Method and apparatus for instructing an operating mode for extended bandwidth in a wireless LAN system

Abstract

A method and apparatus for indicating an operating mode for an extended bandwidth in a wireless LAN system are disclosed. A method performed by a station (STA) in a wireless LAN system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include generating a frame including information regarding an indication of an operating channel width, and transmitting a PPDU including the frame. Here, the information regarding the indication of the operating channel width may be included in an operating mode (OM) control subfield within an aggregated-control (A-control) field of the frame, and the OM control subfield may include a specific subfield capable of indicating a wide bandwidth greater than 320 MHz.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method and an apparatus for indicating an operating mode for an extended bandwidth in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) system.

Background Art

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

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

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The technical problem addressed by this disclosure is to provide a method and apparatus for specifying an operating mode for extended bandwidth in a wireless LAN system.

[0005] The technical problem of this disclosure is to provide a method and apparatus for specifying information about an extended bandwidth when specifying an operating mode.

[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 station (STA) in a wireless LAN system according to one aspect of the present disclosure may include the steps of: generating a frame containing information regarding an operating channel width; and transmitting a PPDU containing the frame. Here, the information regarding the operating channel width is contained in an operating mode (OM) control subfield within an aggregated-control (A-control) field of the frame, and the OM control subfield may include a specific subfield capable of indicating a wide bandwidth greater than 320 MHz.

[0008] A further aspect of the present disclosure describes a method performed by a station (STA) in a wireless LAN system, which may include the steps of: receiving a physical protocol data unit (PPDU) containing a frame containing information regarding an operating channel width; and performing an action based on the information regarding the operating channel width. Here, the information regarding the operating channel width is contained in an operating mode (OM) control subfield within an aggregated-control (A-control) field of the frame, and the OM control subfield may include a specific subfield capable of indicating a wide bandwidth greater than 320 MHz. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] This disclosure provides a method and apparatus for specifying an operating mode for extended bandwidth in a wireless LAN system.

[0010] According to this disclosure, a method and apparatus can be provided for specifying information regarding extended bandwidth when specifying an operating mode.

[0011] According to this disclosure, transmission efficiency and processing capacity can be improved by utilizing expanded bandwidth in a wireless LAN system.

[0012] 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]

[0013] 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.

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This figure shows an exemplary structure of a wireless LAN system to which this disclosure can be applied. [Figure 3] This diagram illustrates the link setup process to which this disclosure applies. [Figure 4] This diagram illustrates the backoff process to which this disclosure applies. [Figure 5] This diagram illustrates the CSMA / CA baseframe transmission operation to which this disclosure can be applied. [Figure 6] This figure illustrates an example of a frame structure used in a wireless LAN system to which this disclosure can be applied. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of a PPDU as defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard to which this disclosure applies. [Figure 8] This figure illustrates an example of a resource unit in a wireless LAN system to which this disclosure can be applied. [Figure 9] This figure illustrates an example of a resource unit in a wireless LAN system to which this disclosure can be applied. [Figure 10] This figure illustrates an example of a resource unit in a wireless LAN system to which this disclosure can be applied. [Figure 11] This figure shows an exemplary structure of the HE-SIG-B field. [Figure 12] This diagram illustrates the MU-MIMO scheme, where multiple users / STAs are assigned to a single RU. [Figure 13] This figure shows examples of PPDU formats to which this disclosure can be applied. [Figure 14] This figure shows an exemplary format of the A-control subfield of an HT control field to which this disclosure can be applied. [Figure 15]A diagram showing an exemplary format of a control information subfield in an EHT OM Control subfield to which the present disclosure is applicable. [Figure 16] A diagram illustrating an EHT OM Control subfield considering an extended BW indication to which the present disclosure is applicable. [Figure 17] A diagram illustrating a non-legacy OM Control field considering an extended BW indication to which the present disclosure is applicable. [Figure 18] A diagram for explaining an example of a method for transmitting bandwidth indication information according to the present disclosure. [Figure 19] A diagram for explaining an example of a method for receiving bandwidth indication information according to the present disclosure.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

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

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

[0017] In this disclosure, when one component is “connected,” “joined,” or “linked” to another component, this may include not only a direct connection but also an indirect connection in which other components exist between them. Also, in this disclosure, the terms “includes” or “have” identify the presence of the referred features, stages, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, stages, operations, elements, components and / or groups thereof.

[0018] 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.

[0019] 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.

[0020] 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.

[0021] The following describes the technical features to which the examples in this disclosure may apply.

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

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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.

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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).

[0027] The first device 100 includes one or more processors 102 and one or more memories 104, and may further include one or more transceivers 106 and / or one or more antennas 108. The processor 102 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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.

[0035] Figure 2 shows an exemplary structure of a wireless LAN system to which this disclosure can be applied.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] STA membership in the BSS can change dynamically due to actions such as STAs being added or removed, or STAs entering or leaving the BSS area. 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).

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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).

[0042] 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.

[0043] 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.

[0044] An Extended Service Set (ESS) may be added to the aforementioned DS structure to provide even broader coverage.

[0045] 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.

[0046] In wireless LAN systems, no assumptions are made regarding the relative physical location of BSSs, and any of the following forms are possible: BSSs may partially overlap, which is a commonly used form 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 include ESS network configurations 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 at the same location.

