Method and apparatus for transmitting or receiving based on distributed resource unit tone plan in wireless local area network system

Abstract

Disclosed are a method and apparatus for transmitting or receiving based on a distributed resource unit (DRU) tone plan in a wireless local area network (WLAN) system. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method performed by a first station (STA) in a WLAN system can include receiving, by the first STA, a trigger frame including a common information field and a special user information field from an access point (AP), and transmitting, by the first STA, a trigger-based (TB) physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) to the AP in a first bandwidth based on the trigger frame, wherein the common information field or the special user information field transmitted in a second bandwidth of the first bandwidth can include a first subfield related to whether a DRU is applied to the second bandwidth.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for transmitting or receiving data based on a distributed resource unit tone plan in a wireless local area network (WLAN) system. Background Technology

[0002] New technologies have been introduced for Wireless LANs (WLANs) to improve transmission rates, increase bandwidth, enhance reliability, reduce errors, and decrease latency. Within WLAN technology, the IEEE 802.11 series of standards can be referred to as Wi-Fi. For example, recent technologies introduced into WLAN include the Ultra High Throughput (VHT) enhancement of the 802.11 ac standard and the High Efficiency (HE) enhancement of the IEEE 802.11 ax standard.

[0003] To provide a more advanced wireless communication environment, improved techniques for Extremely High Throughput (EHT) are being discussed. For example, techniques for MIMO and multiple access point (AP) coordination that support increased bandwidth, efficient use of multiple frequency bands, and increased spatial flow are being investigated. Specifically, various techniques are being explored to support low-latency or real-time services. Furthermore, new technologies to support Ultra-High Reliability (UHR), including improvements or extensions to EHT techniques, are being discussed. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Technical issues

[0005] The technical problem of this disclosure is to provide a method and apparatus for transmitting or receiving data in a wireless LAN system based on a distributed resource unit tone plan.

[0006] The technical problem addressed in this disclosure relates to a distributed resource unit tone scheme for reducing interference between STAs in a wireless LAN system.

[0007] The technical problem of this disclosure is to provide a method and apparatus for instructing channel and / or tone planning of a distributed resource unit in a wireless LAN system by triggering a frame.

[0008] The technical objectives to be achieved by this disclosure are not limited to those described above, and other technical objectives not described herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art through the following description.

[0009] Technical solution

[0010] A method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include the following steps: a first station (STA) receiving a trigger frame from an access point (AP) including a public information field and a special user information field; and the first STA sending a trigger-based (TB) physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) to the AP on a first bandwidth based on the trigger frame, wherein the public information field or the special user information field sent on a second bandwidth within the first bandwidth may include a first subfield related to whether a distributed resource unit (DRU) is applied on the second bandwidth.

[0011] The method according to another embodiment of this disclosure may include the following steps: sending a trigger frame including a public information field and a special user information field from an access point (AP) to a first station (STA); and receiving a trigger-based (TB) physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) from the first STA on a first bandwidth based on the trigger frame, wherein the public information field or the special user information field sent on a second bandwidth within the first bandwidth may include a first subfield related to whether a distributed resource unit (DRU) is applied on the second bandwidth.

[0012] Technical effect

[0013] According to various embodiments of this disclosure, methods and apparatus for transmitting or receiving based on distributed resource unit tone plans in a wireless LAN system can be provided.

[0014] According to various embodiments of this disclosure, a distributed resource unit tone scheme can be provided for reducing interference between STAs in a wireless LAN system.

[0015] According to various embodiments of this disclosure, coverage and throughput can be improved through efficient DRU-based transmission.

[0016] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, methods and apparatus can be provided for instructing channel and / or tone plans for applying distributed resource units in a wireless LAN system via trigger frames.

[0017] The effects achievable by this disclosure are not limited to those described above, and those skilled in the art can clearly understand other effects not described herein through the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The accompanying drawings, which are included as part of the detailed description of this disclosure, provide embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the detailed description, describe the technical features of the disclosure.

[0019] Figure 1 A configuration block diagram of a wireless communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary structure of a WLAN system to which this disclosure can be applied.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a diagram used to illustrate the link establishment process that can be applied to this disclosure.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a diagram used to illustrate the backoff processing that can be applied to this disclosure.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating the CSMA / CA-based frame transmission operation that can be applied to this disclosure.

[0024] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a frame structure that can be used in a WLAN system to which this disclosure may be applied.

[0025] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a PPDU as defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard of this disclosure.

[0026] Figures 8 to 10 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a resource unit that can be used in a wireless LAN system to which this disclosure may be applied.

[0027] Figure 11 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a DRU that can be applied to this disclosure.

[0028] Figure 12 This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary format of the trigger frame to which the present disclosure may be applied.

[0029] Figure 13 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a method performed by a first STA according to this disclosure.

[0030] Figure 14 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a method performed by an AP according to this disclosure.

[0031] Figure 15 This is a diagram illustrating the PPDU transmission and reception process between a transmitting STA and a receiving STA according to an example of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0032] In the following, embodiments according to this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The detailed description disclosed with reference to the drawings is intended to describe exemplary embodiments of this disclosure and not to represent the only embodiments in which this disclosure can be implemented. The following detailed description includes specific details to provide a complete understanding of this disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that this disclosure can be implemented without these specific details.

[0033] In some cases, known structures and devices may be omitted, or they may be shown in block diagram form based on the core function of each structure and device in order to prevent ambiguity in the concepts of this disclosure.

[0034] In this disclosure, when an element is referred to as “connected,” “combined,” or “linked” to another element, it can include both indirect and direct connections between the two elements. Furthermore, in this disclosure, the terms “comprising” or “having” specify the presence of the mentioned features, steps, operations, components, and / or elements, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, stages, operations, components, elements, and / or groups thereof.

[0035] In this disclosure, terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one element from another and are not used to limit the elements. Unless otherwise stated, they do not limit the order or importance of the elements. Therefore, within the scope of this disclosure, a first element in one embodiment may be referred to as a second element in another embodiment, and similarly, a second element in one embodiment may be referred to as a first element in another embodiment.

[0036] The terminology used in this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and not for limiting the claims. As used in the description of 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” as used in this disclosure may refer to one of the associated enumerations, or is intended to refer to and include any and all possible combinations of two or more of them. Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, the “ / ” between words in this disclosure has the same meaning as “and / or”.

[0037] The examples disclosed herein can be applied to various wireless communication systems. For example, the examples disclosed herein can be applied to wireless LAN systems. For example, the examples disclosed herein can be applied to wireless LANs based on the IEEE 802.11a / g / n / ac / ax standards. Furthermore, the examples disclosed herein can be applied to wireless LANs based on the newly proposed IEEE 802.11be (or EHT) standard. The examples disclosed herein can be applied to wireless LANs based on the IEEE 802.11be version 2 standard, corresponding to the additional enhancements of the IEEE 802.11be version 1 standard. Additionally, the examples disclosed herein can be applied to wireless LANs based on next-generation standards following IEEE 802.11be. Furthermore, the examples disclosed herein can be applied to cellular wireless communication systems. For example, it can be applied to cellular wireless communication systems based on 3GPP standards using Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology and 5G New Radio (NR) technology.

[0038] The technical features that can be applied to examples of this disclosure will be described below.

[0039] Figure 1 A block diagram illustrating a wireless communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0040] Figure 1 The first device 100 and the second device 200 illustrated herein can be replaced by various terms such as terminal, wireless device, wireless transceiver 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 simply user. Furthermore, the first device 100 and the second device 200 include access point (AP), base station (BS), fixed station, node B, base transceiver system (BTS), and network. It can be replaced by various terms such as artificial intelligence (AI) system, roadside unit (RSU), repeater, router, relay, and gateway.

[0041] Figure 1 The devices 100 and 200 illustrated herein may be referred to as stations (STAs). For example, Figure 1 The devices 100 and 200 illustrated herein may be referred to by various terms such as transmitting device, receiving device, transmitting STA, and receiving STA. For example, STA 110 and 200 may perform an access point (AP) role or a non-AP role. That is, in this disclosure, STA 110 and 200 may perform AP and / or non-AP functions. When STA 110 and 200 perform AP functions, they may simply be referred to as APs, and when STA 110 and 200 perform non-AP functions, they may simply be referred to as STAs. Alternatively, in this disclosure, AP may also be referred to as AP STA.

[0042] Reference Figure 1 The first device 100 and the second device 200 can transmit and receive radio signals via various wireless LAN technologies (e.g., IEEE 802.11 series). The first device 100 and the second device 200 may include interfaces for the Media Access Control (MAC) layer and Physical Layer (PHY) conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard.

[0043] In addition to wireless LAN technology, the first device 100 and the second device 200 can also support various communication standards (e.g., 3GPP LTE series, 5G NR series standards, etc.). Furthermore, the devices disclosed herein can be implemented in various devices such as mobile phones, vehicles, personal computers, augmented reality (AR) devices, and virtual reality (VR) devices. Additionally, the STA of this specification can support various communication services such as voice calls, video calls, data communication, autonomous driving, machine-type communication (MTC), machine-to-machine (M2M), device-to-device (D2D), and IoT (Internet of Things).

[0044] The first device 100 may include one or more processors 102 and one or more memories 104, and may additionally include one or more transceivers 106 and / or one or more antennas 108. The processors 102 may control the memories 104 and / or the transceivers 106, and may be configured to implement the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts included in this disclosure. For example, the processor 102 may transmit a wireless signal including the first information / signal via the transceivers 106 after generating first information / signal by processing information in the memories 104. Additionally, the processor 102 may receive a wireless signal including second information / signal via the transceivers 106, and then store information obtained through signal processing of the second information / signal in the memories 104. The memories 104 may be connected to the processor 102 and may store various information related to the operation of the processor 102. For example, the memories 104 may store software code including instructions for performing all or part of the processing controlled by the processor 102 or for performing the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts included in this disclosure. Here, processor 102 and memory 104 may be part of a communication modem / circuit / chip designed to implement wireless LAN technology (e.g., IEEE 802.11 series). Transceiver 106 may be connected to processor 102 and may transmit and / or receive wireless signals via one or more antennas 108. Transceiver 106 may include a transmitter and / or a receiver. Transceiver 106 may be used with an RF (radio frequency) unit. In this disclosure, wireless device may refer to a communication modem / circuit / chip.

[0045] The second device 200 may include one or more processors 202 and one or more memories 204, and may additionally include one or more transceivers 206 and / or one or more antennas 208. The processors 202 may control the memories 204 and / or the transceivers 206, and may be configured to implement the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts included in this disclosure. For example, the processors 202 may generate third information / signals by processing information in the memories 204, and then transmit a wireless signal including the third information / signals via the transceivers 206. Additionally, the processors 202 may receive wireless signals including fourth information / signals via the transceivers 206, and then store information obtained through signal processing of the fourth information / signals in the memories 204. The memories 204 may be connected to the processors 202 and may store various information related to the operation of the processors 202. For example, the memories 204 may store software code including instructions for performing all or part of the processing controlled by the processors 202 or for performing the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts included in this disclosure. Here, processor 202 and memory 204 may be part of a communication modem / circuit / chip designed to implement wireless LAN technology (e.g., IEEE 802.11 series). Transceiver 206 may be connected to processor 202 and may transmit and / or receive wireless signals via one or more antennas 208. Transceiver 206 may include a transmitter and / or a receiver. Transceiver 206 may be used with an RF unit. In this disclosure, apparatus may refer to a communication modem / circuit / chip.

[0046] The hardware elements of devices 100 and 200 will be described in more detail below. Not limited thereto, one or more protocol layers may be implemented by one or more processors 102 and 202. For example, one or more processors 102 and 202 may implement one or more layers (e.g., functional layers such as PHY and MAC). One or more processors 102 and 202 may generate one or more PDUs (Protocol Data Units) and / or one or more SDUs (Service Data Units) according to the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this disclosure. One or more processors 102 and 202 may generate messages, control information, data, or information according to the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this disclosure. One or more processors 102 and 202 may generate signals (e.g., baseband signals) including PDUs, SDUs, messages, control information, data, or information according to the functions, processes, suggestions, and / or methods disclosed in this disclosure to provide them to one or more transceivers 106 and 206. One or more processors 102, 202 may receive signals (e.g., baseband signals) from one or more transceivers 106, 206 and obtain PDUs, SDUs, messages, control information, data or information, in accordance with the description, functions, processes, suggestions, methods and / or operation flowcharts included in this disclosure.

[0047] 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. For 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, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts included in this 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, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts included in this 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, suggestions, methods and / or operation flowcharts included in this disclosure may be implemented using firmware or software in the form of code, instructions and / or instruction sets.

[0048] One or more memories 104, 204 may be connected to one or more processors 102, 202 and may store data, signals, messages, information, programs, code, instructions, and / or commands in various forms. One or more memories 104, 204 may be configured with ROM, RAM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk drive, registers, cache memory, computer-readable storage media, and / or combinations thereof. One or more memories 104, 204 may be located internally and / or externally to one or more processors 102, 202. Furthermore, one or more memories 104, 204 may be connected to one or more processors 102, 202 via various technologies such as wired or wireless connections.

[0049] One or more transceivers 106, 206 can transmit user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc., mentioned in the methods and / or operation flowcharts of this disclosure to one or more other devices. One or more transceivers 106, 206 can receive user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc., mentioned in the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts included in this disclosure from one or more other devices. For example, one or more transceivers 106, 206 can be connected to one or more processors 102, 202 and can transmit and receive wireless signals. For example, one or more processors 102, 202 can control one or more transceivers 106, 206 to transmit user data, control information, or wireless signals to one or more other devices. Additionally, one or more processors 102, 202 can control one or more transceivers 106, 206 to receive user data, control information, or wireless signals from one or more other devices. Additionally, 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 transmit and receive user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc., mentioned in the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts included in this disclosure, via one or more antennas 108, 208. In this disclosure, 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 into baseband signals for processing using one or more processors 102, 202. One or more transceivers 106, 206 may convert user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc., processed using one or more processors 102, 202, from baseband signals into RF band signals. Therefore, one or more transceivers 106, 206 may include (analog) oscillators and / or filters.

[0050] For example, one of STAs 100 and 200 can perform the expected operation of an AP, and the other of STAs 100 and 200 can perform the expected operation of a non-AP STA. For example, Figure 1 Transceivers 106 and 206 can perform transmission and reception operations of signals (e.g., packet or physical layer protocol data units (PPDUs) conforming to IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be / bn). Additionally, in this disclosure, the various STAs can generate transmit / receive signals or perform data processing or calculations on the transmit / receive signals in advance by [the relevant entity / component]. Figure 1Processors 102 and 202 perform the following operations: For example, examples of generating transmit / receive signals or performing data processing or computations on transmit / receive signals in advance may include: 1) determining / acquiring / configuring / computing / decoding / encoding bit information of fields (signals (SIG), short training field (STF), long training field (LTF), data, etc.) included in the PPDU; 2) determining / configuring / acquiring time or frequency resources (e.g., subcarrier resources) for the fields (SIG, STF, LTF, data, etc.) included in the PPDU; 3) determining / configuring / acquiring specific sequences (e.g., pilot sequences, STF / LTF sequences, additional sequences applied to SIG) for the fields (SIG, STF, LTF, data, etc.) included in the PPDU action; 4) power control operations and / or power saving operations applied to the STA; 5) operations related to determining / acquiring / configuring / computing / decoding / encoding the ACK signal. Additionally, in the example below, various information used by different STAs to determine / acquire / configure / calculate / decode / encode transmitted and received signals (e.g., information related to fields / subfields / control fields / parameters / power, etc.) can be stored. Figure 1 In memory 104 and 204.

[0051] In the following text, downlink (DL) can refer to a link used for communication from an AP STA to a non-AP STA, and DL PPDU / packets / signals can be sent and received via DL. In DL communication, the transmitter can be part of an AP STA, and the receiver can be part of a non-AP STA. Uplink (UL) can refer to a link used for communication from a non-AP STA to an AP STA, and UL PPDU / packets / signals can be sent and received via UL. In UL communication, the transmitter can be part of a non-AP STA, and the receiver can be part of an AP STA.

