Base station device, terminal device, and communication method

Abstract

A base station device comprising a processing unit for issuing a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive. For a TB PPDU other than a TB PPDU requested by an AP, the base station device does not issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive to a PPDU that does not overlap an NPCA primary channel.

Description

Base station device, terminal device, and communication method

[0001] The present invention relates to a base station apparatus, a terminal apparatus, and a communication method. This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-148235, filed on August 30, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) is currently studying ways to increase the speed and efficiency of frequency usage in wireless local area network (LAN) communications. Currently, standardization of IEEE802.11bn, the successor to IEEE802.11be, is underway (Non-Patent Document 1).

[0003] IEEE802.11-23 / 2005r0, Intel Corp, “Non-primary channel access (NPCA)”, November 2023.

[0004] The present invention provides a terminal device, a base station device, and a communication method that enable efficient communication.

[0005] (1) A first aspect of the present invention is a base station device that includes a processing unit that issues a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive, and that does not issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for a PPDU that does not overlap with the NPCA primary channel if it is not a TB PPDU requested by an AP.

[0006] (2) A second aspect of the present invention is a terminal device comprising a processing unit that issues a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive, and does not issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for a PPDU that does not overlap with an NPCA primary channel.

[0007] (3) A third aspect of the present invention is a communication method used in a base station device, which includes a step of issuing a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive, and which does not issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for a PPDU that does not overlap with the NPCA primary channel if the PPDU is not a TB PPDU requested by the AP.

[0008] An efficient wireless communication system can be realized.

[0009] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless LAN system according to an aspect of the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an OBSS according to an aspect of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an STA according to an aspect of the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an AP according to an aspect of the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a MAC frame format according to an aspect of the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an A-MSDU according to an aspect of the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an A-MPDU according to an aspect of the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of fragmentation according to an aspect of the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PPDU according to an aspect of the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a backoff procedure according to an aspect of the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a NAV according to an aspect of the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of channel bonding according to an aspect of the present embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a backoff procedure on an NPCA primary channel by a STA according to an aspect of the present embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of PPDU reception on an NPCA primary channel according to an aspect of the present embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of TB PPDU reception in NPCA according to an aspect of the present embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process of issuing a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive according to an aspect of the present embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process of issuing a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for a TB PPDU according to an aspect of the present embodiment.

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0011] "A and / or B" may be a term that includes "A", "B", or "A and B".

[0012] The wireless LAN system in this embodiment includes an access point (AP) and stations (STAs). A network consisting of the access point and stations is called a basic service set (BSS). The wireless LAN system may be composed of one or more stations. When the wireless LAN system is composed of two or more STAs, the wireless LAN system may be called a BSS.

[0013] An access point (AP) may be referred to as a base station device, and a station (STA) may be referred to as a terminal device.

[0014] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a wireless LAN system according to an aspect of the present embodiment. In Fig. 1, the wireless LAN system includes STA 103, STA 104, and AP 102. 101 may also be referred to as BSS.

[0015] An STA may be a logical entity that is a single addressable instance of a Medium Access Control (MAC) and physical layer interface to a wireless medium (WM). An STA may also be a communication device over a wireless medium. An STA may also include an Access Point (AP) with base station functionality and / or a non-AP STA with terminal functionality. That is, an STA may be an AP. An STA may also be a non-AP STA. An STA may also refer to both an AP and a non-AP STA. An STA may also be referred to as a terminal device.

[0016] The wireless medium may be a medium used to implement the transfer of Protocol Data Units (PDUs) between peer physical layer entities of a Wireless LAN. The wireless medium may also be referred to as a medium. The medium may also be referred to as a Medium.

[0017] A channel may be an instance of a wireless medium used to transmit PPDUs between two or more STAs.

[0018] An AP may be an entity that contains one STA and provides associated STA(s) access to distribution system services (DSS) over a wireless medium. An AP may include a STA and a distribution system access function (DSAF). An AP may also be referred to as an STA. That is, an AP may also be an STA.

[0019] A non-AP STA (non-access point station) may be a STA that is not included in an AP. For example, a non-AP STA may be an HT STA. A non-AP STA may be a VHT STA. A non-AP STA may be an HE STA. A non-AP STA may be an EHT STA. A non-AP STA may be a UHR STA. A non-AP STA may be a STA other than the aforementioned STAs. A non-AP STA may also be referred to as an STA.

[0020] Distribution system services may be the set of services provided by a distribution system (DS). A distribution system access function may be a function within an AP that provides access between the distribution system and the wireless medium using MAC services and distribution system services. A distribution system may be a system used to interconnect a set of BSSs and an integrated LAN to create an Extended Service Set (ESS).

[0021] A BSS may be a set of STAs that have successfully synchronized using JOIN service primitives and one STA that has used a START primitive. For example, MLME-JOIN.confirm may be used as the JOIN service primitive. MLME-JOIN.confirm may be a primitive for confirming synchronization with the BSS. MLME-JOIN.request may be used as the JOIN service primitive. MLME-JOIN.request may be a primitive for requesting synchronization with the BSS. For example, MLME-START.request may be used as the START primitive. MLME-START.request may be a primitive for requesting that a MAC entity start a new BSS. A primitive may be an internal signal in a STA or AP. The internal signal here may be an internal signal used for information exchange between entities in different layers or different protocols, such as between an SME and an MLME, between an SME and a PLME, or between an MLME and a PLME.

[0022] An ESS may be a set of one or more interconnected BSSs that appear as a single BSS at the Logical Link Control (LLC) layer of a STA associated with any of these BSSs. An ESS (Extended Service Set) may have a connection path between one of the APs that are members of the ESS and a non-AP STA via a WM. An ESS may have overlapping communication areas (coverage) formed by multiple BSSs. An ESS may have multiple BSSs separated by a large distance, or may arrange the coverage areas of multiple BSSs as a larger coverage area. In other words, the communication area of ​​an ESS may be the same as or larger than the communication area of ​​a single BSS. A communication area formed by an ESS may be referred to as an Extended Service Area (ESA).

[0023] An Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) may be a BSS that operates on the same channel as the STA's BSS and within (partially or entirely) its Basic Service Area (BSA).

[0024] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an OBSS according to one aspect of the present embodiment. In FIG. 2, 202 may be AP#1. 203 may be STA#1. 204 may be STA#2. 201 may be BSS#1 composed of 202, 203, and 204. 203 may be synchronized with 202. 204 may be synchronized with 202. 206 may be AP#2. 207 may be STA#3. 208 may be STA#4. 205 may be BSS#2 composed of 206, 207, and 208. 207 may be synchronized with 206. 208 may be synchronized with 206. 202 may not be synchronized with 207. 202 may not be synchronized with 208. 206 may not be synchronized with 203. 206 may not be synchronized with 204. 201 and 205 may be BSSs operating on the same channel. 205 may be considered an OBSS by 201. 201 may be considered an OBSS by 205. For example, 202 may receive a frame transmitted by 207. 204 may receive a frame transmitted by 207. 207 may receive a frame transmitted by 202. 207 may receive a frame transmitted by 204. For example, 202 may determine that the channel is busy while 207 is transmitting. 204 may determine that the channel is busy while 207 is transmitting. 207 may determine that the channel is busy while 202 is transmitting. 207 may determine that the channel is busy while 204 is transmitting.

[0025] A BSA may be a region that includes members of a BSS. A BSA may also include members of other BSSs. For example, in Figure 2, 201 may be a BSA that includes 203, 204, and 207, where 207 may be a member of another BSS.

[0026] An IBSS (Independent Basic Service Set) is a BSS that forms a self-contained network and does not provide access to the DS.

[0027] An addressable unit may be a station (STA). Physical and operational characteristics may be defined by modifiers placed before the STA term. For example, in the case of location and mobility, addressable units may be fixed STA, mobile STA, and mobility STA. A STA is an addressable destination, but may not (generally) have a fixed location. A STA may have multiple different characteristics, each of which may shape its function. For example, a single addressable unit may simultaneously have the characteristics of a portable STA, a QoS STA, a dependent STA, and a hidden STA.

[0028] The architecture may consist of several components that interact to provide a WLAN that supports STA mobility transparently to higher layers. A BSS may be a fundamental building block of a LAN. The range over which member STAs of a BSS can communicate may be considered a coverage area. The set of all possible directional transmissions by member STAs may be referred to as a BSA.

[0029] Physical limitations may determine the distance between direct STAs. An infrastructure BSS may be part of a network consisting of multiple BSSs. The architecture component for interconnecting infrastructure BSSs may be a DS for non-General Link (non-GLK) operation. DS and Extended Service Sets (ESSs) may be mechanisms for extending connectivity for non-GLK operation. GLK operation may involve the use of bridges to form an extended network. The wireless medium and Distribution System Medium (DSM) may be logically separated. Each logical medium may be used for different purposes by different components of the architecture. Recognizing that multiple media are logically distinct is important to understanding the flexibility of the architecture. The LAN architecture is specified independently of the physical characteristics of a particular implementation. A Distribution System (DS) may enable support for mobile devices by providing the logical services necessary for address-to-destination mapping and seamless integration of multiple BSSs. An AP is an entity with STA functionality and a Distribution System Access Function (DSAF) that may enable associated STAs to access the Distribution System (DS) over the wireless medium. Data between the BSS and Distribution System (DS) may travel via the Distribution System Access Function (DSAF) within the AP. An AP may contain STAs, addressable on the wireless medium using their STA addresses. The addresses an AP uses to communicate on the wireless medium and on the DSM may not necessarily be the same. Data sent from one of the STAs associated with an AP addressed to the AP's STA address may always be received on an uncontrolled port and processed by a port access entity. If a controlled port is authorized, the frame may conceptually pass through the DS.

[0030] A wireless network of any size and complexity may be constructed using a DS and an infrastructure BSS. This network may be referred to as an ESS (Extended Service Set). An ESS is a collection of infrastructure BSSs connected by the same SSID and may be connected by a DS. An ESS may not include a DS. An ESS may appear the same as an IBSS to the LLC layer. STAs within an ESS can communicate, and mobile STA(s) may move between BSSs (within the same ESS) transparently to the LLC. In an ESS, BSSs may partially overlap. This may be commonly used to allocate coverage within a physical range. In an ESS, BSSs may be physically separated. In an ESS, there may be no logical limit on the distance between BSSs. In an ESS, BSSs may be physically co-located. This may be done to provide redundancy. In an ESS, one or more IBSSs or ESSs may be physically co-located with one or more ESSs.

[0031] 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the device configuration of an STA according to one aspect of this embodiment. The STA may include an antenna unit SU1, an RF (Radio Frequency) unit SU2, a physical layer processing unit (PHY layer processing unit) SU3, a MAC layer processing unit SU4, and an upper layer packet processing unit SU5. The STA may also include a radio transceiver unit SU6 and a frame processing unit SU7. The radio transceiver unit SU6 may be configured to include the antenna unit SU1 and the RF unit SU2. The frame processing unit SU7 may be configured to include the physical layer processing unit SU3 and the MAC layer processing unit SU4. The RF unit SU2 receives radio signals via the antenna unit SU1.

[0032] The signal received by the RF unit SU2 is converted into a baseband signal and sent to the physical layer processing unit SU3. The physical layer processing unit SU3 performs processing related to the physical layer function (PHY function) on the converted baseband signal. The signal that has undergone physical layer processing in the physical layer processing unit SU3 is sent to the MAC layer processing unit SU4. The MAC layer processing unit SU4 performs processing related to the MAC layer function (MAC function) on the baseband signal. The signal that has undergone MAC layer processing in the MAC layer processing unit SU4 is sent as an upper layer packet to the upper layer packet processing unit SU5. The upper layer packet processing unit SU5 performs processing related to the upper layer function on the upper layer packets extracted from the received signal.

[0033] The upper layer packet processing unit SU5 performs processing related to upper layer functions when transmitting an upper layer packet. The upper layer packet to be transmitted is sent from the upper layer packet processing unit SU5 to the MAC layer processing unit SU4. The MAC layer processing unit SU4 performs processing related to MAC layer functions on the upper layer packet. A frame that has undergone MAC layer processing in the MAC layer processing unit SU4 (a frame generated by processing the upper layer packet) is sent to the physical layer processing unit SU3. The physical layer processing unit SU3 performs processing related to physical layer functions on the frame that has undergone MAC layer processing. The frame sent from the physical layer processing unit SU3 to the RF unit SU2 is converted into an RF signal and transmitted as a radio signal via the antenna unit SU1.

[0034] The processing of the physical layer processing unit SU3 may be controlled by a Physical Layer Management Entity (PLME), which is an entity that controls the physical layer. The processing of the MAC processing unit SU4 may be controlled by a MAC Layer Management Entity (MLME), which is an entity that controls the MAC layer. The PLME and MLME provide their own layer management service interfaces. The PLME and MLME may also be controlled by a Station Management Entity (SME), which is an entity independent of the layers. The PLME, MLME, and SME may be included in the frame processing unit SU7.

[0035] 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the device configuration of an AP according to one aspect of this embodiment. The AP may include an antenna unit AU1, an RF unit AU2, a physical layer processing unit AU3, a MAC layer processing unit AU4, and a DSAF unit AU5. The DSAF unit AU5 may have an upper layer packet processing function. The AP may also include a wireless transceiver unit AU6 and a frame processing unit AU7. The wireless transceiver unit AU6 may be configured to include the antenna unit AU1 and the RF unit AU2. The frame processing unit AU7 may be configured to include the physical layer processing unit AU3 and the MAC layer processing unit AU4.

[0036] The signal received by the RF unit AU2 is converted into a baseband signal and sent to the physical layer processing unit AU3. The physical layer processing unit AU3 performs processing related to physical layer functions on the converted baseband signal. The signal that has undergone physical layer processing in the physical layer processing unit AU3 is sent to the MAC layer processing unit AU4. The MAC layer processing unit AU4 performs processing related to MAC layer functions on the baseband signal. The signal that has undergone MAC layer processing in the MAC layer processing unit AU4 is sent to the DSAF unit AU5 as an upper layer packet. The DSAF unit AU5 performs processing related to upper layer functions on the upper layer packets extracted from the received signal. The DSAF unit AU5 may also provide the upper layer packets to the DS.

[0037] The DSAF unit AU5 may acquire upper layer packets from the DS. The DSAF unit AU5 performs processing related to upper layer functions when transmitting upper layer packets. The upper layer packets to be transmitted are sent from the DSAF unit AU5 to the MAC layer processing unit AU4. The MAC layer processing unit AU4 performs processing related to MAC layer functions on the upper layer packets. A frame that has undergone MAC layer processing in the MAC layer processing unit AU4 (a frame generated by processing the upper layer packet) is sent to the physical layer processing unit AU3. The physical layer processing unit AU3 performs physical layer function processing on the frame that has undergone MAC layer processing. The frame sent from the physical layer processing unit AU3 to the RF unit AU2 is converted into an RF signal and transmitted as a wireless signal via the antenna unit AU1.

[0038] The processing of the physical layer processing unit AU3 may be controlled by the PLME. The processing of the MAC processing unit AU4 may be controlled by the MLME. The PLME and MLME may also be controlled by an SME, which is an entity independent of the layers. The PLME, MLME, and SME may be included in the frame processing unit AU7.

[0039] A High-Throughput STA (HT STA) may provide PHY and MAC functionality capable of supporting a throughput of 100 Mb / s or more as measured at the MAC data service access point (SAP). HT STAs may also be QoS STAs. HT features may be utilized by HT STAs associated with a High-Throughput AP (HT AP). A subset of HT features may be used between two HT STAs that are members of the same IBSS. Some PHY features that distinguish HT STAs from non-HT STAs may be multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) operation, spatial multiplexing (SM), spatial mapping (including transmit beamforming), space-time block coding (STBC), low-density parity check (LDPC) coding, and antenna selection (ASEL). PPDU formats permitted by HT STAs may be non-HT format, HT-mixed format, and HT-greenfield format. In HT STAs, PPDUs may be transmitted in a 20 MHz bandwidth. In HT STAs, PPDUs may be transmitted in a 40 MHz bandwidth. HT STAs may have MAC functionality including frame aggregation, several block ack features, Power Save Multi-Poll (PSMP) operation, reverse direction (RD), and protection mechanisms to support coexistence with non-HT STAs.

