Access point, terminal, and communication method

Abstract

This access point includes: a transmission circuit for transmitting a control signal including information on uplink signal allocation by resource allocation in which allocation units including one or a plurality of frequency resources are discretely arranged at intervals set according to the number of frequency resources included in the allocation units; and a control circuit for controlling reception of an uplink signal on the basis of the allocation information.

Description

Access point, terminal, and communication method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an access point, a terminal, and a communication method.

[0002] The Study Group (SG) is currently developing the technical specifications for IEEE 802.11bn (hereinafter referred to as "11bn") as the successor to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, IEEE 802.11be (hereinafter referred to as "11be"). 11be is also known as "Extremely High Throughput (EHT)," and 11bn is also known as "Ultra High Reliability (UHR)."

[0003] IEEE P802.11be / D5.0IEEE 802.11-23 / 0079r10, IEEE 802.11 UHR Proposed CSDIEEE 802.11-24 / 0303r0, TGbn January 2024 Meeting MinutesIEEE 802.11-23 / 1117r0, dRU Signaling for UHRIEEE 802.11-23 / 1511r1, Pilot Tone Allocation and Other Considerations of Tone-Distributed RUs for UHRIEEE 802.11-23 / 2021r1, Principle and Methodology for dRU Tone Plan Design

[0004] However, in wireless communication such as wireless LAN, a method for a terminal to transmit an uplink signal in response to an instruction of a control signal received from an access point (AP) has not been fully considered.

[0005] Non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure contribute to providing an access point, a terminal, and a communication method that can improve the efficiency of transmission control in wireless communication.

[0006] A terminal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a transmitting circuit that transmits a control signal including allocation information for uplink signals based on resource allocation in which allocation units including one or more frequency resources are discretely arranged at intervals that are set according to the number of the frequency resources included in the allocation unit, and a control circuit that controls reception of the uplink signals based on the allocation information.

[0007] These comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium, or may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, for example, it is possible to improve the efficiency of transmission control in wireless communication.

[0009] Further advantages and benefits of one embodiment of the present disclosure will become apparent from the specification and drawings. Such advantages and / or benefits may be provided by some embodiments and features described in the specification and drawings, respectively, but not necessarily all of them may be provided to obtain one or more identical features.

[0010] Diagram showing an example of the format of a Trigger frameDiagram showing an example of the format of a User Info fieldDiagram showing an example of the format of a Special User Info fieldDiagram showing an example of Resource Unit (RU) allocationDiagram showing an example of RU allocation in a 20MHz Physical layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU)Diagram showing an example of a Tone plan for a Distribute-tone RU (DRU)Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a part of an Access Point (AP)Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a part of a terminalBlock diagram showing an example of the configuration of an APBlock diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminalDiagram showing an example of an RU index for a DRU ... type notificationDiagram showing an example of a TB (Trigger-based) PPDUDiagram showing an example of a Tone planDiagram showing an example of a TB PPDUDiagram showing an example of a TB PPDU

[0011] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0012] As mentioned above, IEEE is currently studying 11bn, which is the successor standard to 11be (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 2).

[0013] 11be supports uplink Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA). An access point (AP, also called a base station) transmits a control signal (e.g., called a "Trigger frame") to instruct the transmission of uplink OFDMA signals to multiple terminals (STAs, also called "non-AP STAs") accommodated by the AP.

[0014] In 11bn as well, the Trigger frame of 11be may be reused as a control signal that instructs multiple terminals to transmit uplink OFDMA signals.

[0015] The control signal may be directed to one or more terminals, and the number of terminals that transmit a response signal based on the control signal may be one or more.

[0016] For example, as shown in Fig. 1, the Trigger frame includes a MAC header, as well as a "Common Info field" and a "User Info List" (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). The Common Info field includes information common to multiple terminals multiplexed by OFDMA. The User Info List includes a "Special User Info field" and multiple "User Info fields."

[0017] FIG. 2 shows an example of the format of the User Info field, and FIG. 3 shows an example of the format of the Special User Info field.

[0018] The Special User Info field shown in FIG. 3 includes common information for terminals of 11be or later. For example, the Special User Info field may include common information for 11bn terminals. The Special User Info field is a field in which a special AID (Association ID, for example, AID=2007) is set in the User Info field. It is expected that the Special User Info field will notify common information between terminals that support 11bn (or UHR) (for example, also referred to as "UHR terminals"), such as information regarding the uplink bandwidth for terminals that support 11be (or EHT) (for example, also referred to as "EHT terminals").

[0019] Furthermore, the User Info field shown in FIG. 2 includes information specific to each terminal. For example, the "RU allocation" subfield of the User Info field shown in FIG. 2 uses information in the "UL BW" subfield of the Common Info field, the "UL BW Extension" subfield of the Special User Info field, and the "PS 160" subfield of the User Info field to notify resource information of an uplink signal transmitted by a terminal in response to a trigger frame from an AP. The uplink signal is also referred to as, for example, a TB PPDU (Trigger-Based (TB) Physical layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU)). The resource information of the uplink signal may include, for example, information on the bandwidth of the TB PPDU, the size and location of an RU (Resource Unit, frequency resource allocation unit), and an MRU (Multiple RU).

[0020] For example, the UL BW subfield and UL BW Extension subfield indicate the bandwidth of the TB PPDU that the terminal can use (e.g., any of 20, 40, 80, 160, or 320 MHz). Then, the terminal identifies (or determines or specifies) the position and size of the RU to which the uplink transmission signal is allocated in the transmission band (communication band) of the TB PPDU, based on the combined value of the RU allocation subfield and the PS 160 subfield, for example, based on the table shown in Fig. 4 (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

[0021] In Figure 4, "Bandwidth (MHz)" indicates the transmission band (communication band) of the TB PPDU, "RU or MRU size" indicates the number of tones to which the terminal's uplink signals (Data (including Pilot), STF (Short Training Field), and LTF (Long Training Field) signals) are assigned, and "RU or MRU index" indicates the position of the RU or MRU in the TB PPDU band.

[0022] As an example, when the bandwidth of the TB PPDU is 20 MHz, the RU allocation may be defined as shown in Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 5, RU indices are defined in order from the lowest frequency (the left side in Fig. 5) with the DC tone at the center, excluding the guard band and null subcarrier tones. For example, when the value of the RU allocation subfield is 0-8 as shown in Fig. 4, the RU size is 26 tones, and the RU indices correspond to RU#1-RU#9 (any of the 26-tone RUs in the top row of Fig. 5).

[0023] In 11bn, "Distributed-tone RU" (hereinafter referred to as DRU) is introduced to the resource allocation of TB PPDUs transmitted by terminals in response to trigger frames. DRU refers to an RU consisting of tones that are distributed (or dispersed or diffused) over a specific bandwidth.

[0024] For example, in existing standards prior to 11be, an RU (hereinafter also referred to as a Regular RU (RRU)) consisting of multiple consecutive tones of the RU size, as shown in Figure 5, is allocated to each terminal as a TB PPDU resource.

[0025] On the other hand, in the 6 GHz band supported by 11bn, there is a provision that limits the power spectrum density (PSD) of terminals (e.g., non-AP STAs) in the LPI (Low Power Indoor) band to a specified value (e.g., -1 dBm / MHz). In 11bn, for example, approximately 13 tones correspond to 1 MHz, so the above provision may limit the PSD per tone when using an RRU.

[0026] Therefore, by applying DRU, the PSD per tone can be improved by distributing the tones allocated to each terminal and reducing the number of tones per 1 MHz. This power boost gain of DRU can improve uplink throughput.

