Terminal device, base station device, and communication method

Abstract

This terminal device comprises: a reception unit that receives an operation element; and a transmission unit that determines, on the basis of the operation element, a resource configuration of a TB PPDU that has been requested to be transmitted.

Description

Terminal device, base station device, and communication method

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal device, a base station device, and a communication method.This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-101462, filed on June 24, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) is currently studying ways to increase the speed and efficiency of frequency usage in wireless LAN (Local Area Network) communications. Currently, standardization of IEEE802.11bn, the successor to IEEE802.11be, has begun.

[0003] A terminal device, a base station device, and a communication method that enable efficient communication are provided.

[0004] (1) A first aspect is a terminal device comprising: a receiving unit that receives an Operation element; and a transmitting unit that determines a resource configuration for a TB PPDU requested to be transmitted based on the Operation element. When the Operation element includes a Bitmap subfield that indicates whether dRU Allocation is applied to each of one or more 20 MHz subchannels within a BSS bandwidth, the transmitting unit determines a resource configuration for performing dRU Allocation using a 20 MHz subchannel that corresponds to a bit set to 1 in the Bitmap subfield.

[0005] (2) A second aspect is a base station device including a transmitter that transmits an Operation element, wherein the transmitter includes, in the Operation element, a Bitmap subfield that indicates whether dRU Allocation is applied to each of one or more 20 MHz subchannels within a BSS bandwidth.

[0006] (3) A third aspect is a communication method including the steps of: receiving an Operation element; determining a resource configuration for a TB PPDU requested to be transmitted based on the Operation element; and, if the Operation element includes a Bitmap subfield indicating whether dRU Allocation is applied to each of one or more 20 MHz subchannels within a BSS bandwidth, determining a resource configuration for performing dRU Allocation using 20 MHz subchannels corresponding to bits set to 1 in the Bitmap subfield.

[0007] Efficient communication can be achieved.

[0008] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless LAN system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the device configuration of an STA according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the device configuration of an AP according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of PDUs supported in each layer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration when a MAC frame is a Trigger frame according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a User Info field according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of RU allocation according to an RU Allocation subfield according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the maximum number of RUs that can be allocated for the bandwidth (CBW) of each channel according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of an RU configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a procedure related to PPDU transmission using a dRU by a STA according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a Special User Info field according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of BW and BW type indicated by the UL BW subfield and UL Bandwidth Extension subfield according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of various fields / subfields included in an Operation element format according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a Bandwidth Indication element according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0010] "A and / or B" may be a term that includes "A", "B", or "A and B".

[0011] The wireless LAN (Local Area Network) system in this embodiment may be configured by one or more stations (STAs). When the wireless LAN system is configured by two or more STAs, the wireless LAN system may be referred to as a BSS (Basic Service Set).

[0012] A BSS may be a set of one or more STAs that have successfully synchronized using the JOIN service primitive with one STA using the START primitive.

[0013] The STA may be a communication device via a wireless medium (WM). The STA may also include an AP (Access Point) having base station functionality and / or a non-AP STA having terminal functionality. That is, the STA may be an AP. The STA may also be a non-AP STA. The STA may also refer to both an AP and a non-AP STA.

[0014] An STA may be a single addressable logical entity of a Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical layer (PHY) interface to a Wireless Medium (WM). Here, an STA may be referred to as a base station device. An STA may be referred to as a terminal device.

[0015] The STAs that make up a BSS may be referred to as members (BSS member STAs). A BSS may be composed of at least two STAs. Even member STAs that make up a BSS may not necessarily be able to communicate wirelessly with all member STAs within the BSS. In other words, depending on the communication conditions and environment, some member STAs within the BSS may not be able to communicate wirelessly. For example, STA1 and ST2, or STA1 and STA3, may form a BSS using the same BSSID. In this case, STA2 and STA3 may form the same BSS, but STA2 and STA3 may not be able to communicate wirelessly. The communication area (coverage) formed by a BSS may be referred to as a BSA (Basic Service Area). A BSS including an SS may be formed by association between at least two STAs.

[0016] An AP may be an entity that includes one STA. An AP may also be an entity that provides associated STA(s) with access to distribution system service(s) (DSS) via a WM. An AP may also configure a STA and a Distributed System Access Function (DSAF). Here, an AP may also be referred to as a base station device or a network device.

[0017] A distribution system (DS) may be a system used to interconnect multiple sets of BSSs and integrated LANs to create an Extended SS (ESS).

[0018] An Extended Service Set (ESS) may have a connection path via a WM between one of the APs that are members of the ESS and a non-AP STA. An ESS may have a communication area (coverage) formed by multiple BSSs that partially overlap. An ESS may have multiple BSSs separated by a large distance, and the coverage provided by multiple BSSs may be arranged as a wider coverage area. In other words, the communication area of ​​an ESS may be the same as or larger than the communication area of ​​a single BSS. The communication area formed by an ESS may be referred to as an Extended Service Area (ESA).

[0019] An ESS may be a set of one or more interconnected BSSs that are represented as a single BSS to the LLC (Logical Link Control) layer in any STA associated with one or more BSSs. STAs associated with such a BSS (or APs that constitute a BSS) may be referred to as associated STAs.

[0020] A non-AP STA may be a STA that does not include the functionality of an AP, and may also be referred to as a terminal device.

[0021] A WM may be a medium used to carry out the transmission of one or more Protocol Data Units (PDUs) between PHY entities within a wireless LAN.

[0022] The channel may be a WM used to transmit PPDUs (PHY PDUs) between two or more STAs.

[0023] A channel may include a primary channel and a secondary channel. When a BSS operates with a bandwidth of 20 MHz, the channel may be a primary channel. For example, when a BSS operates with a bandwidth of 40 MHz, a primary channel and a secondary channel may be used. Bandwidth may be defined as the bandwidth of the channel.

[0024] The primary channel is a channel commonly used in operation for all member STAs of a BSS. For example, in a BSS using bandwidths of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 80+80 MHz, or 320 MHz, the primary channel may be a primary 20 MHz channel.

[0025] A secondary channel may be a channel associated with a primary channel used to achieve a wider bandwidth than the primary channel. For example, in a BSS using bandwidths of 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 80+80 MHz, or 320 MHz, the secondary channel may be a secondary 20 MHz channel. In such cases, the secondary channel may be configured with a secondary 40 MHz channel. In such cases, the secondary channel may be configured with a secondary 80 MHz channel. In such cases, the secondary channel may be configured with a secondary 160 MHz channel. Each bandwidth may be configured with a combination of a primary channel and a secondary channel. For example, in the case of a 320 MHz bandwidth, the 320 MHz bandwidth may be configured with a primary 20 MHz channel, a secondary 20 MHz channel, a secondary 40 MHz channel, a secondary 80 MHz channel, and a secondary 160 MHz channel.

[0026] For example, in a wide bandwidth configuration such as 80 MHz, a primary 40 MHz channel and a secondary 40 MHz channel may be configured. The primary 40 MHz channel may be a 40 MHz primary channel. The primary 40 MHz channel may be configured with a primary 20 MHz channel and a secondary 20 MHz channel.

[0027] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a wireless LAN system according to one aspect of the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, BSS 101-1 may be configured with AP 102-1 and non-AP STAs 103-1, 103-2, and 103-3. BSS 101-2 may be configured with AP 102-2 and non-AP STAs 103-3 and 103-4. In BSS 101-2, non-AP STA 103-3 and non-AP STA 103-4 may communicate directly.

