Method and apparatus for coordinated spatial reuse in wireless lan systems

Abstract

A method and apparatus for coordinated spatial reuse in a wireless LAN system are disclosed. The method according to an embodiment of the disclosure can include steps in which a first AP transmits an invitation message for requesting participation in C-SR within a TXOP acquired by the first AP to a second AP, the first AP receives an acceptance message for accepting participation in C-SR from the second AP, the first AP transmits a confirmation message including information related to C-SR to the second AP, and the first AP performs a first downlink transmission to a first STA.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for coordinated spatial reuse (C-SR) 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 objective of this disclosure is to provide a method and apparatus for supporting / performing C-SR between Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) APs in a wireless LAN system.

[0006] 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.

[0007] Technical solution

[0008] A method according to one aspect of this disclosure may include: sending an invitation message from a first access point (AP) to a second AP, the invitation message requesting participation in Coordinated Spatial Reuse (C-SR) within a Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) obtained by the first AP; receiving an acceptance message from the second AP accepting participation in the C-SR; sending an acknowledgment message from the first AP to the second AP including information related to the C-SR; and performing a first downlink transmission to a first station (STA) by the first AP. The first downlink transmission performed by the first AP may overlap with a second downlink transmission performed by the second AP to the second STA in both the time and frequency domains.

[0009] The method according to an additional aspect of this disclosure may include: receiving an invitation message from a first AP by a second access point (AP) requesting participation in Coordinated Spatial Reuse (C-SR) within a Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) obtained by the first AP; sending an acceptance message to the first AP accepting participation in the C-SR by the second AP; receiving an acknowledgment message from the first AP including information related to the C-SR by the second AP; and performing a second downlink transmission to a second station (STA) by the second AP. The first downlink transmission from the first AP to the first STA may overlap with the second downlink transmission performed by the second AP in both the time and frequency domains.

[0010] Beneficial effects

[0011] According to embodiments of this disclosure, frequency resources can be utilized efficiently by reusing frequency resources among OBSS APs in a wireless LAN system.

[0012] 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

[0013] 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.

[0014] Figure 1 A configuration block diagram of a wireless communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0015] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary structure of a WLAN system to which this disclosure can be applied.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a diagram used to illustrate the link establishment process that can be applied to this disclosure.

[0017] Figure 4 This is a diagram used to illustrate the backoff processing that can be applied to this disclosure.

[0018] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating the CSMA / CA-based frame transmission operation that can be applied to this disclosure.

[0019] 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.

[0020] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a PPDU as defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard of this disclosure.

[0021] Figure 8 An example of an NDP probing process for multi-AP operation is shown.

[0022] Figure 9 An example of multi-AP cooperative operation in a wireless LAN system to which this disclosure can be applied is illustrated.

[0023] Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating an interference measurement method for downlink cooperative spatial reuse according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 11 This is a diagram illustrating an interference measurement method for uplink cooperative space reuse according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 12 This is a diagram illustrating a method for reusing collaborative spaces according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 13 The operation of a first access point for a collaborative space reuse method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0027] Figure 14 The operation of a second access point for a collaborative space reuse method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. Detailed Implementation

[0028] 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.

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

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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”.

[0033] 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.

[0034] The technical features that can be applied to examples of this disclosure will be described below.

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

[0036] Figure 1The 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] 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).

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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.

[0042] 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.

[0043] One or more processors 102, 202 may be referred to as controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, or microcomputers. One or more processors 102, 202 may be implemented by hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. 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.

[0044] One or more memories 104, 204 may be connected to one or more processors 102, 202 and may store data, signals, messages, information, programs, 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.

[0045] 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.

[0046] 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 of 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.

[0047] 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.

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

[0049] 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.

[0050] 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.

[0051] 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).

[0052] 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.

[0053] 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.

[0054] 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.

[0055] 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.

[0056] 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.

[0057] In addition to the DS structure described above, Extended Service Sets (ESS) can also be configured to provide wide coverage.

[0058] 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.

[0059] 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.

[0060] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating the link establishment process that can be applied to this disclosure.

[0061] 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.

[0062] 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.

[0063] 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).

[0064] 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.

[0065] 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.

[0066] 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.

[0067] 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.

[0068] 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.

[0069] 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.

[0070] 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.

[0071] 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.

[0072] 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.

[0073] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating the fallback process that can be applied to this disclosure.