[0047] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the link setup process to which this disclosure can be applied.

[0048] 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.

[0049] 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.

[0050] 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 nearby APs 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. 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 alternately send 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).

[0051] 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.

[0052] After the STA discovers the network, an authentication process may be performed 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.

[0053] 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.

[0054] 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.

[0055] 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.

[0056] 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.

[0057] 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), supported rates, EDCA (Enhanced Distributed Channel Access) parameter set, RCPI (Received Channel Power Indicator), RSNI (Received Signal to Noise Indicator), mobility domain, timeout interval (e.g., association comeback time), overlapping BSS scan parameters, TIM broadcast response, 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.

[0058] 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.

[0059] 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.

[0060] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the backoff process to which this disclosure can be applied.

[0061] 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 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.

[0062] 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).

[0063] 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,...).

[0064] 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.

[0065] 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.

[0066] 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 field and subtype field in the frame control (FC) field.

[0067] 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.

[0068] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the CSMA / CA baseframe transmission operation to which this disclosure can be applied.

[0069] 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.

[0070] 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.

[0071] 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.

[0072] 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.

[0073] 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.

[0074] 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.

[0075] 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.

[0076] 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.

[0077] 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.

[0078] 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.

[0079] 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).

[0080] 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.

[0081] 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.

[0082] 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.

[0083] 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.

[0084] 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.

[0085] 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.

[0086] Figure 7 shows an example of a PPDU as defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard to which this disclosure applies.

[0087] 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.

[0088] 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).

[0089] 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.

[0090] An example of the HE PPDU format (IEEE 802.11ax) further includes the RL-SIG (Repeated L-SIG), HE-SIG-A, HE-SIG-B, HE-STF, HE-LTF(s), and PE (Packet Extension) fields in 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.

[0091] Figures 8 to 10 illustrate examples of resource units in a wireless LAN system to which this disclosure can be applied.

[0092] 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.

[0093] 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.

[0094] Figure 8 shows an example of resource unit (RU) configuration used in the 20 MHz bandwidth.

[0095] 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.

[0096] 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.

[0097] 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.

[0098] Figure 9 shows an example arrangement of resource units (RUs) used in the 40 MHz bandwidth.

[0099] 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.

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

[0101] Figure 10 shows an example arrangement of resource units (RUs) used in the 80 MHz bandwidth.

[0102] 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.

[0103] Furthermore, as shown in the 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.

[0104] 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.

[0105] 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.

[0106] 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.

[0107] 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.

[0108] 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.

[0109] Information regarding the RU's placement may be signaled via HE-SIG-B in HE PPDU format.

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

[0111] As shown in the figure, the HE-SIG-B field may include a common field and a user-specific field. When HE-SIG-B compression is applied (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.

[0112] 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.).

[0113] 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.

[0114] 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.

[0115] 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.

[0116] 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.

[0117] 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.

[0118] Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating the MU-MIMO scheme in which multiple users / STAs are assigned to a single RU.

[0119] 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.

[0120] 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).

[0121] 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)).

[0122] 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 the user's 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).

[0123] 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.

[0124] Figure 13 shows examples of PPDU formats to which this disclosure can be applied.

[0125] 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.

[0126] 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.

[0127] 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.

[0128] 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.

[0129] 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.

[0130] 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.

[0131] 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.

[0132] 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}.

[0133] The transmitting STA can generate an RL-SIG that is generated identically to the L-SIG. BPSK modulation is applied to the RL-SIG. 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.

[0134] 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.

[0135] 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.

[0136] 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.

[0137] 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.

[0138] 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.

[0139] 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.

[0140] 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.

[0141] 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.

[0142] 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.

[0143] 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.

[0144] 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 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. That is, in the above case, puncturing of subchannels smaller than 242 tone RU 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. That is, puncturing of subchannels smaller than 484 tone RU 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.

[0145] 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.

[0146] For example, U-SIGs and EHT-SIGs 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).

[0147] 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).

[0148] 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.

[0149] 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.

[0150] 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.

[0151] 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.

[0152] 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.

[0153] 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 9-bit (or N-bit) units.

[0154] 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.

[0155] The EHT-SIG may be constructed based on various MCS techniques. As mentioned above, information related to 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 provides an effect similar to frequency diversity by reusing the same signal on two subcarriers, thereby 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 also be mapped to modulation symbols with the same specific modulation technique applied (e.g., BPSK modulation symbols). In other words, the modulation symbol mapped to the first tone and the modulation symbol mapped to the 27th tone are the same. As mentioned 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 a MIMO or OFDMA environment. The EHT-LTF in Figure 13 may be used to estimate the channel in a MIMO or OFDMA environment.

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

[0157] The PPDU in Figure 13 (i.e., the EHT PPDU) may be configured based on the example RU configurations in Figures 8 to 10.

[0158] 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.

[0159] 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.

[0160] The tone plan for 160 / 240 / 320MHz may consist of multiple repetitions of the pattern shown in Figure 9 or Figure 10.

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

[0162] 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.

[0163] 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.

[0164] 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.

[0165] Furthermore, if the receiving STA detects an RL-SIG in the received PPDU where the L-SIG is repeated, 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.