[0028] If all STAs in BSS 101-1 and BSS 101-2 support the ability to receive trigger frames and the ability to transmit TB (Trigger-based) PPDUs in response to the trigger frames, in BSS 101-1, AP 102-1 may use the trigger frame to solicit the transmission of TB PPDUs from each of non-AP STAs 103-1, 103-2, and 103-3. In addition, in BSS 101-2, AP 102-2 may use the trigger frame to solicit the transmission of TB PPDUs from each of non-AP STAs 103-3 and 103-4. That is, the trigger frame may be used to solicit the transmission of one or more TB PPDUs and allocate resources for the transmission of the one or more TB PPDUs. The trigger frame may also be used to transmit other information required by the responding STAs to transmit TB PPDUs. Furthermore, when a STA receives a Trigger frame from an AP, the STA may transmit a TBPPDU based on information included in the received Trigger frame.

[0029] In BSS 101-1 and BSS 101-2, if some STAs support the function of receiving a trigger frame and the function of transmitting a TB PPDU in response to the trigger frame, AP 101-1 and / or AP 101-2 may transmit a trigger frame to the STAs that support the function of receiving a trigger frame and the function of transmitting a TB PPDU in response to the trigger frame, and may request (solicit) the transmission of a TB PPDU. For STAs that do not support the function of receiving a trigger frame and the function of transmitting a TB PPDU in response to the trigger frame, AP 101-1 and / or AP 101-2 may request (solicit) the transmission of a TB PPDU using a control frame different from the trigger frame.

[0030] The trigger frame may also be used by the AP to realize UL multi-user (MU) transmission, or may be used for OFDMA transmission.

[0031] The Trigger frame may also be used to indicate various parameters required for transmitting the TB PPDU, such as the duration, RU (Resource Unit) allocation, target RSSI, and MCS of the TB PPDU.

[0032] Here, the TB PPDU may be a PPDU.

[0033] Non-AP STA 103-3 may form a BSS with both AP 102-1 and AP 102-2. Such a configuration may be referred to as an overlapping BSS (OBSS). Alternatively, an ESS may be established using BSS 101-1 and BSS 101-2.

[0034] The STA may support / implement functions such as frequency bands and bandwidths used for transmission and reception, communication methods, access methods, MCS methods, MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) methods, beamforming, etc., to meet a predetermined communication speed and data rate. When each function is enabled, the STA may perform processing related to each function.

[0035] For example, the STA may support / implement HT (High Throughput) STA functionality to achieve a maximum communication speed of 600 Mbps. HT STA functionality may support the 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz frequency band, a 20 or 40 MHz bandwidth, OFDM / 64QAM, MIMO, channel bonding, and frame aggregation. Channel bonding may involve communication using one or more channels. Frame aggregation may involve communication using one or more frames as one frame.

[0036] For example, a STA may support / implement VHT (Very HT) STA functions to achieve a maximum communication speed of 6.93 Gbps. In addition to the various functions supported by HT STAs, VHT STA functions may also support a maximum bandwidth of 160 MHz, 256QAM, 8x8 MIMO, MU-MIMO, and LDPC (Low Density Parity Coding).

[0037] For example, the STA may support / implement the functions of a High Efficiency (HE) STA to achieve a maximum communication speed of 9.6 Gbps. In addition to the various functions supported by HT STAs and VHT STAs, the HE STA functions may also support the 6 GHz frequency band, OFDMA, 1026QAM, Target Wake Time (TWT), Spatial Reuse, and Resource Unit (RU).

[0038] For example, the STA may support / implement EHT (Extremely HT) STA functions to achieve a maximum communication speed of 46 Gbps. In addition to the various functions supported by HT STA, VHT STA, and HE STA, the EHT functions may also support a maximum bandwidth of 320 MHz, 4096QAM, 16x16 MIMO, Multi-RU, and Multi-Link.

[0039] For example, the STA may support / implement functions of a UHR (Ultra High Reliability) STA. The UHR STA may support functions related to Multi-AP Operation and dRU (distributed RU) in addition to various functions supported by HT STA, VHT STA, HE STA, and EHT STA.

[0040] When multiple STAs configure a Service Set (SS) and / or a BSS or ESS, they may inform each other of the features they support when associating. Multiple STAs may configure an SS, BSS, or ESS to meet the communication speeds appropriate for each STA.

[0041] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the device configuration of an STA according to one aspect of this embodiment. The STA may include an antenna unit SU1, an RF (Radio Frequency) unit SU2, a physical layer processing unit (PHY layer processing unit) SU3, a MAC layer processing unit SU4, and an upper layer packet processing unit SU5. The STA may also include a radio transceiver unit SU6 and a frame processing unit SU7. The radio transceiver unit SU6 may be configured to include the antenna unit SU1 and the RF unit SU2. The frame processing unit SU7 may be configured to include the physical layer processing unit SU3 and the MAC layer processing unit SU4. The RF unit SU2 receives radio signals via the antenna unit SU1. The STA may include AP and / or non-AP STAs.

[0042] The signal received by the RF unit SU2 is converted into a baseband signal and sent to the physical layer processing unit SU3. The physical layer processing unit SU3 performs processing related to the physical layer function (PHY function) on the converted baseband signal. The signal that has undergone physical layer processing in the physical layer processing unit SU3 is sent to the MAC layer processing unit SU4. The MAC layer processing unit SU4 performs processing related to the MAC layer function (MAC function) on the baseband signal. The signal that has undergone MAC layer processing in the MAC layer processing unit SU4 is sent as an upper layer packet to the upper layer packet processing unit SU5. The upper layer packet processing unit SU5 performs processing related to the upper layer function on the upper layer packets extracted from the received signal.

[0043] The upper layer packet processing unit SU5 performs processing related to upper layer functions when transmitting an upper layer packet. The upper layer packet to be transmitted is sent from the upper layer packet processing unit SU5 to the MAC layer processing unit SU4. The MAC layer processing unit SU4 performs processing related to MAC layer functions on the upper layer packet. A frame that has undergone MAC layer processing in the MAC layer processing unit SU4 (a frame generated by processing the upper layer packet) is sent to the physical layer processing unit SU3. The physical layer processing unit SU3 performs processing related to physical layer functions on the frame that has undergone MAC layer processing. The frame sent from the physical layer processing unit SU3 to the RF unit SU2 is converted into an RF signal and transmitted as a radio signal via the antenna unit SU1.

[0044] The processing of the physical layer processing unit SU3 may be controlled by a Physical Layer Management Entity (PLME), which is an entity that controls the physical layer. The processing of the MAC processing unit SU4 may be controlled by a MAC Layer Management Entity (MLME), which is an entity that controls the MAC layer. The PLME and MLME provide their own layer management service interfaces. The PLME and MLME may also be controlled by a Station Management Entity (SME), which is an entity independent of the layers. The PLME, MLME, and SME may be included in the frame processing unit SU7.

[0045] 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the device configuration of an AP according to one aspect of the present embodiment. The AP may include an antenna unit AU1, an RF unit AU2, a physical layer processing unit AU3, a MAC layer processing unit AU4, and a DSAF unit AU5. The DSAF unit AU5 may have an upper layer packet processing function. The AP may also include a wireless transceiver unit AU6 and a frame processing unit AU7. The wireless transceiver unit AU6 may be configured to include the antenna unit AU1 and the RF unit AU2. The frame processing unit AU7 may be configured to include the physical layer processing unit AU3 and the MAC layer processing unit AU4.

[0046] The signal received by the RF unit AU2 is converted into a baseband signal and sent to the physical layer processing unit AU3. The physical layer processing unit AU3 performs processing related to physical layer functions on the converted baseband signal. The signal that has undergone physical layer processing in the physical layer processing unit AU3 is sent to the MAC layer processing unit AU4. The MAC layer processing unit AU4 performs processing related to MAC layer functions on the baseband signal. The signal that has undergone MAC layer processing in the MAC layer processing unit AU4 is sent to the DSAF unit AU5 as an upper layer packet. The DSAF unit AU5 performs processing related to upper layer functions on the upper layer packets extracted from the received signal. The DSAF unit AU5 may also provide the upper layer packets to the DS.

