Efficient allocation of frequency resources for data transmission

Abstract

The present specification can relate to a data field included in a physical protocol data unit (PPDU). For example: the data field can include a first unit, a second unit, a third unit and a fourth unit duplicated in a frequency domain in units of a first carrier unit having a plurality of tones; the data field can further include a first frequency resource, a second frequency resource, a third frequency resource and a fourth frequency resource duplicated in the frequency domain in units of a second carrier unit having a plurality of tones; and the first to fourth frequency resources can be positioned between the second unit and the third unit in the frequency domain.

Description

Efficient allocation of frequency resources for data transmission

[0001] This specification relates to a wireless LAN system, and more specifically, to a method and device for efficiently using frequency resources or improving data rates in a wireless LAN system.

[0002] Wireless local area networks (WLANs) have been improved in various ways. For example, the Extreme High Throughput (EHT) standard can utilize newly proposed increased bandwidth, an improved PHY layer protocol data unit (PPDU) structure, improved sequences, and the Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) technique.

[0003] For example, a new standard that further improves the EHT standard is called the Ultra High Reliability (UHR) standard. The UHR standard may also be referred to as IEEE 802.11bn or WIFI 8. For example, the UHR standard may propose technical features that improve data rates even at low signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) levels. Furthermore, the UHR standard may propose technical features that minimize latency and jitter even in scenarios with mobility and overlapping BSSs. Furthermore, the UHR standard may propose technical features for wireless medium reuse.

[0004] Existing wireless LAN systems can perform communications based on resource units (RUs) of various sizes. In this case, RUs of various sizes (e.g., a center 26-tone RU) can be defined around a direct current (DC) signal.

[0005] In wireless LAN systems, there are instances where frequency resources surrounding direct current (DC) signals are not efficiently utilized. For example, when a frame structure is used to increase signal transmission range, a specific RU size (e.g., a 52-tone RU) may be duplicated in the frequency domain, which may result in inefficient utilization of frequency resources surrounding the DC (direct current) signal.

[0006] The reason why signal transmission range must be increased in a WLAN system is as follows. In a WLAN system, various STAs, including access points (APs) and non-AP STAs (stations), can operate. Typically, the TX power of an AP is greater than that of a non-AP STA. This difference in TX power can cause a difference between the range of downlink signal transmission and the range of uplink signal transmission in a WLAN system.

[0007] In wireless LAN systems, replication of RUs (received units) in the frequency domain can be performed in units of a specific size to increase signal transmission range. In this case, frequency resources surrounding the direct current (DC) signal (e.g., a center 26-tone RU) may not be used for data transmission.

[0008] In certain cases (e.g., when transmitting ELR PPDUs), the bandwidth or RU size may be small, limiting the number of bits that can be transmitted. In these cases, the frequency resources surrounding the direct current (DC) signal (e.g., the center 26-tone RU) that do not participate in data transmission can cause various issues in terms of data rate or throughput.

[0009] The present disclosure may propose a method for transmitting / receiving a physical protocol data unit (PPDU) with an improved structure and a device related thereto.

[0010] The technical features of this specification can be applied to PPDUs of various types / formats. For example, the technical features of this specification can be applied to the data field and / or signal field of a PPDU.

[0011] For example, an example of the present specification may relate to a data field included in a Physical Protocol Data Unit (PPDU). For example, the data field may include four first carrier units duplicated in a frequency domain in units of first carrier units having a plurality of tones, and the four first carrier units may include a first unit, a second unit, a third unit, and a fourth unit sequentially positioned in the frequency domain.

[0012] For example, the data field may further include four second carrier units duplicated in the frequency domain in units of second carrier units having multiple tones, and the four second carrier units may include a first frequency resource, a second frequency resource, a third frequency resource, and a fourth frequency resource sequentially positioned in the frequency domain.

[0013] For example, the first to fourth frequency resources may be located between the second unit and the third unit in the frequency domain.

[0014] An example of this specification proposes a PPDU with an improved structure. For example, according to an example of this specification, two types of carrier unit units can be used. For example, a 26-tone carrier unit unit and a 6-tone carrier unit unit can be used together. For example, two different types of carrier unit units can be replicated four times in the frequency domain. This can increase the transmission range of the PPDU.

[0015] Because the examples in this specification utilize various types of carrier units, frequency resources surrounding the direct current (DC) signal can also participate in data transmission. This can have the advantageous technical effect of increasing the transmission range of the PPDU while also increasing the data rate and throughput.

[0016] Figure 1 illustrates an example of a transmitting device and / or a receiving device of the present specification.

[0017] Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the structure of a wireless local area network (WLAN).

[0018] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a general link setup process.

[0019] Figure 4 illustrates one embodiment of a multi-link (ML).

[0020] Figure 5 illustrates a PPDU transmitted / received by an STA of this specification.

[0021] Figure 6 is a diagram showing the layout of resource units (RUs) used for 20MHz PPDU.

[0022] Figure 7 is a diagram showing the layout of resource units (RUs) used for 40MHz PPDU.

[0023] Figure 8 is a diagram showing the layout of resource units (RUs) used for 80MHz PPDU.

[0024] Figure 9 shows the operation according to UL-MU.

[0025] Figure 10 shows an example of channels used / supported / defined within the 2.4 GHz band.

[0026] Figure 11 illustrates an example of channels used / supported / defined within the 5 GHz band.

[0027] Figure 12 illustrates an example of channels used / supported / defined within the 6 GHz band.

[0028] Figure 13 shows an example of a header of a MAC frame.

[0029] FIG. 14 illustrates a modified example of a transmitting device and / or a receiving device of the present specification.

[0030] Figure 15 is a diagram related to the arrangement of RUs used for ELR transmission.

[0031] FIG. 16 illustrates a technique for increasing the utilization of frequency resources adjacent to a DC signal according to an example of the present specification.

[0032] Figure 17 shows an example of an ELR PPDU of this specification.

[0033] Figure 18 illustrates another example of a PPDU of this specification.

[0034] Figure 19 is an example of a procedure flowchart related to this specification.

[0035] Figure 20 is an example of a procedure flowchart related to this specification.

[0036] As used herein, "A or B" can mean "only A," "only B," or "both A and B." In other words, as used herein, "A or B" can be interpreted as "A and / or B." For example, as used herein, "A, B or C" can mean "only A," "only B," "only C," or "any combination of A, B and C."

[0037] As used herein, a slash ( / ) or a comma can mean "and / or." For example, "A / B" can mean "A and / or B." Accordingly, "A / B" can mean "only A," "only B," or "both A and B." For example, "A, B, C" can mean "A, B, or C."

[0038] In this specification, "at least one of A and B" may mean "only A", "only B" or "both A and B". Additionally, in this specification, the expressions "at least one of A or B" or "at least one of A and / or B" may be interpreted identically to "at least one of A and B".

[0039] In addition, parentheses used in this specification may mean "for example". Specifically, when it is indicated as "control information (UHR-Signal field)", the "UHR-Signal field" may be proposed as an example of "control information". In other words, the "control information" in this specification is not limited to the "UHR-Signal field", and the "UHR-Signal field" may be proposed as an example of "control information". In addition, even when it is indicated as "control information (UHR-Signal field)", the "UHR-Signal field" may be proposed as an example of "control information".

[0040] Additionally, as used herein, "a / an" can mean "at least one" or "one or more." Additionally, terms ending in "(s)" can mean "at least one" or "one or more."

[0041] Additionally, the expressions "based on" or "on the basis of" or "according to" used herein mean "based at least in part on" and not "based solely on".

[0042] Technical features individually described in a single drawing in this specification may be implemented individually or simultaneously.

[0043] The following examples of this specification can be applied to various wireless communication systems. For example, the following examples of this specification can be applied to wireless local area network (WLAN) systems. For example, the present specification can be applied to the IEEE 802.11a / g / n / ac / ax / be / bn standards. In addition, the examples of this specification can be applied to the Ultra High Reliability (UHR) standard or the next-generation wireless LAN standard that enhances IEEE 802.11bn. In addition, the examples of this specification can be applied to mobile communication systems. For example, the examples of this specification can be applied to mobile communication systems based on Long Term Evolution (LTE) and its evolution based on the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard.

[0044] In order to explain the technical features of this specification, the technical features to which this specification can be applied are described below.

[0045] Figure 1 illustrates an example of a transmitting device and / or a receiving device of the present specification.

[0046] An example of FIG. 1 can perform various technical features described below. FIG. 1 relates to at least one STA (station). For example, the STA (110, 120) of the present specification may also be referred to by various names such as a mobile terminal, a wireless device, a Wireless Transmit / Receive Unit (WTRU), a User Equipment (UE), a Mobile Station (MS), a Mobile Subscriber Unit, or simply a user. The STA (110, 120) of the present specification may also be referred to by various names such as a network, a base station, a Node-B, an access point (AP), a repeater, a router, a relay, etc. The STA (110, 120) of the present specification may also be referred to by various names such as a receiving apparatus, a transmitting apparatus, a receiving STA, a transmitting STA, a receiving device, a transmitting device, etc.

[0047] For example, STA (110, 120) may perform the role of an AP (access point) or a non-AP role. That is, STA (110, 120) of the present specification may perform the functions of an AP and / or a non-AP. In the present specification, AP may also be indicated as an AP STA.

[0048] The STA (110, 120) of this specification can support various communication standards other than the IEEE 802.11 standard. For example, it can support communication standards according to the 3GPP standard (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR standard). In addition, the STA of this specification can be implemented in various devices such as mobile phones, vehicles, and personal computers. In addition, the STA of this specification can support communication for various communication services such as voice calls, video calls, data communications, and autonomous driving (Self-Driving, Autonomous-Driving).

[0049] In this specification, STA (110, 120) may include a medium access control (MAC) and a physical layer interface for a wireless medium that follow the provisions of the IEEE 802.11 standard.

[0050] Based on the sub-drawing (a) of Fig. 1, STA (110, 120) is described as follows.

[0051] The first STA (110) may include a processor (111), a memory (112), and a transceiver (113). The illustrated processor, memory, and transceiver may each be implemented as separate chips, or at least two blocks / functions may be implemented through a single chip.

[0052] The transceiver (113) of the first STA performs signal transmission and reception operations. Specifically, it can transmit and receive IEEE 802.11 packets (e.g., IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be, etc.).

[0053] For example, the first STA (110) can perform the intended operation of the AP. For example, the processor (111) of the AP can receive a signal through the transceiver (113), process the received signal, generate a transmission signal, and perform control for signal transmission. The memory (112) of the AP can store a signal (e.g., a received signal) received through the transceiver (113) and store a signal (e.g., a transmitted signal) to be transmitted through the transceiver.

[0054] For example, the second STA (120) can perform the intended operation of a non-AP STA. For example, the transceiver (123) of the non-AP performs signal transmission and reception operations. Specifically, it can transmit and receive IEEE 802.11 packets (e.g., IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be, etc.).

[0055] For example, the processor (121) of the Non-AP STA can receive a signal through the transceiver (123), process the received signal, generate a transmission signal, and perform control for signal transmission. The memory (122) of the Non-AP STA can store a signal (e.g., a reception signal) received through the transceiver (123) and store a signal (e.g., a transmission signal) to be transmitted through the transceiver.

[0056] For example, in the specification below, the operation of a device indicated as AP may be performed in the first STA (110) or the second STA (120). For example, if the first STA (110) is an AP, the operation of the device indicated as AP may be controlled by the processor (111) of the first STA (110), and a related signal may be transmitted or received through a transceiver (113) controlled by the processor (111) of the first STA (110). In addition, control information related to the operation of the AP or a transmission / reception signal of the AP may be stored in the memory (112) of the first STA (110). In addition, when the second STA (110) is an AP, the operation of the device indicated as an AP is controlled by the processor (121) of the second STA (120), and a related signal can be transmitted or received through a transceiver (123) controlled by the processor (121) of the second STA (120). In addition, control information related to the operation of the AP or the transmission / reception signal of the AP can be stored in the memory (122) of the second STA (110).