[0166] 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.

[0167] Figure 14 shows an exemplary format of the A-control subfield of an HT control field to which this disclosure can be applied.

[0168] As explained with reference to Figure 6, the HT control field may be included in the MAC header. The HT control field may be present in the control wrapper frame and in the QoS Data, QoS Null, and management frames as determined by the +HTC subfield of the frame control field.

[0169] The HT control field may have the format shown in Table 1.

[0170] [Table 1]

[0171] As shown in Table 1, the HE variant HT control field may include an A(aggregated)-control subfield. The A-control subfield may have a length of 30 bits.

[0172] As shown in Figure 14, the A-control subfield may include a control list subfield of variable length and a padding subfield of zero or more bits. The control list subfield may include one or more control subfields. The padding subfield (if present) follows the last control subfield and may be set as a sequence of zeros such that the length of the A-control subfield included in the HT control field is 30.

[0173] A single control subfield may include a 4-bit control ID subfield and a control information subfield of variable length.

[0174] The control ID subfield can indicate the type of information contained in the control information subfield. The length of the control information subfield may be defined as a fixed value for each value of the control ID subfield (excluding reserved values). The values ​​of the control ID subfield and the lengths of the associated control information subfields may be defined as shown in Table 2.

[0175] [Table 2]

[0176] Table 2 shows the lengths of the control subfield formats (TRS, OM, HLA, BSR, UPH, BQR, CAS, EHT OM, SRS, AAR, etc.) indicated by the control ID value. The ONES control subfield may have all 26 bits set to 1. The formats of each other control subfield are defined separately, and Figure 14 shows an example format of the OM (operating mode) control subfield, which has a length of 12 bits.

[0177] The control information subfield of the OM control subfield may include information related to a change in the operating mode (OM) of the STA that transmits the frame containing the information.

[0178] When the STA's operating channel width exceeds 80 MHz, the Rx NSS subfield may indicate the maximum number of spatial streams (N_SS) that the STA will support in receiving PPDU bandwidths of 80 MHz or less, and may be set to a value of N_SS-1. When the STA's operating channel is 80 MHz or less, the Rx NSS subfield may indicate N_SS, which is the maximum number of spatial streams that the STA will support in receiving, and may be set to a value of N_SS-1.

[0179] When the operating channel width of the STA exceeds 80 MHz, the maximum number of spatial streams supported by the STA for reception of a PPDU bandwidth exceeding 80 MHz may be determined by a predetermined mathematical formula that takes MCS into consideration.

[0180] The Channel Width subfield can indicate the operating channel width supported by STA for both receiving and transmitting. The value of the Channel Width subfield may be set to 0 for 20MHz, 1 for primary 40MHz, 2 for primary 80MHz, and 3 for 160MHz or 80+80MHz. A value of 0 for the Channel Width subfield indicates a negotiated 20MHz when related to SST (subchannel selective transmission) operation, but can otherwise indicate primary 20MHz.

[0181] The frame type transmitted in response to a triggering frame and the permitted uplink multiple user (UL MU) operation may be determined based on the UL MU Disable subfield, the UL MU Data Disable subfield, and the receiver's capability elements (e.g., the OM Control UL MU Data Disable Rx Support subfield) (see examples in Table 3). If the OM Control field is transmitted by the AP, the UL MU Disable subfield and the UL MU Data Disable subfield may be reserved.

[0182] [Table 3]

[0183] Non-AP STAs may set the value of the Tx NSTS subfield to N_STS-1, where N_STS is the maximum number of space-time streams that the non-AP STA supports in transmission. The Tx NSTS subfield may be reserved if the OM Control field is transmitted by the AP.

[0184] Non-AP STA can set the ER SU Disable subfield to 1 to indicate that 242-tone ER SU PPDU reception is disabled, or set its value to 0 to indicate that 242-tone ER SU PPDU reception is enabled. The ER SU Disable subfield may be reserved if the OM Control field is transmitted by the AP.

[0185] A non-AP STA can set the value of the DL MU-MIMO Resound Recommendation subfield to 1, suggesting to the AP that channel resound or increase the channel sounding frequency with the STA. If the value is set to 0, the STA can indicate to the AP that it has no suggestion regarding the channel sounding frequency. The DL MU-MIMO Resound Recommendation subfield may be reserved if the OM Control field is transmitted by the AP.

[0186] Figure 15 shows an exemplary format of a control information subfield in an EHT OM Control subfield to which this disclosure can be applied.

[0187] Referring to Figure 15, the control information subfield in the EHT OM Control subfield may include information related to OM changes for a 320 MHz bandwidth, a Tx NSTS greater than 8, and an Rx NSS greater than 8 for the STA transmitting a frame containing OM instruction information.

[0188] The Channel Width Extension subfield in the EHT OM Control subfield (see, for example, Figure 15), combined with the Channel Width subfield in the OM control subfield (see, for example, Figure 14), can specify the STA-assisted operating channel width for both reception and transmission.

[0189] The encoding of the Channel Width Extension subfield in the EHT OM Control subfield (see, for example, Figure 15), which is combined with the Channel Width subfield in the OM control subfield (see, for example, Figure 14), may be as shown in Table 4.