[0027] In 11bn, a "Tone Plan" that defines the allocation pattern of DRU tones is being considered (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 4). In Non-Patent Document 4, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, it is being considered to reuse the RU allocation of existing RRUs and support DRUs that correspond to existing RU sizes (e.g., 26 tones, 52 tones, 106 tones, etc.). Here, as in existing standards (e.g., standards prior to 11be), tones near DC and guard tones may be null tones to which no terminal signals are assigned. Note that tones are also called "subcarriers."

[0028] Valid tones, excluding null tones, are assigned to each terminal in sequence. For example, if the TB PPDU band is a 20 MHz channel and the DRU has a 26 tone size (hereinafter referred to as "26-tone DRU"), tones are assigned to each terminal at intervals of 9 tones. By varying the starting tone position of the DRU for each terminal, OFDMA multiplexing is possible within the TB PPDU band. For example, 26 DRU_1, 26 DRU_2, 52 DRU_2, or 106 DRU_2 shown in Figure 6 can be assigned to different terminals to enable OFDMA multiplexing.

[0029] Furthermore, in the study of 11bn DRUs, Tone grouping has been considered, in which a predetermined number of consecutive Tones are grouped together (for example, by applying "Tone Grouping") and distributed allocation is performed for each Tone grouped (see, for example, Non-Patent Documents 5 and 6). Hereinafter, Tones grouped together (for example, allocation units) are also referred to as "Tone Groups," and the number of Tones included in a Tone group is also referred to as "Number of Grouped Tones." A DRU to which Tone grouping is applied is also referred to as, for example, a "Tone group-based DRU."

[0030] Tone grouping has the advantage of improving the accuracy of channel estimation on the receiving side through smoothing processing using multiple tones, and the advantage of improving demodulation processing performance such as frequency offset correction processing. On the other hand, since multiple tones are arranged consecutively, the number of tones per 1 MHz increases, which may reduce the power boost gain.

[0031] The tone plan using Tone grouping, which is being considered for introduction in the 11bn DRU, has not been fully discussed. For example, there is room for consideration of RU allocation using Tone grouping, which is easy to implement and requires little overhead.

[0032] In a non-limiting example of the present disclosure, an example of a method for controlling RU allocation that applies Tone grouping, which is easy to implement and requires little overhead, will be described.

[0033] [Configuration of Wireless Communication System] The wireless communication system according to this embodiment may include, for example, an AP 100 (for example, a wireless transmitting device) and a terminal 200 (for example, a wireless receiving device). In the wireless communication system, there may be, for example, two or more terminals 200.

[0034] For example, the AP 100 transmits a Trigger frame instructing the terminal 200 to transmit a TB PPDU, and the terminal 200 receives the Trigger frame. The terminal 200 transmits the TB PPDU to the AP 100 using the DRU frequency resource instructed by the Trigger frame.

[0035] 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a portion of an AP 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the AP 100 illustrated in FIG. 7 , a communication unit (e.g., corresponding to a transmission circuit) transmits a control signal (e.g., a trigger frame) including allocation information for uplink signals based on resource allocation (e.g., tone group-based DRU allocation) in which allocation units (e.g., tone groups) including one or more frequency resources (e.g., tones or subcarriers) are discretely allocated at intervals (tone intervals) set according to the number of frequency resources in the allocation unit (e.g., the number of grouping tones). A control unit (e.g., corresponding to a control circuit) controls reception of the uplink signals based on the allocation information.

[0036] 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a portion of a terminal 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the terminal 200 illustrated in FIG. 8, a communication unit (e.g., corresponding to a receiving circuit) receives a control signal (e.g., a trigger frame) including allocation information of uplink signals based on resource allocation (e.g., tone group-based DRU allocation) in which allocation units (e.g., tone groups) including one or more frequency resources (e.g., tones or subcarriers) are discretely allocated at intervals (tone intervals) set according to the number of frequency resources in the allocation unit (e.g., the number of grouping tones). A control unit (e.g., corresponding to a control circuit) controls transmission of the uplink signals based on the allocation information.

[0037] (Embodiment 1) In this embodiment, when allocating DRUs of the same size in a given TB PPDU band (e.g., a 20 MHz channel), the greater the number of Grouping Tones, the wider the Tone spacing between Tone groups is set. For example, in this embodiment, in a DRU to which Tone grouping is applied (e.g., a Tone group-based DRU), the Tone spacing at which Tone groups are allocated is set according to the number of Tones in the Tone group.

[0038] This allows existing RU allocations to be reused in DRUs that apply Tone grouping (e.g., Tone group based DRUs) (an example will be described later).

[0039] The number of Grouping Tones refers to the number of Tones (e.g., one or more consecutive Tones) included in a discretely arranged (or distributed) Tone group (allocation unit) in Tone grouping (or Tone group based DRU).

[0040] Furthermore, by widening the tone interval between tone groups as the number of grouping tones increases, the number of RU indices in the TB PPDU band (e.g., equivalent to the number of OFDMA multiplexing) can be set to the same (or approximately the same) regardless of the number of grouping tones. Therefore, even in tone group based DRU, the relationship between the value of the RU allocation subfield of the RRU, and the RU size and RU index (e.g., existing RU allocation tables) can be reused.

[0041] In addition, by widening the tone interval between tone groups, the number of tones allocated per 1 MHz (for example, approximately 13 tones) can be reduced, ensuring a power boost gain in tone group based DRUs.

[0042] [Configuration Example of AP 100] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the AP 100. As shown in FIG.

[0043] The AP 100 generates a Trigger frame that instructs the terminal 200 to transmit a TB PPDU (a response signal from the terminal 200 in response to the Trigger frame), and transmits the Trigger frame to the terminal 200 .

[0044] The AP 100 shown in FIG. 9 may include, for example, a scheduling unit 101, an RU table setting unit 102, a User Info generation unit 103, a Common Info generation unit 104, a Trigger frame generation unit 105, an error correction coding unit 106, a modulation unit 107, a radio transmission / reception unit 108, an OFDM demodulation unit 109, a Tone demapping unit 110, a demodulation unit 111, and an error correction decoding unit 112.

[0045] At least one of the scheduling unit 101, RU table setting unit 102, User Info generation unit 103, Common Info generation unit 104, Trigger frame generation unit 105, error correction coding unit 106, modulation unit 107, OFDM demodulation unit 109, Tone demapping unit 110, demodulation unit 111, and error correction decoding unit 112 shown in FIG. 9 may be included in the control unit shown in FIG. 7, and the radio transmission / reception unit 108 shown in FIG. 9 may be included in the communication unit shown in FIG. 7.

[0046] 9 , scheduling section 101 may perform scheduling for terminal 200, for example. For example, scheduling section 101 determines AIDs (Associated Identifications) of one or more terminals 200 that instruct TB PPDU transmission, and frequency resource information for transmitting TB PPDUs (terminal signals) for each terminal 200, and outputs the information to user information generating section 103 and common information generating section 104. Furthermore, scheduling section 101 holds scheduling information related to TB PPDUs from terminal 200, and outputs the information to tone demapping section 110, demodulation section 111, and error correction decoding section 112 for reception processing.

[0047] Frequency resource information of a terminal (e.g., RU allocation information) may include, for example, information on the RU type (e.g., information indicating either a DRU or an RRU), the RU size, and the RU position. For example, if the RU type is a DRU, the frequency resource information may include information on the tone interval, the tone position (also referred to as the tone offset or the tone start position), and the number of grouping tones. Note that the frequency resource information of a terminal may be used as frequency resources for transmitting STFs and LTFs in addition to data from terminal 200.