[0057] For example, in the specification below, the operation of a device indicated as a non-AP (or User-STA) may be performed in the STA (110) or the second STA (120). For example, if the second STA (120) is a non-AP, the operation of the device indicated as a non-AP may be controlled by the processor (121) of the second STA (120), and a related signal may be transmitted or received through a transceiver (123) controlled by the processor (121) of the second STA (120). In addition, control information related to the operation of the non-AP or the transmission / reception signal of the AP may be stored in the memory (122) of the second STA (120). For example, if the first STA (110) is a non-AP, the operation of a device indicated as a non-AP is controlled by the processor (111) of the first STA (110), and a related signal may be transmitted or received through a transceiver (113) controlled by the processor (111) of the first STA (120). In addition, control information related to the operation of the non-AP or the transmission / reception signal of the AP may be stored in the memory (112) of the first STA (110).

[0058] In the following specification, devices called (transmitting / receiving) STA, first STA, second STA, STA1, STA2, AP, first AP, second AP, AP1, AP2, (transmitting / receiving) Terminal, (transmitting / receiving) device, (transmitting / receiving) apparatus, network, etc. may refer to the STA (110, 120) of FIG. 1. For example, devices indicated as (transmitting / receiving) STA, first STA, second STA, STA1, STA2, AP, first AP, second AP, AP1, AP2, (transmitting / receiving) Terminal, (transmitting / receiving) device, (transmitting / receiving) apparatus, network, etc. without specific drawing symbols may also refer to the STA (110, 120) of FIG. 1. For example, in the example below, the operation of various STAs transmitting and receiving signals (e.g., PPPDU) may be performed by the transceiver (113, 123) of FIG. 1. In addition, in the example below, the operation of various STAs generating transmission and reception signals or performing data processing or calculations in advance for transmission and reception signals may be performed by the processor (111, 121) of FIG. 1.For example, an example of an operation for generating a transmission / reception signal or performing data processing or operation in advance for a transmission / reception signal may include 1) an operation for determining / obtaining / configuring / computing / decoding / encoding bit information of a subfield (SIG, STF, LTF, Data) field included in a PPDU, 2) an operation for determining / configuring / obtaining time resources or frequency resources (e.g., subcarrier resources) used for a subfield (SIG, STF, LTF, Data) field included in a PPDU, 3) an operation for determining / configuring / obtaining a specific sequence (e.g., a pilot sequence, an STF / LTF sequence, an extra sequence applied to SIG) used for a subfield (SIG, STF, LTF, Data) field included in a PPDU, 4) a power control operation and / or a power saving operation applied to an STA, 5) an operation related to determining / obtaining / configuring / computing / decoding / encoding an ACK signal, etc. Additionally, in the examples below, various information (e.g., information related to fields / subfields / control fields / parameters / power, etc.) used by various STAs for determining / acquiring / configuring / computing / decoding / encoding transmission / reception signals can be stored in the memory (112, 122) of FIG. 1.

[0059] The device / STA of the sub-drawing (a) of the above-described FIG. 1 can be modified as in the sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1. Hereinafter, the STA (110, 120) of the present specification will be described based on the sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1.

[0060] For example, the transceiver (113, 123) illustrated in sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1 may perform the same function as the transceiver illustrated in sub-drawing (a) of FIG. 1 described above. For example, the processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1 may include a processor (111, 121) and a memory (112, 122). The processor (111, 121) and the memory (112, 122) illustrated in sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1 may perform the same function as the processor (111, 121) and the memory (112, 122) illustrated in sub-drawing (a) of FIG. 1 described above.

[0061] The mobile terminal, wireless device, Wireless Transmit / Receive Unit (WTRU), User Equipment (UE), Mobile Station (MS), Mobile Subscriber Unit, user, user STA, network, Base Station, Node-B, Access Point (AP), repeater, router, relay, receiving device, transmitting device, receiving STA, transmitting STA, receiving Device, transmitting Device, receiving Apparatus, and / or transmitting Apparatus described below may refer to the STA (110, 120) illustrated in the sub-drawings (a) / (b) of FIG. 1, or may refer to the processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in the sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1. That is, the technical feature of the present specification may be performed in the STA (110, 120) illustrated in the sub-drawings (a) / (b) of FIG. 1, or may be performed only in the processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in the sub-drawings (b) of FIG. 1. For example, the technical feature that the transmitting STA transmits a control signal may be understood as a technical feature that the control signal generated in the processor (111, 121) illustrated in the sub-drawings (a) / (b) of FIG. 1 is transmitted through the transceiver (113, 123) illustrated in the sub-drawings (a) / (b) of FIG. 1. Alternatively, the technical feature that the transmitting STA transmits a control signal may be understood as a technical feature that the control signal to be transmitted to the transceiver (113, 123) is generated in the processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in the sub-drawings (b) of FIG. 1.

[0062] For example, the technical feature of a receiving STA receiving a control signal can be understood as a technical feature of a control signal being received by a transceiver (113, 123) illustrated in sub-drawing (a) of FIG. 1. Alternatively, the technical feature of a receiving STA receiving a control signal can be understood as a technical feature of a control signal received by a transceiver (113, 123) illustrated in sub-drawing (a) of FIG. 1 being acquired by a processor (111, 121) illustrated in sub-drawing (a) of FIG. 1. Alternatively, the technical feature of a receiving STA receiving a control signal can be understood as a technical feature of a control signal received by a transceiver (113, 123) illustrated in sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1 being acquired by a processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in sub-drawing (b) of FIG.

[0063] Referring to the sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1, software code (115, 125) may be included in the memory (112, 122). The software code (115, 125) may include instructions that control the operation of the processor (111, 121). The software code (115, 125) may be included in various programming languages.

[0064] The processor (111, 121) or processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in FIG. 1 may include an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), another chipset, a logic circuit, and / or a data processing device. The processor may be an application processor (AP). For example, the processor (111, 121) or processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in FIG. 1 may include at least one of a digital signal processor (DSP), a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), and a modem (modulator and demodulator). For example, the processor (111, 121) or processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in FIG. 1 may be a SNAPDRAGON® series processor manufactured by Qualcomm®, an EXYNOS® series processor manufactured by Samsung®, an A series processor manufactured by Apple®, a HELIO® series processor manufactured by MediaTek®, an ATOM® series processor manufactured by INTEL®, or an enhanced processor thereof.

[0065] In this specification, uplink may mean a link for communication from a non-AP STA to an AP STA, and uplink PPDU / packet / signal, etc. may be transmitted through the uplink. In addition, in this specification, downlink may mean a link for communication from an AP STA to a non-AP STA, and downlink PPDU / packet / signal, etc. may be transmitted through the downlink.

[0066] Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the structure of a wireless local area network (WLAN).

[0067] The upper part of Figure 2 shows the structure of the infrastructure BSS (basic service set) of IEEE (institute of electrical and electronic engineers) 802.11.

[0068] Referring to the top of FIG. 2, the wireless LAN system may include one or more infrastructure BSSs (200, 205) (hereinafter, BSS). The BSSs (200, 205) are a collection of APs and STAs, such as an access point (AP) 225 and a station (STA1, 200-1), that have successfully synchronized and can communicate with each other, and are not a concept that designates a specific area. The BSS (205) may also include one or more STAs (205-1, 205-2) that can be associated with one AP (230).

[0069] The BSS may include at least one STA, an AP (225, 230) providing a distribution service, and a distribution system (DS, 210) connecting multiple APs.

[0070] A distributed system (210) can connect multiple BSSs (200, 205) to implement an extended service set (ESS) 240. An ESS (240) can be used as a term to indicate a network formed by connecting one or more APs through the distributed system (210). APs included in a single ESS (240) can have the same SSID (service set identification).

[0071] The portal (portal, 220) can act as a bridge to connect a wireless LAN network (IEEE 802.11) to another network (e.g., 802.X).

[0072] In a BSS such as the upper part of Fig. 2, a network between APs (225, 230) and a network between APs (225, 230) and STAs (200-1, 205-1, 205-2) can be implemented. However, it may also be possible to establish a network and perform communication between STAs without an AP (225, 230). A network that establishes a network and performs communication between STAs without an AP (225, 230) is defined as an ad-hoc network or an independent basic service set (IBSS).

[0073] The bottom of Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram showing IBSS.

[0074] Referring to the bottom of Fig. 2, the IBSS is a BSS that operates in ad-hoc mode. Since the IBSS does not include an AP, there is no centralized management entity. That is, in the IBSS, the STAs (250-1, 250-2, 250-3, 255-4, 255-5) are managed in a distributed manner. In the IBSS, all STAs (250-1, 250-2, 250-3, 255-4, 255-5) can be mobile STAs, and access to the distributed system is not permitted, forming a self-contained network.

[0075] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a general link setup process.

[0076] In step S310, the STA may perform a network discovery operation. This network discovery operation may include scanning by the STA. That is, for the STA to access the network, it must find a network it can join. Before joining a wireless network, the STA must identify compatible networks. The process of identifying networks in a specific area is called scanning. Scanning methods include active scanning and passive scanning.

[0077] Figure 3 illustrates a network discovery operation that includes an active scanning process as an example. In active scanning, an STA performing scanning transmits a probe request frame to discover which APs exist in the vicinity while moving between channels and waits for a response. A responder transmits a probe response frame to the STA that transmitted the probe request frame in response to the probe request frame. Here, the responder may be the STA that last transmitted a beacon frame in the BSS of the channel being scanned. In a BSS, the AP transmits the beacon frame, so the AP becomes the responder. In an IBSS, the STAs within the IBSS take turns transmitting beacon frames, so the responder is not constant. For example, an STA that transmits a probe request frame on channel 1 and receives a probe response frame on channel 1 can store BSS-related information included in the received probe response frame and move to the next channel (e.g., channel 2) to perform scanning (e.g., transmitting and receiving probe requests / responses on channel 2) in the same manner.

[0078] Although not shown in the example of FIG. 3, the scanning operation can also be performed in a passive scanning manner. An STA performing scanning based on passive scanning can wait for a beacon frame while moving between channels. A beacon frame is one of the management frames in IEEE 802.11. It announces the presence of a wireless network and is periodically transmitted so that the scanning STA can find the wireless network and participate in the wireless network. In the BSS, the AP periodically transmits the beacon frame, and in the IBSS, the STAs within the IBSS take turns transmitting the beacon frame. When the scanning STA receives a beacon frame, it stores the information about the BSS included in the beacon frame and moves to another channel, recording the beacon frame information on each channel. An STA that receives a beacon frame can store the BSS-related information included in the received beacon frame, move to the next channel, and perform scanning on the next channel in the same manner.

[0079] An STA that discovers a network can perform an authentication process through step S320. This authentication process may be referred to as the first authentication process to clearly distinguish it from the security setup operation of step S340 described below. The authentication process of S320 may include a process in which the STA transmits an authentication request frame to the AP, and the AP responds by transmitting an authentication response frame to the STA. The authentication frame used for the authentication request / response corresponds to a management frame.

[0080] The authentication frame may include information such as an authentication algorithm number, an authentication transaction sequence number, a status code, a challenge text, a Robust Security Network (RSN), and a Finite Cyclic Group.

[0081] An STA can transmit an authentication request frame to an AP. The AP can determine whether to grant authentication to the STA based on the information contained in the received authentication request frame. The AP can provide the result of the authentication process to the STA via an authentication response frame.

