Method and apparatus for transmitting or receiving a new numerology based on tone assignment in a wireless LAN system.

Abstract

A method and apparatus for transmitting or receiving based on tone allocation for a new numerology in a wireless LAN system are disclosed. The method performed by a first station (STA) in a wireless LAN system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes generating a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) including information carried on one or more of data subcarriers or pilot subcarriers, and transmitting the generated PPDU to one or more second STAs, where the total number of subcarriers may be 512 if the PPDU is a 20 MHz PPDU, the total number of subcarriers may be 1024 if the PPDU is a 40 MHz PPDU, and the total number of subcarriers may be 2048 if the PPDU is an 80 MHz PPDU.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to a transmission or reception method and apparatus based on tone assignment for a new numerology in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) system. [Background technology]

[0002] New technologies are being introduced to wireless LANs (WLANs) to improve transmission rates, increase bandwidth, enhance reliability, reduce errors, and decrease latency. Within wireless LAN technology, the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 series standards can be referred to as Wi-Fi. For example, technologies recently introduced to wireless LANs include improvements to the 802.11ac standard for VHT (Very High-Throughput) and improvements to the IEEE 802.11ax standard for HE (High Efficiency).

[0003] To provide a more advanced wireless communication environment, improved technologies for Extremely High Throughput (EHT) are being discussed. For example, technologies for increasing bandwidth, efficiently utilizing multiple bandwidths, supporting increased spatial streams with MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output), and coordinating multiple access points (APs) are being researched. In particular, various technologies to support low-latency or real-time traffic are being studied. Furthermore, new technologies to support ultra-high reliability (UHR), including improvements or extensions to EHT technologies, are being discussed. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] The technical problem addressed in this disclosure is to provide a transmission or reception method and apparatus based on tone assignment for a new numerology in a wireless LAN system.

[0005] A further technical challenge of this disclosure is to provide a method and apparatus for tone assignment to 2x OFDM numerology and for transmitting or receiving PPDU (physical layer protocol data unit) based thereon in a wireless LAN system.

[0006] The technical challenges addressed in this disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other technical challenges not mentioned will be clearly understood by those with ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains from the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A method performed by a first station (STA) in a wireless LAN system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes the steps of: generating a PPDU (physical layer protocol data unit) containing information transmitted on one or more data subcarriers or pilot subcarriers; and transmitting the generated PPDU to one or more second STAs, wherein the total number of subcarriers may be 512 based on the PPDU being a 20 MHz PPDU, 1024 based on the PPDU being a 40 MHz PPDU, 2048 based on the PPDU being an 80 MHz PPDU, 4096 based on the PPDU being a 160 MHz PPDU, and 8192 based on the PPDU being a 320 MHz PPDU.

[0008] A method performed by a second station (STA) in a wireless LAN system according to a further aspect of the present disclosure includes the steps of receiving a PPDU (physical layer protocol data unit) from a first STA, and acquiring information transmitted on one or more data subcarriers or pilot subcarriers based on the received PPDU, wherein the total number of subcarriers may be 512 based on the PPDU being a 20 MHz PPDU, 1024 based on the PPDU being a 40 MHz PPDU, 2048 based on the PPDU being an 80 MHz PPDU, 4096 based on the PPDU being a 160 MHz PPDU, and 8192 based on the PPDU being a 320 MHz PPDU. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to this disclosure, a transmission or reception method and apparatus based on tone assignment for a new numerology in a wireless LAN system can be provided.

[0010] According to this disclosure, a method and apparatus for tone assignment to 2x OFDM numerology and PPDU (physical layer protocol data unit) transmission or reception based thereon can be provided in a wireless LAN system.

[0011] The effects derived from this disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and any other effects not mentioned above will be clearly understood by a person with ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains from the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] The accompanying drawings, included as part of the detailed description to aid in understanding this disclosure, provide examples of the disclosure and illustrate the technical features of the disclosure together with the detailed description.

[0013] [Figure 1] It is a block configuration diagram illustrating a wireless communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing an exemplary structure of a wireless LAN system to which the present disclosure is applicable. [Figure 3] It is a diagram for explaining a link setup process to which the present disclosure is applicable. [Figure 4] It is a diagram for explaining a backoff process to which the present disclosure is applicable. [Figure 5] It is a diagram for explaining a CSMA / CA-based frame transmission operation to which the present disclosure is applicable. [Figure 6] It is a diagram for explaining an example of a frame structure used in a wireless LAN system to which the present disclosure is applicable. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing an example of a PPDU defined by the IEEE 802.11 standard to which the present disclosure is applicable. [Figure 8] It is a diagram for explaining an example of a resource unit of a wireless LAN system to which the present disclosure is applicable. [Figure 9] It is a diagram for explaining an example of a resource unit of a wireless LAN system to which the present disclosure is applicable. [Figure 10] It is a diagram for explaining an example of a resource unit of a wireless LAN system to which the present disclosure is applicable. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing an exemplary structure of the HE-SIG-B field. [Figure 12] It is a diagram for explaining the MU-MIMO method in which a plurality of users / STAs are assigned to one RU. [Figure 13] It is a diagram showing an example of a PPDU format to which the present disclosure is applicable. [Figure 14] It is a diagram for explaining an example of a PPDU transmission method based on tone allocation for a new numerology according to the present disclosure. [Figure 15]This is a diagram for explaining an example of a PPDU reception method based on tone assignment for a new numerology according to the present disclosure. [Figure 16] This is a diagram showing an example of tone assignment in a 320 MHz bandwidth for a new numerology according to the present disclosure.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] 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 embodiments in which the present disclosure can be implemented. The following detailed description includes specific details in order to provide 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.

[0015] In some cases, in order to avoid ambiguity in the concept of the present disclosure, known structures and devices may be omitted, or they may be shown in the form of a block diagram centered on the core functions of each structure and device.

[0016] In the present disclosure, when a certain component is "connected", "coupled" or "connected" to another component, this may include not only a direct connection relationship but also an indirect connection relationship in which there are further other components between them. Also, in the present disclosure, the term "comprising" or "having" is used to identify the presence of the recited features, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups thereof.

[0017] In this disclosure, terms such as "first," "second," etc., are used solely to distinguish one component from another, and are not used to limit the components, nor do they limit the order or importance of the components unless specifically mentioned. Therefore, within the scope of this disclosure, a first component in one embodiment may be referred to as a second component in another embodiment, and similarly, a second component in one embodiment may be referred to as a first component in another embodiment.

[0018] The terms used in this disclosure are for illustrative purposes relating to specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims. As used in the description of the embodiments and in the attached claims, singular forms are intended to include plural forms unless otherwise specified in the context. The terms "and / or" used in this disclosure may refer to one of the related enumerated items, or to any and all possible combinations of two or more of them. In this disclosure, a " / " between words has the same meaning as "and / or" unless otherwise specified.

[0019] The examples in this disclosure may be applied to a variety of wireless communication systems. For example, the examples in this disclosure may be applied to wireless LAN systems. For example, the examples in this disclosure may be applied to IEEE 802.11a / g / n / ac / ax standard-based wireless LANs. Furthermore, the examples in this disclosure may be applied to newly proposed IEEE 802.11be (or EHT) standard-based wireless LANs. The examples in this disclosure may be applied to IEEE 802.11be release-2 standard-based wireless LANs, which represent further improvements to the IEEE 802.11be release-1 standard. In addition, the examples in this disclosure may be applied to next-generation standard-based wireless LANs following IEEE 802.11be. Moreover, the examples in this disclosure may be applied to cellular wireless communication systems. For example, they may be applied to cellular wireless communication systems based on 3GPP® (3rd Generation Partnership Project) standard LTE (Long Term Evolution) series technologies and 5G NR (New Radio) series technologies.

[0020] The following describes the technical features to which the examples in this disclosure may apply.

[0021] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] The first device 100 and the second device 200 illustrated in Figure 1 may be replaced with various terms such as terminal, wireless device, WTRU (Wireless Transmit Receive Unit), UE (User Equipment), MS (Mobile Station), UT (user terminal), MSS (Mobile Subscriber Station), MSS (Mobile Subscriber Unit), SS (Subscriber Station), AMS (Advanced Mobile Station), WT (Wireless terminal), or simply user. Furthermore, the first device 100 and the second device 200 may be replaced with various terms such as access point (AP), BS (Base Station), fixed station, Node B, BTS (base transceiver system), network, AI (Artificial Intelligence) system, RSU (roadside unit), repeater, router, relay, gateway, etc.

[0023] The devices 100 and 200 illustrated in Figure 1 can also be referred to as stations (STA). For example, the devices 100 and 200 illustrated in Figure 1 can be referred to by various terms such as transmitting device, receiving device, transmitting STA, and receiving STA. For example, STA 110 and 200 can play the role of an AP (access point) or a non-AP. That is, in this disclosure, STA 110 and 200 may have AP and / or non-AP functions. When STA 110 and 200 have AP functions, they can simply be called APs, and when STA 110 and 200 have non-AP functions, they can simply be called STAs. In addition, in this disclosure, AP may be represented as AP STA.

[0024] Referring to Figure 1, the first device 100 and the second device 200 can send and receive wireless signals using various wireless LAN technologies (e.g., the IEEE 802.11 series). The first device 100 and the second device 200 may include interfaces to the medium access control (MAC) layer and the physical layer (PHY) in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard.

[0025] Furthermore, the first device 100 and the second device 200 can also further support various communication standards other than Wi-Fi technology (e.g., 3GPP LTE series, 5G NR series standards, etc.). The devices of this disclosure may also be embodied in various devices such as mobile phones, vehicles, personal computers, Augmented Reality (AR) equipment, and Virtual Reality (VR) equipment. In addition, the STA of this specification can support various communication services such as voice calls, video calls, data communication, autonomous driving, Machine-Type Communication (MTC), Machine-to-Machine (M2M), Device-to-Device (D2D), and Internet of Things (IoT).

[0026] 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 may control the memories 104 and / or the transceivers 106 and be configured to embody the descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods and / or operation diagrams of this disclosure. For example, the processor 102 may process information in the memory 104 to generate first information / signals and then transmit a radio signal containing the first information / signals via the transceiver 106. Alternatively, the processor 102 may receive a radio signal containing second information / signals via the transceiver 106 and then store information obtained from signal processing of the second information / signals in the memory 104. The memory 104 may be linked to the processor 102 and can store various information relating to the operation of the processor 102. For example, memory 104 may store software code that executes some or all of a process controlled by processor 102, or that contains instructions for executing the descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods and / or operation sequence diagrams in this disclosure. Here, processor 102 and memory 104 may be part of a communication modem / circuit / chip designed to embody wireless LAN technology (e.g., IEEE 802.11 series). Transceiver 106 may be coupled with processor 102 and can transmit and / or receive radio signals via one or more antennas 108. Transceiver 106 may include a transmitter and / or receiver. Transceiver 106 may be used synonymously with RF (Radio Frequency) unit. In this disclosure, device may also mean communication modem / circuit / chip.

[0027] The second device 200 includes one or more processors 202, one or more memories 204, and may further include one or more transceivers 206 and / or one or more antennas 208. The processor 202 may control the memories 204 and / or the transceivers 206 and be configured to embody the descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods and / or operation sequence diagrams disclosed herein. For example, the processor 202 may process information in the memory 204 to generate third information / signals and then transmit a radio signal containing the third information / signals via the transceiver 206. Alternatively, the processor 202 may receive a radio signal containing fourth information / signals via the transceiver 206 and then store information obtained from signal processing of the fourth information / signals in the memory 204. The memory 204 may be linked to the processor 202 and can store various information related to the operation of the processor 202. For example, memory 204 may store software code that executes some or all of the processes controlled by processor 202, or that contains instructions for executing the descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods and / or operation sequence diagrams disclosed in this disclosure. Here, processor 202 and memory 204 may be part of a communication modem / circuit / chip designed to embody wireless LAN technology (e.g., IEEE 802.11 series). Transceiver 206 may be coupled with processor 202 and may transmit and / or receive radio signals via one or more antennas 208. Transceiver 206 may include a transmitter and / or receiver. Transceiver 206 may be used synonymously with RF unit. In this disclosure, device may also mean communication modem / circuit / chip.