[0048] For example, the RU type may be included in the User Info field. For example, one bit of the reserved bits in the User Info field in the existing standard may be used as a separate subfield to perform notification to control whether it is a DRU (including information on the number of Grouping Tones) or an RRU. When using some subfields of the User Info field, for example, a Trigger type may be introduced for the DRU, and information for the DRU may be included in the Trigger Dependent User Info subfield. In addition, in the case of a DRU, the number of spatial streams (number of Spatial Streams (SS)) of the TB PPDU may be limited (for example, the number of SSs = 1), and some bits of the SS Allocation subfield may be used for notification of the DRU. Note that the RU type may also be included in the Common Info field (an example will be described later).

[0049] Furthermore, some information about the RU type may be included in the Common Info field that reports terminal-common information or the Special User Info field. For example, information about the number of Grouping Tones may be reported as terminal-common information using Reserve bits in the Special User Info field in the existing standard, and information about whether the RU is a DRU or an RRU may be reported as terminal-specific information using Reserve bits in the User Info field.

[0050] Furthermore, RU type information does not need to be included in frequency resource information. For example, RU type information may not be notified, and the RU type for terminals that support DRU (e.g., DRU capable STAs) may be controlled as DRU. Similarly, the RU type for terminals that do not support DRU (e.g., DRU non-capable STAs) may be controlled as RU. In this case, DRU non-capable STAs may ignore the information on the number of Grouping Tones.

[0051] The RU table setting unit 102 holds, for example, an RU allocation table (also referred to as an RU table) in which frequency resource information for DRUs or RRUs is associated with bit information. In the case of DRU allocation (when the RU type is DRU), the RU table setting unit 102 holds an RU allocation table for DRUs in which at least the value of the RU allocation subfield is associated with an RU index defined according to the RU size and the number of Grouping Tones (or Tone interval), and outputs the table to the User Info generation unit 103.

[0052] For example, the RU allocation table for DRUs may reuse the RU allocation table for RRU allocation defined in 11be shown in Figure 4 and refer to the RU index defined according to the number of grouping tones used when applying DRUs. For example, the definition of the RU index used in the RU allocation table for DRUs may differ depending on the number of grouping tones.

[0053] For example, the RU index defined according to the number of grouping tones may be defined as the start position of tone allocation, the tone interval (e.g., the interval between valid tones excluding guard and null tones), or the end position of tone allocation as the RU index for the DRU. Examples of RU indexes defined according to the number of grouping tones will be described later. Note that, in the case of RRU allocation, the table shown in FIG. 4 may be used.

[0054] The User Info generation unit 103 converts the control information, including the terminal ID and / or frequency resource information for the TB PPDU, input from the scheduling unit 101, into predetermined bit information using the RU allocation table input from the RU table setting unit 102. The User Info generation unit 103 then generates a User Info field and a Special User Info field including the converted bit information and outputs them to the Trigger frame generation unit 105.

[0055] The Common Info generation unit 104 converts the control information for the TB PPDU (e.g., the bandwidth of the TB PPDU, LTF symbol information, AP transmission power information, etc.) input from the scheduling unit 101 into predetermined bit information. For example, the Common Info generation unit 104 may include the RU type as terminal common information. For example, reserved bits in the Common Info field for 11be (EHT variant) may be used to notify the RU type. The Common Info generation unit 104 generates a Common Info field including the converted bit information and outputs it to the Trigger frame generation unit 105.

[0056] The trigger frame generation unit 105 generates a trigger frame including a Common Info field input from the Common Info generation unit 104, a Special User Info field input from the User Info generation unit 103, and a User Info List made up of User Info fields for multiple terminals 200. In addition to the Common Info field, Special User Info field, and User Info List, a MAC header, padding, and a frame check sequence (FCS) may be added to the generated trigger frame. The trigger frame generation unit 105 outputs the generated trigger frame to the error correction coding unit 106.

[0057] The error correction coding unit 106 receives as input a transmission data signal including the trigger frame received from the trigger frame generation unit 105 , performs error correction coding on the input signal, and outputs the coded signal to the modulation unit 107 .

[0058] Modulation section 107 performs modulation processing on the signal input from error correction coding section 106 and outputs the modulated data signal to radio transmission / reception section 108 .

[0059] If the modulated data signal is an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) signal, the AP 100 may perform transmission signal processing related to OFDM. For example, the AP 100 (e.g., the modulation unit 107) may map the modulated signal to a predetermined frequency resource, convert it into a time waveform by performing an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) process, and add a cyclic prefix (CP) to form an OFDM signal.

[0060] Radio transmitting / receiving section 108 performs predetermined radio transmission processing such as D / A (digital-to-analog) conversion and up-conversion to a carrier frequency on the modulated signal input from modulation section 107, and transmits the signal after radio transmission processing via an antenna to terminal 200. Radio transmitting / receiving section 108 also receives a signal transmitted from terminal 200 via the antenna, performs predetermined radio reception processing on the received signal such as down-conversion to baseband and A / D (analog-to-digital) conversion, and outputs the signal after radio reception processing to OFDM demodulation section 109.

[0061] The OFDM demodulation unit 109 performs, for example, demodulation processing on the signal input from the wireless transmission / reception unit 108, and performs OFDM-related received signal processing on the resulting received signal (TB PPDU from the terminal 200). For example, the OFDM demodulation unit 109 performs CP removal processing and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) processing, and outputs the processed signal to the Tone demapping unit 110.

[0062] The Tone demapping unit 110 acquires a received signal at a predetermined Tone position from the received signal input from the OFDM demodulation unit 109 based on frequency resource information for the DRU (e.g., including the number of Grouping Tones for the receiving terminal) input from the scheduling unit 101, and outputs the acquired signal to the demodulation unit 111.

[0063] The demodulation unit 111 performs corresponding demodulation processing on the received signal input from the tone demapping unit 110 based on the modulation method information (QPSK, 16QAM, etc.) of the receiving terminal input from the scheduling unit 101, and outputs the demodulation processing result to the error correction decoding unit 112. Note that when the number of grouping tones is multiple, the demodulation unit 111 improves accuracy by performing channel estimation processing using consecutive tones using the received LTF symbols. Note that the demodulation unit 111 may perform processing using received STF symbols in addition to LTF symbols in the channel estimation processing (including frequency offset correction).

[0064] The error correction decoding section 112 performs error correction decoding on the received signal input from the demodulation section 111, and outputs the decoded signal as a received data signal.

[0065] [Configuration Example of Terminal 200] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the terminal 200. As shown in FIG.

[0066] The terminal 200 shown in FIG. 10 may include, for example, a radio transceiver unit 201, a demodulator unit 202, an error correction decoder unit 203, a Common Info decoder unit 204, an RU table setting unit 205, a User Info decoder unit 206, an error correction encoder unit 207, a modulator unit 208, a Tone mapping unit 209, and an OFDM modulator unit 210.

[0067] At least one of the demodulation unit 202, error correction decoding unit 203, Common Info decoding unit 204, RU table setting unit 205, User Info decoding unit 206, error correction coding unit 207, modulation unit 208, Tone mapping unit 209, and OFDM modulation unit 210 shown in Figure 10 may be included in the control unit shown in Figure 8, and the radio transmission / reception unit 201 shown in Figure 10 may be included in the communication unit shown in Figure 8.

[0068] 10, radio transmission / reception section 201 receives a signal via an antenna, performs radio reception processing such as down-conversion and A / D conversion on the received signal, and outputs the obtained received signal to demodulation section 202. Radio transmission / reception section 201 also performs radio transmission processing such as up-conversion and D / A conversion on a signal input from OFDM modulation section 210, and transmits the signal after radio transmission processing from the antenna.

[0069] Demodulation section 202 performs demodulation processing on the received signal (received data) input from radio transmission / reception section 201 and outputs the demodulated signal to error correction decoding section 203 .