[0082] A successfully authenticated STA may perform an association process based on step S330. The association process includes a process in which the STA transmits an association request frame to the AP, and the AP transmits an association response frame to the STA in response. For example, the association request frame may include information related to various capabilities, such as a beacon listen interval, a service set identifier (SSID), supported rates, supported channels, RSN, mobility domain, supported operating classes, a Traffic Indication Map Broadcast request, and interworking service capabilities. For example, the association response frame may contain information related to various capabilities, status codes, Association ID (AID), supported rates, Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) parameter sets, Received Channel Power Indicator (RCPI), Received Signal to Noise Indicator (RSNI), mobility domains, timeout interval (association comeback time), overlapping BSS scan parameters, TIM broadcast response, QoS maps, etc.

[0083] In step S340, the STA may perform a security setup process. The security setup process of step S340 may include, for example, a process of setting up a private key through a four-way handshaking using an Extensible Authentication Protocol over LAN (EAPOL) frame.

[0084] Figure 4 illustrates one embodiment of a multi-link (ML).

[0085] As illustrated in FIG. 4, multiple multi-link devices (MLDs) can communicate over a remote link. The MLDs can be categorized into AP MLDs including multiple AP STAs and non-AP MLDs including multiple non-AP STAs. That is, the AP MLD can include affiliated APs (e.g., AP STAs), and the non-AP MLD can include affiliated STAs (e.g., non-AP STAs, or user-STAs).

[0086] A multilink may include a first link and a second link, and different channels / subchannels / frequency resources may be allocated to the first and second links. The first and second multilinks may be identified through a link ID of 4 bits (or other n bits). The first and second links may be configured in the same 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz band. Alternatively, the first link and the second link may be configured in different bands.

[0087] The AP MLD of FIG. 4 includes three affiliated APs. In the example of FIG. 4, AP1 may operate in the 2.4 GHz band, AP2 may operate in the 5 GHz band, and AP3 may operate in the 6 GHz band. In the example of FIG. 4, the first link in which AP1 and non-AP1 operate may be defined as a channel / subchannel / frequency resource within the 2.4 GHz band. Furthermore, in the example of FIG. 4, the second link in which AP2 and non-AP2 operate may be defined as a channel / subchannel / frequency resource within the 5 GHz band. Furthermore, in the example of FIG. 4, the third link in which AP3 and non-AP3 operate may be defined as a channel / subchannel / frequency resource within the 6 GHz band.

[0088] In the example of FIG. 4, AP1 can initiate a multi-link setup procedure (ML setup procedure) by transmitting an Association Request frame to non-AP STA1. In the example of FIG. 4, non-AP STA1 can transmit an Association Response frame in response to the Association Request frame. Each AP (e.g., AP1 / 2 / 3) illustrated in FIG. 4 may be identical to the AP illustrated in FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 2, and each non-AP (e.g., non-AP1 / 2 / 3) illustrated in FIG. 4 may be identical to the STA (e.g., user-STA or non-AP STA) illustrated in FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 2.

[0089] The specific features of this specification are not limited to the specific features of FIG. 4. That is, the number of links can be defined in various ways, and multiple links can be defined in various ways within at least one band.

[0090] FIG. 5 illustrates a PPDU (physical protocol data unit or physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit) transmitted / received by an STA of this specification.

[0091] The STA (e.g., AP STA, non-AP STA, AP MLD, non-AP MLD) of the present specification can transmit and / or receive the PPDU of FIG. 5. The PPDU described in the present specification may have, for example, the structure of FIG. 5. In addition, the PPDU described in the present specification may be called by various names such as a transmission PPDU, a reception PPDU, a first type PPDU, or an Nth type PPDU, etc. The PPDU described in the present specification can be used in a WLAN system defined according to IEEE 802.11bn and / or a next-generation WLAN system that improves IEEE 802.11bn.

[0092] The PPDU of FIG. 5 may be related to various PPDU types used in a UHR system. For example, the example of FIG. 5 may be used for at least one of a single-user (SU) mode / type / transmission, a multi-user (MU) mode / type / transmission, and a null data packet (NDP) mode / type / transmission related to channel sounding. For example, if the example of FIG. 5 is related to NDP, the Data field illustrated may be omitted. If the PPDU of FIG. 5 is used for a trigger-based (TB) mode, the UHR-SIG of FIG. 5 may be omitted. In other words, an STA that has received a trigger frame for UL-MU (Uplink-MU) communication may transmit a PPDU with the UHR-SIG omitted in the example of FIG. 5.

[0093] In FIG. 5, L-STF or UHR-LTF may be called a preamble or physical preamble, and may be generated / transmitted / received / acquired / decoded in the physical layer (included in the transmitting / receiving STA).

[0094] Each block illustrated in Fig. 5 may be called a field / subfield / signal, etc. The names of these fields / subfields / signals may be, as illustrated in Fig. 5, L-STF (legacy short training field), L-LTF (legacy long training field), L-SIG (legacy signal), RL-SIG (repeated L-SIG), U-SIG (Universal Signal), UHR-SIG (UHR-signal), etc.

[0095] The subcarrier spacing of the L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, U-SIG, and UHR-SIG fields in FIG. 5 may be set to 312.5 kHz, and the subcarrier spacing of the UHR-STF, UHR-LTF, and Data fields may be set to 78.125 kHz. That is, the tone index (or subcarrier index) of the L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, U-SIG, and UHR-SIG fields may be expressed in units of 312.5 kHz, and the tone index (or subcarrier index) of the UHR-STF, UHR-LTF, and Data fields may be expressed in units of 78.125 kHz.

[0096] In the PPDU of Fig. 5, L-LTF and L-STF may be identical to conventional fields (e.g., non-HT LTF and non-HT STF defined in conventional WLAN standards).

[0097] The L-SIG field of FIG. 5 may include, for example, 24 bits of bit information. For example, the 24 bits of information may include a 4 bit Rate field, a 1 bit Reserved bit, a 12 bit Length field, a 1 bit Parity bit, and a 6 bit Tail bit. For example, the 12 bit Length field may include information about the length or time duration of the PPDU. For example, the value of the 12 bit Length field may be determined based on the type of the PPDU. For example, if the PPDU is a non-HT (non-High Throughput), HT (High Throughput), VHT (Very High Throughput) PPDU, or an EHT (extremely high throughput) PPDU or UHR PPDU, the value of the Length field may be determined as a multiple of 3. For example, if the PPDU is a HE PPDU, the value of the Length field may be determined as "a multiple of 3 + 1" or "a multiple of 3 + 2". In other words, for non-HT, HT, VHT PPDU, EHT PPDU, UHR PPDU, the value of the Length field can be determined as a multiple of 3, and for HE (High Efficiency) PPDU, the value of the Length field can be determined as "a multiple of 3 + 1" or "a multiple of 3 + 2". In other words, the Length field in an UHR PPDU is set to a value satisfying the condition that the remainder is zero when LENGTH is divided by 3.

[0098] For example, (non-AP and AP) STAs can apply BCC encoding based on a code rate of 1 / 2 to the 24 bits of information in the L-SIG field. Then, the transmitting STA can obtain 48 BCC coded bits. BPSK modulation can be applied to the 48 coded bits to generate 48 BPSK symbols. The transmitting STA can map the 48 BPSK symbols to positions excluding the pilot subcarriers {subcarrier index -21, -7, +7, +21} and the DC subcarrier {subcarrier index 0}. As a result, the 48 BPSK symbols can be mapped to subcarrier indices -26 to -22, -20 to -8, -6 to -1, +1 to +6, +8 to +20, and +22 to +26. The transmitting STA can additionally map the signal {-1, -1, -1, 1} to the subcarrier indices {-28, -27, +27, +28}. The above signal can be used for channel estimation for the frequency domain corresponding to {-28, -27, +27, +28}.

[0099] For example, (non-AP and AP) STA can generate RL-SIG, which is generated in the same manner as L-SIG. BPSK modulation can be applied to RL-SIG. Receiving (non-AP and AP) STA can determine whether the received PPDU is a HE PPDU, EHT PPDU, or UHR PPDU based on the presence of RL-SIG. In other words, if RL-SIG is present, receiving (non-AP and AP) STA can determine whether the received PPDU is one of HE PPDU, EHT PPDU, or UHR PPDU. In other words, if RL-SIG is not present, receiving (non-AP and AP) STA can determine whether the received PPDU is one of non-HT PPDU, HT PPDU, or VHT PPDU. In other words, the RL-SIG field is a repeat of the L-SIG field and is used to differentiate an UHR PPDU from a non-HT PPDU, HT PPDU, and VHT PPDU.

[0100] After the RL-SIG in Fig. 5, a U-SIG (Universal SIG) may be inserted. The U-SIG may be called by various names such as the first SIG field, the first SIG, the first type SIG, the control signal, the control signal field, the first (type) control signal, the common control field, and the common control signal.

[0101] A U-SIG can contain N bits of information and can include information for identifying the type of EHT PPDU. For example, a U-SIG can be formed based on two symbols (e.g., two consecutive OFDM symbols). Each symbol (e.g., an OFDM symbol) for a U-SIG can have a duration of 4 μs. Each symbol of a U-SIG can be used to transmit 26 bits of information. For example, each symbol of a U-SIG can be transmitted and received based on 52 data tones and 4 pilot tones.

[0102] For example, A bit information (e.g., 52 uncoded bits) can be transmitted through U-SIG, and the first symbol of U-SIG can transmit the first X bits of information (e.g., 26 uncoded bits) out of the total A bit information, and the second symbol of U-SIG can transmit the remaining Y bits of information (e.g., 26 uncoded bits) out of the total A bit information. For example, the transmitting STA can obtain 26 uncoded bits included in each U-SIG symbol. The transmitting STA can perform convolutional encoding (e.g., BCC encoding) based on a rate of R=1 / 2 to generate 52 coded bits, and perform interleaving on the 52 coded bits. The transmitting STA can perform BPSK modulation on the interleaved 52 coded bits to generate 52 BPSK symbols allocated to each U-SIG symbol. A single U-SIG symbol can be transmitted based on 56 tones (subcarriers) from subcarrier index -28 to subcarrier index +28, excluding DC index 0. The 52 BPSK symbols generated by the transmitting STA can be transmitted based on the remaining tones (subcarriers) excluding the pilot tones -21, -7, +7, and +21.

[0103] For example, A bit information (e.g., 52 uncoded bits) transmitted by U-SIG may include a CRC field (e.g., a 4-bit long field) and a tail field (e.g., a 6-bit long field). The CRC field and the tail field may be transmitted through the second symbol of the U-SIG. The CRC field may be generated based on 26 bits allocated to the first symbol of the U-SIG and the remaining 16 bits excluding the CRC / tail field within the second symbol, and may be generated based on a conventional CRC calculation algorithm. In addition, the tail field may be used to terminate the trellis of the convolutional decoder and may be set to, for example, "000000".

[0104] The A bit information (e.g., 52 uncoded bits) transmitted by the U-SIG (or U-SIG field) can be divided into version-independent bits and version-dependent bits. For example, the size of the version-independent bits can be fixed or variable. For example, the version-independent bits can be assigned only to the first symbol of the U-SIG, or the version-independent bits can be assigned to both the first symbol and the second symbol of the U-SIG. For example, the version-independent bits and the version-dependent bits can be called by various names, such as the first control bit and the second control bit.

[0105] For example, the version-independent bits of the U-SIG may include a 3-bit PHY version identifier. For example, the 3-bit PHY version identifier may include information related to the PHY version of the transmitted and received PPDU. For example, a first value (e.g., a value of 000) of the 3-bit PHY version identifier may indicate that the transmitted and received PPDU is an EHT PPDU. In addition, a second value (e.g., a value of 001) of the 3-bit PHY version identifier may indicate that the transmitted and received PPDU is an UHR PPDU.