[0028] The hardware elements of devices 100,200 will be described in more detail below. However, one or more protocol layers may be embodied by one or more processors 102,202. For example, one or more processors 102,202 can embodied one or more layers (e.g., layers with the same functionality, such as PHY and MAC). One or more processors 102,202 can generate one or more PDUs (Protocol Data Units) and / or one or more SDUs (Service Data Units) by means of the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or operation sequence diagrams in this disclosure. One or more processors 102,202 can generate messages, control information, data, or information by means of the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or operation sequence diagrams in this disclosure. One or more processors 102,202 can generate signals (e.g., baseband signals) containing PDUs, SDUs, messages, control information, data, or information by the functions, procedures, proposals and / or methods of this disclosure and provide them to one or more transceivers 106,206. One or more processors 102,202 can receive signals (e.g., baseband signals) from one or more transceivers 106,206 and obtain PDUs, SDUs, messages, control information, data, or information by the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or operation sequence diagrams of this disclosure.

[0029] One or more processors 102,202 may be referred to as controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, or microcomputers. One or more processors 102,202 may be embodied by hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), one or more DSPs (Digital Signal Processors), one or more DSPDs (Digital Signal Processing Devices), one or more PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), or one or more FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) may be included in one or more processors 102,202. The descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or operation sequence diagrams disclosed in this disclosure may be embodied using firmware or software, and the firmware or software may be embodied to include modules, procedures, functions, etc. Firmware or software configured to perform the descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods and / or sequence diagrams disclosed in this disclosure may be contained in one or more processors 102,202 or stored in one or more memories 104,204 and driven by one or more processors 102,202. The descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods and / or sequence diagrams disclosed in this disclosure may be embodied by firmware or software in the form of code, instructions and / or sets of instructions.

[0030] One or more memories 104,204 may be connected to one or more processors 102,202 and can store various forms of data, signals, messages, information, programs, code, instructions and / or commands. One or more memories 104,204 may consist of ROM, RAM, EPROM, flash memory, hard drives, registers, cache memory, computer-readable storage media and / or combinations thereof. One or more memories 104,204 may be located inside and / or outside of one or more processors 102,202. Furthermore, one or more memories 104,204 may be connected to one or more processors 102,202 by various technologies such as wired or wireless connections.

[0031] One or more transceivers 106,206 can transmit user data, control information, radio signals / channels, etc., as referred to in the methods and / or operation sequence diagrams of this disclosure, to one or more other devices. One or more transceivers 106,206 can receive user data, control information, radio signals / channels, etc., as referred to in the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or operation sequence diagrams disclosed in this disclosure, from one or more other devices. For example, one or more transceivers 106,206 may be coupled with one or more processors 102,202 to transmit and receive radio signals. For example, one or more processors 102,202 can control one or more transceivers 106,206 to transmit user data, control information, or radio 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 radio signals from one or more other devices. Furthermore, 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, radio signals / channels, etc., as referred to in the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or operation sequence diagrams disclosed in this disclosure, via one or more antennas 108,208. In this disclosure, one or more antennas may be multiple physical antennas or multiple logical antennas (e.g., antenna ports). One or more transceivers 106,206 may convert the received user data, control information, radio signals / channels, etc., from RF band signals to baseband signals for processing using one or more processors 102,202. One or more transceivers 106,206 may convert the user data, control information, radio signals / channels, etc., processed by one or more processors 102,202, from baseband signals to RF band signals. To this end, one or more transceivers 106,206 may include (analog) oscillators and / or filters.

[0032] For example, either STA100 or STA200 can perform the intended operation of an AP, and the other STA100 or STA200 can perform the intended operation of a non-AP STA. For example, the transceivers 106 and 206 in Figure 1 can perform the transmission and reception of signals (e.g., packets or PPDUs (Physical Layer Protocol Data Units) conforming to IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be, etc.). Furthermore, in this disclosure, the operation of various STAs generating transmission and reception signals or performing data processing and calculations in advance for transmission and reception signals may be performed by the processors 102 and 202 in Figure 1. For example, an example of an operation that generates transmit / receive signals or performs data processing or calculations in advance for transmit / receive signals may include: 1) an operation to determine / acquire / construct / calculate / decode / encode bit information of fields contained within the PPDU (SIG (signal), STF (short training field), LTF (long training field), Data, etc.); 2) an operation to determine / construct / acquire time resources and frequency resources (e.g., subcarrier resources) used for fields contained within the PPDU (SIG, STF, LTF, Data, etc.); 3) an operation to determine / construct / acquire specific sequences (e.g., pilot sequence, STF / LTF sequence, extra sequence applied to SIG) used for fields contained within the PPDU (SIG, STF, LTF, Data, etc.); 4) power control operations and / or power saving operations applied to the STA; and 5) operations related to determining / acquiring / constructing / calculating / decoding / encoding the ACK signal. Furthermore, in the following example, various pieces of information used by various STAs for determining / acquiring / composing / calculating / decoding / encoding the transmit / receive signals (e.g., information about fields / subfields / control fields / parameters / power, etc.) may be stored in memories 104,204 of Figure 1.

[0033] In the following, downlink (DL) refers to the link for communication from AP STA to non-AP STA, and downlink PPDU / packets / signals, etc., may be transmitted and received through the downlink. In downlink communication, the transmitter may be part of AP STA, and the receiver may be part of non-AP STA. Uplink (UL) refers to the link for communication from non-AP STA to AP STA, and uplink PPDU / packets / signals, etc., may be transmitted and received through the uplink. In uplink communication, the transmitter may be part of non-AP STA, and the receiver may be part of AP STA.

[0034] Figure 2 shows an exemplary structure of a wireless LAN system to which this disclosure can be applied.

[0035] The structure of a wireless LAN system may consist of multiple components. A wireless LAN may be provided that supports transparent STA mobility to higher layers through the interaction of multiple components. A BSS (Basic Service Set) corresponds to the basic structural block of a wireless LAN. Figure 2 illustrates the existence of two BSSs (BSS1 and BSS2), with each BSS containing two STAs as members (STA1 and STA2 are included in BSS1, and STA3 and STA4 are included in BSS2). In Figure 2, the ellipses representing the BSSs may be understood as representing the coverage area where the STAs included in that BSS maintain communication. This area can be called a BSA (Basic Service Area). When an STA moves outside a BSA, it can no longer communicate directly with other STAs within that BSA.

[0036] Ignoring the DS shown in Figure 2, the most basic type of BSS in a wireless LAN is the Independent BSS (IBSS). For example, an IBSS can have a minimal form consisting of only two STAs. For instance, assuming other components are omitted, BSS1 consisting only of STA1 and STA2, or BSS2 consisting only of STA3 and STA4, can each be considered a typical example of an IBSS. Such a configuration is possible when STAs can communicate directly without APs. Furthermore, this type of wireless LAN is not pre-planned and configured, but can be configured when the LAN requires it, and can be called an ad-hoc network. Since an IBSS does not include APs, there is no centralized management entity. That is, in an IBSS, STAs are managed in a distributed manner. In an IBSS, all STAs may be mobile STAs, and connection to a distributed system (DS) is not permitted, forming a self-contained network.

[0037] STA membership in the BSS can change dynamically due to actions such as STAs joining and leaving the BSS domain. To become a member of the BSS, an STA can join the BSS using a synchronization process. To access all services of the BSS-based structure, an STA must be associated with the BSS. Such associations may be configured dynamically and may include the use of Distribution System Services (DSS).

[0038] In a wireless LAN, the direct distance between STAs may be limited by the PHY performance. While this distance limit may be sufficient in some cases, there may be situations requiring communication between STAs over longer distances. Distributed systems (DS) may be configured to support extended coverage.

[0039] DS refers to a structure in which BSSs are interconnected. Specifically, as shown in Figure 2, BSSs may exist as components of an extended form of a network composed of multiple BSSs. DS is a logical concept and may be identified by the characteristics of the Distributed System Medium (DSM). In this regard, Wireless Medium (WM) and DSM may be logically distinct. Each logical medium is used for a different purpose and by different components. These mediums are neither limited to being the same nor limited to being different. The flexibility of wireless LAN structures (DS structures or other network structures) can be explained by the fact that multiple mediums are logically distinct from one another. That is, wireless LAN structures can be embodied in various ways, and each embodied example may be identified independently by its physical characteristics.

[0040] DS can support mobile devices by providing seamless integration of multiple BSSs and offering the necessary logical services for handling destination addresses. DS may also include a portal component that acts as a bridge for connecting wireless LANs with other networks (e.g., IEEE 802.X).

[0041] An AP (Application Programming Object) is an entity that enables a coupled non-AP STA (Systematization System) to access the DS (Data Storage System) via the WM (Web Module) and also possesses the functionality of an STA. Data can be moved between the BSS (Base System Storage) and the DS via the AP. For example, STA2 and STA3, shown in Figure 2, possess the functionality of an STA while also providing the ability for coupled non-AP STAs (STA1 and STA4) to access the DS. Furthermore, since all APs are essentially STAs, all APs are addressable entities. The address used by the AP for communication on the WM and the address used by the AP for communication on the DSM (Data Storage System) do not necessarily have to be the same. A BSS consisting of an AP and one or more STAs can be called an infrastructure BSS.

[0042] Data transmitted from one of the STAs connected to an AP to the AP's STA address is always received on an uncontrolled port and may be processed by an IEEE 802.1X port access entity. Alternatively, once a controlled port is authenticated, the transmitted data (or frame) may be forwarded to a DS.

[0043] An Extended Service Set (ESS) may be added to the aforementioned DS structure to provide even broader coverage.

[0044] An ESS (Service Set Network) refers to a network of arbitrary size and complexity composed of DSs (Distributed Service Sets) and BSSs (Blockchain Service Sets). An ESS can be a collection of BSSs connected to a single DS. However, an ESS cannot contain a DS. A key feature of an ESS network is that it appears as an IBSS (Internet Link Control Service Set) at the LLC (Logical Link Control) layer. STAs (Stage Attacks) within an ESS can communicate with each other, and mobile STAs can move transparently to the LLC from one BSS to another (within the same ESS). APs (Access Points) within an ESS may have the same SSID (Service Set Identification). An SSID is distinct from a BSSID, which is the identifier for a BSS.

[0045] Wireless LAN systems do not make any assumptions about the relative physical location of BSSs, and any of the following forms are possible: BSSs may partially overlap, which is a form commonly used to provide continuous coverage. BSSs do not have to be physically connected, and logically there is no limit to the distance between BSSs. BSSs may also be located in the same physical location, which may be used to provide redundancy. One (or more) IBSS or ESS networks may physically exist in the same space as one (or more) ESS networks. This may be the case when an ad hoc network operates in the location where an ESS network exists, when physically overlapping wireless networks are configured by different organizations, or when two or more different access and security policies are required in the same location.

[0046] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the link setup process to which this disclosure can be applied.

[0047] For an STA to set up a link to a network and send and receive data, it must first discover the network, perform authentication, establish an association, and carry out security authentication procedures. The link setup process can be called the session initiation process or session setup process. Alternatively, the discovery, authentication, association, and security setting processes of the link setup process can be collectively referred to as the association process.

[0048] In step S310, the STA can perform a network discovery operation. The network discovery operation may include the STA's scanning operation. That is, in order for the STA to access a network, it must find a network that it can join. Before joining a wireless network, the STA must identify a compatible network, and the process of identifying networks in a specific area is called scanning.

[0049] There are two scanning methods: active scanning and passive scanning. Figure 3 illustrates a network discovery operation that includes the active scanning process. In active scanning, the STA performing the scanning sends a probe request frame to search for any APs in the vicinity while moving between channels, and waits for a response. The responder sends a probe response frame to the STA that sent the probe request frame as a response to the probe request frame. Here, the responder may be the STA that last sent a beacon frame in the BSS of the channel being scanned. In BSS, APs send beacon frames, so APs become the responders, while in IBSS, STAs within IBSS take turns sending beacon frames, so the responders are not constant. For example, an STA that sends a probe request frame on channel 1 and receives a probe response frame on channel 1 can save the BSS-related information contained in the received probe response frame and move to the next channel (e.g., channel 2) to perform scanning in the same way (i.e., send and receive probe requests / responses on channel 2).