[0070] If the input signal is an OFDM signal, the terminal 200 may perform OFDM-related received signal processing. For example, the terminal 200 (for example, the demodulator 202) may perform CP removal processing and FFT processing.

[0071] The error correction decoding unit 203 decodes the demodulated signal input from the demodulation unit 202 and outputs the decoded signal as a received data signal. The error correction decoding unit 203 also outputs a Trigger frame from the received data signal to the Common Info decoding unit 204 and the User Info decoding unit 206.

[0072] The Common Info decoding unit 204 extracts the Common Info field from the Trigger frame input from the error correction decoding unit 203. The Common Info decoding unit 204 decodes the terminal common information included in the Common Info field and outputs the terminal common information to the User Info decoding unit 206. For example, if an RU type is included in the Common Info field, the Common Info decoding unit 204 outputs the RU type to the User Info decoding unit 206.

[0073] The RU table setting unit 205 holds an RU allocation table that is identical to the RU allocation table of the RU table setting unit 102 of the AP 100 (for example, an RU table that associates frequency resource information for the DRU or RRU with bit information), and outputs the RU allocation table to the User Info decoding unit 206.

[0074] The User Info decoding unit 206 extracts a User Info List from the Trigger frame input from the error correction decoding unit 203. The extracted User Info List includes, for example, one or more User Info fields and a Special User Info field. The User Info decoding unit 206 decodes terminal-specific information from the terminal common information input from the Common Info decoding unit 204, the User Info field, and the User Info field including the AID of the terminal 200 included in the Special User Info field.

[0075] For example, the User Info decoding unit 206 uses the RU allocation table input from the RU table setting unit 205 to acquire frequency resource information from frequency resource information (bit information) for the TB PPDU included in the terminal individual information.

[0076] The frequency resource information may include RU type, RU size, RU index, etc. For example, if the RU type is DRU, the frequency resource information may include information on RU index defined according to the Tone interval, Tone position, and number of Grouping Tones from the RU allocation table for DRU. Furthermore, the frequency resource information may be used as frequency resources for transmitting STF and LTF in addition to data from terminal 200.

[0077] The User Info decoding unit 206 outputs the decoded terminal individual information (control information for TB PPDU transmission including frequency resource information) to the error correction coding unit 207 , the modulation unit 208 and the Tone mapping unit 209 .

[0078] The error correction coding unit 207 performs error correction coding on the transmission signal based on the control information (such as the coding rate) for TB PPDU transmission input from the User Info decoding unit 206 , and outputs the signal to the modulation unit 208 .

[0079] The modulation unit 208 performs modulation processing on the signal coded in the error correction coding unit 207 using a predetermined modulation method based on the control information (modulation method, etc.) for TB PPDU transmission input from the User info decoding unit 206, and outputs the processed signal to the Tone mapping unit 209.

[0080] The Tone mapping unit 209 maps the modulated signal input from the modulation unit 208 to a predetermined Tone position based on the control information (such as frequency resource information) for TB PPDU transmission input from the User Info decoding unit 206, and outputs the signal to the OFDM modulation unit 210. For example, if the number of Grouping Tones is greater than 1, the Tone mapping unit 209 maps the Tones consecutively for the number of Grouping Tones.

[0081] The OFDM modulation section 210 performs IFFT processing on the modulated signal after mapping from the Tone mapping section 209 and adds a CP to form an OFDM signal, and outputs the OFDM signal to the radio transmission / reception section 201 .

[0082] The configuration examples of the AP 100 and the terminal 200 have been described above.

[0083] [Example of Operation of AP 100 and Terminal 200] Next, an example of operation of the AP 100 and terminal 200 will be described.

[0084] AP 100 uses a Trigger frame to notify terminal 200 of frequency resources for Tone group based DRU and instructs terminal 200 to transmit a TB PPDU using Tone group based DRU. Terminal 200 uses the received Trigger frame to identify frequency resources for Tone group based DRU for terminal 200 and transmits a TB PPDU using Tone group based DRU.

[0085] As described above, the AP 100 and the terminal 200 have RU table configuration units 102 and 205. The RU table configuration units 102 and 205 hold, for example, an RU allocation table for a DRU that associates frequency resource information for the DRU with bit information, in addition to an existing RU allocation table for an RRU (for example, the table shown in FIG. 4 ).

[0086] An example of an RU allocation table for a DRU will be described below.

[0087] In the RU allocation table for DRUs, the value of the RU allocation subfield (i.e., the value of the RU allocation information) is associated with an RU index defined according to at least the RU size and the number of Grouping Tones.

[0088] The RU index is defined according to the number of grouping tones, and in a DRU allocation of the same size in a given TB PPDU band (e.g., 20 MHz channel), the greater the number of grouping tones, the wider the tone interval between tone groups is set.

[0089] FIG. 11 shows an example of the definition of the RU index when the TB PPDU band is a 20 MHz channel and the number of Grouping Tones is 2.

[0090] As shown in Figure 11, one RU index is assigned two consecutive tones. That is, the DRU corresponding to each RU index is configured by discretely arranging tone groups (allocation units) with a grouping tone count of 2. Also, as shown in Figure 11, the tone interval is defined (or set) wider than when the grouping tone count is 1 as shown in Figure 6. For example, in the case of a 26-tone DRU, when the grouping tone count is 1 (see Figure 6), the interval is defined as 9 tones, whereas when the grouping tone count is 2 (see Figure 11), the interval is defined as 18 tones. Similarly, in the case of a 52-tone DRU, when the grouping tone count is 1 (see Figure 6), the interval is defined as 4 tones or 5 tones, whereas when the grouping tone count is 2 (see Figure 11), the interval is defined as 8 tones or 10 tones. The same applies to a 106-tone DRU.

[0091] In this way, by widening the tone interval between tone groups as the number of grouping tones (the number of tones included in a tone group) increases, the number of RU indices (corresponding to the number of OFDMA multiplexing) can be set to the same number regardless of the number of grouping tones. Therefore, even in tone group based DRUs, the relationship between the value of the RU allocation subfield, the RU size, and the RU index of DRUs and RRUs without grouping (for example, when the number of grouping tones is 1) can be reused. For example, the value of the existing RU allocation subfield may be associated with the RU size for the tone group based DRU and the RU index defined according to the number of grouping tones. By reusing the existing RU allocation, the introduction of tone group based DRUs can be easily realized.

[0092] Furthermore, by widening the tone spacing between tone groups, the number of tones allocated per 1 MHz (approximately 13 tones) can be reduced, ensuring power boost gain in tone group-based DRUs. For example, in a 26-tone DRU, if the number of grouping tones is 2 and the tone spacing is set to 9 tones, as in the case where the number of grouping tones is 1 (see, for example, FIG. 6), the maximum number of tones per 1 MHz (approximately 13 tones) will be 4 tones. In this case, compared to a tone plan where 18 tone spacing is set (see, for example, FIG. 11) as in this embodiment, the PSD per tone will be halved, resulting in a 3 dB reduction in power boost gain. In this embodiment, widening the tone spacing between tone groups can suppress this reduction in power boost gain.

[0093] Below, an example of RU indexes defined according to the number of Grouping Tones will be described.

[0094] <First Example> In the first example, an example in which an RU index is defined for each number of Grouping Tones will be described.

[0095] For example, as shown in FIG. 12, a DRU index consisting of three elements, [start position of grouping tone: tone interval: end position of grouping tone], may be defined for each number of grouping tones.