[0052] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary structure of a wireless LAN system to which this disclosure can be applied.

[0053] A wireless LAN system can be structured by multiple components. These components interact to provide STA mobility support that is transparent to upper layers. The Basic Service Set (BSS) corresponds to the basic building blocks of a wireless LAN. Figure 2 An example is shown where there are two BSSs (BSS1 and BSS2), and two STAs included as members of each BSS (STA1 and STA2 are included in BSS1, and STA3 and STA4 are included in BSS2). Figure 2The ellipse representing the BSS can also be interpreted as representing the coverage area within the corresponding BSS where STAs maintain communication. This area can be called the Basic Service Area (BSA). When a STA moves outside the BSA, it cannot communicate directly with other STAs within the BSA.

[0054] If we do not consider Figure 2 The DS shown in the diagram represents the most basic BSS type in a wireless LAN: the Independent BSS (IBSS). For example, an IBSS can have a minimal form containing only two STAs. For instance, assuming other components are omitted, BSS1 containing only STA1 and STA2, or BSS2 containing only STA3 and STA4, can respectively correspond to representative examples of IBSS. This configuration is possible when STAs can communicate directly without an AP. Furthermore, in this type of wireless LAN, it is not pre-configured but can be configured as needed, and this can be called an ad-hoc network. Since an IBSS does not include an AP, there is no centralized management entity. That is, in an IBSS, STAs are managed in a distributed manner. In an IBSS, all STAs can consist of mobile STAs and are not allowed to access the Distributed System (DS), thus forming a self-contained network.

[0055] Membership of an STA in a BSS can be dynamically changed by opening or closing an STA, or by entering or leaving a BSS zone. To become a member of a BSS, an STA can join the BSS using a synchronization process. To access all services of the BSS infrastructure, an STA must be associated with the BSS. This association can be dynamically established and may include the use of Distributed System Services (DSS).

[0056] 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 others, longer distances between STAs may be required for communication. Distributed systems (DS) can be configured to support extended coverage.

[0057] DS refers to the structure of BSS interconnection. Specifically, such as... Figure 2As shown, a BSS can exist as an extension of a network composed of multiple BSSs. A DS is a logical concept and can be specified through the characteristics of the Distributed System Medium (DSM). At this point, the Wireless Medium (WM) and the DSM can be logically separated. Each logical medium is used for a different purpose and by different components. These media are not limited to being the same, nor are they limited to being different. In this way, the flexibility of a wireless LAN architecture (DS architecture or other network architectures) can be interpreted as multiple media being logically different. That is, a wireless LAN architecture can be implemented in various ways, and the corresponding wireless LAN architecture can be independently specified by the physical characteristics of each implementation.

[0058] The DS can support mobile devices by providing seamless integration of multiple BSSs and offering the logical services necessary for addressing to the destination. Additionally, the DS may include a component called a portal, which acts as a bridge between the wireless LAN and other networks, such as IEEE 802.X.

[0059] AP enables access to DS via WM for associated non-AP STAs, and refers to entities that also have STA functionality. Data movement between BSS and DS can be performed through AP. For example, Figure 2 STA2 and STA3, shown in the diagram, have the functionality of STAs and provide the ability for associated non-AP STAs (STA1 and STA4) to access the DS. Furthermore, since all APs essentially correspond to STAs, all APs are addressable entities. The address used by an AP for communication on the WM is not necessarily the same as the address used by the AP for communication on the DSM. A BSS consisting of APs and one or more STAs can be referred to as an infrastructure BSS.

[0060] Data sent from one of the STAs associated with the AP to the corresponding STA address of the AP can always be received on an uncontrolled port and can be processed by the IEEE 802.1X port access entity. Alternatively, when the controlled port is authenticated, the transmitted data (or frames) can be delivered to the DS.

[0061] In addition to the DS structure described above, Extended Service Sets (ESS) can also be configured to provide wide coverage.

[0062] An ESS (Service Set Identity) refers to a network of arbitrary size and complexity consisting of DS (Service Controller) and BSS (Service Set Service). An ESS can correspond to a set of BSSs connected to a DS. However, an ESS does not include the DS. An ESS network is characterized as an IBSS (Integrated Service Set Service) within the Logical Link Control (LLC) layer. STAs included in an ESS can communicate with each other, and a moving STA can transparently move from one BSS to another (within the same ESS) to the LLC. APs included in an ESS can have the same Service Set Identity (SSID). The SSID is distinguished from the BSSID, which serves as the identifier for the BSS.

[0063] Wireless LAN systems make no assumptions about the relative physical locations of BSSs, and all of the following forms are possible. BSSs can partially overlap, a form commonly used to provide continuous coverage. Additionally, BSSs may not be physically connected, and logically, there is no limit to the distance between BSSs. Furthermore, BSSs can be physically located in the same location, which can be used to provide redundancy. Additionally, one (or more) IBSS or ESS networks can physically exist in the same space as one (or more) ESS networks. This can correspond to the form of 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, etc.

[0064] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating the link establishment process that can be applied to this disclosure.

[0065] In order for a STA to establish a link with the network and send / receive data, it first discovers the network, performs authentication, establishes an association, and performs authentication processing for security. The link establishment process can also be called session initiation processing or session establishment processing. Furthermore, the discovery, authentication, association, and security establishment processes of the link establishment process can be collectively referred to as association processing.

[0066] In step S310, the STA can perform a network discovery operation. The network discovery operation may include a scanning operation by the STA. That is, in order for the STA to access a network, it needs to find networks 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.

[0067] Scanning schemes include active scanning and passive scanning. Figure 3An exemplary network discovery operation including active scanning processing is illustrated. In active scanning, the STA performing the scan sends a probe request frame to discover which APs are present around it as the channel moves and awaits a response. The responder sends a probe response frame as a response to the probe request frame to the STA that sent the probe request frame. Here, the responder may be the STA that last sent a beacon frame in the BSS of the channel being scanned. In the BSS, the AP becomes the responder because it sends a beacon frame, and in the IBSS, the STAs in the IBSS rotate to send beacon frames, so the responder is not constant. For example, an 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 a scan in the same manner (i.e., sending and receiving probe requests / responses on channel 2).

[0068] Although not in Figure 3 As shown, scanning can be performed passively. In passive scanning, the STA performing the scan waits for beacon frames while moving through the channel. Beacon frames are one of the management frames defined in IEEE 802.11 and are sent periodically to notify of the existence of a wireless network and allow the STA performing the scan to find and participate in the wireless network. In the BSS, the AP periodically sends beacon frames, and in the IBSS, the STA within the IBSS rotates to send beacon frames. When the STA performing the scan receives a beacon frame, it stores the BSS information included in the beacon frame and records the beacon frame information for 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 and passive scanning, active scanning has the advantages of less latency and less power consumption.

[0069] After the STA discovers the network, an authentication process can be performed in step S320. To clearly distinguish it from the security establishment operation in step S340, which will be described later, this authentication process can be referred to as the first authentication process.

[0070] The authentication process includes the following steps: the STA sends an authentication request frame to the AP, and in response, the AP sends an authentication response frame to the STA. The authentication frame used for the authentication request / response corresponds to the management frame.

[0071] An authentication frame includes the authentication algorithm number, authentication transaction sequence number, status code, challenge text, robust security network (RSN), and finite circular group. These correspond to some examples of information that can be included in the authentication request / response frame and can be replaced with other information, or additional information may be included.

[0072] A STA can send an authentication request frame to an AP. The AP can determine whether to allow the corresponding STA's authentication based on the information included in the received authentication request frame. The AP can then provide the STA with the authentication processing result via an authentication response frame.

[0073] After the STA is successfully authenticated, the association process can be performed in step S330. The association process includes the following steps: the STA sends an association request frame to the AP, and in response, the AP sends an association response frame to the STA.

[0074] For example, an association request frame may include information related to various capabilities, beacon listening intervals, service set identifiers (SSIDs), supported rates, supported channels, RSNs, mobile domains, supported operation classes, service indication mapping broadcast requests (TIM broadcast requests), interoperability capabilities, etc. Similarly, an association response frame may include information related to various capabilities, status codes, association IDs (AIDs), supported rates, enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) parameter sets, received channel power indicators (RCPIs), received signal-to-noise ratio indicators (RSNIs), mobile domains, timeout intervals (e.g., association recovery time), overlapping BSS scan parameters, TIM broadcast responses, quality of service (QoS) mappings, etc. These correspond to some examples of information that can be included in association request / response frames and may be replaced with other information, or additional information may be included.

[0075] After the STA successfully associates with the network, a security establishment process can be performed in step S340. The security establishment process in step S340 can be referred to as the authentication process via a Robust Secure Network Association (RSNA) request / response, the authentication process in step S320 is referred to as the first authentication process, and the security establishment process in step S340 can also be simply referred to as the authentication process.

[0076] The secure establishment process in step S340 may include, for example, the process of establishing a private key using a four-way handshake via Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAPOL) frames over the LAN. Alternatively, the secure establishment process may be performed according to a security scheme not defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard.

[0077] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating the fallback process that can be applied to this disclosure.

[0078] In wireless LAN systems, the basic access mechanism for Media Access Control (MAC) is Carrier Sensing Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA). Also known as the Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) of IEEE 802.11 MAC, CSMA / CA essentially employs a "listen-before-talk" access mechanism. Under this type of access mechanism, before commencing transmission, the AP and / or STA can perform explicit channel assessment (CCA) of the sensing radio channel or medium during a predetermined time interval (e.g., the DCF inter-frame interval (DIFS)). As a result of the sensing, if it is determined that the medium is idle, frame transmission begins via the corresponding medium. Conversely, if the medium is detected to be occupied or busy, the corresponding AP and / or STA does not begin its own transmission and can set a delay period for medium access (e.g., a random backoff period) and attempt frame transmission after waiting. By applying a random backoff period, collisions can be minimized because multiple STAs are expected to attempt frame transmission after waiting for different time periods.

[0079] 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, meaning that all receiving APs and / or STAs periodically poll to receive data frames. Furthermore, HCF includes Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) and HCF Control Channel Access (HCCA). EDCA is a contention-based access method that provides data frames to multiple users, while HCCA uses a non-contention-based channel access method that utilizes a polling mechanism. Additionally, HCF includes a media access mechanism for improving the QoS (Quality of Service) of wireless LANs and can transmit QoS data during contention periods (CP) and contention-free periods (CFP).

[0080] Reference Figure 4 This section describes the operation based on a random backoff period. When an occupied / busy medium becomes idle, multiple STAs can attempt to transmit data (or frames). As a method to minimize collisions, each STA can individually select a random backoff count and attempt to transmit after waiting for the corresponding time slot. The random backoff count has a pseudo-random integer value and can 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 an initial value of CWmin, but can take a value twice as large as in the event of transmission failure (e.g., when no ACK is received for the transmitted frame). When the CW parameter value reaches CWmax, data transmission can be attempted while maintaining the CWmax value until successful data transmission, and when successful, the CWmin value is reset. The values ​​of CW, CWmin, and CWmax are preferably set to... (n=0, 1, 2, ...).

[0081] When random backoff processing begins, the STA continuously monitors the medium during the backoff time slot countdown based on the determined backoff count value. When monitoring the medium for occupancy, it stops the countdown and waits, and restarts the remainder of the countdown when the medium becomes idle.

[0082] exist Figure 4 In the example, when the packet to be sent arrives at STA 3's MAC, STA 3 can send the frame immediately after confirming that the medium has been idle for up to DIFS. The remaining STAs monitor and wait for the medium to be occupied / busy. Meanwhile, the data to be sent can also occur in each of STA 1, STA 2, and STA 5, and when the medium is detected as idle, each STA waits for up to DIFS, and then performs a countdown for the backoff slot based on a random backoff count value chosen by each STA. Assume STA 2 chooses the minimum backoff count value, and STA 1 chooses the maximum backoff count value. That is, the example illustrates the case where STA 5's remaining backoff time is shorter than STA 1's remaining backoff time when STA 2 completes its backoff count and begins frame transmission. STA 1 and STA 5 temporarily stop the countdown and wait while STA 2 occupies the medium. When STA 2's occupancy ends and the medium becomes idle again, STA 1 and STA 5 wait for DIFS and restart the stopped backoff count. In other words, frame transmission can begin after a countdown for the remaining backoff slot based on the remaining backoff time. Since STA5 has a shorter remaining backoff time than STA1, STA5 begins frame transmission. Data to be transmitted can also occur in STA4 while STA2 is occupying the medium. From STA4's perspective, when the medium becomes idle, STA4 can wait for DIFS, then execute a countdown based on a random backoff count value selected by STA4, and begin transmitting frames. Figure 4 The example illustrates a scenario where the remaining backoff time of STA5 accidentally conflicts 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 situation, STA4 and STA5 can double the CW value, select a random backoff count value, and begin a countdown. While the medium is occupied due to the transmissions of STA4 and STA5, STA1 waits; when the medium becomes idle, STA1 waits for DIFS, and then begins frame transmission after the remaining backoff time has elapsed.

[0083] As in Figure 4In the example, data frames are frames used to send data forwarded to higher layers and can be sent after a backoff performed after DIFS, starting from when the medium becomes idle. Additionally, management frames are frames used to exchange management information that has not been forwarded to higher layers and are sent after a backoff performed after an IFS such as DIFS or Point Coordination Function IFS (PIFS). Subtypes of management frames include beacons, association requests / responses, reassociation requests / responses, probe requests / responses, authentication requests / responses, etc. Control frames are frames used to control access to the medium. Subtypes of control frames include request to send (RTS), clear send (CTS), acknowledge (ACK), power-saving polling (PS-Poll), block ACK (BlockAck), block ACK request (BlockACKReq), empty data packet announcement (NDP announcement), and triggers, etc. If a control frame is not a response frame to the previous frame, it is sent after a backoff performed after DIFS; if it is a response frame to the previous frame, it is sent without a backoff performed after short IFS (SIFS). The type and subtype of a frame can be identified by the type field and subtype field in the Frame Control (FC) field.

[0084] The Quality of Service (QoS) ST can perform a backoff following the Arbitration IFS (AIFS) for the Access Class (AC) to which the frame belongs (i.e., AIFS where i is a value determined by the AC) before the frame can be transmitted. Here, the frame that can use AIFS can be a data frame, management frame, or control frame, rather than a response frame.

[0085] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating the CSMA / CA-based frame transmission operation that can be applied to this disclosure.

[0086] As mentioned above, in addition to physical carrier sensing of the medium directly sensed by the STA, the CSMA / CA mechanism also includes virtual carrier sensing. Virtual carrier sensing aims to compensate for problems such as hidden node issues that may occur during medium access. For virtual carrier sensing, the STA's MAC can use the Network Allocation Vector (NAV). The NAV is a value that indicates to other STAs the remaining time until the medium is available for current use or for STAs authorized to use the medium. Therefore, a value set to NAV corresponds to the period during which the STA sending the frame plans to use the medium, and during the corresponding period, STAs receiving the NAV value are prohibited from accessing the medium. For example, the NAV can be configured based on the value of the "Duration" field in the frame's MAC header.

[0087] exist Figure 5 In the example, it is assumed that STA1 intends to send data to STA2, and STA3 is in a position that can eavesdrop on some or all of the frames sent and received between STA1 and STA2.

[0088] To reduce the likelihood of transmission conflicts among multiple STAs in CSMA / CA-based frame transmission operations, a mechanism using RTS / CTS frames can be applied. Figure 5 In the example, when STA1 is transmitting, as a result of carrier sensing by STA3, it can be determined that the medium is in an idle state. That is, STA1 can correspond to a hidden node with respect to STA3. Alternatively, in Figure 5 In the example, it can be determined that while STA2 is transmitting, the carrier sensing result medium of STA3 is in an idle state. That is, STA2 can correspond to a hidden node with respect to STA3. By exchanging RTS / CTS frames before performing data transmission and reception between STA1 and STA2, STAs outside the transmission range of either STA1 or STA2, or STAs outside the carrier sensing range of transmissions from STA1 or STA3, can avoid attempting to occupy the channel during data transmission and reception between STA1 and STA2.