[0074] 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.

[0075] In addition, the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol provides a Hybrid Coordination Function (HCF). HCF is based on DCF and Point Coordination Function (PCF). PCF is a polling-based synchronous access method, 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).

[0076] Reference Figure 4This 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 2n-1 (n=0, 1, 2, ...).

[0077] 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.

[0078] 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 4The 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.

[0079] As in Figure 4 In 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-transmit (RTS), clear-to-transmit (CTS), acknowledgment (ACK), power-saving polling (PS-Poll), block ACK (BlockAck), block ACK request (BlockACKReq), empty data packet announcement (NDP announcement), and triggering, 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.

[0080] 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.

[0081] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating the CSMA / CA-based frame transmission operation that can be applied to this disclosure.

[0082] 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.

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

[0084] 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.

[0085] 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.

[0086] 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.

[0087] 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. That is, if STA3 can eavesdrop on one or more RTS frames or CTS frames from 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.

[0088] 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.

[0089] 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.

[0090] 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.

[0091] 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.

[0092] 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.

[0093] 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.

[0094] 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 HEPPDUs, the value of the length field can be determined to be a multiple of 3+1 or 3+2.

[0095] The data field may include a service field, a physical layer service data unit (PSDU), and a PPDU tail bit, and may also include padding bits if necessary. Some bits of the service field 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 bit 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.

[0096] 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.

[0097] 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.

[0098] 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).

[0099] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a PPDU as defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard of this disclosure.

[0100] 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)).

[0101] 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 7The 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).

[0102] 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)).

[0103] 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.

[0104] 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.

[0105] Figure 7In (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.

[0106] 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.

[0107] 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.

[0108] 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.

[0109] Included Figure 7In 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.

[0110] 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.

[0111] 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 bits, and the second symbol of U-SIG (e.g., U-SIG-2 symbol) can send the remaining Y bits of the total A bits. The A bits (e.g., 52 uncoded bits) can 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.

[0112] 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 can 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 can be the same, and some or all of the version-related bits can be different.

[0113] 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 and version-dependent bits can be referred to by various names, such as first control bit and second control bit.

[0114] 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.

[0115] For example, the version-related bits of U-SIG may include information that directly or indirectly indicates the type of PPDU (e.g., SU PPDU, MU PPDU, TB PPDU, etc.).

[0116] 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.

[0117] 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.

[0118] 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.

[0119] exist Figure 7In 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.).

[0120] 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.

[0121] 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.

[0122] 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.

[0123] The common fields may include CRC bits and a tail bit, where the length of the CRC bits can be determined to be 4 bits, and the length of the tail bit 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).

[0124] 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.

[0125] 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.

[0126] 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 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. Furthermore, the multiple RUs constituting an MRU can be consecutive or non-consecutive in the frequency domain.

[0127] 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...).

[0128] 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.

[0129] Processes for Coordinating Space Reuse (C-SR)

[0130] The purpose of 802.11ax's spatial reuse operation is to enable media to be reused more frequently among OBSSs by identifying and managing interference in densely deployed scenarios through early detection of signals from overlapping basic service sets (OBSSs).

[0131] 802.11ax (HE) defines i) spatial reuse based on group detection (PD) and ii) spatial reuse based on parameterized spatial reuse (PSR).

[0132] HE APs participating in space reuse can request associated non-AP HE STAs to collect information about their neighbors by sending beacon requests. However, current radio channel measurements via beacon requests / reports are performed over long periods, thus delaying the reporting.

[0133] Therefore, for multi-AP operations, interference measurements such as non-data packet (NDP) may be necessary.

[0134] Figure 8 An example of an NDP probing process for multi-AP operation is shown.

[0135] A sharing AP can select a shared AP based on channel state information and schedule frequency resources to that shared AP.

[0136] For example, such as Figure 8 As shown, the BSS AP triggers the OBSS probe procedure, and the OBSS AP sends an NDP Advertisement (NDPA) frame for OBSS probe, followed by an NDP for OBSS probe. Subsequently, the BSS AP and / or the OBSS AP can send a trigger for OBSS probe to receive feedback from the BSS STA, but this action can be omitted. The BSS AP and / or the OBSS AP can receive feedback from the BSS STA (e.g., channel information between the OBSS AP and the BSS STA).