[0047] The DSAF unit AU5 may acquire upper layer packets from the DS. The DSAF unit AU5 performs processing related to upper layer functions when transmitting upper layer packets. The upper layer packets to be transmitted are sent from the DSAF unit AU5 to the MAC layer processing unit AU4. The MAC layer processing unit AU4 performs processing related to MAC layer functions on the upper layer packets. A frame that has undergone MAC layer processing in the MAC layer processing unit AU4 (a frame generated by processing the upper layer packet) is sent to the physical layer processing unit AU3. The physical layer processing unit AU3 performs physical layer function processing on the frame that has undergone MAC layer processing. The frame sent from the physical layer processing unit AU3 to the RF unit AU2 is converted into an RF signal and transmitted as a wireless signal via the antenna unit AU1.

[0048] The processing of the physical layer processing unit AU3 may be controlled by the PLME. The processing of the MAC processing unit AU4 may be controlled by the MLME. The PLME and MLME may also be controlled by an SME, which is an entity independent of the layers. The PLME, MLME, and SME may be included in the frame processing unit AU7.

[0049] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of PDUs supported by each layer according to one aspect of this embodiment.

[0050] A MAC frame may be a unit of data exchanged between MAC entities and may also be referred to as an MPDU (MAC Protocol Data Unit).

[0051] A MAC Service Data Unit (MSDU) may be information transmitted as a single unit between multiple MAC Service Access Points (SAPs).

[0052] An MPDU may be a unit of data exchanged between MAC entities using one or more services of a physical layer (PHY). An MPDU may also be composed of one or more MSDUs aggregated together.

[0053] A PHY frame may be a unit of data exchanged between PHY entities, and may also be referred to as a PPDU.

[0054] A PSDU (PHY Service Data Unit) is data encapsulated at the physical layer and may include one or more MPDUs (i.e., MAC frames) that are data from the MAC layer. That is, a PSDU may include an A-MPDU (Aggregate MPDU). A PSDU may also be configured as a PPDU by adding a PHY preamble and a PHY header, and may be used for communication at the physical layer between STAs.

[0055] A PPDU may be a unit of data exchanged between physical layer (PHY) entities using one or more services of the PHY.

[0056] 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration when a MAC frame according to one aspect of the present embodiment is a Trigger frame. The MAC frame may include a Frame Control field, a Duration field, an RA field, a TA field, a Common Info field, a User Info List field, Padding, and an FCS.

[0057] The MAC header may be composed of a Frame Control field, a Duration field, an RA field, and a TA field.

[0058] In Fig. 5, the Frame Control field is a field used to indicate the format and use of the MAC frame. In Fig. 5, the Frame Control field may be used to indicate that the MAC frame is a Trigger frame. Fig. 5 also describes each field when the MAC frame is a Trigger frame.

[0059] The Duration field may be set to a value including an estimated time required to transmit the requested TB PPDU, an estimated time required to transmit an Ack for the requested TB PPDU, if necessary, and one or more applicable SIFS, or a value corresponding thereto (e.g., index). In other words, the Duration field may be used to indicate the time required to transmit the TB PPDU and the time required to transmit an Ack for the TB PPDU.

[0060] The RA field may be set to the address of a non-AP STA, a broadcast address, or the MAC address of a group requested for transmission, depending on the Trigger Type of the Trigger frame that includes the RA field. In other words, the RA field may be set to the address (e.g., STA ID) of the STA that receives the Trigger frame (the STA that transmits the Trigger frame, i.e., the AP).

[0061] The TA field may be set to the address of the STA (e.g., the STA ID) transmitting the Trigger frame if the Trigger frame is addressed to a STA belonging to one BSS. If the Trigger frame is addressed to one or more STAs from at least two different BSSs in a multiple BSSID set, the TA field may be set to the transmitted BSS ID.

[0062] The AP may determine whether to request a TB PPDU from a STA. The STA whose address matches the value of the received RA field may transmit a TB PPDU to the STA (i.e., the AP) that transmitted the Trigger frame based on the information contained in the received MAC frame.

[0063] The Common Info field may be one or more fields indicating various pieces of information commonly used by one or more STAs requested to transmit a TB PPDU. For example, the Common Info field may include a Trigger Type subfield. The Common Info field may also include a UL Length subfield. The Common Info field may also include a UL BW (Uplink Bandwidth) subfield. The Common Info field may also include an AP Tx Power subfield. The Common Info field may also include a Trigger Dependent Common Info subfield.

[0064] The Trigger Type subfield may be used to identify the type (variant) of the Trigger frame.

[0065] The UL Length subfield may be used to indicate the value of the L-SIG LENGTH field of the solicited TB PPDU.

[0066] The UL BW subfield may be used to indicate the bandwidth of the SIG field of the TB PPDU, i.e., the UL BW subfield may be used to determine the bandwidth of the TB PPDU used to respond to the Trigger frame.

[0067] The Trigger Dependent Common Info subfield may be provided with subfields corresponding to optional features supported by one or more STAs shared based on the value of the Trigger Type field.

[0068] The User Info List field may include zero or more User Info fields. That is, one or more User Info fields included in the User Info List field may be assigned to associated STAs that can receive the Trigger frame.

[0069] The Padding field may be used to adjust the size of the entire MAC frame.

[0070] The FCS (Frame Check Sequence) field includes a 32-bit CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) and may be used to verify whether the received frame is valid. STAs also add the FCS field to indicate that the frames they transmit are valid.

[0071] 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a User Info field according to one aspect of the present embodiment. The User Info field may include an AID12 subfield, an RU Allocation subfield, a UL FEC Coding Type subfield, a UL MCS subfield, an SS Allocation / RA-RU Information subfield, a UL Target Rx Power subfield, a Reserved bit, and a Trigger Dependent User Info subfield.

[0072] The AID12 subfield may be set to the 12 LSBs of the AID of the STA. For example, if the AID12 subfield is included in the Trigger frame, it may be the address of a non-AP STA associated with the AP (i.e., the 12 LSBs of the AID of the non-AP STA).

[0073] The value set in the AID12 subfield may indicate that the User Info field is assigned to one or more RA-RUs for one or more associated STAs. Depending on the value set in the AID12 subfield, the AID12 subfield may indicate that the User Info field is addressed to the associated STAs of the AID with the same value as the AID subfield. Depending on the value set in the AID12 subfield, the AID12 subfield may indicate that the User Info field is assigned to one or more RA-RUs for one or more unassociated STAs. Depending on the value set in the AID12 subfield, the AID12 subfield may indicate that the RU is not assigned to a specific STA. Depending on the value set in the AID12 subfield, the AID12 subfield may indicate the start of a Padding field.

[0074] The RU Allocation subfield, together with the UL BW subfield of the Common Info field, may be used to identify the size and frequency domain location of an RU. Here, the RU size may be the number of tones (i.e., subcarriers) constituting one RU. The RU location may be the frequency domain or channel location where the RU corresponding to the UL BW is located. Some values ​​may not be set in the RU Allocation subfield depending on the size of the bandwidth indicated by the UL BW subfield. In other words, the values ​​that can be set in the RU Allocation subfield may be related to the value of the UL BW subfield. The AP may determine the number of tones of the RU and the RU index indicated in the RU Allocation subfield depending on the bandwidth set in the UL BW subfield and the number of non-AP STAs soliciting TB PPDU transmission.

[0075] The subcarrier spacing between adjacent subcarriers may be 78.125 kHz. The subcarrier spacing between subcarriers corresponding to each tone constituting one RU may be 78.125 kHz regardless of the number of tones constituting the RU.

[0076] The UL FEC Coding Type subfield may indicate the code type of the solicited TB PPDU, for example, the code type may include BCC (Binary Convolutional Code) or LDPC (Low Density Parity Check).

[0077] The UL MCS subfield may be used to indicate the MCS (Modulation and Coding Scheme) of the solicited TB PPDU.