[0089] Specifically, STA1 can determine whether a channel is in use through carrier sensing. Regarding physical carrier sensing, STA1 can determine the channel occupancy / idle status based on the energy level or signal correlation detected in the channel. Alternatively, regarding virtual carrier sensing, STA1 can use a Network Allocation Vector (NAV) timer to determine the channel occupancy status.

[0090] When the channel is idle during DIFS, STA1 can send an RTS frame to STA2 after performing backoff. When STA2 receives the RTS frame, STA2 can send a CTS frame to STA1 after SIFS as a response to the RTS frame.

[0091] If STA3 cannot eavesdrop on CTS frames from STA2 but can eavesdrop on RTS frames from STA1, STA3 can use the duration information included in the RTS frame to set the NAV timer for the subsequent consecutive frame transmission period (e.g., SIFS+CTS frame+SIFS+data frame+SIFS+ACK frame). Alternatively, if STA3 can eavesdrop on CTS frames from STA2, STA3 can also use the duration information included in the CTS frame to set the NAV timer for the subsequent consecutive frame transmission period (e.g., SIFS+data frame+SIFS+ACK frame) even though STA3 cannot eavesdrop on RTS frames from STA1. In other words, if STA3 can eavesdrop on one or more RTS or CTS frames from either 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 until the NAV timer expires.

[0092] When STA1 receives a CTS frame from STA2, STA1 can send a data frame to STA2 after SIFS, starting from the time point when the CTS frame reception is complete. When STA2 successfully receives the data frame, STA2 can send an ACK frame to STA1 after SIFS as a response to the data frame. When the NAV timer expires, STA3 can determine whether the channel is in use through carrier sensing. If STA3 determines that the channel is not in use by other terminals during DIFS after the NAV timer expires, STA3 can attempt channel access after the contention window (CW) for random backoff has passed.

[0093] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a frame structure that can be used in a WLAN system to which this disclosure may be applied.

[0094] Using 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 transmitted. For example, when the PHY layer receives a command from the MAC layer requesting the start of transmission, it switches to transmit mode, configures the information (e.g., data) provided by the MAC layer in the form of a frame, and transmits it. Additionally, when the PHY layer detects a valid preamble in a received frame, it monitors the preamble header and sends a command to the MAC layer notifying the PHY layer of the start of reception.

[0095] In this way, information transmission / reception in a wireless LAN system is performed in the form of frames, and for this purpose, the PHY layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) format is defined.

[0096] A basic PPDU can 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) fields shown can consist solely of a Traditional-STF (L-STF), Traditional-LTF (L-LTF), Traditional-SIG (L-SIG) field, and a data field. Additionally, depending on the PPDU format type (e.g., HT mixed format PPDU, HT green format PPDU, VHT (Very High Throughput) PPDU, etc.), additional (or different types) RL-SIG, U-SIG, non-traditional SIG fields, non-traditional STF, non-traditional LTF (i.e., xx-SIG, xx-STF, xx-LTF (e.g., xx is HT, VHT, HE, EHT, etc.)) can be included between the L-SIG field and the data field.

[0097] STF is a signal used for signal detection, automatic gain control (AGC), diversity selection, precise time synchronization, etc., while LTF is a signal used for channel estimation and frequency error estimation. STF and LTF can be referred to as signals used for synchronization and channel estimation in the OFDM physical layer.

[0098] The SIG field can include various information related to PPDU transmission and reception. For example, the L-SIG field consists of 24 bits and can 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 can include information about the modulation and coding rate of the data. For example, the 12-bit length field can include information about the length or duration of the PPDU. For example, the value of the 12-bit length field can be determined based on the type of PPDU. For example, for non-HT, HT, VHT, or EHT PPDUs, the value of the length field can be determined to be a multiple of 3. For example, for HE PPDUs, the value of the length field can be determined to be a multiple of 3+1 or 3+2.

[0099] The data field may include a service field, a physical layer service data unit (PSDU), and PPDU tail bits, and may also include padding bits if necessary. Some bits of the service field can be used for synchronization of the descrambler at the receiver. The PSDU corresponds to the MAC PDU defined in the MAC layer and may include data generated / used in the upper layer. The PPDU tail bits can be used to return the encoder to a 0 state. Padding bits can be used to adjust the length of the data field by predetermined units.

[0100] MAC PDUs are 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). MAC frames can be composed of MAC PDUs and transmitted / received via PSDUs in the data portion of the PPDU format.

[0101] The MAC header includes a frame control field, a duration / ID field, and an address field. The frame control field can include control information required for frame transmission / reception. The duration / ID field can be set to the time used to transmit the corresponding frame, etc. For details on the sequence control, QoS control, and HT control subfields of the MAC header, refer to the IEEE 802.11 standard document.

[0102] The Narrow Data PPDU (NDP) format refers to a PPDU format that does not include the data field. In other words, NDP is a frame format that includes the PPDU preamble of the general PPDU format (i.e., the L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG fields and other non-traditional SIG, non-traditional STF, and non-traditional LTF (if present)) and does not include the remaining part (i.e., the data field).

[0103] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a PPDU as defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard of this disclosure.

[0104] Various types of PPDUs have been used in standards such as IEEE 802.11a / g / n / ac / ax. The basic PPDU format (IEEE 802.11a / g) includes L-LTF, L-STF, L-SIG, and a data field. The basic PPDU format can also be referred to as a non-HT PPDU format (such as...). Figure 7 (as shown in (a)).

[0105] Compared to the basic PPDU format, the HT PPDU format (IEEE 802.11n) additionally includes the HT-SIG, HT-STF, and HT-LFT fields. Figure 7 The HT PPDU format shown in (b) can be referred to as the HT hybrid format. Furthermore, an HT green format PPDU can be defined, and this corresponds to a format consisting of HT-GF-STF, HT-LTF1, HT-SIG, one or more HT-LTFs and data fields, excluding L-STF, L-LTF, and L-SIG (not shown).

[0106] Compared to the basic PPDU format, examples of the VHT PPDU format (IEEE 802.11ac) additionally include VHTSIG-A, VHT-STF, VHT-LTF, and VHT-SIG-B fields (such as...). Figure 7 (as shown in (c)).

[0107] Compared to the basic PPDU format, examples of the HE PPDU format (IEEE 802.11ax) additionally include repeated L-SIG (RL-SIG), HE-SIG-A, HE-SIG-B, HE-STF, HE-LTF, and Packet Extension (PE) fields (such as...). Figure 7 (as shown in (d)). Some fields can be excluded, or their lengths can vary depending on the detailed examples of the HE PPDU format. For example, the HE-SIG-B field is included in the HE PPDU format for multi-user (MU), but not in the HE PPDU format for single-user (SU). Furthermore, the HE-Trigger-Based (TB) PPDU format does not include HE-SIG-B, and the length of the HE-STF field can vary up to 8 μs. 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 can vary up to 16 μs. For example, RL-SIG can be configured to be the same as L-SIG. Based on the presence of RL-SIG, the receiving STA can determine whether the received PPDU is an HE PPDU or an EHT PPDU, which will be described later.

[0108] EHT PPDU format can include Figure 7 EHT MU (Multi-user) in (e) and Figure 7 The EHT TB (trigger-based) PPDU in (f). The EHT PPDU format is similar to the HE PPDU format in that it includes RL-SIG following L-SIG, but it can include U (generic)-SIG, EHT-SIG, EHT-STF and EHT-LTF following RL-SIG.

[0109] Figure 7 In (e), the EHT MU PPDU corresponds to a PPDU carrying one or more data (or PSDU) for one or more users. That is, the EHT MU PPDU can be used for both SU and MU transmissions. For example, the EHT MU PPDU can correspond to a PPDU for one or more receiving STAs.

[0110] Compared to EHT MU PPDU, Figure 7 In (f), the EHT-SIG is omitted from the EHT TB PPDU. The STA that receives the trigger for UL MU transmission (e.g., trigger frame or trigger response schedule (TRS)) can perform UL transmission based on the EHT TB PPDU format.

[0111] The L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, U-SIG (general signal), and EHT-SIG fields can be encoded and modulated so that even conventional STAs can attempt demodulation and decoding, and can be mapped based on a determined subcarrier frequency interval (e.g., 312.5 kHz). These can be referred to as pre-EHT modulated fields. Next, the EHT-STF, EHT-LTF, data, and PE fields can be encoded and modulated to be demodulated and decoded by an STA that has successfully decoded a non-conventional SIG (e.g., U-SIG and / or EHT-SIG) and obtained the information contained in that field, and can be mapped based on a determined subcarrier frequency interval (e.g., 78.125 kHz). These can be referred to as EHT modulated fields.

[0112] Similarly, in the HE PPDU format, the L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, HE-SIG-A, and HE-SIG-B fields can be referred to as pre-HE modulation fields, and the HE-STF, HE-LTF, data, and PE fields can be referred to as HE modulation fields. Additionally, in the VHT PPDU format, the L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, and VHT-SIG-A fields can be referred to as non-VHT modulation fields, and the VHT STF, VHT-LTF, VHT-SIG-B, and data fields can be referred to as VHT modulation fields.

[0113] Included Figure 7 In the EHT PPDU format, U-SIG can be configured based on, for example, two symbols (e.g., two consecutive OFDM symbols). Each symbol used for U-SIG (e.g., an OFDM symbol) can have a duration of 4 μs, and U-SIG can have a total duration of 8 μs. Each symbol of U-SIG can be used to transmit 26 bits of information. For example, each symbol of U-SIG can be transmitted and received based on 52 data tones and 4 pilot tones.

[0114] U-SIGs can be constructed in 20 MHz units. For example, if an 80 MHz PPDU is constructed, U-SIGs can be replicated. That is, the same four U-SIGs can be included in an 80 MHz PPDU. PPDUs with bandwidths exceeding 80 MHz can include different U-SIGs.

[0115] For example, A uncoded bits can be sent via U-SIG. The first symbol of U-SIG (e.g., U-SIG-1 symbol) can send the first X bits of the total A-bit information, and the second symbol of U-SIG (e.g., U-SIG-2 symbol) can send the remaining Y bits of the total A-bit information. The A-bit information (e.g., 52 uncoded bits) may include a CRC field (e.g., a 4-bit field) and a tail field (e.g., a 6-bit field). For example, the tail field can be used to terminate the lattice structure of the convolutional decoder and can be set to 0.

[0116] Bit information sent via U-SIG can be divided into version-independent bits and version-dependent bits. For example, U-SIG can be included in... Figure 7 The new PPDU format (e.g., UHR PPDU format) not shown in the figure, and may be included 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.

[0117] For example, the size of the version-independent bits in U-SIG can be fixed or variable. Version-independent bits can be assigned only to the U-SIG-1 symbol, or to both the U-SIG-1 and U-SIG-2 symbols. Version-independent bits and version-dependent bits can be referred to by various names, such as first control bits and second control bits.

[0118] For example, the version-independent bits of U-SIG may include a 3-bit Physical Layer Version Identifier (PHY Version Identifier), which can indicate the PHY version (e.g., EHT, UHR, etc.) of the transmitted / received PPDU. The version-independent bits of U-SIG may include a 1-bit UL / DL Flag field. The first value of the 1-bit UL / DL Flag field is related to UL communication, and the second value is related to DL communication. The version-independent bits of U-SIG may include information about the length of the Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) and information about the BSS color ID.

[0119] For example, the version-related bits of U-SIG may include information that directly or indirectly indicates the type of PPDU (e.g., SUPPDU, MU PPDU, TB PPDU, etc.).

[0120] Information required for PPDU transmission and reception can be included in the U-SIG. For example, the U-SIG may also include information about bandwidth, information about the MCS technique applied to non-traditional SIGs (e.g., EHT-SIG or UHR-SIG), information indicating whether DCM (dual-carrier modulation) techniques (e.g., techniques used to achieve effects similar to frequency diversity by reusing the same signal on two subcarriers) are applied to non-traditional SIGs, information about the number of symbols used for non-traditional SIGs, and information about whether non-traditional SIGs are generated across the entire frequency band.

[0121] Some of the information required for PPDU transmission and reception may be included in U-SIG and / or non-traditional SIG (e.g., EHT-SIG or UHR-SIG). For example, information about the type of non-traditional LTF / STF (e.g., EHT-LTF / EHT-STF or UHR-LTF / UHR-STF), the length of the non-traditional LTF and the CP (cyclic prefix) length, the GI (guard interval) applicable to the non-traditional LTF, the preamble punching information applicable to the PPDU, and the resource unit (RU) allocation may be included only in U-SIG, only in non-traditional SIG, or may be indicated by a combination of information included in U-SIG and information included in non-traditional SIG.

[0122] Preamble puncturing can represent the transmission of a PPDU where no signal is present 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) can be defined as 20 MHz, 40 MHz, etc. For example, preamble puncturing can be applied to PPDU bandwidths of a predetermined size or larger.

[0123] exist Figure 7 In the examples, non-traditional SIGs such as HE-SIG-B and EHT-SIG can include control information for receiving STAs. Non-traditional SIGs can be transmitted on at least one symbol, and a symbol can have a length of 4 μs. Information regarding the number of symbols used for EHT-SIGs can be included in previous SIGs (e.g., HE-SIG-A, U-SIG, etc.).

[0124] Non-traditional SIGs such as HE-SIG-B and EHT-SIG can include both public and user-specific fields. These public and user-specific fields can be encoded separately.

[0125] In some cases, the common field can be omitted. For example, in compressed mode using non-OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access), the common field can be omitted, and multiple STAs can receive PPDUs (e.g., the data field of the PPDU) through the same frequency band. In uncompressed mode using OFDMA, multiple users can receive PPDUs (e.g., the data field of the PPDU) through different frequency bands.

[0126] The number of user-specific fields can be determined based on the number of users. A user block field can include up to two user fields. Each user field can be associated with either a MU-MIMO allocation or a non-MU-MIMO allocation.

[0127] The common fields may include CRC bits and tail bits, where the length of the CRC bits can be determined to be 4 bits, and the length of the tail bits can be determined to be 6 bits and set to 000000. The common fields may include RU allocation information. RU allocation information may include information about the locations of RUs assigned to multiple users (i.e., multiple receiving STAs).

[0128] An RU can include multiple subcarriers (or tones). RUs can be used when transmitting signals to multiple STAs based on OFDMA technology. Additionally, RUs can be defined even when transmitting signals to a single STA. Resources can be allocated in units of RUs for non-traditional STFs, non-traditional LTFs, and data fields.

[0129] The appropriate RU size can be defined based on the PPDU bandwidth. RUs can be defined the same or different for the applied PPDU format (e.g., HEPPDU, EHT PPDU, UHR PPDU, etc.). For example, in the case of an 80 MHz PPDU, the RU layout for HEPPDU and EHT PPDU can be different. The appropriate RU size, number and location of RUs, DC (direct current) subcarrier locations and numbers, empty subcarrier locations and numbers, guard subcarrier locations and numbers, etc., for each PPDU bandwidth can be referred to as the tone scheme. For example, a tone scheme for high bandwidth can be defined as multiple iterations of a low-bandwidth tone scheme.

[0130] RUs of various sizes can be defined as 26-tone RUs, 52-tone RUs, 106-tone RUs, 242-tone RUs, 484-tone RUs, 996-tone RUs, 2×996-tone RUs, 3×996-tone RUs, etc. MRUs (Multiple RUs) differ from multiple individual RUs and correspond to a group of subcarriers composed of multiple RUs. For example, an MRU can be defined as 52+26-tone, 106+26-tone, 484+242-tone, 996+484-tone, 996+484+242-tone, 2×996+484-tone, 3×996-tone, or 3×996+484-tone. Furthermore, the multiple RUs constituting an MRU can be consecutive or non-consecutive in the frequency domain.

[0131] The specific size of the RU can be reduced or expanded. Therefore, the specific size of each RU in this disclosure (i.e., the number of corresponding tones) is not limiting but illustrative. In addition, in this disclosure, the number of RUs can vary depending on the RU size within a predetermined bandwidth (e.g., 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz...).

[0132] Figure 7 The names of each field in the PPDU format are exemplary, and the scope of this disclosure is not limited to these names. Furthermore, the examples in this disclosure can be applied to… Figure 7 The PPDU format shown and based on Figure 7 A new PPDU format that excludes some fields and / or adds some fields, based on the PPDU format.

