11, RA 13, RA 15, RA 17, RA 19, RA21, RA 23, RA 25, RA 27, RA 29, and RA 31), and CC 2 may include RAs for even-order 20 MHz subchannels (e.g., RA 2, RA 4, RA 6, RA 8, RA 10, RA 12, RA 14, RA 16, RA 18, RA 20, RA 22, RA 24, RA26, RA 28, RA 30, and RA 32).

[0197] As described above, when the total bandwidth is 640 MHz, CC 1 and CC 2 can each contain 16 pieces of RA information.

[0198] Example 2-2-2

[0199] When a wide bandwidth is used, the resource allocation information transmitted through the common field of the Next-SIG field may also increase. Therefore, in order to more efficiently transmit the resource allocation information, the common field may be configured by setting the coding block as described below.

[0200] As an example of the present disclosure, in OFDMA transmission, the first coding block of the common field of the Next-SIG field may consist of U-SIG overflow information, 1 / 2 RA field, CRC, and tail bits. Here, the RA field may consist of 9 or 10 bits, and each coding block may consist of 2 OFDM symbol units.

[0201] As an example of the present disclosure, the remaining coded blocks except the first coded block and the last coded block may consist of 4 RA subfields, CRC, and tail bits (ie, “4*RA subfield+CRC (4 bits)+tail bits (6 bits)”).

[0202] Here, if the RA field consists of 9 or 10 bits, each information bit constituting the coding block is 46 or 50 bits, and accordingly, the coding block can consist of 2 OFDM symbol units.

[0203] As an example of the present disclosure, for a bandwidth of 320 MHz or greater, the last coded block may consist of two RA fields, CRC, and tail bits (ie, “2*RA subfield+CRC (4 bits)+tail bits (6 bits)”).

[0204] Here, if the RA field consists of 9 or 10 bits, each information bit constituting the coding block is 28 or 30 bits, and accordingly, the coding block can consist of 2 OFDM symbol units.

[0205] In order to align OFDM symbols, padding bits can be added to the last coded block. Padding bits can be added as information bits before encoding, and can be added as post-padding bits after encoding. In addition, by padding added to the last coded block, the common field and the user field can be separated into OFDMA symbol units.

[0206] Common field configuration when bandwidth is 20, 40, 80 MHz

[0207] The public field of the Next-SIG (or UHR) field can contain a coded block.

[0208] When the bandwidth is 20 or / and 40 MHz, one RA field may be included in the coding block. That is, the coding block may include U-SIG overflow, RA field, CRC and tail bits.

[0209] When the bandwidth is 80MHz, two RA fields may be included in the coding block. That is, the coding block may include U-SIG overflow, 2*RA fields, CRC, and tail bits. At this time, padding bits may be added or exist for OFDM symbol alignment.

[0210] Common field configuration when bandwidth is 160 MHz

[0211] like Fig.10 As shown in (c), the common field of the Next-SIG field may include two coding blocks. The first coding block may include two RA fields. That is, the first coding block may include U-SIG overflow, 2*RA fields, CRC, and tail bits.

[0212] The second coding block may include a 2*RA field, a CRC, and tail bits. At this time, padding bits may be added to the second coding block for symbol alignment.

[0213] The configuration of the common field of Next-SIG can be set to be the same as that of the common field of EHT-SIG within a bandwidth of up to 160 MHz.

[0214] Common field configuration when bandwidth is 320MHz

[0215] like Fig.11 As shown in (a), the common field of the Next-SIG (or, UHR) field may include three coding blocks.

[0216] The first coding block of the three coding blocks may include two RA fields. That is, the first coding block may include U-SIG overflow, 2*RA fields, CRC, and tail bits. The second coding block may include 4*RA fields, CRC, and tail bits, and the last coding block may include 2*RA fields, CRC, and tail bits.

[0217] Here, if Fig.11 As shown in (b), padding bits may be placed after the last coded block for symbol alignment. However, this is just one embodiment, and padding bits may be placed in various positions of the common field of the Next-SIG field.

[0218] Common field configuration when bandwidth is 480 MHz

[0219] like Fig.11 As shown in (c), the common field of the Next-SIG (or, UHR) field can include four coding blocks.

[0220] The first coding block of the four coding blocks may include two RA fields. That is, the first coding block may include U-SIG overflow, 2*RA fields, CRC, and tail bits. The second coding block and the third coding block may include 4*RA fields, CRC, and tail bits, and the last coding block may include 2*RA fields, CRC, and tail bits.

[0221] Here, if Fig.11 As shown in (d) of FIG. 1 , padding bits may be placed after the last coded block for symbol alignment. However, this is only one embodiment, and padding bits may be placed in various positions of the common field of the Next-SIG field.