[0078] The UL DCM subfield may be used to indicate the Dual Carrier Modulation (DCM) of the solicited TB PPDU, where DCM is a procedure for mapping the same data to multiple channels or RUs for transmission.

[0079] The SS Allocation / RA-RU information subfield may be used as the SS Allocation subfield or as the RA-RU Information subfield, depending on the value set in the AID12 subfield.

[0080] The SS Allocation subfield may be used to indicate one or more spatial streams of the solicited TB PPDU.

[0081] The RA-RU Information subfield may be used to indicate the number of consecutive RUs allocated for UORA (Uplink Orthogonal frequency division multiple access based Random Access).

[0082] The UL Target Receive Power subfield may be used to indicate the expected received signal power, averaged over one or more antennas and measured at the AP's antenna connector, for a TB PPDU transmitted on the assigned RU.

[0083] The Trigger Dependent User Info subfield may be provided with subfields corresponding to optional features supported by each STA based on the value of the Trigger Type field.

[0084] 7 is a diagram showing an example of RU allocation using the RU Allocation subfield according to one aspect of the present embodiment. The values ​​indicated in the RU Allocation subfield may be associated with an RU size and an RU index. Furthermore, the range of values ​​that can be set in the RU Allocation subfield may differ depending on the bandwidth indicated in the UL BW subfield. For example, even for the same RU size, there may be RU indices that can be set at 20 MHz and 40 MHz, and there may also be RU indices that can be set at 40 MHz.

[0085] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the maximum number of RUs that can be allocated to the bandwidth (CBW) of each channel according to one aspect of this embodiment.

[0086] The maximum number of RUs that can be allocated to each channel may vary depending on the bandwidth and RU size. For example, if the bandwidth is 20 MHz and the RU size is 26 tones, 9 RUs may be allocated to a 20 MHz channel. In this case, the AP can allocate 9 RUs to one or more non-AP STAs.

[0087] 7 and 8, a STA that requests transmission of a TB PPDU in a Trigger frame (i.e., that transmits a TB PPDU) may determine the allocation of the frequency domain of the RU to be used to transmit the TB PPDU. For example, if the received UL BW subfield indicates 40 MHz and the received RU Allocation subfield indicates 7, the STA may transmit the TB PPDU using an RU in the frequency domain corresponding to RU6 for a bandwidth of 40 MHz. Here, the TB PPDU may also be referred to as a PPDU.

[0088] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of an RU configuration according to one aspect of this embodiment. FIG. 9(a) illustrates an example of a regular RU (rRU) in which one RU is composed of consecutive tones. FIG. 9(b) illustrates an example of a distributed RU (dRU) in which multiple tones constituting one RU are arranged at equal intervals and / or in a distributed manner with respect to the maximum bandwidth or a predetermined bandwidth of the channel. Here, the rRU may be referred to as an RU of the first RU Allocation type. The dRU may be referred to as an RU of the second RU Allocation type. The RU of the first allocation type and the RU of the second allocation type may be composed of 26-, 52-, 116-, 242-, or 448-996-tones, respectively. These tones may be referred to as data subcarriers. An RU may be configured and / or mapped with a predetermined number of data subcarriers and a predetermined number of pilot subcarriers. Here, the data subcarriers may be used for data transmission. The pilot subcarrier may be used for phase information and parameter tracking. Subcarriers not used as the data or pilot subcarriers may include the DC subcarrier, null subcarrier, and guard band subcarrier. The null subcarrier may be used to reduce interference between adjacent RUs. The guard band subcarrier may be used to reduce interference between channels or bands.

[0089] Here, the bandwidth (BW) available for rRU allocation may be referred to as the regular BW. The BW available for dRU allocation may be referred to as the distribution BW. That is, the regular BW may be the BW to which rRU allocation is applied in the UL BW. The distribution BW may be the BW to which dRU allocation is applied. A subchannel within the regular BW may be referred to as a regular subchannel (i.e., a subchannel to which rRU allocation is applied). A subchannel within the distribution BW may be referred to as a distribution subchannel (i.e., a subchannel to which dRU allocation is applied). The spacing between adjacent tones constituting a dRU allocated in the distribution BW may be determined according to the distribution BW and the tone size of the dRU. For example, if a 26-tone dRU is allocated in a 20 MHz distribution BW, the spacing between adjacent tones of the dRU may be 9-tone. For example, if a 26-tone dRU is allocated in a 40 MHz distribution BW, the spacing between adjacent tones of the dRU may be 18-tone. In other words, the bandwidth over which the tones (subcarriers) that make up one dRU are widely allocated (arranged) may be the distribution BW.

[0090] The RUs indicated by the RU Allocation subfield may be allocated to non-AP STAs indicated by the AID12 subfield of the same User Info field. Also, the RUs indicated by the RU Allocation subfield may be configured so that the same or different RUs are allocated to the non-AP STAs corresponding to the User Info field.

[0091] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a procedure related to a STA transmitting a PPDU using a dRU according to one aspect of the present embodiment. In a certain BSS, an associated STA receives a Trigger frame from an AP (S1001). The STA checks whether the Trigger frame for the STA in S1001 includes a request to transmit a PPDU using a dRU (S1002). The STA determines whether the bandwidth set in the UL BW subfield and the RU Allocation set in the RU Allocation subfield are to be used for the PPDU using a dRU, based on the value set in the UL Bandwidth Extension subfield included in the Trigger frame (S1003). If the UL BW subfield and the RU Allocation subfield are to be used for transmitting a PPDU using a dRU in S1003, the STA transmits the PPDU using a dRU to the AP (S1004).

[0092] When an AP that supports and / or enables dRU-related functions uses one Trigger frame to request one or more STAs that support and / or enable dRU-related functions to transmit a PPDU using a dRU, the AP may include a subfield related to the request to transmit a PPDU using a dRU in the Common Info field of the Trigger frame.

[0093] For example, a subfield related to a transmission request for a PPDU using a dRU may be indicated as one Trigger Type in the Trigger Type subfield. That is, if the Trigger Type subfield indicates a transmission request for a PPDU using a dRU (i.e., indicates a Trigger Type index corresponding to a transmission request for a PPDU using a dRU), each RU Allocation subfield included in each User Info field may be used to perform resource allocation for the dRU. Also, if the Trigger Type subfield indicates a transmission request for a PPDU using a dRU (i.e., indicates a Trigger Type index corresponding to a transmission request for a PPDU using a dRU), tones corresponding to the RU size and RU index indicated in the RU Allocation subfield may be allocated at equal intervals across the entire bandwidth indicated by the UL BW subfield included in the Common Info field, as shown in FIG. 9(b).

[0094] For example, a subfield related to a request to transmit a PPDU using a dRU may be included in the Trigger Dependent Common Info subfield. A Trigger frame corresponding to each Trigger Type may indicate whether or not to transmit a PPDU using a dRU. A Trigger frame corresponding to some Trigger Types may not include a subfield related to a request to transmit a PPDU using a dRU.

[0095] If a subfield related to a PPDU transmission request using a dRU is included in the Trigger Dependent Common Info subfield, the RU Allocation subfield included in the User Info field may be used for dRU resource allocation. Also, if a subfield related to a PPDU transmission request using a dRU is included in the Trigger Dependent Common Info subfield, tones corresponding to the RU size and RU index indicated by the RU Allocation subfield may be allocated at equal intervals as shown in FIG. 9(b) for the entire bandwidth indicated by the UL BW subfield included in the Common Info field.

[0096] For example, a subfield related to a transmission request of a PPDU using a dRU may be a UL Bandwidth Extension subfield. Depending on the value set in the UL Bandwidth Extension subfield, it may be indicated whether the corresponding bandwidth (i.e., the bandwidth set by the UL BW subfield) is used for dRU Allocation or rRU Allocation. In other words, a non-AP STA supporting and / or enabling a dRU-related function may determine the bandwidth and bandwidth type (or RU Allocation type) of a requested TB PPDU for transmission based on the values ​​set in the UL BW subfield of the Common Info field and the UL Bandwidth Extension subfield of the Special User Info subfield, respectively.