[0137] The channel information between the OBSS AP and the BSS STA, as described above, can help the sharing AP to operate Coordinated Spatial Reuse (C-SR) or Coordinated Beamforming (C-BF) through scheduling to avoid interference.

[0138] Various AP schemes for sending data jointly or in a coordinated manner are being discussed. Recently, the Coordinated Space Reuse (C-SR) scheme has been discussed. Compared with individual operations, C-SR can achieve high gain and can be operated more simply than other schemes.

[0139] C-SR can refer to sending a PPDU on the medium under specific conditions and cooperation when a PPDU is detected but cannot be sent. Here, cooperation can be performed from the sharing AP to the shared AP.

[0140] In this way, C-SR allows two or more APs to transmit frames / PPDUs simultaneously within the same TXOP. The sharing AP collaborates with other shared APs to reduce interference and use resources efficiently.

[0141] Here, "shared AP" can refer to the AP that acquires the TXOP and initiates multi-AP collaboration. Additionally, "shared AP" can refer to the AP that collaborates with the shared AP for multi-AP transmission. However, the names "shared AP" and "shared AP" are examples and can be referred to by other names.

[0142] Figure 9 An example of multi-AP cooperative operation in a wireless LAN system to which this disclosure can be applied is illustrated.

[0143] like Figure 9 As shown, the BSS AP and OBSS AP can cooperate to transmit data simultaneously within the same TXOP. That is, the BSS AP transmits data to the BSS STA based on operations such as MCS and power control, and the OBSS AP transmits data to the OBSS STA based on operations such as MCS and power control.

[0144] exist Figure 9 In the example, one of the BSS AP and the OBSS AP can be a shared AP, and the other can be a shared AP.

[0145] The performance and gain of C-SR are explained below.

[0146] Although fairness is constrained in practical implementation and the inaccuracy of channel state information (CSI) is protected, C-SR (especially in low-interference areas) has higher performance than TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access).

[0147] Additionally, C-SR can improve overall throughput and may require accurate fast rate adaptation and interference control.

[0148] Furthermore, C-SR can achieve higher throughput gains than time / frequency scheduling and C-OFDMA (Coordinated Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access). It is also easier to implement than C-BF and Joint Tx.

[0149] Therefore, this disclosure proposes a method for C-SR. Specifically, it proposes an interference measurement method, a shared AP setup method, and a transmission method for C-SR operation.

[0150] The sharing AP needs to know the precise interference level from the OBSS in order to control its own transmit power (Tx power) and the Tx power of the shared AP. Additionally, the sharing AP needs to know the precise interference level from the OBSS in order to control its own modulation and coding scheme (MCS) and the MCS of the shared AP.

[0151] Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating an interference measurement method for downlink cooperative spatial reuse according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0152] exist Figure 10 In this context, a BSS AP can correspond to an AP participating in downlink (DL) C-SR. For example, a BSS AP can correspond to a shared AP and can simultaneously perform DL transmissions (i.e., DL C-SR) within the same TXOP as the shared AP.

[0153] like Figure 10 As shown in (a), DL transmissions from the OBSS AP (to the OBSS STA) can cause interference to the BSS STA. Therefore, for DL ​​C-SR, the BSS AP needs to know the level of interference caused to the BSS STA by DL transmissions from the OBSS AP.

[0154] In addition, such as Figure 10 As shown in (b), UL transmissions from the OBSS STA (to the OBSS AP) may cause interference to the BSS STA. Therefore, for DL ​​C-SR, the BSS AP needs to know the level of interference caused to the BSS STA by UL transmissions from the OBSS STA.

[0155] Therefore, the BSS STA can report the interference level to the AP by measuring the DL transmissions (e.g., beacon frames or NDPs) of the OBSS AP and / or the UL transmissions (e.g., block acknowledgment (BA) frames) of the OBSS STA.

[0156] Figure 11 This is a diagram illustrating an interference measurement method for uplink cooperative space reuse according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0157] exist Figure 11 In this context, a BSS AP can correspond to an AP participating in uplink (UL) C-SR. For example, a BSS AP can correspond to a shared AP and can simultaneously perform UL reception (i.e., UL C-SR) within the same TXOP as the shared AP.

[0158] like Figure 11As shown in (a), DL transmissions from the OBSS AP (to the OBSS STA) can interfere with the BSS AP. Therefore, since the UL C-SR can operate based on AP controls (such as trigger frames), the BSS AP needs to know the level of interference caused by DL transmissions from the OBSS AP.

