Method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving a trigger frame-based PPDU in a wireless LAN system

Abstract

A method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving a trigger frame-based PPDU in a wireless LAN system are disclosed. A method performed by a station (STA) in a wireless LAN system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include receiving, from an access point (AP), a trigger frame including a user information field, and transmitting, to the AP, a trigger-based (TB) physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) triggered by the trigger frame. Here, the user information field includes first information and second information related to a channel indication, the first information and the second information are each composed of 1-bit information, and based on the bandwidth for the STA being a bandwidth exceeding 320 MHz, the combination of the first information and the second information can indicate the position of a channel to which resources for the TB PPDU within the bandwidth exceeding 320 MHz are allocated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for transmitting or receiving a PPDU (physical layer protocol data unit) based on a trigger frame in a wireless LAN (Wireless Local Area Network, WLAN) system.

Background Art

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

[0003] To provide a more improved wireless communication environment, improvement technologies for EHT (Extremely High Throughput) are being discussed. For example, technologies for increased bandwidth, efficient utilization of multiple bands, MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) to support increased spatial streams, and technologies for multi-access point (AP) coordination are being studied. In particular, various technologies for supporting traffic with low latency or real-time characteristics are being studied. Furthermore, new technologies for supporting ultra high reliability (UHR), including improvements or extensions of EHT technology, are being discussed.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The technical problem of the present disclosure is to provide a method and apparatus for transmitting or receiving a PPDU (physical layer protocol data unit) based on a trigger frame in a wireless LAN system.

[0005] The technical problem of the present disclosure is to provide a method and apparatus for instructing resource allocation information in consideration of an extended bandwidth when triggering a TB (trigger based) PPDU based on a trigger frame.

[0006] The technical problem to be achieved in the present disclosure is not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs from the following description.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] A method performed by a station (STA) in a wireless LAN system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes receiving, from an access point (AP), a trigger frame including a user info field, and transmitting, to the AP, a TB (trigger based) PPDU (physical layer protocol data unit) triggered by the trigger frame. Here, the user info field includes first information and second information related to a channel indication, the first information and the second information are each composed of 1-bit information, and based on the bandwidth for the STA being a bandwidth exceeding 320 MHz, the combination of the first information and the second information can indicate the position of a channel to which resources for the TB PPDU within the bandwidth exceeding 320 MHz are allocated.

[0008] In a wireless LAN system according to a further aspect of the present disclosure, a method performed by an access point (AP) may include transmitting, to a station (STA), a trigger frame including a user info field; and receiving, from the STA, a trigger based (TB) physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) triggered by the trigger frame. Here, the user info field includes first information and second information related to a channel indication, the first information and the second information are each composed of 1-bit information, and based on the bandwidth for the STA being a bandwidth exceeding 320 MHz, the combination of the first information and the second information can indicate the position of a channel to which resources for the TB PPDU within the bandwidth exceeding 320 MHz are allocated.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a method and an apparatus for transmitting or receiving a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) based on a trigger frame in a wireless LAN system.

[0010] According to the present disclosure, when triggering a trigger based (TB) PPDU based on a trigger frame, it is possible to provide a method and an apparatus for indicating resource allocation information in consideration of an extended bandwidth.

[0011] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to efficiently allocate a resource unit (RU) and / or a multiple resource unit (MRU) existing within an extended bandwidth to a non-AP STA, and improve UL transmission efficiency and throughput.

[0012] The effects obtained from the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present disclosure pertains from the following description.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013] The accompanying drawings, which are included as part of the detailed description to assist in understanding the present disclosure, provide examples of embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the detailed description, explain the technical features of the present disclosure.

[0014]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The detailed description disclosed below together with the accompanying drawings is for explaining exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and is not for showing the only embodiment in which the present disclosure can be implemented. The following detailed description includes specific details for providing a complete understanding of the present disclosure. However, it is understood by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure can be implemented without such specific details.

[0016] In some cases, to avoid obscuring the concept of the present disclosure, well-known structures and devices may be omitted and may be shown in the form of a block diagram centered on the core functions of each structure and device.

[0017] In the present disclosure, when a certain component is "connected", "coupled", or "joined" to another component, this may include not only a direct connection relationship but also an indirect connection relationship in which there are additional components between them. Also, in the present disclosure, the terms "comprising" or "having" identify the presence of the recited features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0018] In the present disclosure, terms such as "first", "second", etc. are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another and are not used to limit the components. Unless otherwise specified, they do not limit the order or importance, etc. between the components. Therefore, within the scope of the present disclosure, the first component in one embodiment can also be referred to as the second component in another embodiment, and similarly, the second component in one embodiment can be referred to as the first component in another embodiment.

[0019] The terms used in the present disclosure are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not for limiting the scope of the claims. As used in the description of the embodiments and the appended claims, the singular forms are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term "and / or" used in the present disclosure means that it may refer to one of the related listed items or include any and all possible combinations of two or more of them. Also, in the present disclosure, the " / " between words has the same meaning as "and / or" unless otherwise specified.

[0020] The examples of the present disclosure may be applied to various wireless communication systems. For example, the examples of the present disclosure may be applied to a wireless LAN system. For example, the examples of the present disclosure may be applied to IEEE 802.11a / g / n / ac / ax standard-based wireless LANs. Note that the examples of the present disclosure may be applied to a newly proposed IEEE 802.11be (or, EHT) standard-based wireless LAN. The examples of the present disclosure may also be applied to an IEEE 802.11be release-2 standard-based wireless LAN that corresponds to further improved technologies of the IEEE 802.11be release-1 standard. Furthermore, the examples of the present disclosure may be applied to a next-generation standard-based wireless LAN after IEEE 802.11be. Also, the examples of the present disclosure may be applied to a cellular wireless communication system. For example, it may be applied to a cellular wireless communication system based on the technologies of the LTE (Long Term Evolution) series and the 5G NR (New Radio) series of the 3GPP (registered trademark) (3rd Generation Partnership Project) standard.

[0021] Hereinafter, the technical features to which the examples of the present disclosure can be applied will be described.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram illustrating a wireless communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] The first device 100 and the second device 200 illustrated in FIG. 1 may be referred to by various terms such as a terminal, a wireless device, a WTRU (Wireless Transmit Receive Unit), a UE (User Equipment), an MS (Mobile Station), a UT (user terminal), an MSS (Mobile Subscriber Station), an MSS (Mobile Subscriber Unit), an SS (Subscriber Station), an AMS (Advanced Mobile Station), a WT (Wireless terminal), or simply a user. Also, the first device 100 and the second device 200 may be referred to by various terms such as an access point (AP), a BS (Base Station), a fixed station, a Node B, a BTS (base transceiver system), a network, an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system, an RSU (road side unit), a repeater, a router, a relay, a gateway, etc.

[0024] The devices 100, 200 illustrated in FIG. 1 can also be referred to as a station (STA). For example, the devices 100, 200 illustrated in FIG. 1 can be referred to by various terms such as a transmitting device, a receiving device, a transmitting STA, a receiving STA, etc. For example, STA110, 200 can play the role of an AP (access point) or a non-AP. That is, in the present disclosure, STA110, 200 may have the functions of an AP and / or a non-AP. When STA110, 200 has the AP function, it can be simply called an AP, and when STA110, 200 has the non-AP function, it can be simply called an STA. Also, in the present disclosure, an AP may be denoted as an AP STA.

[0025] Referring to FIG. 1, the first device 100 and the second device 200 can transmit and receive wireless signals using various wireless LAN technologies (e.g., IEEE 802.11 series). The first device 100 and the second device 200 may include interfaces for a medium access control (MAC) layer and a physical layer (PHY) that comply with the provisions of the IEEE 802.11 standard.

[0026] In addition, the first device 100 and the second device 200 can further support various communication standards other than wireless LAN technologies (e.g., 3GPP LTE series, 5G NR series standards, etc.). Also, the devices of the present disclosure may be implemented by various devices such as mobile phones, vehicles, personal computers, AR (Augmented Reality) equipment, VR (Virtual Reality) equipment, etc. Further, the STAs in this specification can support various communication services such as voice calls, video calls, data communication, autonomous driving, MTC (Machine-Type Communication), M2M (Machine-to-Machine), D2D (Device-to-Device), IoT (Internet-of-Things), etc.

[0027] The first device 100 includes one or more processors 102 and one or more memories 104, and may further include one or more transceivers 106 and / or one or more antennas 108. The processor 102 controls the memory 104 and / or the transceiver 106 and may be configured to implement the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation flowcharts in the present disclosure. For example, after processing the information in the memory 104 to generate a first information / signal, the processor 102 can transmit a wireless signal including the first information / signal via the transceiver 106. Also, after receiving a wireless signal including a second information / signal via the transceiver 106, the processor 102 can store the information obtained from the signal processing of the second information / signal in the memory 104. The memory 104 may be connected to the processor 102 and can store various information related to the operation of the processor 102. For example, the memory 104 can store software code including instructions to execute part or all of the processes controlled by the processor 102 or to execute the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation sequence diagrams in the present disclosure. Here, the processor 102 and the memory 104 may be part of a communication modem / circuit / chip designed to implement wireless LAN technology (e.g., the IEEE 802.11 series). The transceiver 106 may be connected to the processor 102 and can transmit and / or receive wireless signals via one or more antennas 108. The transceiver 106 may include a transmitter and / or a receiver. The transceiver 106 may be used in the same sense as an RF (Radio Frequency) unit. In the present disclosure, the device can also mean a communication modem / circuit / chip.

[0028] The second device 200 includes one or more processors 202 and one or more memories 204, and may further include one or more transceivers 206 and / or one or more antennas 208. The processor 202 controls the memory 204 and / or the transceiver 206, and may be configured to implement the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation sequence diagrams disclosed in the present disclosure. For example, after processing the information in the memory 204 to generate third information / signals, the processor 202 can transmit a wireless signal including the third information / signals via the transceiver 206. Also, after receiving a wireless signal including fourth information / signals via the transceiver 206, the processor 202 can store the information obtained from the signal processing of the fourth information / signals in the memory 204. The memory 204 may be connected to the processor 202 and can store various information related to the operation of the processor 202. For example, the memory 204 can store software code including instructions for executing part or all of the processes controlled by the processor 202 or for executing the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation sequence diagrams disclosed in the present disclosure. Here, the processor 202 and the memory 204 may be part of a communication modem / circuit / chip designed to implement wireless LAN technology (e.g., the IEEE 802.11 series). The transceiver 206 may be connected to the processor 202 and can transmit and / or receive wireless signals via one or more antennas 208. The transceiver 206 may include a transmitter and / or a receiver. The transceiver 206 may be used in the same sense as an RF unit. In the present disclosure, a device can also mean a communication modem / circuit / chip.

[0029] Hereinafter, the hardware elements of devices 100 and 200 will be described in more detail. Although 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., functionally equivalent layers such as PHY and MAC). One or more processors 102 and 202 can generate one or more PDUs (Protocol Data Units) and / or one or more SDUs (Service Data Units) according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation sequence diagrams in the present disclosure. One or more processors 102 and 202 can generate messages, control information, data, or information according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation sequence diagrams in the present disclosure. One or more processors 102 and 202 can generate a signal (e.g., a baseband signal) including PDU, SDU, message, control information, data, or information according to the functions, procedures, proposals, and / or methods in the present disclosure and provide it to one or more transceivers 106 and 206. One or more processors 102 and 202 can receive a signal (e.g., a baseband signal) from one or more transceivers 106 and 206 and obtain PDU, SDU, message, control information, data, or information according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation sequence diagrams in the present disclosure.

[0030] One or more processors 102, 202 can be referred to as a controller, microcontroller, microprocessor, or microcomputer. The one or more processors 102, 202 may be embodied by hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. As an example, one or more ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), one or more DSPs (Digital Signal Processors), one or more DSPDs (Digital Signal Processing Devices), one or more PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), or one or more FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) may be included in the one or more processors 102, 202. The descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation sequence diagrams disclosed in the present disclosure may be embodied using firmware or software, and the firmware or software may be embodied to include modules, procedures, functions, and the like. The firmware or software configured to execute the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation sequence diagrams disclosed in the present disclosure may be included in the one or more processors 102, 202, stored in the one or more memories 104, 204, and driven by the one or more processors 102, 202. The descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation sequence diagrams disclosed in the present disclosure may be embodied by firmware or software in the form of code, instruction words, and / or a set of instruction words.