[0097] When an AP that supports and / or enables a dRU-related function uses one Trigger frame to request one or more STAs that support and / or enable the dRU-related function to transmit a PPDU using the dRU, the AP may include a subfield related to the request for transmitting a PPDU using the dRU in the User Info field of the Trigger frame. The AP may indicate to each STA in the BSS whether to request the STA to transmit a PPDU using the dRU.

[0098] An AP supporting and / or enabling the dRU-related functionality may indicate to one or more STAs supporting and / or enabling the dRU-related functionality whether the RU Allocation subfield included in the User Info field corresponds to a dRU, using one or more specific bits constituting the RU Allocation subfield. For example, one or more STAs supporting and / or enabling the dRU-related functionality may determine that the received RU Allocation subfield is used to indicate resource allocation for a dRU if one or more specific bits constituting the received RU Allocation subfield indicate a predetermined value. Otherwise, the STAs may determine that the received RU Allocation subfield is used to indicate resource allocation for an rRU. Furthermore, one or more STAs supporting and / or enabling the dRU-related functionality may determine that the received UL BW subfield is used for resource allocation for a dRU if one or more specific bits constituting the received RU Allocation subfield indicate a predetermined value.

[0099] An AP that supports and / or enables a dRU-related function may assign a specific ID in the AID12 subfield included in the User Info field when requesting transmission of a PPDU using a dRU to one or more STAs that also support and / or enable the dRU-related function. The specific ID may be indicated using a Reserved ID. The specific ID may be defined by replacing a predetermined ID among already assigned IDs.

[0100] When an AP that supports and / or enables functions related to the dRU requests one or more STAs that support and / or enable functions related to the dRU to transmit a PPDU using the dRU, the AP may set the Trigger Dependent User Info subfield to include a subfield related to the request to transmit a PPDU using the dRU.

[0101] Here, the subfield related to the PPDU transmission request using the dRU may be a subfield used to indicate whether a dRU or an rRU is used. The subfield related to the PPDU transmission request using the dRU may be a subfield used to indicate a channel and / or a bandwidth and / or a frequency offset available for resource allocation in the dRU. The subfield related to the PPDU transmission request using the dRU may be a subfield used to indicate whether the UL BW subfield is used for the dRU or the rRU. The subfield related to the PPDU transmission request using the dRU may be a subfield used to indicate the RU Allocation of the dRU or the RU Allocation of the rRU. The subfield related to the PPDU transmission request using the dRU may be associated with information indicating whether the PPDU using the dRU can be transmitted over the puncturing channel. If it is indicated that the STA can transmit the PPDU using the dRU over the puncturing channel, the STA that supports and / or enables the dRU-related functionality may determine the resource allocation of the dRU for the puncturing channel from the bandwidth and RU size corresponding to the RU Allocation. Here, the puncturing channel may be used to indicate a channel on which PPDUs are not transmitted or received to STAs that do not support and / or enable functions related to the dRU. The puncturing channel may indicate information related to the bandwidth and frequency offset of the puncturing channel.

[0102] If a BSS and / or ESS includes an AP and non-AP STAs that support and / or enable the dRU-related function, the AP that supports and / or enables the dRU-related function may use a Trigger frame to request the non-AP STAs that support and / or enable the dRU-related function to transmit a PPDU using the dRU. To request the non-AP STAs to transmit a PPDU using the dRU, the AP may use a Trigger Dependent User Info subfield to set a subfield required to request the non-AP STAs to transmit a PPDU using the dRU.

[0103] Here, if there is at least one STA that does not support and / or enable dRU-related functions within the same BSS and / or ESS, the AP does not need to use the Trigger Dependent User Info subfield to set a subfield to request STAs that do not support and / or enable dRU-related functions to transmit a PPDU using a dRU.

[0104] Furthermore, if at least one STA that does not support and / or enable the dRU-related functionality is included in the same BSS and / or ESS, the AP may use the Trigger Dependent User Info subfield to set a subfield for requesting PPDU transmission using the dRU. In this case, the AP may not set a subfield for requesting PPDU transmission using the dRU in the Trigger Dependent User Info subfield for the STA that does not support and / or enable the dRU-related functionality. In such a case, the AP may include, in one Trigger frame, a first User Info field for the STA that supports and / or enables the dRU-related functionality and a second User Info field for the STA that does not support and / or enable the dRU-related functionality. The AP may request each STA to transmit a PPDU of the corresponding RU allocation type.

[0105] In addition, if the AP has at least one STA in the same BSS and / or ESS that does not support and / or enable dRU-related functionality and sets the UL BW subfield to a bandwidth of 20 MHz or narrower, the AP may not use the Trigger Dependent User Info subfield to set the subfields required to request transmission of a PPDU using a dRU.

[0106] A STA that does not support and / or enable dRU-related functionality may ignore a subfield related to a request to transmit a PPDU using a dRU included in a Trigger frame, even if it receives such a subfield.

[0107] A non-AP STA that supports and / or enables dRU-related functionality may determine whether the dRU distributes multiple tones across the entire maximum bandwidth of the channel or across a portion of the bandwidth, depending on the value of the subfield included in the Trigger frame.

[0108] A non-AP STA that supports and / or enables a function related to the dRU may further indicate to the AP, as capability information, whether the function related to whether distributed allocation is performed over the entire maximum bandwidth of the channel or over a portion of the bandwidth is supported and / or enabled. Also, if the AP supports and / or enables the function, the non-AP STA may request transmission of a PPDU by including in the Trigger frame a subfield indicating whether distributed allocation of multiple tones by the dRU is performed over the entire maximum bandwidth of the channel or over a portion of the bandwidth.

[0109] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a Special User Info field according to one aspect of this embodiment. The Special User Info field may be used to transmit extended common information not provided in the Common Info field. The Special User Info field does not have to be used to transmit user-specific information. The Special User Info field may be identified by a specific value in the AID12 subfield. However, the specific value does not have to be set in the AID12 subfield for non-AP STAs associated with the AP. The Special User Info field may exist as a field to indicate optional features in a Trigger frame generated by an AP. That is, the AP may optionally add the Special User Info field to the Trigger frame. That is, whether the Special User Info field is included in the Trigger frame may be determined based on whether the Trigger frame includes a User Info field. If present, the Special User Info field may be located immediately after the Common Info field in the Trigger frame. The Special User Info field may also be used to transmit information for the U-SIG field of a requested TB PPDU.

[0110] The length (time length or bit length) of the Special User Info field may be the same as the length of other User Info fields included in the same Trigger frame (except when the Trigger frame is an MU-BAR Trigger frame).

[0111] The Special User Info field may not be included in the Trigger frame unless the Trigger frame includes one or more variant User Info fields. In other words, if the AP transmits a Trigger frame that does not include a User Info field, the Trigger frame does not need to include a Special User Info field.

[0112] The Special User Info field may include a PHY Version Identifier subfield. The PHY Version Identifier subfield may be used to indicate the PHY version of the TB PPDU requested to be transmitted. For example, if the TB PPDU requested to be transmitted is an EHT TB PPDU, the PHY Version Identifier subfield may be set to 0. For example, if the TB PPDU requested to be transmitted is a UHR TB PPDU, the PHY Version Identifier subfield may be set to 1. For example, if the TB PPDU requested to be transmitted is a TB PPDU corresponding to a specific function, the PHY Version Identifier subfield may be set to 2. That is, a corresponding value may be set or defined for a TB PPDU corresponding to an added or extended function.

[0113] The PHY Version Identifier subfield may be set to a value that depends on the features supported / enabled by the non-AP STA and / or the AP. A non-AP STA may ignore a received Special User Info field if the PHY Version Identifier subfield is set to a value corresponding to a feature that the non-AP STA does not support. A non-AP STA may ignore a received PPDU if the PHY Version Identifier subfield is set to a value corresponding to a feature that the non-AP STA does not support.