[0040] A VHT STA (Very High-Throughput STA) may be an HT STA that supports VHT functions in addition to the functions supported by an HT STA. The primary PHY function of the VHT STA may support 40 MHz and 80 MHz channel widths. The primary PHY function of the VHT STA may support VHT single-user (SU) PPDUs. The primary PHY function of the VHT STA may support 160 MHz and 80+80 MHz channel widths. The primary PHY function of the VHT STA may support VHT multi-user (MU) PPDUs. The primary PHY function of the VHT STA may not be present in an HT STA. The primary MAC function of the VHT STA may support A-MPDU padding of VHT PPDUs. The primary MAC function of the VHT STA may support S-MPDU. The primary MAC function of the VHT STA may support bandwidth indication responses. The primary MAC function of the VHT STA may not be present in an HT STA. VHT functionality may be utilized by a VHT STA associated with a Very High-Throughput AP (VHT AP). A subset of VHT functionality may be used between two VHT STAs that are members of the same IBSS.

[0041] The operating channel width may be the channel width that the STA can currently receive.

[0042] A High Efficiency (HE) STA may be a VHT STA when operating in the 5 GHz band. A 20 MHz-only HE STA may not support 40 MHz and 80 MHz channel widths. Support for a 20 MHz operating channel width may be mandatory for an HE STA. A 20 MHz-only non-AP HE STA may be required to support 40 MHz and 80 MHz operating channel widths. Support for 160 MHz and 80+80 MHz operating channel widths may be optional for an HE STA. An HE STA may also be an HT STA. A primary PHY feature of an HE STA that is not present in an HT or VHT STA may be support for DL ​​and UL OFDMA (Uplink Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access). A primary PHY feature of an HE STA that is not present in an HT or VHT STA may be support for DL ​​MU-MIMO (Downlink Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output) with an HE AP supporting four or more spatial streams when MU-MIMO is performed across the entire PPDU bandwidth. A primary PHY function of an HE STA that is not present in an HT STA or VHT STA may be support for DL ​​MU-MIMO reception for non-AP HE STAs. A primary MAC function of an HE STA that is not present in an HT STA or VHT STA may be support for an AP's OMI (Operating Mode Indication) responder and OMI initiator. A primary MAC function of an HE STA that is not present in an HT STA or VHT STA may be support for an AP's individual TWT (Target Wake Time).A key MAC function of an HE STA that is not present in an HT STA or a VHT STA may be support for two NAV operation for non-AP STAs.

[0043] An Extreme High Throughput (EHT) STA may operate in the band between 1 GHz and 7.250 GHz. For example, an EHT STA may be an HE STA in 5 GHz and 6 GHz. For example, an EHT STA may be an HE STA in 2.4 GHz. An EHT STA may use operation elements for HT and / or VHT and / or HE STA.

[0044] An Ultra High Reliability (UHR) STA may operate in a band between 1 GHz and 7.250 GHz. For example, a UHR STA may be an EHT STA in 5 GHz and 6 GHz. For example, a UHR STA may be an HE STA in 5 GHz and 6 GHz. For example, a UHR STA may be a VHT STA in 5 GHz and 6 GHz. For example, a UHR STA may be an HE STA in 2.4 GHz. For example, a UHR STA may be an HT STA in 2.4 GHz. A UHR STA may support Non Primary Channel Access. A UHR STA may use operation elements for HT, VHT, HE, and / or UHR STAs. That is, a UHR STA may be controlled by an HT operation element, a VHT operation element, a HE operation element, an EHT operation element, and / or a UHR operation element.

[0045] The APs and STAs within a BSS may transmit based on Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA), which may be a protocol designed to reduce the probability of collisions between multiple STAs accessing the medium at the most likely points.

[0046] An HT BSS may be a BSS in which a beacon frame transmitted by an HT STA includes an HT Capabilities element. A VHT BSS may be a BSS in which a beacon frame transmitted by a VHT STA includes a VHT Operation element. An HE BSS may be a BSS in which a beacon frame transmitted by an HE STA includes an HE Operation element. An EHT BSS may be a BSS in which a beacon frame transmitted by an HE STA includes an EHT Operation element. For example, an HT BSS may be configured with STAs supporting the HT STA capability. For example, a VHT BSS may be configured with STAs supporting the VHT STA capability. For example, an HE BSS may be configured with STAs supporting the HE capability. For example, an EHT BSS may be configured with STAs supporting the EHT capability.

[0047] In this embodiment, the STA may be, for example, an HT STA, a VHT STA, an HE STA, an EHT STA, or a UHR STA. The STA may be a STA other than the above-mentioned STAs.

[0048] The AP and STA may transmit frames of multiple frame types with a common frame format, which may be defined at the physical layer, MAC layer, and Logical Link Control (LLC) layer.

[0049] A MAC frame may be a unit of data exchanged between MAC entities. A synonym for a MAC frame may be MPDU. A MAC Protocol Data Unit (MPDU) may be a unit of data exchanged between two MAC entities using a physical layer (PHY) data service. A synonym for an MPDU may be MAC frame. A MAC Service Data Unit (MSDU) may be information delivered as a single unit between MAC Service Access Points (SAPs). A MAC frame in a STA may be processed by a MAC layer processing unit SU4. A MAC frame in a STA may be processed by a frame processing unit SU7. A MAC frame in an AP may be processed by a MAC layer processing unit AU4. A MAC frame in an AP may be processed by a frame processing unit AU7.

[0050] A PHY frame may be a unit of data exchanged between PHY entities. A synonym for a PHY frame may be a PPDU. A PPDU (PHY Protocol Data Unit) may be a unit of data exchanged between two peer PHY entities using a physical layer (PHY) data service. A synonym for a PPDU may be a PHY frame. A PHY frame in a STA may be processed by a physical layer processing unit SU4. A PHY frame in a STA may be processed by a frame processing unit SU7. A PHY frame in an AP may be processed by a physical layer processing unit AU4. A PHY frame in an AP may be processed by a frame processing unit AU7.

[0051] The MAC frame format may consist of a MAC header, a Frame body, and an FCS. The MAC frame format may consist of a set of fields that occur in a fixed order in every frame.

[0052] The MAC header may be composed of a Frame Control field, a Duration / ID field, an Address 1 field, an Address 2 field, an Address 3 field, a Sequence Control field, an Address 4 field, a QoS Control field, an HT Control field, etc. The MAC header may be composed of all of the above fields. The MAC header may be composed of some of the above fields.

[0053] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a MAC frame format according to one aspect of this embodiment. In Fig. 5, the MAC frame format may be composed of a MAC header, a Frame Body, and an FCS. In Fig. 5, the MAC header may be composed of a Frame Control field, a Duration field, an Address 1 field, an Address 2 field, an Address 3 field, a Sequence Control field, an Address 4 field, and a QoS Control field. The MAC frame format may be an MPDU.

[0054] The Frame Control field of the MAC header may be composed of subfields such as the Protocol Version subfield, Type subfield, Subtype subfield, To DS subfield, From DS subfield, More Fragments subfield, Retry subfield, Power Management subfield, More data subfield, Protected Frame subfield, +HTC subfield, Control Frame Extension subfield, Compressed SSID Present subfield, ANO Present subfield, BSS BW subfield, Security subfield, and AP PM subfield. The Frame Control field of the MAC header may be composed of some of the above subfields. The Frame Control field of the MAC header may be composed of all of the above subfields. The Frame Control field of the MAC header may be composed of a specific combination of subfields depending on the frame type.

[0055] The type of frame may be indicated by the Type subfield included in the Frame Control field of the MAC header. Control frame, Management frame, or Data frame may be defined as the frame type. The Type subfield may indicate any of Control frame, Management frame, or Data frame. For example, the Type subfield may be a 2-bit subfield. When 00 is set in the Type subfield, the frame type may be Management frame. When 01 is set in the Type subfield, the frame type may be Control frame. When 10 is set in the Type subfield, the frame type may be Data frame.

[0056] The management frame may be a frame for managing the connection status between devices, the control frame may be a frame for managing the communication status between devices, and the data frame may be a frame containing actual transmission data.

[0057] The frame subtype may be indicated by the Subtype subfield included in the Frame Control field of the MAC header. The following frame subtypes may be defined: Association Request, Association Response, Reassociation Request, Reassociation Response, Probe Request, Probe Response, Beacon, ATIM, Disassociation, Authentication, Deauthentication, Action, Block Ack Request, Block Ack, PS-Poll, RTS, CTS, Ack, CF-End, Data, QoS Data, etc. Subtypes other than those listed above may also be defined.

[0058] The frame subtype may be determined from the Type subfield and Subtype subfield included in the Frame Control field of the MAC header. The Subtype subfield may be a 4-bit subfield. If the Type subfield is set to 00, the Type subfield may indicate a Management frame. If the Type subfield is set to 01, the Type subfield may indicate a Control frame. If the Type subfield is set to 10, the Type subfield may indicate a Data frame.

[0059] For example, if the Type subfield indicates a Management frame and the Subtype subfield is set to 0000, the subtype may be Association Request. If the Type subfield indicates a Management frame and the Subtype subfield is set to 0001, the subtype may be Association Response. If the Type subfield indicates a Management frame and the Subtype subfield is set to 0010, the subtype may be Reassociation Request. If the Type subfield indicates a Management frame and the Subtype subfield is set to 0011, the subtype may be Reassociation Response. If the Type subfield indicates a Management frame and the Subtype subfield is set to 0100, the subtype may be Probe Request. If the Type subfield indicates a Management frame and the Subtype subfield is set to 0101, the subtype may be Probe Response. If the Type subfield indicates a Management frame and the Subtype subfield is set to 1000, the subtype may be Beacon.

[0060] The Beacon frame may be a frame including information such as the Beacon period and SSID. The Beacon frame may be a frame that is periodically transmitted to STAs within a BSS. The Association Response frame may be a frame including information such as a Status code. The Association Response frame may be a frame that is transmitted in response to a received Association Request frame. The Reassociation Response frame may be a frame that includes information such as a Status code. The Reassociation Response frame may be a frame that is transmitted in response to a received Reassociation Request frame. The Probe Response frame may be a frame that includes information such as the Beacon period and SSID. The Probe Response frame may be a frame that is transmitted in response to a received Probe Request frame.

[0061] For example, if the Type subfield indicates a Control frame and the Subtype subfield is set to 1011, the subtype may be RTS. If the Type subfield indicates a Control frame and the Subtype subfield is set to 1100, the subtype may be CTS. If the Type subfield indicates a Control frame and the Subtype subfield is set to 1101, the subtype may be Ack.

[0062] For example, if the Type subfield indicates a Data frame and the Subtype subfield is set to 0000, the subtype may be Data. If the Type subfield indicates a Data frame and the Subtype subfield is set to 1000, the subtype may be QoS Data.

[0063] The Frame body field of a MAC frame format may consist of fields and elements defined for each management frame subtype. Fields and elements may appear in a specified relative order, and non-existent fields or elements may be skipped. An STA that encounters an unrecognized element ID in the frame body of a received management frame ignores that element and continues parsing the remainder of the management frame body (if any) for additional elements with recognizable element IDs. That is, the Frame body of a management frame may contain one or more elements.

[0064] The element format of each element included in the Frame body may be defined by an Element ID field, a Length field, an Element ID Extension field, an information field, etc. The Information field may include information specific to the element. For example, an Element ID of 61 may indicate an element for HT Operation. For example, an Element ID of 191 may indicate an element for VHT Capabilities. For example, an Element ID of 192 may indicate an element for VHT Operation. For example, an Element ID of 255 may indicate an element for HE Capabilities. For example, an Element ID of 255 may indicate an element for HE Operation.

[0065] The Operation element may be information for controlling the operation of a STA within a BSS. The Operation element may be composed of multiple fields.

[0066] The HT Operation element may be defined by an Element ID field, a Length field, a Primary Channel field, an HT Operation information field, and a Basic HT-MCS Set field. The Primary Channel field may indicate the channel number of the primary channel. As described above, the channel location may be indicated by the channel number. The HT Operation information field may consist of a Secondary Channel Offset field, an STA Channel Width field, etc. The Secondary Channel Offset field may indicate the offset of the secondary channel relative to the primary channel. If the Secondary Channel Offset field is set to 1, the secondary channel may be located above the primary channel. If the Secondary Channel Offset field is set to 3, the secondary channel may be located below the primary channel. If the Secondary Channel Offset field is set to 0, the secondary channel may not exist. The STA Channel Width field may define the channel width that the STA can use for transmission. The STA Channel Width field may be set to 0 for 20 MHz. The STA Channel Width field may be set to 1 to allow the use of any channel within the supported channel width set. The operation of the HT STA(s) within the BSS may be controlled by the HT Operation element, i.e., the HT Operation element may be an operation element that controls the operation of the HT STA(s) within the BSS.

[0067] The HT operation element may be transmitted in a Management frame. The HT operation element may be transmitted in a Control frame. The HT operation element may be transmitted in a Data frame. For example, the HT operation element may be transmitted in a Beacon frame. For example, the HT operation element may be transmitted in an Association Response frame. For example, the HT operation element may be transmitted in a Reassociation Response frame. For example, the HT operation element may be transmitted in a Probe Response frame.

[0068] The VHT Operation element may be defined by an Element ID field, a Length field, a VHT Operation information field, and a Basic VHT-MCS And NSS Set field. The VHT Operation information field may consist of a Channel Width field, a Channel Center Frequency Segment 0 field, and a Channel Center Frequency Segment 1 field. The operation of VHT STA(s) within a BSS may be controlled by the HT Operation element and the VHT Operation element. In other words, the VHT Operation element may be an operation element that controls the operation of VHT STAs within a BSS.

[0069] The VHT operation element may be transmitted in a Management frame. The VHT operation element may be transmitted in a Control frame. The VHT operation element may be transmitted in a Data frame. For example, the VHT operation element may be transmitted in a Beacon frame. For example, the VHT operation element may be transmitted in an Association Response frame. For example, the VHT operation element may be transmitted in a Reassociation Response frame. For example, the VHT operation element may be transmitted in a Probe Response frame.

[0070] The Channel Width field in the VHT Operation information field, together with the STA channel width field of the HT operation element, may define the BSS bandwidth. The Channel Width field may be set to 0 for 20 MHz or 40 MHz BSS bandwidth. The Channel Width field may be set to 1 for 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 80+80 MHz BSS bandwidth. The Channel Width field may be set to 2 for 160 MHz BSS bandwidth. The Channel Width field may be set to 3 for 80+80 MHz BSS bandwidth. Values ​​in the Channel Width field range from 4 to 255 may be reserved.

[0071] The Channel Center Frequency Segment 0 field in the VHT Operation Information field may define the channel center frequency for a VHT BSS of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 80+80 MHz. For a BSS bandwidth of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 80 MHz, the Channel Center Frequency Segment 0 field may indicate the channel center frequency index of the 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 80 MHz channel on which the VHT BSS operates. For a BSS bandwidth of 160 MHz and the Channel Width subfield is 1, the Channel Center Frequency Segment 0 field may indicate the channel center frequency index of the 80 MHz channel segment containing the primary channel. For a BSS bandwidth of 160 MHz and the Channel Width subfield is 2, the Channel Center Frequency Segment 0 field may indicate the channel center frequency index of the 160 MHz channel on which the VHT BSS operates. The Channel Center Frequency Segment 0 field may indicate the channel center frequency index of the primary 80 MHz channel of the VHT BSS when the BSS bandwidth is 80 + 80 MHz and the Channel Width subfield is 1 or 3.

[0072] The Channel Center Frequency Segment 1 field in the VHT Operation information field may define the channel center frequency for a 160 MHz or 80+80 MHz VHT BSS. The Channel Center Frequency Segment 1 field may be set to 0 for a BSS bandwidth of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 80 MHz. The Channel Center Frequency Segment 1 field may indicate the channel center frequency index of the 160 MHz channel on which the VHT BSS operates when the BSS bandwidth is 160 MHz and the Channel Width subfield is 1. The Channel Center Frequency Segment 1 field may be set to 0 when the BSS bandwidth is 160 MHz and the Channel Width subfield is 2. The Channel Center Frequency Segment 1 field may indicate the channel center frequency index of the secondary 80 MHz channel of the VHT BSS when the BSS bandwidth is 80+80 MHz and the Channel Width subfield is 1 or 3.

[0073] The HE Operation element format may consist of an Element ID field, a Length field, an Element ID Extension field, an HE Operation Parameter field, a BSS Color Information field, a Basic HE-MCS And NSS Set field, a VHT Operation Information field, a Max Co-Hosted BSSID Indicator field, a 6 GHz Operation Information field, etc. When operating in the 2.4 GHz band, HE STAs in an HE BSS may be controlled by the HT Operation element and the HE Operation element. When operating in the 5 GHz band, HE STAs in an HE BSS may be controlled by the HT Operation element, the VHT Operation element (if present), and the HE Operation element. When operating in the 6 GHz band, HE STAs in an HE BSS may be controlled by the HE Operation element. In other words, the HE Operation element may be an operation element that controls the operation of HE STAs in a BSS.