[0050] Although not shown in Figure 3, scanning may also be performed using a passive scanning method. In passive scanning, the STA performing the scanning waits for beacon frames while switching channels. A beacon frame is one of the management frames defined in IEEE 802.11, and is transmitted periodically to announce the presence of a wireless network, allowing the scanning STA to find and join the wireless network. In BSS, APs are responsible for periodically transmitting beacon frames, while in IBSS, STAs within IBSS transmit beacon frames alternately. When the scanning STA receives a beacon frame, it stores the BSS information contained in the beacon frame and records the beacon frame information on each channel while moving to other channels. An STA that has received a 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 of less delay and power consumption compared to passive scanning.

[0051] After the STA discovers the network, the authentication process may take place in step S320. This authentication process can be called the first authentication process to clearly distinguish it from the security setup operation in step S340, which will be described later.

[0052] The authentication process involves the STA sending an authentication request frame to the AP, and the AP responding by sending an authentication response frame to the STA. The authentication frame used in the authentication request / response corresponds to the management frame.

[0053] The authentication frame may include information such as the authentication algorithm number, authentication transaction sequence number, status code, challenge text, Robust Security Network (RSN), and Finite Cyclic Group. This is just 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 may contain additional information.

[0054] The STA can send an authentication request frame to the AP. Based on the information contained in the received authentication request frame, the AP can decide whether or not to allow authentication to the STA. The AP can provide the STA with the result of the authentication process using an authentication response frame.

[0055] After the STA has been successfully authenticated, the association process may take place in step S330. The association process includes the STA sending an association request frame to the AP, and the AP sending an association response frame to the STA in response.

[0056] For example, an association request frame may include information about various capacities, such as the beacon listening interval, SSID (service set identifier), supported rates, supported channels, RSN, mobility domain, supported operating classes, TIM broadcast request (Traffic Indication Map Broadcast request), and interworking service capacity. For example, an association response frame may include information about various capacities, such as the status code, AID (Association ID), support 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, and QoS (Quality of Service) map. This is an example of some of the information that may be included in a join request / response frame, and may be replaced by other information or may include additional information.

[0057] After the STA is successfully connected to the network, the security setup process may be performed in step S340. The security setup process in step S340 can also be described as an authentication process using RSNA (Robust Security Network Association) request / response, and the authentication process in step S320 can be called the first authentication process, while the security setup process in step S340 can simply be called the authentication process.

[0058] The security setup process in stage S340 may include, for example, a process of private key setup using a four-way handshake with an EAPOL (Extensible Authentication Protocol over LAN) frame. Furthermore, the security setup process may be performed using a security method not defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard.

[0059] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the backoff process to which this disclosure can be applied.

[0060] In wireless LAN systems, 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 is also called the Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) of IEEE 802.11 MAC, and basically employs a "listen before talk" access mechanism. With this type of access mechanism, an AP and / or STA can perform a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) to sense the radio channel or medium within a predetermined time interval (e.g., DIFS (DCF Inter-Frame Space)) before initiating transmission. If the sensing determines that the medium is idle, the AP and / or STA will begin transmitting a frame through that medium. On the other hand, if the medium is perceived as occupied or busy, the AP and / or STA will not begin transmitting itself, but will wait for a delay period (e.g., a random backoff period) for medium access before attempting to transmit a frame. By applying a random backoff period, multiple STAs are expected to attempt to transmit frames after waiting for different periods of time from each other, thus minimizing collisions.

[0061] Furthermore, the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol provides HCF (Hybrid Coordination Function). HCF is based on the aforementioned DCF and PCF (Point Coordination Function). PCF is a polling-based synchronous access method that periodically polls so that all receiving APs and / or STAs can receive data frames. HCF also has EDCA (Enhanced Distributed Channel Access) and HCCA (HCF Controlled Channel Access). EDCA is a competition-based access method for a provider to provide data frames to multiple users, while HCCA uses a non-competition-based channel access method with a polling mechanism. In addition, HCF includes a media access mechanism to improve the QoS (Quality of Service) of wireless LANs and can transmit QoS data during both the Contention Period (CP) and the Contention Free Period (CFP).

[0062] Refer to Figure 4 to explain the operation based on the random backoff period. When a medium that was occupied / busy changes to idle, multiple STAs can attempt to transmit data (or frames). As a way to minimize collisions, each STA can select a random backoff count and wait for the corresponding slot time before attempting to transmit. The random backoff count has a pseudo-random integer value and may be determined to any one of the values ​​in the range of 0 to CW, where CW is the Contention Window parameter value. The CW parameter is initially given as CWmin, but can take twice that value in case of transmission failure (e.g., if an ACK for a transmitted frame is not received). When the CW parameter value becomes CWmax, the STA can attempt to transmit data while maintaining the CWmax value until successful data transmission occurs, at which point it is reset to the CWmin value. The CW, CWmin, and CWmax values ​​are 2 n It is preferable to set it to -1 (n=0,1,2,...).

[0063] Once the random backoff process begins, the STA continues to monitor the media while counting down the backoff slots according to the determined backoff count value. When the media is monitored as occupied, the countdown stops and it waits; when the media becomes idle, the remaining countdown resumes.

[0064] In the example in Figure 4, when a packet to be transmitted reaches the MAC of STA3, STA3 can immediately transmit the frame after confirming that the medium is idle for DIFS only. The remaining STAs monitor the occupied / busy state of the medium and wait. Meanwhile, data to be transmitted may also be generated in STA1, STA2, and STA5. When each STA monitors the medium as idle, after waiting for DIFS only, it can count down the backoff slot using a random backoff count value of its choice. Assume that STA2 selects the minimum backoff count value and STA1 selects the maximum backoff count value. That is, the example illustrates a case where the remaining backoff time for STA5 is shorter than the remaining backoff time for STA1 when STA2 finishes its backoff count and begins transmitting a frame. STA1 and STA5 pause their 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 DIFS only before resuming the paused backoff count. In other words, frame transmission can begin after counting down the remaining backoff slots equal to the remaining backoff time. Since STA5's remaining backoff time was shorter than STA1's, STA5 begins frame transmission. Data to transmit may also occur in STA4 while STA2 is occupying the medium. From STA4's perspective, when the medium becomes idle, it can wait for DIFS, then count down using a random backoff count value of its choosing, and begin frame transmission. The example in Figure 4 shows a case where STA5's remaining backoff time coincidentally matches STA4's random backoff count value, in which case a collision may occur between STA4 and STA5. If a collision occurs, neither STA4 nor STA5 will receive an ACK, and data transmission will fail. In this case, STA4 and STA5 can double their CW value, select a random backoff count value, and then perform the countdown.STA1 waits while the medium is occupied by transmissions from STA4 and STA5. When the medium becomes idle, STA1 waits only for DIFS, and can begin transmitting frames after the remaining backoff time has elapsed.

[0065] As illustrated in Figure 4, data frames are used to transmit data forwarded to higher layers and may be transmitted after a backoff that occurs after DIFS has elapsed, from the time the medium becomes idle. Furthermore, management frames are used to exchange management information that is not forwarded to higher layers and are transmitted after a backoff that occurs after an IFS such as DIFS or PIFS (Point Coordination Function IFS) has elapsed. Subtypes of management frames include beacons, association request / response, re-association request / response, probe request / response, and authentication request / response. Control frames are used to control access to the medium. Subtypes of control frames include RTS (Request-To-Send), CTS (Clear-To-Send), ACK (Acknowledgment), PS-Poll (Power Save-Poll), Block ACK (BlockAck), Block ACK Request (BlockACKReq), NDP Announcement (null data packet announcement), and Trigger. If a control frame is not a response frame to a previous frame, it is sent after a backoff that occurs after DIFS (Distributed Ingress Fault System), and if it is a response frame to a previous frame, it is sent after a short IFS (Shorter Ingress Fault System) without a backoff. The type and subtype of a frame may be identified by the type and subtype fields in the frame control (FC) field.

[0066] A Quality of Service (QoS) STA can transmit a frame after an arbitration IFS (AIFS) for the access category (AC) to which the frame belongs, i.e., after a backoff that occurs after AIFS[i] (where i is a value determined by the AC). Frames for which AIFS[i] is available can be data frames, management frames, or control frames that are not response frames.

[0067] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the CSMA / CA baseframe transmission operation to which this disclosure can be applied.

[0068] As mentioned earlier, the CSMA / CA mechanism includes not only physical carrier sensing, where the STA directly senses the medium, but also virtual carrier sensing. Virtual carrier sensing is intended to compensate for problems that can occur in medium access, such as the hidden node problem. For virtual carrier sensing, the STA's MAC can utilize the Network Allocation Vector (NAV). The NAV is a value that indicates to other STAs the time remaining until the medium becomes available, used by an STA that is currently using or authorized to use the medium. Therefore, the value set as the NAV corresponds to the period during which the STA sending the frame is scheduled to use the medium, and STAs receiving the NAV value are 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 frame's MAC header.

[0069] In the example shown in Figure 5, we assume that STA1 is attempting 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.

[0070] In CSMA / CA baseframe transmission operation, a mechanism utilizing RTS / CTS frames may be applied to reduce the possibility of collisions between transmissions from multiple STAs. In the example in Figure 5, while STA1 is transmitting, carrier sensing by STA3 may determine that the medium is idle. That is, STA1 may be a hidden node for STA3. Alternatively, in the example in Figure 5, while STA2 is transmitting, carrier sensing by STA3 may determine that the medium is idle. That is, STA2 may be a hidden node for STA3. By exchanging RTS / CTS frames before data transmission and reception between STA1 and STA2, it is possible to prevent STAs outside the transmission range of either STA1 or STA2, or STAs outside the carrier sensing range for transmissions from STA1 or STA3, from attempting to occupy the channel during data transmission and reception between STA1 and STA2.

[0071] Specifically, STA1 can determine whether a channel is in use or not using carrier sensing. In terms of physical carrier sensing, STA1 can determine the channel's occupied or idle state based on the energy magnitude or signal correlation detected from the channel. In terms of virtual carrier sensing, STA1 can determine the channel's occupied state using a network allocation vector (NAV) timer.

[0072] STA1 can send an RTS frame to STA2 after backoff if the channel is idle during DIFS. STA2, upon receiving an RTS frame, can send a CTS frame, which is a response to the RTS frame, to STA1 after SIFS.

[0073] If STA3 cannot overhear CTS frames from STA2 but can overhear RTS frames from STA1, STA3 can use the duration information contained in the RTS frames to set the NAV timer for subsequent consecutive frame transmission periods (e.g., SIFS + CTS frame + SIFS + data frame + SIFS + ACK frame). Alternatively, if STA3 cannot overhear RTS frames from STA1 but can overhear CTS frames from STA2, STA3 can use the duration information contained in the CTS frames to set the NAV timer for subsequent consecutive frame transmission periods (e.g., SIFS + data frame + SIFS + ACK frame). In other words, STA3 can set NAV based on overhearing one or more RTS or CTS frames from at least one of STA1 or STA2. If STA3 receives a new frame before the NAV timer expires, it can update the NAV timer using the duration information contained in the new frame. STA3 will not attempt to access the channel until the NAV timer expires.

[0074] When STA1 receives a CTS frame from STA2, it can send a data frame to STA2 after SIFS from the time it has finished receiving the CTS frame. If STA2 successfully receives the data frame, it can send an ACK frame, which is a response to the data frame, to STA1 after SIFS. When the NAV timer expires, STA3 can use carrier sensing to determine whether or not the channel is in use. If STA3 determines that the channel is not being used by another terminal between the expiration of the NAV timer and DIFS, it can attempt to access the channel after the random backoff conflict window (CW) has passed.