[0106] In other words, when the (AP / non-AP) STA transmits an EHT PPDU, it can set the 3-bit PHY version identifier to the first value. In other words, the receiving (AP / non-AP) STA can determine that the received PPDU is an EHT PPDU based on the PHY version identifier having the first value, and can determine that the received PPDU is an UHR PPDU based on the PHY version identifier having the second value.

[0107] For example, the version-independent bits of U-SIG may include a 1-bit UL / DL flag field. The first value of the 1-bit UL / DL flag field relates to UL communication, and the second value of the UL / DL flag field relates to DL communication.

[0108] For example, the version-independent bits of U-SIG may contain information about the length of the TXOP and information about the BSS color ID.

[0109] For example, if a UHR PPDU is classified into various types (e.g., a type related to SU transmission (performed based on UL or DL), a type related to DL transmission, a type related to NDP transmission, a type related to DL non-MU-MIMO, a type related to DL MU-MIMO, a type related to Multi-AP operation, a type related to CBF (Coordinated beamforming), SR (Spatial Reuse), a type related to C-OFDMA (Coordinated OFDMA), a type related to C-TDMA (Coordinated TDMA)), information about the type of the EHT PPDU (e.g., 2-bit or 3-bit information) can be included in the version-dependent bits of the U-SIG.

[0110] For example, U-SIG may include 1) a bandwidth field including information about bandwidth, 2) a field including information about a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) technique applied to UHR-SIG, 3) an indication field including information about whether a dual subcarrier modulation (DCM) technique is applied to UHR-SIG, 4) a field including information about the number of symbols used for UHR-SIG, 5) a field including information about whether UHR-SIG is generated over the entire band, 6) a field including information about the type of UHR-LTF / STF, and 7) a field indicating the length of UHR-LTF and the CP length.

[0111] Preamble puncturing may be applied to the PPDU of FIG. 5. Preamble puncturing refers to applying puncturing to a portion of the entire bandwidth of the PPDU (e.g., the secondary 20 MHz band). For example, when an 80 MHz PPDU is transmitted, the STA applies puncturing to the secondary 20 MHz band within the 80 MHz band, and can transmit the PPDU only through the primary 20 MHz band and the secondary 40 MHz band.

[0112] For example, the pattern of preamble puncturing can be preset. For example, when the first puncturing pattern is applied, puncturing can be applied only to the secondary 20 MHz band within the 80 MHz band. For example, when the second puncturing pattern is applied, puncturing can be applied only to one of the two secondary 20 MHz bands included in the secondary 40 MHz band within the 80 MHz band. For example, when the third puncturing pattern is applied, puncturing can be applied only to the secondary 20 MHz band included in the primary 80 MHz band within the 160 MHz band (or 80+80 MHz band). For example, when the fourth puncturing pattern is applied, a primary 40 MHz band included in the primary 80 MHz band within the 160 MHz band (or 80+80 MHz band) may be present, and puncturing may be applied to at least one 20 MHz channel that does not belong to the primary 40 MHz band.

[0113] Information regarding preamble puncturing applied to the PPDU may be included in the U-SIG and / or UHR-SIG. For example, the first field of the U-SIG may include information regarding the contiguous bandwidth of the PPDU, and the second field of the U-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing applied to the PPDU.

[0114] For example, U-SIG and UHR-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing based on the following method. If the bandwidth of the PPDU exceeds 80 MHz, the U-SIGs may be individually configured in units of 80 MHz. For example, if the bandwidth of the PPDU is 160 MHz, the PPDU may include a first U-SIG for the first 80 MHz band and a second U-SIG for the second 80 MHz band. In this case, the first field of the first U-SIG may include information regarding the 160 MHz bandwidth, and the second field of the first U-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing applied to the first 80 MHz band (e.g., information regarding a preamble puncturing pattern). Additionally, the first field of the second U-SIG may include information regarding a 160 MHz bandwidth, and the second field of the second U-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing applied to the second 80 MHz band (e.g., information regarding a preamble puncturing pattern). Meanwhile, the UHR-SIG consecutive to the first U-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing applied to the second 80 MHz band (e.g., information regarding a preamble puncturing pattern), and the UHR-SIG consecutive to the second U-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing applied to the first 80 MHz band (e.g., information regarding a preamble puncturing pattern).

[0115] Additionally or alternatively, U-SIG and UHR-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing based on the following methods. U-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing for all bands (e.g., information regarding preamble puncturing patterns). That is, UHR-SIG may not include information regarding preamble puncturing, and only U-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing (e.g., information regarding preamble puncturing patterns).

[0116] U-SIGs can be configured in 20 MHz units. For example, if an 80 MHz PPDU is configured, U-SIGs can be duplicated. That is, four identical U-SIGs can be included within an 80 MHz PPDU. PPDUs exceeding the 80 MHz bandwidth can contain different U-SIGs.

[0117] The UHR-SIG of FIG. 5 may include control information for a receiving STA. The UHR-SIG may be transmitted over at least one symbol, and each symbol may have a length of 4 μs. Information regarding the number of symbols used for the UHR-SIG may be included in the U-SIG.

[0118] UHR-SIG provides additional signals to the U-SIG field to enable STAs to interpret / decode UHR PPDUs. The UHR-SIG field may contain U-SIG overflow bits that are common to all users. The UHR-SIG field also contains resource allocation information, allowing STAs to look up resources used in fields containing data fields / UHR-STF / UHR-LTF (e.g., UHR modulated fields of an UHR PPDU).

[0119] The frequency resources of the UHR-LTF, UHR-STF, and data fields illustrated in FIG. 5 can be determined based on RUs (resource units) defined by multiple subcarriers / tones. That is, the UHR-LTF, UHR-STF, and data fields of this specification can be transmitted / received through RUs (resource units) defined by multiple subcarriers / tones.

[0120] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the layout of resource units (RUs) used for a 20 MHz PPDU. That is, the UHR-LTF, UHR-STF, and / or data fields included in the 20 MHz PPDU can be transmitted / received through at least one of the various RUs defined in FIG. 6.

[0121] As shown at the top of Fig. 6, 26 units (e.g., units corresponding to 26 tones) may be arranged. Six tones may be used as a guard band in the leftmost band of the 20 MHz band, and five tones may be used as a guard band in the rightmost band of the 20 MHz band. In addition, seven DC tones may be inserted in the center band, i.e., the DC band, and 26 units corresponding to 13 tones may exist on each side of the DC band. In addition, 26 units, 52 units, and 106 units may be allocated to other bands. Each unit may be allocated for a receiving station, i.e., a user.

[0122] Meanwhile, the RU arrangement of FIG. 6 is utilized not only in a situation for multiple users (MUs) but also in a situation for a single user (SU), in which case it is possible to use one 242-unit as shown at the bottom of FIG. 4, in which case three DC tones can be inserted.

[0123] In the example of Fig. 6, RUs of various sizes, such as 26-RU, 52-RU, 106-RU, and 242-RU, are proposed. Since the specific sizes of these RUs can be expanded or increased, the present embodiment is not limited to the specific sizes of each RU (e.g., the number of corresponding tones). In this specification, N-RU may be represented as N-tone RU, etc. For example, 26-RU may be represented as 26-tone RU.

[0124] Figure 7 is a diagram showing the layout of resource units (RUs) used for 40MHz PPDU.

[0125] As in the example of Fig. 6 where RUs of various sizes were used, the example of Fig. 7 can also use 26-RU, 52-RU, 106-RU, 242-RU, 484-RU, etc. In addition, 5 DC tones can be inserted at the center frequency, 12 tones can be used as a guard band in the leftmost band of the 40 MHz band, and 11 tones can be used as a guard band in the rightmost band of the 40 MHz band.

[0126] Additionally, as illustrated, 484 RUs may be used when used for a single user. Meanwhile, the specific number of RUs may be changed, as in the example of FIG. 6.

[0127] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating the layout of resource units (RUs) used for an 80MHz PPDU. The layout of resource units (RUs) used in this specification may vary. For example, the layout of resource units (RUs) used in the 80MHz band may vary.

[0128] Figure 9 illustrates an operation according to UL-MU. As illustrated, a transmitting STA (e.g., AP) can acquire a TXOP (925) by performing channel access through contending (e.g., backoff operation) and transmit a trigger frame (930). That is, the transmitting STA (e.g., AP) can transmit a PPDU including a trigger frame (930). When a PPDU including a trigger frame is received, a TB (trigger-based) PPDU is transmitted after a delay of SIFS.

[0129] TB PPDUs (941, 942) are transmitted at the same time and can be transmitted from multiple STAs (e.g., User STAs) whose AIDs are indicated in the Trigger frame (930). The ACK frame (950) for the TB PPDU can be implemented in various forms. For example, the ACK frame (950) for the TB PPDU can be implemented in the form of a BA (block ACK).

[0130] In FIG. 9, transmission(s) of a Trigger Frame (930), TB PPDU (941, 942) and / or ACK frame (950) can be performed within a TXOP (925).

[0131] Figure 10 shows an example of channels used / supported / defined within the 2.4 GHz band.

[0132] The 2.4 GHz band may be referred to by other names, such as the first band (band). Furthermore, the 2.4 GHz band may refer to a frequency range in which channels with a center frequency adjacent to 2.4 GHz (e.g., channels with a center frequency between 2.4 and 2.5 GHz) are used / supported / defined.

[0133] The 2.4 GHz band may include multiple 20 MHz channels. The 20 MHz within the 2.4 GHz band may have multiple channel indices (e.g., indices 1 through 14). For example, the center frequency of a 20 MHz channel assigned channel index 1 may be 2.412 GHz, the center frequency of a 20 MHz channel assigned channel index 2 may be 2.417 GHz, and the center frequency of a 20 MHz channel assigned channel index N may be (2.407 + 0.005*N) GHz. The channel indices may be referred to by various names, such as channel numbers. The specific numerical values ​​of the channel indices and center frequencies may change.

[0134] Figure 10 exemplarily illustrates four channels within the 2.4 GHz band. The illustrated first frequency region (1010) to fourth frequency region (1040) may each include one channel. For example, the first frequency region (1010) may include channel 1 (a 20 MHz channel having an index of 1). In this case, the center frequency of channel 1 may be set to 2412 MHz. The second frequency region (1020) may include channel 6. In this case, the center frequency of channel 6 may be set to 2437 MHz. The third frequency region (1030) may include channel 11. In this case, the center frequency of channel 11 may be set to 2462 MHz. The fourth frequency region (1040) may include channel 14. In this case, the center frequency of channel 14 may be set to 2484 MHz.

[0135] Figure 11 illustrates an example of channels used / supported / defined within the 5 GHz band.

[0136] The 5 GHz band may be referred to by other names, such as a second band / band, etc. The 5 GHz band may refer to a frequency range in which channels with center frequencies greater than or equal to 5 GHz and less than 6 GHz (or less than 5.9 GHz) are used / supported / defined. Alternatively, the 5 GHz band may include multiple channels between 4.5 GHz and 5.5 GHz. The specific figures shown in FIG. 11 are subject to change.

[0137] Multiple channels within the 5 GHz band include Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (UNII)-1, UNII-2, UNII-3, and ISM. UNII-1 may be referred to as UNII Low. UNII-2 may include frequency ranges called UNII Mid and UNII-2Extended. UNII-3 may be referred to as UNII-Upper.