[0159] In addition, such as Figure 11 As shown in (b), UL transmissions from the OBSS STA (to the OBSS AP) can interfere with the BSS AP. Therefore, since the UL C-SR can operate based on AP controls (such as trigger frames), the BSS AP needs to know the level of interference caused by UL transmissions from the OBSS STA.

[0160] Therefore, the BSS AP can determine the level of interference it causes to itself by measuring the DL transmissions (e.g., beacon frames or NDPs) of the OBSS AP and / or the UL transmissions (e.g., BA frames) of the OBSS STA.

[0161] Here, interference measurements can be performed on a per-sub-channel basis. Additionally, for C-SR operations and for operations accessing non-master channels, similar interference measurements on a per-sub-channel basis may be necessary.

[0162] Figure 12 This is a diagram illustrating a method for reusing collaborative spaces according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0163] refer to Figure 12 Both the sharing AP and the AP being shared can perform C-SR operations within the TXOP obtained by the sharing AP. In other words, the sharing AP can configure the AP being shared to perform C-SR operations together within its own TXOP.

[0164] 1. The shared AP sends an invitation message to the OBSS APs to request their participation in the C-SR operation.

[0165] Here, the message name "Invitation Message" is merely an example for ease of explanation and is not limited to it; it can also be referred to as other message names that have the function of requesting C-SR action.

[0166] Here, the shared AP can send invitation messages based on factors such as the interference level of the OBSS AP. For example, the shared AP can pre-select one or more APs among the OBSS APs to be requested to participate in C-SR operations based on factors such as the interference level (e.g., before TXOP), and this can be referred to as the AP configuration setup process.

[0167] Additionally, the shared AP can receive supplemental information from the OBSS AP, such as buffer status and capabilities, before TXOP. The shared AP can pre-select one or more APs to be requested to participate in C-SR operations by taking this supplemental information along with the interference level.

[0168] 2. The OBSS AP that received the invitation message in step 1 can respond with a message indicating whether it intends to participate in the C-SR operation. For example, an OBSS AP that wishes to participate in the C-SR operation can respond with an accept message, and an OBSS AP that does not wish to participate in the C-SR operation can respond with a reject message.

[0169] Here, the message names "Accept Message" and / or "Reject Message" are examples for ease of explanation and are not limited thereto; they can be referred to as other message names that indicate whether or not participation in C-SR operations is involved. Alternatively, the Accept Message and Reject Message can be defined as a single message, in which case the decision to participate in C-SR operations can be indicated by an indicator within the message. Furthermore, the Reject Message may not be explicit, and in this case, if no Accept Message is received, it can be determined that the message has been rejected.

[0170] Additionally, received messages may include information about the transmit power of the OBSS AP.

[0171] 3. The sharing AP sends a confirmation message to the shared AP regarding its participation in the C-SR operation.

[0172] Here, the shared AP can send an acknowledgment message to all APs that sent the acceptance message in step 2, or it can send an acknowledgment message to the selected APs.

[0173] Here, the message name "Confirmation Message" is merely an example for ease of explanation and is not limited thereto; it can be referred to as any other message name that confirms participation in C-SR operations.

[0174] Additionally, the confirmation message may include C-SR information, such as the recommended transmit power and MCS.

[0175] Additionally, another detailed channel measurement can be performed between the sharing AP and the AP being shared for use in C-SR.

[0176] 4. The shared AP i) sends a DL PPDU to the STA based on transmit power control or MCS configuration, or ii) sends a trigger frame to the STA, the trigger frame including recommended transmit power, MCS information, etc. for the UL TB PPDU, and triggers the UL TB PPDU.

[0177] 5. The receiving STA in step 4 may i) send a block ACK (BA) frame to the shared AP in response to the DL PPDU, or ii) send a UL TB PPDU triggered by the trigger frame to the shared AP based on transmit power control or MCS configuration (according to the recommended transmit power in the trigger frame).

[0178] Here, the spatial reuse (SR) operation can be applied to the BA frame as well as the DL PPDU and UL TB PPDU. Alternatively, the spatial reuse (SR) operation can be applied not to the BA frame, as it is applied to the DL PPDU and UL TB PPDU.