[0074] The HE operation element may be transmitted in a Management frame. The HE operation element may be transmitted in a Control frame. The HE operation element may be transmitted in a Data frame. For example, the HE operation element may be transmitted in a Beacon frame. For example, the HE operation element may be transmitted in an Association Response frame. For example, the HE operation element may be transmitted in a Reassociation Response frame. For example, the HE operation element may be transmitted in a Probe Response frame.

[0075] The HE Operation Parameter field format of the HE Operation element format may be composed of a Default PE Duration subfield, a TWT Required subfield, a TXOP Duration RTS Threshold subfield, a VHT Operation Information Present subfield, a Co-Hosted BSS subfield, an ER SU Disabled subfield, a 6 GHz Operation Information Present subfield, a Reserved subfield, etc. The VHT Operation Information Present subfield may be set to 1 to indicate that the VHT Operation Information field is present in the HE Operation element, and may be set to 0 otherwise. The 6 GHz Operation Information Present field may be set to 1 to indicate that the 6 GHz Operation Information field is present, and may be set to 0 otherwise.

[0076] The BSS Color Information field format of the HE Operation element format may be configured with a BSS Color subfield, a Partial BSS Color subfield, a BSS Color Disabled subfield, and the like.

[0077] The 6GHz Operation Information field in the HE Operation element format may provide channel and bandwidth information related to 6GHz operation. The 6GHz Operation Information field format may consist of a Primary Channel field, a Control field, a Channel Center Frequency Segment 0 field, a Channel Center Frequency Segment 1 field, a Minimum Rate field, etc. The Primary Channel field may indicate the channel number of the primary channel in 6GHz. The Channel Center Frequency Segment 0 field may indicate the channel center frequency index of a 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, or 80+80MHz channel of a BSS operating in 6GHz. The Channel Center Frequency Segment 0 field may indicate the channel center frequency index of a primary 80MHz channel when the BSS channel width is 160MHz or 80+80MHz. The Channel Center Frequency Segment 1 field may indicate the channel center frequency index of a 160MHz channel of a BSS operating in 6GHz. The Channel Center Frequency Segment 1 field may indicate the channel center frequency index of the secondary 80 MHz channel when the channel width is 80+80 MHz. The Control field format within the 6 GHz Operation Information field format may be composed of a Channel Width field, a Duplicate Beacon subfield, a Regulatory Info subfield, a Reserved subfield, etc.The Channel Width field indicates the BSS channel width and may be set to 0 for 20 MHz, 1 for 40 MHz, 2 for 80 MHz, or 3 for 80+80 MHz or 160 MHz.

[0078] The EHT Operation element format may be an Operation element for controlling EHT STAs operating in an EHT BSS. When operating in the 2.4 GHz band, EHT STAs in an EHT BSS may be controlled by the HT Operation element, the HE Operation element, and the EHT Operation element. When operating in the 5 GHz band, EHT STAs in an EHT BSS may be controlled by the HT Operation element, the VHT Operation element (if present), the HE Operation element, and the EHT Operation element. When operating in the 6 GHz band, EHT STAs in an EHT BSS may be controlled by the HE Operation element and the EHT Operation element.

[0079] The EHT Operation element format may consist of an Element ID, Length, Element ID Extension, EHT Operation Parameter, Basic EHT-MCS And NSS Set, and EHT Operation Information field. The EHT Operation Information field may consist of a Control subfield, a CCFS0 subfield, a CCFS1 subfield, and a Disabled Subchannel Bitmap subfield. The Control subfield may include a Channel Width subfield. The Channel Width subfield may be a subfield for defining the EHT BSS bandwidth. The Channel Width subfield may define 0 for a 20 MHz EHT BSS bandwidth. The Channel Width subfield may define 1 for a 40 MHz EHT BSS bandwidth. The Channel Width subfield may define 2 for an 80 MHz EHT BSS bandwidth. The Channel Width subfield may define 3 for a 160 MHz EHT BSS bandwidth. The Channel Width subfield may define 4 for a 320 MHz EHT BSS bandwidth. The CCFS0 subfield may define the center frequency of the primary 80 MHz channel of a 20 MHz EHT BSS, a 40 MHz EHT BSS, an 80 MHz EHT BSS, a 160 MHz EHT BSS, or a 160 MHz channel of a 320 MHz EHT BSS. The CCFS0 subfield may indicate the channel center frequency index of the 20 MHz channel, 40 MHz channel, or 80 MHz channel on which the EHT BSS operates for the 20 MHz BSS bandwidth, 40 MHz BSS bandwidth, or 80 MHz BSS bandwidth.The CCFS0 subfield may indicate the channel center frequency index of the primary 80 MHz channel for a 160 MHz BSS bandwidth. The CCFS0 subfield may indicate the channel center frequency index of the primary 160 MHz channel for a 320 MHz BSS bandwidth. The CCFS1 subfield may define the center frequency of the 160 MHz EHT BSS or the 320 MHz EHT BSS. The CCFS1 subfield may be set to 0 for a 20 MHz BSS bandwidth, a 40 MHz BSS bandwidth, or an 80 MHz BSS bandwidth. The CCFS1 subfield may indicate the center frequency index of the 160 MHz channel for a 160 MHz BSS bandwidth. The CCFS1 subfield may indicate the center frequency index of the 320 MHz channel for a 320 MHz BSS bandwidth.

[0080] An Aggregate MSDU (A-MSDU) may be a sequence of A-MSDU subframes. Each A-MSDU subframe may consist of an A-MSDU subframe header followed by an MSDU and 0 to 3 padding. In an A-MSDU subframe, the A-MSDU subframe header may contain the DA, SA, and Length fields. The DA and SA fields may contain the values ​​passed in the MA-UNITDATA.request and MAUNITDATA.indication primitives. The Length field may contain the length of the MSDU in octets (i.e., 8-bit units).

[0081] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an A-MSDU according to one aspect of this embodiment. In Fig. 6, the MAC frame format may be composed of a MAC header, a Frame Body, and an FCS. Here, the MAC header may be composed of a Frame Control field, a Duration field, an Address 1 field, an Address 2 field, an Address 3 field, a Sequence Control field, an Address 4 field, and a QoS Control field. The MAC frame format may be an MPDU. The Frame Body may be composed of n A-MSDU subframes. Each A-MSDU may be composed of an A-MSDU subframe header, an MSDU, and Padding. The A-MSDU subframe header may be composed of a DA field, an SA field, and a Length field.

[0082] An Aggregate MPDU (A-MPDU) may consist of a sequence of one or more A-MPDU subframes and a variable amount of EOF adding. Each A-MPDU subframe may consist of an MPDU optionally followed by an MPDU delimiter. Each nonfinal A-MPDU subframe within an A-MPDU may have padding octets added to make the subframe length a multiple of four octets. The EOF Padding field may consist of the EOF Padding subframe field and the EOF Padding Octets field. The A-MPDU pre-EOF padding may refer to the contents of the A-MPDU, excluding the EOF Padding field. The MPDU delimiter may consist of the EOF field, Reserved field, MPDULength field, CRC field, and Delimiter Signature field.

[0083] 7 is a diagram showing an example of an A-MPDU according to one aspect of this embodiment. In FIG. 7, the A-MPDU may be composed of n A-MPDU subframe fields and an EOF Padding field. The n A-MPDU subframe fields may be referred to as A-MPDU pre-EOF padding. Each A-MPDU subframe field may be composed of an MPDU delimiter field, an MPDU field, and a padding field. The MPDU delimiter field may be composed of an EOF field, a Reserved field, an MPDU Length field, a CRC field, and a Delimiter Signature field. The EOF Padding field may be composed of an EOF Padding subframe field and an EOF Padding Octets field.

[0084] The process of dividing an MSDU or MMPDU (MAC Management Protocol Data Unit) into smaller MAC-level frames, MPDUs, may be referred to as fragmentation. The MAC may fragment and reassemble MSDUs or MMPDUs carried in individually addressed MPDUs.

[0085] 8 is a diagram showing an example of fragmentation according to one aspect of this embodiment. In FIG. 8, an MSDU may be fragmented into n pieces. The MSDU may be divided into n Frame Bodies, and a MAC HDR (header) and a CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) may be added to each Frame Body.

[0086] The PPDU may be composed of a PHY preamble, a PHY header, a PSDU (PHY Service Data Unit), etc. The PPDU may be provided with L-STF, L-LTF, and L-SIG. The PPDU may be provided with HT-STF, HT-LTF, and HT-SIG. The PPDU may be provided with VHT-STF, VHT-LTF, VHT-SIG-A, and VHT-SIG-B. The PPDU may be provided with HE-STF, HE-LTF, HE-SIG-A, and HE-SIG-B. The PPDU may be provided with HT-STF, HT-LTF, and HT-SIG in addition to L-STF, L-LTF, and L-SIG. The PPDU may be provided with VHT-STF, VHT-LTF, VHT-SIG-A, and VHT-SIG-B in addition to L-STF, L-LTF, and L-SIG. In addition to L-STF, L-LTF, and L-SIG, HE-STF, HE-LTF, HE-SIG-A, and HE-SIG-B may be added to the PPDU.

[0087] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a PPDU according to one aspect of the present embodiment. In Fig. 9, an L-STF and an L-LTF may be added to the PPDU in the PHY layer. In Fig. 9, the PPDU may be composed of a PSDU, a PHY preamble, a PHY header, a tail, and padding. Here, the PSDU may be an A-MPDU in the MAC sublayer. The A-MPDU may be composed of multiple MAC frame formats. Here, one MAC frame format may be composed of a MAC header field, an A-MSDU field, and an FCS field.

[0088] The time interval between frames may be referred to as an IFS (Inter Frame Space). The STA may determine whether the medium is idle by using a carrier sense function at a specified time interval. That is, the STA may perform carrier sense for the IFS period to determine whether the medium is idle.

[0089] A plurality of types of IFS may be defined. For example, the following may be defined as IFS: Reduced Inter Frame Space (RIFS), Short Inter Frame Space (SIFS), Priority Inter Frame Space (PIFS), DCF Inter Frame Space (DIFS), Arbitration Inter Frame Space (AIFS), Extended Inter Frame Space (EIFS), Short Beamforming Inter Frame Space (SBIFS), Beam Refinement Inter Frame Space (BRPIFS), Medium Beamforming Inter Frame Space (MBIFS), and Long Beamforming Inter Frame Space (LBIFS).

[0090] The time interval may differ depending on the type of IFS. For example, a PIFS may be an IFS with a longer time interval than a SIFS. A DIFS may be an IFS with a longer time interval than a PIFS. A priority level for accessing the wireless medium may be provided depending on the type of IFS. In other words, an IFS with a shorter time interval may be an IFS with a higher priority level for accessing the wireless medium.

[0091] SIFS (Short Inter Frame Space) may be the time from the end of the last symbol or signal extension (if present) of the previous frame to the first symbol of the preamble of the next frame seen on the wireless medium.

[0092] Priority Inter Frame Space (PIFS) may be used to control access to the medium to obtain priority access. PIFS may also be used to perform Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) of the secondary 20 MHz channel, secondary 40 MHz channel, and secondary 80 MHz channel before transmitting 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or 160 MHz.

[0093] Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) may be determining the current usage status of the wireless medium. CCA may be a function at the physical layer for determining the current usage status of the wireless medium. CCA may also be referred to as a CCA function.

[0094] The DCF Inter Frame Space (DIFS) may be used by STAs operating using DCF to transmit data frames (MPDUs) and management frames (MMPDUs). After successfully receiving a frame, a STA using DCF may transmit if the carrier sense (CS) mechanism determines that the medium is idle on a TxDIFS slot boundary and the STA's backoff counter is zero.

[0095] The Arbitration Inter Frame Space (AIFS) may be used for QoS STAs that use EDCAF to access the medium.

[0096] The EIFS (Extended Inter Frame Space) may be used in DCF when the medium is immediately determined to be idle after receiving a frame with an incorrect FCS value.

[0097] The basic access method of the MAC used by the STA may be a Distributed Coordination Function (DFC). DCF may be a class of coordination function in which the same coordination function logic is always active in each STA within a BSS when the network is operating. DCF may be a type of CSMA / CA. DCF may be a function that must be implemented in all STAs.

[0098] To transmit, a STA senses the medium to determine if another STA is transmitting. If the medium is not busy, the STA may transmit. If the medium is determined to be busy, the STA postpones until the current transmission is completed.

[0099] In the CSMA / CA distributed algorithm, there is a gap of a specified duration between frame exchange sequences. The gap of a specified duration between frame exchange sequences may be referred to as an IFS. A transmitting STA ensures that the medium is idle for a required period of time before attempting to transmit. The required period may be a gap of a specified duration between frame exchange sequences. The required period of time may be referred to as an IFS.

[0100] A STA may initialize its backoff counter to a random backoff counter before attempting to transmit again after a deferral or immediately after a successful transmission. The STA may decrement its backoff counter once every aSlotTime while the medium is idle. aSlotTime may be the length of a slot, which may be the slot time used by the MAC to define the IFS. Alternatively, aSlotTime may be a predetermined length of time (e.g., a fixed length in microseconds).

[0101] The basic medium access protocol may be DCF. DCF allows automatic sharing of the medium between compatible PHYs through the use of CSMA / CA and a random backoff counter after the medium is busy. All individually addressed traffic uses immediate positive acknowledgment (Ack frame), and if an Ack frame is not received, a retransmission is scheduled by the sender. Multiple STAs may be waiting for the medium to become available, and collisions are most likely when the medium goes from busy to idle. This necessitates a random backoff procedure to resolve medium contention. STA transmissions may interfere (collision) with other STA transmissions even if the carrier sense function (CS function) indicates the medium is not busy. Interference may be identified when an expected response frame is not received.

[0102] A STA that wants to start transmitting data or management frames using DCF may use the carrier sense mechanism to determine the busy / idle state of the medium. If the medium is busy, the STA waits without interruption for an IFS until the medium is determined to be idle. Here, the type of IFS may be EIFS if the last transition to idle was due to the detection of a frame that was not correctly received on the medium. Otherwise, the type of IFS may be DIFS. After the medium is idle in a DIFS or EIFS, the STA may generate a random backoff count for additional deferral time before transmitting. However, if the backoff counter already contains a non-zero value, random selection may not be performed. The backoff counter may be a pseudorandom integer drawn from a uniform distribution between [0, CW]. CW may be an integer within the range of aCWmin and aCWmax, which is a PHY characteristic. CW may be greater than or equal to aCWmin and less than or equal to aCWmax. CW may also be referred to as the contention window.

[0103] The contention window parameter may take on an initial value of aCWmin. The contention window takes on a series of successive values ​​with each failed MPDU transmission attempt and increment of any STA's retries until the contention window reaches the value of aCWmax. The contention window maintains the value of aCWmax until the contention window is reset when aCWmax is reached. The contention window may be reset to aCWmin upon successful transmission of a data frame or management frame. The contention window may be reset to aCWmin if the SSRC reaches dot11ShortRetryLimit. The set of contention window values ​​may be in ascending order as integer values, powers of two minus one, starting from the PHY-specific aCWmin value and continuing up to the PHY-specific aCWmax. For example, if aCWmin is 7 and aCWmax is 255, the set of contention windows may include 7, 15, 31, 63, 127, and 255.

[0104] For example, in the case of OFDM PHY characteristics with 20 MHz channel spacing, aSlotTime may be 9 μs, in the case of OFDM PHY characteristics with 20 MHz channel spacing, aCWmin may be 15, and in the case of OFDM PHY characteristics with 20 MHz channel spacing, aCWmax may be 1023.

[0105] The QoS facility may include an additional coordination function called the Hybrid Coordination Function (HCF) that is only available in a QoS network configuration. The HCF may be implemented in all QoS STAs. The HCF is a coordination function that combines aspects of contention-based and contention-free access methods to provide QoS STAs with prioritized, parameterized QoS access to the wireless medium while continuing to support non-QoS STAs for best-effort transmission. The HCF may include functionality provided by both Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) and HCF controlled channel access (HCCA). The HCF may use a contention-based channel access method called the EDCA mechanism for contention-based transmission. The HCF may use a controlled channel access method called the HCCA mechanism for contention-free transmission.

[0106] HCF Controlled Channel Access (HCCA) may be a channel access mechanism used by a Hybrid Coordinator (HC) to coordinate contention-free medium usage by QoS STAs for individually addressed downlink, uplink, and direct link transmissions.