[0096] The above-mentioned tone interval is, for example, an interval obtained by counting the number of valid tones (the number of tones corresponding to the band to which an uplink signal can be assigned) in the TB PPDU band (or communication band), excluding DC tones (the band corresponding to DC), guard tones (the band corresponding to guard bands), and null tones. Tones are also called subcarriers.

[0097] The example of Figure 12 shows the definition of the RU index when the TB PPDU band is a 20 MHz channel and the RU size is 26 tones. In the example of Figure 12, the RU index, the Tone position of an RRU, the Tone position of a DRU with a Grouping Tone count of 1 (i.e., no Tone grouping), and the Tone position of a DRU with a Grouping Tone count of 2 are defined. In the definition of the RU index shown in Figure 12, for example, the DC position is assigned Tone number 0, and subcarriers with frequencies lower than DC are assigned negative numbers, and subcarriers with frequencies higher than DC are assigned positive numbers.

[0098] For example, if a DRU with a grouping tone count of 2 is specified as the RU type and RU1 with an RU size of 26 is specified as the RU allocation value (e.g., when the RU allocation value is 0 in the RU allocation table shown in FIG. 4 ), the Tone group based DRU is associated with tone positions of [-121 -120: 18: 104 105] using the definition of RU1 shown in FIG. 12 . In this case, two consecutive tones, Tone #-121 and Tone #-120, are grouped for the Tone group based DRU, and two tones are allocated in sequence at every valid 18-tone interval. The final two tones (the last 25th and 26th tones constituting the 26-tone DRU) are Tone #104 and Tone #105. Tones are allocated in a similar manner for the other RU indexes shown in FIG. 12 .

[0099] In addition, in FIG. 12, an RU index of Grouping Tone=2 is defined, but the number of Grouping Tones is not limited to two, and an RU arrangement (RU index) greater than Grouping Tone=2 may be defined.

[0100] Fig. 13 shows an example of the definition of the RU index when Grouping Tone = 3, and Fig. 14 shows an example of the definition of the RU index when Grouping Tone = 4. In Figs. 13 and 14, for a 26-tone DRU, the number of RU indices (number of OFDMA multiplexing) is 8, which is not divisible by the number of Grouping Tones, and therefore the number of multiplexings per terminal is reduced compared to when Grouping Tone = 1 or 2. In this case, some of the effective tones are unused, but the impact on system performance caused by an increase in unused tones can be reduced by, for example, leaving unused tones near DC, which are susceptible to interference.

[0101] It should be noted that the RU allocation table shown in Fig. 4 can be reused even when Grouping Tone = 3 or 4. For example, RU9 indicated by RU allocation value = 8 in Fig. 4 is an undefined RU index when Grouping Tone = 3 or 4, and is not indicated. However, the RU indices defined in Figs. 13 and 14 can be associated with values ​​in the existing RU allocation table (the RU allocation table in Fig. 4), so the existing RU allocation table can be reused.

[0102] This makes it possible to improve the channel estimation accuracy and frequency offset tolerance by, for example, increasing the number of grouping tones.

[0103] <Second Example> In a second example, a definition of the RU index when the number of Grouping Tones is set according to the RU size of a DRU (for example, also referred to as DRU size) will be described.

[0104] For example, the number of tones (number of grouping tones) included in a tone group (allocation unit) may vary depending on the DRU size.

[0105] For example, the number of grouping tones may vary depending on the DRU size, as shown in Figures 15 and 16. Figure 15 shows an example of a 20 MHz channel, where the number of grouping tones applied to DRU sizes of 26 tones, 52 tones, and 106 tones is set to 1, 2, and 4, respectively. In Figure 15, tone grouping is not applied when the DRU size is 26 tones.

[0106] Also, Fig. 16 shows an example of a 40 MHz channel, where the number of grouping tones applied to DRU sizes of 26 tones, 52 tones, and 106 tones, respectively, is set to 1, 1, and 2. In Fig. 16, when the DRU size is 26 or 52, tone grouping is not applied.

[0107] 15 and 16, the smaller the DRU size, the fewer the number of grouping tones can be set. That is, the larger the DRU size, the more grouping tones can be set, enabling distributed allocation without increasing the number of tones allocated per 1 MHz (approximately 13 tones). Furthermore, in the examples of FIGS. 15 and 16, regardless of the DRU size, the tone interval between grouping tones is 9 tones or more, allowing a predetermined power boost gain to be maintained even when tone grouping is applied.

[0108] Furthermore, the relationship between the DRU size and the number of grouping tones may be varied depending on the TB PPDU bandwidth or the distribution bandwidth, as in the 20 MHz channel Tone Plan (FIG. 15) and the 40 MHz channel Tone Plan (FIG. 16). This makes it possible to set the tone interval between grouping tones to a predetermined tone or more (9 tones or more in the examples of FIGS. 15 and 16) regardless of the TB PPDU bandwidth or the distribution bandwidth, and maintain a predetermined power boost gain even when tone grouping is applied.

[0109] In the second example, the number of grouping tones is set to be smaller as the DRU size becomes smaller, but the relationship between the DRU size and the number of grouping tones is not limited to this. For example, the number of grouping tones may be set to be larger as the DRU size becomes smaller.

[0110] In the second example, the case where the tone interval between grouping tones is constant (for example, 9 tones) regardless of the DRU size is described, but this is not limiting. For example, as in the first example, the tone interval between tone groups may be set wider as the number of grouping tones based on the DRU size increases.

[0111] <Third Example> In a third example, setting of the number of grouping tones in a given subchannel (for example, whether or not different numbers of grouping tones are mixed) will be described.

[0112] As shown in the example of the Tone Plan described above, in a certain TB PPDU band or a distribution band for DRU allocation, the tone interval varies depending on the number of grouping tones. Here, when DRUs with different tone intervals are multiplexed using OFDMA, the scheduling process may become complicated.

[0113] Therefore, in the third example, DRUs with different numbers of grouping tones are not applied within a specific subchannel. That is, within a specific subchannel, the number of grouping tones is the same (common) number for multiple terminals 200.

[0114] The predetermined subchannel may be, for example, an 80 MHz channel, which is the reception processing unit in the 11be standard, the TB PPDU band (the entire upstream transmission band), a 20 MHz channel, which is the smallest subchannel unit, or another band.

[0115] For example, the AP 100 (e.g., the Common Info generating unit 104 in FIG. 9 ) notifies the number of Grouping Tones in a specified Subchannel as terminal common information by using the Common Info field of the Trigger frame, which is an information field common to multiple terminals 200, or the reserved bits of the Special User Info field.

[0116] For example, AP 100 may notify terminal 200 of information (e.g., 2-bit information) indicating any one of RRU, DRU (number of grouping tones = 1 (e.g., Tone Plan shown in FIG. 6)), and DRU (number of grouping tones = 2 (e.g., Tone Plan shown in FIG. 11)).

[0117] 15 and 16, when different numbers of Grouping Tones are used depending on the DRU size, AP 100 may limit scheduling to DRU sizes with the same number of Grouping Tones. For example, when applying the Tone Plan of Fig. 16, AP 100 may allocate DRUs with RU sizes of 26 and 52 and the same number of Grouping Tones (number of Grouping Tones = 1) within a given subchannel.

[0118] This simplifies scheduling of terminals 200 by AP 100 and facilitates Tone group based DRU. Furthermore, by notifying the number of Grouping Tones as terminal-common information, the amount of signaling can be reduced compared to when notifying each terminal individually.

[0119] An example of an RU index defined according to the number of Grouping Tones has been described above.

[0120] As described above, in this embodiment, AP 100 and terminal 200 transmit and receive trigger frames including allocation information based on tone group based DRU allocation, in which tone groups each containing one or more tones are discretely arranged at tone intervals set according to the number of grouping tones, and control the transmission and reception of uplink signals based on the allocation information.