[0179] 6. The shared AP also i) sends a DL PPDU to the STA based on transmit power control or MCS configuration, or ii) sends a trigger frame to the STA, the trigger frame including information about the recommended transmit power for the UL TB PPDU, and triggers the UL TB PPDU. Here, the shared AP can send the DL PPDU based on the recommended transmit power, MCS information, etc., received from the sharing AP in the confirmation message in step 3, based on the transmit power control or MCS configuration. Alternatively, the shared AP can send these information by including the recommended transmit power, MCS information, etc., received from the sharing AP in the confirmation message in step 3 in the trigger frame that triggers the UL TB PPDU.

[0180] Here, the transmission by the shared AP in step 6 and the transmission by the sharing AP in step 4 can be synchronized. That is, the start time and / or end time of the transmission by the shared AP in step 6 can be aligned with the start time and / or end time of the transmission by the sharing AP in step 4. In this case, for example, information used for synchronization (e.g., offset information, etc.) can be included in the acknowledgment message in step 3.

[0181] 7. The receiving STA in step 6 may i) send a block ACK (BA: block acknowledgment) frame to the shared AP in response to the DL PPDU, or ii) send a UL TB PPDU triggered by the trigger frame to the shared AP based on transmit power control or MCS configuration (according to the recommended transmit power in the trigger frame).

[0182] Here, in the transmission of the shared AP in step 6, it can indicate whether a response in step 7 is allowed or whether synchronization is allowed (i.e., whether there is a delay). For example, in the transmission of the shared AP in step 6, it can indicate a delayed BA with a delay time, in which case the STA can send the BA to the shared AP after the delay time.

[0183] Figure 13The operation of a first access point for a collaborative space reuse method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0184] Figure 13 The operation of an AP device based on the previously proposed method is illustrated. Figure 13 The examples in this disclosure are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Figure 13 Some steps illustrated in the examples may be omitted depending on the circumstances and / or configuration.

[0185] exist Figure 13 In the diagram, the first AP corresponds to the shared AP, and the second AP corresponds to the shared AP.

[0186] refer to Figure 13 The first AP device sends an invitation message to the second AP device, which requests participation in C-SR within the TXOP obtained by the first AP device (S1301).

[0187] Although for ease of explanation, Figure 13 Only the first AP device and the second AP device are illustrated and described, but the first AP device can send invitation messages to one or more OBSS APs that include the second AP device.

[0188] Here, a second AP device can be selected from OBSS APs based on the interference level. That is, one or more OBSS APs, including the second AP device, to which the first AP device sends an invitation message can be selected based on the interference level.

[0189] For example, the first AP device can obtain buffer status information and / or capability information from the OBSS AP before TXOP. Then, the first AP device can select a second AP (or one or more OBSS APs including the second AP) from the OBSS APs by further considering the buffer status information and / or capability information in addition to the interference level.

[0190] The first AP device receives the acceptance message for participating in C-SR from the second AP device (S1302).

[0191] As described above, the first AP device can send an invitation message to one or more first OBSS APs including the second AP device. In this case, the first AP device can receive an acceptance message from one or more second OBSS APs including the second AP device.

[0192] The first AP device sends an acknowledgment message (S1303) to the second AP device, which includes information related to C-SR.

[0193] Here, information related to C-SR may include information about the recommended transmit power to the second AP and / or information about the MCS used for the second downlink transmit.

[0194] The first AP device performs a first downlink transmission to the first STA device (S1304).

[0195] Here, the first downlink transmission performed by the first AP may overlap with the second downlink transmission performed by the second AP to the second STA in the time and frequency domains.

[0196] However, even if the first downlink transmission and the second downlink transmission partially overlap in the time and frequency domains, the start and / or end times of the first downlink transmission may not be synchronized or aligned with the start and / or end times of the second downlink transmission. In other words, only the start time may be synchronized / aligned, only the end time may be synchronized / aligned, or neither the start nor the end time may be synchronized / aligned.

[0197] Additionally, the first downlink transmission may include i) the transmission of a downlink PPDU based on transmit power control, or ii) the transmission of a trigger frame including information about the recommended transmit power for the uplink PPDU.

[0198] Additionally, although Figure 13 As not shown, the first AP device can receive a first ACK frame transmitted for the first downlink from the first STA within the TXOP. In this case, the transmission of the first ACK frame and the transmission of a second ACK frame transmitted from the second STA to the second AP for the second downlink may not overlap in the time and frequency domains. That is, SR may not be applied between the transmission of the first ACK frame and the transmission of the second ACK frame.