[0114] The Special User Info field may include a Spatial Reuse subfield, which may be used to transmit the value included in the Spatial Reuse n subfield of the U-SIG field of the TB PPDU.

[0115] The Special User Info field may be used to indicate whether a specific subfield (specific bit) among the various subfields (or bits corresponding to the subfields) included in the U-SIG field of the TB PPDU requested to be transmitted is valid or ignored.

[0116] The U-SIG field may be used to transmit information necessary for interpreting (decoding) the PPDU. A STA receiving the U-SIG field can demodulate and decode the PPDU received with the U-SIG field.

[0117] The Special User Info field may include a UL Bandwidth Extension subfield (UL BW Ext subfield). The UL BW Ext subfield may be used in combination with the bandwidth indicated by the UL BW subfield included in the Common Info field to indicate that a bandwidth wider than 160 MHz (e.g., 320 MHz) is to be used. Furthermore, an AP that supports and / or enables a dRU-related function may use the UL BW subfield to indicate to a non-AP STA that supports and / or enables the function whether the bandwidth indicated by the UL BW subfield is to be used for dRU Allocation (or indicated as distribution BW) or rRU Allocation (or indicated as regular BW). For example, the UL BW and BW type (RU Allocation type) for the requested TB PPDU may be indicated to a non-AP STA that supports and / or enables the function in the combination shown in FIG. 12.

[0118] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the BW and BW type indicated by the UL BW subfield and the UL Bandwidth Extension subfield (UL BW Ext subfield) according to one aspect of the present embodiment. Here, the BW type may indicate a regular BW or a distribution BW. Furthermore, the BW type may be used to indicate whether the bandwidth indicated by the UL BW subfield is a regular BW. Furthermore, the BW type may be used to indicate whether the bandwidth indicated by the UL BW subfield is a distribution BW. For example, when the UL BW subfield indicates 20 MHz, the value indicated by the UL BW Ext subfield may indicate whether the bandwidth indicated by the UL BW subfield is used as a regular BW or a distribution BW. Here, when the UL BW Ext subfield is set to 0, the 20 MHz may be used as a regular BW. In such a case, a non-AP STA requested to transmit a TB PPDU may configure an RU Allocation to be used for transmitting the TB PPDU by applying an rRU Allocation. Furthermore, when the UL BW Ext subfield is set to 1, the 20 MHz may be used as the distribution BW. In this case, the non-APSTA requested to transmit a TB PPDU may configure the RU Allocation used to transmit the TB PPDU by applying the dRU Allocation.

[0119] Although FIG. 12 illustrates a case where the UL BW Ext subfield is configured with two bits, it may be configured with a number of bits (bit size) other than two. For example, the number of bits configuring the UL BW Ext subfield may change depending on the value indicated by the PHY Version Identifier subfield. Furthermore, when the UL BW Ext subfield is configured with a number of bits greater than two, it may be used to indicate that the UL BW has a bandwidth greater than 320 MHz. For example, if the PHY Version Identifier subfield is set to a value indicating that a function related to a dRU is supported / enabled, the number of bits configuring the UL BW Ext subfield may be greater than two (e.g., three) to indicate the BW type applied to the UL BW.

[0120] Depending on the value indicated by the PHY Version Identifier subfield, the table corresponding to the UL BW subfield and the UL BW Ext subfield may be changed as shown in FIG.

[0121] The UL BW and BW type may be determined according to the combination of the value set in the UL BW subfield and the value set in the UL BW Ext subfield.

[0122] If a non-AP STA receives a subfield indicating that it supports and / or enables dRU-related functions, it may determine the UL BW and BW type of the requested TB PPDU based on the combination of the value set in the UL BW subfield and the value set in the ULBW Ext subfield, as shown in FIG. 12.

[0123] Information indicating that a feature associated with the dRU is supported and / or enabled may be included in a particular element.

[0124] Information indicating that the dRU-related features are supported and / or enabled may be included in a specific Management frame, which may be used to transmit frames related to Beacon, Probe, Authentication, and (Re)Association.

[0125] Information indicating that the dRU-related functions are supported and / or enabled may be included in a specific control frame, which may be used to transmit frames related to Ack, RTS, CTS, and Trigger frames.

[0126] Information indicating that a function related to the dRU is supported and / or enabled may be included in a specific Trigger frame.

[0127] Information indicating that the dRU-related features are supported and / or enabled may be included in a specific Management and Extension frame.

[0128] Support and / or enabling of dRU related functionality may be indicated by a particular OperatingMode.

[0129] If the dRU-related features are not indicated as supported and / or enabled, then only the UL BW may be determined depending on the combination of the value set in the UL BW subfield and the value set in the UL BW Ext subfield.

[0130] Next, an operation element according to one aspect of this embodiment will be described.

[0131] The operation of a STA in a BSS in the 2.4 GHz band may be controlled by various Operation elements (e.g., HT / HE / EHT / UHR Operation elements).

[0132] The operation of a STA in a BSS in the 5 GHz band may be controlled by various Operation elements (e.g., HT / VHT / HE / EHT / UHR Operation elements).

[0133] The operation of a STA in a BSS in the 6 GHz band may be controlled by various Operation elements (e.g., HE / EHT / UHR Operation elements).

[0134] The operation of a STA in a BSS in a frequency band higher than 6 GHz may be controlled by a UHR Operation element.

[0135] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of various fields / subfields included in an Operation element format according to one aspect of the present embodiment. Fig. 13(a) is a diagram showing an Element format according to one aspect of the present embodiment. Fig. 13(b) shows an example of an Operation element format according to one aspect of the present embodiment. Fig. 13(c) shows an example of an Operation Parameters field format according to one aspect of the present embodiment. Fig. 13(d) shows an example of an Operation Information field format according to one aspect of the present embodiment. Fig. 13(e) shows an example of a Control subfield format according to one aspect of the present embodiment.

[0136] If the combination of the Element ID and the value set in the Element ID Extension included in the Element format indicates an Operation element, the Element format in Figure 13(a) may be considered to be the Operation element described in Figure 13(b).

[0137] The Operation Information Present subfield may be set to 1 if an Operation Information field is included in the Operation element, and set to 0 otherwise.

[0138] The Disabled Subchannel Bitmap Present subfield may be set to 1 if the Disabled Subchannel Bitmap subfield is included in the Operation Information field, and may otherwise be set to 0. If the Operation Information Present subfield is set to 0, the Disabled Subchannel Bitmap Present subfield may be reserved.

[0139] The Distribution Subchannel Bitmap Present subfield may be set to 1 if the Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield is included in the Operation Information field, and may be set to 0 otherwise. If the Operation Information Present subfield is set to 0, the Distribution Subchannel Bitmap Present subfield may be reserved.

[0140] The Operation Information field may be included in the Operation element if the Operation Information Present subfield is set to 1. Otherwise, the Operation Information field may be omitted. The STA may obtain a set of channel configuration parameters from the Operation Information field.

[0141] The Operation Information field may include a Control subfield, a CCFS0 subfield, a CCFS1 subfield, a Disabled Subchannel Bitmap subfield, and a Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield.

[0142] The Control subfield may include a Channel Width subfield and / or a Reserved subfield.

[0143] The Channel Width subfield may be used to indicate the BSS bandwidth.

[0144] The CCFS0 subfield may be used to specify the channel center frequency (CCF) for 20, 40, or 80 MHz BSS bandwidths. The CCFS0 subfield may also be used to indicate the primary 80 MHz channel for 160 MHz BSS bandwidths. The CCFS0 subfield may also be used to indicate the primary 160 MHz channel for 320 MHz BSS bandwidths. The CCFS0 subfield may also be used to indicate the CCF index for the 20, 40, or 80 MHz channel in which the BSS operates for 20, 40, or 80 MHz BSS bandwidths. The CCFS0 subfield may also be used to indicate the CCF index of the primary 80 MHz channel in which the BSS operates for 160 MHz BSS bandwidths. The CCFS0 subfield may also be used to indicate the CCF index of the primary 160 MHz channel in which the BSS operates for 320 MHz BSS bandwidths.