[0138] Within the 5 GHz band, multiple channels can be configured, and the bandwidth of each channel can be variously configured, such as 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or 160 MHz. For example, the 5170 MHz to 5330 MHz frequency domain / range within UNII-1 and UNII-2 can be divided into eight 20 MHz channels. The 5170 MHz to 5330 MHz frequency domain / range can be divided into four channels through a 40 MHz frequency domain. The 5170 MHz to 5330 MHz frequency domain / range can be divided into two channels through an 80 MHz frequency domain. Alternatively, the 5170 MHz to 5330 MHz frequency domain / range can be divided into one channel through a 160 MHz frequency domain.

[0139] Figure 12 illustrates an example of channels used / supported / defined within the 6 GHz band.

[0140] The 6 GHz band may also be referred to by other names, such as the third band / band. The 6 GHz band may refer to the frequency range in which channels with center frequencies above 5.9 GHz are used, supported, or defined. The specific figures shown in Figure 12 are subject to change.

[0141] For example, the 20 MHz channel of FIG. 12 can be defined from 5.940 GHz. Specifically, the leftmost channel among the 20 MHz channels of FIG. 12 can have an index of 1 (or channel index, channel number, etc.), and a center frequency of 5.945 GHz can be assigned. That is, the center frequency of the indexed channel N can be determined as (5.940 + 0.005*N) GHz.

[0142] Accordingly, the indexes (or channel numbers) of the 20 MHz channels of FIG. 12 are 1, 5, 9, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29, 33, 37, 41, 45, 49, 53, 57, 61, 65, 69, 73, 77, 81, 85, 89, 93, 97, 101, 105, 109, 113, 117, 121, 125, 129, 133, 137, 141, 145, 149, 153, 157, 161, 165, 169, 173, 177, 181, 185, 189, 193, It can be 197, 201, 205, 209, 213, 217, 221, 225, 229, 233. Also, according to the (5.940 + 0.005*N) GHz rule mentioned above, the indices of the 40 MHz channels in Fig. 12 can be 3, 11, 19, 27, 35, 43, 51, 59, 67, 75, 83, 91, 99, 107, 115, 123, 131, 139, 147, 155, 163, 171, 179, 187, 195, 203, 211, 219, 227.

[0143] Below, the structure and types / subtypes of MAC frames are described.

[0144] Fig. 13 illustrates an example of a header of a MAC frame. As illustrated, the MAC frame may include a frame control field / information of 2 octets in length, a duration field / information of 2 octets in length, a RA (Receiver Address) field / information of 6 octets in length, and a TA (Transmitter Address) field / information of 6 octets in length. As illustrated in Fig. 13, the four fields may be consecutive to each other. The MAC header of Fig. 13 may be modified in various ways, and a new field may be inserted between the four illustrated fields, or at least one of the illustrated fields may be omitted.

[0145] The MAC header illustrated in Fig. 13 may be positioned at the very front of a MAC frame. That is, the MAC frame may include a MAC header as illustrated in Fig. 13 and MAC body fields / information subsequent to the MAC header. The MAC frame including the MAC header of Fig. 13 is inserted / included in the data field of the PPDU (e.g., UHR PPDU) illustrated in Fig. 5.

[0146] The MAC frames included in the data field of the PPDU of this specification can be classified into various types. For example, the MAC frames of this specification can be classified into control frames, management frames, and data frames.

[0147] For example, the management frame includes Association Request, Association Response, Reassociation Request, Reassociation Response, Probe Request, Probe Response, Beacon, Disassociation, Authentication, and Deauthentication frames / signals defined in conventional WLAN. For the management frame, the values ​​of the type fields (B3 and B2) in FIG. 13 are set to 00. In addition, the values ​​of the subtype fields (B7, B6, B5, B4) in FIG. 13 are as follows: Association Request (0000), Association Response (0001), Reassociation Request (0010), Reassociation Response (0011), Probe Request (0100), Probe Response (0101), Beacon (1000), Disassociation (1010), Authentication (1011), Deauthentication (1100).

[0148] For example, the control frame includes Trigger Beamforming Report Poll, NDP Announcement (NDPA), Control Frame Extension, Control Wrapper, Block Ack Request (BlockAckReq), Block Ack (BlockAck), PS-Poll, RTS, CTS, Ack, and CF-End frames / signals defined in conventional WLAN. For the control frame, the value of the type field (B3 and B2) in FIG. 13 is set to 01. Also, the values ​​of the subtype fields (B7, B6, B5, B4) of FIG. 13 are as follows: Trigger (0010), Beamforming Report Poll (0100), NDP Announcement (0101), Control Frame Extension (0110), Control Wrapper (0111), BlockAckReq (1000), BlockAck (1001), PS-Poll (1010), RTS (1011), CTS (1100), Ack (1101), CF-End (1110).

[0149] For example, the data frame includes (QoS) Data, (QoS) Null, etc. defined in conventional WLAN. For the management frame, the value of the type field (B3 and B2) of Fig. 13 is set to 10.

[0150] The MAC frame / signal used in this specification can be identified through the type field / information and subtype field / information described above. For example, the "trigger frame" in this specification can mean a MAC frame in which the type bits B3 and B2 bits in the frame control field of the MAC header are set to 01, and the subtype bits B7, B6, B5, B4 bits in the frame control field are also set to 0010. Various MAC frames described in this specification are inserted / included in the data field of various PPDUs (e.g., HE / VHT / HE / EHT / UHR PPDU).

[0151] FIG. 14 illustrates a modified example of a transmitting device and / or a receiving device of the present specification.

[0152] The devices (e.g., AP STA, non-AP STA) illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 may be modified as illustrated in FIG. 14. The transceiver (630) of FIG. 14 may be identical to the transceivers (113, 123) of FIG. 1. The transceiver (630) of FIG. 14 may include a receiver and a transmitter.

[0153] The processor (610) of FIG. 14 may be identical to the processor (111, 121) of FIG. 1. Alternatively, the processor (610) of FIG. 14 may be identical to the processing chip (114, 124) of FIG. 1.

[0154] The memory (150) of FIG. 14 may be the same as the memory (112, 122) of FIG. 1. Alternatively, the memory (150) of FIG. 14 may be a separate external memory different from the memory (112, 122) of FIG. 1.

[0155] Referring to FIG. 14, a power management module (611) manages power to a processor (610) and / or a transceiver (630). A battery (612) supplies power to the power management module (611). A display (613) outputs results processed by the processor (610). A keypad (614) receives input to be used by the processor (610). The keypad (614) may be displayed on the display (613). A SIM card (615) may be an integrated circuit used to securely store an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) and an associated key used to identify and authenticate a subscriber in a mobile phone device, such as a mobile phone or computer.

[0156] Referring to FIG. 14, the speaker (640) can output sound-related results processed by the processor (610). The microphone (641) can receive sound-related input to be used by the processor (610).

[0157] Wireless LAN systems (e.g., IEEE 802.11bn or UHR systems) related to this specification aim to support ultra-high reliability when transmitting signals to STAs. To this end, various technologies are being considered, including high throughput, low latency, and extended range support.

[0158] The technical features of this specification can be applied to various communication systems. For example, examples of this specification can be applied to various wireless LAN systems. For example, examples of this specification can be applied to various wireless LAN standards, in addition to the IEEE 802.11bn (or UHR) system.

[0159] The technical features of this specification can be applied to various types / formats of Physical Protocol Data Units (PPDUs). For example, the technical features of this specification can be used for various types / formats such as single user (SU) PPDU, multiple user (MU) PPDU, null data PPDU (NDP), trigger-based (TB) PPDU, etc. For example, the technical features of this specification can be applied to extended long range (ELR) PPDU. For example, the expression ELR can be replaced with expressions such as long range (LR) or extended range (ER). Accordingly, expressions such as ER transmission or LR transmission can be expressed as ELR transmission.

[0160] Hereinafter, ELR communication is described. In a wireless LAN system (e.g., IEEE 802.11bn or UHR system), LR / ER / ELR communication can be considered to ensure smooth signal transmission and reception for STAs within the coverage boundary of an AP and to overcome the transmission range difference caused by the difference in transmission power between the AP and STAs. For example, the difference in transmission power between an AP and a non-AP STA can be approximately 10 dB. For example, the link budget for the received signal between the AP and the non-AP STA due to this difference in TX power can be approximately 6 dB. For example, long-range transmission to provide a gain of 6 dB, which is the link budget difference, can be performed using the following method.

[0161] For example, an ELR PPDU has a fixed bandwidth of 20 MHz and can be used for both downlink and uplink in the 2.4 GHz band, but only for uplink in the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands. In other words, an ELR PPDU may consist of only 20 MHz and may not have bandwidths such as 40 / 80 / 160 / 320 MHz.

[0162] Technical features of the present specification may be related to the allocation / arrangement of frequency resources for transmitting PPDUs. For example, a conventional PPDU may be transmitted based on a specific RU (e.g., a center 26-tone RU) located around a DC (Direct Current) term / subcarrier / tone / signal (e.g., a 7-DC signal). For example, the DC term / subcarrier / tone / signal may correspond to 7 subcarriers (or 7 tones, 7 indices), but the specific number of subcarriers may be changed to 1, 3, or 5, etc.

[0163] For example, a frequency resource (e.g., a frequency resource or a tone range corresponding to a center 26-tone RU) that is continuous or adjacent to the DC subcarrier may include a variable number of subcarriers (e.g., 26 subcarriers or 26 tones). The present specification proposes an example of improving throughput by using a frequency resource (e.g., a frequency resource or a tone range corresponding to a center 26-tone RU) that is continuous or adjacent to the DC subcarrier.

[0164] To illustrate an improved example of this specification, the technical characteristics of an RU (e.g., a center 26-tone RU) related to an ELR PPDU of a wireless LAN system are described below. As described below, data transmission is not performed through the center 26-tone RU in an ELR PPDU. This results in a technical problem of lower data rates and lower throughput.

[0165] FIG. 15 is a diagram related to the arrangement of RUs used for ELR transmission. As illustrated in FIG. 15, a first type RU (e.g., a 52-tone RU, a 52-subcarrier, or a 52-carrier) may be duplicated, and a second type RU (e.g., a center 26-tone RU) may not be used for data transmission. For example, in order to obtain a gain equivalent to the link budget of DL and UL by TX power, the data field in ELR transmission may be transmitted repeatedly in terms of frequency by loading a signal onto one 52 carrier (e.g., a 52-tone RU) existing within 20 MHz. At this time, the carrier allocation for the data field for ELR transmission may be as illustrated in FIG. 15. For example, the 52-carrier (or 52-subcarrier) allocated for the ELR data transmission may be configured identically to the 52-tone RU defined in the IEEE 802.11be / ax standard.

[0166] When transmitting data in ELR using 52 carriers (1510, 1520, 1530, 1540) allocated within 20MHz as shown in Fig. 15, the 26 carriers located at the center cannot be used for data transmission. This may result in a disadvantage of reduced frequency efficiency.

[0167] When performing transmission based on RU allocation as in Fig. 15, it is possible to use 26 carriers located at the center to improve frequency efficiency and increase data rate.

[0168] For example, the present specification may relate to improvement of frequency resources (or tone ranges, multiple carriers, etc.) that are continuous or adjacent to the DC term / subcarrier / tone / signal. For example, an example of frequency resources that are continuous or adjacent to the DC term / subcarrier / tone / signal may correspond to a tone range (or subcarrier range) of [-16:-4, 4:16].

[0169] FIG. 16 illustrates a technique for increasing the utilization of frequency resources adjacent to a DC signal according to an example of the present specification. For example, the example of FIG. 16 relates to the concept of transmitting 27 bits of information transmitted through one OFDMA symbol. The 27 bits of information may be ELR Data bits. For example, the 27 bits of information may be ELR data bits configured based on the MCS0 technique (e.g., a technique that performs BPSK modulation based on a 1 / 2 code rate). Additionally, alternatively, the 27 bits of information may be data bits related to MU / SU / TB communication. For example, the size of the 27 bits may vary. For example, any one of a plurality of symbols transmitting the data field may transmit 27 bits of information.