[0199] In step S1304, the PPDU used for downlink transmission may include a legacy portion, a SIG portion (e.g., U-SIG, UHR-SIG, etc.), an STF portion (e.g., UHR-STF), an LTF portion (e.g., UHR-LTF), and a data portion.

[0200] Any part (i.e., field) can be divided into multiple subparts / subfields, in whole or in part. Each field (and its subfields) can be divided into 4µs. The transmission unit is N (where N is an integer). Additionally, it can include a guard interval (GI). The common subcarrier frequency spacing value (delta_f = 312.5 kHz / N or 312.5 kHz) N (N = integer) can be applied to the entire field, or the first delta_f can be applied to the first part (e.g., the entire traditional part, all / part of the SIG part), and the second delta_f (e.g., a value less than the first delta_f) can be applied to all / part of the remaining part.

[0201] Some of the fields mentioned above can be omitted, and the order of the fields can be changed in various ways. For example, subfields of the signal section can be placed before the STF section, and the remaining subfields of the SIG section can be placed after the STF section.

[0202] The aforementioned traditional portion may include at least one of traditional L-STF (non-HT short training field), L-LTF (non-HT long training field), and L-SIG (non-HT signal field).

[0203] The aforementioned SIG section (e.g., including the U-SIG field, UHR-SIG field, etc.) may include various control information for the transmitted PPDU. For example, it may include the STF section, the LTF section, and control information for decoding data.

[0204] The STF portion mentioned above may include an STF sequence.

[0205] The LTF portion mentioned above may include training fields (i.e., LTF sequences) for channel estimation.

[0206] The aforementioned data section may include user data and may include grouping for higher-level purposes.

[0207] The aforementioned trigger frame can be sent in a non-HT DUP PPDU format, or via EHT MU PPDU or UHR MU PPDU format.

[0208] Non-HT DUP PPDU means a copy of the same traditional PPDU every 20MHz. Here, traditional PPDU includes... Figure 7 The traditional parts of the configuration (L-STF, L-LTF, and L-SIG) are excluded, and the SIG, STF, or LTF parts are not included.

[0209] UHR MU PPDU can include some format features of EHT MU PPDU.

[0210] Figure 13 The methods described in the examples can be derived from... Figure 1 The first device (100) is executed. For example, Figure 1One or more processors (102) of the first device (100) can be configured to send invitation and acknowledgment messages via transceiver (106), receive acceptance messages, and perform downlink transmission to the second device (200) via transceiver (106) based on C-SR. Furthermore, one or more memories (104) of the first device (100) can store the execution performed when carried out by one or more processors (102). Figure 13 The methods described in the examples or the instructions in the examples of this disclosure.

[0211] Figure 14 The operation of a second access point for a collaborative space reuse method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0212] Figure 14 The operation of an AP device based on the previously proposed method is illustrated. Figure 14 The examples in this disclosure are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Figure 14 Some steps illustrated in the examples may be omitted depending on the circumstances and / or configuration.

[0213] exist Figure 14 In this context, the first AP corresponds to the sharing AP, and the second AP corresponds to the shared AP.

[0214] refer to Figure 14 The second AP device receives an invitation message from the first AP device, which requests participation in C-SR within the TXOP obtained by the first AP device (S1401).

[0215] Although for ease of explanation, Figure 14 Only the first AP device and the second AP device are illustrated and described, but the first AP device can send invitation messages to one or more OBSS APs that include the second AP device.

[0216] Here, the second AP device can be selected from the OBSS APs based on the interference level. That is, one or more OBSS APs, including the second AP device, to which the first AP device sends an invitation message can be selected based on the interference level.

[0217] For example, the first AP device can obtain buffer status information and / or capability information from the OBSS AP before TXOP. Then, the first AP device can select a second AP (or one or more OBSS APs including the second AP) from the OBSS APs by further considering the buffer status information and / or capability information in addition to the interference level.

[0218] The second AP device sends an acceptance message to the first AP device to accept participation in C-SR (S1402).

[0219] As described above, the first AP device can send an invitation message to one or more first OBSS APs including the second AP device. In this case, the first AP device can receive an acceptance message from one or more second OBSS APs including the second AP device.

[0220] The second AP device receives an acknowledgment message (S1403) from the first AP device, which includes information related to C-SR.