[0121] As a result, even in a tone plan to which Tone grouping is applied, for example, AP 100 can appropriately notify terminal 200 of RU allocation to which Tone grouping is applied while suppressing an increase in overhead. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the efficiency of transmission control in wireless communication.

[0122] (Embodiment 2) In this embodiment, a method of applying different numbers of Grouping Tones to LTF symbols used for channel estimation processing and the like and to Data symbols (including Pilot) will be described.

[0123] [Configuration Example of AP 100] The configuration of AP 100 according to this embodiment may be the same as the configuration of AP 100 according to Embodiment 1 (for example, FIG. 9). In AP 100 according to this embodiment, the operations of Common Info generating section 104 and Tone demapping section 110 are different from those in Embodiment 1.

[0124] In this embodiment, the number of grouping tones may be different for LTF symbols and data symbols. For example, AP 100 notifies terminal 200 of the number of grouping tones for LTF symbols and the number of grouping tones for data symbols using a trigger frame.

[0125] For example, the Common Info generating unit 104 notifies the terminal 200 of the number of Grouping Tones and the number of LTF symbols to be applied to each of the LTF (called UHR-LTF in the case of 11bn) symbols and Data (including Pilot) symbols for the TB PPDU.

[0126] For example, the number of LTF symbols may be indicated by the Number Of HE / EHT-LTF Symbols subfield of the Common Info field.

[0127] Also, for example, the number of repetitions of LTF symbols (repetition number) may be reported in combination with the number of spatial multiplexings (number of spatial streams) reported in the User Info field. For example, if the number of LTF symbols and the number of SSs match, the number of repetitions is set to 1. Also, for example, if the number of LTF symbols is greater than the number of SSs, the quotient obtained by dividing the number of LTF symbols by the number of SSs may be reported as the number of repetitions.

[0128] Also, for example, the number of Grouping Tones applied to LTF and Data may be included in the DRU notification pattern and notified as an RU type.

[0129] For example, as shown in Fig. 17 , the number of grouping tones applied to LTF and Data (hereinafter referred to as LTF / Data Grouping Tone information) may be associated with an RU type value (for example, the value of the RU type subfield), and the value of the RU type subfield may be notified from AP 100 to terminal 200. In Fig. 17 , when the RU type value (RU type subfield value) is 0 to 2, the number of grouping tones applied to LTF symbols and Data symbols is the same. On the other hand, when the RU type value (RU type subfield value) is 3, the number of grouping tones applied to LTF symbols is different, and control is exercised such that Tone Grouping is applied to LTF symbols and Tone Grouping is not applied to Data symbols.

[0130] The LTF / Data Grouping Tone information (e.g., the RU type in FIG. 17) may be signaled using, for example, reserved bits in the Common Info field or the Trigger Dependent Common Info subfield, or the LTF / Data Grouping Tone information may be signaled as terminal common information in reserved bits in the Special User Info field or the Trigger Dependent User Info subfield.

[0131] In addition, when using the Trigger Dependent Common Info subfield or the Trigger Dependent User Info subfield, a type that prompts TB PPDU transmission with DRU allocation applied is added as a Trigger type, and when this Trigger type is indicated, LTF / Data Grouping Tone information may be included in the Trigger Dependent Common Info subfield or the Trigger Dependent User Info subfield.

[0132] The tone demapping unit 110 acquires the received signal from a predetermined tone position of the signal input from the OFDM demodulation unit 109 using frequency resource information for the DRU including the number of grouping tones for the receiving terminal input from the scheduling unit 101, and outputs the signal to the demodulation unit 111. Here, if the number of grouping tones for the receiving terminal differs between the LTF and Data, the tone demapping unit 110 acquires the received signal from a tone position based on the number of grouping tones set for each of the LTF and Data.

[0133] Here, the tone demapping unit 110 acquires the number of repetitions of the LTF symbol based on the control information for the terminal 200 received from the scheduling unit 101, and determines the grouping tone position according to the predetermined number of repetitions.

[0134] [Configuration example of terminal 200] The configuration of terminal 200 according to the present embodiment may be the same as the configuration of terminal 200 according to embodiment 1 (for example, FIG. 10 ). In terminal 200 according to the present embodiment, the operation of Tone mapping section 209 differs from that in embodiment 1.

[0135] In this embodiment, the Tone mapping unit 209 maps the modulated signal to a predetermined Tone position based on the control information (such as frequency resource information) for TB PPDU transmission input from the User info decoding unit 206, and outputs the signal to the OFDM modulation unit 210. For example, if the number of Grouping Tones is greater than 1, the Tone mapping unit 209 maps the number of Tones consecutively to the number of Grouping Tones.

[0136] Here, if the number of grouping tones for LTF and data differs in the control information for TB PPDU transmission input from the user info decoding unit 206, the tone mapping unit 209 assigns tone positions using the number of grouping tones set for each of the LTF and data, and outputs the assigned tone positions to the OFDM modulation unit 210.

[0137] Furthermore, the Tone mapping unit 209 arranges Grouping Tones according to a rule that has been previously recognized between the transmitter and the receiver, for example, according to the number of times the LTF symbol is repeated. The Tone positions (frequency hopping patterns) according to the number of times the LTF symbol is repeated may be defined in a specification, for example, or may be notified to the terminal 200 from the AP 100 at the timing when the terminal 200 connects (or associates) with the AP 100.

[0138] Furthermore, when spatially multiplexing transmission data, the number of LTF symbols corresponding to the spatial multiplexing number (or the number of spatial streams (SS)) may be repeatedly transmitted. For example, multiple LTF symbols equal to the number of SSs multiplied by an orthogonal code having a length equal to the spatial multiplexing number (or the number of SSs) may be repeated a predetermined number of times and transmitted. For example, if the number of SSs is 3 and the number of repetitions is 2, a total of 6 LTF symbols are transmitted, with 3 symbols after multiplication by the orthogonal code repeated twice. In this case, the position of the Tone in which the LTF symbols are allocated may differ for each repetition.

[0139] Figure 18 shows an example of a TB PPDU in which different numbers of Grouping Tones are applied to LTF symbols and Data symbols. In Figure 18, the number of Grouping Tones for LTF symbols is set to 2, and the number of Grouping Tones for Data symbols is set to 1. Furthermore, for LTF symbols, two-time repetition transmission (repeating LTF symbols twice for the number of SSs) is applied.

[0140] FIG. 19 shows an example of a Tone Plan for the LTF symbol of the 0th repetition (Repetition #0), the LTF symbol of the 1st repetition (Repetition #1), and the Data symbol in FIG.

[0141] As shown in Fig. 18, the number of grouping tones in a data symbol is 1, while the number of grouping tones in an LTF symbol is 2. Therefore, as explained in embodiment 1, for a certain DRU size, the tone interval between grouping tones in an LTF symbol is set wider than that in a data symbol. For example, when the DRU size is 26 tones, the tone interval between data symbols is 9 tones, while the tone interval between LTF symbols is 18 tones.

[0142] 19, the arrangement of the grouping tones of the LTF symbols is shifted by 9 tones between the 0th repetition and the 1st repetition. This makes it possible to arrange any of the repetition's LTF symbols in the position where a Data symbol's tone exists. For example, the AP 100 can perform demodulation processing on the first tone of the Data symbol (e.g., odd-numbered) using the tone of the LTF symbol in the 0th repetition, and on the second tone (e.g., even-numbered) using the tone of the LTF symbol in the 1st repetition. Therefore, the AP 100 can perform demodulation processing such as high-accuracy channel estimation processing and frequency offset correction processing using multiple tones grouped by the LTF symbols.