[0190] [Table 4]

[0191] Referring to Table 4, instructions for the operating channel width, i.e., BW instructions, may be given using a combination of the Channel Width Extension subfield and the Channel Width subfield.

[0192] The following proposes a method for instructing information regarding extended BW (Broadband) in next-generation wireless LAN systems using OM (operating mode) instructions.

[0193] In next-generation wireless LAN systems, signals may be transmitted and received using extended bandwidth (BW). For example, the extended bandwidth may correspond to a 480MHz bandwidth, a 560MHz bandwidth, and / or a 640MHz bandwidth.

[0194] In contrast, existing wireless LAN systems (e.g., IEEE 802.11be) only consider transmission using a maximum bandwidth of 320 MHz. Therefore, when extended bandwidth is used in next-generation wireless LAN systems, instructions for extended bandwidth operation may be necessary for signal transmission and reception to the extended bandwidth.

[0195] Therefore, in next-generation wireless LAN systems, a definition for the extended BW is necessary in the operating mode (OM) to instruct non-legacy STAs (e.g., next wi-fi STAs) to operate and transmit / receive signals in the extended BW.

[0196] In this disclosure, non-legacy STA means an STA that supports next-generation wireless LAN systems, and may include, for example, STAs of EHT variants or later (e.g., next wifi, UHR, etc.).

[0197] In this disclosure, we propose a specific method for providing information about an extended BW (bandwidth) via OM (Operator) instructions when a non-legacy STA operates to transmit and receive signals using an extended BW.

[0198] In connection with this, the extended BW may consist of the following channel combinations for RU / MRU allocation:

[0199] For example, if the extended bandwidth corresponds to a 480MHz bandwidth, the 480MHz bandwidth may consist of a 320MHz channel and a 160MHz channel. Here, the 320MHz channel may be set as the primary channel. Here, the primary channel can mean a 320MHz channel in a relatively high frequency range within the 480MHz bandwidth. Alternatively, considering the case where the bandwidth is composed of 160MHz channels, the 480MHz bandwidth may consist of three 160MHz channels. In this case, each 160MHz channel may be configured as the primary (or first) 160MHz channel, the secondary 160MHz channel, and the third 160MHz channel (or a 160MHz channel in a relatively low frequency range within the secondary 320MHz channel).

[0200] To give another example, if the extended BW corresponds to a 560MHz bandwidth, the 560MHz bandwidth may consist of a 320MHz channel and a 240MHz channel. Here, the 320MHz channel may be set as the primary channel. Alternatively, considering the case where the channels are composed in 160MHz units, the 560MHz bandwidth may consist of three 160MHz channels and one 80MHz channel. In this case, the 160MHz channels are represented as the primary (or first) 160MHz channel, the secondary 160MHz channel, and the third 160MHz channel (or the 160MHz channel in the relatively lower frequency range within the secondary 320MHz), and the 80MHz channel is the fourth and may be represented as the 80MHz channel in the relatively lower frequency range.

[0201] To give another example, if the extended bandwidth corresponds to a 640MHz bandwidth, the 640MHz bandwidth may consist of two 320MHz channels. Here, the two 320MHz channels may be set as the primary channel and the secondary channel, respectively. Here, the secondary channel can mean a 320MHz channel in a relatively lower frequency range within the 640MHz bandwidth. Alternatively, considering the case where the channels are configured in 160MHz units, the 640MHz bandwidth may consist of four 160MHz channels. In this case, the 160MHz channels may be represented as the primary (or first) 160MHz channel, the secondary 160MHz channel, the third 160MHz channel, and the fourth 160MHz channel.

[0202] Considering the channel configuration of the extended BW as described above, when giving OM instructions to STA for transmitting and receiving signals using the extended BW, the instructions for the extended BW may be based on at least one of the following embodiments.

[0203] The embodiments described herein are separated only for clarity of explanation, and configurations described in some embodiments may be applied in combination with, as a substitute for, or in combination with configurations in other embodiments, or each may be applied independently.

[0204] Example 1

[0205] This embodiment relates to a method for providing extended BW instructions to non-legacy STAs using existing OM Control. This embodiment will be explained considering the case where the existing OM Control corresponds to the EHT OM Control field described above.

[0206] For extended BW instruction for non-legacy STAs, the OM Control field for next-generation wireless LAN systems may not contain BW information, and instruction may be made using a reserved value within the combined information / value of the Channel Width Extension subfield of the EHT OM Control field (see, for example, Figure 15) and the Channel Width subfield of the OM Control field (see, for example, Figure 14).

[0207] In this case, signaling overhead can be reduced because no separate information bits / fields are set for instructions to the extended BW.

[0208] Extended BW instructions may be made using the values ​​reserved in Table 4 above (for example, when the Channel Width Extension subfield is set to a value of 1 and the Channel Width subfield is set to a value between 1 and 3).

[0209] For extended BW instruction in next-generation wireless LAN systems, the Channel Width Extension subfield of the EHT OM Control field may always be set to a value of 1.

[0210] In consideration of the proposed method described above, the extended BW may be indicated based on at least one of the methods described later.

[0211] First, we will explain the method when only a 640MHz bandwidth is considered as the extended bandwidth.