[0107] The EDCA mechanism may provide STAs with differentiated and distributed access to the wireless medium using eight different User Priorities (UPs). UPs may be values ​​associated with MAC Service Data Units (MSDUs) and indicate how to process the MSDUs. UPs may be assigned to MSDUs by MAC-over-layers. UPs may take values ​​from 0 to 7. The EDCA mechanism may define four Access Categories (ACs) to support the delivery of traffic using STA UPs. An AC may be a label for a common set of EDCA parameters used by QoS STAs to contend for the channel and transmit MSDUs with a specific priority. An AC may take one of the values ​​AC_BE, AC_BK, AC_VI, or AC_VO. AC_BE, AC_BK, AC_VI, and AC_VO may indicate access categories corresponding to best effort, background, video, and voice, respectively.

[0108] A Quality of Service (QoS) facility may be an extension, channel access rule, frame format, frame exchange sequence, or managed object used to provide parameterized and prioritized QoS. A QoS STA may be an STA that implements the QoS facility. A QoS AP may be an AP that supports the QoS facility. A QoS BSS may be a BSS that provides the QoS facility. An Infrastructure QoS BSS may include a QoS AP.

[0109] The Enhanced Distributed Channel Access Function (EDCAF) may be a logical function within a QoS STA that uses EDCA to determine when frames in a transmit queue with an associated AC are allowed to transmit over the wireless medium. There may be one EDCAF per AC. DCFs and HCFs may be defined to operate within the same BSS.

[0110] Each EDCAF may maintain a backoff counter measured in backoff slots. When the backoff procedure is invoked, the backoff counter may be set to an integer value randomly selected with a uniform distribution between 0 and CW. AIFS may be defined as AIFSN × aSlotTime + aSIFSTime. For example, for 20 MHz channel spacing in OFDM PHY characteristics, aSlotTime may be 9 μs and aSIFSTime may be 16 μs. AIFSN may be different for each AC. For example, if the AC is AC_BK, AIFSN may be 7. If the AC is AC_BE, AIFSN may be 3. If the AC is AC_VI, AIFSN may be 2. If the AC is AC_VO, AIFSN may be 2. CW may be ascending as integer values ​​calculated by multiplying the number by 1 by a power of 2, starting from a PHY-specific CWmin value and continuing to a PHY-specific CWmax. CWmin and CWmax may be different for each AC. For example, if AC is AC_BK, CWmin may be aCWmin and CWmax may be aCWmax. If AC is AC_BE, CWmin may be aCWmin and CWmax may be aCWmax. If AC is AC_VI, CWmin may be {(aCWmin+1) / 2}-1 and CWmax may be aCWmin. If AC is AC_VO, CWmin may be {(aCWmin+1) / 4}-1 and CWmax may be {(aCWmin+1) / 2}-1. For OFDM PHY characteristics with 20 MHz channel spacing, aCWmin may be 15. For OFDM PHY characteristics with 20 MHz channel spacing, aCWmax may be 1023. A STA may decrement its backoff counter once every aSlotTime period while the medium is idle. Each time an MPDU transmission attempt fails and any STA's retries increase, the counter takes on the following value:

[0111] In HCF, the basic unit of allocation of transmission rights to the wireless medium may be a TXOP. A TXOP (Transmission Opportunity) may be a time interval during which a specific QoS STA has the right to initiate a frame exchange sequence on the wireless medium. A TXOP may be defined by a start time and a maximum duration. A TXOP may be acquired by EDCA. That is, a STA may acquire a TXOP if it performs EDCA.

[0112] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a backoff procedure according to one aspect of the present embodiment. In FIG. 10, the horizontal axis may represent time. 1001 may represent a transmission from STA#1. 1002 may represent an IFS. 1003 may represent a backoff counter. 1003 may be referred to as a contention window. 1004 may represent a transmission from STA#2. In FIG. 10, STA#2 may detect 1001 on the channel. While detecting 1001, STA#2 may determine that the channel is busy. In other words, 1001 may represent a period during which the channel is determined to be busy. STA#2 may perform carrier sensing to determine whether the channel is busy. After the period 1001 ends and STA#2 determines that the channel is idle, it may perform carrier sensing during the period 1002. For example, 1002 may represent a DIFS. 1002 may represent an AIFS. If STA#2 is idle during the period 1002, it may start 1003. 1003 decrements the backoff counter while the channel is idle. For example, six backoff counters may be generated in 1003. While the channel is idle, the backoff counter is decremented, and when the backoff counter reaches 0, STA#2 may transmit (1004). Here, the backoff counter may be determined between 0 and CW. CW may be a value selected from a range of values ​​between aCWmin and aCWmax. The channel may be referred to as a wireless medium.

[0113] The carrier sensing mechanism may be a mechanism that determines whether the medium is busy or idle by combining the Network Allocation Vector (NAV) status and the physical carrier sense of the STA transmitter. The NAV is maintained by each STA and may be an indicator of the period during which the STA does not initiate transmission on the wireless medium, regardless of whether the STA's Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) function senses the medium is busy.

[0114] The carrier sensing mechanism in the STA may be performed in the physical layer processing unit SU3 and / or the MAC layer processing unit SU3, and the carrier sensing mechanism in the AP may be performed in the physical layer processing unit AU3 and / or the MAC layer processing unit AU3.

[0115] The NAV may be a counter that counts down to zero at a constant rate. The STA may indicate that the virtual carrier sense is idle if the NAV counter is zero. The STA may indicate that the virtual carrier sense is busy if the NAV counter is not zero. The physical carrier sense function and the virtual carrier sense function may be used to determine the state of the medium. If either the physical carrier sense function or the virtual carrier sense function indicates busy, the medium may be considered busy. If both the physical carrier sense function and the virtual carrier sense function indicate idle, the medium may be considered idle. The virtual carrier sense may be referred to as the NAV. The NAV may be provided by all MACs. The NAV counter may be referred to as the NAV timer.

[0116] The physical carrier sense function in the STA may be controlled by the physical layer processing unit SU3. The virtual carrier sense function in the STA may be controlled by the MAC layer processing unit SU4. The physical carrier sense function in the AP may be controlled by the physical layer processing unit AU3. The virtual carrier sense function in the AP may be controlled by the MAC layer processing unit AU4. The NAV in the STA may be controlled by the MAC layer processing unit SU4. The NAV in the AP may be controlled by the MAC layer processing unit AU4.

[0117] A STA may set its NAV if the address field of a received frame is not its own address. If a STA receives at least one valid frame in a PSDU, it may update its NAV using the information in any valid Duration field in the PSDU. If the value indicated in the Duration field of a received frame is greater than the current NAV value, the STA may update its NAV. If the RA (address) of a received frame is equal to the STA's own MAC address, the STA does not update its NAV.

[0118] A STA may maintain two NAVs. An AP may maintain two NAVs. The two NAVs may be an intra-BSS NAV and a basic NAV. The intra-BSS NAV may be updated by an intra-BSS PPDU. The basic NAV may be updated by an inter-BSS PPDU. The basic NAV may be updated by a PPDU that cannot be classified as an intra-BSS PPDU or an inter-BSS PPDU. For a STA that maintains two NAVs, if both NAV timers are set to zero, the virtual CS indication may indicate that the medium is idle. That is, for a STA that maintains two NAVs, if both the intra-BSS NAV and basic NAV timers are set to zero, the virtual CS indication may indicate that the medium is idle. If at least one of the two NAV timers is non-zero, the virtual CS indication may indicate that the medium is busy. That is, a STA or AP that maintains two NAVs may indicate that the medium is busy with a virtual CS indication if at least the Intra-BSS NAV or basic NAV timer is not zero.

[0119] The NAV may be a basic NAV. The NAV may be an intra-BSS NAV. The basic NAV may be a NAV. The Intra-BSS NAV may be a NAV. The NAV may be referred to as a basic NAV. The NAV may be referred to as an intra-BSS NAV. The basic NAV may be referred to as a NAV. The Intra-BSS NAV may be referred to as a NAV.

[0120] Carrier sensing (CS) may be performed through both physical and virtual mechanisms. Carrier sensing may also be referred to as a carrier sense function. Carrier sensing may also be referred to as a carrier sense mechanism. The virtual carrier sense mechanism distributes reservation information that notifies advance notice of medium usage. Exchanging RTS and CTS frames before the actual data frames may be one means of distributing medium reservation information. RTS and CTS frames may include a Duration field that defines the period during which the medium is reserved for transmitting the actual data and Ack frames. STAs that receive an RTS frame (sent by the originating STA) or a CTS frame (sent by the destination STA) process the medium reservation. STAs can know that the medium will be used to transmit data frames even if they cannot receive from the originating STA. Medium reservation information may be distributed in the Duration / ID field of individually addressed frames. The Duration / ID field may indicate the time (duration) for which the medium is reserved. The Duration / ID field may indicate the period of time for which the medium is reserved, which ends with the immediately following Ack frame. In the case of a fragment sequence, the Duration / ID field may indicate the time the medium is reserved until the end of the Ack frame following the next fragment. The RTS / CTS mechanism may also work in the case of overlapping BSSs using the same channel. The medium reservation mechanism may also work across BSS boundaries.

[0121] The RTS (Request To Send) frame format may include a Frame Control field, a Duration field, an RA field, a TA field, and an FCS field. The Duration field of the RTS frame format may indicate the time (in microseconds) required to transmit the pending data or management frame, one CTS frame, one Ack frame, and three SIFS. The RA field of the RTS frame may be the address of the STA that is the intended direct recipient of the pending individually addressed frame. The TA field may be the address of the STA sending the RTS frame or the bandwidth signal TA of the STA sending the RTS frame.

[0122] The CTS (Clear To Send) frame format may include a Frame Control field, a Duration field, an RA field, and an FCS field. The Duration field of a CTS frame format transmitted in response to an RTS frame may be the Duration field of the immediately preceding RTS frame minus the time required to transmit the CTS frame and its corresponding SIFS. That is, it may be the time required to transmit the pending data or management frame, one Ack frame, and two SIFS. If the CTS frame is the first frame of an exchange and the pending data or management frame requires acknowledgment, the Duration field may be the time (in microseconds) required to transmit the pending data or management frame, two SIFS, and one Ack frame. If the CTS frame is the first frame of an exchange and the pending data or management frame does not require immediate acknowledgment, the Duration field may be the time required to transmit the pending data or management frame and one SIFS. If the CTS frame is a response to an RTS frame, the RA field of the CTS frame may be set to the address in the TA field of the RTS frame and the Individual / Group bit may be set to 0. If the CTS frame is the first frame in a frame exchange, the RA field may be set to the sender's MAC address.

[0123] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a NAV according to one aspect of the present embodiment. In FIG. 11, the horizontal axis may represent time. For example, 1101 may be a timeline of AP#1's operation. 1102 may be a timeline of STA#1's operation. 1103 may be a timeline of AP#2's operation. 1104 may be a timeline of STA#2's operation. 1101, 1102, 1103, and 1104 may be timelines on the same channel. 1105 may be an RTS frame. 1106 may be the NAV period of AP#1. 1107 may be a CTS frame. 1108 may be the NAV period of STA#2. 1109 may be a Data frame. 1110 may be an AcK frame. 1111 may be an IFS. 1112 may be a contention window (backoff counter, backoff procedure). STA#1 may send 1105 to AP#2. Upon receiving 1105, AP#1 may set 1106 for the period indicated in the Duration field of the RTS. Upon receiving 1105, AP#2 may send 1107 to STA#1. Upon receiving 1107, STA#2 may set 1108 for the period indicated in the Duration field of the CTS. Upon receiving 1107, STA#1 may send 1109. Upon receiving 1109, AP#2 may send 1110 to STA#1. Upon completing 1106, AP#1 may start 1112 at 1111 if the channel is idle. Upon completing 1108, STA#2 may start 1112 at 1111 if the channel is idle. The period between 1105 and 1107 may be an IFS. AP#2 may transmit 1107 if the channel is idle during the IFS period before transmitting 1107. An IFS may be transmitted between 1107 and 1109. STA#1 may transmit 1109 if the channel is idle during the IFS period before transmitting 1109. An IFS may be transmitted between 1109 and 1110. AP#2 may transmit 1110 if the channel is idle during the IFS period before transmitting 1110.Here, for example, AP#1 may be 202 in Fig. 2. For example, STA#1 may be 207 in Fig. 2. For example, AP#2 may be 206 in Fig. 2. For example, STA#2 may be 2088 in Fig. 2. 1101 may be a timeline of the operation of the AP or STA. 1102 may be a timeline of the operation of the AP or STA. 1103 may be a timeline of the operation of the AP or STA. 1104 may be a timeline of the operation of the AP or STA.

[0124] The STA or AP may perform a frame exchange. For example, the frame exchange may be a case in which the STA or AP transmits an RTS, and the STA or AP transmits a CTS in response to the RTS. For example, the frame exchange may be a case in which the STA or AP transmits a Trigger frame, and the STA or AP transmits a CTS in response to the Trigger frame. For example, the frame exchange may be a case in which the STA or AP transmits an MU-RTS, and the STA or AP transmits a CTS in response to the MU-RTS. For example, the Trigger frame may be used by the AP to allocate a Resource Unit (RU) to the STA. The Trigger frame may be a frame including at least a Common Info field and / or a User Info List field. The Common Info field may be a field for notifying multiple STAs of common information. The User Info List field may include zero or more User Info fields. The User Info field may be a field for allocating RUs to each STA. For example, the User Info field may include an RU allocation subfield.

[0125] Channel bonding may involve transmission using one or more 20 MHz channels. Alternatively, channel bonding may involve transmission using multiple 20 MHz channels. Channel bonding may involve transmission using multiple adjacent 20 MHz channels. Channel bonding may also be referred to as channel aggregation. Channel bonding transmits data using multiple channels simultaneously, resulting in a wider bandwidth and improved data transmission speed. The multiple channels used by members of a BSS may include a primary channel and one or more secondary channels, and channel bonding may be performed using multiple of these channels.

[0126] The primary channel may be a channel common to all STAs that are members of a BSS. The primary 20 MHz channel may be a 20 MHz channel on which a 20 MHz PPDU is transmitted in a 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 80+80 MHz BSS. The primary 40 channel may be a 40 MHz channel on which a 40 MHz PPDU is transmitted in an 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 80+80 MHz BSS. The primary 80 channel may be an 80 MHz channel on which an 80 MHz PPDU is transmitted in a 160 MHz or 80+80 MHz BSS. The primary 160 MHz channel may be a 160 MHz channel that includes the primary 20 MHz channel in a 320 MHz BSS. For example, the primary channel in a 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 80+80 MHz, or 320 MHz BSS may be referred to as the primary 20 MHz channel. The primary channel may be the channel on which the backoff procedure is performed.

[0127] A secondary channel is a channel associated with a primary channel and may be used to create a wider channel than the primary channel. For example, a secondary channel in a 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 80+80 MHz BSS may be referred to as a secondary 20 MHz channel. A secondary 20 MHz channel may be a 20 MHz channel adjacent to a primary 20 MHz channel in a 40 MHz BSS. A secondary 20 MHz channel may be a channel that combines with a primary 20 MHz channel to form a 40 MHz channel in a 40 MHz BSS. A secondary 20 MHz channel may be a 20 MHz channel adjacent to a primary 20 MHz channel in an 80 MHz BSS. A secondary 20 MHz channel may be a channel that combines with a primary 20 MHz channel to form a primary 40 MHz channel in an 80 MHz BSS. A secondary 20 MHz channel may be a 20 MHz channel adjacent to a primary 20 MHz channel in a 160 MHz or 80+80 MHz BSS. A secondary 20 MHz channel may be a channel that combines with a primary 20 MHz channel to form a primary 40 MHz channel in a 160 MHz or 80+80 MHz BSS. A secondary 40 MHz channel may be a 40 MHz channel adjacent to a primary 40 MHz channel to form an 80 MHz channel in an 80 MHz BSS. A secondary 40 MHz channel may be a 40 MHz channel adjacent to a primary 40 MHz channel to form a primary 80 MHz channel in a 160 MHz or 80+80 MHz BSS.A secondary 80MHz channel may be an 80MHz channel that does not include a primary 20MHz channel in a 160MHz or 80+80MHz BSS. A secondary 80MHz channel may be combined with a primary 80MHz channel to form a 160MHz or 80+80MHz channel. A secondary 160MHz channel may be a 160MHz channel that does not include a primary 20MHz channel in a 320MHz BSS, combining with a primary 160MHz channel to form a 320MHz channel for a 320MHz EHT BSS.

[0128] A non-primary channel may be any 20 MHz channel other than the primary 20 MHz channel in a 40 MHz channel, 80 MHz channel, 160 MHz channel, 80+80 MHz channel, or 320 MHz channel.