[0170] For example, 27 bits of information can be modulated based on the MCS0 index. In other words, the 27 bits can be modulated based on BPSK with a code rate of 1 / 2. As a result, 54 modulated symbols can be generated, as in the example of FIG. 16. These 54 modulated symbols can be transmitted through a 52-carrier and a center 26-carrier. In other words, among the 54 modulated symbols, 48 ​​modulated symbols can be transmitted through the 52-carrier (1610, 1620, 1630, 1640), and the remaining 6 modulated symbols can be transmitted through the center 26-carrier (1661, 1662, 1663, 1664). The above 52-carriers (1610, 1620, 1630, 1640) may be referred to by various names. For example, the 52-carriers may be referred to by various names, such as the first carrier unit. For example, the four units (1610, 1620, 1630, 1640) illustrated in FIG. 16 may be referred to by various names, such as the first unit (1610), the second unit (1620), the third unit (1630), and the fourth unit (1640). The units may be referred to by various names, such as tone range, subcarrier range, (frequency / tone / subcarrier) resources, and the like. For example, the center 26-carriers (1661, 1662, 1663, 1664) may be referred to by various names, such as the second carrier unit. For example, the four units (1661, 1662, 1663, 1664) illustrated in FIG. 16 may be referred to by various names, such as a first frequency resource (1661), a second frequency resource (1662), a third frequency resource (1663), and a fourth frequency resource (1664).The above frequency resources may be called by various names such as tone range, subcarrier range, (tone / subcarrier) resource, etc.

[0171] As described above, the length of the data field (e.g., ELR data bits) can be determined in various ways. For example, the ELR data bits can be formed based on the MCS1 technique (e.g., a technique that performs QPSK modulation based on a code rate of 1 / 2). In this case, the data bits can be composed of 54 bits of information. In other words, the 54 bits can be modulated based on QPSK at a code rate of 1 / 2, resulting in 108 modulated symbols. These 108 modulated symbols can be transmitted through the 52-carrier and center 26-carrier described above.

[0172] The 48 modulated symbols illustrated in FIG. 16 can be transmitted over 52 carriers (1610, 1620, 1630, 1640), and each of the four 52 carriers illustrated (1610, 1620, 1630, 1640) can include four pilot carriers (or subcarriers / tones). In other words, the 48 modulated symbols illustrated in FIG. 16 can be transmitted over the 48 carriers (or subcarriers / tones) illustrated, and the 48 carriers (or subcarriers / tones) illustrated can be matched to the four 52 carriers illustrated (1610, 1620, 1630, 1640). In other words, the first 52-carrier (1610) corresponds to the tone / index range of [-121: -70], of which {-116, -102, -90, -76} tones / indexes are allocated for pilots, and the remaining 48 tones / indexes can be allocated for 48 modulated symbols.

[0173] This first 52-carrier (1610) can be duplicated in the frequency domain. For example, the second 52-carrier (1620) can be a repetition / duplication of the first 52-carrier (1610). For example, the second 52-carrier (1620) corresponds to a tone / index range of [-68: -17], of which {-62, -48, -36, -22} tones / indexes can be allocated for pilots, and the remaining 48 tones / indexes can be allocated for 48 modulated symbols.

[0174] For example, the third 52-carrier (1630) may be a repeat / duplicate of the first 52-carrier (1610). For example, the third 52-carrier (1630) may correspond to a tone / index range of [17: 68], of which {22, 36, 48, 62} tones / indexes may be allocated for pilots, and the remaining 48 tones / indexes may be allocated for 48 modulated symbols.

[0175] For example, the fourth 52-carrier (1640) may be a repeat / duplicate of the first 52-carrier (1610). For example, the fourth 52-carrier (1640) may correspond to a tone / index range of [70: 121], of which {76, 90, 102, 116} tones / indexes may be allocated for pilots, and the remaining 48 tones / indexes may be allocated for 48 modulated symbols.

[0176] For example, at least one null tone (1650) may be allocated between the third 52-carrier (1630) and the fourth 52-carrier (1640). The null tone (1650) may be expressed by various names such as null subcarrier / null signal, etc. For example, at least one null tone (1650) may be allocated between the first 52-carrier (1631) and the second 52-carrier (1620).

[0177] The six modulated symbols illustrated in FIG. 16 can be transmitted through the center 26-carrier (1661, 1662, 1663, 1664), and six modulated symbols can be transmitted through each of the four 6-carriers illustrated (1661, 1662, 1663, 1664).

[0178] For example, the entire tone-range (or subcarrier-range) of the center 26-carrier illustrated in FIG. 16 can be defined as [-16:-4, 4:16]. For example, 24 tones out of a total of 26 tones can be transmitted by 6 modulated symbols. For example, the first 6-carrier (1661) of the four 6-carriers (1661, 1662, 1663, 1664) illustrated can be duplicated in the frequency domain. In other words, the second 6-carrier (1662) can be a duplicate / repetition of the first 6-carrier (1661). In other words, the third 6-carrier (1663) and / or the fourth 6-carrier (1664) can be duplicates / repetitions of the first 6-carrier (1661).

[0179] For example, among the 26 tones associated with the center 26-carrier (1661, 1662, 1663, 1664), 24 tones can be transmitted as 6 modulated symbols. In this case, two tones / indexes / carriers can be used for various purposes. For example, the remaining two tones / indexes / carriers can be used as null carriers (or have a value of 0) or assigned as unused carriers. For example, the remaining two tones / indexes / carriers can be used as pilot subcarriers / signals.

[0180] For example, the remaining two tones / indexes / carriers may be adjacent to the DC subcarrier. For example, the remaining two tones / indexes / carriers may be located at [-4, 4]. For example, each of the four 6-carriers (1661, 1662, 1663, 1664) may be located at the tone / index ranges of [-16:-11], [-10:-5], [5:10], [11:16].

[0181] For example, the remaining two tones / indexes / carriers may be adjacent to the second 52-carrier (1620) and the third 52-carrier (1630). For example, the remaining two tones / indexes / carriers may be located at [-16, 16]. For example, each of the four 6-carriers (1661, 1662, 1663, 1664) may be located at the tone / index ranges of [-15:-10], [-9:-4], [4:9], [10:16].

[0182] For example, the remaining two tones / indexes / carriers can be located in the pilot tones (e.g., tones of [-10, 10]) assigned to the center 26-carrier. For example, each of the four 6-carriers (1661, 1662, 1663, 1664) can be located in the tone / index ranges of [-16:-11], [-9:-4], [4:9], [11:16]. Based on the above example, there may be an advantageous effect of reusing the previously defined RU allocation without changing by assigning the remaining two tones / indexes / carriers to pilot tones.

[0183] When configured as in Fig. 16, 52-carriers (1610, 1620, 1630, 1640) configured identically to the 52-tone RU of the previously defined Ru allocation can be utilized. At the same time, it is possible to utilize the center 26-carriers (1661, 1662, 1663, 1664) together. This allows for improved data rate and throughput for data transmission (e.g., ELR transmission) by transmitting signals as in Fig. 16. In addition, 4 duplications are possible for the 6 modulated symbols allocated to the center 26-carriers (1661, 1662, 1663, 1664), and 4 duplications are possible for the 48 modulated symbols allocated to the 52-carriers (1610, 1620, 1630, 1640). As a result, the same SNR margin can be achieved for the 52-carrier (1610, 1620, 1630, 1640) and the center 26-carrier (1661, 1662, 1663, 1664). This allows for high reliability. In other words, since four duplications / repeat are possible in the frequency domain for every modulation symbol, a link budget gain of 6 dB can be achieved.

[0184] When configured as in Fig. 16, more data bits can be transmitted using the center 26-carrier. Accordingly, throughput can be improved by 10.3% when the MCS0 technique is used, and by 13.6% when the MCS1 technique is used.

[0185] An STA receiving an OFDMA symbol according to an example of FIG. 16 may perform MRC (Maximum Ratio Combining) on ​​real data in 52 carriers to perform received data decoding and measure 48 data symbols. In addition, the STA may perform MRC (Maximum Ratio Combining) in units of 6 carriers on data symbols received through the center 26 carriers to measure 6 data symbols. The receiving STA may integrate the 48 data symbols and 6 data symbols received through the above process to perform decoding and deinterleaving on 54 data symbols and receive the transmitted data bits.

[0186] The technical features described above can be applied to various types of PPDUs. Below, an example of applying the technical features described above to an ELR PPDU is described.

[0187] Fig. 17 illustrates an example of an ELR PPDU of the present specification. As illustrated, an ELR PPDU (or a PPDU used for ELR communication) may include L-STF (1705), L-LTF (1710), L-SIG (1715), RL-SIG (1720), U-SIG (1725), ELR-MARK (1730), UHR-STF (1735), UHR-LTF (1740), ELR-SIG (1745), and Data (1750). For example, some fields of Fig. 17 may be omitted. For example, the order of some fields of Fig. 17 may be changed differently. Each field disclosed in Fig. 17 may be called by various names such as signal / bit.

[0188] The PPDU and / or fields of FIG. 17 are examples that further specify the example of FIG. 16. Accordingly, the technical features applied to FIG. 17 may include the technical features applied to the example of FIG. 16.

[0189] The value of the number of spatial streams (e.g., Nss) for the above ELR PPDU may be limited to 1. Additionally or alternatively, for example, the ELR PPDU may have a fixed bandwidth of 20 MHz and may be used for both downlink and uplink in 2.4 GHz band operation, but may be used only for uplink in 5 GHz and 6 GHz band operation. In other words, the ELR PPDU may consist of only 20 MHz and may not have bandwidths such as 40 / 80 / 160 / 320 MHz.

[0190] For example, the ELR-MARK (1730) of FIG. 17 may be composed of two OFDM symbols. The ELR-MARK (1730) may include information about an identifier (e.g., BSS_COLOR) indicating the BSS color to which the STA transmitting the corresponding PPDU belongs.

[0191] For example, the U-SIG (1725) may have the following characteristics. For example, the U-SIG (1725) of the present specification may be composed of signals / fields for an ELR PPDU. For example, a PPDU other than an ELR PPDU (e.g., a UHR MU PPDU or a UHR TB PPDU) also contains a U-SIG, but the contents of the U-SIG (1725) of the present specification may contain different contents.

[0192] For example, the U-SIG (1725) of the present specification has a length of 2 symbols, and each symbol can be represented as U-SIG-1 and U-SIG-2. For example, the B0 bit to the B2 bit of the U-SIG-1 can have various names such as the first information described above or the PHY Version Identifier, and can include a value (e.g., a value of 1) that identifies that the PHY version of the PPDU is UHR. For example, the positions of the B0 bit to the B2 bit can be changed.

[0193] Additionally or alternatively, the B3 bits to the B5 bits of the U-SIG-1 may have various names such as the second information or the BW information, and may include information regarding the bandwidth of the ELR PPDU. For example, the B3 bits to the B5 bits of the U-SIG-1 may only have a value of 0. This is because the bandwidth of the ELR PPDU is preferably fixed to 20 MHz. For example, the positions of the B3 bits to the B5 bits may be changed.

[0194] Additionally or alternatively, the B6 bit of the U-SIG-1 may contain information regarding whether the PPDU is transmitted in the UL or DL. For example, the position of the B6 bit may be changed.