[0031] One or more memories 104, 204 may be coupled to one or more processors 102, 202 and can store various forms of data, signals, messages, information, programs, codes, instructions, and / or commands. The one or more memories 104, 204 may be constituted by a ROM, a RAM, an EPROM, a flash memory, a hard drive, a register, a cache memory, a computer-readable storage medium, and / or a combination thereof. The one or more memories 104, 204 may be located inside and / or outside the one or more processors 102, 202. Also, the one or more memories 104, 204 may be coupled to the one or more processors 102, 202 by various techniques such as wired or wireless connections.

[0032] One or more transceivers 106, 206 can transmit user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. mentioned in the methods and / or operation sequence diagrams of the present 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, procedures, proposals, methods and / or operation sequence diagrams disclosed in the present disclosure from one or more other devices. For example, one or more transceivers 106, 206 may be connected to one or more processors 102, 202 and 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. Also, 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. Also, 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, procedures, proposals, methods and / or operation sequence diagrams disclosed in the present disclosure via one or more antennas 108, 208. In the present 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 to baseband signals in order to process received user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. 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 to RF band signals. For that purpose, one or more transceivers 106, 206 may include (analog) oscillators and / or filters.

[0033] For example, either one of STA100 and 200 can perform the intended operation of the AP, and the other one of STA100 and 200 can perform the intended operation of a non-AP STA. For example, the transceivers 106 and 206 in FIG. 1 can perform the transmission and reception operations of signals (e.g., packets or PPDUs (Physical layer Protocol Data Units) conforming to IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be, etc.). Also, in the present disclosure, operations in which various STAs generate transmission and reception signals or perform data processing and calculations in advance for the transmission and reception signals may be performed by the processors 102 and 202 in FIG. 1. For example, an example of an operation in which a transmission and reception signal is generated or data processing and calculations are performed in advance for the transmission and reception signal includes: 1) an operation of determining / acquiring / configuring / calculating / decoding / encoding bit information of fields (such as SIG (signal), STF (short training field), LTF (long training field), Data, etc.) included in a PPDU; 2) an operation of determining / configuring / acquiring time resources and frequency resources (e.g., subcarrier resources) used for fields (such as SIG, STF, LTF, Data, etc.) included in a PPDU; 3) an operation of determining / configuring / acquiring a specific sequence (e.g., pilot sequence, STF / LTF sequence, extra sequence applied to SIG) used for fields (such as SIG, STF, LTF, Data, etc.) included in a PPDU; 4) a power control operation and / or a power saving operation applied to an STA; 5) operations related to determining / acquiring / configuring / calculating / decoding / encoding an ACK signal. Also, in the following example, various information (e.g., information related to fields / sub-fields / control fields / parameters / power, etc.) used by various STAs for determining / acquiring / configuring / calculating / decoding / encoding transmission and reception signals may be stored in the memories 104 and 204 in FIG. 1.

[0034] Hereinafter, the downlink (DL) means a link for communication from an AP STA to a non-AP STA, and downlink PPDUs / packets / signals, etc. may be transmitted and received through the downlink. In downlink communication, the transmitter may be part of the AP STA and the receiver may be part of the non-AP STA. The uplink (UL) means a link for communication from a non-AP STA to an AP STA, and uplink PPDUs / packets / signals, etc. may be transmitted and received through the uplink. In uplink communication, the transmitter may be part of the non-AP STA and the receiver may be part of the AP STA.

[0035] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an exemplary structure of a wireless LAN system to which the present disclosure is applicable.

[0036] The structure of the wireless LAN system may be composed of a plurality of components. A wireless LAN that supports STA mobility transparent to the upper layer may be provided by the interaction of the plurality of components. A BSS (Basic Service Set) corresponds to the basic building block of the wireless LAN. In FIG. 2, an example is shown in which two BSSs (BSS1 and BSS2) exist and two STAs are included as members of each BSS (STA1 and STA2 are included in BSS1, and STA3 and STA4 are included in BSS2). In FIG. 2, the ellipse representing the BSS may be understood to represent the coverage area in which the STAs included in the BSS maintain communication. This area can be referred to as a BSA (Basic Service Area). When a STA moves outside the BSA, it can no longer communicate directly with other STAs within the BSA.

[0037] If the DS shown in FIG. 2 is not considered, the most basic type of BSS in a wireless LAN is an Independent BSS (IBSS). For example, an IBSS can have the smallest form consisting of only two STAs. For example, assuming that other components are omitted, BSS1 consisting of only STA1 and STA2, or BSS2 consisting of only STA3 and STA4 can each correspond to a typical example of an IBSS. Such a configuration is possible when STAs can communicate directly without an AP. Also, such a form of wireless LAN is not pre-planned and configured, but can be configured when a LAN is needed, and this can also be referred to as an ad-hoc network. Since an IBSS does not include an AP, there is no centralized management entity that performs management functions centrally. That is, in an IBSS, STAs are managed in a distributed manner. In an IBSS, all STAs may be composed of mobile STAs, connection to a distributed system (DS) is not allowed, and it forms a self-contained network.

[0038] The membership of STAs in a BSS may be dynamically changed due to STAs joining or leaving, or STAs entering or leaving the BSS area. To become a member of a BSS, an STA can join the BSS using a synchronization process. To access all services of the BSS-based structure, an STA needs to be associated with the BSS. Such an association may be set dynamically and may include the use of a Distribution System Service (DSS).

[0039] In a wireless LAN, the direct STA-to-STA distance may be limited by the PHY performance. In some cases, such distance limitations may be sufficient, but in some cases, communication between STAs at a greater distance may be required. A distributed system (DS) may be configured to support extended coverage.

[0040] DS means a structure in which BSSs are interconnected. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, a BSS may exist as a component of an extended form of a network composed of a plurality of BSSs. DS is a logical concept and may be specified by the characteristics of the distributed system medium (DSM). In this regard, the wireless medium (Wireless Medium, WM) and DSM may be logically separated. Each logical medium is used for different purposes and is used by different components. These media are not limited to being the same or different. In this way, the flexibility of the wireless LAN structure (DS structure or other network structures) can be explained in that a plurality of media are logically different from each other. That is, the wireless LAN structure may be implemented in various ways, and the wireless LAN structure may be specified independently according to the physical characteristics of each implementation example.

[0041] DS can support mobile devices by providing seamless integration of multiple BSSs and providing the logical services necessary for handling addresses to destinations. Further, DS may further include a component called a portal that acts as a bridge for connecting a wireless LAN and other networks (e.g., IEEE 802.X).

[0042] AP means an entity that enables access to the DS through the WM for associated non-AP STAs and also has the functionality of an STA. Data movement between the BSS and the DS can be performed via the AP. For example, STAs 2 and 3 shown in FIG. 2 provide the function of enabling associated non-AP STAs (STAs 1 and 4) to access the DS while having the functionality of an STA. Also, since all APs basically correspond to STAs, all APs are addressable entities. The address used by an AP for communication on the WM and the address used by the AP for communication on the DSM do not necessarily have to be the same. A BSS composed of an AP and one or more STAs can be referred to as an infrastructure BSS.

[0043] Data transmitted from one of the STAs associated with an AP to the STA address of the AP is always received at an uncontrolled port and may be processed by an IEEE 802.1X port access entity. Also, when the controlled port is authenticated, the transmitted data (or frame) can be transmitted to the DS.

[0044] An Extended Service Set (ESS) for providing a wider coverage may be set in the structure of the DS described above.

[0045] An ESS means a network composed of a DS and BSSs, where the network can have an arbitrary size and complexity. An ESS can correspond to a set of BSSs connected to one DS. However, an ESS does not include a DS. The characteristic of an ESS network is that it appears as an IBSS at the LLC (Logical Link Control) layer. STAs included in an ESS can communicate with each other, and a mobile STA can transparently move from one BSS to another (within the same ESS) to the LLC. APs included in one ESS may have the same SSID (service set identification). The SSID is distinguished from the BSSID, which is the identifier of a BSS.

[0046] In a wireless LAN system, without making any assumptions about the relative physical positions of BSSs, any of the following forms are possible. BSSs may partially overlap, which is a commonly used form to provide continuous coverage. Also, BSSs do not have to be physically connected, and there is no logical limit on the distance between BSSs. Also, BSSs may be physically located at the same position, which may be used to provide redundancy. Also, one (or one or more) IBSS or ESS networks may physically exist in the same space as one (or one or more) ESS networks. This may correspond to the ESS network form when an ad hoc network operates at the location where an ESS network exists, when wireless networks physically overlap by different organizations, or when two or more different access and security policies are required at the same location.

[0047] Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining the link setup process to which the present disclosure is applicable.

[0048] In order for a STA to set up a link with a network and transmit and receive data, first, it must discover the network, perform authentication, establish an association, and carry out authentication procedures for security purposes. The link setup process can be referred to as the session start process and the session setup process. Also, the processes of discovery, authentication, association, and security setup in the link setup process can be collectively referred to as the association process.

[0049] In step S310, the STA can perform a network discovery operation. The network discovery operation may include the scanning operation of the STA. That is, in order for the STA to access the network, it must search for networks that it can participate in. The STA must identify compatible networks before participating in a wireless network, and the process of identifying networks existing in a specific area is called scanning.

[0050] Scanning methods include active scanning and passive scanning. In FIG. 3, by way of example, a network discovery operation including an active scanning process is shown. In active scanning, the STA performing the scanning transmits a probe request frame and waits for a response thereto in order to search for what APs exist in the vicinity while moving channels. The responder transmits a probe response frame as a response to the probe request frame to the STA that transmitted the probe request frame. Here, the responder may be the STA that last transmitted a beacon frame in the BSS of the channel being scanned. Since the AP transmits a beacon frame in the BSS, the AP becomes the responder. In an IBSS, since the STAs within the IBSS transmit beacon frames alternately, the responder is not constant. For example, a STA that transmits a probe request frame on channel 1 and receives a probe response frame on channel 1 saves the BSS-related information included in the received probe response frame, moves to the next channel (e.g., channel 2), and can perform scanning in the same way (i.e., transmit and receive probe requests / responses on channel 2).

[0051] Although not shown in FIG. 3, the scanning operation may be performed in a passive scanning mode. In passive scanning, the STA performing the scanning waits for beacon frames while moving channels. A beacon frame is one of the management frames defined by IEEE 802.11, which notifies the existence of a wireless network and is periodically transmitted so that the STA performing the scanning can search for the wireless network and participate in the wireless network. In a BSS, the AP plays the role of periodically transmitting beacon frames, and in an IBSS, the STAs within the IBSS transmit beacon frames alternately. When the STA performing the scanning receives a beacon frame, it stores the information about the BSS contained in the beacon frame and records the beacon frame information on each channel while moving to other channels. The STA that has received the beacon frame can store the BSS-related information contained in the received beacon frame and move to the next channel to perform scanning on the next channel in the same way. Comparing active scanning and passive scanning, active scanning has the advantage that the delay and power consumption are smaller than those of passive scanning.

[0052] After the STA discovers the network, the authentication process may be performed in step S320. Such an authentication process can be called the first authentication process in order to clearly distinguish it from the security setup operation in step S340 described later.

[0053] The authentication process includes the process in which the STA transmits an authentication request frame to the AP and, in response, the AP transmits an authentication response frame to the STA. The authentication frame used for authentication request / response corresponds to a management frame.

[0054] The authentication frame may include information regarding the authentication algorithm number, authentication transaction sequence number, status code, challenge text, Robust Security Network (RSN), Finite Cyclic Group, etc. This corresponds to an example of some of the information that may be included in the authentication request / response frame, and may be replaced by other information or further additional information may be included.

[0055] The STA can send an authentication request frame to the AP. The AP can determine whether to allow authentication for the STA based on the information contained in the received authentication request frame. The AP can provide the result of the authentication process to the STA using an authentication response frame.

[0056] After the STA is successfully authenticated, the association process may be performed at stage S330. The association process includes the process in which the STA sends an association request frame to the AP and, in response, the AP sends an association response frame to the STA.

[0057] For example, the association request frame may include information regarding various capabilities, beacon listen interval, SSID (service set identifier), supported rates, supported channels, RSN, mobility domain, supported operating classes, TIM (Traffic Indication Map) broadcast request, information regarding interworking service capabilities, and the like. For example, the association response frame may include information regarding various capabilities, status code, AID (Association ID), supported rates, EDCA (Enhanced Distributed Channel Access) parameter set, RCPI (Received Channel Power Indicator), RSNI (Received Signal to Noise Indicator), mobility domain, timeout interval (e.g., association comeback time), overlapping BSS scan parameters, TIM broadcast response, QoS (Quality of Service) map, and the like. This corresponds to an example of some of the information that may be included in the association request / response frame, and may be replaced by other information or may further include additional information.

[0058] After the STA is successfully associated with the network, a security setup process may be performed at step S340. The security setup process at step S340 may also be referred to as an authentication process using RSNA (Robust Security Network Association) request / response. The authentication process at step S320 may be referred to as the first authentication process, and the security setup process at step S340 may simply be referred to as the authentication process.