[0075] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a frame structure used in a wireless LAN system to which this disclosure can be applied.

[0076] The PHY layer can prepare the MPDU (MAC PDU) to be transmitted based on instructions or primitives (meaning a set of instructions or parameters) from the MAC layer. For example, when the PHY layer receives an instruction from the MAC layer requesting it to start transmitting, it switches to transmit mode and can assemble the information provided by the MAC layer (e.g., data) into a frame and transmit it. Also, when the PHY layer detects a valid preamble in the frame it is receiving, it monitors the preamble header and sends an instruction to the MAC layer to signal that the PHY layer has started receiving.

[0077] Thus, information transmission and reception in wireless LAN systems are performed in the form of frames, and for this purpose, the Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) frame format is defined.

[0078] A basic PPDU frame may include an STF (Short Training Field), an LTF (Long Training Field), a SIG (SIGNAL) field, and a Data field. The most basic (e.g., non-HT (High Throughput)) PPDU frame format may consist only of an L-STF (Legacy-STF), an L-LTF (Legacy-LTF), a SIG field, and a Data field. Depending on the type of PPDU frame format (e.g., HT-mixed format PPDU, HT-greenfield format PPDU, VHT (Very High Throughput) PPDU, etc.), additional (or other types of) STF, LTF, and SIG fields may be included between the SIG field and the Data field (see Figure 7 below for further details).

[0079] STF is a signal used for signal detection, AGC (Automatic Gain Control), diversity selection, and precise time synchronization, while LTF is a signal used for channel estimation and frequency error estimation. In essence, STF and LTF are signals for synchronizing the OFDM physical layer and for channel estimation.

[0080] The SIG field may include fields such as the RATE field and the LENGTH field. The RATE field may contain information about the modulation and coding rate of the data. The LENGTH field may contain information about the length of the data. Furthermore, the SIG field may include a parity bit, a SIG TAIL bit, and so on.

[0081] The data field may include a SERVICE field, a PSDU (Physical Layer Service Data Unit), and PPDU TAIL bits, and may also include padding bits if necessary. Some bits of the SERVICE field may be used for synchronizing the descramble at the receiving end. The PSDU corresponds to the MAC PDU defined in the MAC layer and may contain data generated / used in higher layers. The PPDU TAIL bits may be used to return the encoder to a 0 state. Padding bits may be used to adjust the length of the data field to a predetermined unit.

[0082] MAC PDUs are defined by various MAC frame formats, and a basic MAC frame consists of a MAC header, frame body, and FCS (Frame Check Sequence). MAC frames are composed of MAC PDUs and may be transmitted / received by PSDUs, which are the data portion of the PPDU frame format.

[0083] The MAC header includes fields such as Frame Control, Duration / ID, and Address. The Frame Control field may contain control information necessary for transmitting / receiving frames. The Duration / ID field may be set to the time required to transmit the frame. For specific details on the Sequence Control, QoS Control, and HT Control subfields of the MAC header, refer to the IEEE 802.11 standard document.

[0084] The Null Data Packet (NDP) frame format refers to a frame format that does not include data packets. That is, an NDP frame is a frame format that includes the PLCP (Physical Layer Convergence Procedure) header portion (i.e., the STF, LTF, and SIG fields) of a typical PPDU frame format, but omits the remaining portion (i.e., the data fields). NDP frames can also be referred to as short frame formats.

[0085] Figure 7 shows an example of a PPDU as defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard to which this disclosure applies.

[0086] Standards such as IEEE 802.11a / g / n / ac / ax use various forms of PPDU. The basic PPDU format (IEEE 802.11a / g) includes L-LTF, L-STF, L-SIG, and Data fields. The basic PPDU format can also be referred to as the non-HT PPDU format.

[0087] The HT PPDU format (IEEE 802.11n) further includes the HT-SIG, HT-STF, and HT-LFT(s) fields in addition to the basic PPDU format. The HT PPDU format shown in Figure 7 can be called the HT-mixed format. The HT-greenfield format PPDU may be further defined, which does not include L-STF, L-LTF, and L-SIG, and consists of the HT-GF-STF, HT-LTF1, HT-SIG, one or more HT-LTF, and Data fields (not shown).

[0088] An example of the VHT PPDU format (IEEE 802.11ac) is that it further includes the VHT SIG-A, VHT-STF, VHT-LTF, and VHT-SIG-B fields in addition to the basic PPDU format.

[0089] 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 addition to the basic PPDU format. Depending on the specific example of the HE PPDU format, some fields may be omitted or their lengths may change. For example, the HE-SIG-B field is included in the HE PPDU format for multiple users (MU), while it is not included in the HE PPDU format for single users (SU). Also, the HE trigger-based (TB) PPDU format does not include HE-SIG-B, and the length of the HE-STF field may be changed to 8us. 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 be changed to 16us.

[0090] Figures 8 to 10 illustrate examples of resource units in a wireless LAN system to which this disclosure can be applied.

[0091] Referring to Figures 8 to 10, a resource unit (RU) defined in a wireless LAN system will be explained. An RU may contain multiple subcarriers (or tones). An RU may be used when transmitting a signal to multiple STAs based on the OFDMA method. An RU may also be defined when transmitting a signal to a single STA. An RU may be used for the STF, LTF, data field, etc., of a PPDU.

[0092] As shown in Figures 8 to 10, RUs corresponding to different numbers of tones (i.e., subcarriers) can be used to constitute some fields of a 20MHz, 40MHz, or 80MHz X-PPDU (where 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.

[0093] Figure 8 shows an example of resource unit (RU) configuration used in the 20 MHz bandwidth.

[0094] As shown at the top of Figure 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 20MHz band, and five tones may be used as a guard band in the rightmost band of the 20MHz band. In addition, seven DC tones may be inserted in the center band, i.e., the DC band, and there may be 26 units corresponding to 13 tones on each side of the DC band. Furthermore, 26, 52, or 106 units may be allocated to the other bands. Each unit may be allocated for the STA or the user.

[0095] The RU configuration in Figure 8 can be used not only for situations involving multiple users (MU) but also for situations involving a single user (SU), in which case it is possible to use one 242 unit as shown at the bottom of Figure 8. In this case, three DC tones may be inserted.

[0096] In the example shown in Figure 8, various sizes of RUs are illustrated, such as 26-RU, 52-RU, 106-RU, and 242-RU, but the specific sizes of such RUs may be reduced or expanded. Therefore, the specific size of each RU (i.e., the number of corresponding tones) is not limited in this disclosure and is illustrative. Also, in this disclosure, the number of RUs within a given bandwidth (e.g., 20, 40, 80, 160, 320 MHz, ...) may differ depending on the size of the RU. The same applies to the example in Figure 8 as to the example in Figure 9 and / or Figure 10 described below, in which the size and / or number of RUs may be changed.

[0097] Figure 9 shows an example arrangement of resource units (RUs) used in the 40 MHz bandwidth.

[0098] Just as various sizes of RU were used in the example in Figure 8, 26-RU, 52-RU, 106-RU, 242-RU, 484-RU, etc., may be used in the example in Figure 9. In addition, five DC tones may be inserted at the center frequency, twelve tones may be used as a guard band in the leftmost band of the 40MHz bandwidth, and eleven tones may be used as a guard band in the rightmost band of the 40MHz bandwidth.

[0099] Furthermore, as shown in the figure, 484-RU may be used when it is used for a single user.

[0100] Figure 10 shows an example arrangement of resource units (RUs) used in the 80 MHz bandwidth.

[0101] Just as various sizes of RUs were used in the examples in Figures 8 and 9, 26-RU, 52-RU, 106-RU, 242-RU, 484-RU, 996-RU, etc., may be used in the example in Figure 10. Furthermore, in the 80MHz PPDU, the RU arrangement of the HE PPDU and EHT PPDU may differ from each other, and the example in Figure 10 shows an example of the RU arrangement for the 80MHz EHT PPDU. In the example in Figure 10, the leftmost band of the 80MHz bandwidth uses 12 tones as a guard band, and the rightmost band of the 80MHz bandwidth uses 11 tones as a guard band, which is the same for both the HE PPDU and the EHT PPDU. Unlike the HE PPDU, where seven DC tones are inserted into the DC band and there is one 26-RU on each side of the DC band corresponding to 13 tones, the EHT PPDU has 23 DC tones inserted into the DC band and one 26-RU on both the left and right sides of the DC band. Unlike the HE PPDU, where there is one null subcarrier between 242-RUs that are not in the center band, the EHT PPDU has five null subcarriers. In the HE PPDU, one 484-RU does not contain null subcarriers, but in the EHT PPDU, one 484-RU contains five null subcarriers.

[0102] Furthermore, as shown in the same figure, the 996-RU may be used when used for a single user, and in this case, the insertion of five DC tones is common to both the HE PPDU and the EHT PPDU.

[0103] An EHT PPDU of 160MHz or higher may be configured with multiple 80MHz subblocks as shown in Figure 10. The RU configuration for each 80MHz subblock may be the same as the RU configuration for the 80MHz EHT PPDU in Figure 10. When the 80MHz subblock of a 160MHz or 320MHz EHT PPDU is not punctured and the entire 80MHz subblock is used as part of an RU or MRU (Multiple RU), the 80MHz subblock may use RU 996-996 as shown in Figure 10.

[0104] Here, an MRU corresponds to a group of subcarriers (or tones) composed of multiple RUs, and the multiple RUs constituting an MRU may be of the same size or of different sizes. 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 constituting a single MRU may correspond to small-sized RUs (e.g., 26, 52, 106) or large-sized RUs (e.g., 242, 484, 996, etc.). That is, a single MRU containing both small-sized and large-sized RUs may not be set / defined. Also, the multiple RUs constituting a single MRU may or may not be consecutive in the frequency domain.

[0105] If the 80MHz subblock contains RUs smaller than 996 tones, or if a portion of the 80MHz subblock is punctured, the 80MHz subblock may use an RU arrangement excluding the 996-tone RUs.

[0106] The RUs of this disclosure may be used in uplink (UL) and / or downlink (DL) communication. For example, in the case of trigger-based UL-MU communication, an STA (e.g., AP) transmitting a trigger may use trigger information (e.g., a trigger frame or TRS (triggered response scheduling)) to assign a first RU (e.g., 26 / 52 / 106 / 242-RU, etc.) to a first STA and a second RU (e.g., 26 / 52 / 106 / 242-RU, etc.) to a second STA. The first STA can then 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 and second TB PPDUs may be transmitted to the AP in the same time interval.

[0107] For example, when a DL MU PPDU is configured, the STA (e.g., AP) sending the DL MU PPDU can assign a first RU (e.g., 26 / 52 / 106 / 242-RU) to the first STA and a second RU (e.g., 26 / 52 / 106 / 242-RU) to the second STA. That is, the sending STA (e.g., AP) can use the first RU to send the HE-STF, HE-LTF, and Data fields for the first STA within a single MU PPDU, and use the second RU to send the HE-STF, HE-LTF, and Data fields for the second STA.

[0108] Information regarding the RU's placement may be signaled via HE-SIG-B in HE PPDU format.

[0109] Figure 11 shows an exemplary structure of the HE-SIG-B field.

[0110] 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 (for example, in 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.

[0111] Common fields may include information related to RU allocation (e.g., RU assignment, RUs allocated for MU-MIMO, number of MU-MIMO users (STAs), etc.).

[0112] The common field may contain N*8 RU allocation subfields, where N is the number of subfields, and may have values ​​such as N=1 for 20 or 40MHz MU PPDU, N=2 for 80MHz MU PPDU, N=4 for 160MHz or 80+80MHz MU PPDU, and so on. One 8-bit RU allocation subfield can indicate the size (26, 52, 106, etc.) and frequency position (or RU index) of RUs included in the 20MHz band.

[0113] For example, if the value of the 8-bit RU allocation subfield is 00000000, nine 26-RUs are arranged sequentially from left to right in the example shown in Figure 8. If the value is 00000001, seven 26-RUs and one 52-RU are arranged sequentially from left to right. If the value is 00000010, five 26-RUs, one 52-RU, and two 26-RUs are arranged sequentially from left to right.