[0212] A 640MHz bandwidth may be specified using one of the reserved values ​​in Table 4 mentioned above. For example, a 640MHz bandwidth may be specified by setting the Channel Width Extension subfield to 1 and the Channel Width subfield to 1.

[0213] The BW instruction, when combined with the Channel Width Extension subfield in the EHT OM Control subfield (see, for example, Figure 15) in combination with the Channel Width subfield in the OM control subfield (see, for example, Figure 14), can be as shown in Table 5.

[0214] [Table 5]

[0215] When configured as shown in Table 5, the EHT STA has its Channel Width Extension subfield set to 1, allowing it to recognize the bandwidth as 320MHz, while only non-legacy STAs can recognize that the bandwidth is 640MHz.

[0216] Next, we will explain the methods when 480MHz and 640MHz bandwidths are considered as extended bandwidths.

[0217] The bandwidth (BW) may be specified using two of the reserved values ​​in Table 4 mentioned above. For example, when the Channel Width Extension subfield is set to 1, the Channel Width subfield may be set to 1 to specify a 480MHz bandwidth, and the Channel Width subfield may be set to 2 to specify a 640MHz bandwidth.

[0218] The BW instruction, based on the combination of the Channel Width subfield in the OM control subfield (see, for example, Figure 14) and the Channel Width Extension subfield in the EHT OM Control subfield (see, for example, Figure 15), can be as shown in Table 6.

[0219] [Table 6]

[0220] When configured as shown in Table 6, the EHT STA recognizes the bandwidth as 320MHz because the Channel Width Extension subfield is set to a value of 1. On the other hand, non-legacy STAs can determine that the bandwidth is 480MHz or 640MHz from the value of the Channel Width subfield within the OM Control subfield.

[0221] Next, we will describe the methods for which extended bandwidths of 480 MHz, 560 MHz, and 640 MHz are considered.

[0222] The BW may be specified using all of the reserved indicator values ​​(i.e., three values) in Table 4 mentioned above. For example, when the Channel Width Extension subfield is set to 1 value, a 480MHz bandwidth may be specified by setting the Channel Width subfield to 1 value, a 560MHz bandwidth may be specified by setting the Channel Width subfield to 2 values, and a 560MHz bandwidth may be specified by setting the Channel Width subfield to 3 values.

[0223] The BW instruction, based on the combination of the Channel Width subfield in the OM control subfield (see, for example, Figure 14) and the Channel Width Extension subfield in the EHT OM Control subfield (see, for example, Figure 15), can be as shown in Table 7.

[0224] [Table 7]

[0225] When configured as shown in Table 7, the EHT STA recognizes the bandwidth as 320MHz because the Channel Width Extension subfield is set to a value of 1. On the other hand, non-legacy STAs can determine that the bandwidth is 480MHz, 560MHz, or 640MHz from the value of the Channel Width subfield within the OM Control subfield.

[0226] In this embodiment, as an example different from the method described above, information for an extended BW used in a next-generation wireless LAN system may be indicated using reserved bits in the EHT OM Control field (see, for example, Figure 15).

[0227] Specifically, the reserved 3-bit information (e.g., B3-B5) of the EHT OM Control subfield may be used, and in this case, the instruction may be made using 2 bits or 3 bits.

[0228] For example, in a next-generation wireless LAN system, the reserved 2 / 3 bits of the EHT OM Control field may be defined and used as a Wide BW indication subfield. Since this subfield is defined for the next-generation wireless LAN system, it does not affect existing STAs (e.g., EHT STAs).

[0229] In connection with this, for bandwidths identical to or smaller than 320MHz, the aforementioned Wide BW indication subfield may be set to a value of 0.

[0230] Figure 16 illustrates an EHT OM Control subfield considering the extended BW instruction to which this disclosure can be applied.

[0231] Referring to Figure 16, in relation to the extended BW indication, the Wide BW indication may be based on 3 bits (e.g., B3-B5). If 2 bits are considered, B3 and B4 may be assigned to the Wide BW indication subfield, and B5 may be reserved.

[0232] As a specific example, when the Wide BW indication subfield is considered as 2-bit information, the value of the subfield may be defined / set as shown in Table 8.

[0233] [Table 8]

[0234] The definitions / settings in Table 8 may apply when the extended BW considers all of 480MHz, 560MHz, and 640MHz. When the extended BW consists of a combination of one or more BWs from 480MHz, 560MHz, and 640MHz, the indications for the above values ​​may change depending on the combination.

[0235] As another specific example, if the Wide BW indication subfield is considered as 3 bits of information, the value of that subfield may be defined / set as shown in Table 9.

[0236] [Table 9]

[0237] The definitions / settings in Table 9 may apply when the extended BW considers all of 480MHz, 560MHz, and 640MHz. When the extended BW consists of a combination of one or more BWs from 480MHz, 560MHz, and 640MHz, the indications for the above values ​​may be changed depending on the combination.

[0238] Example 2

[0239] This embodiment relates to a method for performing extended BW instruction using a non-legacy OM control field to specify the operating mode of a non-legacy STA.

[0240] Here, the non-legacy OM Control field can refer to the newly defined OM Control field defined for non-legacy STAs (i.e., Next Wi-Fi STAs).