[0221] Here, information related to C-SR may include information about the recommended transmit power to the second AP and / or information about the MCS used for the second downlink transmit.

[0222] The second AP device performs a second downlink transmission to the second STA device (S1404).

[0223] Here, the first downlink transmission from the first AP to the first STA may overlap with the second downlink transmission from the second AP in the time and frequency domains.

[0224] However, even if the first downlink transmission and the second downlink transmission partially overlap in the time and frequency domains, the start and / or end times of the first downlink transmission may not be synchronized or aligned with the start and / or end times of the second downlink transmission. In other words, only the start time may be synchronized / aligned, only the end time may be synchronized / aligned, or neither the start nor the end time may be synchronized / aligned.

[0225] Additionally, the second downlink transmission may include i) the transmission of a downlink PPDU based on transmit power control, or ii) the transmission of a trigger frame including information on the recommended transmit power for the uplink PPDU.

[0226] Additionally, although Figure 14 As not shown, the second AP device can receive a second ACK frame transmitted for the second downlink from the second STA within the TXOP. In this case, the transmission of the second ACK frame and the transmission of the first ACK frame transmitted from the first STA to the first AP for the first downlink may not overlap in the time and frequency domains. That is, SR may not be applied between the transmission of the first ACK frame and the transmission of the second ACK frame.

[0227] In step S1404, the PPDU used for downlink transmission may include a legacy portion, a SIG portion (e.g., U-SIG, UHR-SIG, etc.), an STF portion (e.g., UHR-STF), an LTF portion (e.g., UHR-LTF), and a data portion.

[0228] Any part (i.e., field) can be divided into multiple subparts / subfields, in whole or in part. Each field (and its subfields) can be divided into 4µs. The transmission unit is N (where N is an integer). Additionally, it can include a guard interval (GI). The common subcarrier frequency spacing value (delta_f = 312.5 kHz / N or 312.5 kHz) N (N = integer) can be applied to the entire field, or the first delta_f can be applied to the first part (e.g., the entire traditional part, all / part of the SIG part), and the second delta_f (e.g., a value less than the first delta_f) can be applied to all / part of the remaining part.

[0229] Some of the fields mentioned above can be omitted, and the order of the fields can be changed in various ways. For example, subfields of the signal section can be placed before the STF section, and the remaining subfields of the SIG section can be placed after the STF section.

[0230] The aforementioned traditional portion may include at least one of traditional L-STF (non-HT short training field), L-LTF (non-HT long training field), and L-SIG (non-HT signal field).

[0231] The aforementioned SIG section (e.g., including the U-SIG field, UHR-SIG field, etc.) may include various control information for the transmitted PPDU. For example, it may include the STF section, the LTF section, and control information for decoding data.

[0232] The STF portion mentioned above may include an STF sequence.

[0233] The LTF portion mentioned above may include training fields (i.e., LTF sequences) for channel estimation.

[0234] The aforementioned data section may include user data and may include groupings for higher levels.

[0235] The aforementioned trigger frame can be sent in a non-HT DUP PPDU format, or via EHT MU PPDU or UHR MU PPDU format.

[0236] Non-HT DUP PPDU means that the same conventional PPDU is copied and included every 20MHz. Here, conventional PPDU includes Figure 7 The traditional parts of the configuration (L-STF, L-LTF, and L-SIG) are excluded, and the SIG, STF, or LTF parts are not included.

[0237] UHR MU PPDU can include some format features of EHT MU PPDU.

[0238] Figure 14 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 be configured to receive invitation and acknowledgment messages via transceiver (106), send acceptance messages, and perform downlink transmission to the second device (200) via transceiver (106) based on C-SR. Furthermore, one or more memories (104) of the first device (100) can store the execution performed when carried out by one or more processors (102). Figure 14 The methods described in the examples or the instructions in the examples of this disclosure.

[0239] Unlike existing wireless LAN systems that support SR operation only within a single BSS, the C-SR operation of the examples according to this disclosure is characterized by supporting C-SR operation across multiple APs (i.e., OBSS APs), as described above. Therefore, by enabling frequency resources to be recycled, efficient utilization of frequency resources can be achieved.

[0240] 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 a portion of combined 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 another embodiment, or may be replaced by corresponding elements or features of another embodiment. It is clear that embodiments may include claims that do not have explicit dependencies in the combined claims, or may be included as new claims after application by amendment.