[0222] As another example of the present disclosure, a first coded block may include two RA fields, a second coded block may include six RA fields, and a final coded block may include four RA fields.

[0223] Common field configuration when bandwidth is 560 MHz

[0224] like Fig.12 As shown in (a), the common field of the Next-SIG (or, UHR) field can include four coding blocks.

[0225] The first coding block of the four coding blocks may include two RA fields. That is, the first coding block may include U-SIG overflow, 2*RA fields, CRC, and tail bits. The second coding block, the third coding block, and the last coding block may include 4*RA fields, CRC, and tail bits.

[0226] Here, if Fig.12 As shown in (b), padding bits may be placed after the last coded block for symbol alignment. However, this is just one embodiment, and padding bits may be placed in various positions of the common field of the Next-SIG field.

[0227] As another example of the present disclosure, the common field may include three coded blocks, wherein the first coded block may include two RA fields, and the second and last coded blocks may include six RA fields.

[0228] Common field configuration when bandwidth is 640 MHz

[0229] like Fig.12 As shown in (c), the common field of the Next-SIG (or, UHR) field can include 5 coding blocks.

[0230] The first coding block of the 5 coding blocks may include 2 RA fields. That is, the first coding block may include U-SIG overflow, 2*RA fields, CRC, and tail bits. The second coding block, the third coding block, and the fourth coding block may include 4*RA fields, CRC, and tail bits, and the last coding block may include 2*RA fields, CRC, and tail bits.

[0231] Here, if Fig.12 As shown in (d) of FIG. 1 , padding bits may be placed after the last coded block for symbol alignment. However, this is only one embodiment, and padding bits may be placed in various positions of the common field of the Next-SIG field.

[0232] As another example of the present disclosure, the first coding block and the last coding block may include two RA fields, and the remaining coding blocks may include six RA fields.

[0233] The above-mentioned embodiments are elements and features of the present disclosure combined in a predetermined form. Unless otherwise explicitly mentioned, each element or feature should be considered optional. Each element or feature can be implemented in a form that is not combined with other elements or features. In addition, the embodiments of the present disclosure may include combined partial elements and / or features. The order of the operations described in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be changed. Some elements or features of an embodiment may be included in other embodiments, or may be replaced by corresponding elements or features of other embodiments. It is clear that an embodiment may include a combined claim without an explicit dependency in the claim, or may be included as a new claim by modification after application.

[0234] It is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure can be implemented in other specific forms within the scope of the essential features of the present disclosure. Therefore, the above detailed description should not be interpreted restrictively in every aspect, but should be considered as illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by the reasonable interpretation of the attached claims, and all changes within the equivalent scope of the present disclosure are included in the scope of the present invention.

[0235] The scope of the present disclosure includes software or machine executable commands (e.g., operating systems, applications, firmware, programs, etc.) that perform operations in a device or computer according to the methods of various embodiments, and non-transitory computer-readable media that store such software or commands, etc. and can be executed in a device or computer. Commands that can be used to program a processing system that performs the features described in the present disclosure can be stored in a storage medium or a computer-readable storage medium, and the features described in the present disclosure can be implemented by using a computer program product that includes such a storage medium. The storage medium may include a high-speed random access memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM, or other random access solid-state storage devices, but is not limited thereto, and it may include non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state storage devices. The memory optionally includes one or more storage devices located away from the processor. The memory or alternatively, the non-volatile memory device in the memory includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The features described in this disclosure may be stored in any machine-readable medium to control the hardware of a processing system, and may be integrated into software and / or firmware that allows the processing system to interact with other mechanisms using the results from embodiments of the present disclosure. Such software or firmware may include, but is not limited to, application code, device drivers, operating systems, and execution environments / containers.

[0236] [Industrial Applicability]

[0237] The method proposed by the present disclosure is mainly described based on an example of being applied to an IEEE 802.11-based system and a 5G system, but can also be applied to various WLAN or wireless communication systems other than the IEEE 802.11-based system.