[0241] In connection with this, since non-legacy STAs can also support existing variants (e.g., EHT), the non-legacy OM Control field may be present in the frame along with the EHT OM Control field (e.g., see Figure 15) and the OM control field (e.g., see Figure 14).

[0242] When using extended bandwidth, the Channel Width Extension subfield and Channel Width subfield may be set to 1 and 0, respectively, for channel protection against legacy equipment (e.g., EHT variant equipment) (i.e., indicating a 320 MHz bandwidth).

[0243] The non-legacy OM Control field includes a subfield for extended BW instructions, which may be configured as described below.

[0244] The subfield may be defined and named "Wide Channel Width subfield." This is just one example, and the field may be defined and named by other names.

[0245] The Wide Channel Width subfield may consist of 1 or 2 bits.

[0246] For example, if the Wide Channel Width subfield consists of 1 bit, then only a 640MHz bandwidth indication may be considered.

[0247] The subfield is used to indicate an extended bandwidth of 640 MHz, in which case the subfield may be defined as the 640 MHz bandwidth field. The subfield may be set to a value of 1 to indicate a 640 MHz bandwidth. Otherwise, the subfield may be set to a value of 0. When set to a value of 0, the bandwidth may be determined / indicated by the values ​​of the EHT OM Control field and the OM Control field as shown in Table 4 above. That is, bandwidth indication up to a maximum of 320 MHz may be performed in the same way as existing methods (e.g., the EHT variant method).

[0248] Another example to consider is when the Wide Channel Width subfield is configured to 2 bits.

[0249] In this case, bandwidth indication up to a maximum of 320 MHz may be performed using the bandwidth information of the EHT OM Control field and the OM Control field (e.g., the Channel Width Extension subfield and the Channel Width subfield), and 2 bits of information may be used for the indication of the extended bandwidth. For bandwidths of 320 MHz or less, the value of the Wide Channel Width subfield is set to 0.

[0250] As mentioned above, when an extended BW is specified using 2 bits, the bit setting for the extended BW can be as follows:

[0251] When only a 640 MHz bandwidth is considered as the extended BW, the aforementioned 2-bit information may be defined as the Wide Bandwidth field as shown in Table 10.

[0252] [Table 10]

[0253] Referring to Table 10, for bandwidths of 320 MHz or less, the 2-bit information may be set to 00 (value of 0), and for a 640 MHz bandwidth, the 2-bit information may be set to 01 (value of 1). The remaining values ​​may be reserved.

[0254] When 480MHz and 640MHz bandwidths are considered as extended BWs, the 2-bit information may be defined as shown in Table 11.

[0255] [Table 11]

[0256] Referring to Table 11, the 2-bit information may be set to 0 for bandwidths of 320 MHz or less. The 2-bit information may be set to 1 (01) for a 480 MHz bandwidth indication and to 2 (10) for a 640 MHz bandwidth indication. The remaining values ​​(i.e., the 3 values ​​corresponding to 11) may be reserved.

[0257] When extended bandwidths of 480MHz, 560MHz, and 640MHz are considered, the 2-bit information may be defined as shown in Table 12.

[0258] [Table 12]

[0259] Referring to Table 12, the 2-bit information may be set to a value of 0 for bandwidths of 320 MHz or less. The 2-bit information may be set to a value of 1 (01) for a 480 MHz bandwidth indication, a value of 2 (10) for a 560 MHz bandwidth indication, and a value of 3 (11) for a 640 MHz bandwidth indication.

[0260] Example 3

[0261] This embodiment relates to a solution for defining an OM Control field for non-legacy (e.g., Next Wi-Fi) and instructing an extended BW.

[0262] Here, the OM Control field for non-legacy is defined only for non-legacy STAs and may be configured independently of the existing OM Control fields (e.g., FIGS. 14 and 15). The OM Control field for non-legacy may be defined / named as an extended OM Control field or an OM Control Extension field.

[0263] As described above, reserved values of the Control ID subfield may be used to indicate the newly defined OM Control field. For example, reserved values (e.g., 10 to 14) of the Control ID subfield may be used to indicate the OM Control field for non-legacy.

[0264] As an example, as shown in Table 13 below, the value of 10 in the Control ID subfield may be used.

[0265]

Table 13

[0266] As described above, the newly defined extended OM Control field or OM Control Extension field may be configured to include the following information.

[0267] The extended OM Control field or OM Control Extension field may include Channel Width information. This Channel Width information can indicate bandwidths supported by non-legacy STAs. To indicate 20MHz / 40MHz / 80MHz / 160MHz / 320MHz / 480MHz / 560MHz / 640MHz, this information may consist of 3-bit information as shown in Table 14 below.

[0268] [Table 14]

[0269] In relation to Table 14, the indicated information by value may be changed depending on whether 480MHz / 560MHz / 640MHz is supported by STA.

[0270] As an addition or alternative, the extended OM Control field or OM Control Extension field may include Rx NSS (number of spatial streams) information. This information may consist of 4 bits to indicate the maximum NSS to support at reception and to support up to 16 ss.

[0271] As an addition or alternative, the extended OM Control field or OM Control Extension field may include Tx NSS information. This information may consist of 4 bits to indicate the maximum Nss to support at transmission and to support up to 16ss.