[0059] The security setup process in stage S340 may include a process of performing private key setup using, for example, 4-way handshaking using EAPOL (Extensible Authentication Protocol over LAN) frames. Further, the security setup process may be performed by a security method not defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard.

[0060] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a backoff process to which the present disclosure is applicable.

[0061] In a wireless LAN system, the basic access mechanism of MAC (Medium Access Control) is the CSMA / CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance) mechanism. The CSMA / CA mechanism, also known as the Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) of IEEE 802.11 MAC, basically adopts a "listen before talk" access mechanism. According to such a type of access mechanism, the AP and / or STA can perform CCA (Clear Channel Assessment) to sense the wireless channel or medium (e.g., DIFS (DCF Inter-Frame Space)) for a predetermined time interval prior to starting transmission. As a result of sensing, if the medium is determined to be in an idle status, frame transmission can be started through the medium. On the other hand, if the medium is sensed to be in an occupied or busy state, the AP and / or STA do not start their own transmission, but can set a delay period for medium access (e.g., a random backoff period) and wait, and then attempt frame transmission. By applying the random backoff period, it is expected that multiple STAs will attempt frame transmission after waiting for different times from each other, so collisions can be minimized.

[0062] In addition, the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol provides HCF (Hybrid Coordination Function). HCF is based on the above-mentioned DCF and PCF (Point Coordination Function). PCF refers to a polling-based synchronous access method, in which all receiving APs and / or STAs periodically poll so that they can receive data frames. In addition, HCF has EDCA (Enhanced Distributed Channel Access) and HCCA (HCF Controlled Channel Access). EDCA is an access method in which the provider makes the access method for providing data frames to multiple users be contention-based, and HCCA is to use a non-contention-based channel access method using a polling mechanism. In addition, HCF includes a medium access mechanism for improving the QoS (Quality of Service) of a wireless LAN, and QoS data can be transmitted in both the Contention Period (CP) and the Contention Free Period (CFP).

[0063] With reference to FIG. 4, the operation based on the random backoff period will be described. When the medium that was in the occupied / busy state changes to the idle state, multiple STAs can attempt to transmit data (or frames). As a measure to minimize collisions, each STA can select a random backoff count and attempt transmission after waiting for the corresponding slot time. The random backoff count has a pseudo-random integer value and can be determined to be any one of the values in the range of 0 to CW. Here, CW is the contention window parameter value. The CW parameter is given an initial value of CWmin, but can take on a value twice as large in the case of a transmission failure (for example, when an ACK for the transmitted frame cannot be received). When the CW parameter value reaches CWmax, data transmission can be attempted while maintaining the CWmax value until successful, and when data transmission is successful, it is reset to the CWmin value. The CW, CWmin, and CWmax values are preferably set to 2 n -1 (n = 0, 1, 2,...).

[0064] When the random backoff process starts, the STA continues to monitor the medium while counting down the backoff slots according to the determined backoff count value. When the medium is monitored as being in the occupied state, the countdown is stopped and the STA waits. When the medium becomes idle, the remaining countdown is resumed.

[0065] In the example of FIG. 4, when a packet to be transmitted arrives at the MAC of STA3, STA3 can immediately transmit a frame after confirming that the medium has been idle for only the DIFS period. The remaining STAs monitor that the medium is in the occupied / busy state and wait. During this time, data to be transmitted may occur at each of STA1, STA2, and STA5. When each STA monitors that the medium is in the idle state, after waiting for only the DIFS period, it can count down the backoff slots according to the randomly selected backoff count value. Assume that STA2 selects the minimum backoff count value and STA1 selects the maximum backoff count value. That is, an example is illustrated in which when STA2 finishes the backoff count and starts frame transmission, the remaining backoff time of STA5 is shorter than the remaining backoff time of STA1. STA1 and STA5 pause the countdown and wait for a while while STA2 occupies the medium. When STA2's occupation ends and the medium becomes idle again, STA1 and STA5 wait for only the DIFS period and then resume the paused backoff count. That is, after counting down the remaining backoff slots for only the remaining backoff time, frame transmission can be started. Since the remaining backoff time of STA5 is shorter than that of STA1, STA5 starts frame transmission. Data to be transmitted may also occur at STA4 while STA2 occupies the medium. From the perspective of STA4, when the medium becomes idle, after waiting for only the DIFS period, it can perform countdown according to the randomly selected backoff count value and start frame transmission. The example of FIG. 4 shows a case where the remaining backoff time of STA5 accidentally coincides with the random backoff count value of STA4. In this case, a collision may occur between STA4 and STA5. If a collision occurs, neither STA4 nor STA5 can receive an ACK, and the data transmission will fail. In this case, STA4 and STA5 can select a random backoff count value after doubling the CW value and perform countdown.STA1 waits while the medium is occupied by the transmissions of STA4 and STA5. However, when the medium becomes idle, after waiting for only DIFS, if the remaining backoff time has elapsed, it can start transmitting a frame.

[0066] As illustrated in FIG. 4, a data frame is a frame used for transmitting data to be forwarded to a higher layer, and may be transmitted after a backoff that occurs after DIFS has elapsed since the medium became idle. Further, a management frame is a frame used for exchanging management information that is not forwarded to a higher layer, and is transmitted after a backoff that occurs after the elapse of an IFS such as DIFS or PIFS (Point coordination function IFS). As subtypes of management frames, there are Beacon, Association request / response, re-Association request / response, probe request / response, authentication request / response, etc. A control frame is a frame used for controlling access to the medium. As subtypes of control frames, there are RTS (Request-To-Send), CTS (Clear-To-Send), ACK (Acknowledgment), PS-Poll (Power Save-Poll), BlockAck, BlockACKReq, NDP null data packet announcement, Trigger, etc. A control frame is transmitted after a backoff that occurs after DIFS has elapsed when it is not a response frame to a previous frame, and is transmitted without a backoff after SIFS (short IFS) has elapsed when it is a response frame to a previous frame. The type and subtype of a frame may be identified by the type field and subtype field in the frame control (FC) field.

[0067] A QoS (Quality of Service) STA can transmit a frame after performing a backoff that occurs after the expiration of AIFS (Arbitration IFS) for the access category (AC) to which the frame belongs, that is, AIFS[i] (where i is a value determined by the AC). Here, the frames for which AIFS[i] can be used can be data frames, management frames, or control frames that are not response frames.

[0068] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a CSMA / CA-based frame transmission operation to which the present disclosure is applicable.

[0069] As described above, the CSMA / CA mechanism includes virtual carrier sensing in addition to physical carrier sensing in which the STA directly senses the medium. Virtual carrier sensing is for complementing problems that may occur in medium access, such as the hidden node problem. For virtual carrier sensing, the MAC of the STA can use the NAV (Network Allocation Vector). The NAV is a value that indicates to other STAs the time remaining until the medium becomes available for use by the STA that is currently using the medium or has the authority to use it. Therefore, the value set as the NAV corresponds to the period during which the use of the medium is planned by the STA that transmits the frame, and the STA that receives the NAV value is prohibited from accessing the medium during that period. For example, the NAV may be set based on the value of the "duration" field in the MAC header of the frame.

[0070] In the example of FIG. 5, assume that STA1 is about to transmit data to STA2, and STA3 is in a position where it can overhear some or all of the frames transmitted and received between STA1 and STA2.

[0071] In the CSMA / CA-based frame transmission operation, a mechanism using RTS / CTS frames may be applied to reduce the possibility of transmission collisions among multiple STAs. In the example of FIG. 5, while the transmission of STA1 is in progress, as a result of the carrier sensing of STA3, it may be determined that the medium is idle. That is, STA1 may be a hidden node to STA3. Or, in the example of FIG. 5, while the transmission of STA2 is in progress, as a result of the carrier sensing of STA3, it may be determined that the medium is idle. That is, STA2 may be a hidden node to STA3. Before data transmission and reception between STA1 and STA2, by exchanging RTS / CTS frames, STAs outside the transmission range of either STA1 or STA2, or STAs outside the carrier sensing range for transmissions from STA1 or STA3, can be prevented from attempting to occupy the channel during the data transmission and reception between STA1 and STA2.

[0072] Specifically, STA1 can determine whether the channel is in use by using carrier sensing. In terms of physical carrier sensing, STA1 can determine the channel occupancy idle state based on the magnitude of the energy detected from the channel or the signal correlation. Also, in terms of virtual carrier sensing, STA1 can determine the occupancy state of the channel by using a network allocation vector (NAV) timer.

[0073] When the channel is idle at DIFS, STA1 can transmit an RTS frame to STA2 after performing a backoff. When STA2 receives the RTS frame, it can transmit a CTS frame, which is a response to the RTS frame, to STA1 after SIFS.

[0074] Although STA3 cannot overhear the CTS frame from STA2, if it can overhear the RTS frame 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). Or, although STA3 cannot overhear the RTS frame from STA1, if it can overhear the CTS frame from STA2, STA3 can 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). That is, when STA3 can overhear one or more of the RTS or CTS frames from at least one of STA1 or STA2, it can set the NAV based on this. When STA3 receives a new frame before the NAV timer expires, it 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.

[0075] When STA1 receives a CTS frame from STA2, it can transmit a data frame to STA2 after SIFS from the time when the reception of the CTS frame is completed. When STA2 successfully receives the data frame, it can transmit an ACK frame, which is a response to the data frame, to STA1 after SIFS. When the NAV timer of STA3 expires, it can use carrier sensing to determine whether the channel is in use. When STA3 determines that the channel is not used by other terminals during the period from the expiration of the NAV timer to DIFS, it can attempt channel access after the contention window (CW) by random backoff has passed.

[0076] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of a frame structure used in a wireless LAN system to which the present disclosure is applicable.

[0077] By an instruction or primitive (meaning a set of an instruction or parameters) from the MAC layer, the PHY layer can prepare an MPDU (MAC PDU) to be transmitted. For example, when receiving an instruction from the MAC layer requesting the start of transmission in the PHY layer, the PHY layer switches to the transmission mode and can configure and transmit information (e.g., data) provided from the MAC layer in the form of a frame. Also, in the PHY layer, when detecting a valid preamble of the received frame, it monitors the header of the preamble and sends an instruction to the MAC layer notifying the start of reception in the PHY layer.

[0078] In this way, information transmission / reception in a wireless LAN system is performed in the form of a frame, and for this purpose, a Physical layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) frame format is defined.

[0079] A basic PPDU frame may include a Short Training Field (STF), a Long Training Field (LTF), a SIGNAL (SIG) field, and a Data field. The most basic (e.g., non-HT (High Throughput)) PPDU frame format may be composed of only a Legacy-STF (L-STF), a Legacy-LTF (L-LTF), a SIG field, and a Data field. Also, depending on the type of the PPDU frame format (e.g., an HT-mixed format PPDU, an HT-greenfield format PPDU, a Very High Throughput (VHT) PPDU, etc.), additional (or other types of) STF, LTF, and SIG fields may be included between the SIG field and the Data field (this will be described later with reference to FIG. 7).

[0080] The STF is a signal for signal detection, AGC (Automatic Gain Control), diversity selection, precise time synchronization, etc., and the LTF is a signal for channel estimation, frequency error estimation, etc. It can be said that the STF and LTF are signals for synchronization and channel estimation of the OFDM physical layer.

[0081] The SIG field may include a RATE field, a LENGTH field, etc. The RATE field may include information regarding the modulation and coding rate of data. The LENGTH field may include information regarding the length of data. Furthermore, the SIG field may include parity bits, SIG TAIL bits, etc.

[0082] The data field may include a SERVICE field, a PSDU (Physical layer Service Data Unit), PPDU TAIL bits, and may include padding bits if necessary. Some bits of the SERVICE field may be used for synchronization of the descrambler at the receiving end. The PSDU corresponds to the MAC PDU defined at the MAC layer and may include data generated / used at the upper layer. The PPDU TAIL bits may be used to return the encoder to the 0 state. The padding bits may be used to align the length of the data field to a predetermined unit.

[0083] The MAC PDU is defined by various MAC frame formats, and the basic MAC frame is composed of a MAC header, a frame body, and an FCS (Frame Check Sequence). The MAC frame is composed of the MAC PDU and may be transmitted / received by the PSDU in the data part of the PPDU frame format.

[0084] The MAC header includes a Frame Control field, a Duration / ID field, an Address field, etc. The Frame Control field may include control information necessary for frame transmission / reception. The Duration / ID field may be set to the time for transmitting the frame, etc. For the specific contents of the Sequence Control, QoS Control, and HT Control sub-fields of the MAC header, reference can be made to the IEEE 802.11 standard document.