[0133] Resource Unit

[0134] Figures 8 to 10 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a resource unit that can be used in a WLAN system to which this disclosure applies.

[0135] Reference Figures 8 to 10 This section describes the Resource Unit (RU) defined in a wireless LAN system. An RU can include multiple subcarriers (or tones). RUs can be used when transmitting signals to multiple STAs based on an OFDMA scheme. Additionally, RUs can be defined even when a signal is being transmitted to a single STA. RUs can be used for the data field, STF, LTF, etc., of a PPDU.

[0136] like Figures 8 to 10As shown, RUs corresponding to different numbers of tones (i.e., subcarriers) are used to construct some fields of 20MHz, 40MHz, or 80MHz X-PPDUs (where X is HE, EHT, etc.). For example, resources can be allocated using RU cells shown for X-STF, X-LTF, and data fields.

[0137] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary allocation of resource units (RUs) used in a 20 MHz frequency band.

[0138] like Figure 8 As shown at the top, 26 units (i.e., units corresponding to 26 tones) can be allocated. Six tones can be used as guard bands in the leftmost band of the 20 MHz band, and five tones can be used as guard bands in the rightmost band of the 20 MHz band. Additionally, seven DC tones are inserted into the center band (i.e., the DC band), and 26 units corresponding to each of the 13 tones can exist to the left and right of the DC band. Furthermore, 26-units, 52-units, and 106-units can be allocated to other bands. Each unit can be allocated to either a STA or a user.

[0139] Figure 8 The RU allocation is used not only in multi-user (MU) scenarios but also in single-user (SU) scenarios, and in this case, a 242-unit can be used, such as... Figure 8 As shown at the bottom. In this case, three DC tones can be inserted.

[0140] exist Figure 8 The examples illustrate various sizes of RUs, namely 26-RU, 52-RU, 106-RU, 242-RU, etc., but the specific size of these RUs can be reduced or increased. Therefore, in this disclosure, the specific size of each RU (i.e., the number of corresponding tones) is exemplary and not limiting. Furthermore, within a predetermined bandwidth (e.g., 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz, ...) in this disclosure, the number of RUs can vary depending on the size of the RUs. This will be described below. Figure 9 and / or Figure 10 In the example, the fact that the size and / or number of RUs can vary is consistent with... Figure 8 The examples are the same.

[0141] Figure 9 This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary allocation of resource units (RUs) used in a 40 MHz frequency band.

[0142] As in Figure 8Just like the examples that use RUs of various sizes, it is also possible to... Figure 9 Examples use 26-RU, 52-RU, 106-RU, 242-RU, 484-RU, etc. Additionally, 5 DC tones can be inserted at the center frequency, 12 tones can be used as guard bands in the leftmost band of the 40 MHz band, and 11 tones can be used as guard bands in the rightmost band of the 40 MHz band.

[0143] Additionally, as shown, a 484-RU can be used when for single-user applications.

[0144] Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary allocation of resource units (RUs) used in the 80 MHz band.

[0145] As in Figure 8 and Figure 9 Just like the examples that use RUs of various sizes, it is also possible to... Figure 10 Examples use 26-RU, 52-RU, 106-RU, 242-RU, 484-RU, 996-RU, etc. Additionally, in the case of an 80 MHz PPDU, the RU allocation for the HE PPDU and EHT PPDU can be different, and... Figure 10 The example shows an example of RU allocation for an 80 MHz EHT PPDU. Figure 10 The example uses 12 tones as guard bands in the leftmost band of the 80 MHz band and 11 tones as guard bands in the rightmost band of the 80 MHz band, the same scheme as in the HE PPDU and EHT PPDU. Unlike the HE PPDU, where 7 DC tones are inserted into the DC band and there is a 26-RU corresponding to each of the 13 tones on the left and right sides of the DC band, in the EHT PPDU, 23 DC tones are inserted into the DC band, and there is a 26-RU on the left and right sides of the DC band. Unlike the HE PPDU, where one empty subcarrier exists between 242 RUs instead of in the center band, there are five empty subcarriers in the EHT PPDU. In the HE PPDU, a 484-RU does not include an empty subcarrier, but in the EHT PPDU, a 484-RU includes 5 empty subcarriers.

[0146] Additionally, as shown, when used for a single user, the 996-RU can be used, and in this case, like the HEPPDU and EHT PPDU, five DC tones are inserted.

[0147] exist Figure 10In this configuration, an EHT PPDU on 160 MHz can be configured with multiple 80 MHz sub-blocks. The RU allocation for each 80 MHz sub-block can be... Figure 10 The RU allocation is the same for the 80 MHz EHT PPDU. If the 80 MHz sub-block of the 160 MHz or 320 MHz EHT PPDU is not punctured, and the entire 80 MHz sub-block is used as an RU or part of multiple RUs (MRUs), then the 80 MHz sub-block can be used. Figure 10 996-RU.

[0148] Here, an MRU corresponds to a set of subcarriers (or tones) composed of multiple RUs, and the multiple RUs constituting an MRU can be RUs of the same size or RUs of different sizes. For example, a single MRU can be defined as 52+26 tones, 106+26 tones, 484+242 tones, 996+484 tones, 996+484+242 tones, 2×996+484 tones, 3×996 tones, or 3×996+484 tones. The multiple RUs constituting an MRU can correspond to small-sized (e.g., 26, 52, or 106) RUs or large-sized (e.g., 242, 484, or 996) RUs. That is, an MRU including both small-sized and large-sized RUs can be configured / defined without further configuration. Furthermore, the multiple RUs constituting an MRU can be consecutive in the frequency domain or not.

[0149] When an 80 MHz subblock includes RUs with pitches less than 996 or when a portion of an 80 MHz subblock is punched, the 80 MHz subblock can use RUs other than 996-tone RUs for allocation.

[0150] The RU disclosed herein can be used for uplink (UL) and / or downlink (DL) communication. For example, when performing trigger-based UL-MU communication, the STA that sends the trigger (e.g., AP) can assign a first RU (e.g., 26 / 52 / 106 / 242-RU, etc.) and a second RU (e.g., 26 / 52 / 106 / 242-RU, etc.) to a second STA via trigger information (e.g., trigger frame or trigger response schedule (TRS)). Subsequently, the first STA can send a first trigger-based (TB) PPDU based on the first RU, and the second STA can send a second TB PPDU based on the second RU. The first and second TB PPDUs can be sent to the AP within the same time period.

[0151] For example, when configuring a DL MU PPDU, the STA (e.g., AP) sending the DL MU PPDU can assign a first RU (e.g., 26 / 52 / 106 / 242-RU, etc.) to a first STA and a second RU (e.g., 26 / 52 / 106 / 242-RU, etc.) to a second STA. That is, within a single MU PPDU, the sending STA (e.g., AP) can send the X-STF (e.g., X is HE, EHT, etc.), X-LTF, and data fields for the first STA via the first RU, and the X-STF, X-LTF, and data fields for the second STA via the second RU. Information regarding RU allocation can be signaled via the X-SIG field in the X-PPDU format (e.g., X is HE, EHT, U).

[0152] Distributed resource unit

[0153] Due to regulations in each region, power spectral density (PSD) limits can be applied in frequency bands below 7 GHz (e.g., 6 GHz). For non-AP STAs in the low-power indoor (LPI) band, the PSD limit can be -1 dBm / MHz. For example, for a conventional 52-tone RU, the maximum transmitted (Tx) power can be approximately 6 dBm.

[0154] Additionally, different restrictions can be applied in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. For example, in the EU / China / Japan / South Korea, a PSD limit of 10 dBm / MHz can be applied in the 2.4 GHz band. This means that for an existing 52-tone RU, the maximum Tx power could be approximately 17 dBm. If the PSD limit in the 5 GHz band can be avoided, the transmit power can be increased. For example, for an existing 52-tone RU, the maximum transmit power is 24 dBm, which is still 6 dBm lower than the maximum allowable effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) of 30 dBm.

[0155] If the PSD limitation is overcome, transmission power can be increased, thereby improving spectral efficiency or extending range.

[0156] Considering the PSD limit defined per MHz for each STA, when the tones of small-sized RUs are distributed over a wide bandwidth, each tone can be transmitted with high power because the tones for each STA are discontinuous. RUs that include tones distributed in this way are called distributed RUs (DRUs), and to distinguish them, RUs that include continuous tones as defined in conventional wireless LAN systems (e.g., systems according to IEEE 802.11ax, 11be, etc.) can be called conventional RUs (RRUs).

[0157] A STA transmitting DRUs can use higher power compared to a STA transmitting a conventional RRU. For example, a 52-tone DRU spanning 80 MHz has only one tone per MHz, while a 52-tone RRU has approximately 13 tones per MHz. Assuming a PSD limit of -1 dBm / MHz in the 6 GHz LPI band, the transmit power can be increased by 11 dB for a 52-tone RU when using a DRU. This increased transmit power allows for higher MCS applications and supports longer ranges.

[0158] Figure 11 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a DRU that can be applied to this disclosure.

[0159] exist Figure 11 In the example, STA1 performs transmission on DRU1, STA2 performs transmission on DRU2, and STA3 performs transmission on DRU3. Each STA can apply a transmission power boost by using a DRU. By applying higher transmission power to all tones in the DRU compared to using an RRU of the same size, spectral efficiency can be significantly improved. In this way, DRUs can be usefully applied, especially in UL-OFDMA.

[0160] In the case of the AP, DRUs can also be utilized. In some cases, the AP can perform DL-OFDMA transmission to the STA by using only some of DRU1, DRU2, and DRU3, and in this case, the transmission power boost due to the use of DRUs can be applied.

[0161] To maximize power gains, tones within a DRU can be distributed as widely as possible. For example, a DRU comprising one tone per MHz is considered a preferred example. The size of a DRU (or the number of available tones included in a DRU, i.e., the number of remaining tones excluding unavailable tones such as empty tones, guard tones, and DC tones) can be defined to be the same as the size of an RRU (or the number of available tones included in an RRU). Therefore, the impact on various technologies based on existing RRU definitions can be minimized. Examples of achievable power gains (in dB) for various DRUs distributed across different bandwidths are shown below. The examples in the table assume a 6 GHz LPI band, and power gains can also be achieved in other regions in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. For example, in an 80 MHz UL-OFDMA transmission with 8 users, the overall performance can be improved by approximately 8.13 dB when each user uses a 106-tone DRU compared to when each user uses a 106-tone RRU. Therefore, by using DRU, the PSD limitation can be overcome and significant benefits can be obtained.

[0162] [Table 1]

[0163] Figure 12 This diagram illustrates an example format of a trigger frame to which the present disclosure can be applied. A trigger frame may allocate resources for the transmission of one or more TB PPDUs and request the transmission of TB PPDUs. The trigger frame may also include additional information required by the STA that sends the TB PPDU in response. The trigger frame may include public information and user information list fields in the frame body.

[0164] The public information field may include information common to the transmission of one or more TB PPDUs requested by the trigger frame, such as trigger type, UL length, presence of subsequent trigger frames (e.g., more TFs), whether CS (channel sensing) is required, ULBW (bandwidth), etc. Figure 12 An example of the EHT variant public information field format is shown.

[0165] The 4-bit trigger type subfield can have values ​​from 0 to 15. Among them, the values ​​0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the trigger type subfield are defined to correspond to Basic, BFRP (Beamforming Report Polling), MU-BAR (Multi-User Block Acknowledgment Request), MU-RTS (Multi-User Request Sending), BSRP (Buffer Status Report Polling), GCR (Multicast with Retry) MU-BAR, BQRP (Bandwidth Query Report Polling), and NFRP (NDP Feedback Report Polling), and values ​​8-15 are defined as reserved.

[0166] In public information, the trigger-related public information subfields can include information selectively included based on the trigger type.

[0167] Special user information fields can be included in the trigger frame. These fields do not include user-specific information, but do include extended public information not provided in the public information fields.

[0168] The user information list includes at least 0 user information fields. Figure 12 The EHT variant user information field format is illustrated as an example.

[0169] The AID12 subfield essentially indicates that it is a user information field for an STA with a corresponding AID. Additionally, when an AID12 field has a predetermined specific value, it can be used for other purposes, such as allocating Random Access (RA)-RU or configuring it as a special user information field. A special user information field is a user information field that does not include user-specific information but includes extended public information not provided in the public information field. For example, a special user information field can be identified by the AID12 value 2007, and the special user information field flag subfield in the public information field can indicate whether a special user information field is included.

[0170] The RU allocation subfield can indicate the size and location of the RU / MRU. For this purpose, the RU allocation subfield can be interpreted together with the PS160 (primary / secondary 160 MHz) subfield of the user information field, the UL BW subfield of the public information field, etc.

[0171] For example, as shown in Table 2 below, the mapping of B7-B1 of the RU allocation subfield can be defined together with the settings of the B0 and PS160 subfields of the RU allocation subfield. Table 2 shows an example of the encoding of the PS160 subfield and RU allocation subfield of the EHT variant user information field.

[0172] [Table 2]

[0173] When B0 of the RU allocation subfield is set to 0, it indicates that the RU / MRU allocation is applied to the primary 80 MHz channel, and when the value is set to 1, it indicates that the RU allocation is applied to the secondary 80 MHz channel of the primary 160 MHz channel. Similarly, when B0 of the RU allocation subfield is set to 0, it indicates that the RU / MRU allocation is applied to the lower 80 MHz of the secondary 160 MHz channel, and when the value is set to 1, it indicates that the RU allocation is applied to the upper 80 MHz of the secondary 160 MHz channel.

[0174] In the trigger frame RU allocation table in Table 2, it can be based on the formula To calculate parameter N, for bandwidths less than or equal to 80 MHz, the values ​​of PS160, B0, X0, and X1 can be set to 0. For 160 MHz and 320 MHz bandwidths, the values ​​of PS160, B0, X0, and X1 can be set as shown in Table 3. This configuration represents the absolute frequency order for the primary and secondary 80 MHz and 160 MHz channels. The order from left to right represents the order from low frequency to high frequency. The primary 80 MHz channel is indicated as P80, the secondary 80 MHz channel is indicated as S80, and the secondary 160 MHz channel is indicated as S160.

[0175] [Table 3]

[0176] DRU tone scheme-based transmission and reception

[0177] As mentioned earlier, to overcome PSD limitations and improve power gain, DRUs using distributed tone / subcarriers can be applied instead of RRUs using continuous tone / subcarriers. The following explains how to specify the channel and DRU tone plan when triggering a DRU-based transmission via a trigger frame.

[0178] Figure 13 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a method performed by a first STA according to this disclosure.

[0179] The first STA can receive a trigger frame (S1310) that includes a public information field and a special user information field from the access point (AP).

[0180] For example, a first STA can receive a PPDU including a trigger frame from an AP over a first bandwidth. Here, the bandwidth of the TB (trigger-based) PPDU requested by the trigger frame can also be the first bandwidth. The first bandwidth can be 160 MHz, 320 MHz, or a bandwidth greater than or equal to 320 MHz, but is not limited to this.

[0181] The first STA can send a TB PPDU (S1320) to the AP on the first bandwidth based on the trigger frame.

[0182] Here, the public information field or special user information field transmitted in the second bandwidth of the first bandwidth may include a first subfield related to whether a distributed resource unit (DRU) or a predefined unit (i.e., RRU) is applied on the second bandwidth.

[0183] For example, the first bandwidth and the second bandwidth can be the same size. That is, the first subfield can indicate whether the DRU is applied to the entire first bandwidth for sending TB PPDUs.

[0184] As another example, suppose the first bandwidth includes a second bandwidth and a third bandwidth, etc. In this case, the public information field or special user information field that occurs in the third bandwidth of the first bandwidth may include a second subfield related to whether DRU is applied in the third bandwidth, and the size and position (i.e., position on the trigger frame) of each of the first and second subfields may be the same.

[0185] In other words, the first subfield of the trigger frame sent on the second bandwidth indicates whether DRU is applied on the second bandwidth, and the second subfield of the trigger frame sent on the third bandwidth indicates whether DRU is applied on the third bandwidth.