[0272] As an addition or alternative, the extended OM Control field or OM Control Extension field may include the UL MU Disable subfield, UL MU Data Disable subfield, ER SU Disable subfield, and / or DL ​​MU-MIMO Resound Recommendation subfield as mentioned in Figure 14.

[0273] Figure 17 illustrates a non-legacy OM control field considering extended BW instructions to which this disclosure can be applied.

[0274] Referring to Figure 17, the non-legacy OM Control field may include a 3-bit Channel Width subfield, a 4-bit Tx NSS subfield, a 4-bit Rx NSS subfield, a 1-bit ER SU Disable subfield, a 1-bit DL MU-MIMO Resound Recommendation subfield, a 1-bit UL MU Disable subfield, and a 1-bit UL MU Data Disable subfield.

[0275] Figure 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a bandwidth instruction information transmission method related to this disclosure.

[0276] In step S1810, the STA can generate a frame containing information regarding the operating channel width.

[0277] Here, information regarding the instruction of the operating channel width may be included in the operating mode (OM) control subfield within the aggregated-control (A-control) field of the frame. The OM control subfield may include a specific subfield capable of indicating a wide bandwidth greater than 320 MHz. In connection with this, the OM control subfield may include a channel width extension subfield (for example, the Channel Width Extension subfield in Figure 15) associated with the instruction of an operating channel width up to 320 MHz.

[0278] For example, the broadband may include one or more of the following: a 480MHz bandwidth, a 560MHz bandwidth, or a 640MHz bandwidth.

[0279] For example, the specific subfield may consist of at least two bits from B3 to B5 of the OM control subfield.

[0280] Specifically, if the aforementioned subfield consists of 2 bits of information, the remaining 1 bit of B3 to B5 may be reserved.

[0281] As an addition or alternative, when the specific subfield consists of 2 bits of information, a specific subfield set to a value of 0 indicates a bandwidth equal to or smaller than 320 MHz, a specific subfield set to a value of 1 indicates a bandwidth of 480 MHz, a specific subfield set to a value of 2 indicates a bandwidth of 560 MHz, and a specific subfield set to a value of 3 indicates a bandwidth of 640 MHz.

[0282] As an addition or alternative, when the specific subfield consists of 3 bits of information, a specific subfield set to a value of 0 indicates a bandwidth equal to or smaller than 320 MHz, a specific subfield set to a value of 1 indicates a bandwidth of 480 MHz, a specific subfield set to a value of 2 indicates a bandwidth of 560 MHz, a specific subfield set to a value of 3 indicates a bandwidth of 640 MHz, and values ​​4 to 7 may be reserved.

[0283] For example, the operating channel width for the STA may be determined based on a plurality of subfields included in the OM control subfield.

[0284] For example, the specific subfield may be located next to the Tx NSTS (number of space time streams) extension subfield within the OM control subfield.

[0285] In stage S1820, the STA can transmit a PPDU including the aforementioned frame.

[0286] The method performed by the STA described in the example of FIG. 18 may be performed by the first device 100 of FIG. 1. For example, one or more processors 102 of the first device 100 of FIG. 1 may be configured to generate a frame including information regarding an indication of an operating channel width and transmit a PPDU including the frame via one or more transceivers 106. Note that one or more memories 104 of the first device 100 can store instructions for performing the method described in the example of FIG. 18 when executed by one or more processors 102.

[0287] FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for receiving bandwidth indication information according to the present disclosure.

[0288] In stage S1910, the STA can receive a physical protocol data unit (PPDU) including a frame including information regarding an indication of an operating channel width.

[0289] Here, the information regarding the indication of the operating channel width may be included in an operating mode (OM) control subfield within an aggregated-control (A-control) field of the frame. The OM control subfield may include a specific subfield capable of indicating a wide bandwidth greater than 320 MHz.

[0290] In stage S1920, the STA can perform an operation (e.g., an ACK / NACK feedback operation, etc.) based on the information regarding the indication of the operating channel width.

[0291] Examples of information regarding the operating channel width instruction, examples for OM control subfields, and specific details for particular subfields are the same as those shown in the example in Figure 18 above, and therefore, redundant explanations are omitted.

[0292] The method performed by the STA as illustrated in Figure 19 may be performed by the second device 200 in Figure 1. For example, one or more processors 202 of the second device 200 in Figure 1 may be configured to receive a PPDU (physical protocol data unit) containing a frame containing information regarding the operating channel width via one or more transceivers 206, and to perform operations based on the information regarding the operating channel width. One or more memories 204 of the second device 200 may store instructions for performing the method illustrated in Figure 19 when executed by one or more processors 202.

[0293] As mentioned above, compared to the operating channel width indication in existing wireless LAN systems, the operating channel width indication proposed in this disclosure has a novel feature that further includes information for indicating the operating channel width for wider bandwidths than 320 MHz.

[0294] By using the OM Control field proposed in this disclosure to support the instruction of operating channel widths at extended bandwidths in next-generation wireless LAN systems, the throughput and efficiency aspects of wireless LAN systems can be enhanced.