[0129] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of channel bonding according to one aspect of this embodiment. In FIG. 12, 1201, 1202, 1203, 1204, 1205, 1206, 1207, and 1208 may each be a 20 MHz channel. The horizontal axis of FIG. 12 may represent frequency. FIG. 12 may also show a channel configuration for a BSS operating with a 160 MHz channel width. 1201 may be a primary 20 MHz channel. 1201 may be referred to as a primary channel. 1202 may be a secondary 20 MHz channel. 1203 and 1204 may form a secondary 40 MHz channel. 1205, 1206, 1207, and 1208 may form a secondary 80 MHz channel. 1202, 1203, 1204, 1205, 1206, 1207, and 1208 may be referred to as secondary channels.

[0130] When channel bonding is performed, a STA may perform a backoff procedure on the primary 20 MHz channel and perform channel sensing on the secondary channel in a PIFS immediately before transmission. For example, in Figure 12, to transmit with a 160 MHz channel width, a STA may perform a backoff procedure in 1201 and perform channel sensing in 1202, 1203, 1204, 1205, 1206, 1207, and 1208 during a PIFS immediately before transmission.

[0131] The Operating class may indicate an index to a set of radio operating values ​​in a regulatory domain. The value of Operating class may indicate a frequency for a channel number, a usable channel center frequency, or a maximum usable channel width. The value of Operating class may indicate a Channel starting frequency, Channel Spacing, Channel set, etc. The Channel set may be a list of integer channel numbers that are valid for the regulatory domain and class. The Channel Spacing may be the frequency difference between non-overlapping adjacent channel center frequencies when using the maximum bandwidth of one frequency segment allowed by the Operating class. The Operating class value may be transmitted in a frame. For example, the Operating class value may be transmitted in a Beacon frame. The Operating class value may be transmitted in a Probe Response frame. The Operating class value may be an Operating class index.

[0132] The center frequency of the primary 20 MHz channel may be determined by Channel starting frequency + 5 × dot11CurrentPrimaryChannel. dot11CurrentPrimaryChannel may be the channel number of the primary channel. The STA may determine dot11CurrentPrimaryChannel from an Operation element included in a frame received from an AP. The STA may determine dot11CurrentPrimaryChannel from information in the Primary Channel field included in an HT Operation element. The STA may determine dot11CurrentPrimaryChannel from information in the Primary Channel field included in an HT Operation element. The STA may determine dot11CurrentPrimaryChannel from information in the Primary channel field in the 6 GHz Operation Information field included in an HE Operation element. For example, a STA receiving a Beacon frame from an AP may determine the primary channel from the Primary Channel field of the HT operation element included in the Beacon frame. The Channel starting frequency may be defined as dot11ChannelStartingFactor × 500 kHz. dot11ChannelStartingFactor may be indicated in the Operating Class field.

[0133] The AP may include information related to the primary channel in an operation element and transmit the frame. The information related to the primary channel may be the channel number of the primary channel. The AP may include the channel number of the primary channel in an operation element and transmit the frame. For example, the AP may indicate the channel number of the primary channel in the Primary channel field of the HT operation element. For example, the AP may indicate the channel number of the primary channel in the Primary channel field in the 6 GHz Operation Information field included in the HE operation element.

[0134] In channel bonding, a STA may perform a backoff procedure on the primary channel and sense and transmit on secondary channels for a PIFS. The STA may acquire an EDCA TXOP based on activity on the primary channel. The transmission bandwidth may be determined by the CCA status of non-primary channels during the PIFS before transmission.

[0135] The PHY-CCA.indication primitive may be a primitive indicating the current state of the medium from the PHY to the MAC entity. The PHY-CCA.indication primitive may include a STATE parameter. The PHY-CCA.indication primitive may include a channel-list parameter. The STATE parameter of the PHY-CCA.indication primitive may have one of two values: BUSY or IDLE. The PHY-CCA.indication primitive may include at least a STATE parameter. The PHY-CCA.indication primitive may include at least a channel-list parameter. The PHY-CCA.indication primitive may include at least the STATE and channel-list parameters. The STATE parameter value of the PHY-CCA.indication primitive may be BUSY if the PHY's evaluation of the channel indicates that the channel is unavailable. Otherwise, the STATE parameter value of the PHY-CCA.indication primitive may be IDLE. If the STA is in IDLE state, the channel-list parameter is not present. If the CCA is determined by a single channel due to the type of PHY operating, the channel-list parameter is not present. Otherwise, the channel-list parameter may contain a set indicating busy channels. That is, if the CCA is determined by multiple channels and is BUSY, the channel-list parameter may be present. For example, the channel-list parameter entry may indicate primary, secondary, secondary40, and secondary80.The STATE parameter may also be referred to as a STATUS parameter. The STATUS parameter may also be referred to as a STATE parameter.

[0136] The PHY-CCA.indication primitive may include a channel-list parameter. The channel-list parameter may include one entry. The entry may be one of a set of entries. A set of entries may be defined. The set of entries may be referred to as channel-list parameter entries. For example, the set of entries may include primary, secondary, secondary40, secondary80, primary1, primary2, secondary2, secondary4, and secondary8.

[0137] For example, if the entry for the channel-list parameter of PHY-CCA.indication primitive is set to "primary," it may indicate that the primary channel is busy. For example, if the entry for the channel-list parameter of PHY-CCA.indication primitive is set to "secondary," it may indicate that the secondary channel (secondary 20MHz channel) is busy. For example, if the entry for the channel-list parameter of PHY-CCA.indication primitive is set to "secondary40," it may indicate that the secondary40 channel is busy. For example, if the entry for the channel-list parameter of PHY-CCA.indication primitive is set to "secondary80," it may indicate that the secondary80 channel is busy.

[0138] The PHY-CCA.indication primitive may be generated (issued) when the channel state changes from idle to busy, when the channel state changes from busy to idle, or when an entry in the channel-list parameter is changed. "Issuing a primitive" may be synonymous with "generating a primitive." "Generating a primitive" may be synonymous with "issuing a primitive."

[0139] When the MAC receives a PHY-CCA.indication with a channel-list parameter present, it may determine which channels are idle. If the channel-list parameter entry in the PHY-CCA.indication is primary, it may determine that no channels are idle. If the channel-list parameter entry in the PHY-CCA.indication is secondary, it may determine that the primary channel is idle. If the channel-list parameter entry in the PHY-CCA.indication is secondary40, it may determine that the primary channel and the secondary 20 MHz channel are idle. If the channel-list parameter entry in the PHY-CCA.indication is secondary80, it may determine that the primary channel, the secondary 20 MHz channel, and the secondary 40 MHz channel are idle.

[0140] For example, in FIG. 12 , 1201 may be a primary channel. 1202 may be a secondary channel (secondary 20 MHz channel). 1203 and 1204 may form a secondary 40 MHz channel. 1205, 1206, 1207, and 1208 may form a secondary 80 MHz channel. In other words, in FIG. 12 where the bandwidth is 160 MHz, the primary channel may be 1201, the secondary channel (secondary 20 MHz channel) may be 1201, the secondary 40 MHz channel may be 1203 and 1204, and the secondary 80 MHz channel may be 1205, 1206, 1207, and 1208. For example, when the channel state of the primary channel (1201) changes from idle to busy, the STA may issue a primitive (PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY,{primary})) indicating that the primary channel is busy. When the channel state of the primary channel changes from busy to idle, the STA may issue a primitive (PHY-CCA.indication(IDLE,{primary})) indicating that the primary channel is idle. If a primitive (PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY,{primary})) indicating that the primary channel is idle is issued on the primary channel, it may be determined that there is no idle channel. If the primary channel is idle, the STA may issue a primitive related to the secondary channel (1202).If the secondary channel (secondary 20MHz channel) is idle, the STA may issue a primitive (PHY-CCA.indication(IDLE,{secondary})) indicating that the secondary channel is idle. If the secondary channel is busy, the STA may issue a primitive (PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY,{secondary})) indicating that the secondary channel (secondary 20MHz channel) is busy. PHY-CCA.indication(IDLE,{secondary}) may indicate that the primary channel and secondary channel are idle. PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY,{secondary}) may indicate that the primary channel is idle and the secondary channel is busy. If the primary channel and secondary 20MHz channel are idle, the STA may issue a primitive related to the secondary 40MHz channel (composed of 1202 and 1204). If the secondary 40MHz channel is idle, the STA may issue a primitive (PHY-CCA.indication(IDLE,{secondary40})) indicating that the secondary 40MHz channel is idle. If the secondary 40MHz channel is busy, the STA may issue a primitive (PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY,{secondary40})) indicating that the secondary 40MHz channel is busy. PHY-CCA.indication(IDLE,{secondary40}) may indicate that the primary channel, secondary channel, and secondary 40MHz channel are idle.PHY-CCA.indication(IDLE,{secondary40}) may indicate that the primary channel and secondary channel are idle and the secondary 40MHz channel is busy. If the primary channel, secondary 20MHz channel, and secondary 40MHz channel are idle, the STA may issue a primitive related to the secondary 80MHz channel (comprised of 1205-1208). If the secondary 80MHz channel is idle, the STA may issue a primitive (PHY-CCA.indication(IDLE,{secondary80})) indicating that the secondary 80MHz channel is idle. If the secondary 80MHz channel is busy, the STA may issue a primitive (PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY,{secondary80})) indicating that the secondary 80MHz channel is busy. PHY-CCA.indication(IDLE,{secondary 80}) may indicate that the primary channel, secondary channel, secondary 40 MHz channel, and secondary 80 MHz channel are idle. PHY-CCA.indication(IDLE,{secondary 80}) may indicate that the primary channel, secondary channel, and secondary 40 MHz channel are idle and the secondary 80 MHz channel is busy.

[0141] The STA may determine a PHY-CCA.indication primitive in the physical layer processing unit SU3. The STA may indicate the PHY-CCA.indication primitive determined in the physical layer processing unit SU3 to the MAC layer processing unit SU4. The AP may issue a PHY-CCA.indication primitive in the physical layer processing unit AU3. The AP may indicate the PHY-CCA.indication primitive determined in the physical layer processing unit AU3 to the MAC layer processing unit AU4.

[0142] A STA with an operation channel width of W MHz may issue a PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY, {primary}) primitive within a CCATime period if it detects the start of a PPDU occupying at least the primary 20 MHz channel with a probability of at least a predetermined percentage (e.g., 90% or more) and the power of the preamble or PPDU measured in the primary 20 MHz channel is at least a predetermined value (e.g., -82 dBm or more). That is, a STA may issue a PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY, {primary}) primitive when it receives a non-HT duplicate or PPDU exceeding -82 dBm in the primary 20 MHz channel. -82 dBm may be the threshold for determining whether the channel is idle or busy.

[0143] The receiver issues a PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY, {primary}) primitive for any signal that exceeds a threshold (-62 dBm) on the primary 20 MHz channel that is a predetermined value (e.g., 20 dB) higher than the sensitivity of the lowest modulation and coding rate on the primary 20 MHz channel within aCCATime after the signal arrives at the receiver's antenna. Thereafter, while the threshold remains exceeded, the receiver does not issue a PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY, {secondary}), PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY, {secondary40}), PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY, {secondary80}), or PHY-CCA.indication(IDLE) primitive. That is, the receiver may issue a PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY, {primary}) primitive upon receiving any signal above -62 dBm on the primary 20 MHz channel. -62 dBm may be the threshold for determining whether the channel is idle or busy.

[0144] The PHY issues a PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY, {primary}) primitive if there are no conditions for issuing the PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY, {primary}) primitive and any signal in the secondary 20 MHz channel exceeds the threshold of -62 dBm or greater within aCCATime after arriving at the receiver antenna in an idle 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 80+80 MHz operating channel width. In this case, the PHY does not issue a PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY,{secondary40}), PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY,{secondary80}), or PHY-CCA.indication(IDLE) primitive. The PHY shall issue a PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY, {primary}) primitive when no conditions exist for issuing the PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY, {primary}) primitive and a 20 MHz preamble or PPDU of -72 dBm or greater is detected on the secondary 20 MHz channel with a probability of 90% or greater within aCCAMidTime in an idle 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 80+80 MHz operating channel width. -72 dBm may be the threshold for determining whether a channel is idle or busy.

[0145] If there are no conditions for issuing the PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY, {primary}) or PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY, {secondary}) primitives, and any signal in the secondary 40 MHz channel exceeds the threshold of -59 dBm or greater within aCCATime after arriving at the receiver antenna in an idle 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 80+80 MHz operating channel width, the PHY shall issue the PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY, {secondary40}) primitive. In this case, the PHY shall not issue the PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY, {secondary80}) primitive or the PHY-CCA.indication(IDLE) primitive. The PHY shall issue the PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY, {primary}) primitive when there are no conditions for issuing the PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY, {secondary}) primitive and the PHY detects a 40 MHz preamble or PPDU of -72 dBm or greater on the secondary 40 MHz channel with a probability of 90% or greater within aCCAMidTime period in an idle 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 80+80 MHz operating channel width.The PHY shall issue a PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY, {primary}) primitive if the conditions for issuing the PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY,{secondary}) primitive do not exist and a 20 MHz preamble or PPDU of -72 dBm or greater is detected with a probability of 90% or greater within a period of aCCAMidTime in any 20 MHz subchannel of a secondary 40 MHz channel in an idle 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 80+80 MHz operating channel width. -72 dBm may be the threshold for determining whether a channel is idle or busy.

[0146] The PHY shall issue the PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY,{primary}), PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY,{secondary}), or PHY-CCA.Indication(BUSY,{secondary40}) primitive when there are no conditions that would require it and when there is any signal greater than -56 dBm in the secondary80 MHz channel in an idle 160 MHz or 80+80 MHz operating channel width. The PHY shall issue the PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY,{primary}), PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY,{secondary}), or PHY-CCA.Indication(BUSY, {secondary40}) primitive when no conditions exist for issuing the primitive and an 80 MHz preamble or PPDU of -69 dBm or greater is detected in the secondary 80 MHz channel with a probability of 90% or greater within aCCAMidTime in an idle 160 MHz or 80+80 MHz operating channel width. The PHY shall issue a PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY,{primary}), PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY,{secondary}), or PHY-CCA.Indication(BUSY, {secondary40}) primitive when there are no conditions for issuing such primitives and when, in an idle 160 MHz or 80+80 MHz operating channel width, a 40 MHz preamble or PPDU of -72 dBm or greater is detected in any 40 MHz subchannel of the secondary 80 MHz channel with a probability of 90% or greater within aCCAMidTime.The PHY issues a PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY,{primary}), PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY,{secondary}), or PHY-CCA.Indication(BUSY,{secondary40}) primitive when the conditions for issuing the primitive do not exist and, in an idle 160 MHz or 80+80 MHz operating channel width, a 20 MHz preamble or PPDU is detected at or above -72 dBm in any 20 MHz subchannel of the secondary 80 MHz channel with a probability greater than 90% within aCCAMidTime, where -56 dBm, -69 dBm, and -72 dBm may be thresholds for determining whether the channel is idle or busy.

[0147] The threshold may be compared with the signal level of the receiving antenna. In the STA, the signal level compared with the threshold may be the level of the signal received by the antenna unit SU1. In the AP, the signal level compared with the threshold may be the level of the signal received by the antenna unit AU1.

[0148] A STA with an operation channel width of W MHz may issue a PHY-CCA.indication with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY within aCCATime if it detects the start of a PPDU occupying at least the primary 20 MHz channel with a probability of at least a predetermined percentage (e.g., 90% or greater) over the W MHz operation channel width and the power of the preamble or PPDU measured in the primary 20 MHz channel is at least a predetermined value (e.g., -82 dBm or greater). That is, a STA may issue a PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY) primitive when it receives a preamble or PPDU exceeding -82 dBm in the primary 20 MHz channel. A receiver may issue a PHY-CCA.indication with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY for any signal in the primary 20 MHz channel that exceeds a threshold (-62 dBm) that is a predetermined value (e.g., 20 dB) higher than the sensitivity for the minimum modulation and coding rate within aCCATime from the signal's arrival at the receiver antenna. If the Operation channel width is 20 MHz or greater, the channel-list parameter may be present and set to {primary}. Following an indication, while the threshold continues to be exceeded, the receiver shall not issue a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to IDLE or a PHY-CCA.indication that changes the channel-list parameter.

[0149] If there are no conditions for issuing a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY, and any signal in the secondary 20 MHz channel exceeds the threshold of -62 dBm or more within aCCATime after arriving at the receiver antenna in an idle operating channel width of 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 80+80 MHz, the PHY shall issue a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY and the channel-list parameter set to {secondary}. If the PHY detects a 20 MHz preamble or PPDU at or above -72 dBm on a secondary 20 MHz channel with a probability of 90% or greater within a period of aCCAMidTime in an idle 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 80+80 MHz operating channel width, and no conditions exist for issuing a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY, the receiver shall issue a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY and the channel-list parameter set to {secondary} while the threshold continues to be exceeded following the indication.