[0145] The CCFS1 subfield may be used to specify the CCF for 160 and 320 MHz BSS bandwidths. The CCFS1 subfield may be set to 0 for 20, 40, and 80 MHz BSS bandwidths, i.e., when the Channel Width subfield sets the BSS bandwidth to 20, 40, or 80 MHz. The CCFS1 subfield may also be used to indicate the CCF index of the 160 MHz channel in which the BSS operates for 160 MHz BSS bandwidths. The CCFS1 subfield may also be used to indicate the CCF index of the 320 MHz channel in which the BSS operates for 320 MHz BSS bandwidths.

[0146] An AP may set the Operation Information Present subfield in the Operation element by satisfying one or more conditions. The one or more conditions may be that the AP operates in a frequency band of 5 GHz, 6 GHz, or higher than 6 GHz. The one or more conditions may also be that the AP announces a BSS operating channel width to one or more non-AP STA(s) via the Operation element and that the BSS operating channel width announced to the non-AP STA(s) in the same Management frame is different from the BSS operating channel width announced to the non-AP STA(s). The one or more conditions may also be that the BSS operating channel width announced to the non-AP STA(s) includes at least one punctured 20 MHz subchannel and / or that the BSS operating channel width announced to the non-AP STA(s) is 320 MHz. Alternatively, the one or more conditions may be that the BSS operating channel width announced to the non-AP STA(s) includes at least one 20 MHz subchannel (i.e., distribution subchannel) to which dRU Allocation is applied. If all of the one or more conditions are not met, the AP may set the Operation Information Present subfield to 0. In other words, the AP does not need to include the Operation Information field in the Operation element.

[0147] The Disabled Subchannel Bitmap subfield may be included in the Operation Information field if the Disabled Subchannel Bitmap Present subfield is set to 1. The Disabled Subchannel Bitmap subfield may be used to provide a list of punctured subchannels within the BSS bandwidth. Otherwise, the Disabled Subchannel Bitmap subfield may not be included in the Operation Information field.

[0148] The Disabled Subchannel Bitmap subfield may be configured with a 16-bit bitmap. The least significant bit of the bitmap may correspond to the 20 MHz subchannel with the lowest frequency among all 20 MHz subchannels included in the BSS bandwidth. Consecutive bits in the bitmap may correspond to each 20 MHz subchannel included in the BSS bandwidth. If the 20 MHz subchannel corresponding to the bitmap bit is to be punctured, the bitmap bit may be set to 1. If the 20 MHz subchannel corresponding to the bitmap bit is not to be punctured, the bitmap bit may be set to 0. Bits in the bitmap corresponding to 20 MHz subchannels outside the BSS bandwidth may be reserved.

[0149] The Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield may be included in the Operation Information field if the Distribution Subchannel Bitmap Present subfield is set to 1. The Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield may be used to provide a list of subchannels to which dRU Allocation is applied within the BSS bandwidth. Otherwise, the Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield may not be included in the Operation Information field.

[0150] The Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield may be configured with a 16-bit bitmap. The least significant bit of the bitmap may correspond to the 20 MHz subchannel with the lowest frequency among all 20 MHz subchannels included in the BSS bandwidth. Consecutive bits in the bitmap may correspond to each 20 MHz subchannel included in the BSS bandwidth. If dRU Allocation is applied to the 20 MHz subchannel corresponding to the bitmap bit, the bitmap bit may be set to 1. If dRU Allocation is not applied to the 20 MHz subchannel corresponding to the bitmap bit, the bitmap bit may be set to 0. Bits in the bitmap corresponding to 20 MHz subchannels outside the BSS bandwidth may be reserved. In other words, in the Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield, some bits may be reserved when the BSS bandwidth is narrower (smaller) than 320 MHz. The BSS bandwidth may be the uplink bandwidth (UL BW) used for the BSS. Not applying dRU Allocation may mean applying rRU Allocation. In other words, not using a dRU may mean using an rRU.

[0151] The Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield may be configured with a bitmap of fewer than 16 bits (for example, 4 bits) as long as it indicates whether dRU Allocation is applied in 80 MHz frequency subblock units. The Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield may also indicate whether each 20 MHz subchannel included in the 80 MHz frequency subblock is punctured. In other words, the 4-bit Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield may indicate whether a dRU is used in each 80 MHz frequency subblock.

[0152] The Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield may be included in the Bandwidth Indication element.

[0153] The Bandwidth Indication element may include information indicating each of the channel bandwidth, CCF, and punctured subchannels. Furthermore, the Bandwidth Indication element may include information indicating distribution subchannels if the AP and non-AP STAs support and / or enable functions related to the dRU.

[0154] The Bandwidth Indication element may be indicated as a subelement contained in various elements.

[0155] 14A and 14B are diagrams illustrating an example of a Bandwidth Indication element according to one aspect of the present embodiment. Fig. 14A is a diagram illustrating an example of a Bandwidth Indication element format according to one aspect of the present embodiment. Fig. 14B is a diagram illustrating an example of a Bandwidth Indication Parameters field format according to one aspect of the present embodiment.

[0156] If the Bandwidth Indication Information field includes a Disabled Subchannel Bitmap subfield, the Disabled Subchannel Bitmap Present subfield may be set to 1. Otherwise, the Disabled Subchannel Bitmap Present subfield may be set to 0.

[0157] If the Bandwidth Indication Information field includes a Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield, the Distribution Subchannel Bitmap Present subfield may be set to 1. Otherwise, the Distribution Subchannel Bitmap Present subfield may be set to 0.

[0158] The Operation element may be included in a Beacon frame, a Probe Response frame, an Association Response frame, or a Reassociation Response frame.

[0159] The Bandwidth Indication element may be included in a Beacon frame, a Probe Response frame, an Association Response frame, or a Reassociation Response frame.

[0160] The Bandwidth Indication Information field may include the same information and / or subfields as the Operation Information field of the Operation element shown in FIG.

[0161] If both the Disabled Subchannel Bitmap subfield and the Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield are set, the values ​​set in the bitmaps included in the Disabled Subchannel Bitmap subfield and the Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield may be set individually. If each subfield is set to 1 for the same 20 MHz subchannel, the resource configuration of the dRU may be determined by puncturing the 20 MHz subchannel.

[0162] When both the Disabled Subchannel Bitmap subfield and the Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield are set, the Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield may be a subset of the Disabled Subchannel Bitmap subfield. For example, for one or more 20 MHz subchannels for which the bitmap bits in the Disabled Subchannel Bitmap subfield are set to 1, one or more of those 20 MHz subchannels may be set as distribution subchannels. In such a case, a non-AP STA to which rRU Allocation is applied may determine the punctured subchannel based on the Disabled Subchannel Bitmap subfield and determine the resource configuration of the rRU. In such a case, a non-AP STA to which dRU Allocation is applied may determine the resource configuration of the dRU based on the Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield.

[0163] When the Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield is set to 1 for multiple consecutive 20 MHz subchannels within the BSS bandwidth, the Operation element may include a subfield indicating whether the multiple consecutive 20 MHz subchannels constitute one distribution BW. For example, if 1 is set for two consecutive 20 MHz subchannels, the Operation element may include a subfield indicating whether dRU allocation is performed as two 20 MHz distribution BWs or one 40 MHz distribution BW. For example, if 1 is set for four consecutive 20 MHz subchannels, the Operation element may include a subfield indicating whether dRU allocation is performed as four 20 MHz distribution BWs, two 40 MHz distribution BWs, one 80 MHz distribution BW, or two 20 MHz distribution BWs and one 40 MHz distribution BW. In other words, an 80 MHz distribution BW may be used when using 80 MHz. Also, when using 80 MHz, two 20 MHz distribution BWs and one 40 MHz distribution BW may be used in combination.