[0295] The embodiments described above are combinations of the components and features of the present disclosure in a predetermined form. Each component or feature should be considered optional unless otherwise explicitly mentioned. Each component or feature may be implemented in a form that does not combine with other components or features. It is also possible to combine some components and / or features to constitute embodiments of the present disclosure. The order of operations described in embodiments of the present disclosure may be changed. Some components or features of one embodiment may be included in other embodiments, or replaced by corresponding components or features of other embodiments. It is clear that claims that do not have an explicit reference relationship in the claims may be combined to constitute embodiments, or may be included as new claims by amendment after filing.

[0296] It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that this disclosure can be embodied in other specific forms, provided that the essential features of this disclosure are not deviated from. Therefore, the above-mentioned detailed description should not be constrained in any way and should be considered illustrative. The scope of this disclosure should be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the attached claims, and any modifications within the equivalent scope of this disclosure are included within the scope of this disclosure.

[0297] 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, include 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]

[0298] 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. A step of generating a frame containing information regarding the operating channel width, The step includes transmitting a PPDU (physical protocol data unit) containing the frame, The information is based on at least one of the first OM (operating mode) control subfield or the second OM control subfield in the A-control (aggregated-control) field of the frame. A method for indicating N (N>1) operating channel widths of 320 MHz or higher, based on the fact that both the first OM control subfield and the second OM control subfield are used to indicate operating channel widths of 320 MHz or higher, the method being based on a combination of a fixed value of a channel width-related subfield included in the first OM control subfield and N values ​​of a channel width-related subfield included in the second OM control subfield.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, based on the fact that both the first OM control subfield and the second OM control subfield are used to indicate an operating channel width of 320 MHz or higher, the indication of M (M > 1) operating channel widths less than 320 MHz is based on a combination of other fixed values ​​of the channel width-related subfields included in the first OM control subfield and M values ​​of the channel width-related subfields included in the second OM control subfield.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operating channel width exceeding 320 MHz includes at least one of a 480 MHz bandwidth, a 560 MHz bandwidth, or a 640 MHz bandwidth.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first OM control subfield is used to indicate an operating channel width exceeding 320 MHz, and the first OM control subfield includes a specific subfield for indicating the operating channel width exceeding 320 MHz.

5. Based on the fact that the aforementioned specific subfield consists of 2-bit information, A specific subfield set to a value of 0 indicates an operating channel width of 320 MHz or less. A specific subfield set to value 1 indicates an operating channel width of 480 MHz. The specific subfield set to value 2 indicates an operating channel width of 560 MHz. The method according to claim 4, wherein a specific subfield set to value 3 indicates an operating channel width of 640 MHz.

6. Based on the fact that the aforementioned specific subfield consists of 3-bit information, A specific subfield set to a value of 0 indicates an operating channel width of 320 MHz or less. A specific subfield set to value 1 indicates an operating channel width of 480 MHz. The specific subfield set to value 2 indicates an operating channel width of 560 MHz. A specific subfield set to value 3 indicates an operating channel width of 640 MHz. The method according to claim 4, wherein values ​​4 to 7 are reserved.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the specific subfield is located after the Tx NSTS (number of space time streams) extension subfield within the first OM control subfield.

8. A device for 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 Generate a frame containing information regarding the operating channel width specification, It is configured to transmit a PPDU (physical protocol data unit) including the aforementioned frame, The information is based on at least one of the first OM (operating mode) control subfield or the second OM control subfield in the A-control (aggregated-control) field of the frame. An apparatus in which, based on the fact that both the first OM control subfield and the second OM control subfield are used to indicate an operating channel width of 320 MHz or higher, the indication of N (N > 1) operating channel widths of 320 MHz or higher is based on a combination of a fixed value of a channel width-related subfield included in the first OM control subfield and N values ​​of a channel width-related subfield included in the second OM control subfield.

9. The steps include receiving a PPDU (physical protocol data unit) containing a frame containing information regarding the operating channel width, The step includes performing an action based on the aforementioned information, The information is based on at least one of the first OM (operating mode) control subfield or the second OM control subfield in the A-control (aggregated-control) field of the frame. A method for indicating N (N>1) operating channel widths of 320 MHz or higher, based on the fact that both the first OM control subfield and the second OM control subfield are used to indicate operating channel widths of 320 MHz or higher, the method being based on a combination of a fixed value of a channel width-related subfield included in the first OM control subfield and N values ​​of a channel width-related subfield included in the second OM control subfield.

10. A device for 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 Receive a PPDU (physical protocol data unit) containing a frame that includes information regarding the operating channel width, It is configured to perform actions based on the aforementioned information, The information is based on at least one of the first OM (operating mode) control subfield or the second OM control subfield in the A-control (aggregated-control) field of the frame. An apparatus in which, based on the fact that both the first OM control subfield and the second OM control subfield are used to indicate an operating channel width of 320 MHz or higher, the indication of N (N > 1) operating channel widths of 320 MHz or higher is based on a combination of a fixed value of a channel width-related subfield included in the first OM control subfield and N values ​​of a channel width-related subfield included in the second OM control subfield.

11. A processing device configured to control STA (station), At least one processor, A processing device comprising: at least one computer memory operably connected to the at least one processor, which stores instructions for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 based on being executed by the at least one processor.

12. A non-temporary computer-readable medium for storing at least one instruction, A non-temporary computer-readable medium wherein the at least one instruction, executable by at least one processor, controls the device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, when executed by at least one processor.

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