[0085] The Null Data Packet (NDP) frame format means a frame format that does not contain a data packet. That is, the NDP frame means a frame format that includes the PLCP (physical layer convergence procedure) header part (i.e., the STF, LTF, and SIG fields) in the general PPDU frame format and does not include the remaining part (i.e., the data field). The NDP frame can also be referred to as a short frame format.

[0086] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a PPDU defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard to which the present disclosure is applicable.

[0087] In standards such as IEEE 802.11a / g / n / ac / ax, various forms of PPDUs are used. The basic PPDU format (IEEE 802.11a / g) includes an L-LTF, an L-STF, an L-SIG, and a Data field. The basic PPDU format can also be referred to as a non-HT PPDU format.

[0088] The HT PPDU format (IEEE 802.11n) further includes the HT-SIG, HT-STF, and HT-LFT(s) fields in the basic PPDU format. The HT PPDU format shown in FIG. 7 can be referred to as the HT-mixed format. An HT-greenfield format PPDU may be further defined, which corresponds to a format composed of HT-GF-STF, HT-LTF1, HT-SIG, one or more HT-LTFs, and a Data field without including L-STF, L-LTF, and L-SIG (not shown).

[0089] An example of the VHT PPDU format (IEEE 802.11ac) further includes the VHT SIG-A, VHT-STF, VHT-LTF, and VHT-SIG-B fields in the basic PPDU format.

[0090] An example of the HE PPDU format (IEEE 802.11ax) further includes the RL-SIG (Repeated L-SIG), HE-SIG-A, HE-SIG-B, HE-STF, HE-LTF(s), and PE (Packet Extension) fields in the basic PPDU format. Depending on the detailed exemplification of the HE PPDU format, some fields may be excluded or their lengths may change. For example, the HE-SIG-B field is included in the HE PPDU format for multi-user (MU), and the HE-SIG-B is not included in the HE PPDU format for single-user (SU). Also, the HE trigger-based (TB) PPDU format does not include the HE-SIG-B, and the length of the HE-STF field may change to 8 us. The HE ER (Extended Range) SU PPDU format does not include the HE-SIG-B field, and the length of the HE-SIG-A field may change to 16 us.

[0091] FIGS. 8 to 10 are diagrams for explaining examples of resource units of a wireless LAN system to which the present disclosure is applicable.

[0092] Referring to FIGS. 8 to 10, the resource unit (RU) defined in the wireless LAN system will be described. The RU may include a plurality of subcarriers (or tones). The RU may be used when transmitting signals to a plurality of STAs based on the OFDMA method. Also, the RU may be defined even when transmitting a signal to one STA. The RU may be used for the STF, LTF, data field, etc. of the PPDU.

[0093] As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, RUs corresponding to different numbers of tones (i.e., subcarriers) are used, and can constitute a part of the fields of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 80 MHz X-PPDU (X is HE, EHT, etc.). For example, resources may be allocated in units of RUs shown for the X-STF, X-LTF, and Data fields.

[0094] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an exemplary arrangement of resource units (RUs) used in the 20 MHz band.

[0095] As shown at the topmost part of FIG. 8, 26 units (i.e., units corresponding to 26 tones) may be allocated. Six tones may be used as a guard band in the leftmost band of the 20 MHz band, and five tones may be used as a guard band in the rightmost band of the 20 MHz band. Also, seven DC tones may be inserted in the center band, i.e., the DC band, and 26 units corresponding to 13 tones may exist on the left and right sides of the DC band, respectively. Also, 26 units, 52 units, and 106 units may be allocated to other bands. Each unit may be allocated for an STA or a user.

[0096] The RU arrangement in FIG. 8 is utilized not only for the situation of multiple users (MUs) but also for the situation of a single user (SU). In this case, it is possible to use one 242-unit as shown at the bottommost part of FIG. 8. In this case, three DC tones may be inserted.

[0097] In an example of FIG. 8, RUs of various sizes are illustrated, namely, 26-RU, 52-RU, 106-RU, 242-RU, etc. However, the specific sizes of such RUs may be reduced or expanded. Therefore, in the present disclosure, the specific size of each RU (i.e., the number of corresponding tones) is not limited and is exemplary. Also, in the present disclosure, within a predetermined bandwidth (e.g., 20, 40, 80, 160, 320 MHz,...), the number of RUs may vary depending on the size of the RU. The point that the size and / or the number of RUs can be changed in the examples of FIGS. 9 and / or 10 described below is the same as that of the example of FIG. 8.

[0098] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an exemplary arrangement of resource units (RUs) used on a 40 MHz band.

[0099] Similar to the use of RUs of various sizes in an example of FIG. 8, 26-RU, 52-RU, 106-RU, 242-RU, 484-RU, etc. may be used in an example of FIG. 9. Also, five DC tones may be inserted at the center frequency, twelve tones may be used as guard bands in the leftmost band of the 40 MHz band, and eleven tones may be used as guard bands in the rightmost band of the 40 MHz band.

[0100] Also, as shown in the same figure, when used for a single user, 484-RU may be used.

[0101] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an exemplary arrangement of resource units (RUs) used on an 80 MHz band.

[0102] In an example of FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, various sizes of RUs were used. Similarly, in an example of FIG. 10, 26-RU, 52-RU, 106-RU, 242-RU, 484-RU, 996-RU, etc. may be used. Also, in an 80 MHz PPDU, the RU arrangements of HE PPDU and EHT PPDU may be different from each other. The illustration in FIG. 10 shows an example of the RU arrangement for an 80 MHz EHT PPDU. In the illustration of FIG. 10, 12 tones are used as a guard band in the leftmost band of the 80 MHz band, and 11 tones are used as a guard band in the rightmost band of the 80 MHz band, which is the same in both HE PPDU and EHT PPDU. In the HE PPDU, 7 DC tones are inserted in the DC band, and unlike the case where there is one 26-RU corresponding to 13 tones on each side of the DC band, in the EHT PPDU, 23 DC tones are inserted in the DC band, and there is one 26-RU on each of the left and right sides of the DC band. Unlike the case where there is one null subcarrier between 242-RUs that are not in the center band in the HE PPDU, there are 5 null subcarriers in the EHT PPDU. One 484-RU in the HE PPDU does not include null subcarriers, but one 484-RU in the EHT PPDU includes 5 null subcarriers.

[0103] Also, as shown in the same figure, when used for a single user, 996-RU may be used, and in this case, the insertion of 5 DC tones is common in both HE PPDU and EHT PPDU.

[0104] EHT PPDUs above 160 MHz may be configured with multiple 80 MHz sub-blocks of FIG. 10. The RU configuration for each 80 MHz sub-block may be the same as the RU configuration of the 80 MHz EHT PPDU of FIG. 10. When the 80 MHz sub-blocks of a 160 MHz or 320 MHz EHT PPDU are not punctured and the entire 80 MHz sub-blocks are used as part of an RU or an MRU (Multiple RU), the 80 MHz sub-blocks can use the 996-RU of FIG. 10.

[0105] Here, an MRU corresponds to a group of sub-carriers (or tones) composed of multiple RUs. The multiple RUs that make up an MRU may be RUs of the same size or RUs of different sizes from each other. For example, a single MRU may be defined as 52+26-tone, 106+26-tone, 484+242-tone, 996+484-tone, 996+484+242-tone, 2×996+484-tone, 3×996-tone, or 3×996+484-tone. Here, the multiple RUs that make up one MRU may correspond to RUs of a small size (e.g., 26, 52, 106) or RUs of a large size (e.g., 242, 484, 996, etc.). That is, one MRU including small-sized RUs and large-sized RUs may not be configured / defined. Also, the multiple RUs that make up one MRU may or may not be continuous in the frequency domain.

[0106] When the 80 MHz sub-block contains RUs smaller than 996 tones or a portion of the 80 MHz sub-block is punctured, the 80 MHz sub-block can use an RU configuration other than the 996-tone RU.

[0107] The RU of the present disclosure may be used for uplink (UL) and / or downlink (DL) communication. For example, when trigger-based UL-MU communication is performed, the STA (e.g., AP) that transmits the trigger uses trigger information (e.g., a trigger frame or TRS (triggered response scheduling)) to allocate a first RU (e.g., 26 / 52 / 106 / 242-RU, etc.) to a first STA and a second RU (e.g., 26 / 52 / 106 / 242-RU, etc.) to a second STA. Subsequently, the first STA can transmit a first trigger-based (TB) PPDU based on the first RU, and the second STA can transmit a second TB PPDU based on the second RU. The first / second TB PPDUs may be transmitted to the AP in the same time interval.

[0108] For example, when a DL MU PPDU is configured, the STA (e.g., AP) that transmits the DL MU PPDU can allocate a first RU (e.g., 26 / 52 / 106 / 242-RU, etc.) to a first STA and a second RU (e.g., 26 / 52 / 106 / 242-RU, etc.) to a second STA. That is, the transmitting STA (e.g., AP) can use the first RU to transmit the HE-STF, HE-LTF, and Data fields for the first STA and use the second RU to transmit the HE-STF, HE-LTF, and Data fields for the second STA within one MU PPDU.

[0109] Information regarding the RU arrangement may be signaled in the HE-SIG-B of the HE PPDU format.

[0110] FIG. 11 shows an exemplary structure of the HE-SIG-B field.

[0111] As shown in the figure, the HE-SIG-B field may include a common field and a user-specific field. When HE-SIG-B compression is applied (e.g., in the case of full-bandwidth MU-MIMO transmission), the common field may not be included in HE-SIG-B, and the HE-SIG-B content channel may include only the user-specific field. When HE-SIG-B compression is not applied, the common field may be included in HE-SIG-B.

[0112] The common field may include information regarding RU allocation (e.g., RU assignment, RUs allocated for MU-MIMO, the number of MU-MIMO users (STAs), etc.).

[0113] The common field may include N * 8 RU allocation subfields. Here, N is the number of subfields, and it may have values such as N = 1 for a 20 or 40 MHz MU PPDU, N = 2 for an 80 MHz MU PPDU, N = 4 for a 160 MHz or 80 + 80 MHz MU PPDU,.... One 8-bit RU allocation subfield can indicate the size (26, 52, 106, etc.) and frequency position (or RU index) of the RUs included in the 20 MHz band.

[0114] For example, if the value of the 8-bit RU allocation subfield is 00000000, 9 26-RUs are arranged in order from the leftmost to the rightmost in the example of Figure 8; if the value is 00000001, 7 26-RUs and 1 52-RU are arranged in order from the leftmost to the rightmost; if the value is 00000010, it can be shown that 5 26-RUs, 1 52-RU, and 2 26-RUs are arranged in order from the leftmost to the rightmost.

[0115] As an additional example, if the value of the 8-bit RU allocation subfield is 01000y2y1y0, it can be shown that one 106-RU and five 26-RUs are arranged in order from the leftmost to the rightmost in the example of FIG. 8. In this case, for the 106-RU, multiple users / STAs may be allocated in the MU-MIMO mode. Specifically, up to eight users / STAs may be allocated to the 106-RU, and the number of users / STAs allocated to the 106-RU is determined based on 3-bit information (i.e., y2y1y0). For example, when the 3-bit information (y2y1y0) corresponds to the decimal value N, the number of users / STAs allocated to the 106-RU may be N + 1.

[0116] Basically, one user / STA may be allocated to each of the plurality of RUs, and different users / STAs may be allocated to different RUs. For RUs of a predetermined size or more (e.g., 106, 242, 484, 996-tone,...), multiple users / STAs may be allocated to one RU, and the MU-MIMO mode may be applied to the multiple users / STAs.

[0117] The set of user-specific fields includes information on how all users (STAs) of the PPDU decode their own payloads. The user-specific field may include zero or more user block fields. A non-final user block field includes two user fields (i.e., information used for decoding at two STAs). The final user block field includes one or two user fields. The number of user fields may be indicated by the RU allocation subfield of HE-SIG-B, by the number of symbols of HE-SIG-B, or by the MU-MIMO user field of HE-SIG-A. The user-specific field may be encoded separately or independently from the common field.

[0118] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the MU-MIMO scheme in which a plurality of users / STAs are assigned to one RU.

[0119] In the example of FIG. 12, assume that the value of the RU allocation subfield is 01000010. This corresponds to the case where y2y1y0 = 010 in 01000y2y1y0. 010 corresponds to the decimal number 2 (i.e., N = 2), and it can be shown that 3 (= N + 1) users are assigned to one RU. In this case, one 106-RU and five 26-RUs may be arranged in order from the leftmost to the rightmost of a specific 20 MHz band / channel. Three users / STAs may be assigned to the 106-RU in the MU-MIMO scheme. As a result, a total of eight users / STAs are assigned to the 20 MHz band / channel, and the user-specific field of HE-SIG-B may include eight user fields (i.e., four user block fields). The eight user fields may be assigned (assign) to the RU as shown in FIG. 12.