[0186] Alternatively or concurrently, the first subfield may include a first bit diagram, and each bit of the first bit diagram may indicate whether the DRU is applied to the corresponding unit channel (i.e., the unit channel constituting the second bandwidth). In other words, the nth bit (where n is a natural number greater than or equal to 1) of the first bit diagram may indicate whether the DRU is applied to the nth unit bandwidth of the second bandwidth.

[0187] For example, when n is 2, the first bit of the first bit plot indicates whether the DRU is applied to the first unit bandwidth of the second bandwidth, and the second bit of the first bit plot indicates whether the DRU is applied to the second unit bandwidth of the second bandwidth. However, this is just an example, and n can be implemented as a natural number greater than or equal to 2.

[0188] Similarly, the second subfield may include a second bitmap, and each bit of the second bitmap may indicate whether DRU is applied on the corresponding unit channel (i.e., the unit channel constituting the third bandwidth). In other words, the nth bit (where n is a natural number greater than or equal to 1) of the second bitmap may indicate whether DRU is applied to the nth unit bandwidth of the third bandwidth.

[0189] For example, when n is 2, the first bit of the second bitmap indicates whether the DRU is applied to the first unit bandwidth of the third bandwidth, and the second bit of the second bitmap indicates whether the DRU is applied to the second unit bandwidth of the third bandwidth. However, this is just an example, and n can be implemented as a natural number greater than or equal to 2.

[0190] Here, the size of each of the first unit bandwidth and the second unit bandwidth can be 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or 160 MHz.

[0191] Alternatively or concurrently, the public information field or special user information field transmitted in the second bandwidth of the first bandwidth may include a third subfield related to the distributed width (DBW) mode applied to the second bandwidth. Here, based on the indication from the first subfield that no DRU is applied to the second bandwidth, the third subfield may be reserved or used for other purposes.

[0192] Furthermore, the public information field or special user information field transmitted in the third frequency band of the first frequency band may include a fourth sub-field related to the DBW mode applied to the third frequency band, and the size and position of each of the third and fourth sub-fields may be the same.

[0193] As an example of this disclosure, the value indicating the 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode set on the third subfield can be used for the 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode, the P (drilled) 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode, the 20+P 20+40 MHz DBW mode, the P 40+40 MHz DBW mode, or the 20+20+P 40 MHz DBW mode (i.e., for indicating the mode).

[0194] For example, if the lowest or second lowest 20 MHz channel within the second bandwidth is punctured, then the DRU for the punctured channel is not assigned, and therefore the value indicating the 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode on the third subfield can be used for 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode, P20+20+40 MHz DBW mode, and 20+P20+40 MHz DBW mode.

[0195] Furthermore, when puncturing the first 40 MHz channel or the second 40 MHz channel within the second bandwidth, no DRU is allocated for the punctured channel. Therefore, the value indicating the 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode on the third subfield can be used for either the P40+40MHz DBW mode or the 20+20+P40 MHz DBW mode.

[0196] Therefore, the overhead of the third subfield can be reduced, and the DBW mode to be used by each STA can be clearly specified.

[0197] Similarly, the value indicating the 40+20+20 MHz DBW mode set on the third subfield can be used for 40+20+20 MHz DBW mode, 40+P20+20 MHz DBW mode, 40+20+P20 MHz DBW mode, 40+P40 MHz DBW mode, or P40+20+20 MHz DBW mode.

[0198] For example, the value indicating the 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode set on the fourth subfield can be used for 20+20+40MHz DBW mode, P20+20+40 MHz DBW mode, 20+P20+40 MHz DBW mode, P40+40 MHz DBW mode, or 20+20+P40 MHz DBW mode.

[0199] Furthermore, the value indicating the 40+20+20 MHz DBW mode set on the fourth subfield can be used for 40+20+20MHz DBW mode, 40+P20+20 MHz DBW mode, 40+20+P20 MHz DBW mode, 40+P40 MHz DBW mode, or P40+20+20 MHz DBW mode.

[0200] As an example of this disclosure, based on a first bandwidth size of 160 MHz or greater, the trigger frame may include a fifth subfield associated with a DRU tone plan applied to each 80 MHz channel.

[0201] Figure 13 The methods described in the examples can be derived from... Figure 1 The first device (100) is executed. For example, Figure 1 One or more processors (102) of the first device (100) can receive trigger frames containing public information fields and special user information fields from the access point (AP) via one or more transceivers (106). One or more processors (102) can send TB PPDUs to the AP on the first bandwidth based on the trigger frames via one or more transceivers (106).

[0202] Furthermore, one or more memories (104) of the first device (100) may store data that will be executed when performed by one or more processors (102). Figure 13 The instructions for the methods described in the examples or examples described below.

[0203] Figure 14 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a method performed by an AP according to this disclosure.

[0204] The AP can send a trigger frame (S1410) to the first STA, which includes a public information field and a special user information field.

[0205] As described above, the AP can send a PPDU containing a trigger frame to the first STA over a first bandwidth. In this case, the bandwidth of the TB PPDU requested by the trigger frame can also be the first bandwidth. The first bandwidth can be 160 MHz, 320 MHz, or a bandwidth greater than or equal to 320 MHz, but is not limited to these.

[0206] The AP can receive a TB PPDU (S1420) from the first STA on the first bandwidth based on the trigger frame.

[0207] Here, it has been referred to Figure 13 The configuration of the trigger frame and examples of whether the DRU, DBW mode and / or DRU tone plan applied / indicated by the trigger frame are explained, so redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0208] Figure 14 The methods described in the examples can be derived from... Figure 1 The second device (200) is executed. For example, Figure 1 One or more processors (202) of the second device (200) can send a trigger frame containing a public information field and a special user information field to the first STA via one or more transceivers (106). One or more processors (202) can receive TB PPDUs from the first STA on the first bandwidth via one or more transceivers (206) based on the trigger frame.

[0209] Furthermore, one or more memories (204) of the second device (200) may store data that will be executed when processed by one or more processors (202). Figure 14 The instructions for the methods described in the examples or examples described below.

[0210] The following section describes in detail a method for performing DRU-based transfers based on trigger frames.

[0211] As an example of this disclosure, based on Figure 12 The UHR trigger frame shown may include a UHR variant common information field, a UHR variant special user information field, and a UHR variant user information field. Additionally, the UHR variant user information field may include an RU allocation subfield, which can be used to indicate the RU / MRU for each STA.

[0212] As an example of this disclosure, when applying a DRU, the same RU allocation subfield can be used as when applying an RRU. When indicating DRU application (via trigger frames, etc.), the STA can identify it as a DRU-based transmission using defined mapping rules and the DRU tone scheme. That is, even when applying a DRU, it is not necessary to change or additionally define the RU allocation subfield, and the field indicating DRU application can be included on the trigger frame.

[0213] The following implementations relate to methods for indicating whether a DRU is applied to a TB PPDU requested by a trigger frame, and methods for indicating channel and tone plans applied to the TB PPDU.

[0214] Implementation Method 1

[0215] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the trigger frame may include a subfield indicating whether the DRU is applied to a TB PPDU requested by the trigger frame, and the subfield may consist of 1 bit. In one example, the subfield may be included in a UHR variant public information field or a UHR variant special user information field of the trigger frame.

[0216] For example, a subfield can be set on at least one of bits 23 (B22), 27 (B26), 54 (B53), 57 (B56) to 64 (B63) of the UHR variant public information field. That is, the subfield can be set at a position corresponding to a reserved bit in the EHT variant public information field (e.g., an EHT reserved subfield). As another example, a subfield can be set on bits 38 (B37) to 40 (B39) of the special user information field of the trigger frame. That is, the subfield can be set at a position corresponding to a reserved bit in the EHT special user information field. As yet another example, the subfield can be included in the trigger-related public information subfield or the trigger-related user information subfield of the trigger frame.

[0217] For example, if the value of the above subfield is set to 0 (or 1), this can indicate that the RRU is applied to the TB PPDU requested by the trigger frame. If the value of the above subfield is set to 1 (or 0), this can indicate that the DRU is applied to the TB PPDU requested by the trigger frame.

[0218] Alternatively or additionally, the trigger frame may include a subfield (e.g., 1 bit) indicating whether the DRU is applied to the entire bandwidth of the transmitted TB PPDU.

[0219] Alternatively or concurrently, the trigger frame may include a subfield indicating whether the DRU is applied on a specific channel unit (e.g., 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz, etc.). That is, the trigger frame may include a subfield indicating whether the DRU is applied channel-by-channel, and the subfield may include 1 bit of information corresponding to the specific channel.

[0220] Specifically, the (1-bit) information in the trigger frame sent for each channel unit can be different. For example, suppose the following scenario: a 160 MHz TB PPDU is requested via a trigger frame, the bandwidth of the PPDU sending the trigger frame is also 160 MHz, and it indicates whether DRU is applied in 80 MHz units. In this case, the trigger frame sent in the first 80 MHz of the total bandwidth can contain information indicating whether DRU is applied in the first 80 MHz, and the trigger frame sent in the second 80 MHz of the total bandwidth can include information indicating whether DRU is applied in the second 80 MHz.

[0221] In addition, apart from the information indicating whether DRU is applied to each channel, the information within the trigger frame transmitted across the entire bandwidth can be the same.

[0222] Implementation Method 1-1

[0223] Implementation 1-1 relates to a method for indicating a DRU tone plan applied to a TB PPDU via a trigger frame. The number of bits in the subfield of the trigger frame indicating the DRU tone plan applied to the TB PPDU can be determined based on the number of DRU tone plans defined in the UHR. The subfield can be included in the 26th bit (B25) of the UHR variant user information field of the trigger frame (i.e., the bit corresponding to the reserved bit of the EHT variant user information field) and / or the trigger-related user information subfield, etc.

[0224] For example, when 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and 160 MHz DRU tone plans are defined, the subfield indicating the DRU tone plan applied to the TBPPDU can consist of 2 bits. For example, when the field value is set to 0, 1, 2, and 3 respectively, this indicates that the 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and 160 MHz DRU tone plans are applied to the TBPPDU.

[0225] As another example, if 20 MHz, 40 MHz, and 80 MHz DRU tone plans are defined, the subfield indicating the DRU tone plan applied to the TB PPDU can consist of 2 bits. For example, if the field values ​​are set to 0, 1, and 2 respectively, this indicates that the 20 MHz, 40 MHz, and 80 MHz DRU tone plans are applied to the TB PPDU respectively. Furthermore, the value 3 in the subfield can be reserved.

[0226] The subfield indicating the DRU tone plan can only be valid within the channel indicated to apply DRU. That is, within the channel indicated not to apply DRU, the bits corresponding to the subfield indicating the DRU tone plan can be reserved or used to indicate other information.

[0227] When using Implementation 1 and Implementation 1-1, RRUs and DRUs can be separated from the entire channel or the channel instructing DRU application. Furthermore, Implementation 1 and Implementation 1-1 are simpler to implement and have less overhead compared to other examples.

[0228] Implementation Method 2

[0229] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the trigger frame may include a subfield indicating whether the DRU is applied to a TB PPDU requested by the trigger frame, and the subfield may consist of 1 bit. As an example, the subfield may be included in a UHR variant public information field or a UHR variant special user information field of the trigger frame.

[0230] For example, a subfield can be set on at least one of bits 23 (B22), 27 (B26), 54 (B53), 57 (B56) to 64 (B63) of the UHR variant public information field. That is, the subfield can be set at a position corresponding to a reserved bit in the EHT variant public information field (e.g., an EHT reserved subfield). As another example, a subfield can be set on bits 38 (B37) to 40 (B39) of the special user information field of the trigger frame. That is, the subfield can be set at a position corresponding to a reserved bit in the EHT special user information field. As yet another example, the subfield can be included in the trigger-related public information subfield or the trigger-related user information subfield of the trigger frame.

[0231] For example, if the value of the above subfield is set to 0 (or 1), this can indicate that the RRU is applied to the TB PPDU requested by the trigger frame. If the value of the above subfield is set to 1 (or 0), this can indicate that the DRU is applied to the TB PPDU requested by the trigger frame.

[0232] Alternatively or additionally, the trigger frame may include a subfield (e.g., 1 bit) indicating whether the DRU is applied to the entire bandwidth of the transmitted TB PPDU.

[0233] Alternatively or concurrently, the trigger frame may include a subfield indicating whether the DRU is applied on a specific channel unit (e.g., 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz, etc.). That is, the trigger frame may include a subfield indicating whether the DRU is applied channel-by-channel, and the subfield may include 1 bit of information corresponding to the specific channel.

[0234] Specifically, the (1-bit) information in the trigger frame sent for each channel unit can be different. For example, suppose the following scenario: a 160 MHz TB PPDU is requested via a trigger frame, the bandwidth of the PPDU sending the trigger frame is also 160 MHz, and it indicates whether DRU is applied in 80 MHz units. In this case, the trigger frame sent in the first 80 MHz of the total bandwidth can contain information indicating whether DRU is applied in the first 80 MHz, and the trigger frame sent in the second 80 MHz of the total bandwidth can include information indicating whether DRU is applied in the second 80 MHz.

[0235] In addition, apart from the information indicating whether DRU is applied to each channel, the information within the trigger frame transmitted across the entire bandwidth can be the same.

[0236] Implementation Method 2-1

[0237] Implementation method 2-1 relates to a method for indicating a DRU tone plan applied to a TB PPDU via a trigger frame. The number of bits in the subfield of the trigger frame indicating the DRU tone plan applied to the TB PPDU can be determined based on the number of DRU tone plans defined in the UHR. The subfield can be included in the 26th bit (B25) of the UHR variant user information field of the trigger frame (i.e., the bit corresponding to the reserved bit of the EHT variant user information field) and / or the trigger-related user information subfield, etc.

[0238] For example, when 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and 160 MHz DRU tone plans are defined, the subfield indicating the DRU tone plan applied to the TBPPDU can consist of 3 bits. For example, if the subfield value is set to 0, this indicates that the RRU is applied to the TBPPDU. If the subfield values ​​are set to 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively, this indicates that the 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and 160 MHz DRU tone plans are applied to the TBPPDU respectively. Furthermore, values ​​5 through 7 of the subfield can be reserved.

[0239] As another example, when 20 MHz, 40 MHz, and 80 MHz DRU tone plans are defined, the subfield indicating the DRU tone plan applied to the TBPPDU can consist of 2 bits. For example, if the value of the subfield is set to 0, this can indicate that the RRU is applied to the TBPPDU. And if the values ​​of the subfield are set to 1, 2, and 3 respectively, this can indicate that the 20 MHz, 40 MHz, and 80 MHz DRU tone plans are applied to the TBPPDU respectively.

[0240] The subfield indicating the DRU tone plan can only be valid within the channel indicated to apply DRU. That is, within the channel indicated not to apply DRU, the bits corresponding to the subfield indicating the DRU tone plan can be reserved or used to indicate other information.

[0241] When applying Implementation Method 2 and Implementation Method 2-1, RRUs and DRUs can be mixed and applied during TB PPDU transmission, thereby increasing flexibility. Furthermore, Implementation Method 2 and Implementation Method 2-1 can be applied to STAs that do not have DRU capabilities.

[0242] Implementation Method 3

[0243] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the trigger frame may include a subfield indicating whether the DRU is applied to a TB PPDU requested by the trigger frame, and the subfield may consist of a bitmap. In one example, the subfield may be included in a UHR variant public information field or a UHR variant special user information field of the trigger frame.

[0244] For example, a subfield can be set on at least one of bits 23 (B22), 27 (B26), 54 (B53), 57 (B56) to 64 (B63) of the UHR variant public information field. That is, the subfield can be set at a position corresponding to a reserved bit in the EHT variant public information field (e.g., an EHT reserved subfield). As another example, a subfield can be set on bits 38 (B37) to 40 (B39) of the special user information field of the trigger frame. That is, the subfield can be set at a position corresponding to a reserved bit in the EHT special user information field. As yet another example, the subfield can be included in the trigger-related public information subfield or the trigger-related user information subfield of the trigger frame.

[0245] For example, if the subfield value is set to 0 (or 1), this can indicate that the RRU is applied to the TBPPDU requested by the trigger frame. If the subfield value is set to 1 (or 0), this can indicate that the DRU is applied to the TBPPDU requested by the trigger frame. One bit of the bitmap can correspond to a unit bandwidth (e.g., 20 MHz) that constitutes the bandwidth of the TBPPDU, and can be mapped to the bitmap in order of the lowest unit bandwidth.