[0114] As an additional example, if the value of the 8-bit RU allocation subfield is 01000y2y1y0, then one 106-RU and five 26-RUs are arranged sequentially from left to right in the example in Figure 8. In this case, multiple users / STAs may be assigned to the 106-RU using the MU-MIMO method. Specifically, up to eight users / STAs may be assigned to the 106-RU, and the number of users / STAs assigned to the 106-RU is determined based on the 3-bit information (i.e., y2y1y0). For example, if the 3-bit information (y2y1y0) corresponds to a decimal value N, then the number of users / STAs assigned to the 106-RU may be N+1.

[0115] Basically, one user / STA may be assigned to each of multiple RUs, and different users / STAs may be assigned to different RUs. For RUs of a certain size or larger (e.g., 106, 242, 484, 996-tones, ...), multiple users / STAs may be assigned to a single RU, and the MU-MIMO scheme may be applied to such multiple users / STAs.

[0116] The set of user-specific fields contains information about how all users (STAs) of the PPDU decode their payload. User-specific fields may contain zero or more user block fields. A non-final user block field contains two user fields (i.e., information used for decoding in two STAs). A final user block field contains one or two user fields. The number of user fields may be indicated by the RU allocation subfield of HE-SIG-B, by the symbol count of HE-SIG-B, or by the MU-MIMO user field of HE-SIG-A. User-specific fields may be encoded separately or independently of common fields.

[0117] Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating the MU-MIMO scheme in which multiple users / STAs are assigned to a single RU.

[0118] In the example in Figure 12, we assume that the value of the RU allocation subfield is 01000010. This corresponds to the case where y2y1y0 = 010 in 01000y2y1y0. 010 corresponds to 2 in decimal (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 sequentially from the leftmost to the rightmost of a particular 20MHz band / channel. Three users / STAs may be assigned to the 106-RU in a MU-MIMO manner. As a result, a total of 8 users / STAs are assigned to the 20MHz band / channel, and the user-specific field of HE-SIG-B may contain 8 user fields (i.e., 4 user block fields). The 8 user fields may be assigned to RUs as shown in Figure 12.

[0119] User fields may be constructed based on two formats. User fields for MU-MIMO assignments may be constructed in the first format, and user fields for non-MU-MIMO assignments may be constructed in the second format. Referring to an example in Figure 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 and second formats may contain bit information of the same length (e.g., 21 bits).

[0120] The user fields of the first format (i.e., the format for MU-MIMO assignment) may be configured as follows: For example, of the total 21 bits of a single user field, B0 to B10 may contain the user's identification information (e.g., STA-ID, AID, partial AID, etc.), B11 to B14 may contain spatial configuration information such as the number of spatial streams for the user, B15 to B18 may contain MCS (Modulation and coding scheme) information applied to the Data field of the PPDU, B19 may be defined as a reserved field, and B20 may contain coding type information applied to the Data field of the PPDU (e.g., BCC (binary convolutional coding) or LDPC (low-density parity check)).

[0121] The user field of the second format (i.e., the format for non-MU-MIMO assignments) may be configured as follows: For example, of the 21 bits in a single user field, B0 to B10 may contain user identification information (e.g., STA-ID, AID, partial AID, etc.), B11 to B13 may contain spatial stream number (NSTS) information applied to the RU, B14 may contain information indicating whether beamforming is possible (or whether a beamforming steering matrix can be applied), B15 to B18 may contain MCS (Modulation and coding scheme) information applied to the Data field of the PPDU, B19 may contain information indicating whether DCM (dual carrier modulation) can be applied, and B20 may contain coding type information applied to the Data field of the PPDU (e.g., BCC or LDPC).

[0122] The terms MCS, MCS information, MCS index, and MCS field used in this disclosure may be represented by specific index values. For example, MCS information may be represented by index 0 to index 11. MCS information may include information about the star modulation type (e.g., BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, 256-QAM, 1024-QAM, etc.) and information about the coding rate (e.g., 1 / 2, 2 / 3, 3 / 4, 5 / 6, etc.). Information about the channel coding type (e.g., BCC or LDPC) may be omitted from the MCS information.

[0123] Figure 13 shows examples of PPDU formats to which this disclosure can be applied.

[0124] The PPDU in Figure 13 may be referred to by various names such as EHT PPDU, Transmit PPDU, Receive PPDU, Type 1 or Type N PPDU. For example, the PPDU or EHT PPDU of this disclosure can be referred to by various names such as Transmit PPDU, Receive PPDU, Type 1 or Type N PPDU. Furthermore, the EHT PPU can be used in EHT systems and / or new wireless LAN systems that improve upon EHT systems.

[0125] The EHT MU PPDU in Figure 13 corresponds to a carry PPDU that carries one or more data (or PSDUs) for one or more users. In other words, the EHT MU PPDU may be used for either SU transmissions or MU transmissions. For example, the EHT MU PPDU may correspond to a PPDU for one or more receiving STAs.

[0126] In Figure 13, the EHT TB PPDU omits the EHT-SIG compared to the EHT MU PPDU. An STA that receives a trigger for UL MU transmission (e.g., a trigger frame or TRS) can perform the UL transmission based on the EHT TB PPDU format.

[0127] In the example of the EHT PPDU format shown in Figure 13, L-STF to EHT-LTF correspond to the preamble or physical preamble and may be generated / transmitted / received / acquired / decoded at the physical layer.

[0128] The subcarrier frequency spacing for L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, U-SIG (Universal SIGNAL), and EHT-SIG fields (collectively referred to as pre-EHT modulated fields) may be set to 312.5 kHz. The subcarrier frequency spacing for EHT-STF, EHT-LTF, Data, and PE fields (collectively referred to as EHT modulated fields) may be set to 78.125 kHz. In other words, the tone / subcarrier index for L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, U-SIG, and EHT-SIG fields may be displayed in units of 312.5 kHz, while the tone / subcarrier index for EHT-STF, EHT-LTF, Data, and PE fields may be displayed in units of 78.125 kHz.

[0129] The L-LTF and L-STF in Figure 13 may be configured identically to the corresponding fields of the PPDU described in Figures 6 and 7.

[0130] The L-SIG field in Figure 13 consists 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 contain information about 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 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.

[0131] For example, a transmitting STA can apply BCC encoding based on half the coding rate to 24 bits of information in the L-SIG field. The transmitting STA can then obtain 48 bits of BCC encoded bits. BPSK modulation may be applied to the 48 bits of encoded bits to generate 48 BPSK symbols. The transmitting STA can map the 48 BPSK symbols to positions excluding the pilot subcarrier (e.g., {subcarrier indices -21, -7, +7, +21}) and the DC subcarrier (e.g., {subcarrier index 0}). Consequently, 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 the signal {-1, -1, -1, 1} to subcarrier indices {-28, -27, +27, +28}. The signal may be used for channel estimation in the frequency domain corresponding to {-28, -27, +27, +28}.

[0132] The transmitting STA can generate an RL-SIG that is generated identically to the L-SIG. BPSK modulation is applied to the RL-SIG. Based on the presence of the RL-SIG, the receiving STA can determine that the received PPDU is either an HE PPDU or an EHT PPDU.

[0133] A U-SIG (Universal SIG) may be inserted after the RL-SIG in Figure 13. The U-SIG can be named in various ways, such as first SIG field, first SIG, first type SIG, control signal, control signal field, or first (type) control signal.

[0134] A U-SIG may contain N bits of information, including information to identify the type of EHT PPDU. For example, a U-SIG may consist of two symbols (e.g., two consecutive OFDM symbols). Each symbol for the U-SIG (e.g., an OFDM symbol) may have a duration of 4us, and the U-SIG may have a total duration of 8us. Each symbol of the U-SIG may be used to transmit 26 bits of information. For example, each symbol of the U-SIG may be transmitted and received based on 52 data tones and 4 pilot tones.

[0135] In a U-SIG (or U-SIG field), for example, A-bit information (e.g., 52 uncoded bits) may be transmitted. The first symbol of the U-SIG (e.g., U-SIG-1) may transmit the first X bits of the total A-bit information (e.g., 26 uncoded bits), and the second symbol of the U-SIG (e.g., U-SIG-2) may transmit the remaining Y bits of the total A-bit information (e.g., 26 uncoded bits). For example, a transmitting STA can obtain the 26 uncoded bits contained in each U-SIG symbol. The transmitting STA can perform convolution encoding (e.g., BCC encoding) based on a rate of R=1 / 2 to generate 52-coded bits and 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 to be assigned to each U-SIG symbol. A single U-SIG symbol may be transmitted based on 56 tones (subcarriers) from subcarrier index -28 to subcarrier index +28, excluding DC index 0. The 52 BPSK symbols generated by the transmitting STA may be transmitted based on the remaining tones (subcarriers), excluding the pilot tones -21, -7, +7, and +21.

[0136] For example, the A-bit information transmitted by the U-SIG (e.g., 52 uncoded bits) may include a CRC field (e.g., a 4-bit field) and a tail field (e.g., a 6-bit field). The CRC field and tail field may be transmitted in a second symbol of the U-SIG. The CRC field may be generated based on 26 bits assigned to the first symbol of the U-SIG and the remaining 16 bits in the second symbol excluding the CRC / tail field, and may be generated based on a conventional CRC calculation algorithm. The tail field may also be used to terminate the trellis of the convolution decoder and may be set to 0, for example.

[0137] The A-bit information transmitted by the U-SIG (or U-SIG field) (e.g., 52 uncoded bits) 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 the U-SIG, or they may be assigned to both the first and second symbols of the U-SIG. For example, the version-independent bits and version-dependent bits may have various names, such as first control bits and second control bits.

[0138] For example, the version-independent bits of the U-SIG may include a 3-bit physical layer version identifier (PHY version identifier). For example, the 3-bit PHY version identifier may contain information about the physical layer version (PHY version) of the transmitted and received PPDUs. For example, the first value of the 3-bit PHY version identifier can indicate that the transmitted and received PPDUs are EHT PPDUs. In other words, a transmitting STA can set the 3-bit PHY version identifier to the first value when transmitting an EHT PPDU. In other words, a receiving STA can determine that the received PPDU is an EHT PPDU based on the PHY version identifier having the first value.

[0139] For example, the version-independent bits of a 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.

[0140] For example, the version-independent bits of the U-SIG may include information about the length of the TXOP (transmission opportunity) and information about the BSS color ID.

[0141] For example, if EHT PPDUs are categorized into various types (e.g., EHT PPDUs associated with SU mode, EHT PPDUs associated with MU mode, EHT PPDUs associated with TB mode, EHT PPDUs associated with Extended Range transmission, etc.), information regarding the type of EHT PPDU may be included in version-dependent bits of the U-SIG.

[0142] For example, a U-SIG may include information about: 1) a bandwidth field containing information about bandwidth; 2) a field containing information about the MCS method applied to the EHT-SIG; 3) an indication field containing information about whether or not the DCM method 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 or not the EHT-SIG is generated across the entire bandwidth; 6) a field containing information about the type of EHT-LTF / STF; and 7) fields indicating the length of the EHT-LTF and the CP length.

[0143] Preamble puncturing may be applied to the PPDU in Figure 13. Preamble puncturing can mean the transmission of a PPDU in which one or more 20 MHz subchannels within the PPDU's bandwidth are not present. Preamble puncturing may be applied to PPDUs transmitted to one or more users. For example, the resolution of preamble puncturing may be 20 MHz for EHT MU PPDUs in OFDMA transmissions with bandwidths greater than 40 MHz and non-OFDMA transmissions with bandwidths of 80 MHz and 160 MHz. In other words, in the above case, puncturing of subchannels smaller than 242 tone RUs may not be permitted. Also, for EHT MU PPDUs in non-OFDMA transmissions with a bandwidth of 320 MHz, the resolution of preamble puncturing may be 40 MHz. In other words, puncturing of subchannels smaller than 484 tone RUs in a 320 MHz bandwidth may not be permitted. Furthermore, in EHT MU PPDU, preamble puncturing does not need to be applied to the primary 20MHz channel.