[0120] The user field may be configured based on two formats. The user field for MU-MIMO allocation may be configured in the first format, and the user field for non-MU-MIMO allocation may be configured in the second format. Referring to an example of FIG. 12, user fields 1 to 3 may be based on the first format, and user fields 4 to 8 may be based on the second format. The first format and the second format may include bit information of the same length (e.g., 21 bits).

[0121] The user field of the first format (i.e., the format for MU-MIMO allocation) may be configured as follows. For example, out of the total 21 bits of one user field, B0 to B10 include the identification information of the user (e.g., STA-ID, AID, partial AID, etc.), B11 to B14 include spatial configuration information such as the number of spatial streams for the user, B15 to B18 include MCS (Modulation and coding scheme) information applied to the Data field of the PPDU, B19 is defined as a reserved field, and B20 may include coding type (e.g., BCC (binary convolutional coding) or LDPC (low-density parity check)) information applied to the Data field of the PPDU.

[0122] The user field of the second format (i.e., the format for non-MU-MIMO allocation) may be configured as follows. For example, out of the total 21 bits of one user field, B0 to B10 include the identification information of the user (e.g., STA-ID, AID, partial AID, etc.), B11 to B13 include the number of spatial streams (NSTS) information applied to the RU, B14 includes information indicating the availability of beamforming (or the availability of applying a beamforming steering matrix), B15 to B18 include MCS (Modulation and coding scheme) information applied to the Data field of the PPDU, B19 includes information indicating the availability of DCM (dual carrier modulation), and B20 may include coding type (e.g., BCC or LDPC) information applied to the Data field of the PPDU.

[0123] The MCS, MCS information, MCS index, MCS field, etc. used in the present disclosure may be displayed with specific index values. For example, the MCS information may be displayed as index 0 to index 11. The MCS information may include information regarding the constellation modulation type (e.g., BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, 256-QAM, 1024-QAM, etc.) and information regarding the coding rate (e.g., 1 / 2, 2 / 3, 3 / 4, 5 / 6, etc.). Information regarding the channel coding type (e.g., BCC or LDPC) may be omitted from the MCS information.

[0124] FIG. 13 shows an example of a PPDU format to which the present disclosure is applicable.

[0125] The PPDU in FIG. 13 may be given various names such as an EHT PPDU, a transmission PPDU, a reception PPDU, a first type or an Nth type PPDU. For example, the PPDU or EHT PPDU of the present disclosure can be given various names such as a transmission PPDU, a reception PPDU, a first type or an Nth type PPDU. Also, the EHT PPU is available in an EHT system and / or a new wireless LAN system that improves the EHT system.

[0126] The EHT MU PPDU in FIG. 13 corresponds to a PPDU that carries one or more data (or PSDU) for one or more users. That is, the EHT MU PPDU may be used for both SU transmission and MU transmission. For example, the EHT MU PPDU may correspond to a PPDU for one receiving STA or a plurality of receiving STAs.

[0127] In the EHT TB PPDU in FIG. 13, the EHT-SIG is omitted as compared with the EHT MU PPDU. A STA that has received a trigger (e.g., a trigger frame or TRS) for UL MU transmission can perform UL transmission based on the EHT TB PPDU format.

[0128] In the exemplification of the EHT PPDU format of FIG. 13, L-STF to EHT-LTF correspond to a preamble or a physical preamble and may be generated / transmitted / received / acquired / decoded at the physical layer.

[0129] The subcarrier frequency spacing of L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, U-SIG (Universal SIGNAL), and the EHT-SIG field (collectively referred to as the pre-EHT modulated field) may be defined as 312.5 kHz. The subcarrier frequency spacing of EHT-STF, EHT-LTF, Data, and the PE field (collectively referred to as the EHT modulated field) may be defined as 78.125 kHz. That is, the tone / subcarrier index of the L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, U-SIG, and EHT-SIG fields may be represented in units of 312.5 kHz, and the tone / subcarrier index of the EHT-STF, EHT-LTF, Data, and PE fields may be represented in units of 78.125 kHz.

[0130] L-LTF and L-STF in FIG. 13 may be configured identically to the corresponding fields of the PPDU described in FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0131] The L-SIG field of FIG. 13 is composed of 24 bits and may be used to communicate rate and length information. For example, the L-SIG field may include a 4-bit Rate field, a 1-bit Reserved bit, a 12-bit Length field, a 1-bit Parity field, and a 6-bit Tail field. For example, the 12-bit Length field may include information regarding the length or time duration of the PPDU. For example, the value of the 12-bit Length field may be determined based on the type of the PPDU. For example, for non-HT, HT, VHT, or EHT PPDUs, the value of the Length field may be determined to be a multiple of 3. For example, for HE PPDUs, the value of the Length field may be determined to be a multiple of 3 + 1 or a multiple of 3 + 2.

[0132] For example, the transmitting STA can apply BCC encoding based on a coding rate of 1 / 2 to the 24-bit information of the L-SIG field. Subsequently, the transmitting STA can obtain 48-bit BCC-encoded bits. BPSK modulation may be applied to the 48-bit encoded bits, and 48 BPSK symbols may be generated. The transmitting STA can map the 48 BPSK symbols to positions excluding pilot subcarriers (e.g., {subcarrier indices -21, -7, +7, +21}) and the DC subcarrier (e.g., {subcarrier index 0}). As a result, the 48 BPSK symbols may be mapped to subcarrier indices -26 to -22, -20 to -8, -6 to -1, +1 to +6, +8 to +20, and +22 to +26. The transmitting STA can further map a signal of {-1, -1, -1, 1} to the subcarrier indices {-28, -27, +27, +28}. The signal may be used for channel estimation for the frequency domain corresponding to {-28, -27, +27, +28}.

[0133] The transmitting STA can generate an RL-SIG that is generated identically to the L-SIG. BPSK modulation is applied to the RL-SIG. The receiving STA can determine that the received PPDU is a HE PPDU or an EHT PPDU based on the presence of the RL-SIG.

[0134] A U-SIG (Universal SIG) may be inserted after the RL-SIG in FIG. 13. The U-SIG can have various names such as the first SIG field, the first SIG, the first type SIG, the control signal, the control signal field, the first (type) control signal, etc.

[0135] The U-SIG may include N-bit information and may include information for identifying the type of the EHT PPDU. For example, the U-SIG may be configured based on two symbols (e.g., two consecutive OFDM symbols). Each symbol for the U-SIG (e.g., an OFDM symbol) may have a duration of 4 us, and the U-SIG may have an overall duration of 8 us. Each symbol of the U-SIG may be used to transmit 26-bit information. For example, each symbol of the U-SIG may be transmitted and received based on 52 data tones and 4 pilot tones.

[0136] In the U-SIG (or U-SIG field), for example, A-bit information (e.g., 52 un-coded bits) may be transmitted. The first symbol of U-SIG (e.g., U-SIG-1) transmits the first X-bit information (e.g., 26 un-coded bits) among the total A-bit information, and the second symbol of U-SIG (e.g., U-SIG-2) can transmit the remaining Y-bit information (e.g., 26 un-coded bits) among the total A-bit information. For example, the transmitting STA can obtain the 26 un-coded bits included in each U-SIG symbol. The transmitting STA can perform convolutional encoding (e.g., BCC encoding) based on a rate of R = 1 / 2 to generate 52-coded bits and can perform interleaving on the 52-coded bits. The transmitting STA can perform BPSK modulation on the interleaved 52-coded bits to generate 52 BPSK symbols assigned to each U-SIG symbol. One U-SIG symbol may be transmitted based on 56 tones (sub-carriers) from sub-carrier index -28 to sub-carrier index +28, excluding the DC index 0. The 52 BPSK symbols generated by the transmitting STA may be transmitted based on the remaining tones (sub-carriers) excluding the tones -21, -7, +7, +21 which are pilot tones.

[0137] For example, the A-bit information (e.g., 52 un-coded bit) transmitted by U-SIG may include a CRC field (e.g., a 4-bit long field) and a tail field (e.g., a 6-bit long field). The CRC field and the tail field may be transmitted in the second symbol of U-SIG. The CRC field may be generated based on 26 bits assigned to the first symbol of U-SIG and the remaining 16 bits excluding the CRC / tail field within the second symbol, and may be generated based on a conventional CRC calculation algorithm. Also, the tail field may be used to terminate the trellis of a convolutional decoder and may be set to 0, for example.

[0138] The A-bit information (e.g., 52 un-coded bit) transmitted by U-SIG (or, the U-SIG field) can be distinguished into version-independent bits and version-dependent bits. For example, the size of the version-independent bits may be fixed or variable. For example, the version-independent bits may be assigned only to the first symbol of U-SIG, or the version-independent bits may be assigned to both the first symbol and the second symbol of U-SIG. For example, the version-independent bits and the version-dependent bits may be given various names such as the first control bit and the second control bit.

[0139] For example, the version-independent bits of U-SIG may include a 3-bit physical layer version identifier. For example, the 3-bit physical layer version identifier may include information regarding the physical layer version of the transmitted and received PPDU. For example, the first value of the 3-bit physical layer version identifier may indicate that the transmitted and received PPDU is an EHT PPDU. In other words, when the transmitting STA transmits an EHT PPDU, it can set the 3-bit physical layer version identifier to the first value. In other words, the receiving STA can determine that the received PPDU is an EHT PPDU based on the physical layer version identifier having the first value.

[0140] For example, the version-independent bits of U-SIG may include a 1-bit UL / DL flag field. The first value of the 1-bit UL / DL flag field is related to UL communication, and the second value of the UL / DL flag field is related to DL communication.

[0141] For example, the version-independent bits of U-SIG may include information regarding the length of the TXOP (transmission opportunity) and information regarding the BSS color ID.

[0142] For example, when EHT PPDUs are classified into various types (for example, various types such as EHT PPDUs related to SU mode, EHT PPDUs related to MU mode, EHT PPDUs related to TB mode, EHT PPDUs related to Extended Range transmission, etc.), information regarding the type of EHT PPDU may be included in the version-dependent bits of U-SIG.

[0143] For example, the U-SIG may include: 1) a bandwidth field containing information about the bandwidth, 2) a field containing information about the MCS scheme applied to the EHT-SIG, 3) an indication field containing information about whether the DCM scheme is applied to the EHT-SIG, 4) a field containing information about the number of symbols used for the EHT-SIG, 5) a field containing information about whether the EHT-SIG is generated across the entire bandwidth, 6) a field containing information about the type of EHT-LTF / STF, and 7) information about a field indicating the length of the EHT-LTF and the CP length.

[0144] Preambles puncturing may be applied to the PPDU in FIG. 13. Preambles puncturing can mean the transmission of a PPDU where there is no signal present in one or more 20 MHz subchannels within the bandwidth of the PPDU. Preambles puncturing may be applied to PPDUs transmitted to one or more users. For example, the resolution of preambles puncturing may be 20 MHz for EHT MU PPDUs in OFDMA transmissions with a bandwidth greater than 40 MHz and non-OFDMA transmissions with 80 MHz and 160 MHz bandwidths. That is, in the above cases, puncturing for subchannels smaller than 242-tone RUs may not be allowed. Also, for EHT MU PPDUs in non-OFDMA transmissions with a 320 MHz bandwidth, the resolution of preambles puncturing may be 40 MHz. That is, puncturing for subchannels smaller than 484-tone RUs in a 320 MHz bandwidth may not be allowed. Also, preambles puncturing may not be applied to the primary 20 MHz channel in an EHT MU PPDU.

[0145] For example, for an EHT MU PPDU, information regarding preamble puncturing may be included in the U-SIG and / or EHT-SIG. For example, the first field of the U-SIG may include information regarding the contiguous bandwidth of the PPDU, and the second field of the U-SIG may include information regarding the preamble puncturing applied to the PPDU.

[0146] For example, the U-SIG and EHT-SIG can include information regarding preamble puncturing based on the following method. When the bandwidth of the PPDU exceeds 80 MHz, the U-SIG may be individually configured in 80 MHz units. For example, when the bandwidth of the PPDU is 160 MHz, the PPDU may include a first U-SIG for the first 80 MHz band and a second U-SIG for the second 80 MHz band. In this case, the first field of the first U-SIG may include information regarding the 160 MHz bandwidth, and the second field of the first U-SIG may include information regarding the preamble puncturing applied to the first 80 MHz band (i.e., information regarding the preamble puncturing pattern). Also, the first field of the second U-SIG may include information regarding the 160 MHz bandwidth, and the second field of the second U-SIG may include information regarding the preamble puncturing applied to the second 80 MHz band (i.e., information regarding the preamble puncturing pattern). The EHT-SIG consecutive to the first U-SIG may include information regarding the preamble puncturing applied to the second 80 MHz band (i.e., information regarding the preamble puncturing pattern), and the EHT-SIG consecutive to the second U-SIG may include information regarding the preamble puncturing applied to the first 80 MHz band (i.e., information regarding the preamble puncturing pattern).