[0143] In this way, by setting the number of Grouping Tones separately for LTF symbols and Data symbols, for example, applying Tone Grouping to LTF symbols can improve the performance of demodulation processing such as channel estimation processing and frequency offset correction processing on the receiving side. Also, for example, not applying Tone Grouping to Data symbols can improve power boost gain.

[0144] The LTF to which repeated transmission is applied is also called "Extra-LTF."

[0145] Furthermore, the number of grouping tones for STF (e.g., UHR-STF) symbols may be set to the same number as for LTF symbols. For example, control may be performed so that tone grouping is applied to STF symbols and LTF symbols (number of grouping tones > 1) and tone grouping is not applied to data symbols (number of grouping tones = 1).

[0146] Alternatively, the number of grouping tones for STF (e.g., UHR-STF) symbols may be set to the same number as for data symbols. For example, control may be performed such that tone grouping is applied to LTF symbols (number of grouping tones > 1) and tone grouping is not applied to STF symbols and data symbols (number of grouping tones = 1).

[0147] Also, for example, as shown in Fig. 20, it is possible to not apply repeated transmission of LTF symbols, but to vary the orthogonal code (OCC (Orthogonal Cover Code)) by which the LTF symbols are multiplied for each Tone arrangement pattern (for example, for each Tone Plan applied to Repetition #0 and Repetition #1 in Fig. 19). Since the number of LTF symbols can be reduced, overhead can also be reduced.

[0148] Furthermore, in this embodiment, control has been described in which Tone Grouping is applied to LTF symbols (setting the number of Grouping Tones > 1) and not applied to Data symbols (setting the number of Grouping Tones = 1), but this is not limiting. For example, control may be such that Tone Grouping is not applied to LTF symbols (setting the number of Grouping Tones = 1) and Tone Grouping is applied to Data symbols (setting the number of Grouping Tones > 1). Alternatively, Tone Grouping may be applied to both LTF symbols and Data symbols, and the number of Grouping Tones for each of the LTF symbols and Data symbols may be set separately.

[0149] The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above.

[0150] When DRU is applied, the LTF symbol type (also referred to as UHR-LTF Type in the case of the 11bn standard) may be set (or restricted or limited) to a type having the same symbol length as the data symbol (also referred to as 4×UHR-LTF in the case of the 11bn standard). This makes the minimum tone interval of the LTF symbol equal to the minimum tone interval of the data symbol, allowing the LTF symbol to be allocated to a frequency position that is the same as or close to the tones of the dispersedly allocated data symbols, thereby improving demodulation processing performance. Here, for example, the GI And UHR-LTF Type subfield in the Common Info field of the Trigger frame indicates one of 1×UHT-LTF (1 / 4 the data symbol length), 2×UHT-LTF (1 / 2 the data symbol length), and 4×UHT-LTF (the data symbol length). For example, when DRU is applied with the above-mentioned LTF symbol type restriction applied, the GI And UHR-LTF Type subfield may be interpreted as having a meaning other than the data symbol length. For example, as shown in FIG. 21, when DRU is applied, the information indicated by the GI And UHR-LTF Type subfield may be interpreted as the number of grouping tones applied to the LTF symbol.

[0151] Furthermore, frequency hopping (tone hopping) for each repeated transmission of LTF may be applied, including Midamble.

[0152] Furthermore, the RU type (information indicating either a DRU or an RRU) or the number of Grouping Tones is not limited to being notified for each terminal by terminal-specific information (e.g., a User Info field). For example, the RU type or the number of Grouping Tones may be notified by terminal common information (a Common Info field or a Special User Info field). For example, a terminal that supports a DRU determines whether the RU allocation is for a DRU or an RRU based on the above notification. On the other hand, a terminal that does not support a DRU may recognize the RU allocation as for an RRU without relying on the above notification (e.g., ignoring the notification).

[0153] In addition, the RU type (information indicating either a DRU or an RRU) or the number of Grouping Tones may be notified as information (e.g., a bitmap in which each bit corresponds to each subchannel) notified for each subband or subchannel (e.g., an 80 MHz channel) and included in terminal common information (Common Info field, Special User Info field) or terminal individual information (User Info field).

[0154] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, the uplink signal is not limited to the TB PPDU. For example, the above-described embodiments may be applied to an RU allocation notification of a PPDU (such as a UHR MU PPDU) that is not a response to a trigger frame.

[0155] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are not limited to transmission and reception of uplink signals (for example, uplink PPDUs), but may also be applied to transmission and reception of downlink signals (for example, downlink PPDUs).

[0156] In each of the above embodiments, the trigger frame that notifies the number of grouping tones may be a basic trigger frame or another trigger frame. Also, in each of the above embodiments, the control signal that notifies the number of grouping tones is not limited to a trigger frame, and may be, for example, a MAC header (e.g., defining a new field) or a preamble.

[0157] In addition, in each of the above-described embodiments, the field (or subfield) used for notifying control information is an example, and other fields or subfields may be used. Furthermore, the number of bits used for notifying control information in each field or subfield is an example, and other numbers of bits may be used.

[0158] Furthermore, in each of the above-described embodiments, the values ​​of parameters such as the TB PPDU bandwidth, the number of Grouping Tones, the RU size (DRU size), the threshold for the RU size, the RU index, the Tone interval in the DRU, the Tone (or subcarrier) size, or the Tone position are merely examples, and other values ​​may also be used.

[0159] Furthermore, the signal formats described in each of the above-mentioned embodiments are merely examples, and other configurations may be used in which at least one of other fields is added and some fields is deleted, and other configurations may be used in which at least one of other subfields is added and some subfields are deleted in each of the above-mentioned fields.

[0160] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, as an example, a case based on the format defined in IEEE 802.11 has been described, but the format to which an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied is not limited to the IEEE 802.11 format.

[0161] The present disclosure can be realized by software, hardware, or software in conjunction with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of the above embodiments may be partially or entirely realized as an LSI, which is an integrated circuit, and each process described in the above embodiments may be partially or entirely controlled by a single LSI or a combination of LSIs. The LSI may be composed of individual chips, or may be composed of a single chip that includes some or all of the functional blocks. The LSI may have data input and output. Depending on the degree of integration, the LSI may also be called an IC, system LSI, super LSI, or ultra LSI.

[0162] The integrated circuit method is not limited to LSI, and may be realized by a dedicated circuit, a general-purpose processor, or a dedicated processor. Also, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) that can be programmed after LSI manufacturing, or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connections and settings of circuit cells within the LSI, may be used. The present disclosure may be realized as digital processing or analog processing.

[0163] Furthermore, if an integrated circuit technology that can replace LSI emerges due to advances in semiconductor technology or other derivative technologies, it is natural that such technology may be used to integrate functional blocks. The application of biotechnology, etc. is also a possibility.

[0164] The present disclosure may be implemented in any type of apparatus, device, or system (collectively referred to as a communications apparatus) that has a communications function. The communications apparatus may include a radio transceiver and processing / control circuitry. The radio transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter, or both functions. The radio transceiver (transmitter and receiver) may include a radio frequency (RF) module and one or more antennas. The RF module may include an amplifier, an RF modulator / demodulator, or the like. Non-limiting examples of communication devices include telephones (e.g., cell phones, smartphones), tablets, personal computers (PCs) (e.g., laptops, desktops, notebooks), cameras (e.g., digital still / video cameras), digital players (e.g., digital audio / video players), wearable devices (e.g., wearable cameras, smartwatches, tracking devices), game consoles, digital book readers, telehealth / telemedicine devices, communication-enabled vehicles or mobile transportation (e.g., cars, airplanes, ships), and combinations of the above devices.