[0150] If there are no conditions for issuing a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY and there is no PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY and the channel-list parameter set to {secondary}, the PHY shall issue a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY and the channel-list parameter set to {secondary 40} if any signal in the secondary 40 MHz channel exceeds the threshold of -59 dBm or more within aCCATime after arriving at the receiver antenna in an idle operating channel width of 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 80+80 MHz. If there are no conditions for issuing a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY and there is no PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY and the channel-list parameter set to {secondary}, the PHY shall issue a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY and the channel-list parameter set to {secondary 40} if a 40 MHz preamble or PPDU of -72 dBm or greater is detected on the secondary 40 MHz channel with a probability of 90% or greater within aCCAMidTime period in an idle 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 80+80 MHz operating channel width.If there are no conditions for issuing a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY and there is no PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY and the channel-list parameter set to {secondary}, the PHY shall issue a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY and the channel-list parameter set to {secondary 40} if a 20MHz preamble or PPDU of -72dBm or greater is detected within a period of aCCAMidTime with a probability of 90% or greater in any 20MHz subchannel of the secondary 40MHz channel in an idle 80MHz, 160MHz, or 80+80MHz operating channel width. While the threshold continues to be exceeded following an indication, the receiver shall not issue a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to IDLE, or a PHY-CCA.indicationprimitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY and the channel-list parameter set to {secondary 80}.

[0151] The PHY issues a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY under the following conditions: (1) there is no PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY and the channel-list parameter set to {secondary}, nor is there a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY and the channel-list parameter set to {secondary 40}; and (2) there is any signal of -56 dBm or greater present in the secondary 80 MHz channel in an idle 160 MHz or 80+80 MHz operating channel width. The PHY shall issue a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY if: there is no PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY and the channel-list parameter set to {secondary}; there is no PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY and the channel-list parameter set to {secondary 40}; and the PHY detects an 80 MHz preamble or PPDU at -69 dBm or greater in the secondary 80 MHz channel with a probability of 90% or greater within aCCAMidTime period in an idle 160 MHz or 80+80 MHz operating channel width.The PHY issues a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY if: there is no PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY and the channel-list parameter set to {secondary}; there is no PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY and the channel-list parameter set to {secondary 40}; and the PHY detects a 40 MHz preamble or PPDU at -72 dBm or higher with a probability of 90% or higher within aCCAMidTime period in any 40 MHz subchannel of the secondary 80 MHz channel in an idle 160 MHz or 80+80 MHz operating channel width.The PHY issues a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY if: there is no PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY and the channel-list parameter set to {secondary}; there is no PHY-CCA.indication primitive with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY and the channel-list parameter set to {secondary 40}; and, in an idle 160 MHz or 80+80 MHz operating channel width, a 20 MHz preamble or PPDU is detected at or above -72 dBm within a period of aCCAMidTime with a probability of more than 90% on any 20 MHz subchannel of the secondary 80 MHz channel.

[0152] A STA with an operating channel width of W MHz may issue a PHY-CCA.indication with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY within a CCATime period if it detects the start of a PPDU occupying at least the primary 20 MHz channel with a probability of at least a specified percentage (e.g., 90% or greater) and the power of the preamble or PPDU measured in the primary 20 MHz channel is at least a specified value (e.g., -82 dBm or greater). That is, a STA may issue a PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY) primitive when it receives a preamble or PPDU exceeding -82 dBm in the primary 20 MHz channel. If the operating channel width is greater than 20 MHz, the Channel-list parameter may be present and set to {primary}. The receiver may issue a PHY-CCA.indication with the STATUS parameter set to BUSY for any signal above the -62 dBm threshold on the primary 20 MHz channel within aCCATime from the signal's arrival at the receiver's antenna.

[0153] In the present invention, an NPCA (Non Primary Channel Access) primary channel may be defined. The NPCA primary channel may be a channel accessed while the primary channel is busy. The NPCA primary channel may be a channel accessed while the primary channel is busy due to OBSS traffic. The NPCA primary channel may be referred to as something other than the NPCA primary channel. For example, the NPCA primary channel may be referred to as a secondary primary channel. Access may be CCA. Access may be a backoff procedure. Access may be EDCA. For example, "while the primary channel is busy" may refer to a period during which a NAV is set (maintained) on the primary channel. For example, "while the primary channel is busy" may refer to a period during which a backoff procedure is not performed on the primary channel. For example, "while the primary channel is busy" may refer to a period indicated by a received PPDU. "While the primary channel is busy" may be referred to as "when the primary channel is busy." "While the primary channel is busy" may be rephrased as "when the primary channel is busy."

[0154] In the present invention, the AP and / or STA may perform Non-Primary Channel Access (NPCA). NPCA may be an operation for accessing another channel while the primary channel is busy due to OBSS traffic (i.e., while it is occupied by OBSS traffic). In other words, it may be a mechanism for transitioning operation from the primary channel to the NPCA primary channel. For example, the OBSS traffic may be a PPDU received from the OBSS. The OBSS traffic may be an inter-BSS PPDU. The OBSS traffic may be when NAV is set. The OBSS traffic may be when basic NAV is set. The OBSS traffic may be OBSS frame exchange. The AP and / or STA may perform a backoff procedure on another channel while the primary channel is busy due to OBSS traffic. For example, the channel on which the backoff procedure is performed while the primary channel is busy due to OBSS traffic may be called the NPCA primary channel, secondary primary channel, etc. The name of the channel on which the backoff procedure is performed while the primary channel is busy may be a name other than those mentioned above. That is, the AP and / or STA may perform a backoff procedure on the NPCA primary channel when the primary channel becomes busy due to OBSS traffic. The AP and / or STA may perform a backoff procedure on the NPCA primary channel while the NAV is set on the primary channel by the OBSS PPDU. After completing the backoff procedure on the NPCA primary channel, the AP and / or STA may transmit on one or more channels that include the NPCA primary channel but do not include the primary channel.The AP and / or STA may transition (switch) to the primary channel before the NAV period expires. The AP may transmit information related to NPCA primary channel access in a frame. The STA may determine an action related to NPCA primary channel access based on the frame received from the AP.

[0155] That is, the NPCA primary channel may be a channel for channel access while the primary channel is busy. The NPCA primary channel may be a channel for channel access while NAV is set on the primary channel. The NPCA primary channel may be a channel for channel access while basic NAV is set on the primary channel. The NPCA primary channel may be a channel for channel access while the primary channel is busy by an OBSS PPDU. The NPCA primary channel may be a channel for channel access while NAV is set on the primary channel by an OBSS PPDU. The period while NAV is set may also be referred to as the period while NAV is maintained. Channel access may be a backoff procedure. Channel access may be EDCA. Channel access may be EDCAF. Channel access may be CCA.

[0156] An AP may transmit a frame including an information element including information related to Non-Primary Channel Access. When performing Non-Primary Channel Access, the AP may transmit a frame including an information element including information related to Non-Primary Channel Access. The AP may transmit a frame including an information element including information related to Non-Primary Channel Access to indicate to STAs in a BSS whether Non-Primary Channel Access is enabled or disabled. When an AP does not perform Non-Primary Channel Access in its own BSS, it may not include an information element including information related to Non-Primary Channel Access in the frame it transmits. For example, an information element including information related to Non-Primary Channel Access may be referred to as an NPCA operation element. For example, an information element including information related to Non-Primary Channel Access may be referred to as a UHR operation element. An information element including information related to Non-Primary Channel Access may be referred to by a name other than the above. An element ID for the NPCA operation element may be set. An element ID for the UHR operation element may be set. For example, the NPCA operation element may indicate information for Non-Primary Channel Access. The NPCA operation element may be composed of one or more fields. The NPCA operation element may include a field indicating the Element ID.The NPCA operation element may include a field indicating whether Non-Primary Channel Access is enabled or disabled. The NPCA operation element may include a field for indicating the position of the NPCA primary channel for Non-Primary Channel Access. The NPCA operation element may include a field for indicating the channel width for Non-Primary Channel Access. Fields other than those described above may be included in the NPCA operation element. For example, a STA may perform Non-Primary Channel Access when it receives a frame including an NPCA operation element from an AP. When it receives a frame including an NPCA operation element from an AP, it may perform Non-Primary Channel Access using the information indicated in the fields of the NPCA operation element. When it receives a frame including an NPCA operation element from an AP and indicates that Non-Primary Channel Access is enabled, it may perform Non-Primary Channel Access. When it does not receive a frame including an NPCA operation element from an AP, it does not perform Non-Primary Channel Access. When it receives a frame including an NPCA operation element from an AP and indicates that Non-Primary Channel Access is disabled, it does not perform Non-Primary Channel Access. For example, the UHR operation element may indicate information for controlling a UHR STA. For example, the UHR operation element may indicate information for Non Primary Channel Access. The UHR operation element may be composed of one or more fields.The UHR operation element may include a field indicating an Element ID. The UHR operation element may include a field indicating whether information related to Non-Primary Channel Access is included in the UHR operation element. The UHR operation element may include a field indicating whether Non-Primary Channel Access is enabled or disabled. The UHR operation element may include a field for indicating the location of the NPCA primary channel for Non-Primary Channel Access. If the UHR operation element indicates that information related to Non-Primary Channel Access is included in the UHR operation element, the UHR operation element may include a field for indicating the location of the NPCA primary channel for Non-Primary Channel Access. The UHR operation element may include a field for indicating the channel width for Non-Primary Channel Access. If the UHR operation element indicates that information related to Non-Primary Channel Access is included in the UHR operation element, the UHR operation element may include a field for indicating the channel width for Non-Primary Channel Access. Fields other than those described above may also be included in the UHR operation element. For example, a STA may perform Non-Primary Channel Access when it receives a frame including a UHR operation element from an AP. When a STA receives a frame including a UHR operation element from an AP, the STA may perform Non Primary Channel Access using the information indicated in the UHR operation element field.A STA may perform Non-Primary Channel Access if it receives a frame including a UHR operation element from the AP and the UHR operation element indicates that Non-Primary Channel Access is enabled. A STA does not perform Non-Primary Channel Access if it does not receive a frame including a UHR operation element from the AP. A STA does not perform Non-Primary Channel Access if it receives a frame including a UHR operation element from the AP and the UHR operation element indicates that Non-Primary Channel Access is disabled. A STA may perform Non-Primary Channel Access if the received UHR operation element indicates that information related to Non-Primary Channel Access is included in the UHR operation element. A STA does not perform Non-Primary Channel Access if the received UHR operation element indicates that information related to Non-Primary Channel Access is not included in the UHR operation element.

[0157] The information related to Non-Primary Channel Access may be information indicating at least the location of the NPCA primary channel. The information related to Non-Primary Channel Access may be information indicating the location of the NPCA primary channel and / or the NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel and / or the NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel and / or the NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel. The AP may transmit a frame including information related to Non-Primary Channel Access if the operating channel width includes at least the NPCA primary channel. The STA may determine that at least the NPCA primary channel exists in the operating channel width if the frame received from the AP includes information related to Non-Primary Channel Access. In other words, if the frame received from the AP includes information related to Non-Primary Channel Access, the STA may perform Non-Primary Channel Access. If the frame received from the AP does not include information related to Non-Primary Channel Access, the STA may determine that the NPCA primary channel does not exist in the operating channel width. In other words, if the frame received from the AP does not include information related to Non-Primary Channel Access, the STA may determine not to perform Non-Primary Channel Access.

[0158] If the primary channel is idle, the STA or AP may transmit on one or more channels including the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, the STA or AP may sense on the NPCA primary channel, and if the NPCA primary channel is idle, it may transmit on one or more channels that include the NPCA primary channel but do not include the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy due to OBSS traffic, the STA or AP may sense on the NPCA primary channel, and if the NPCA primary channel is idle, it may transmit on one or more channels that include the NPCA primary channel but do not include the primary channel. For example, the OBSS traffic may be an OBSS PPDU. The STA or AP may transmit on one or more channels that include the NPCA primary channel but do not include the primary channel. Note that "may transmit" may also be expressed as "have the right to transmit." The STA or AP may receive on one or more channels including the primary channel. The STA or AP may receive on one or more channels that do not include the primary channel but include at least the NPCA primary channel.

[0159] In NPCA, a STA or AP may transmit using multiple channels. When transmitting using multiple channels in NPCA, the STA or AP may perform a backoff procedure on the NPCA primary channel and perform sensing for a predetermined period on the NPCA secondary channel immediately before transmission. The NPCA secondary channel may be a channel other than the NPCA primary channel for transmitting using multiple channels in NPCA. The NPCA secondary channel may be defined as an NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel, an NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel, or an NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel. The NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel may be a 20 MHz channel related to the NPCA primary channel. For example, when transmitting in a 40 MHz bandwidth in NPCA, the STA or AP may transmit using the NPCA primary channel and the NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel. The NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel may be a 40 MHz channel related to the NPCA primary channel. For example, when transmitting in an 80 MHz bandwidth in the NPCA, a STA or AP may transmit using an NPCA primary channel, an NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel, and an NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel. The NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel may consist of two 20 MHz channels. The NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel may be an 80 MHz channel associated with the NPCA primary channel.For example, when transmitting in a 160 MHz bandwidth in NPCA, a STA or AP may transmit using an NPCA primary channel, an NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel, an NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel, and an NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel. The NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel may consist of four 20 MHz channels. The NPCA secondary channel may be referred to by a name other than the NPCA secondary channel. For example, the NPCA secondary channel may be referred to as a secondary secondary channel. The NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel may be referred to by a name other than the NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel. For example, the NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel may be referred to as a secondary secondary 20 MHz channel. The NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel may be referred to by a name other than the NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel. For example, the NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel may be referred to as a secondary secondary 40 MHz channel. The NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel may be referred to by a name other than the NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel. For example, an NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel may be referred to as a secondary secondary 80 MHz channel. In NPCA, this may be the case where channel access is performed on an NPCA primary channel.

[0160] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a backoff procedure on an NPCA primary channel according to one aspect of this embodiment. 1301, 1302, 1303, 1304, 1305, 1306, 1307, and 1308 may each be a 20 MHz channel. FIG. 13 may also be a diagram of a STA or AP operating with a channel width of 160 MHz. 1301 may be the primary channel. 1306 may be the NPCA primary channel. 1309 may be a frame transmitted by another STA or AP received by the STA or AP. 1309 may be a frame transmitted by a STA or AP belonging to an OBSS received by the STA or AP. For example, 1309 may be an RTS frame. 1309 may be a CTS frame. 1309 may be a Data frame. 1309 may be a PPDU. 1309 may be a PPDU received from a STA or AP belonging to an OBSS. 1301 may be while the primary channel is busy. 1310 may indicate the period during which the NAV is set (maintained). 1311 may indicate a backoff procedure (backoff counter, contention window, DCF, EDCA). 1312 may indicate the transmission of a PPDU. For example, when a STA or AP receives 1309 in 1301, it may set 1310 in 1301 for the period indicated by the Duration field of 1309. When 1310 is set in 1301, the STA may transition to 1306. That is, it may switch from the primary channel to the NPCA primary channel. When the STA transitions to 1306, it may start 1311 in 1306. When 1311 is completed, the STA may perform 1312. Here, for example, when a STA performs the operation of FIG. 13, the STA may be 204 in FIG. 2, and 1309 may be a frame transmitted by 207 in FIG. 2. FIG. 13 may be a diagram of an AP operating at 160 MHz. For example, when the AP performs the operation of FIG. 13, the AP may perform the operation of 202 in FIG. 2, and 1309 may be a frame transmitted by 207.1312 may be transmitted using multiple channels. For example, 1312 may be an 80 MHz channel width transmission using 1308, 1307, 1306, and 1305. Here, 1308, 1307, and 1305 may be NPCA secondary channels. The 80 MHz transmission may be a transmission using the NPCA primary channel 1306, the NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel 1305, and the NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel consisting of 1307 and 1308. In other words, when a backoff procedure is performed in 1301, 1305, 1306, 1307, and 1308 may be channels constituting a secondary 80 MHz channel. When a backoff procedure is performed in 1306 in Non-Primary Channel Access, 1305 may be an NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel, and 1307 and 1308 may be channels constituting an NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel. The AP may determine that 1305 within the Operating channel width is the NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel, 1305 is the NPCA primary channel, and 1307 and 1308 are channels that make up the NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel, and may notify this to the STA in a frame. The STA may determine from the frame received from the AP that 1305 within the Operating channel width is the NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel, 1305 is the NPCA primary channel, and 1307 and 1308 are channels that make up the NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel.