[0147] As an addition or alternative, U-SIG and EHT-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing based on the following method. U-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing for the entire band (i.e., information regarding the preamble puncturing pattern). That is, EHT-SIG may not include information regarding preamble puncturing, and only U-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing (i.e., information regarding the preamble puncturing pattern).

[0148] U-SIG may be configured in units of 20 MHz. For example, when an 80 MHz PPDU is configured, U-SIG may be replicated. That is, four identical U-SIGs may be included within an 80 MHz PPDU. PPDUs exceeding 80 MHz bandwidth may include different U-SIGs from each other.

[0149] The EHT-SIG of FIG. 13 may include control information for the receiving STA. The EHT-SIG may be transmitted in at least one symbol, and one symbol may have a length of 4 us. Information regarding the number of symbols used for the EHT-SIG may be included in the U-SIG.

[0150] The EHT-SIG may include the technical features of HE-SIG-B described in FIGS. 11 and 12. For example, the EHT-SIG may include a common field and a user-specific field, identically to the example of FIG. 8. The common field of the EHT-SIG may be omitted, and the number of user-specific fields may be determined based on the number of users.

[0151] Similar to an example of FIG. 11, the common fields of the EHT-SIG and the user-specific fields of the EHT-SIG may be encoded separately. One user block field included in the user-specific field contains information for two user fields, but the last user block field included in the user-specific field may contain one or two user fields. That is, one user block field of the EHT-SIG may contain at most two user fields. Similar to an example of FIG. 12, each user field may be related to MU-MIMO allocation or non-MU-MIMO allocation.

[0152] Similar to an example of FIG. 11, the common field of the EHT-SIG may include CRC bits and Tail bits. The length of the CRC bits may be determined to be 4 bits, and the length of the Tail bits may be determined to be 6 bits and may be set to 000000.

[0153] Similar to an example of FIG. 11, the common field of the EHT-SIG may include RU allocation information. RU allocation information can mean information regarding the location of RUs to which a plurality of users (i.e., a plurality of receiving STAs) are allocated. RU allocation information may be configured in units of 9 bits (or N bits).

[0154] A mode in which the common fields of the EHT-SIG are omitted may be supported. The mode in which the common fields of the EHT-SIG are omitted can be called the compressed mode. When the compressed mode is used, multiple users of the EHT PPDU (i.e., multiple receiving STAs) can decode the PPDU (e.g., the data field of the PPDU) based on non-OFDMA. That is, multiple users of the EHT PPDU can decode the PPDU (e.g., the data field of the PPDU) received in the same frequency band. When the non-compressed mode is used, multiple users of the EHT PPDU can decode the PPDU (e.g., the data field of the PPDU) based on OFDMA. That is, multiple users of the EHT PPDU can receive the PPDU (e.g., the data field of the PPDU) in different frequency bands from each other.

[0155] The EHT-SIG may be configured based on various MCS techniques. As described above, information related to the MCS technique applied to the EHT-SIG may be included in the U-SIG. The EHT-SIG may be configured based on the DCM technique. The DCM technique can provide an effect similar to frequency diversity, reduce interference, and improve coverage by reusing the same signal on two subcarriers. For example, modulated symbols to which the same modulation technique is applied may be repeatedly mapped on available tones / subcarriers. For example, among the N data tones (e.g., 52 data tones) allocated for the EHT-SIG, modulated symbols (e.g., BPSK modulated symbols) to which a specific modulation technique is applied are mapped to the first consecutive half of the tones (e.g., the 1st to 26th tones), and modulated symbols (e.g., BPSK modulated symbols) to which the same specific modulation technique is applied are also mapped to the remaining consecutive half of the tones (e.g., the 27th to 52nd tones). That is, the modulated symbol mapped to the 1st tone is the same as the modulated symbol mapped to the 27th tone. As described above, information (e.g., a 1-bit field) related to whether the DCM technique is applied to the EHT-SIG may be included in the U-SIG. The EHT-STF in FIG. 13 may be used to improve automatic gain control (AGC) estimation in a MIMO environment or an OFDMA environment. The EHT-LTF in FIG. 13 may be used to estimate a channel in a MIMO environment or an OFDMA environment.

[0156] Information regarding the type of STF and / or LTF (including information regarding the GI (guard interval) applied to the LTF) may be included in the U-SIG field and / or the EHT-SIG field in FIG. 13, etc.

[0157] The PPDU in FIG. 13 (i.e., the EHT PPDU) may be configured based on an example of the RU arrangement in FIGS. 8 to 10.

[0158] For example, an EHT PPDU transmitted on a 20 MHz band, i.e., a 20 MHz EHT PPDU, may be configured based on the RUs in FIG. 8. That is, the locations of the RUs of the EHT-STF, EHT-LTF, and data fields included in the EHT PPDU may be determined as shown in FIG. 8. An EHT PPDU transmitted on a 40 MHz band, i.e., a 40 MHz EHT PPDU, may be configured based on the RUs in FIG. 9. That is, the locations of the RUs of the EHT-STF, EHT-LTF, and data fields included in the EHT PPDU may be determined as shown in FIG. 9.

[0159] An EHT PPDU transmitted on an 80 MHz band, i.e., an 80 MHz EHT PPDU, may be configured based on the RUs in FIG. 10. That is, the locations of the RUs of the EHT-STF, EHT-LTF, and data fields included in the EHT PPDU may be determined as shown in FIG. 10. The tone-plan for 80 MHz in FIG. 10 may correspond to two repetitions of the tone-plan for 40 MHz in FIG. 9.

[0160] The tone-plan for 160 / 240 / 320 MHz may be configured in a form that repeats the pattern in FIG. 9 or FIG. 10 a plurality of times.

[0161] The PPDU in FIG. 13 may be identified as an EHT PPDU based on the following method.

[0162] The receiving STA can determine that the type of the received PPDU is an EHT PPDU based on the following items. For example, 1) the first symbol after the L-LTF signal of the received PPDU is BPSK, 2) an RL-SIG in which the L-SIG is repeated is detected, and 3) when the result of applying modulo 3 operation to the value of the Length field of the L-SIG of the received PPDU (i.e., the remainder when divided by 3) is detected as 0, the received PPDU may be determined to be an EHT PPDU. When the received PPDU is determined to be an EHT PPDU, the receiving STA can determine the type of the EHT PPDU based on the bit information included in the symbol after the RL-SIG in FIG. 13. In other words, the receiving STA can determine that the received PPDU is an EHT PPDU based on 1) the first symbol after the L-LTF signal that is BSPK, 2) the RL-SIG that is consecutive to the L-SIG field and is the same as the L-SIG, and 3) the L-SIG including the Length field whose result of applying modulo 3 is set to 0.

[0163] For example, the receiving STA can determine that the type of the received PPDU is an HE PPDU based on the following items. For example, 1) the first symbol after the L-LTF signal is BPSK, 2) an RL-SIG in which the L-SIG is repeated is detected, and 3) when the result of applying modulo 3 to the Length value of the L-SIG is detected as 1 or 2, the received PPDU may be determined to be an HE PPDU.

[0164] For example, the receiving STA can determine that the type of the received PPDU is a non-HT, HT, and VHT PPDU based on the following items. For example, 1) the first symbol after the L-LTF signal is BPSK, and 2) when an RL-SIG in which the L-SIG is repeated is not detected, the received PPDU may be determined to be a non-HT, HT, and VHT PPDU.

[0165] Also, when the receiving STA detects an RL-SIG in which the L-SIG is repeated in the received PPDU, it can be determined that the PPDU is a HE PPDU or an EHT PPDU. In this case, if the rate (6 Mbps) check fails, the received PPDU may be determined to be a non-HT, HT, or VHT PPDU. If the rate (6 Mbps) check and the parity check are passed, and it is detected that the result of applying modulo 3 to the Length value of the L-SIG is 0, the received PPDU may be determined to be an EHT PPDU, and if the result of Length mod 3 is not 0, it may be determined to be a HE PPDU.

[0166] The PPDU in FIG. 13 may be used to transmit and receive various types of frames. For example, the PPDU in FIG. 13 may be used for the (simultaneous) transmission and reception of one or more of a control frame, a management frame, or a data frame.

[0167] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an exemplary format of a trigger frame to which the present disclosure is applicable.

[0168] The trigger frame can allocate resources for one or more TB PPDU transmissions and request TB PPDU transmissions. The trigger frame may also include other information required by the STA that transmits the TB PPDU in response thereto. The trigger frame may include a common information (common info) and a user information list (user info list) field in the frame body.

[0169] The common information field may include information that is commonly applied to one or more TB PPDU transmissions requested by the trigger frame, such as a trigger type, a UL length, the presence or absence of a subsequent trigger frame (e.g., More TF), the presence or absence of a CS (channel sensing) requirement, a UL BW (bandwidth), etc. FIG. 14 exemplarily shows an EHT variant common information field format.

[0170] The 4-bit sized trigger type subfield may have values from 0 to 15. Among them, the values 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the trigger type subfield are defined to correspond to basic, BFRP (Beamforming Report Poll), MU-BAR (multi user-block acknowledgement request), MU-RTS (multi user-request to send), BSRP (Buffer Status Report Poll), GCR (groupcast with retries) MU-BAR, BQRP (Bandwidth Query Report Poll), and NFRP (NDP Feedback Report Poll), respectively, and the values 8 to 15 are defined as reserved.

[0171] Among the common information, the trigger dependent common info subfield may include information selectively included based on the trigger type.

[0172] A special user info field may be included in the trigger frame. The special user info field does not include user-specific information and includes extended common information not provided in the common information field.

[0173] The user information list includes one or more user info fields. In FIG. 14, the EHT variant user information field format is exemplarily shown.

[0174] The AID12 subfield basically indicates that it is a user information field for the STA having the said AID. Additionally, when the AID12 field has a predefined specific value, it may be utilized for other purposes such as allocating a Random Access (RA)-RU or being configured in the form of a special user info field. The special user info field is a user information field that does not contain user-specific information but includes extended common information not provided in the common information field. For example, the special user info field may be identified by an AID12 value of 2007, and the special user info field flag subfield within the common information field can indicate whether the special user info field is included.

[0175] The RU allocation subfield can indicate the size and location of the RU / MRU. For this purpose, the RU allocation subfield may be analyzed together with the PS160 (primary / secondary 160MHz) subfield of the user information field, the UL BW subfield of the common information field, etc.

[0176] Additionally, in the present disclosure, the tone plan may be related to the rules for determining the size and / or location of a Resource Unit (RU). Hereinafter, the tone plan applied to the HE PPDU (i.e., the PPDU based on the IEEE 802.11ax standard) will be described as an example. Specifically, the size / location of the RU applied to the HE PPDU and the control information related to the RU applied to the HE PPDU will be described.

[0177] In the present disclosure, the control information related to the RU (or the control information related to the tone plan) may include control information regarding the size, position of the RU, information of the user STA assigned to a specific RU, the frequency bandwidth for the PPDU in which the RU is included, and / or the modulation method applied to the specific RU. The control information related to the RU may be included in the SIG field. For example, the control information related to the RU may be included within the HE-SIG-B field. That is, in the process of generating the transmitted PPDU, the transmitting STA can include the control information for the RU included in the PPDU within the HE-SIG-B field. Also, the receiving STA can receive the HE-SIG-B included in the received PPDU, obtain the control information included in the HE-SIG-B, determine whether there is an RU assigned to the receiving STA, and decode the RU assigned based on the HE-SIG-B.

[0178] In an existing wireless LAN system (e.g., the IEEE 802.11ax standard), the HE-STF, HE-LTF, and data fields may be configured in units of RUs. That is, when a first RU for a first receiving STA is set, the STF / LTF / data fields for the first receiving STA may be transmitted and received in the first RU.

[0179] In an existing wireless LAN system (e.g., the IEEE 802.11ax standard), the PPDU for one receiving STA (i.e., the SU PPDU) and the PPDU for multiple receiving STAs (i.e., the MU PPDU) may be defined separately, and the tone plan for each may be defined separately.