[0241] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this disclosure may be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the scope of its essential characteristics. Therefore, the foregoing detailed description should not be construed as restrictive in all respects, but rather as illustrative. The scope of this disclosure should be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all modifications within the equivalent scope of this disclosure are included within its scope.

[0242] The scope of this disclosure includes software or machine-executable instructions (e.g., operating systems, applications, firmware, programs, etc.) that perform operations according to methods of various embodiments on an apparatus or computer, and includes non-transitory computer-readable media on which such software or instructions are stored and executable on an apparatus or computer. Instructions that can be used to program a processing system performing the features described in this disclosure may be stored in a storage medium or a computer-readable storage medium, and the features described in this disclosure may be implemented 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 memory 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 memory 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 of a 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 another mechanism using results from 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.

[0243] Industrial applicability

[0244] The method presented in this disclosure is primarily described based on examples applied to IEEE 802.11-based systems and 5G systems, but it can be applied to various WLAN or wireless communication systems other than IEEE 802.11-based systems.

Claims

1. A method, the method comprising: An invitation message is sent from the first access point (AP) to the second AP. The invitation message is used to request participation in Coordinated Spatial Reuse (C-SR) within the Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) obtained by the first AP. The first AP receives an acceptance message from the second AP to participate in the C-SR; The first AP sends a confirmation message, including information related to the C-SR, to the second AP; as well as The first AP performs the transmission to the first downlink of the first STA. The first downlink transmission performed by the first AP and the second downlink transmission performed by the second AP to the second STA overlap in the time and frequency domains.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The first downlink transmission includes i) the transmission of a downlink physical protocol data unit (PPDU) based on transmit power control, or ii) the transmission of a trigger frame including information on the recommended transmit power for the uplink PPDU.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The second AP is selected from the overlapping basic service set OBSS APs based on the interference level.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising: The first AP obtains buffer status information and / or capability information from the OBSS AP before the TXOP. The second AP is selected from the OBSS APs by further considering the buffer status information and / or the capability information.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The information associated with the C-SR includes information on the recommended transmit power for the second AP and / or information on the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for the second downlink transmission.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The start time and / or end time of the first downlink transmission are not synchronized with the start time and / or end time of the second downlink transmission.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The first AP receives a first acknowledgment (ACK) frame sent for the first downlink from the first STA within the TXOP.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The transmission of the first ACK frame does not overlap with the transmission of the second ACK frame from the second STA to the second AP for the second downlink in the time and frequency domains.

9. A first access point (AP), the first 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: Send an invitation message to the second AP, the invitation message being used to request participation in Coordinated Space Reuse (C-SR) within the transmission opportunity (TXOP) obtained by the first AP; Receive an acceptance message from the second AP to participate in the C-SR; Send an acknowledgment message containing information related to the C-SR to the second AP; and Execute the first downlink transmission to the first STA. The first downlink transmission performed by the first AP and the second downlink transmission performed by the second AP to the second STA overlap in the time and frequency domains.

10. A method, the method comprising: The second access point (AP) receives an invitation message from the first AP, the invitation message being used to request participation in Coordinated Spatial Reuse (C-SR) within the Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) obtained by the first AP. The second AP sends an acceptance message to the first AP to accept participation in the C-SR; The second AP receives a confirmation message from the first AP, which includes information related to the C-SR; as well as The second downlink transmission is performed by the second AP to the second STA. The first downlink transmission from the first AP to the first STA and the second downlink transmission from the second AP overlap in the time and frequency domains.

11. A second access point (AP), the second 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: Receive an invitation message from the first AP, the invitation message being used to request participation in Coordinated Spatial Reuse (C-SR) within a Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) obtained by the first AP; Send an acceptance message to the first AP to accept participation in the C-SR; Receive an acknowledgment message from the first AP including information related to the C-SR; and Execute the second downlink transmission to the second STA. The first downlink transmission from the first AP to the first STA and the second downlink transmission from the second AP overlap in the time and frequency domains.

12. A processing apparatus configured to control an access point (AP) in a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, the processing apparatus comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one computer memory, operatively connected to the at least one processor, and storing instructions for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, based on execution by the at least one processor.

13. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, said at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium storing at least one instruction, wherein, The at least one instruction is executed by at least one processor to control the device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 in a wireless local area network (WLAN) system.

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