[0161] The STA may generate a PHY-CCA.indication primitive in the physical layer processing unit SU3. The STA may indicate the PHY-CCA.indication primitive generated in the physical layer processing unit SU3 to the MAC layer processing unit SU4. The AP may generate a PHY-CCA.indication primitive in the physical layer processing unit AU3. The AP may indicate the PHY-CCA.indication primitive generated in the physical layer processing unit AU3 to the MAC layer processing unit AU4. The PHY-CCA.indication primitive may include a channel-list parameter. The channel-list parameter may include one entry. One entry may be one of a set of entries. A set of entries may be defined. The set of entries may be referred to as channel-list parameter entries. For example, the channel-list parameter entries may include an entry to indicate that the NPCA primary channel is busy. That is, the PHY-CCA.indication primitive may include a channel-list parameter, the channel-list parameter may include one entry, the one entry may be one of a set of entries, the set of entries may include at least a first entry, and the first entry may indicate that the NPCA primary channel is busy.

[0162] For example, the set of entries may include NPCA primary and / or NPCA secondary and / or NPCA secondary 20 and / or NPCA secondary 40 and / or NPCA secondary 80. That is, channel-list parameter entries may be defined that include NPCA primary and / or NPCA secondary and / or NPCA secondary 20 and / or NPCA secondary 40 and / or NPCA secondary 80. NPCA primary may be the value of entry. NPCA primary may be an entry for indicating the channel status of the NPCA primary channel. NPCA primary may be an entry for indicating that the NPCA primary channel is busy. NPCA primary may further indicate that the primary channel is busy. NPCA secondary may be the value of entry. NPCA secondary may be an entry for indicating the channel status of the NPCA secondary channel. NPCA secondary may be an entry for indicating that the NPCA secondary channel is busy. NPCA secondary may further indicate that the primary channel is busy. NPCA secondary may indicate that the NPCA primary channel is idle. The secondary20 may be an entry value. The NPCA secondary20 may be an entry for indicating the channel status of the NPCA secondary 20MHz channel. The NPCA secondary20 may be an entry for indicating that the NPCA secondary 20MHz channel is busy. The NPCA secondary20 may also indicate that the primary channel is busy.NPCA secondary20 may indicate that the NPCA primary channel is idle. secondary40 may be an entry value. NPCA secondary40 may be an entry for indicating the channel status of the NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel. NPCA secondary40 may be an entry for indicating that the NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel is busy. NPCA secondary40 may further indicate that the primary channel is busy. NPCA secondary40 may indicate that the NPCA primary channel and the NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel are idle. secondary80 may be an entry value. NPCA secondary80 may be an entry for indicating the channel status of the NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel. NPCA secondary80 may be an entry for indicating that the NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel is busy. NPCA secondary80 may further indicate that the primary channel is busy. NPCA secondary80 may indicate that the NPCA primary channel, the NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel, and the NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel are idle. For example, the set of entries may include primary, secondary, secondary40, secondary80, primary1, primary2, secondary2, secondary4, secondary8, and / or NPCA primary and / or NPCA secondary and / or NPCA secondary20 and / or NPCA secondary40 and / or NPCA secondary80.That is, channel-list parameter entries may be defined that include primary, secondary, secondary40, secondary80, primary1, primary2, secondary2, secondary4, secondary8, and / or NPCA primary and / or NPCA secondary and / or NPCA secondary20 and / or NPCA secondary40 and / or NPCA secondary80. The NPCA primary value of entry may be referred to as a secondary primary. The NPCA primary value of entry may be referred to as an anchor primary. The NPCA primary value of entry may be referred to in a manner other than the above. The NPCA secondary value of entry may be referred to as a secondary secondary. The NPCA secondary value of entry may be referred to in a manner other than the above. The NPCA secondary20 value of entry may be referred to as a secondary secondary20. The NPCA secondary20 value of entry may be referred to as an anchor secondary20. The NPCA secondary20 value of entry may be referred to in a manner other than the above. The NPCA secondary 40 that is the value of entry may be referred to as secondary secondary 40. The NPCA secondary 40 that is the value of entry may be referred to as anchor secondary 40. The NPCA secondary 40 that is the value of entry may be referred to in a manner other than the above. The NPCA secondary 80 that is the value of entry may be referred to as secondary secondary 80. The NPCA secondary 80 that is the value of entry may be referred to as anchor secondary 80.The entry value NPCA secondary 80 may be called in a way other than that described above.

[0163] An STA or AP may issue a PHY-CCA.indication primitive associated with the NPCA primary channel. The PHY-CCA.indication primitive associated with the NPCA primary channel may be issued by the PHY (physical layer) to indicate to the MAC that the NPCA primary channel is idle or busy. {NPCA primary} may be the channel-list parameter for the NPCA primary channel. For example, if the NPCA primary channel is idle, the physical layer of the STA or AP may issue a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with a STATUS of IDLE and a channel-list parameter indicating {NPCA primary}. That is, the PHY-CCA.indication(IDLE, {NPCA primary}) primitive may be issued. For example, if the NPCA primary channel is busy, the physical layer of the STA or AP may issue a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with a STATUS of BUSY and a channel-list parameter indicating {NPCA primary}. That is, the PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY, {NPCA primary}) primitive may be issued. The PHY-CCA.indication primitive associated with the NPCA primary channel may only be issued if NPCA is being performed. If the MAC layer receives a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with STATUS set to IDLE and the channel-list parameter indicating {NPCA primary}, it may determine that the NPCA primary channel is idle.When the MAC layer receives a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with a STATUS of IDLE and a channel-list parameter indicating {NPCA primary}, it may determine that the NPCA primary channel is idle and the primary channel is busy. When the MAC layer receives a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with a STATUS of BUSY and a channel-list parameter indicating {NPCA primary}, it may determine that the NPCA primary channel is busy. When the MAC layer receives a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with a STATUS of BUSY and a channel-list parameter indicating {NPCA primary}, it may determine that the NPCA primary channel and the primary channel are busy. The channel-list parameter {NPCA primary} may be referred to as {secondary primary}. When the channel-list parameter is set to NPCA primary, it may determine that the NPCA primary channel and the primary channel are busy.

[0164] A STA or AP may issue a PHY-CCA.indication primitive associated with the NPCA secondary channel. The PHY-CCA.indication primitive associated with the NPCA secondary channel may be issued by the PHY (physical layer) to indicate to the MAC that the NPCA secondary channel is idle or busy. {NPCA secondary} may be the channel-list parameter for the NPCA secondary channel. For example, if the NPCA secondary channel is idle, the physical layer of the STA or AP may issue a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with a STATUS of IDLE and a channel-list parameter indicating {NPCA secondary}. That is, the PHY-CCA.indication(IDLE, {NPCA secondary}) primitive may be issued. For example, if the NPCA secondary channel is busy, the physical layer of the STA or AP may issue a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with a STATUS of BUSY and a channel-list parameter indicating {NPCA secondary}. That is, the PHY-CCA.indication(BUSY, {NPCA secondary}) primitive may be issued. The PHY-CCA.indication primitive associated with the NPCA secondary channel may be issued when NPCA is performed. The PHY-CCA.indication primitive associated with the NPCA secondary channel may be issued when the NPCA primary channel is idle. The PHY-CCA.indication primitive associated with the NPCA secondary channel may be issued when the NPCA primary channel is not busy.When a MAC layer receives a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with a STATUS of IDLE and a channel-list parameter indicating {NPCA secondary}, it may determine that the NPCA secondary channel is idle. When a MAC layer receives a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with a STATUS of IDLE and a channel-list parameter indicating {NPCA secondary}, it may determine that the NPCA primary channel and the NPCA secondary channel are idle. When a MAC layer receives a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with a STATUS of IDLE and a channel-list parameter indicating {NPCA secondary}, it may determine that the NPCA primary channel and the NPCA secondary channel are idle and that the primary channel is busy. When a MAC layer receives a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with a STATUS of BUSY and a channel-list parameter indicating {NPCA secondary}, it may determine that the NPCA secondary channel is busy. When the MAC layer receives a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with STATUS set to BUSY and a channel-list parameter indicating {NPCA secondary}, it may determine that the NPCA primary channel is idle and the NPCA secondary channel is busy.When the MAC layer receives a PHY-CCA.indication primitive with STATUS set to BUSY and a channel-list parameter indicating {NPCA secondary}, it may determine that the NPCA primary channel is idle and that the NPCA secondary channel and the primary channel are busy.The MAC layer may determine that the NPCA secondary channel is busy if the channel-list parameter is set to NPCA secondary. The MAC layer may determine that the NPCA secondary channel and the primary channel are busy if the channel-list parameter is set to NPCA secondary. For example, the channel-list parameter {NPCA secondary} may be referred to as {secondary secondary}. The channel-list parameter {NPCA secondary} may be referred to in other ways.

[0165] A table may be defined to define the meaning of the channel-list parameter entry of the PHY-CCA.indication. For example, the meaning of the Channel-list parameter entry {NPCA primary} may indicate that the STA is busy with the NPCA primary channel. For example, the meaning of the Channel-list parameter entry {NPCA secondary} may indicate that the STA is busy with the NPCA secondary channel. For example, the meaning of the channel-list parameter entry {NPCA secondary} may indicate that the STA is busy with the NPCA secondary channel and the primary channel. For example, the meaning of the channel-list parameter entry {NPCA secondary20} may indicate that the STA is busy with the NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel. For example, the meaning of the channel-list parameter entry {NPCA secondary20} may indicate that the STA is busy with the NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel and the primary channel. For example, the meaning of the channel-list parameter entry {NPCA secondary40} may indicate that the STA is busy with the NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel. For example, the meaning of the channel-list parameter entry {NPCA secondary40} may indicate that the STA is busy on the NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel and the primary channel. For example, the meaning of the channel-list parameter entry {NPCA secondary80} may indicate that the STA is busy on the NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel.For example, the meaning of the channel-list parameter entry {NPCA secondary80} may indicate that the STA is busy on the NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel and the primary channel.

[0166] The STA may issue (generate) a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive. The AP may issue (generate) a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive. The PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive may indicate to the local MAC entity that the PHY (physical layer) has received a valid start of a PPDU containing a valid PHY header. The PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive may not be generated until the PHY has determined the PPDU format (e.g., a VHT PPDU starting with an HT PHY header).

[0167] The STA may generate a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive in the physical layer processing unit SU3. The STA may indicate the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive generated in the physical layer processing unit SU3 to the MAC layer processing unit SU4. The AP may generate a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive in the physical layer processing unit AU3. The AP may indicate the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive generated in the physical layer processing unit AU3 to the MAC layer processing unit AU4.

[0168] The PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive may provide an RXVECTOR, which may represent a list of parameters that the PHY provides to the local MAC entity upon receipt of a valid PHY header. The RXVECTOR may include at least a DATARATE parameter and / or a LENGTH parameter.

[0169] The PHY may provide an interface to the MAC. The MAC may provide an interface to the PHY. This interface may include a TXVECTOR and an RXVECTOR. The MAC may use the TXVECTOR to provide per-PPDU transmission parameters to the PHY. The PHY may use the RXVECTOR to notify the MAC of parameters of a received PPDU. The TXVECTOR may include one or more parameters.

[0170] Syntax of the form "a frame, MPDU, or A-MPDU is transmitted with certain TXVECTOR parameters" or "it is received with certain RXVECTOR parameters" may be understood to refer to the TXVECTOR or RXVECTOR parameters, respectively, corresponding to the PSDU containing the frame, MPDU, or A-MPDU. Syntax of the form "a PPDU is transmitted with certain TXVECTOR parameters" or "it is received with certain RXVECTOR parameters" may be understood to refer to the TXVECTOR or RXVECTOR parameters, respectively, corresponding to the PSDU contained in the PPDU.

[0171] The TXVECTOR and / or RXVECTOR of the HT PHY may include additional parameters related to the operating mode of the HT PHY. In certain operating modes, the DATARATE parameter may be replaced with MCS, CH_BANDWIDTH, and GI_TYPE values. Additional parameters related to the operating mode of the HT PHY may include a FORMAT parameter, a NON_HT_MODULATION parameter, an L_LENGTH parameter, an L_DATARATE parameter, an LSIGVALID parameter, an RSSI parameter, an MSC parameter, a CH_BANDWIDTH parameter, a LENGTH parameter, a GI_TYPE parameter, an SNR parameter, etc.

[0172] The TXVECTOR and / or RXVECTOR of the VHT PHY may include additional parameters related to the operating mode of the VHT PHY. In a particular operating mode, the DATARATE parameter may be replaced with MCS, CH_BANDWIDTH, NUM_STS, STBC, and GI_TYPE values. Additional parameters related to the operating mode of the VHT PHY may include a FORMAT parameter, a NON_HT_MODULATION parameter, a DELTA_SNR parameter, an SNR parameter, an STBC parameter, a GI_TYPE parameter, an RSSI parameter, an MSC parameter, a CH_BANDWIDTH parameter, a GI_TYPE parameter, and a NUM_STS parameter.

[0173] The TXVECTOR and / or RXVECTOR of the HE PHY may include additional parameters related to the operation mode of the HE PHY. In a particular operation mode, the DATARATE parameter may be replaced with MCS, CH_BANDWIDTH, RU_ALLOCATION, NUM_STS, STBC, GI_TYPE, and DCM values. Additional parameters related to the operation mode of the HE PHY may include a FORMAT parameter, an SNR parameter, a CQI parameter, an STBC parameter, a GI_TYPE parameter, an RSSI parameter, an RSSI_LEGACY parameter, an MSC parameter, a DCM parameter, a CH_BANDWIDTH parameter, a TXOP_DURATION parameter, a SPATIAL_REUSE parameter, an RU_ALLOCATION parameter, etc.

[0174] The FORMAT parameter may be a parameter (value) that determines the format of the PPDU. The NON_HT_MODULATION parameter may be a parameter (value) that determines the Enumerated type. The NON_HT_MODULATION parameter may be a parameter (value) that indicates the estimated format type of the received non-HT PPDU. The L_LENGTH parameter may be a parameter (value) that indicates the length of the PSDU. The L_DATARATE parameter may be a parameter (value) that indicates the rate used to transmit the PDSU. The LSIGVALID parameter may be a parameter (value) that indicates true if L-SIG Parity is enabled and false if L-SIG Parity is not enabled. The RSSI parameter may be a parameter (value) that indicates the PHY's measurement of the power observed at the antenna connector that received the current PPDU. The MCS parameter may be a parameter (value) that selects the modulation scheme and coding rate used to transmit the packet. The CH_BANDWIDTH parameter may indicate the channel width on which the packet was transmitted. The LENGTH parameter may be a parameter (value) that indicates the length of the HT PSDU. The GI_TYPE parameter may be a parameter (value) indicating whether a short guard interval is used for transmitting packets. The SNR parameter may be a measure of the received SNR per chain. The SNR parameter may be a measure of the received SNR per stream. The STBC parameter may be a parameter (value) indicating the difference between the number of space-time streams and the number of spatial streams. The DELTA_SNR parameter may be a parameter (value) containing an array of delta SNR values ​​based on the channel measured on training symbols of the received VHT NDP. The NUM_STS parameter may be a parameter (value) indicating the number of space-time streams.The SNR parameter may be a parameter (value) containing an array of received SNR measurement values ​​for each spatial stream. The STBC parameter may be a parameter (value) indicating whether STBC is used. The CH_BANDWIDTH parameter may be a parameter (value) indicating the channel width of the PPDU. The DCM parameter may be a parameter (value) indicating whether DCM is used for the Date field. The TXOP_DURATION parameter may be a parameter (value) indicating the TXOP duration. The SPATIAL_REUSE parameter may be a parameter (value) indicating the spatial reuse parameter value. The RU_ALLOCATION parameter may be a parameter (value) indicating the RU (Resource Unit) to be allocated within the bandwidth.

[0175] The TXVECTOR and / or RXVECTOR of the UHR PHY may include additional parameters related to the operating mode of the UHR PHY, such as a FORMAT parameter.

[0176] The PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive may be generated by the local PHY entity to the MAC sublayer when the PHY successfully validates the PHY header at the start of a new PPDU. After generating the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive, the PHY may maintain physical medium busy status for the period required for the PHY to transfer a frame of the indicated LENGTH at the indicated DATARATE. The physical medium busy status may be maintained even if a PHY-RXEND.indication(CarrierLost) primitive or a PHY-RXEND.indication(FormatViolation) primitive is generated by the PHY before the end of the period. When the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive is received by the MAC entity, the MAC may prepare a new receive flow.