[0246] The number of bits in the bitmap corresponding to the subfield can be changed according to the TBPPDU bandwidth. For example, when the TBPPDU bandwidth is 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz or 320 MHz, the size of the bitmap corresponding to the subfield can be 1 bit, 2 bits, 4 bits, 8 bits or 16 bits.

[0247] Alternatively, the size of the bitmap corresponding to the subfield can be fixed based on the maximum bandwidth defined in the UHR. For example, if the maximum bandwidth defined in the UHR is 320 MHz, the size of the bitmap corresponding to the subfield can be fixed at 16 bits.

[0248] In this scenario, if the TB PPDU bandwidth is less than 320 MHz, the unit bandwidth can be preferentially mapped to the bits with lower (or higher) bit indices in the bitmap corresponding to the subfield, and the remaining bits (i.e., bits with higher (or lower) bit indices) can be reserved. For example, when requesting a 160 MHz TB PPDU, whether to apply a DRU can be indicated on the 8 bits with lower (or higher) indices, and the remaining index bits can be reserved. In this case, the 8 bits with lower (or higher) indices can indicate whether to apply a DRU in order of lower (or higher) unit bandwidth (e.g., 20 MHz).

[0249] As another example, whether a DRU is applied to a specific channel unit (e.g., 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz) can be indicated via a bitmap on a channel-by-channel basis using trigger frames. That is, the bitmap information of the trigger frames sent for each channel unit can be different.

[0250] For example, suppose a trigger frame requesting a 160 MHz TB PPDU (where the bandwidth of the PPDU sending the trigger frame is also 160 MHz) indicates whether a DRU (Dual Activated Restricted Unit) should be applied in 80 MHz increments. In this case, the trigger frame sent at the first 80 MHz of the total bandwidth may include a 4-bit subfield indicating whether a DRU should be applied in 20 MHz increments, and for each bit of the bitmap corresponding to the subfield, information indicating whether a DRU should be applied can be sequentially set starting from the lower 20 MHz of the first 80 MHz. Similarly, the trigger frame sent at the second 80 MHz of the total bandwidth may include a 4-bit subfield indicating whether a DRU should be applied in 20 MHz increments, and for each bit of the bitmap corresponding to the subfield, information indicating whether a DRU should be applied can be sequentially set starting from the lower 20 MHz of the second 80 MHz.

[0251] In addition, apart from the information indicating whether the DRU is applied to each channel, the information within the trigger frame transmitted across the entire bandwidth can be the same.

[0252] Implementation Method 3-1

[0253] Implementation 3-1 relates to a method for indicating a DRU tone plan applied to a TB PPDU via a trigger frame. The subfields included in the trigger frame indicating the DRU tone plan applied to the TB PPDU via the trigger frame can be the same as the subfields described in Implementation 1-1 and / or Implementation 1-2. Since the application of the DRU is indicated per unit bandwidth (e.g., 20 MHz) via the bitmap-based subfields described in Example 3, it may not be advantageous in terms of overhead to additionally indicate the application of the RRU / DRU via the UHR variant user information field.

[0254] In Implementation 3, the application of DRUs is based on bitmap indication, thus the application of DRUs or RRUs can be easily indicated per channel. Furthermore, when Implementation 3 is applied, RRUs and DRUs can be mixed and applied during TB PPDU transmission, thereby increasing flexibility. In addition, Implementation 3 can be applied to STAs that do not have DRU capabilities.

[0255] Implementation Method 4

[0256] In Implementation 4, the following conditions can be applied. That is, conditions 1 to 3 can be applied to Implementation 4-1, Implementation 4-2, and Implementation 4-3.

[0257] Condition 1: When a DRU is applied to a 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 80 MHz TB PPDU, the 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 80 MHz DRU tone plan can always be applied.

[0258] Condition 2: In a 160 MHz or 320 MHz TB PPDU, an 80 MHz DRU tone scheme can be applied on the basis of an 80 MHz channel.

[0259] Condition 3: When a DRU is applied to a TB PPDU of 80 MHz or higher and a specific channel is punctured, the DRU tone plan corresponding to the channel size can be applied to each unpunctured channel. For example, if a trigger frame requests an 80 MHz TB PPDU and applies a DRU to an 80 MHz channel with a punctured 20 MHz channel, then the 20 MHz tone plan and the 40 MHz tone plan can be applied to the unpunctured 20 MHz and 40 MHz channels, respectively. As another example, if a trigger frame requests an 80 MHz TB PPDU and applies a DRU to an 80 MHz channel with a punctured 40 MHz channel, then the 40 MHz tone plan can be applied to the unpunctured 40 MHz channel.

[0260] Implementation Method 4-1

[0261] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the trigger frame may include a subfield indicating whether the DRU is applied to a TB PPDU requested by the trigger frame, and the subfield may consist of a bitmap. In one example, the subfield may be included in a UHR variant common information field or a UHR variant special user information field of the trigger frame.

[0262] For example, a subfield can be set on at least one of bits 23 (B22), 27 (B26), 54 (B53), 57 (B56) to 64 (B63) of the UHR variant public information field. That is, the subfield can be set at a position corresponding to a reserved bit in the EHT variant public information field (e.g., an EHT reserved subfield). As another example, a subfield can be set on bits 38 (B37) to 40 (B39) of the special user information field in the trigger frame. That is, the subfield can be set at a position corresponding to a reserved bit in the EHT special user information field. As yet another example, the subfield can be included in the trigger-related public information subfield or the trigger-related user information subfield of the trigger frame.

[0263] For example, if the subfield value is set to 0 (or 1), this can indicate that the RRU is applied to the TBPPDU requested by the trigger frame. If the subfield value is set to 1 (or 0), this can indicate that the DRU is applied to the TBPPDU requested by the trigger frame. One bit of the bitmap can correspond to a unit bandwidth (e.g., 80 MHz) that constitutes the bandwidth of the TBPPDU, and can be mapped to the bitmap in order of lowest unit bandwidth.

[0264] The number of bits in the bitmap corresponding to the subfield can be changed according to the TB PPDU bandwidth. For example, when the TB PPDU bandwidth is 20 MHz, 40 MHz, and 80 MHz, the size of the bitmap corresponding to the subfield can be 1 bit. As another example, when the TB PPDU bandwidth is 160 MHz, 320 MHz, 480 MHz, and 640 MHz, the size of the bitmap corresponding to the subfield can be 2 bits, 4 bits, 6 bits, and 8 bits, respectively.

[0265] Alternatively, the size of the bitmap corresponding to the subfield can be fixed based on the maximum bandwidth defined in the UHR. For example, if the maximum bandwidth defined in the UHR is 320 MHz, the size of the bitmap corresponding to the subfield can be fixed at 4 bits. In this case, if the TB PPDU bandwidth is less than 320 MHz, the information indicating whether DRU is applied per unit bandwidth can be mapped to the lower (or higher) bit index first or sequentially.

[0266] For example, when a trigger frame requests a 160 MHz TB PPDU, information indicating whether a DRU is applied to the unit bandwidth (e.g., 80 MHz) constituting the 160 MHz can be set / mapped to each bit of the bitmap in the order of the high (or low) bit indices corresponding to the subfield. Furthermore, the remaining bits of the bitmap corresponding to the subfield can be reserved.

[0267] As another example, when a trigger frame requests a 20 MHz TB PPDU, the information indicating whether the DRU is applied to 20 MHz can be set / mapped on 1 bit of the highest (or lowest) index of the bitmap corresponding to the subfield. Furthermore, the remaining bits of the bitmap (e.g., 3 bits) can be reserved.

[0268] As another example, when a trigger frame requests a 40 MHz TB PPDU, the information indicating whether the DRU is applied to 40 MHz can be set / mapped to 1 bit of the highest (or lowest) index of the bitmap corresponding to the subfield. Furthermore, the remaining bits of the bitmap (e.g., 3 bits) can be reserved.

[0269] As another example, when a trigger frame requests an 80 MHz TB PPDU, the information indicating whether the DRU is applied to 80 MHz can be set / mapped to 1 bit of the highest (or lowest) index of the bitmap corresponding to the subfield. Furthermore, the remaining bits of the bitmap (e.g., 3 bits) can be reserved.

[0270] Alternatively, the trigger frame may indicate via a bitmap whether the DRU is applied to a specific channel unit (e.g., 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz, etc.). That is, the bitmap information of the trigger frame sent for each channel unit may be different.

[0271] For example, suppose a trigger frame requests a 160 MHz TB PPDU (where the bandwidth of the PPDU transmitting the trigger frame is also 160 MHz), and this trigger frame indicates whether a DRU should be applied in 80 MHz increments. In this case, the trigger frame transmitted in the first 80 MHz of the total bandwidth may include a 1-bit subfield indicating whether a DRU is applied to the first 80 MHz of the 160 MHz. And, the trigger frame transmitted in the second 80 MHz of the total bandwidth may include a 1-bit subfield indicating whether a DRU is applied to the second 80 MHz of the 160 MHz. Furthermore, apart from the information indicating whether a DRU is applied for each channel, the information within the trigger frames transmitted across the total bandwidth can be the same.

[0272] As another example, suppose a trigger frame requests a 320 MHz TB PPDU (where the bandwidth of the PPDU transmitting the trigger frame is also 320 MHz), and this trigger frame indicates whether a DRU is applied in 80 MHz increments. In this case, the trigger frame transmitted in the first 160 MHz of the total bandwidth may include a 2-bit subfield indicating whether a DRU is applied, starting from the lower (or higher) 80 MHz channel within the first 160 MHz. And, the trigger frame transmitted in the second 160 MHz of the total bandwidth may include a 2-bit subfield indicating whether a DRU is applied, starting from the lower (or higher) 80 MHz channel within the second 160 MHz. Furthermore, apart from the information indicating whether a DRU is applied for each channel, the information within the trigger frames transmitted across the total bandwidth can be the same.

[0273] When transmitting 20 MHz, 40 MHz, and 80 MHz TB PPDUs, the trigger frame may include a bitmap-based subfield indicating whether a DRU is applied to the channel corresponding to the bandwidth.

[0274] Implementation Method 4-2

[0275] Implementation 4-2 relates to a method for indicating puncturing information. That is, the trigger frame may include indication information related to puncturing applied to a channel of 80 MHz or higher for transmitting the TB PPDU. Depending on whether puncturing is applied to a specific channel, the DRU tone schedule applied to the TB PPDU can be modified.

[0276] A subfield containing instruction information related to punching can be set in at least one of the 23rd bit (B22), 27th bit (B26), 54th bit (B53), 57th bit (B56) to 64th bit (B63) of the UHR variant public information field. That is, the subfield can be set in a position corresponding to a reserved bit in the EHT variant public information field (e.g., an EHT reserved subfield). As another example, a subfield can be set in the 38th bit (B37) to 40th bit (B39) of the special user information field of the trigger frame. That is, the subfield can be set in a position corresponding to a reserved bit in the EHT special user information field. As yet another example, the subfield can be included in the trigger-related public information subfield or the trigger-related user information subfield of the trigger frame.

[0277] As an example of this disclosure, puncturing instruction information for non-OFDMA cases defined in U-SIG can be used. Alternatively, a reserved value of U-SIG can be used to indicate an additional puncturing mode. The puncturing mode can indicate the puncturing status of the entire channel and the channel to which the entire DRU is applied. Therefore, the receiving STA can perform various operations using the additional puncturing mode.

[0278] Alternatively or additionally, a subfield indicating instruction information related to puncturing may include a bitmap. If each bit value of the bitmap is set to 0 (or 1), this may indicate that the channel corresponding to that bit has been punctured. As another example, if each bit value of the bitmap is set to 1 (or 0), this may indicate that the channel corresponding to that bit has not been punctured.

[0279] Additionally, the number of bits in the bitmap corresponding to the subfield can be changed according to the TB PPDU bandwidth. For example, when the TB PPDU bandwidth is 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz, the size of the bitmap corresponding to the subfield can be 1 bit, 2 bits, 4 bits, 8 bits, or 16 bits.

[0280] Alternatively, the size of the bitmap corresponding to the subfield can be fixed based on the maximum bandwidth defined in the UHR. For example, if the maximum bandwidth defined in the UHR is 320 MHz, the size of the bitmap corresponding to the subfield can be fixed at 16 bits.

[0281] Here, if the TB PPDU bandwidth is less than 320 MHz, the unit bandwidth can be preferentially mapped to the bit with the lower (or higher) bit index in the bitmap corresponding to the subfield, and the remaining bits can be reserved.

[0282] As another example, when a trigger frame requests a 160 MHz TB PPDU, information about whether puncturing is applied sequentially based on the lowest 20 MHz channel can be set / mapped to each of the 8 bits in the low (or high) index, and the remaining 8 bits can be reserved. Therefore, various puncturing modes can be indicated compared to non-OFDMA puncturing instructions.

[0283] Alternatively, the punch instruction information can be indicated via a bitmap, but the punch instruction information can be applied only to the 80 MHz frequency of the DRU application. Furthermore, the punch instruction information can be set starting from a lower (or higher) frequency of 80 MHz.

[0284] For example, suppose in a 320 MHz channel, the 80 MHz channels for applying DRU are the first 80 MHz and the last 80 MHz. For example, the size of the bitmap containing instruction information related to puncturing could be 8 bits. And, for each bit of the bitmap, information indicating whether puncturing is applied sequentially based on the lowest (or highest) 20 MHz channel can be mapped.

[0285] Alternatively or additionally, the trigger frame may include a bitmap indicating whether puncturing is applied to a specific channel unit (e.g., 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz). In this case, the trigger frame requesting a 20 MHz or 40 MHz TB PPDU may not include a bitmap. That is, the information mapped to the bitmap on the trigger frame sent for each channel unit may be different.

[0286] For example, a trigger frame requesting a 160 MHz TB PPDU (where the bandwidth of the PPDU containing the trigger frame is also 160 MHz) can indicate whether puncturing should be applied in 80 MHz increments. In this case, the trigger frame transmitted at the first 80 MHz of the 160 MHz spectrum can include a 4-bit subfield (i.e., a bitmap) where bits are mapped to indicate whether puncturing should be applied sequentially based on the lowest (or highest) 20 MHz channel of the first 80 MHz spectrum. Similarly, a trigger frame transmitted at the second 80 MHz of the 160 MHz spectrum can include a 4-bit subfield (i.e., a bitmap) where bits are mapped to indicate whether puncturing should be applied sequentially based on the lowest (or highest) 20 MHz channel of the second 80 MHz spectrum.

[0287] Alternatively or additionally, the trigger frame may include a bitmap indicating whether puncturing is applied to a specific channel unit (e.g., 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz). In this case, the bitmap may not be included in the trigger frame requesting a 20 MHz or 40 MHz TB PPDU. That is, the presence or absence of the bitmap and the type of related information may vary in the trigger frame sent for each channel unit.

[0288] For example, suppose the trigger frame requests a 320 MHz TB PPDU (where the bandwidth of the PPDU transmitting the trigger frame is also 320 MHz), and the DRU is applied to the first 80 MHz and the last 80 MHz. In this case, the (4-bit) bitmap / subfield for the puncturing instruction can be included only in the trigger frames transmitted at the first 80 MHz and the last 80 MHz. For example, information / bits indicating whether puncturing is based on the lowest (or highest) 20 MHz of the first / last 80 MHz can be mapped onto the bitmap / subfield.

[0289] When implementing method 4-2, the overhead of puncturing instructions for specific channels with bandwidth can be reduced.

[0290] Implementation Method 4-3

[0291] Implementation 4-3 relates to a method for indicating a DRU tone plan applied to a TB PPDU.

[0292] When a DRU is applied to each 80 MHz channel in a bandwidth of 160 MHz or greater, an 80 MHz DRU tone scheme can be applied if no punched channel exists. Alternatively, a 160 MHz DRU tone scheme can be applied in a bandwidth of 160 MHz or greater.