[0164] A subfield for indicating the configuration of the distribution BW within the BSS bandwidth may be defined independently of the Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield. For example, if one 20 MHz subchannel indicated to be punctured by the Disabled Subchannel Bitmap subfield overlaps with a 40 MHz distribution BW, the non-AP STA may determine the resource configuration of the dRU by puncturing the 20 MHz subchannel in the 40 MHz distribution BW that corresponds to the bit set to 1 by the Disabled Subchannel Bitmap subfield. In other words, a configuration combining the distribution BW and the punctured subchannel may be used. Furthermore, the subfield for indicating the configuration of the distribution BW within the BSS bandwidth may be a subfield related to the distribution BW.

[0165] The Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield may be included in the Common Info field of the Trigger frame. The size of the bitmap in the Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield may be changed and defined according to the bandwidth indicated by the UL BW subfield included in the Common Info field.

[0166] The Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield may be included in the Special User Info field of the Trigger frame.

[0167] The Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield may be included in the User Info field of the Trigger frame. The Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield may be configured as a 4-bit bitmap to correspond to the 80 MHz frequency subblock to which the RU Allocation subfield included in the User Info field corresponds. That is, the Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield may be configured as 4 bits to correspond to each of the 80 MHz frequency subblocks to which RUs are allocated by the RU Allocation subfield.

[0168] The Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield may be included in an OM (Operating Mode) Control field. The size of the bitmap included in the Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield may be changed and defined according to the bandwidth indicated by the Channel Width subfield included in the OM Control field.

[0169] A subfield for indicating the configuration of distribution BW within the BSS bandwidth may be included in the Common Info field of the Trigger frame. Furthermore, the subfield for indicating the configuration of distribution BW within the BSS bandwidth may indicate the configuration of distribution BW according to the bandwidth set in the UL BW subfield within the BSS bandwidth. In other words, in such a case, the subfield may be a subfield for indicating the configuration of distribution BW within the UL BW. Furthermore, the subfield may be a subfield related to the distribution BW within the UL BW.

[0170] The subfield for indicating the configuration of the distribution BW within the BSS bandwidth may be included in the Special User Info field of the Trigger frame. Also, the subfield for indicating the configuration of the distribution BW within the BSS bandwidth may indicate the configuration of the distribution BW according to the bandwidth corresponding to the value set in the UL BW subfield and the value set in the UL BW Ext subfield within the BSS bandwidth.

[0171] A subfield for indicating the configuration of the distribution BW within the BSS bandwidth may be included in the User Info field of the Trigger frame. Furthermore, the subfield for indicating the configuration of the distribution BW within the BSS bandwidth may indicate the configuration of the distribution BW in accordance with the 80 MHz frequency subblock to which the RU Allocation subfield within the BSS bandwidth corresponds. In other words, in such a case, the subfield may be a subfield for indicating the configuration of the distribution BW within the 80 MHz frequency subblock. Furthermore, the subfield may be a subfield related to the distribution BW.

[0172] A subfield for indicating the configuration of the distribution BW within the BSS bandwidth may be included in the OM Control field. The subfield for indicating the configuration of the distribution BW within the BSS bandwidth may indicate the configuration of the distribution BW according to the bandwidth indicated by the Channel Width subfield included in the OM Control field. In other words, in such a case, the subfield may be a subfield for indicating the configuration of the distribution BW within the bandwidth indicated by the Channel Width subfield.

[0173] The program running on the STA according to the embodiment of the present invention may be a program (a program that makes a computer function) that controls a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like so as to realize the functions of the above-described embodiment of the present invention. Information handled by these devices is temporarily stored in RAM (Random Access Memory) during processing, and then stored in various ROMs such as Flash ROM (Read Only Memory) or HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and is read, modified, and written by the CPU as needed.

[0174] Note that a part of the STA in the above-described embodiment may be realized by a computer, in which case a program for realizing this control function may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read by a computer system and executed.

[0175] The term "computer system" used here refers to a computer system built into the STA, including hardware such as the OS and peripheral devices. Also, the term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into the computer system.

[0176] Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" may include a medium that dynamically stores a program for a short period of time, such as a communication line when transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, or a medium that stores a program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory within a computer system that serves as a server or client in such a case. The program may also be one that realizes part of the above-mentioned functions, or one that can realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

[0177] A non-AP STA may include at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program instructions (computer programs). The memory and computer program instructions (computer programs) may be configured to cause the terminal device 1 to perform the operations and processes described in the above embodiments using the processor. An AP or STA may include at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program instructions (computer programs). The memory and computer program instructions (computer programs) may be configured to cause the AP or STA to perform the operations and processes described in the above embodiments using the processor.

[0178] Furthermore, the AP in the above-described embodiments can also be realized as a collection (device group) consisting of multiple devices. Each of the devices constituting the device group may have some or all of the functions or functional blocks of the AP according to the above-described embodiments. The device group only needs to have all of the functions or functional blocks of the AP. Furthermore, the STA according to the above-described embodiments can also communicate with the AP as a collection.

[0179] Furthermore, the AP in the above-described embodiments may be an EUTRAN (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network) and / or an NG-RAN (NextGen RAN, NR RAN). Furthermore, the AP in the above-described embodiments may have some or all of the functionality of an upper node for an eNodeB and / or a gNB.

[0180] Furthermore, some or all of the STA in the above-described embodiments may be realized as an LSI, which is typically an integrated circuit, or as a chipset. Each functional block of the STA may be individually formed into a chip, or some or all of the STA may be integrated into a chip. Furthermore, the integrated circuit method is not limited to LSI, and may be realized using a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. Furthermore, if an integrated circuit technology that can replace LSI emerges due to advances in semiconductor technology, it is also possible to use an integrated circuit based on that technology.

[0181] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a terminal device is described as an example of a communication device, but the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to terminal devices or communication devices such as stationary or non-movable electronic devices installed indoors or outdoors, for example, AV equipment, kitchen equipment, cleaning / washing equipment, air conditioning equipment, office equipment, vending machines, and other household appliances.

[0182] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design modifications and the like are also included within the scope of the gist of the present invention. Furthermore, various modifications of one aspect of the present invention are possible within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, configurations in which elements described in the above embodiments are substituted with elements that achieve the same effect are also included.

[0183] One aspect of the present invention can be used, for example, in a communication system, a communication device (e.g., a mobile phone device, a base station device, a wireless LAN device, or a sensor device), an integrated circuit (e.g., a communication chip), or a program.

[0184] 101 BSS 102 AP 103 non-AP STA SU1, AU1 Antenna section SU2, AU2 RF section SU3, AU3 Physical layer processing section SU4, AU4 MAC layer processing section SU5 Upper layer packet processing section AU5 DSAF SU6, AU6 Radio transmission / reception section SU7, AU7 Frame processing section

Claims

1. The 4-bit Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield indicates whether a dRU is used in each of the 80 MHz frequency subblocks of the terminal equipment.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield is included in a Common Info field of a Trigger frame, the Trigger frame is used to request TB PPDU transmission and allocate resources for the TB PPDU transmission, and the Common Info field includes a Trigger Type subfield used to identify the type of the Trigger frame.

3. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein in the Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield, bits corresponding to 80 MHz frequency subblocks that use dRUs are set to a first value, and bits corresponding to 80 MHz frequency subblocks that do not use dRUs are set to a second value.

4. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein in the Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield, when the UL BW is narrower than 320 MHz, some bits are reserved.

5. The 4-bit Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield indicates whether a dRU is used in each 80 MHz frequency subblock.

6. The 4-bit Distribution Subchannel Bitmap subfield indicates whether a dRU is used in each of the 80 MHz frequency subblocks.

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