[0180] Specifically, an RU may include a plurality of subcarriers. For example, when an RU includes N subcarriers, it may be expressed as N-tone RU or N RU. The position of a specific RU may be indicated by a subcarrier index. Here, the subcarrier index may be defined in units of subcarrier frequency spacing. For example, in a wireless LAN system, the subcarrier frequency spacing is 312.5 kHz or 78.125 kHz, and the subcarrier frequency spacing for an RU may be 78.125 kHz. That is, the subcarrier index “+1” for an RU means a position further increased by 78.125 kHz based on the DC tone, and the subcarrier index “−1” for an RU may mean a position further decreased by 78.125 kHz based on the DC tone. For example, when the position of a specific RU is indicated as [−121:−96], the RU is located in the region from subcarrier index −121 to subcarrier index −96, and as a result, the RU may include 26 subcarriers. Also, an N-tone RU may include already set pilot tones.

[0181] Method for indicating RUs / MRUs allocated within an extended bandwidth (extended BW)

[0182] In the next-generation wireless LAN system, signals may be transmitted and received with an extended BW. For example, the extended BW may correspond to a 480 MHz bandwidth, a 560 MHz bandwidth, and / or a 640 MHz bandwidth.

[0183] In contrast, in an existing wireless LAN system (e.g., IEEE 802.11be), only TB (trigger based) PPDU transmission using a maximum bandwidth of 320 MHz is considered. Therefore, when an extended BW is used in the next-generation wireless LAN system, a method for indicating resource unit allocation (RU allocation) for TB PPDU transmission for the extended BW may be required.

[0184] Hereinafter, in the present disclosure, a method for indicating an RU / MRU (multiple RU) allocated within the extended BW is proposed to trigger / solicit a TB PPDU to a non-AP (non-access point) STA using the extended BW.

[0185] In this regard, the extended BW may be configured with the following channel combinations for RU / MRU allocation.

[0186] For example, when the extended BW corresponds to a 480 MHz bandwidth, the 480 MHz bandwidth may be composed of a 320 MHz channel and a 160 MHz channel. Here, the 320 MHz channel may be set as the primary channel. Here, the primary channel can mean the 320 MHz channel in the relatively high frequency region within the 480 MHz bandwidth. As an alternative, considering the case of being composed of 160 MHz unit channels, the 480 MHz bandwidth may be composed of three 160 MHz channels. At this time, each of the 160 MHz channels may be configured as the primary (or the first) 160 MHz channel, the secondary 160 MHz, and the third 160 MHz channel (or the 160 MHz channel in the relatively low frequency region within the secondary 320 MHz).

[0187] As another example, when the extended BW corresponds to a 560 MHz bandwidth, the 560 MHz bandwidth may be composed of a 320 MHz channel and a 240 MHz channel. Here, the 320 MHz channel may be set as the primary channel. As an alternative, considering the case of being composed of 160 MHz - unit channels, the 560 MHz bandwidth may be composed of three 160 MHz channels and one 80 MHz channel. At this time, the 160 MHz channels may be expressed as the primary (or the first) 160 MHz channel, the secondary 160 MHz, and the third 160 MHz channel (or the 160 MHz channel in the relatively low - frequency region within the secondary 320 MHz), respectively, and the 80 MHz channel may be the fourth and may be expressed as the 80 MHz channel in the relatively low - frequency region.

[0188] As another example, when the extended BW corresponds to a 640 MHz bandwidth, the 640 MHz bandwidth may be composed of a 320 MHz channel and a 320 MHz channel. Here, the two 320 MHz channels may be set as the primary channel and the secondary channel, respectively. Here, the secondary channel may mean the 320 MHz channel in the relatively low - frequency region within the 640 MHz bandwidth. As an alternative, considering the case of being composed of 160 MHz - unit channels, the 640 MHz bandwidth may be composed of four 160 MHz channels. At this time, the 160 MHz channels may be expressed as the primary (or the first) 160 MHz channel, the secondary 160 MHz, the third 160 MHz channel, and the fourth 160 MHz, respectively.

[0189] Considering the channel configuration of the extended BW as described above, the RU / MRU allocation for triggering / requesting TB PPDU transmission with the extended BW may be configured / indicated based on at least one of the following examples.

[0190] Hereinafter, the embodiments described in the present disclosure are only divided for the sake of clarity of explanation, and the configurations described in some embodiments may be applied in combination / alternation / combination with the configurations of other embodiments, or may be applied independently respectively.

[0191] Example 1

[0192] This embodiment relates to a scheme for instructing RU / MRU allocation for TB PPDU based on a 160 MHz channel base.

[0193] Specifically, for the indication of the additional / extended 160 MHz channel added with the extended BW, an additional signaling 1 bit for indicating the extended channel may be allocated and used.

[0194] For the aforementioned additional signaling 1 bit, the bits reserved in the user field (e.g., the user information field (user info field)) of the trigger frame (e.g., the trigger frame in FIG. 14) in the existing wireless LAN system may be used for the aforementioned indication. Here, the bit used for the indication may be B25 of the user field within the trigger frame.

[0195] For example, B25 may be defined as a 160 extension field, and the B25 may be used to indicate the position of the 160 MHz channel. Here, the field name is an example and may be paraphrased into other field names.

[0196] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the user field of a trigger frame considering extended BW support according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0197] Referring to FIG. 15, as described above, B25 in the user field within the trigger frame may be defined as a 160 extended field. That is, the trigger frame exemplifies a trigger frame in a next-generation wireless LAN system that supports an extended BW.

[0198] When triggering / requesting a TB PPDU with an extended BW, the RU / MRU allocation (field) transmitted in the trigger frame can indicate the 160 MHz channel to which the RU / MRU is allocated, using B25 (i.e., the 160 extended field) and B39 (i.e., the PS160 field) included in the user field.

[0199] In this regard, the information of B25 and B39 may be used to indicate in which / which 160 MHz channel the RU / MRU for the TB PPDU is located / included. At this time, using the B0 bit of the allocation field (i.e., the RU allocation field), information regarding in which 80 MHz channel position the allocated RU / MRU exists in the 160 MHz indicated by the above two bits (i.e., B25 and B39) may be indicated.

[0200] For example, B25 and B39 may be defined / set as shown in Table 1 below, whereby the position of the 160 MHz channel may be indicated.

[0201]

Table 1

[0202] As another example, the values in Table 1 described above may be composed of a combination of (B25 B39).

[0203] In case the bandwidth is 160 MHz or less, the two bits (B39 B25) may always be set to (0,0).

[0204] In the event that the bandwidth is 320 MHz, B25 may be set to 0. At this time, B39 may be set to 0 if the RU / MRU is located in the primary 160 MHz channel, and may be set to 1 if the RU / MRU is located in the secondary 160 MHz channel.

[0205] In the event that the bandwidth is an extended BW greater than 320 MHz, the allocation information for the RU / MRU allocated within the extended BW may be confirmed / ascertained using the (B39 B25) information and the BW information set by the 160 MHz channel in which the RU / MRU is located as shown in Table 1.

[0206] Example 2

[0207] This embodiment relates to a scheme that utilizes 2-bit information for RU / MRU allocation for an extended BW.

[0208] At this time, for the 2-bit information field, the user field of the trigger frame of the existing wireless LAN system (e.g., the trigger frame in FIG. 14) may be rephrased.

[0209] For example, the 2-bit information may be defined as a 160 MHz indication field. The combination of 2 bits can indicate the 160 MHz channel in which the RU / MRU included for transmitting the TB PPDU in the BW including the extended BW is located.

[0210] Table 2 exemplifies the indication for the 160 MHz channel by the 160 MHz indication field composed of the aforementioned 2 bits.

[0211]

Table 2

[0212] If the BW is 160 MHz or less, the value of the field may be set to 0.

[0213] The position of the 80 MHz channel in which the RU / MRU is allocated within the 160 MHz channel may be indicated using B0 of the RU allocation field.

[0214] In this connection, the 160 MHz indication field may be located in the user field of the rephrased trigger frame, in the portion before the RU allocation field. The position of the field is an example, and the field may be located within the user field considering the sizes of other information fields.

[0215] Example 3

[0216] This embodiment relates to a scheme for adding a 320 MHz channel-based indication to indicate a channel including RU / MRU for a TB PPDU.

[0217] Similar to the channel configuration described above, the extended BW may be configured based on a 320 MHz channel. Therefore, the RU allocation for the TB PPDU may be performed as follows.

[0218] Specifically, a PS320 field may be defined for the indication for 320 MHz in the extended BW, and the PS320 field may be composed of 1-bit information. The 1-bit information may be B25 of the user field within the trigger frame. Here, the field name is an example, and it may be rephrased into other field names.

[0219] FIG. 16 shows another example of the user field of the trigger frame considering the extended BW support according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0220] Referring to FIG. 16, as described above, B25 of the user field within the trigger frame may be defined as the PS320 field. That is, the trigger frame exemplifies a trigger frame in a next-generation wireless LAN system that supports an extended BW.

[0221] The PS320 field may be used to indicate the position of a 320 MHz channel. Specifically, a value of 0 for the field may be set / defined to indicate the primary 320 MHz channel, and a value of 1 may be set / defined to indicate the secondary 320 MHz channel.

[0222] In this regard, for a BW of 320 MHz or less, the PS320 field may always be set to a value of 0. The PS160 field and B0 of the RU allocation field may be used to indicate a 160 MHz channel or an 80 MHz channel that includes an RU / MRU.

[0223] Additionally, for an extended BW greater than 320 MHz, the PS320 field may be used to indicate the 320 MHz channel in which the RU / MRU allocated for the TB PPDU is located. For each BW, the value of the PS320 field may be set as follows.

[0224] When the extended BW corresponds to a 480 MHz bandwidth, the extended BW may be composed of a combination of a 320 MHz channel and a 160 MHz channel. At this time, the PS320 field may be set to a value of 0 when the RU / MRU is present in the primary 320 MHz channel, and may be set to a value of 1 when it is present in the 160 MHz channel (for example, the relatively lower 160 MHz channel within the secondary 320 MHz channel).

[0225] As an alternative, the 480 MHz bandwidth may be composed of a combination of a primary 160 MHz channel and a secondary 320 MHz channel. At this time, the PS320 field may be set to a value of 0 when the RU / MRU is present in the primary 160 MHz channel (for example, the 160 MHz channel within the primary 320 MHz channel), and set to a value of 1 when present in the secondary 320 MHz channel.

[0226] Information regarding which 160 MHz channel or 80 MHz channel within the 320 MHz indicated by the aforementioned PS320 field the assigned RU / MRU is located in may be indicated using the PS160 field and the B0 bit of the RU allocation field.

[0227] Additionally or as an alternative, when the extended BW corresponds to a 560 MHz bandwidth, the extended BW may be composed of a combination of a 320 MHz channel and a 240 MHz channel, or a combination of a 320 MHz channel, a 160 MHz channel, and an 80 MHz channel.

[0228] At this time, the combination of the 240 MHz channel / 160 MHz channel and the 80 MHz channel may be considered as a channel configuration included in one of the two 320 MHz channels. Therefore, the combination of the 240 MHz channel / 160 MHz channel and the 80 MHz channel may be indicated by the PS320 field. Here, since the 560 MHz bandwidth is indicated by the BW information / field, the PS320 field / bit may be used to set / indicate one of the two 320 MHz according to the position of the assigned RU / MRU.

[0229] As an example, when the RU / MRU assigned for the TB PPDU corresponds to a 320 MHz channel, the PS320 field may be set to a value of 0. Conversely, when the RU / MRU is included in a combination of 240 MHz channels / 160 MHz channels and 80 MHz channels, the PS320 field may be set to a value of 1. This is only for illustration, and the bit setting may be set oppositely for the above-mentioned instructions. The position indication of the RU / MRU assigned to a 160 MHz channel or an 80 MHz channel smaller than the 320 MHz channel may be performed using the PS160 field and the B0 bit of the RU assignment field defined in the user field of the trigger frame of the existing wireless LAN system (e.g., FIG. 14).

[0230] Since a 560 MHz bandwidth is indicated in the BW information / field, the PS320 field / bit may be used to set / indicate one of the two 320 MHz channels according to the position of the assigned MRU.

[0231] Additionally or alternatively, when the extended BW corresponds to a 640 MHz bandwidth, the extended BW may be composed of two 320 MHz channels. Therefore, the PS320 field may be set / defined to indicate information regarding which 320 MHz channel the assigned RU / MRU is located in.

[0232] As an example, when the assigned RU / MRU is located in the primary 320 MHz channel, the field / bit may be set to a value of 0 to indicate the information. On the other hand, when the assigned RU / MRU is located in the secondary 320 MHz channel, the field / bit may be set to a value of 1 to indicate the information.

[0233] The position indication of the RU / MRU allocated to a 160 MHz channel or an 80 MHz channel smaller than the 320 MHz channel may be performed using the PS160 field defined in the user field of the trigger frame (e.g., FIG. 14) of the existing wireless LAN system and the B0 bit of the RU allocation field.