[0144] For example, for an EHT MU PPDU, information regarding preamble puncturing may be included in the U-SIG and / or EHT-SIG. For instance, 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.

[0145] For example, the U-SIG and EHT-SIG may include information about preamble puncturing based on the following method. If the bandwidth of the PPDU exceeds 80 MHz, the U-SIGs may be configured individually in 80 MHz units. For example, if 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 about the 160 MHz bandwidth, and the second field of the first U-SIG may include information about preamble puncturing applied to the first 80 MHz band (i.e., information about the preamble puncturing pattern). The first field of the second U-SIG may include information about the 160 MHz bandwidth, and the second field of the second U-SIG may include information about preamble puncturing applied to the second 80 MHz band (i.e., information about the preamble puncturing pattern). An EHT-SIG following the first U-SIG may include information about preamble puncturing applied to the second 80 MHz band (i.e., information about the preamble puncturing pattern), and an EHT-SIG following the second U-SIG may include information about preamble puncturing applied to the first 80 MHz band (i.e., information about the preamble puncturing pattern).

[0146] As an addition or alternative, the U-SIG and EHT-SIG may include information on preamble puncturing based on the following methods: The U-SIG may include information on preamble puncturing for the entire bandwidth (i.e., information on the preamble puncturing pattern). That is, the EHT-SIG may not include information on preamble puncturing, and only the U-SIG may include information on preamble puncturing (i.e., information on the preamble puncturing pattern).

[0147] U-SIGs may be configured in 20MHz units. For example, when an 80MHz PPDU is configured, U-SIGs may be duplicated. That is, an 80MHz PPDU may contain four identical U-SIGs. PPDUs with a bandwidth exceeding 80MHz may contain different U-SIGs.

[0148] The EHT-SIG in Figure 13 may contain control information for the receiving STA. The EHT-SIG may be transmitted with at least one symbol, which may have a length of 4us. Information regarding the number of symbols used for the EHT-SIG may be included in the U-SIG.

[0149] The EHT-SIG may include the technical features of the HE-SIG-B described in Figures 11 and 12. For example, the EHT-SIG may include common fields and user-specific fields, identical to the example in Figure 8. The common fields of the EHT-SIG may be omitted, and the number of user-specific fields may be determined based on the number of users.

[0150] As in the example in Figure 11, the common fields and user-specific fields of the EHT-SIG may be coded 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 a maximum of two user fields. As in the example in Figure 12, each user field may be related to MU-MIMO assignment or non-MU-MIMO assignment.

[0151] Similar to the example in Figure 11, the common field of the EHT-SIG may include a CRC bit and a Tail bit, the length of the CRC bit may be determined to be 4 bits, and the length of the Tail bit may be determined to be 6 bits and set to 000000.

[0152] As in the example shown in Figure 11, the common fields of the EHT-SIG may include RU allocation information. RU allocation information can represent information about the location of RUs to which multiple users (i.e., multiple receiving STAs) are assigned. RU allocation information may consist of 8-bit (or N-bit) units.

[0153] A mode in which the common field of the EHT-SIG is omitted may be supported. This mode in which the common field of the EHT-SIG is omitted can be called compressed mode. When 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 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.

[0154] The EHT-SIG may be constructed based on various MCS techniques. As mentioned above, information regarding the MCS technique applied to the EHT-SIG may be included in the U-SIG. The EHT-SIG may be constructed based on the DCM technique. The DCM technique can reuse the same signal on two subcarriers to provide an effect similar to frequency diversity, reducing interference and improving coverage. For example, modulation symbols with the same modulation technique applied may be repeatedly mapped on available tones / subcarriers. For example, of the N data tones allocated for the EHT-SIG (e.g., 52 data tones), the first half of the tones (e.g., tones 1-26) may be mapped to modulation symbols with a specific modulation technique applied (e.g., BPSK modulation symbols), and the remaining half of the tones (e.g., tones 27-52) may be mapped to modulation symbols with the same specific modulation technique applied (e.g., BPSK modulation symbols). That is, the modulation symbol mapped to the first tone and the modulation symbol mapped to the 27th tone will be the same. As described above, information related to whether or not the DCM method is applied to the EHT-SIG (e.g., a 1-bit field) may be included in the U-SIG. The EHT-STF in Figure 13 may be used to improve automatic gain control (AGC) estimation in MIMO or OFDMA environments. The EHT-LTF in Figure 13 may be used to estimate the channel in MIMO or OFDMA environments.

[0155] 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 EHT-SIG field in Figure 13, etc.

[0156] The PPDU in Figure 13 (i.e., the EHT PPDU) may be configured based on the example RU configurations in Figures 8 to 10.

[0157] For example, an EHT PPDU transmitted over a 20MHz bandwidth, i.e., a 20MHz EHT PPDU, may be configured based on the RUs in Figure 8. That is, the locations of the RUs for the EHT-STF, EHT-LTF, and data field included in the EHT PPDU may be determined as shown in Figure 8. An EHT PPDU transmitted over a 40MHz bandwidth, i.e., a 40MHz EHT PPDU, may be configured based on the RUs in Figure 9. That is, the locations of the RUs for the EHT-STF, EHT-LTF, and data field included in the EHT PPDU may be determined as shown in Figure 9.

[0158] An EHT PPDU transmitted over the 80MHz band, i.e., an 80MHz EHT PPDU, may be constructed based on the RUs in Figure 10. That is, the locations of the RUs for the EHT-STF, EHT-LTF, and data field included in the EHT PPDU may be determined as shown in Figure 10. The tone-plan for 80MHz in Figure 10 may correspond to two iterations of the tone-plan for 40MHz in Figure 9.

[0159] The tone plan for 160 / 240 / 320MHz may consist of multiple repetitions of the pattern shown in Figure 9 or Figure 10.

[0160] The PPDU in Figure 13 may be identified as an EHT PPDU based on the following method.

[0161] The receiving STA can determine the type of the received PPDU to be an EHT PPDU based on the following: For example, the received PPDU may be determined to be an EHT PPDU if 1) the first symbol after the L-LTF signal of the received PPDU is BPSK, 2) an RL-SIG is detected in which the L-SIG of the received PPDU is repeated, and 3) the result of applying modulo 3 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 to be 0. 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 contained in the symbol after the RL-SIG in Figure 13. In other words, the receiving STA can determine the received PPDU to be an EHT PPDU based on 1) the first symbol after the L-LTF signal which is BSPK, 2) an RL-SIG that is consecutive to the L-SIG field and identical to the L-SIG, and 3) an L-SIG that contains a Length field in which the result of applying modulo 3 is set to 0.

[0162] For example, a receiving STA can determine the type of the received PPDU to be HE PPDU based on the following: For example, if 1) the first symbol after the L-LTF signal is BPSK, 2) an RL-SIG consisting of repeated L-SIGs is detected, and 3) the result of applying modulo 3 to the Length value of the L-SIG is detected to be 1 or 2, then the received PPDU may be determined to be HE PPDU.

[0163] For example, a receiving STA can determine the type of the received PPDU to be non-HT, HT, or VHT PPDU based on the following: For example, if 1) the first symbol after the L-LTF signal is BPSK, and 2) no RL-SIG (where L-SIG is repeated) is detected, the received PPDU may be determined to be non-HT, HT, or VHT PPDU.

[0164] Furthermore, if the receiving STA detects an RL-SIG in which the L-SIG is repeated from the received PPDU, it can determine that it is an HE PPDU or an EHT PPDU. In this case, if the rate (6Mbps) check fails, the received PPDU may be determined to be a non-HT, HT, or VHT PPDU. If the rate (6Mbps) check and parity check pass, and the result of applying modulo 3 to the Length value of the L-SIG is detected as 0, the received PPDU may be determined to be an EHT PPDU; if the result of Length mod 3 is not 0, it may be determined to be an HE PPDU.

[0165] The PPDU in Figure 13 may be used to send and receive various types of frames. For example, the PPDU in Figure 13 may be used for the simultaneous transmission and reception of one or more control frames, management frames, or data frames.

[0166] Tone assignment for new numerology

[0167] For PPDUs in existing wireless LAN systems (e.g., EHT PPDUs), subcarrier and resource allocations as described with reference to Figures 8 to 10 may be defined and applied.

[0168] To provide higher data rates or throughput compared to existing wireless LAN systems, there is discussion about supporting higher-order spatial streams or wider bandwidths (e.g., 480MHz, 640MHz, etc.) in new wireless LAN systems. For example, above 6GHz there are the UNII (Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure) frequency band and related regulations. Therefore, due to bandwidth expansion limitations, transmit power limitations, and STA implementation issues in the UNII band, supporting wider bandwidths in new wireless LAN systems may be difficult.

[0169] Therefore, to improve spatial efficiency and throughput compared to existing wireless LAN systems, a new numerology can be considered that uses more subcarriers within the same bandwidth than existing OFDM numerologies, i.e., supports narrower subcarrier spacing. For example, a 2x OFDM numerology can be considered that uses half the subcarrier spacing, i.e., twice as many subcarriers, compared to existing numerologies. Furthermore, it is required to define tone assignments for the 2x OFDM numerology.

[0170] The following description illustrates the new subcarrier and RU allocations relating to this disclosure for new numerologies in wireless LAN systems, and provides examples of tone plans and RU locations based thereon.

[0171] RU locations may be defined as fixed locations in the frequency domain for each PPDU transmission bandwidth, and PPDU transmission / reception may be performed using one or more of the defined RU locations. When defining RU locations, subcarrier index 0 corresponds to the DC tone. Negative subcarrier indices correspond to subcarriers with frequencies lower than the DC tone, and positive subcarrier indices correspond to subcarriers with frequencies higher than the DC tone. DC subcarriers have an energy of 0 and may include subcarrier indices adjacent to the DC tone and subcarrier index 0. Guard subcarriers have an energy of 0 and may be located on the edges of OFDM symbols in the frequency domain. The number of DC subcarriers and guard subcarriers may be predetermined based on the bandwidth, etc. The number and location in the frequency domain of null subcarriers may also be predetermined.

[0172] 2x OFDM Numerology

[0173] For a 2x OFDM numerology, the total number of subcarriers per bandwidth may be defined as shown in Table 1 below. The total number of subcarriers may correspond to the FFT (fast Fourier transform) size. The total number of subcarriers may be the sum of the number of data subcarriers, pilot subcarriers, DC subcarriers, left guard subcarriers, and right subcarriers.

[0174] [Table 1]

[0175] For a 2x OFDM numerology, the PHY subcarrier frequency spacing of a wireless LAN system may be defined as 39.0625 kHz, and the DFT (discrete Fourier transform) / IDFT (inverse DFT) period for each symbol (i.e., data symbol) in the PPDU data field may be defined as 25.6 microseconds (µs).

[0176] Bandwidth-based tone assignment for 2x OFDM numerology

[0177] The following provides examples of the subcarrier and RU allocations for the 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, and 320MHz bandwidths to which the 2x OFDM numerology applies.

[0178] Figure 14 illustrates an example of a PPDU transmission method based on tone assignment to a new numerology relating to this disclosure.

[0179] In step S1410, the first STA can generate a PPDU based on tone assignments for a new numerology, which includes information transmitted on one or more data subcarriers or pilot subcarriers.

[0180] For example, the new numerology may correspond to a 2x OFDM numerology. More specifically, the non-legacy portion of the PPDU may be generated based on tone assignments for the new numerology.

[0181] The non-legacy portion of the PPDU to which the new numerology applies may include at least data fields. In addition to or alternatively, some or all fields of the PHY non-legacy preamble following the L-SIG / RL-SIG of the PPDU may also be applied to the new numerology.

[0182] For example, when the new numerology is applied, the total number of subcarriers may be 512 for a 20 MHz PPDU, 1024 for a 40 MHz PPDU, 2048 for an 80 MHz PPDU, 4096 for a 160 MHz PPDU, or 8192 for a 320 MHz PPDU.

[0183] Furthermore, the subcarrier spacing applied to the PPDU for each of the 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, and 320MHz bandwidths may be 39.0625kHz.