[0195] Additionally or alternatively, bits B7 to B12 of U-SIG-1 may indicate the ID of a Basic Service Set (BSS). For example, bits B7 to B12 may include ID information (or BSS color information) of a BSS to which an STA transmitting / receiving the corresponding PPDU belongs. For example, the positions of bits B7 to B12 may be changed.

[0196] Additionally or alternatively, bits B13 to B19 of U-SIG-1 may contain information related to the duration of a transmission opportunity (TXOP). For example, the positions of bits B13 to B19 may be changed.

[0197] Additionally or alternatively, bits B20 through B24 of U-SIG-1 may all be set to 1, and the bits may be referred to as disregard. For example, the positions of bits B20 through B24 may be changed.

[0198] Additionally or alternatively, the B25 bit of U-SIG-1 may be set to 1, and the bit may be called Validate. For example, the position of the B25 bit may be changed.

[0199] Additionally or alternatively, the B0 bit and the B1 bit of the U-SIG-2 may have various names such as the third information or PPDU Type And Compression Mode. The B0 bit and the B1 bit may always have a value of 3 regardless of whether the related PPDU is a DL PPDU or an UL PPDU, thereby indicating / identifying that the PPDU is an ELR PPDU. For example, the positions of the B0 bit and the B1 bit may be changed.

[0200] Additionally or alternatively, bits B2 to B12 of U-SIG-2 may be configured as an STA ID. For example, bits B2 to B12 may be configured as a portion of 11 bits (e.g., 11 bits of the LSB or 11 bits of the MSB) of the Association ID (AID) of the STA transmitting the corresponding PPDU. For example, the positions of bits B2 to B12 may be changed.

[0201] Additionally or alternatively, bits B13 to B15 of U-SIG-2 may be configured as ER / ELR validate. These three bits may be used to identify an ELR PPDU, and these three bits may all be set to 1 (i.e., these three bits have a value of 7). For example, the positions of bits B13 to B15 may be changed.

[0202] Additionally or alternatively, bits B16 to B19 of the U-SIG-2 may be configured as a CRC.

[0203] Additionally or alternatively, bits B20 through B25 of U-SIG-2 may be configured as a tail, such that all bits are zero.

[0204] For example, the above U-SIG1 and U-SIG2 may be repeated in the time domain based on at least one of FIGS. 15 to 17.

[0205] For example, ELR-SIG (1745) may have the following characteristics. For example, ELR-SIG (1745) of the present specification may have two parts. Each part may be represented as ELR-SIG-1 and ELR-SIG-2. For example, the B0 bit of ELR-SIG-1 may include the above-described first ER / ELR-SIG information or ELR Version Identifier. For example, the B0 bit of ELR-SIG-1 may have information for identifying an ELR version, and the ELR Version Identifier included in an ELR PPDU having the technical characteristics described in the present specification may have a value of 0. For example, the position of the B0 bit may be changed.

[0206] Additionally or alternatively, the B1 bit of the ELR-SIG-1 may include a UL / DL field. For example, the bit may include information regarding whether the ELR PPDU is transmitted in UL / DL. For example, the position of the B1 bit may be changed.

[0207] Additionally or alternatively, the B2 bit of the ELR-SIG-1 may include an MCS field. For example, the bit may include information related to MCS information applied to a data field of an ELR PPDU. For example, when the bit is set to a first value (e.g., 0), the bit may indicate that BPSK with a coding rate of 1 / 2 is applied to the data field of the ELR PPDU. For example, when the bit is set to a second value (e.g., 1), the bit may indicate that QPSK with a coding rate of 1 / 2 is applied to the data field of the ELR PPDU. For example, the position of the B2 may be changed.

[0208] Additionally or alternatively, the B3 bit of the ELR-SIG-1 may include a coding (type) field. For example, the bit may include information related to coding (type) information applied to a data field of the ELR PPDU. For example, when the bit is set to a first value (e.g., 0), the bit may indicate that the BCC technique is applied to the data field of the ELR PPDU. For example, when the bit is set to a second value (e.g., 1), the bit may indicate that the LDPC technique (e.g., LDPC with a word length of 648, 1296, or 1944) is applied to the data field of the ELR PPDU.

[0209] Additionally or alternatively, bits B4 to B12 of the ELR-SIG-1 may include a length field. For example, the length field may have a length of 9 bits, and the specific bit positions may be changed. For example, the field may include information regarding the number of symbols in the data field included in the ELR PPDU.

[0210] Additionally or alternatively, the B13 bit of the ELR-SIG-1 may contain information regarding the presence of an LDPC extra (OFDM) symbol. For example, the information may include information regarding whether additional OFDM symbols are required for LDPC encoding of the PPDU.

[0211] Additionally or alternatively, bits B14 to B17 of ELR-SIG-1 may contain CRC bits, and bits B18 to B23 of ELR-SIG-1 may contain tail bits and have a value of 0.

[0212] Additionally or alternatively, bits B0 to B10 of the ELR-SIG-2 may contain information regarding the STA-ID. For example, these bits may be composed of a portion of 11 bits (e.g., 11 bits of the LSB or 11 bits of the MSB) of the AID of the STA transmitting the ELR PPDU. For example, the positions of these bits may be changed.

[0213] Additionally or alternatively, bits B1 through B13 of the ELR-SIG-2 may contain a disregard field / information. Each bit of the 3-bit field / information may be set to 1.

[0214] Additionally or alternatively, bits B14 to B17 of ELR-SIG-2 may contain CRC bits, and bits B18 to B23 of ELR-SIG-1 may contain tail bits and have a value of 0.

[0215] For example, the Data (1750) field may be called by various names such as ER / ELR-Data, Payload, etc. The Data (1750) field and / or ELR-SIG (1745) of this specification may be applied with an example of FIG. 16.

[0216] For example, any one of the multiple symbols transmitting the Data (1750) field can transmit 27 bits of information. The 27 bits of information can be modulated based on the MCS0 index. In other words, the 27 bits can be modulated based on BPSK with a 1 / 2 code rate. Consequently, the 27 bits of information can correspond to the 54 modulated symbols illustrated in FIG. 16. These 54 modulated symbols can be transmitted via a 52-carrier and a center 26-carrier. In other words, among the 54 modulated symbols, 48 ​​modulated symbols can be transmitted through the 52-carrier (1610, 1620, 1630, 1640) illustrated in FIG. 16, and the remaining 6 modulated symbols can be transmitted through the center 26-carrier (1661, 1662, 1663, 1664) illustrated in FIG. 16.

[0217] The technical features of Fig. 16 can be applied to various types of PPDUs. In other words, the technical features of Fig. 16 are not limited to ELR PPDUs. For example, the technical features of Fig. 16 can also be applied to PPDUs related to MU communication or TB PPDUs.

[0218] Figure 18 illustrates another example of a PPDU of this specification.

[0219] The illustrated example is an example of a UHR PPDU. The illustrated UHR PPDU of FIG. 18 includes a Data field. This Data field can be configured based on the example of FIG. 16. Specifically, any one of the multiple symbols transmitting the Data field of FIG. 18 can transmit 27 bits of information. The 27 bits of information can be modulated based on an MCS0 index. In other words, the 27 bits can be modulated based on BPSK at a 1 / 2 code rate. Consequently, the 27 bits of information can correspond to the 54 modulated symbols illustrated in FIG. 16. These 54 modulated symbols can be transmitted via a 52-carrier and a center 26-carrier. In other words, among the 54 modulated symbols, 48 ​​modulated symbols can be transmitted through the 52-carrier (1610, 1620, 1630, 1640) illustrated in FIG. 16, and the remaining 6 modulated symbols can be transmitted through the center 26-carrier (1661, 1662, 1663, 1664) illustrated in FIG. 16.

[0220] While the example in FIG. 18 relates to UHR PPDUs, the examples in this specification are not limited to UHR PPDUs. For example, the examples in this specification can also be applied to next-generation systems proposed after UHR. Specifically, the examples in this specification can be applied to various examples that utilize frequency resources surrounding a DC signal to transmit data fields and / or signal fields.

[0221] Figure 19 is an example of a procedure flowchart related to this specification. The procedure illustrated in Figure 19 may be performed by a non-AP STA, a non-AP MLD, an AP (Access Point), or an AP MLD (AP Multi-link Device).

[0222] As illustrated in S1910, an STA (e.g., non-AP or AP) can generate (or configure, construct) a PPDU. For example, the PPDU of step S1910 can be a PPDU of various types / formats. For example, the PPDU of step S1910 can be a PPDU related to ELR communication, a PPDU unrelated to ELR communication, or a PPDU related to SU / MU / NDP.

[0223] The PPDU of step S1910 may include a data field. Additionally or alternatively, the PPDU of step S1910 may include a signal field containing information necessary for interpreting the data field (or the PPDU). The signal field may have various names. For example, the signal field may have various names such as ELR-SIG, UHR-SIG, control signal field, first / second signal field, transmission signal field, etc.

[0224] For example, the PPDU of step S1910 may have a bandwidth of 20 MHz. For example, the bandwidth of the PPDU may have various bandwidths such as 40 / 80 / 160 MHz.

[0225] For example, the data field (or signal field) of the PPDU may include four first carrier units duplicated in the frequency domain in units of first carrier units having multiple tones. For example, the first carrier unit unit may have 52 subcarriers / carriers / tones. For example, an example of the four first carrier units may be 52-carriers (1610, 1620, 1630, 1640) illustrated in FIG. 16.

[0226] For example, the four first carrier units may include a first unit, a second unit, a third unit, and a fourth unit that are sequentially positioned on the frequency domain. For example, the first to fourth units may be 52-carriers (1610, 1620, 1630, 1640) illustrated in FIG. 16. For example, being sequentially positioned on the frequency domain may mean that the first unit has the lowest frequency / tone index and the fourth unit has the highest possible frequency / tone index. Specifically, the first unit, the second unit, the third unit, and the fourth unit that are sequentially positioned on the frequency domain may not mean that they are consecutive to each other on the frequency domain. For example, another type of carrier unit may be assigned / placed between the second unit (1620) and the third unit (1630). For example, at least one null subcarrier (or null tone or tone having a value of 0, etc.) may be allocated between the first unit (1610) and the second unit (1620). For example, at least one null subcarrier (or null tone or tone having a value of 0, etc.) may be allocated between the third unit (1630) and the fourth unit (1640).

[0227] The above data field may further include four second carrier units duplicated in the frequency domain in units of second carrier units having multiple tones. For example, the second carrier unit unit may have six subcarriers / carriers / tones. For example, an example of the four second carrier units may be the center 26-carrier (1661, 1662, 1663, 1664) illustrated in FIG. 16.

[0228] For example, the four second carrier units may include a first frequency resource, a second frequency resource, a third frequency resource, and a fourth frequency resource that are sequentially positioned on the frequency domain. The first to fourth frequency resources (or the four second carrier units) may be the center 26-carrier (1661, 1662, 1663, 1664) illustrated in FIG. 16. For example, being sequentially positioned on the frequency domain may mean that the first frequency resource has the lowest frequency / tone index and the fourth frequency resource has the highest possible frequency / tone index. Specifically, the first frequency resource, the second frequency resource, the third frequency resource, and the fourth frequency resource that are sequentially positioned on the frequency domain may not mean that they are consecutive to each other on the frequency domain. For example, a DC signal (e.g., a signal for a tone / index range of [-3:3]) may be allocated / placed between the second frequency resource (1662) and the third frequency resource (1663). For example, at least one null subcarrier (or a null tone or a tone having a value of 0, etc.) may be allocated between the first frequency resource (1661) and the second frequency resource (1662). For example, at least one null subcarrier (or a null tone or a tone having a value of 0, etc.) may be allocated between the third frequency resource (1663) and the fourth frequency resource (1664). For example, at least one null subcarrier (or a null tone or a tone having a value of 0, etc.) may be allocated between the DC signal and the second frequency resource (1662). For example, at least one null subcarrier (or null tone or tone having a value of 0, etc.) may be allocated between the third frequency resource (1663) and the DC signal.For example, at least one pilot carrier / tone / signal may be allocated between the first frequency resource (1661) and the second frequency resource (1662). For example, at least one pilot carrier / tone / signal may be allocated between the third frequency resource (1663) and the fourth frequency resource (1664).