[0293] Information indicating the DRU tone plan applied to the TB PPDU (e.g., information indicating whether a 160 MHz DRU tone plan is applied) may be included in the 26th bit (B25) of the UHR variant user information field of the trigger frame (i.e., the bit corresponding to the reserved bit of the EHT variant user information field) and / or the trigger-related user information subfield, etc.

[0294] For example, a trigger frame may include a 1-bit subfield indicating whether a 160 MHz DRU tone plan is applied. For example, suppose the DRU is indicated to be applied to a specific 80 MHz (of 160 MHz), and there is no punched channel in that specific 80 MHz.

[0295] In this scenario, if the subfield value is set to 0 (or 1), it indicates that the 80 MHz DRU tone plan is applied to a specific 80 MHz channel. If a punched channel exists, the 20 MHz or 40 MHz DRU tone plan can be applied to an unpunched channel. If it indicates that no DRU is applied, the RRU tone plan can be applied to a specific 80 MHz channel. Furthermore, consider the following scenario: the DRU is indicated to be applied to two 80 MHz channels constituting a 160 MHz channel, and there are no punched channels in the entire 160 MHz channel. In this case, if the subfield value is set to 1 (or 0), it indicates that the 160 MHz DRU tone plan is applied to the specific 80 MHz channel as well as the 80 MHz channel adjacent to the specific 80 MHz channel.

[0296] When a DRU is applied to two consecutive 80 MHz channels constituting a 160 MHz channel within a bandwidth of 160 MHz or greater, and no puncturing channel exists within that 160 MHz channel, the subfield indicating whether a 160 MHz DRU tone scheme is applied may be valid. When a DRU is not applied to two consecutive 80 MHz channels constituting a 160 MHz channel within a bandwidth of 160 MHz or greater, or when a specific channel within that 160 MHz channel is punctured, the subfield may be reserved or used for other purposes.

[0297] Alternatively or additionally, the subfield indicating whether a 160 MHz DRU tone scheme is applied can be included in the UHR variant common information field or the UHR variant special user information field. For example, the subfield can be set in at least one of the 23rd bit (B22), 27th bit (B26), 54th bit (B53), 57th bit (B56) to 64th bit (B63) of the UHR variant common information field. That is, the subfield can be set in a position corresponding to a reserved bit in the EHT variant common information field (e.g., an EHT reserved subfield). As another example, the subfield can be set in the 38th bit (B37) to 40th bit (B39) of the special user information field of the trigger frame. That is, the subfield can be set in a position corresponding to a reserved bit in the EHT special user information field. As another example, the above subfield can be included in the trigger-related common information subfield or the trigger-related user information subfield of the trigger frame.

[0298] Here, the subfield indicating whether to apply the 160 MHz DRU tone scheme can be composed of a bitmap. For example, when requesting a 160 MHz TB PPDU, the bitmap size can be 1 bit, and when requesting a 320 MHz TB PPDU, the bitmap size can be 2 bits.

[0299] As another example, the bitmap size can be 2 bits regardless of the bandwidth size of the TB PPDU requested by the trigger frame. In this case, when requesting a 160 MHz TB PPDU, only specific bits of the bitmap (e.g., 1 bit) can be used and the remaining bits reserved. And when requesting a 320 MHz TB PPDU, the first bit of the bitmap can indicate whether the 160 MHz DRU tone scheme applies to the higher (or lower) 160 MHz of the 320 MHz band, and the second bit of the bitmap can indicate whether the 160 MHz DRU tone scheme applies to the lower (or higher) 160 MHz of the 320 MHz band.

[0300] For example, if a DRU is applied to two consecutive 80 MHz channels constituting a 160 MHz channel and there is no punctured channel, then a 0 set in each bit of the bitmap can indicate / indicate that an 80 MHz DRU tone plan is applied to each 80 MHz channel. Here, if a punctured channel exists, then a 20 MHz or 40 MHz DRU tone plan can be applied to the remaining 80 MHz channels excluding the punctured channels. Furthermore, if there is no indication that a DRU is applied to an 80 MHz channel, then an RRU tone plan can be applied to the 80 MHz channel.

[0301] Furthermore, assume that the DRU is applied to two 80 MHz channels that constitute a 160 MHz channel, and there are no puncturing channels in the entire 160 MHz channel. In this case, setting each bit of the bitmap to 1 can indicate that the 160 MHz DRU tone scheme is applied to a specific 160 MHz channel.

[0302] Alternatively or concurrently, the trigger frame may indicate information about the DRU tone plan via a bitmap for a specific channel unit (e.g., 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz). That is, the bitmap information associated with the DRU tone plan for the trigger frame sent for each channel unit may be different.

[0303] For example, the size of a bitmap indicating a DRU tone plan in units of 80 MHz or 160 MHz (e.g., an 80 MHz or 160 MHz DRU tone plan) can be 1 bit, and the size of a bitmap indicating a DRU tone plan in units of 320 MHz can be 2 bits.

[0304] For example, the first bit of a bitmap indicating a DRU tone plan in 320 MHz units can indicate whether a 160 MHz DRU is applied to the higher (or lower) 160 MHz of 320 MHz, and the second bit of the bitmap can indicate whether a 160 MHz DRU is applied to the lower (or higher) 160 MHz of 320 MHz.

[0305] Furthermore, if the trigger frame includes a bitmap indicating the DRU tone plan in 80 MHz units, the bitmap can be configured to be the same as the DRU tone plan indication bitmap included in the UHR variant user information field.

[0306] The subfield indicating whether a 160 MHz DRU tone plan is applied may be valid if the DRU is applied to a bandwidth of 160 MHz or greater and there are no puncturing channels within the two 80 MHz channels constituting the 160 MHz band and the corresponding consecutive 80 MHz channels. If the DRU is not applied to a bandwidth of 160 MHz or greater, or if puncturing channels exist within the two 80 MHz channels constituting the 160 MHz band and the corresponding consecutive 80 MHz channels, the subfield may be reserved or used for other purposes.

[0307] Implementation Method 5

[0308] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the UHR variant common information field or UHR variant special user information field of the trigger frame may include the distributed bandwidth (DBW) of the channel using the DRU and / or a subfield to which the DRU is applied. The subfield may be set / mapped to the location of the subfield described in Example 1 and / or Example 1-1.

[0309] Here, DBW can represent the size of the channel in which the DRU is distributed, and the indication of DBW can be the same as the indication of whether a DRU tone plan is applied for that channel size.

[0310] Trigger frames that trigger TB PPDUs with a specific bandwidth (BW) or greater may have different information / values ​​set in subfields indicating the channel using the DRU and / or the distributed bandwidth of the applied DRU (taking into account the type of RU applied per channel in the TB PPDU). In this case, the bandwidth of the PPDU including the trigger frame may also be the same as the bandwidth of the TB PPDU.

[0311] Additionally, depending on the bandwidth of the TB PPDU, the number of bits in the subfield indicating the channel using the DRU and / or the distributed bandwidth to which it is applied can be set to different values. As another example, the number of bits in the subfield can be fixed regarding the bandwidth requiring the most bits.

[0312] The subfields included in the trigger frame for triggering a TB PPDU of 80 MHz or greater (i.e., the subfield indicating the channel used by the DRU and / or the distributed bandwidth of the DRU applied according to the bandwidth of the TB PPDU for an 80 MHz channel) can be set to different values ​​for an 80 MHz channel. Below, we describe the types of information that the subfields within the trigger frame can indicate based on the bandwidth size of the TB PPDU.

[0313] - 20 MHz BW: The above subfield may include: i) information indicating the use of the RRU at 20 MHz and / or ii) information indicating the application of a DBW with the same size as the BW (i.e., a 20 MHz DBW). If the above subfield is configured with a different number of bits for each BW, then the above subfield may require 1 bit. If the above subfield is configured with the same number of bits for each BW, then the remaining values ​​other than the two specific values ​​of the above subfield (e.g., values ​​associated with i and / or ii respectively, which are set for each BW) may be reserved or used for other purposes.

[0314] - 40 MHz BW: The above subfield may include: i) information indicating the use of the RRU at 40 MHz and / or ii) information indicating the application of a DBW with the same size as the BW (i.e., a 40 MHz DBW). If the above subfield is configured with a different number of bits for each BW, then the above subfield may require 1 bit. If the above subfield is configured with the same number of bits for each BW, then the remaining values ​​other than the two specific values ​​of the above subfield (e.g., values ​​associated with i and / or ii respectively, which are set for each BW) may be reserved or used for other purposes.

[0315] Additionally, the subfield may include information indicating iii) that the 20 MHz DBW is applied to each 20 MHz channel constituting 40 MHz. If the subfield has a different number of bits per BW configuration, the subfield may require 2 bits, and one of the 2-bit values ​​may be reserved or used for other purposes. If the subfield has the same number of bits per BW configuration and the subfield has more than 2 bits, the remaining values ​​other than those associated with each of the specific three values ​​of the subfield (e.g., i), ii), and / or iii) set by BW) may be reserved or used for other purposes.

[0316] - 80 MHz BW: The above subfield may include: i) information indicating the use of the RRU at 80 MHz, ii) information indicating the application of a DBW with the same size as the BW (i.e., an 80 MHz DBW), and / or iii) information indicating the DBW mode (e.g., 20+20+40 MHz / 40+20+20 MHz DBW mode). Here, the information indicating the DBW mode may indicate a 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode or a 40+20+20 MHz DBW mode. Based on the lower frequency channel, 20 MHz, 20 MHz, and 40 MHz DBWs may be applied sequentially, or 40 MHz, 20 MHz, and 20 MHz DBWs may be applied.

[0317] Here, if the subfield is configured with a different number of bits for each BW, the subfield may require 2 bits. If the subfield is configured with the same number of bits for each BW and the number of bits in the subfield is greater than 2, the remaining values ​​other than the four specific values ​​of the subfield (e.g., the values ​​associated with each of i, ii, and iii set for each BW) can be reserved or used for other purposes.

[0318] Additionally, the aforementioned subfield may include at least one of the following: information indicating P20+20+40 MHz DBW mode, information indicating P40+40 MHz DBW mode, information indicating P40+20+20 MHz DBW mode, information indicating 1001 mode, information indicating 40 MHz RRU+40 MHz DBW mode, and information indicating 40 MHz RRU+20+20 MHz DBW mode.

[0319] For example, the P20+20+40 MHz DBW mode is a mode where a 20 MHz channel is punctured, and depending on the location of the punctured 20 MHz channel, there can be four possible modes. The P40+40 MHz DBW mode is a mode where a 40 MHz channel is punctured, and depending on the location of the punctured 40 MHz channel, there can be two possible modes. The P40+20+20 MHz DBW mode is a mode where a 40 MHz channel is punctured, and depending on the location of the punctured 40 MHz channel, there can be two possible modes.

[0320] The 40 MHz RRU+40 MHz DBW mode is a mode in which an RRU is applied to one 40 MHz channel and a 40 MHz DBW is applied to another 40 MHz channel. Depending on the type of 40 MHz channel used (RRU or DRU), two such modes can exist. The 40 MHz RRU+20+20 MHz DBW mode is a mode in which an RRU is applied to one 40 MHz channel and a 20 MHz DBW is applied to each of the two 20 MHz channels constituting the other 40 MHz channel. Again, depending on the type of channel used (RRU or DRU), two such modes can exist.

[0321] Furthermore, mode 1001 involves puncturing the two middle 20 MHz channels. There can be a mode where 20 MHz DBW is applied to each of the two unpunctured 20 MHz channels, and a mode where 40 MHz DBW is applied by treating the two unpunctured 20 MHz channels as a single 40 MHz case. Additionally, there can be two modes where RRU is applied to one of the two unpunctured 20 MHz channels, and 20 MHz DBW is applied to the other 20 MHz channel.

[0322] Some of the patterns described above may be included / applied, while others may not be included / applied. Additionally, if the subfield is configured with a different number of bits for each BW, the size of the subfield can be defined as 2 bits, 3 bits, 4 bits, or 5 bits, depending on the number of defined patterns. Furthermore, values ​​within the subfield other than those indicating the patterns described above can be reserved or used for other purposes. As another example, if the subfield is configured with the same number of bits for each BW, the subfield can contain more bits than required by the patterns described above, and values ​​within the subfield other than those indicating the patterns described above can be reserved or used for other purposes.

[0323] - For each 80 MHz channel under a BW of 80 MHz or greater: the pattern used under the 80 MHz BW can be used as is. In this case, the name 80 MHz DBW can be used instead of DBW with the same size as the BW. As another example, "40 MHz RRU+40 MHz DBW" and "40 MHz RRU+20+20 MHz DBW" can be omitted. In this case, the above patterns can be defined only under the 80 MHz BW.

[0324] Additionally, the 160 MHz DBW mode is a mode in which 160 MHz DBW is applied to a 160 MHz channel configured with a specific 80 MHz channel. The 160 MHz DBW mode can be indicated by the aforementioned subfields.

[0325] Some of the patterns described above may be included / applied, while others may not be included / applied. Additionally, if the subfield is configured with a different number of bits for each BW, the size of the subfield can be defined as 2 bits, 3 bits, 4 bits, or 5 bits, depending on the number of defined patterns. Furthermore, values ​​within the subfield other than those indicating the patterns described above can be reserved or used for other purposes. As another example, if the subfield is configured with the same number of bits for each BW, the subfield can contain more bits than required by the patterns described above, and values ​​within the subfield other than those indicating the patterns described above can be reserved or used for other purposes.

[0326] Implementation Method 5-1

[0327] Implementation 5-1 relates to a method of indicating other modes by indicating a specific mode. When various modes are supported but other modes can be indicated by indicating a specific mode, the number of bits in the subfield used to indicate the mode can be reduced, thereby reducing overhead.

[0328] As an example of this disclosure, the 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode, as well as the P20+20+40 MHz DBW mode and the 20+P20+40 MHz DBW mode, can be indicated by the 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode (i.e., by information indicating the 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode). If the lowest (or second lowest) 20 MHz channel is punctured, no DRU is assigned to the punctured channel, and accordingly, the above mode can be indicated by the 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode. In this case, the DRU assignment for the channel can be indicated / applied by the RU assignment subfield of the UHR variant user information field.

[0329] Additionally, the P40+40 MHz DBW mode can be indicated via the 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode (i.e., by indicating the 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode information). When the first 40 MHz is punctured, no DRU is assigned to the punctured channel, and correspondingly, the P40+40 MHz DBW mode can be indicated via the 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode.

[0330] Additionally, the 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode can be indicated by the 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode (i.e., by information indicating the 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode). When the second 40 MHz is punctured, no DRU is assigned to the punctured channel, and correspondingly, the 20+20+P40 MHz DBW mode can be indicated by the 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode.

[0331] As another example of this disclosure, the 40+20+20 MHz DBW mode, as well as the 40+P20+20 MHz DBW mode and the 40+20+P20 MHz DBW mode, can be indicated by the 40+20+20 MHz DBW mode (i.e., by information indicating the 40+20+20 MHz DBW mode). If the second highest or highest 20 MHz channel is punctured, no DRU is assigned to the punctured channel, and accordingly, the aforementioned modes can be indicated.

[0332] Furthermore, if the second 40 MHz channel is punctured, no DRU is assigned to the punctured channel, and correspondingly, the P40+20+20 MHz DBW mode can be indicated by the 40+20+20 MHz DBW mode. And, if the first 40 MHz channel is punctured, no DRU is assigned to the punctured channel, and correspondingly, the other modes mentioned above can be indicated by the 40+20+20 MHz DBW mode.

[0333] The above mode indication method may not include an RRU indication method. In this case, a 1-bit subfield related to whether DRU or RRU is applied can be additionally defined as described in the embodiments above. In this case, the subfield for DBW mode indication is only valid when DRU is applied. When RRU is applied, the subfield for DBW mode indication can be reserved or used for other purposes.

[0334] Implementation Method 5-2

[0335] Implementation 5-2 relates to a DRU application indication method and a DBW mode indication method based on Implementation 5 and Implementation 5-1. That is, in order to reduce the overhead of the subfields used to indicate the DBW mode in Implementation 5 / Implementation 5-1, the DRU application indication method can be applied, and the information described in Example 1 can be indicated through a UHR variant public information field or a UHR variant special user information field.