[0184] PPDU generation involves one or more processing steps, including an IFFT, where the IFFT size may correspond to the total number of subcarriers.

[0185] The maximum number of 26-tone RUs may be 18 for a 20MHz channel width, 36 for a 40MHz channel width, 72 for an 80MHz channel width, 144 for a 160MHz channel width, and 288 for a 320MHz channel width.

[0186] For a 20MHz channel width, in 18 26-tone RUs, there are no RUs that contain non-contiguous subcarriers.

[0187] For a 40MHz channel width, 36 26-tone RUs do not need to define or use RUs that contain non-contiguous subcarriers. There is one set / group of more than two consecutive DC subcarriers and / or null subcarriers that are not included in the 36 26-tone RUs, which may correspond to, for example, subcarrier index [-12:12] (i.e., one set of 25 subcarriers). The index of the RU corresponding to such DC / null subcarrier set / group (e.g., RU 19) is not defined / does not exist and does not need to be assigned for PPDU transmission / reception.

[0188] For an 80MHz channel width, 72 26-tone RUs do not need to define or use RUs that contain non-contiguous subcarriers. There are two sets / groups of more than two consecutive null subcarriers that are not included in the 72 26-tone RUs, and each of these null subcarrier sets / groups is not located around the center or DC subcarrier, and may correspond to, for example, subcarrier indices [-524:-500] and [500:524] (i.e., two sets of 25 subcarriers). The RU indices corresponding to these null subcarrier sets / groups (e.g., RU 19, RU 56) are not defined / do not exist and do not need to be assigned for PPDU transmission / reception.

[0189] For a 160MHz channel width, 144 26-tone RUs do not need to define or use RUs that contain non-contiguous subcarriers. There are four sets / groups of more than two consecutive null subcarriers that are not included in the 144 26-tone RUs, and each of these null subcarrier sets / groups is not located around the central or DC subcarrier, and may include, for example, subcarrier indices [-1548:-1524], [-524:-500], [500:524], and [1524:1548] (i.e., four sets of 25 subcarriers). The RU indices corresponding to these null subcarrier sets / groups (e.g., RU 19, RU 56, RU 93, RU 130) are not defined / do not exist and do not need to be assigned for PPDU transmission / reception.

[0190] For a 320MHz channel width, 288 26-tone RUs do not need to define or use RUs that contain non-contiguous subcarriers. There are 8 sets / groups of more than 2 consecutive null subcarriers that are not included in the 288 26-tone RUs, and each of these null subcarrier sets / groups is not located around the center or DC subcarrier and may correspond to, for example, subcarrier indices [-3596:-3572], [-2572:-2548], [-1548:-1524], [-524:-500], [500:524], [1524:1548], [2548:2572], and [3572:3596] (i.e., 8 sets of 25 subcarrier indices). The RU indices corresponding to the null subcarrier set / group (e.g., RU 19, RU 56, RU 93, RU 130, RU 167, RU 204, RU 241, RU 278) are undefined / non-existent and do not need to be assigned for PPDU transmission / reception.

[0191] The maximum number of 52-tone RUs may be 8 for a 20MHz channel width, 16 for a 40MHz channel width, 32 for an 80MHz channel width, 64 for a 160MHz channel width, and 128 for a 320MHz channel width.

[0192] The maximum number of 106-tone RUs may be 4 for a 20MHz channel width, 8 for a 40MHz channel width, 16 for an 80MHz channel width, 32 for a 160MHz channel width, and 64 for a 320MHz channel width.

[0193] The maximum number of 242-tone RUs may be 2 for a 20MHz channel width, 4 for a 40MHz channel width, 8 for an 80MHz channel width, 16 for a 160MHz channel width, and 32 for a 320MHz channel width.

[0194] The maximum number of 484 tone RUs may be 1 for a 20MHz channel width, 2 for a 40MHz channel width, 4 for an 80MHz channel width, 8 for a 160MHz channel width, and 16 for a 320MHz channel width.

[0195] The maximum number of 996 tone RUs may be 1 for a 40MHz channel width, 2 for an 80MHz channel width, 4 for a 160MHz channel width, and 8 for a 320MHz channel width.

[0196] The maximum number of 2x996 tone RUs may be 1 for an 80MHz channel width, 2 for a 160MHz channel width, and 4 for a 320MHz channel width.

[0197] The maximum number of 4x996 tone RUs may be one for a 160MHz channel width and two for a 320MHz channel width.

[0198] One 8x996 tone RU may be defined for a 320MHz channel width.

[0199] In step S1420, the first STA can send the generated PPDU to one or more second STAs.

[0200] Figure 15 illustrates an example of a PPDU receiving method based on tone assignment for a new numerology relating to this disclosure.

[0201] In step S1510, the second STA can receive the PPDU based on the new numerology from the first STA.

[0202] In stage S1520, the second STA can acquire information based on the received PPDU using one or more data subcarriers or pilot subcarriers.

[0203] PPDU reception may include one or more processing steps, including an FFT. The FFT size may correspond to the total number of subcarriers.

[0204] The specific details regarding PPDU are the same as those explained with reference to Figure 14, and therefore, a redundant explanation will be omitted.

[0205] The following describes specific examples of tone assignments for the new numerology relating to this disclosure.

[0206] Example 1

[0207] This embodiment relates to tone plan and RU position for a 20 MHz bandwidth.

[0208] For a 20MHz bandwidth, a 512FFT size (i.e., total number of subcarriers = 512) may be applied. The data and pilot subcarrier indices for RUs in a 20MHz PPDU may be defined as shown in Table 2. Table 2 shows the RU index and subcarrier range for each RU type.

[0209] [Table 2]

[0210] In Table 2, "[a:b]" represents the range from subcarrier index a to subcarrier index b. In Table 2, the number of RU indices defined for each RU type corresponds to the maximum number of RUs for a channel width CBW20. For example, for a 20MHz channel width, a maximum of 18 26-tone RUs, a maximum of 8 52-tone RUs, a maximum of 4 106-tone RUs, a maximum of 2 242-tone RUs, and a maximum of 1 484-tone RU may be used.

[0211] Example 2

[0212] This embodiment relates to a tone plan and RU position for a 40 MHz bandwidth.

[0213] For a 40MHz bandwidth, a 1024FFT size (i.e., total number of subcarriers = 1024) may be applied. The data and pilot subcarrier indices for RU in a 40MHz PPDU may be defined as shown in Table 3.

[0214] [Table 3]

[0215] In Table 3, the number of RU indices defined for each RU type corresponds to the maximum number of RUs for a channel width of CBW40. For example, for a 40MHz channel width, a maximum of 36 26-tone RUs, 16 52-tone RUs, 8 106-tone RUs, 4 242-tone RUs, 2 484-tone RUs, and 1 996-tone RU may be used.

[0216] In the example in Table 3, RU19 does not need to be defined / used in a 26-tone RU. That is, one set of 25 DC subcarriers and / or null subcarriers corresponding to the subcarrier index [-12:12] does not need to be mapped to either data or pilot.

[0217] On the other hand, in the aforementioned Example 1, a set of 25 DC / null subcarriers in a 20MHz bandwidth does not need to exist.

[0218] Example 3

[0219] This embodiment relates to a tone plan and RU position for an 80 MHz bandwidth.

[0220] For an 80MHz bandwidth, a 2048FFT size (i.e., total number of subcarriers = 2048) may be applied. The 80MHz tone assignment may be constructed by repeating the 40MHz tone assignment subblock twice. That is, the same structure used in the 40MHz PPDU may be used for both the first 40MHz channel and the second 40MHz channel in the 80MHz PPDU.

[0221] In an 80MHz PPDU, the data and pilot subcarrier indices for RU in the first 40MHz channel and the second 40MHz channel may be defined as shown in Table 3. Consequently, the data and pilot subcarrier indices for RU in an 80MHz PPDU may be defined as shown in Table 4.

[0222] [Table 4]

[0223] For a channel width of CBW80, the maximum number of RUs may be 72 for 26-tone RUs, 32 for 52-tone RUs, 16 for 106-tone RUs, 8 for 242-tone RUs, a maximum of 4 for 484-tone RUs, 2 for 996-tone RUs, and 1 for 2x996-tone RUs. For an 80MHz channel width, RU indices 19 and 56 do not need to be defined or used for 26-tone RUs. Two sets of 25 null subcarriers corresponding to subcarrier indices [-524:-500] and [500:524] do not need to be mapped to either data or / or pilot.

[0224] Example 4

[0225] This embodiment relates to a tone plan and RU position for a 160 MHz bandwidth.

[0226] For a 160MHz bandwidth, a 4096FFT size (i.e., total number of subcarriers = 4096) may be applied. The 160MHz tone assignment may be constructed by repeating the 40MHz tone assignment subblock four times. That is, the same structure used in the 40MHz PPDU may be used for all of the first, second, third, and fourth 40MHz channels in the 160MHz PPDU.

[0227] In a 160MHz PPDU, the data and pilot subcarrier index for RU in the first 40MHz channel, the second 40MHz channel, the third 40MHz channel, and the fourth 40MHz channel may be defined as shown in Table 3. Consequently, the data and pilot subcarrier index for RU in a 160MHz PPDU may be defined as shown in Table 5.

[0228] [Table 5]

[0229] For a channel width of CBW160, the maximum number of RUs may be 144 for 26-tone RUs, 64 for 52-tone RUs, 32 for 106-tone RUs, 16 for 242-tone RUs, a maximum of 8 for 484-tone RUs, 4 for 996-tone RUs, 2 for 2x996-tone RUs, and 1 for 4x996-tone RUs. For a 160MHz channel width, RU indices 19, 56, 93, and 130 do not need to be defined / used in 26-tone RUs. The four sets of 25 null subcarriers corresponding to subcarrier indices [-1548:-1524], [-524:-500], [500:524], and [1524:1548] do not need to be mapped to data and / or pilot.

[0230] Example 5

[0231] This embodiment relates to a tone plan and RU position for a 320 MHz bandwidth.

[0232] Figure 16 shows an example of tone allocation in a 320 MHz bandwidth for the new numerology relating to this disclosure.

[0233] For a 320MHz bandwidth, an 8192FFT size (i.e., total number of subcarriers = 8192) may be applied.

[0234] For a 320MHz bandwidth, the tone allocation may be as follows: 12 tones are allocated as left guard subcarriers, 11 tones as right guard subcarriers, and 5 tones as DC subcarriers.

[0235] Taking such guard subcarriers and DC subcarriers into consideration, the 320MHz tone assignment may be constructed by repeating the 40MHz tone assignment subblock eight times. That is, the same structure used in the 40MHz PPDU may be used for all of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth 40MHz channels in the 320MHz PPDU.

[0236] In a 320MHz PPDU, the data and pilot subcarrier index for each of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 40MHz, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th 40MHz channels may be defined as shown in Table 3. Consequently, the data and pilot subcarrier index for the RU in a 320MHz PPDU may be defined as shown in Table 6.

[0237] [Table 6-1] [Table 6-2]

[0238] In the example in Table 6, the 8x996 tone RU is a newly defined RU type in wireless LAN systems. The maximum number of RUs for a channel width CBW320 may be 288 for 26 tone RUs, 128 for 52 tone RUs, 64 for 106 tone RUs, 32 for 242 tone RUs, up to 16 for 484 tone RUs, 8 for 996 tone RUs, 4 for 2x996 tone RUs, 2 for 4x996 tone RUs, and 1 for 8x996 tone RUs.

[0239] For a 320MHz channel width, RU indices 19, 56, 93, 130, 167, 204, 241, and 278 do not need to be defined or used in 26 tones. The eight sets of 25 null subcarriers corresponding to subcarrier indices [-3596:-3572], [-2572:-2548], [-1548:-1524], [-524:-500], [500:524], [1524:1548], [2548:2572], and [3572:3596] do not need to be mapped to data and / or pilots.

[0240] In the example described above, the tone allocation for bandwidths above 80 MHz can be made to have a structure in which the tone allocation for the 40 MHz bandwidth is repeated, thereby reducing the complexity of implementation and easily supporting PPDU transmission over partial bandwidths.