Claims

1. A method performed by a first station (STA) in a wireless LAN system, the method comprising: generating a SIG (signal) content channel of a specific type for OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing access) transmission including a first common field; as well as sending a specific type of PPDU (Physical Protocol Data Unit) including the specific type of SIG content channel to the second STA, The first common field includes a first coded block, at least one intermediate coded block, and a final coded block. The first coding block and the last coding block include two RU (resource unit) allocation subfields, and Each of the at least one intermediate coding block includes four RU allocation subfields.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Based on the bandwidth of 320 MHz over which this particular type of PPDU is transmitted: The first coded block includes U (Universal)-SIG overflow information, the two RU allocation subfields, CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Code) and tail bits; A single intermediate coded block includes the four RU allocation subfields, CRC, and tail bits; and The last coded block includes the two RU allocation subfields, CRC and tail bits.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Based on the bandwidth of 480 MHz over which this particular type of PPDU is transmitted: The first coded block includes U-SIG overflow information, the two RU allocation subfields, CRC and tail bits; Each of the two intermediate coding blocks includes the four RU allocation subfields, CRC and tail bits; and The last coded block includes the two RU allocation subfields, CRC and tail bits.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Based on the bandwidth of 640 MHz over which this particular type of PPDU is transmitted: The first coded block includes U-SIG overflow information, the two RU allocation subfields, CRC and tail bits; Each of the three intermediate coding blocks includes the four RU allocation subfields, CRC, and tail bits; and The last coded block includes the two RU allocation subfields, CRC and tail bits.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Based on the bandwidth of 560 MHz over which this particular type of PPDU is transmitted: The first coded block includes U-SIG overflow information, the two RU allocation subfields, CRC and tail bits; Each of the two intermediate coded blocks includes the four RU allocation subfields, CRC and tail bits; and The last coded block includes the two RU allocation subfields, two additional RU allocation subfields, CRC, and tail bits.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first common field includes padding bits for OFDM symbol alignment, and The padding bits are arranged after the last coded block.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The specific type of PPDU includes a U-SIG field, and A value of the PHY version identifier field included in the U-SIG field is set to 1.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein: A SIG content channel is generated based on a specific type for MU (Multi-User)-MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) transmission including a second common field: The second common field includes U-SIG overflow information and a non-OFMDA user number field, and The maximum number of users indicated by the non-OFDMA user number field is 16.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The specific type of SIG content channel for the MU-MIMO transmission includes a user-specific field, The user specific fields include two user fields, CRC and tail bits, and The U-SIG overflow information, the non-OFDMA user number field, the two user fields, the CRC, and the tail bits are configured as one coding block.

10. A first station (STA) operating in a wireless LAN system, the first STA comprising: at least one transceiver; as well as at least one processor connected to the at least one transceiver, Wherein, the at least one processor is configured to: generating a specific type of SIG (signal) content channel for OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing access) transmission including a first common field; and transmitting, through the at least one transceiver, a PPDU (Physical Protocol Data Unit) of a specific type including the SIG content channel of the specific type to a second STA, The first common field includes a first coded block, at least one intermediate coded block, and a final coded block. The first coding block and the last coding block include two RU (resource unit) allocation subfields, and Each of the at least one intermediate coding block includes four RU allocation subfields.

11. A method performed by a second station (STA) in a wireless LAN system, the method comprising: receiving, from a first STA, a PPDU (Physical Protocol Data Unit) of a specific type including a SIG (Signal) content channel of a specific type for OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) transmission including a first common field; as well as decoding the specific type of PPDU, The first common field includes a first coded block, at least one intermediate coded block, and a final coded block. The first coding block and the last coding block include two RU (resource unit) allocation subfields, and Each of the at least one intermediate coding block includes four RU allocation subfields.

12. A second station (STA) operating in a wireless LAN system, the first STA comprising: at least one transceiver; as well as at least one processor connected to the at least one transceiver, Wherein, the at least one processor is configured to: receiving, from the first STA through the at least one transceiver, a specific type of PPDU (Physical Protocol Data Unit) including a specific type of SIG (Signal) content channel for OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) transmission including a first common field; and decoding the specific type of PPDU, The first common field includes a first coded block, at least one intermediate coded block, and a final coded block. The first coding block and the last coding block include two RU (resource unit) allocation subfields, and Each of the at least one intermediate coding block includes four RU allocation subfields.

13. A processing device configured to control a first station (STA) in a wireless LAN system, the processing device comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one computer memory operatively connected to the at least one processor and storing instructions that, upon execution by the at least one processor, perform operations comprising: generating a specific type of SIG (signal) content channel for OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing access) transmission including a first common field; and sending a specific type of PPDU (Physical Protocol Data Unit) including the specific type of SIG content channel to the second STA, The first common field includes a first coded block, at least one intermediate coded block, and a final coded block. The first coding block and the last coding block include two RU (resource unit) allocation subfields, and Each of the at least one intermediate coding block includes four RU allocation subfields.

14. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium storing at least one instruction, in, The at least one instruction executable by the at least one processor controls a device in a wireless LAN system to: generating a specific type of SIG (signal) content channel for OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing access) transmission including a first common field; and sending a specific type of PPDU (Physical Protocol Data Unit) including the specific type of SIG content channel to the second STA, The first common field includes a first coded block, at least one intermediate coded block, and a final coded block. The first coding block and the last coding block include two RU (resource unit) allocation subfields, and Each of the at least one intermediate coding block includes four RU allocation subfields.

Images