[0229] The technical features applied to the above data field may also be applied to other fields of the PPDU. For example, various signal fields other than the data field may also be transmitted based on the first to fourth units (1610, 1620, 1630, 1640) and the first to fourth frequency resources (1661, 1662, 1663, 1664) described above.

[0230] As illustrated in step S1920, an STA (e.g., non-AP or AP) can transmit a PPDU. In other words, the STA can transmit a PPDU generated according to step S1910.

[0231] Figure 20 is an example of a procedure flowchart related to the present specification. The procedure illustrated in Figure 20 may be performed by a non-AP STA, a non-AP MLD, an AP (Access Point), or an AP MLD (AP Multi-link Device).

[0232] As illustrated in S2010, an STA (e.g., non-AP or AP) may receive a PPDU. The PPDU received via S2010 may be identical to the PPDU generated according to S1910.

[0233] As illustrated in S2020, an STA (e.g., non-AP or AP) can decode a PPDU. The PPDU can include at least one signal field, and the signal field can include information for interpreting the PPDU (or data field). The STA can decode or interpret the PPDU based on the signal field.

[0234] The technical features of the present disclosure may be implemented by various devices. The devices of the present disclosure may be the devices described in FIG. 1 / FIG. 14. The devices of the present disclosure may include at least one processor; and at least one computer memory operably connectable to the at least one processor, the computer memory storing instructions for performing operations based on execution by the at least one processor.

[0235] For example, the processor may be a processor described in FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 14. That is, as described above, the processor of the present specification may include at least one of a digital signal processor (DSP), a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), and a modem (modulator and demodulator). The processor may include not only computers having various architectures such as single / multiprocessor architecture, sequential (Von Neumann) / parallel architecture, but also specialized circuits such as FPGAs, ASICs, signal processing devices, and other devices. For example, the processor of the present specification may be a SNAPDRAGON® series processor manufactured by Qualcomm®, an EXYNOS® series processor manufactured by Samsung®, an A series processor manufactured by Apple®, a HELIO® series processor manufactured by MediaTek®, an ATOM® series processor manufactured by INTEL®, or a processor that enhances the same.

[0236] For example, the instructions may refer to computer program instructions executed by the at least one processor. The (computer program) instructions provide logic and / or routines that enable the technical features of the present specification to be performed by the processor. The at least one processor can load and execute a computer program by reading the at least one memory.

[0237] The computer program(s) defined by the above instructions may be delivered to the device (e.g., STA) of the present specification via an appropriate delivery mechanism. The delivery mechanism may be, for example, a computer-readable storage medium, a computer program product, a memory device, a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD, or a product tangibly embodying the computer program. The delivery mechanism may be a signal configured to reliably transmit the computer program via a wireless or electrical connection.

[0238] The above (computer program) instructions may include software or firmware for a programmable processor (e.g., programmable content of a hardware device whether instructions for a processor, or configuration settings for a fixed-function device, gate array or programmable logic device, etc.).

[0239] For example, the memory may be the memory described in FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 14. That is, as described above, the memory of the present specification may store control information related to the operation of the STA of the present specification or information about signals transmitted and received by the STA (e.g., PPDU including management / control / data frames).

[0240] The technical features of this specification may be implemented in at least one computer-readable recording medium (CRM). The CRM includes instructions that are executed by at least one processor as described above. The instructions stored in the CRM may be computer program instructions as described above.

[0241] The device of the present disclosure may further include a transceiver. The transceiver may be operably connectable to the memory / processor, etc. The transceiver may be the transceiver illustrated in FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 14.

[0242] The technical features of this specification described above are applicable to various applications and business models. For example, the technical features described above can be applied to wireless communication in devices that support artificial intelligence (AI).

[0243] Artificial intelligence (AI) is the study of artificial intelligence or the methodologies for creating it, while machine learning (ML) defines various problems in the field of AI and studies the methodologies for solving them. Machine learning is also defined as an algorithm that improves performance on a task through consistent experience.

[0244] An artificial neural network (ANN) is a model used in machine learning. It can refer to a model with problem-solving capabilities, consisting of artificial neurons (nodes) formed by the connection of synapses to form a network. An ANN can be defined by the connection patterns between neurons in different layers, the learning process that updates model parameters, and the activation function that generates output values.

[0245] An artificial neural network may include an input layer, an output layer, and optionally one or more hidden layers. Each layer contains one or more neurons, and the artificial neural network may include synapses connecting neurons. In an artificial neural network, each neuron can output a function value of an activation function based on input signals, weights, and biases received through the synapses.

[0246] Model parameters are parameters determined through learning, including synaptic connection weights and neuron biases. Hyperparameters are parameters that must be set before learning in machine learning algorithms, including the learning rate, number of iterations, mini-batch size, and initialization function.

[0247] The goal of artificial neural network training can be seen as determining model parameters that minimize a loss function. The loss function can be used as an indicator for determining optimal model parameters during the artificial neural network training process.

[0248] Machine learning can be classified into supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning depending on the learning method.

[0249] Supervised learning refers to a method for training an artificial neural network when given labels for the training data. The labels can refer to the correct answer (or output value) that the artificial neural network must infer when the training data is input to the artificial neural network. Unsupervised learning can refer to a method for training an artificial neural network when the training data is not given labels. Reinforcement learning can refer to a learning method in which an agent defined within a given environment is trained to select actions or action sequences that maximize the cumulative reward in each state.

[0250] Machine learning implemented with a deep neural network (DNN) containing multiple hidden layers among artificial neural networks is also called deep learning, and deep learning is a subset of machine learning. Hereinafter, the term "machine learning" is used to encompass deep learning.

[0251] Additionally, the above-described technical features can be applied to wireless communication of robots.

[0252] A robot can be defined as a machine that automatically performs or operates a given task based on its own capabilities. Specifically, a robot capable of perceiving its environment, making independent judgments, and performing actions can be called an intelligent robot.

[0253] Robots can be categorized into industrial, medical, household, and military applications based on their intended use or field. Robots are equipped with actuators or motors, enabling them to perform various physical actions, such as moving robot joints. Furthermore, mobile robots incorporate wheels, brakes, and propellers into their actuators, enabling them to move on the ground or fly in the air.

[0254] Additionally, the above-described technical features can be applied to devices that support extended reality.

[0255] Extended reality is a general term for virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). VR technology presents real-world objects and backgrounds as CG images only, AR technology presents virtual CG images over images of real objects, and MR technology is a computer graphics technology that blends and combines virtual objects with the real world.

[0256] MR technology is similar to AR in that it presents both real and virtual objects simultaneously. However, while AR uses virtual objects to complement real objects, MR uses virtual and real objects on an equal footing.

[0257] XR technology can be applied to HMD (Head-Mount Display), HUD (Head-Up Display), mobile phones, tablet PCs, laptops, desktops, TVs, digital signage, etc., and devices to which XR technology is applied can be called XR devices.

Claims

Configure the data fields included in the PPDU (Physical Protocol Data Unit), The bandwidth of the above PPDU is 20 MHz, The above data field includes four first carrier units duplicated in the frequency domain in units of first carrier units having multiple tones, and the four first carrier units include a first unit, a second unit, a third unit, and a fourth unit sequentially positioned in the frequency domain, The above data field further includes four second carrier units duplicated in the frequency domain in units of second carrier units having multiple tones, wherein the four second carrier units include a first frequency resource, a second frequency resource, a third frequency resource, and a fourth frequency resource sequentially positioned in the frequency domain, The first to fourth frequency resources are located between the second unit and the third unit in the frequency domain; and Step of transmitting the above PPDU Including method. In the first paragraph, The above data field includes a first modulation symbol and a second modulation symbol, The first modulation symbol is transmitted based on the first carrier unit unit, The second modulation symbol is transmitted based on the second carrier unit unit. method. In the first paragraph, The first carrier unit has 52 tones, and the second carrier unit has 6 tones. method. In the first paragraph, A DC (direct current) signal is located between the second frequency resource and the third frequency resource, and the DC signal includes seven tones. method. In paragraph 4, At least one null subcarrier is located between the second unit and the first frequency resource, At least one null subcarrier is located between the third unit and the fourth frequency resource. method. In paragraph 4, At least one null subcarrier is located between the second frequency resource and the DC signal, At least one null subcarrier is located between the third frequency resource and the DC signal. method. In paragraph 4, At least one pilot tone is located between the first frequency resource and the second frequency resource, At least one pilot tone is located between the third frequency resource and the fourth frequency resource. method. at least one processor; and At least one computer memory operable to said at least one processor, said memory storing instructions for performing operations based on being executed by said at least one processor, The instructions of at least one computer memory are: Configure the data fields included in the PPDU (Physical Protocol Data Unit), The bandwidth of the above PPDU is 20 MHz, The above data field includes four first carrier units duplicated in the frequency domain in units of first carrier units having multiple tones, and the four first carrier units include a first unit, a second unit, a third unit, and a fourth unit sequentially positioned in the frequency domain, The above data field further includes four second carrier units duplicated in the frequency domain in units of second carrier units having multiple tones, wherein the four second carrier units include a first frequency resource, a second frequency resource, a third frequency resource, and a fourth frequency resource sequentially positioned in the frequency domain, The first to fourth frequency resources are located between the second unit and the third unit in the frequency domain; and Step of transmitting the above PPDU Performing actions that include STA(station). In paragraph 8, The instructions of at least one computer memory are: Configured to perform any one of the 2nd to 7th clauses STA. By STA (station), the data field included in PPDU (Physical Protocol Data Unit) is received, The bandwidth of the above PPDU is 20 MHz, The above data field includes four first carrier units duplicated in the frequency domain in units of first carrier units having multiple tones, and the four first carrier units include a first unit, a second unit, a third unit, and a fourth unit sequentially positioned in the frequency domain, The above data field further includes four second carrier units duplicated in the frequency domain in units of second carrier units having multiple tones, wherein the four second carrier units include a first frequency resource, a second frequency resource, a third frequency resource, and a fourth frequency resource sequentially positioned in the frequency domain, The first to fourth frequency resources are located between the second unit and the third unit in the frequency domain; and A step of decoding the PPDU by the STA Including method. In Article 10, The above STA performs any one of the second to seventh clauses. method. at least one processor; and At least one computer memory operable to said at least one processor, said memory storing instructions for performing operations based on being executed by said at least one processor, The instructions of at least one computer memory are: By STA (station), the data field included in PPDU (Physical Protocol Data Unit) is received, The bandwidth of the above PPDU is 20 MHz, The above data field includes four first carrier units duplicated in the frequency domain in units of first carrier units having multiple tones, and the four first carrier units include a first unit, a second unit, a third unit, and a fourth unit sequentially positioned in the frequency domain, The above data field further includes four second carrier units duplicated in the frequency domain in units of second carrier units having multiple tones, wherein the four second carrier units include a first frequency resource, a second frequency resource, a third frequency resource, and a fourth frequency resource sequentially positioned in the frequency domain, The first to fourth frequency resources are located between the second unit and the third unit in the frequency domain; and A step of decoding the PPDU by the STA Performing actions that include STA(station). In Article 12, The instructions of at least one computer memory are: Configured to perform any one of the 2nd to 7th clauses STA.

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