[0241] Compared to tone allocation in existing wireless LAN systems (i.e., systems to which 2x OFDM numerology is not applied) in bandwidths of 80 MHz or higher, the number of consecutive sets of null subcarriers (e.g., a set of 25 consecutive null subcarriers) in bandwidths of 80 MHz or higher according to this disclosure has more features for the same bandwidth. Furthermore, while tone allocation in a 40 MHz bandwidth in existing wireless LAN systems (i.e., systems to which 2x OFDM numerology is not applied) does not have a predetermined number of consecutive sets of DC subcarriers and / or null subcarriers (e.g., a set of 25 consecutive DC / null subcarriers), the example in the 40 MHz bandwidth according to this disclosure has the feature of having a predetermined number of consecutive sets of DC subcarriers and / or null subcarriers (e.g., a set of 25 consecutive DC / null subcarriers). In other words, the example in this disclosure has the feature of an increased or newly introduced number of subcarriers defined as DC subcarriers or null subcarriers compared to existing wireless LAN systems.

[0242] Bandwidth-based pilot tone assignment for 2x OFDM numerology

[0243] The following describes the examples in this disclosure of the indices (i.e., pilot subcarrier locations) to which pilot subcarriers are assigned, applicable to bandwidth-dependent tone assignment for 2x OFDM numerology in the examples described above. Pilot subcarriers may be applied to data fields or non-legacy LTF fields.

[0244] For each bandwidth, for transmission on the i-th 26-tone RU, the pilot subcarrier is K R26_i It may be inserted into the k-th subcarrier belonging to [the specified group].

[0245] [Table 7]

[0246] For each bandwidth, for transmission on the i-th 52-tone RU, the pilot subcarrier is K R52_i It may be inserted into the k-th subcarrier belonging to [the specified group].

[0247] [Table 8]

[0248] For each bandwidth, for transmission on the i-th 106 tone RU, the pilot subcarrier is K R106_i It may be inserted into the k-th subcarrier belonging to [the specified group].

[0249] [Table 9]

[0250] For each bandwidth, for transmission on the i-th 242 tone RU, the pilot subcarrier is K R242_i It may be inserted into the k-th subcarrier belonging to [the specified group].

[0251] [Table 10]

[0252] For transmission on the i-th 484-tone RU by bandwidth, the pilot subcarriers may be inserted into the k-th subcarrier belonging to K R484_i For transmission on the i-th 996-tone RU by bandwidth, the pilot subcarriers may be inserted into the k-th subcarrier belonging to K

[0253] [Table 11]

[0254] For transmission on the i-th 996-tone RU by bandwidth, the pilot subcarriers may be inserted into the k-th subcarrier belonging to K R996_i For transmission on the i-th 2x996-tone RU by bandwidth, the pilot subcarriers may be inserted into the k-th subcarrier belonging to K

[0255] [Table 12]

[0256] [[ID=3)2]]For transmission on the i-th 2x996-tone RU by bandwidth, the pilot subcarriers may be inserted into the k-th subcarrier belonging to K R2x996_i For transmission on the i-th 4x996-tone RU by bandwidth, the pilot subcarriers may be inserted into the k-th subcarrier belonging to K

[0257] [Table 13]

[0258] For transmission on the i-th 4x996-tone RU by bandwidth, the pilot subcarriers may be inserted into the k-th subcarrier belonging to K R4x996_i For transmission on one 8x996-tone RU for a 320 MHz bandwidth, the pilot subcarriers may be inserted into the k-th subcarrier belonging to K

[0259] <000 / s0899> [Table 14] [[ID=ss]]

[0260] For transmission on one 8x996-tone RU for a 320 MHz bandwidth, the pilot subcarriers may be inserted into the k-th subcarrier belonging to K R8x996_i For transmission on one 8x996-tone RU for a 320 MHz bandwidth, the pilot subcarriers may be inserted into the k-th subcarrier belonging to K

[0261]

Table 15

[0262] 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 mentioned. Each component or feature may be implemented in a form that does not combine with other components or features. Also, it is 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 can be included as new claims by amendment after filing.

[0263] 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 modifications within the equivalent scope of the present disclosure are included in the scope of the present disclosure.

[0264] The scope of this disclosure includes software or machine-executable instructions (e.g., operating systems, applications, firmware, programs, etc.) that cause an apparatus or computer to perform operations according to the methods of various embodiments, and non-transitory computer-readable medium on which such software or instructions are stored and executable on the apparatus or computer. Instructions available for programming a processing system that performs the features described in this disclosure may be stored on / in a storage medium or computer-readable storage medium, and the features described in this disclosure may be embodied using a computer program product including such 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. Memory optionally includes one or more storage devices located remotely from the processor. Memory, or alternatively, non-volatile memory devices within memory, includes non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The features described in this disclosure may be stored on any one of the machine-readable media and integrated into software and / or firmware that can control the hardware of the processing system and cause the processing system to interact with other mechanisms that utilize the results relating to the embodiments of this disclosure. Such software or firmware may include, but is not limited to, application code, device drivers, operating systems and execution environments / containers. [Industrial applicability]

[0265] Although the method proposed in this disclosure has been described primarily in the context of its application to IEEE 802.11-based systems, it can be applied to a variety of other wireless LAN or wireless communication systems.

Claims

1. The first STA (station) generates a PPDU (physical layer protocol data unit) containing information transmitted via at least one of a data subcarrier or a pilot subcarrier, The first STA transmits the generated PPDU to at least one second STA, Based on the fact that the PPDU is a 20 MHz PPDU, the total number of subcarriers is 512. Based on the fact that the PPDU is a 40 MHz PPDU, the total number of subcarriers is 1024. Based on the fact that the PPDU is an 80 MHz PPDU, the total number of subcarriers is 2048. Based on the fact that the PPDU is a 160 MHz PPDU, the total number of subcarriers is 4096. Based on the fact that the PPDU is a 320 MHz PPDU, the total number of subcarriers is 8192. A method in which the same subcarrier spacing is applied to the 20 MHz PPDU, the 40 MHz PPDU, the 80 MHz PPDU, the 160 MHz PPDU, and the 320 MHz PPDU.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the subcarrier interval is 39.0625 kHz for each of the 20 MHz PPDU, the 40 MHz PPDU, the 80 MHz PPDU, the 160 MHz PPDU, and the 320 MHz PPDU.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of generating the PPDU includes at least one processing including an IFFT (inverse fast Fourier transform), the IFFT size corresponding to the total number of subcarriers.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maximum number of 26-tone RUs (resource units) applied to the PPDU is 18 for a 20 MHz channel width, 36 for a 40 MHz channel width, 72 for an 80 MHz channel width, 144 for a 160 MHz channel width, and 288 for a 320 MHz channel width.

5. The number of groups of a predetermined number of consecutive DC subcarriers or null subcarriers other than the 36 26-tone RUs is 1 for the 40 MHz channel width, The method according to claim 4, wherein the number of groups of a predetermined number of consecutive null subcarriers other than the 72 26-tone RUs is 2 for the 80 MHz channel width.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, with respect to the 80 MHz channel width, the predetermined number of consecutive groups of null subcarriers are not located at the center of the frequency domain or around the DC subcarriers.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maximum number of 52-tone RUs applied to the PPDU is 8 for a 20 MHz channel width, 16 for a 40 MHz channel width, 32 for an 80 MHz channel width, 64 for a 160 MHz channel width, and 128 for a 320 MHz channel width.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maximum number of 106-tone RUs applied to the PPDU is 4 for a 20 MHz channel width, 8 for a 40 MHz channel width, 16 for an 80 MHz channel width, 32 for a 160 MHz channel width, and 64 for a 320 MHz channel width.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maximum number of 242-tone RUs applied to the PPDU is 2 for a 20 MHz channel width, 4 for a 40 MHz channel width, 8 for an 80 MHz channel width, 16 for a 160 MHz channel width, and 32 for a 320 MHz channel width.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maximum number of 484 tone RUs applied to the PPDU is 1 for a 20 MHz channel width, 2 for a 40 MHz channel width, 4 for an 80 MHz channel width, 8 for a 160 MHz channel width, and 16 for a 320 MHz channel width.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maximum number of 996 tone RUs applied to the PPDU is one for a 40 MHz channel width, two for an 80 MHz channel width, four for a 160 MHz channel width, and eight for a 320 MHz channel width.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maximum number of 2x996 tone RUs applied to the PPDU is one for an 80 MHz channel width, two for a 160 MHz channel width, and four for a 320 MHz channel width.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maximum number of 4x996 tone RUs applied to the PPDU is one for a 160 MHz channel width and two for a 320 MHz channel width.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the number of 8x996 tone RUs applied to the PPDU is one per 320 MHz channel width.

15. A first STA (station), At least one transceiver and, The system comprises at least one processor connected to the at least one transceiver, The aforementioned at least one processor is A PPDU (physical layer protocol data unit) containing information transmitted via at least one of a data subcarrier or pilot subcarrier is generated. The generated PPDU is configured to be transmitted to at least one second STA via the at least one transceiver. Based on the fact that the PPDU is a 20 MHz PPDU, the total number of subcarriers is 512. Based on the fact that the PPDU is a 40 MHz PPDU, the total number of subcarriers is 1024. Based on the fact that the PPDU is an 80 MHz PPDU, the total number of subcarriers is 2048. Based on the fact that the PPDU is a 160 MHz PPDU, the total number of subcarriers is 4096. Based on the fact that the PPDU is a 320 MHz PPDU, the total number of subcarriers is 8192. A first STA to which the same subcarrier spacing is applied to the 20 MHz PPDU, the 40 MHz PPDU, the 80 MHz PPDU, the 160 MHz PPDU, and the 320 MHz PPDU.

16. The second STA (station) receives a PPDU (physical layer protocol data unit) from the first STA, The step includes the second STA acquiring information transmitted via at least one of a data subcarrier or a pilot subcarrier based on the received PPDU, Based on the fact that the PPDU is a 20 MHz PPDU, the total number of subcarriers is 512. Based on the fact that the PPDU is a 40 MHz PPDU, the total number of subcarriers is 1024. Based on the fact that the PPDU is an 80 MHz PPDU, the total number of subcarriers is 2048. Based on the fact that the PPDU is a 160 MHz PPDU, the total number of subcarriers is 4096. Based on the fact that the PPDU is a 320 MHz PPDU, the total number of subcarriers is 8192. A method in which the same subcarrier spacing is applied to the 20 MHz PPDU, the 40 MHz PPDU, the 80 MHz PPDU, the 160 MHz PPDU, and the 320 MHz PPDU.

17. A second STA (station), At least one transceiver and, The system comprises at least one processor connected to the at least one transceiver, The aforementioned at least one processor is The PPDU (physical layer protocol data unit) is received from the first STA via at least one of the transceivers, Based on the received PPDU, it is configured to acquire information transmitted via at least one of the data subcarrier or pilot subcarrier. Based on the fact that the PPDU is a 20 MHz PPDU, the total number of subcarriers is 512. Based on the fact that the PPDU is a 40 MHz PPDU, the total number of subcarriers is 1024. Based on the fact that the PPDU is an 80 MHz PPDU, the total number of subcarriers is 2048. Based on the fact that the PPDU is a 160 MHz PPDU, the total number of subcarriers is 4096. Based on the fact that the PPDU is a 320 MHz PPDU, the total number of subcarriers is 8192. A second STA to which the same subcarrier spacing is applied to the 20 MHz PPDU, the 40 MHz PPDU, the 80 MHz PPDU, the 160 MHz PPDU, and the 320 MHz PPDU.

18. A processing unit configured to control a station (STA) in a WLAN (wireless local area network) system, wherein the processing unit is: At least one processor, A processing unit comprising: at least one computer memory operably connected to the at least one processor and storing instructions for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 based on being executed by the at least one processor.

19. A non-temporary computer-readable medium for storing at least one instruction, A non-temporary computer-readable medium wherein the at least one instruction is executed by at least one processor to control a station (STA) device in a wireless local area network (WLAN) system to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

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