[0234] Example 4

[0235] The above-described Examples 1 to 3 relate to a scheme in which a trigger frame is used to trigger / request a TB PPDU using an extended BW.

[0236] In contrast, in this embodiment, the case of triggering / requesting a TB PPDU using the TRS (triggered response scheduling) control field included in a frame is considered.

[0237] When a TB PPDU is triggered / requested by the TRS control field, in order to indicate information regarding the 320 MHz / 160 MHz channel for the RU / MRU allocated in the extended BW, the TRS control field may be configured to include the following information.

[0238] Similar to Example 1 described above, the TRS control field may include 160 extended bits (1 bit) for indication in units of 160 MHz channels. At this time, using the 160 extended bits and the PS160-related information, information regarding which 160 MHz channel the RU / MRU allocated within the extended BW is located in may be indicated.

[0239] Similar to Example 2 described above, the TRS control field may include a 160 indication field composed of 2 bits. The 160 MHz channel including the RU / MRU allocated as described above may be indicated by the value of the 2 bits.

[0240] Similar to the aforementioned Example 3, the TRS control field may include a 320 MHz indication. Here, the PS320 field can indicate information regarding which 320 MHz channel the assigned RU / MRU is located in. Additionally, the 160 MHz channel of the RU / MRU assigned within 320 MHz may be indicated by the PS160 field.

[0241] Figure 17 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of a STA based on a trigger frame according to the present disclosure.

[0242] In step S1710, the STA can receive a trigger frame including a user information field from the AP.

[0243] Here, as in the embodiments described above in the present disclosure, the user information field may include first information and second information related to a channel indication. The first information and the second information may each be composed of 1-bit information.

[0244] In this case, based on the bandwidth for the STA being a bandwidth exceeding 320 MHz, the combination of the first information and the second information can indicate the position of the channel to which resources for the TB PPDU within the bandwidth exceeding 320 MHz are assigned.

[0245] In connection with this, the position of the channel may be indicated in 160 MHz channel units. Additionally, the position of the 80 MHz channel within the 160 MHz channel related to the resource allocation for the TB PPDU may be based on the value of the resource unit allocation subfield included in the user information field.

[0246] For example, when the bandwidth exceeding the 320 MHz is 480 MHz bandwidth, the combination can indicate one of the first 160 MHz channel in the primary 320 MHz channel, the second 160 MHz channel in the primary 320 MHz channel, or the first 160 MHz channel in the secondary 320 MHz channel.

[0247] For example, when the bandwidth exceeding the 320 MHz is 560 MHz bandwidth or 640 MHz bandwidth, the combination can indicate one of the first 160 MHz channel in the primary 320 MHz channel, the second 160 MHz channel in the primary 320 MHz channel, the first 160 MHz channel in the secondary 320 MHz channel, or the second 160 MHz channel in the secondary 320 MHz channel.

[0248] For example, the first information may correspond to information indicating whether it is a primary 320 MHz channel or a secondary 320 MHz channel (for example, bit B39 of the user information field). The second information may correspond to information indicating the position of the 160 MHz channel in the primary channel or the secondary channel (for example, bit B25 of the user information field).

[0249] In this regard, as in the embodiments described above in the present disclosure, the first value of the combination indicates the first 160 MHz channel in the primary 320 MHz channel, the second value of the combination indicates the second 160 MHz channel in the primary 320 MHz channel, the third value of the combination indicates the first 160 MHz channel in the secondary 320 MHz channel, and the fourth value of the combination can indicate the second 160 MHz channel in the secondary 320 MHz channel.

[0250] Additionally or alternatively, based on a bandwidth that is the same as or smaller than 160 MHz for the STA, both the first information and the second information may be set to a value of 0.

[0251] Additionally or alternatively, based on the bandwidth for the STA being 320 MHz bandwidth, the first information may indicate that the position of the channel is a primary 160 MHz channel or a secondary 160 MHz channel, and the second information may be set to a value of 0.

[0252] Additionally or alternatively, the resources for the TB PPDU may be allocated in units of resource units (RU) or multiple resource units (MRU).

[0253] In step S1720, the STA can transmit a TB PPDU triggered by the trigger frame to the AP.

[0254] The method performed by the STA described in the example of FIG. 17 may be performed by the first device 100 of FIG. 1. For example, one or more processors 102 of the first device 100 of FIG. 1 may receive, via one or more transceivers 106, a trigger frame including a user information field from the AP200, and may be configured to transmit a TB PPDU triggered by the trigger frame to the AP200. Note that one or more memories 104 of the first device 100 may store instructions for performing the method described in the example of FIG. 17 when executed by one or more processors 102.

[0255] FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of an AP based on a trigger frame according to the present disclosure.

[0256] In step S1810, the AP can transmit a trigger frame including a user information field to the STA.

[0257] Here, as in the embodiments described above in the present disclosure, the user information field may include first information and second information related to a channel indication. The first information and the second information may each be composed of 1-bit information.

[0258] In this case, based on the bandwidth for the STA being a bandwidth exceeding 320 MHz, the combination of the first information and the second information can indicate the position of the channel to which resources for the TB PPDU within the bandwidth exceeding 320 MHz are allocated.

[0259] In step S1820, the AP can receive, from the STA, a TB PPDU triggered by the trigger frame.

[0260] Regarding the specific content of the channel position indication method and the information included in the user information field, it is the same as the content described above with reference to FIG. 17, and duplicate explanations are omitted.

[0261] The method performed by the AP illustrated in FIG. 18 may be performed by the second device 200 in FIG. 1. For example, one or more processors 202 of the second device 200 in FIG. 1 may be configured to transmit, via one or more transceivers 206, a trigger frame including a user information field to the STA 100 and receive, from the STA 100, a TB PPDU triggered by the trigger frame. Note that one or more memories 204 of the second device 200 can store instructions for performing the method described in the illustration of FIG. 18 when executed by one or more processors 202.

[0262] As described above, compared with a trigger frame that triggers a TB PPDU (e.g., HE TB PPDU, EHT TB PPDU) in an existing wireless LAN system, the trigger frame proposed in the present disclosure has a new feature of further including information for indicating the position of a channel to which RU / MRU resources considering an extended BW are allocated.

[0263] By using the trigger frame proposed in the present disclosure, a next-generation wireless LAN system that takes into account extended BW, that is, by supporting triggers / requests for a new version of TB PPDU, aspects of throughput and efficiency in the wireless LAN system can be enhanced.

[0264] The embodiments described above are those in which the components and features of the present disclosure are combined in a predetermined form. Each component or feature should be considered as optional unless specifically stated otherwise. Each component or feature may be implemented in a form that does not combine with other components or features. It is also possible to combine some components and / or features to constitute an embodiment of the present disclosure. The order of operations described in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be changed. Some components or features of an embodiment may be included in other embodiments, or may be replaced by corresponding components or features of other embodiments. It is obvious that claims without an explicit citation relationship in the claims can be combined to constitute an embodiment or included as new claims by amendment after filing.

[0265] It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential features of the present disclosure. Therefore, the above detailed description should not be construed as restrictive in any way and should be considered as exemplary. The scope of the present disclosure should be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and any changes within the equivalent scope of the present disclosure are included in the scope of the present disclosure.

[0266] The scope of the present disclosure includes software or machine-executable instructions (e.g., operating systems, applications, firmware, programs, etc.) that cause operations according to the methods of various embodiments to be executed on a device or computer, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium on which such software or instructions are stored and executable on the device or computer. Instructions available for programming a processing system to execute the features described in the present disclosure may be stored on / in a storage medium or computer-readable storage medium, and the features described in the present 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 magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state storage devices. The memory may optionally include one or more storage devices located remotely from the processor. The memory or, alternatively, the non-volatile memory device within the memory includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The features described in the present disclosure may be stored on any one of the machine-readable media, control the hardware of the processing system, and be integrated into software and / or firmware that enables the processing system to interact with other mechanisms that utilize the results according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. Such software or firmware may include, but is not limited to, application code, device drivers, operating systems, and execution environments / containers.

Industrial Applicability

[0267] Although the method proposed in the present disclosure has been mainly described with an example applied to an IEEE 802.11-based system, it can be applied to various wireless LANs or wireless communication systems other than the IEEE 802.11-based system.

Claims

1. A method performed by a station (STA) in a wireless LAN system, the method comprising: receiving, from an access point (AP), a trigger frame including a user information field; transmitting, to the AP, a trigger-based physical layer protocol data unit (TB PPDU) triggered by the trigger frame; the user information field includes first information and second information related to a channel indication; the first information and the second information are each composed of 1-bit information; based on the bandwidth for the STA being a bandwidth exceeding 320 MHz, a combination of the first information and the second information indicates a position of a channel to which resources for the TB PPDU within the bandwidth exceeding 320 MHz are allocated.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the position of the channel is indicated in units of 160 MHz channels.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein a position of an 80 MHz channel within a 160 MHz channel related to the allocation of resources for the TB PPDU is based on a value of a resource unit allocation subfield included in the user information field.

4. Based on the bandwidth exceeding 320 MHz being a 480 MHz bandwidth, the combination indicates one of a first 160 MHz channel within a primary 320 MHz channel, a second 160 MHz channel within the primary 320 MHz channel, or a first 160 MHz channel within a secondary 320 MHz channel. The method according to claim 1.

5. Based on the bandwidth exceeding 320 MHz being 560 MHz bandwidth or 640 MHz bandwidth, the combination indicates one of the first 160 MHz channel within the primary 320 MHz channel, the second 160 MHz channel within the primary 320 MHz channel, the first 160 MHz channel within the secondary 320 MHz channel, or the second 160 MHz channel within the secondary 320 MHz channel, according to the method of claim 1.

6. The first information corresponds to information indicating whether it is a primary 320 MHz channel or a secondary 320 MHz channel, The second information corresponds to information indicating the position of the 160 MHz channel within the primary channel or the secondary channel, according to the method of claim 1.

7. The first value of the combination indicates the first 160 MHz channel within the primary 320 MHz channel, The second value of the combination indicates the second 160 MHz channel within the primary 320 MHz channel, The third value of the combination indicates the first 160 MHz channel within the secondary 320 MHz channel, The fourth value of the combination indicates the second 160 MHz channel within the secondary 320 MHz channel, according to the method of claim 6.

8. Based on the bandwidth for the STA being the same as or smaller than 160 MHz bandwidth, both the first information and the second information are set to 0 value, according to the method of claim 1.

9. Based on the bandwidth for the STA being 320 MHz bandwidth, the first information indicates that the position of the channel is a primary 160 MHz channel or a secondary 160 MHz channel, and the second information is set to 0 value, according to the method of claim 1.

10. The resources for the TB PPDU are allocated in resource unit (RU) or multiple resource unit (MRU) units, the method according to claim 1.

11. A station (STA) device operating in a wireless LAN system, the device comprising: One or more transceivers; One or more processors coupled to the one or more transceivers, The one or more processors are configured to: Receive, from an access point (AP), a trigger frame including a user information field; Configure the AP to transmit a trigger-based (TB) physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) triggered by the trigger frame; The user information field includes first information and second information related to a channel indication; The first information and the second information are each composed of 1-bit information; Based on the bandwidth of the STA being greater than 320 MHz, a combination of the first information and the second information indicates a position of a channel to which resources for the TB PPDU within the bandwidth greater than 320 MHz are allocated.

12. A processing unit configured to control a station (STA) in a wireless LAN system, the processing unit comprising: One or more processors; One or more computer memories operably coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 based on execution by the one or more processors.

13. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing one or more instructions, where the one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause a station (STA) device in a wireless LAN system to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10. **Claim 14** A method performed by an access point (AP) in a wireless LAN system, the method comprising: transmitting, to a station (STA), a trigger frame including a user information field; receiving, from the STA, a trigger-based physical layer protocol data unit (TB PPDU) triggered by the trigger frame; wherein the user information field includes first information and second information related to a channel indication; wherein the first information and the second information each comprise 1-bit information; and based on the bandwidth for the STA being greater than 320 MHz, a combination of the first information and the second information indicates a position of a channel to which resources for the TB PPDU within the bandwidth greater than 320 MHz are allocated. **Claim 15** An access point (AP) device operating in a wireless LAN system, the device comprising: one or more transceivers; one or more processors coupled to the one or more transceivers; wherein the one or more processors: transmit, to a station (STA), a trigger frame including a user information field; Set to receive, from the STA, a TB (trigger based) PPDU (physical layer protocol data unit) triggered by the trigger frame. The user information field includes first information and second information related to a channel indication. The first information and the second information are each composed of 1-bit information. Based on the bandwidth for the STA being a bandwidth exceeding 320 MHz, a combination of the first information and the second information indicates a position of a channel to which resources for the TB PPDU within the bandwidth exceeding 320 MHz are allocated.

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