[0165] The communication devices are not limited to portable or mobile devices, but also include any kind of non-portable or fixed equipment, devices, and systems, such as smart home devices (such as home appliances, lighting equipment, smart meters or measuring devices, control panels, etc.), vending machines, and any other "things" that may exist on an IoT (Internet of Things) network.

[0166] Communications include data communications via cellular systems, wireless LAN systems, communication satellite systems, and the like, as well as data communications via combinations of these.

[0167] A communications device also includes devices such as controllers and sensors connected or coupled to a communications device that performs the communications functions described in this disclosure, such as controllers and sensors that generate control and data signals used by the communications device to perform the communications functions of the communications device.

[0168] The communication apparatus also includes infrastructure facilities, such as base stations, access points, and any other apparatus, device, or system that communicates with or controls the various apparatuses listed above, but are not limited to these.

[0169] An access point according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a transmitting circuit that transmits a control signal including allocation information for uplink signals based on resource allocation in which allocation units including one or more frequency resources are discretely arranged at intervals that are set according to the number of the frequency resources included in the allocation unit, and a control circuit that controls reception of the uplink signals based on the allocation information.

[0170] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the resource size of the resource allocation is the same, the greater the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit, the wider the interval is set.

[0171] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, within a certain subchannel, the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit is a number common to multiple terminals.

[0172] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control signal is a Trigger frame, and information regarding the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit is notified to the multiple terminals by an information field common to the multiple terminals.

[0173] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit varies according to a resource size of the resource allocation.

[0174] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the larger the resource size of the resource allocation, the larger the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit is set.

[0175] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit differs between LTF (Long Training Field) symbols and data symbols.

[0176] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control signal is a Trigger frame, and the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit for the LTF and the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit for the data symbol are notified to the terminal by the Trigger frame.

[0177] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a number of LTF (Long Training Field) symbols corresponding to the number of spatial streams are repeatedly transmitted, and the positions of the frequency resources in which the LTF symbols are allocated differ for each repeated transmission.

[0178] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the resource allocation is applied, the LTF type of the LTF (Long Training Field) symbol is set to a type whose symbol length is the same as that of the data symbol.

[0179] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the interval is an interval obtained by counting frequency resources in a band in the communication band to which the uplink signal can be assigned, excluding a band corresponding to DC and a band corresponding to a guard band.

[0180] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control signal is a Trigger frame.

[0181] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the Trigger frame is a Basic Trigger frame.

[0182] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the trigger frame is a trigger frame of a type that prompts transmission of the uplink signal through the resource allocation.

[0183] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, information regarding the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit is notified to each terminal.

[0184] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, information regarding the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit is notified for each subband.

[0185] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control signal is a Trigger frame, and a User Info Field of the Trigger frame includes a Spatial Stream (SS) Allocation subfield indicating the number of spatial streams of the uplink signal, and some bits of the SS Allocation subfield notify information regarding an allocation in which the frequency resources allocated to the uplink signal are discretely arranged.

[0186] A terminal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a receiving circuit that receives a control signal including allocation information for an uplink signal based on a resource allocation in which allocation units including one or more frequency resources are discretely arranged at intervals that are set according to the number of the frequency resources included in the allocation unit, and a control circuit that controls transmission of the uplink signal based on the allocation information.

[0187] In a communication method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an access point transmits a control signal including allocation information for an uplink signal based on a resource allocation in which allocation units including one or more frequency resources are discretely arranged at intervals set according to the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit, and controls reception of the uplink signal based on the allocation information.

[0188] In a communication method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a terminal receives a control signal including allocation information for an uplink signal based on resource allocation in which allocation units including one or more frequency resources are discretely arranged at intervals set according to the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit, and controls transmission of the uplink signal based on the allocation information.

[0189] The disclosures of the specification, drawings and abstract contained in Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-064766, filed April 12, 2024, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0190] One embodiment of the present disclosure is useful in wireless communication systems.

[0191] 100 AP 101 Scheduling unit 102, 205 RU table setting unit 103 User Info generation unit 104 Common Info generation unit 105 Trigger frame generation unit 106, 207 Error correction coding unit 107, 208 Modulation unit 108, 201 Radio transmission / reception unit 109 OFDM demodulation unit 110 Tone demapping unit 111, 202 Demodulation unit 112, 203 Error correction decoding unit 200 Terminal 204 Common Info decoding unit 206 User Info decoding unit 209 Tone mapping unit 210 OFDM modulation unit

Claims

1. An access point comprising: a transmitting circuit that transmits a control signal including allocation information for uplink signals based on resource allocation in which allocation units each including one or more frequency resources are discretely allocated at intervals set according to the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit; and a control circuit that controls reception of the uplink signals based on the allocation information.

2. The access point according to claim 1, wherein, when the resource size of the resource allocation is the same, the interval is set wider as the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit increases.

3. The access point according to claim 1, wherein, within a certain subchannel, the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit is a number common to a plurality of terminals.

4. The access point according to claim 3, wherein the control signal is a Trigger frame, and information regarding the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit is notified to the plurality of terminals by an information field common to the plurality of terminals.

5. The access point of claim 1 , wherein the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit varies depending on a resource size of the resource allocation.

6. The access point according to claim 5, wherein the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit is set to be larger as the resource size of the resource allocation increases.

7. The access point according to claim 1, wherein the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit differs between LTF (Long Training Field) symbols and data symbols.

8. The access point according to claim 7, wherein the control signal is a Trigger frame, and the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit for the LTF and the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit for the data symbol are notified to the terminal by the Trigger frame.

9. The access point according to claim 1, wherein a number of LTF (Long Training Field) symbols corresponding to the number of spatial streams are repeatedly transmitted, and the positions of the frequency resources in which the LTF symbols are allocated differ for each of the repeated transmissions.

10. The access point according to claim 1, wherein, when the resource allocation is applied, the LTF type of the LTF (Long Training Field) symbol is set to a type having the same symbol length as the data symbol.

11. The access point according to claim 1, wherein the interval is an interval obtained by counting frequency resources in a band in the communication band to which the uplink signal can be assigned, excluding a band corresponding to DC and a band corresponding to a guard band.

12. The access point according to claim 1, wherein the control signal is a Trigger frame.

13. The access point according to claim 12, wherein the trigger frame is a basic trigger frame.

14. The access point according to claim 12, wherein the trigger frame is a trigger frame of a type that prompts transmission of the uplink signal through the resource allocation.

15. The access point according to claim 1, wherein information regarding the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit is notified to each terminal.

16. The access point according to claim 1, wherein information regarding the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit is notified for each subband.

17. The access point according to claim 1, wherein the control signal is a Trigger frame, a User Info Field of the Trigger frame includes a Spatial Stream (SS) Allocation subfield indicating the number of spatial streams of the uplink signal, and some bits of the SS Allocation subfield notify information regarding an allocation in which the frequency resources allocated to the uplink signal are discretely allocated.

18. A terminal comprising: a receiving circuit for receiving a control signal including allocation information for an uplink signal based on resource allocation in which allocation units including one or more frequency resources are discretely allocated at intervals set according to the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit; and a control circuit for controlling transmission of the uplink signal based on the allocation information.

19. A communication method in which an access point transmits a control signal including allocation information for uplink signals based on resource allocation in which allocation units including one or more frequency resources are discretely arranged at intervals set according to the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit, and controls reception of the uplink signals based on the allocation information.

20. A communication method in which a terminal receives a control signal including allocation information for uplink signals based on resource allocation in which allocation units including one or more frequency resources are discretely allocated at intervals set according to the number of frequency resources included in the allocation unit, and controls transmission of the uplink signals based on the allocation information.

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