[0336] When executing a DRU application command, the subfield for indicating the DBW mode described in Implementation 5 / Implementation 5-1 may not be needed in the channel where an RRU is applied instead of a DRU. That is, when an RRU is applied, the field for indicating the DBW mode can be reserved or used for other purposes, which may be advantageous in terms of overhead.

[0337] In addition, even when DRU is used instead of RRU, the subfield for indicating DBW mode in Implementation 5 / Implementation 5-1 can be used, and it may not be necessary to indicate whether RRU is applied to the entire channel.

[0338] The following describes the methods used to guide the application of DRU.

[0339] Method 1

[0340] As in Method 1, by considering the entire bandwidth of the TB PPDU, it is possible to indicate whether a DRU or only an RRU is applied using a 1-bit information (or subfield). Method 1 can be the same as the method for indicating that a DRU is applied to the entire bandwidth in the DRU application indication method described in Embodiment 1 or / and Embodiment 2.

[0341] In Method 1, if a DRU is applied to at least a specific channel within the entire bandwidth of a TB PPDU, then the application of a DRU can be indicated. This can reduce the signaling overhead and complexity for indicating the application of a DRU. However, if the subfield for indicating the DBW mode in Implementation 5 / Implementation 5-1 is applied, then in the case of triggering a TB PPDU with a specific bandwidth or larger, information indicating whether an RRU is applied may always be needed.

[0342] Method 2

[0343] In Method 2, a single bit of information (or subfield) can be used to indicate whether a DRU is applied to a specific channel unit (e.g., 80 MHz unit) above a specific bandwidth (e.g., 80 MHz unit) or only an RRU is applied. Other methods can be the same as Method 1. In the methods for indicating DRU application in Embodiment 1 and / or Embodiment 2, the method for indicating whether a DRU is applied to a specific channel unit can be the same as in Method 2.

[0344] Different information can be sent for each specific channel unit (via trigger frame). For example, if a DRU is applied to some channels within a specific channel, the information indicating the application of the DRU can be included in the trigger frame sent to the specific channel. When applying method 2, when applying the subfield for indicating the DBW mode in implementation 5 / implementation 5-1, it is not necessary to indicate whether the RRU is applied to the entire specific channel unit, thereby reducing overhead.

[0345] Method 3

[0346] When the bandwidth exceeds a certain threshold (e.g., 80 MHz), a bitmap can be used to indicate whether a DRU or only an RRU is applied. That is, each bit in the bitmap can indicate whether a DRU or an RRU is applied on the corresponding channel. Furthermore, the channel size corresponding to each bit can be 80 MHz or 160 MHz, but is not limited to these.

[0347] When a specific bandwidth is exceeded (e.g., 80 MHz), a bitmap indicating whether to apply a DRU or only an RRU can be applied / configured differently for a specific channel unit (e.g., 160 MHz). That is, method 3 can be the same as the method of indicating whether to apply a DRU in embodiments 3 and 4, and method 1 can be applied to the remaining bandwidth other than the specific channel.

[0348] The number of bits in a subfield containing a bitmap can vary depending on the TB PPDU bandwidth. For example, when the channel size corresponding to each bit of the bitmap is 80 MHz, the bitmap subfield can be 1 bit for bandwidths of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, and 80 MHz, the bitmap subfield can be 2 bits for bandwidths of 160 MHz, and the bitmap subfield can be 4 bits for bandwidths of 320 MHz.

[0349] Alternatively, the number of bits in a subfield can be fixed according to the maximum bandwidth defined in the UHR. For example, suppose the number of bits in a subfield is fixed. In this case, if the TB PPDU bandwidth is less than 320 MHz, the bits with the lowest (or highest) bit index in the bitmap included in the subfield can be used preferentially, and the bits with higher (or lower) indices can be reserved.

[0350] Alternatively, whether a DRU is applied to a specific channel unit (e.g., 160 MHz) can be indicated for each channel in bitmap format via a trigger frame. That is, the bitmap information of the trigger frame sent for each channel unit can be different.

[0351] For example, suppose a trigger frame requesting a 320 MHz TB PPDU (where the bandwidth of the PPDU sending the trigger frame is also 320 MHz) indicates whether a DRU is applied in 160 MHz increments. In this case, the trigger frame sent at each 160 MHz interval could use a subfield based on a 2-bit bitmap to indicate whether a DRU is applied in 80 MHz increments. The aforementioned subfields included in the trigger frame can be configured differently for each channel, but the remaining information included in the trigger frame can be the same regardless of the channel.

[0352] For example, each bit of the 2-bit bitmap can correspond to each 80 MHz that makes up 160 MHz. And the first bit of the bitmap can indicate whether the DRU is applied to the lower 80 MHz of 160 MHz, and the second bit of the bitmap can indicate whether the DRU is applied to the higher 80 MHz of 160 MHz.

[0353] When a DRU is applied to some channels within a specific channel corresponding to a specific bit of a bitmap, that specific bit of the bitmap can indicate that a DRU has been applied. When using method 3, when applying the subfield of Example 5 / Example 5-1 used to indicate the DBW mode, it may not be necessary to indicate whether an RRU is applied to the entire channel corresponding to each bit of the bitmap. Therefore, overhead can be reduced.

[0354] Implementation Method 5-3

[0355] As an implementation of this disclosure, it is assumed that implementation 5 / implementation 5-1 / implementation 5-2 is applied (for example, when the specific channel unit is 80 MHz).

[0356] The subfield used to indicate the DBW mode in Example 5 / Example 5-1 may only be valid within a channel where a DRU is applied instead of an RRU. Otherwise, the bits of the subfield may be reserved or used for other purposes.

[0357] As an example of this disclosure, for a 20 MHz bandwidth, since only one possible DBW mode exists, even if there is an indication to apply DRU instead of RRU, the subfield for indicating the DBW mode in Embodiment 5 / Embodiment 5-1 is not required. Therefore, the bits of the subfield can be reserved or used for other purposes.

[0358] As another example of this disclosure, for a 40 MHz bandwidth, even without an indication to apply DRU instead of RRU when a 20+20 MHz DBW mode is defined, the subfield for indicating the DBW mode in Embodiment 5 / Embodiment 5-1 may not be necessary. Therefore, the bits of the subfield can be reserved or used for other purposes.

[0359] When considering a 20+20 MHz DBW mode and indicating the application of DRU instead of RRU, the subfield for indicating the DBW mode in Embodiment 5 / Embodiment 5-1 can be applied. Furthermore, except for Method 1 in Embodiment 5-2, the information in the subfield indicating whether RRU is applied to the entire channel may not be necessary.

[0360] As another example of this disclosure, for each 80 MHz channel in the 80 MHz bandwidth and bandwidths greater than 80 MHz, if the application of DRU instead of RRU is indicated, the subfield for indicating the DBW mode in Example 5 / Example 5-1 can be applied. Furthermore, except for method 1 of implementation 5-2, the information in the subfield indicating whether the RRU is applied to the entire channel may not be required.

[0361] Furthermore, by applying the redundancy mode indication method described in Embodiment 5 / Embodiment 5-1, a subfield for indicating the DBW mode can be configured.

[0362] Figure 15 This diagram illustrates the PPDU transmission and reception process between a transmitting STA and a receiving STA according to one embodiment of this disclosure. Depending on the situation and / or setup, this may be omitted. Figure 15 Some of the steps are shown below. The transmitting device and the receiving STA can be an AP and / or a non-AP STA.

[0363] The STA can acquire control information related to the tone plan (or RU / DRU) (S105). The control information related to the tone plan may include information about the size and location of the RU, control information related to the RU, information about the frequency band that includes the RU, and information about the STA receiving the RU.

[0364] The STA can construct / generate a PPDU based on the acquired control information (S110). Constructing / generating a PPDU can refer to constructing / generating each field of the PPDU. That is, the step of constructing / generating a PPDU may include the step of constructing / configuring the EHT-SIG-A / B / C fields, which include control information for the tone plan.

[0365] In other words, the steps of constructing / generating a PPDU may include constructing / configuring a field that includes control information (e.g., an N-bitmap) indicating the size / location of the RU and / or constructing / configuring a field that includes an identifier (e.g., an AID) of the STA receiving the RU.

[0366] Additionally, the steps of constructing / generating PPDUs may include generating an STF / LTF sequence transmitted via a specific RU. The STF / LTF sequence can be generated based on a pre-configured STF generation sequence / LTF generation sequence.

[0367] Additionally, the steps of constructing / generating a PPDU may include generating a data field (i.e., an MPDU) that is sent through a specific RU.

[0368] The sending STA can send the constructed / generated PPDU to the receiving STA (S115).

[0369] Specifically, the STA can perform at least one of the following operations: cyclic shift diversity (CSD), spatial mapping, inverse discrete Fourier transform (IDFT) / inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) operation, and guard interval (GI) insertion operation.

[0370] The receiving STA can decode the PPDU and obtain control information related to the tone plan (or RU) (S120).

[0371] Specifically, the receiving STA can decode the L-SIG and EHT-SIG of the PPDU based on the L-STF / LTF and obtain the information included in the L-SIG and EHT-SIG fields. Information for various tone schemes (i.e., RUs) of this disclosure can be included in the EHT SIG (EHT-SIG-A / B / C, etc.), and the receiving STA can obtain information for tone schemes (i.e., RUs) through the EHT-SIG.

[0372] The receiving STA can decode the remaining parts of the PPDU based on the information acquired for the tone plan (i.e., RU) (S125). For example, the receiving STA can decode the STF / LTF field of the PPDU based on the information for the tone plan (i.e., RU). In addition, the receiving STA can decode the data field of the PPDU based on the information for the tone plan (i.e., RU) and obtain the MPDU included in the data field.

[0373] The receiving STA can also perform processing operations to deliver decoded data to higher layers (e.g., the MAC layer). Additionally, when an indication signal is generated from the higher layer to the PHY layer in response to the data being delivered to the higher layer, the receiving STA can perform subsequent operations.

[0374] The above embodiments combine the elements and features of this disclosure in a predetermined form. Unless otherwise expressly stated, each element or feature should be considered optional. Each element or feature may be implemented without being combined with other elements or features. Furthermore, embodiments of this disclosure may include combinations of some elements and / or features. The order of operations described in embodiments of this disclosure may be changed. Some elements or features of one embodiment may be included in other embodiments, or may be replaced by corresponding elements or features of other embodiments. Obviously, embodiments may include claims that are not explicitly referenced in the claims, or may be included as new claims after the application has been amended.

[0375] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this disclosure may be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its essential characteristics. Therefore, the above detailed description should not be construed as restrictive in every respect, but rather as illustrative. The scope of this disclosure should be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all variations within the equivalent scope of this disclosure are included within its scope.

[0376] The scope of this disclosure includes software or machine-executable commands (e.g., operating systems, applications, firmware, programs, etc.) that operate in a device or computer according to methods of various embodiments, as well as non-transitory computer-readable media that cause software or commands to be stored and executable in a device or computer. Commands that can be used to program a processing system to perform the features described in this disclosure can be stored in a storage medium or a computer-readable storage medium, and the features described in this disclosure can be implemented by using a computer program product including such a storage medium. The storage medium may include, but is not limited to, high-speed random access memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM, or other random access solid-state storage devices, and may include non-volatile memory, such as one or more disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state storage devices. The memory may optionally include one or more storage devices located remotely from the processor. The memory, or alternatively, the non-volatile memory devices in the memory include non-transitory computer-readable storage media. The features described in this disclosure can be stored in any machine-readable medium to control the hardware of a processing system and can be integrated into software and / or firmware that allows the processing system to interact with other mechanisms using the results of embodiments of this disclosure. Such software or firmware may include, but is not limited to, application code, device drivers, operating systems, and execution environments / containers.

[0377] Industrial applicability

[0378] The methods presented in this disclosure are described with an emphasis on examples applied to IEEE 802.11-based systems, but can be applied to a variety of wireless LAN or wireless communication systems other than IEEE 802.11-based systems.

Claims

1. A method comprising the following steps: The first station (STA) receives a trigger frame from the access point (AP), which includes a public information field and a special user information field. as well as The first STA sends a trigger-based TB Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) to the AP over the first bandwidth based on the trigger frame. The public information field or the special user information field transmitted in the second bandwidth of the first bandwidth includes a first sub-field related to whether a Distributed Resource Unit (DRU) is applied on the second bandwidth.

2. The method includes: in, The public information field or the special user information field transmitted in the third bandwidth within the first bandwidth includes a second sub-field related to whether DRU is applied on the third bandwidth, and Each of the first subfield and the second subfield has the same size.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The first subfield includes the first image, and Whether the DRU is applied to the nth unit of bandwidth in the second bandwidth is indicated by the n bits of the first bitmap, where n is a natural number greater than or equal to 1.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The size of each of the unit bandwidths is one of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz or 160 MHz.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The public information field or the special user information field transmitted in the second bandwidth within the first bandwidth includes a third subfield related to the distributed width DBW mode applied to the second bandwidth.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The third subfield is retained based on the indication from the first subfield that the DRU is not applied to the second bandwidth.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The value set on the third subfield indicates the 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode for 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode, punch P20+20+40 MHz DBW mode, 20+P20+40 MHz DBW mode, P40+40 MHz DBW mode, or 20+20+P40 MHz DBW mode, and Based on the channel puncturing situation within the second bandwidth, the value of the 40+20+20 MHz DBW mode set on the third subfield is indicated for 40+20+20 MHz DBW mode, 40+P20+20 MHz DBW mode, 40+20+P20 MHz DBW mode, 40+P40 MHz DBW mode, or P40+20+20 MHz DBW mode.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The public information field or the special user information field transmitted in the third bandwidth within the first bandwidth includes a fourth sub-field related to the DBW mode applied to the third bandwidth, and Each of the third and fourth subfields has the same size.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The value set on the fourth subfield indicates the 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode for 20+20+40 MHz DBW mode, P20+20+40 MHz DBW mode, 20+P20+40 MHz DBW mode, P40+40 MHz DBW mode, or 20+20+P40 MHz DBW mode, and The value of the 40+20+20 MHz DBW mode set on the fourth subfield indicates whether it is used for 40+20+20 MHz DBW mode, 40+P20+20 MHz DBW mode, 40+20+P20 MHz DBW mode, 40+P40 MHz DBW mode, or P40+20+20 MHz DBW mode.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The bandwidth of the PPDU including the trigger frame is the same as the first bandwidth.

11. A first station STA, the first STA comprising: At least one transceiver; as well as At least one processor, said at least one processor being connected to said at least one transceiver, Wherein, the at least one processor is configured to: The at least one transceiver receives a trigger frame, including a public information field and a special user information field, from the access point (AP); and Based on the trigger frame, the at least one transceiver sends a trigger-based TB Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) to the AP over the first bandwidth. The public information field or the special user information field transmitted in the second bandwidth of the first bandwidth includes a first sub-field related to whether a Distributed Resource Unit (DRU) is applied on the second bandwidth.

12. A method comprising the following steps: The access point (AP) sends a trigger frame, which includes a public information field and a special user information field, to the first station (STA). as well as The AP receives a trigger-based TB Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) from the first STA over the first bandwidth based on the trigger frame. The public information field or the special user information field transmitted in the second bandwidth of the first bandwidth includes a first sub-field related to whether a Distributed Resource Unit (DRU) is applied on the second bandwidth.

13. An access point (AP), the AP comprising: At least one transceiver; as well as At least one processor, said at least one processor being connected to said at least one transceiver, Wherein, the at least one processor is configured to: A trigger frame, including a public information field and a special user information field, is sent to the first station STA via the at least one transceiver; and Based on the trigger frame, the first STA receives a trigger-based TB physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) via the at least one transceiver on the first bandwidth. The public information field or the special user information field transmitted in the second bandwidth of the first bandwidth includes a first sub-field related to whether a Distributed Resource Unit (DRU) is applied on the second bandwidth.

14. A processing apparatus configured to control a first station STA in a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, the processing apparatus comprising: One or more processors; as well as One or more computer memories operatively connected to one or more processors, and the one or more computer memories storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

15. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, said non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more commands, in, The one or more commands are executed by one or more processors to control devices in a wireless LAN system to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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