[0177] The PHY-RXEND.indication may be a primitive for the PHY to indicate to the local MAC entity that the currently received PPDU is complete. The PHY-RXEND.indication primitive may include an RXERROR parameter. The RXERROR parameter may carry one or more values ​​indicating NoError or an error condition. The RXERROR parameter may indicate NoError, FormatViolation, CarrierLost, UnsupportedRate, or Filtered. NoError may be used to indicate that no error occurred during the PHY's reception process. FormatViolation may be used to indicate that there was an error in the format of the received PPDU. CarrierLost may be used to indicate that the carrier was lost during reception of the received PSDU, preventing further processing of the PSDU. UnsupportedRate may be used to indicate that an unsupported data rate was detected during reception of the received PPDU. Filtered may be used to indicate that the PPDU was filtered due to the conditions set in PHYCONFIG_VECTOR during PPDU reception.

[0178] The STA or AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that overlaps the primary channel. The PHY of the STA or the PHY of the AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that overlaps the primary channel. The STA or the AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for a PPDU that does not overlap the primary channel. The PHY of the STA or the AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for a PPDU that does not overlap the primary channel. The PPDU that overlaps the primary channel may be a PPDU that includes at least the primary channel. The PPDU that overlaps the primary channel may be a PPDU that is transmitted using at least the primary channel. The PPDU that overlaps the primary channel may be a PPDU whose transmitted frequency overlaps with the frequency of the primary channel.

[0179] 12 , for example, a STA or AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that overlaps with 1201. For example, a STA or AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU transmitted using 1201. For example, a STA or AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU transmitted using 1201. For example, a STA or AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU transmitted using 1201 and 1202. For example, a STA or AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives PPDUs transmitted using 1201, 1202, 1203, and 1204. In other words, a STA or AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU transmitted using 1201. For example, a STA or AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with 1201. For example, a STA or AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU transmitted using only 1202. For example, a STA or AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU transmitted using 1203 and 1204. In other words, a STA or AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU transmitted without using 1201.

[0180] Unless the AP's PHY receives a TB PPDU requested by the AP, the PHY may not issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for PPDUs that do not overlap with the primary channel. For TB PPDUs requested by the AP, the PHY may issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for PPDUs received on the primary channel or on the secondary 20 MHz channel, secondary 40 MHz channel, or secondary 80 MHz channel.

[0181] An AP may request one or more STAs to transmit a TB (Trigger Based) PPDU. The AP may request one or more STAs to transmit a TB PPDU using a Trigger frame. The Trigger frame may be used to request one or more TB PPDU transmissions and to allocate resources for the one or more TB PPDU transmissions. When a STA receives a Trigger frame from the AP, the STA may transmit a TB PPDU based on information included in the received Trigger frame. The Trigger frame may be used by the AP to realize UL MU (Multi-User) transmission. The Trigger frame may be used for OFDMA transmission. The TB PPDU may be a PPDU. The TB PPDU may also be referred to as a PPDU.

[0182] 12 , for example, the AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for a PPDU that does not overlap with 1201 unless it receives a TB PPDU that it has requested. For example, the AP may receive a TB PPDU that it has requested and issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for a PPDU that does not overlap with 1201. For example, the AP may assign a TB PPDU to 1202 for a STA, and issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU using 1202 from the STA. For example, the AP may assign TB PPDUs to 1203 and 1204 for a STA, and issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU using 1203 and 1204 from the STA. For example, the AP may allocate TB PPDUs to the STAs at 1205, 1206, 1207, and 1208, and the AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive upon receiving a PPDU using 1205, 1206, 1207, and 1208 from the STA. The PPDU transmitted by the STA may be a TB PPDU.

[0183] Unless the PHY of the AP receives a TB PPDU requested by the AP, the PHY may not issue the PHY-RXEARLYSIG.indication primitive and the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for PPDUs that do not overlap with the primary channel. The PHY may issue both the PHY-RXEARLYSIG.indication primitive and the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for a TB PPDU requested by the AP. The PHY-RXEARLYSIG.indication primitive may be a primitive notified by the PHY to the MAC. The PHY-RXEARLYSIG.indication primitive may be issued after the PHY-CCA.indication primitive. The PHY-RXEARLYSIG.indication primitive may be issued before the PHY-RXSTART.indication. For example, the PHY-RXEARLYSIG.indication primitive may be issued after decoding (receiving) the L-SIG. For example, the PHY-RXEARLYSIG.indication primitive may be issued after decoding (receiving) the L-SIG and / or RL-SIG. For example, the PHY-RXEARLYSIG.indication primitive may be issued before decoding (receiving) the U-SIG. For example, the PHY-RXEARLYSIG.indication primitive may be issued before decoding (receiving) the U-SIG. For example, the PHY-RXEARLYSIG.indication primitive may be issued before decoding (receiving) the U-SIG-1 and / or U-SIG-2. The PHY may issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive. The PHY of the STA may issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive. The PHY of the AP may issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive.

[0184] A STA or AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for a PPDU that does not overlap with the primary channel and / or the NPCA primary channel. A STA or AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that overlaps with the NPCA primary channel. In NPCA, a STA may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the primary channel but overlaps with the NPCA primary channel. In NPCA, an AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the primary channel but overlaps with the NPCA primary channel. In NPCA, a STA may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the NPCA primary channel. In NPCA, an AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the NPCA primary channel. In NPCA, an AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the NPCA primary channel. The primary channel and the NPCA primary channel may be different channels. The PHY may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive. The PHY of the STA may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive. The PHY of the AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive.

[0185] For a PPDU requested by an AP, the AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive upon receiving the PPDU on the NPCA primary channel. The AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for the PPDU that does not overlap with the primary channel. The AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for the PPDU that does not overlap with the primary channel or the NPCA primary channel. For a PPDU requested by an AP, the AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive upon receiving the PPDU on the NPCA primary channel, the NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel, the NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel, or the NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel. The AP may assign a PPDU to a STA and issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive upon receiving the PPDU assigned to the STA on the NPCA primary channel, the NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel, the NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel, or the NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel. In NPCA, an AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for a PPDU requested by the AP upon receiving the PPDU on the NPCA primary channel, the NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel, the NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel, or the NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel.That is, in NPCA, an AP may allocate a PPDU to a STA and issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when the PPDU allocated to the STA is received on the NPCA primary channel, the NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel, the NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel, or the NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel. In NPCA, the AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for the PPDU that does not overlap with the primary channel. In NPCA, the AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for the PPDU that does not overlap with the primary channel or the NPCA primary channel. In NPCA, the AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the NPCA primary channel if the PPDU is requested by the AP. In NPCA, the AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for a PPDU that does not overlap with the NPCA primary channel if the PPDU is not requested by the AP. The primary channel and the NPCA primary channel may be different channels. The PHY may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive. The PHY of a STA may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive. The PHY of an AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive.

[0186] FIG. 14 illustrates an example of PPDU reception on an NPCA primary channel according to one embodiment of the present invention. 1401, 1402, 1403, 1404, 1405, 1406, 1407, and 1408 may each be a 20 MHz channel. FIG. 14 may also illustrate a STA and / or AP operating at 160 MHz. 1401 may be a primary channel. 1408 may be an NPCA primary channel. 1409 may be OBSS traffic. STA and / or AP may perform NPCA while 1401 is busy according to 1409. STA and / or AP may receive and / or transmit and / or perform channel access on 1408 while 1401 is busy according to 1409. While 1401 is busy according to 1409, the STA and / or AP may receive and / or transmit and / or perform channel access on one or more channels including 1408. The STA and / or AP may receive and / or transmit and / or perform channel access on one or more channels including 1408 in the NPCA. 1410 may be a PPDU that overlaps with 1408. 1410 may be a PPDU that includes at least 1408. 1410 may be a PPDU transmitted using at least 1408. The STA and / or AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive upon receiving 1410. The STA and / or AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive upon receiving a PPDU that does not overlap with 1408. That is, the STA and / or AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when receiving a PPDU transmitted without using (including) 1408. Here, for example, the STA performing the operation of FIG. 14 may be 204 in FIG. 2. For example, the AP performing the operation of FIG. 14 may be 202 in FIG. 2. For example, 1409 may be the transmission of 207 in FIG. 2.For example, 1410 may be the transmission of 204 in Figure 2. For example, 1410 may be the transmission of 207 in Figure 2.

[0187] FIG. 15 illustrates an example of TB PPDU reception in an NPCA according to one aspect of this embodiment. 1501, 1502, 1503, 1504, 1505, 1506, 1507, and 1508 may each be a 20 MHz channel. FIG. 15 may also illustrate a STA and / or AP operating at 160 MHz. 1501 may be a primary channel. 1502 may be a secondary 20 MHz channel. 1503 and 1504 may constitute a secondary 40 MHz channel. 1505, 1506, 1507, and 1508 may constitute a secondary 40 MHz channel. 1508 may be an NPCA primary channel. 1507 may be an NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel. 1505 and 1506 may constitute an NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel. 1509 may be OBSS traffic. The STA and / or AP may perform NPCA while 1501 is busy as indicated by 1509. The STA and / or AP may receive, transmit, and / or perform channel access as indicated by 1508 while 1501 is busy as indicated by 1509. The STA and / or AP may receive, transmit, and / or perform channel access on one or more channels including 1508 while 1501 is busy as indicated by 1509. The STA and / or AP may receive, transmit, and / or perform channel access on one or more channels including 1508 during NPCA. 1510 may be a Trigger frame transmitted by the AP. The STA may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive upon receiving 1501. The STA may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive upon receiving 1501 that overlaps with 1508.Reference numeral 1510 may be a Trigger frame sent by the AP to STA1, STA2, and STA3. Reference numeral 1511 may be a TB PPDU assigned by the AP to STA1. Reference numeral 1511 may be a 20 MHz transmission using the NPCA primary channel (1508). STA1 may transmit 1511 as requested by the AP. Reference numeral 1512 may be a TB PPDU assigned by the AP to STA2. Reference numeral 1512 may be a 20 MHz transmission using the NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel (1507). STA2 may transmit 1512 as requested by the AP. Reference numeral 1513 may be a TB PPDU assigned by the AP to STA3. Reference numeral 1513 may be a 40 MHz transmission using the NPCA secondary 40 MHz channels (1505 and 1506). STA3 may transmit 1513 as requested by the AP. The AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive upon receiving 1511. The AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive upon receiving 1512. The AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive upon receiving 1513.

[0188] Unless the AP PHY receives a TB PPDU requested by the AP, the PHY may not issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for PPDUs that do not overlap with the primary channel and / or NPCA primary. For a TB PPDU requested by the AP, the PHY may issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for PPDUs received on the primary channel, secondary 20 MHz channel, secondary 40 MHz channel, secondary 80 MHz channel, NPCA primary channel, NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel, NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel, or NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel. The PHY may issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive. The PHY may be the PHY (physical layer) of the STA. The PHY may be the PHY (physical layer) of the AP. The STA PHY may issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive. The AP PHY may issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive. The TB PPDU may be a HE TB PPDU. The TB PPDU may be an EHT TB PPDU or a UHR TB PPDU.

[0189] While performing NPCA (if NPCA is active), the AP's PHY may not issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for PPDUs that do not overlap with the NPCA primary channel unless the AP's PHY receives a TB PPDU requested by the AP. While performing NPCA, the PHY may issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for PPDUs received on the NPCA primary channel, NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel, NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel, or NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel for a TB PPDU requested by the AP. While performing NPCA, the AP requests a TB PPDU from the STA, and the PHY may not issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive if it receives a PPDU other than the TB PPDU requested by the STA on the NPCA primary channel, NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel, NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel, or NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel. During NPCA, the AP requests a TB PPDU from the STA, and the PHY may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for PPDUs other than the TB PPDU received from the STA on the NPCA primary channel, the NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel, the NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel, or the NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel. The PHY may issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive. The PHY may be the PHY (physical layer) of the STA. The PHY may be the PHY (physical layer) of the AP. The PHY of the STA may issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive. The PHY of the AP may issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive.The TB PPDU may be an HE TB PPDU, an EHT TB PPDU, or a UHR TB PPDU.

[0190] Unless the AP's PHY receives a requested PPDU from the AP, the PHY may not issue the PHY-RXEARLYSIG.indication and PHY-RXSTART.indication primitives for PPDUs that do not overlap with the primary channel and / or the NPCA primary channel. The PHY may issue both the PHY-RXEARLYSIG.indication and PHY-RXSTART.indication primitives for TB PPDUs requested by the AP. While the AP is performing NPCA, unless the AP's PHY receives a requested PPDU from the AP, the PHY may not issue the PHY-RXEARLYSIG.indication and PHY-RXSTART.indication primitives for PPDUs that do not overlap with the primary channel and / or the NPCA primary channel. The PHY may not issue the PHY-RXEARLYSIG.indication and PHY-RXSTART.indication primitives for PPDUs that do not overlap with the primary channel and / or the NPCA primary channel. While the STA is performing NPCA, the PHY may not issue a PHY-RXEARLYSIG.indication and a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for PPDUs that do not overlap with the primary channel and / or the NPCA primary channel. The PHY may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive. The PHY may be the PHY (physical layer) of the STA. The PHY may be the PHY (physical layer) of the AP. The PHY of the STA may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive. The PHY of the AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive. The TB PPDU may be an HE TB PPDU. The TB PPDU may be an EHT TB PPDU.The TB PPDU may be a UHR TB PPDU.

[0191] When a STA is not performing NPCA (when NPCA is not active), it may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that overlaps with the primary channel. When a STA is not performing NPCA, it may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the primary channel. When a STA is not performing NPCA, it may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that overlaps with the NPCA primary channel. When a STA is not performing NPCA, it may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the NPCA primary channel. When a STA is not performing NPCA, it may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the primary channel but overlaps with the NPCA primary channel. When a STA is not performing NPCA, it may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the primary channel but overlaps with the NPCA primary channel. When a STA is not performing NPCA, it may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the primary channel but overlaps with the NPCA primary channel. When not performing NPCA, a STA may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that overlaps with the primary channel and overlaps with the NPCA Primary channel.When not performing NPCA, a STA may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that overlaps with the primary channel and does not overlap with the NPCA Primary channel.

[0192] When performing NPCA, a STA may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that overlaps with the NPCA Primary channel. When performing NPCA, a STA may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the NPCA Primary channel. When performing NPCA, a STA may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that overlaps with the Primary channel. When performing NPCA, a STA may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the Primary channel. When performing NPCA, a STA may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the NPCA primary channel but overlaps with the Primary channel. When performing NPCA, a STA may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the NPCA primary channel but overlaps with the Primary channel. When performing NPCA, a STA may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the NPCA primary channel but overlaps with the Primary channel. When performing NPCA, a STA may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive upon receiving a PPDU that overlaps with the NPCA primary channel and does not overlap with the primary channel.When performing NPCA, a STA may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive upon receiving a PPDU that overlaps with the NPCA primary channel and does not overlap with the primary channel.

[0193] When not performing NPCA, the AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that overlaps with the primary channel. When not performing NPCA, the AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the primary channel. When not performing NPCA, the AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that overlaps with the NPCA primary channel. When not performing NPCA, the AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the NPCA primary channel. When not performing NPCA, the AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the primary channel but overlaps with the NPCA primary channel. When not performing NPCA, the AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the primary channel but overlaps with the NPCA primary channel. When not performing NPCA, the AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the primary channel but overlaps with the NPCA primary channel. When not performing NPCA, the AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that overlaps with the primary channel and overlaps with the NPCA Primary channel.When not performing NPCA, the AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that overlaps with the primary channel and does not overlap with the NPCA Primary channel.If the AP is not performing NPCA, for a TB PPDU requested by the AP, the AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive upon receiving the TB PPDU on the primary channel, the secondary 20 MHz channel, the secondary 40 MHz channel, or the secondary 80 MHz channel.

[0194] When performing NPCA, the AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that overlaps with the NPCA primary channel. When performing NPCA, the AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the NPCA primary channel. When performing NPCA, the AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that overlaps with the primary channel. When performing NPCA, the AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the primary channel. When performing NPCA, the AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the NPCA primary channel but overlaps with the primary channel. When performing NPCA, the AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the NPCA primary channel but overlaps with the primary channel. When performing NPCA, the AP may not issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that does not overlap with the NPCA primary channel but overlaps with the primary channel. When performing NPCA, the AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that overlaps with the NPCA primary channel and does not overlap with the primary channel.When performing NPCA, the AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when it receives a PPDU that overlaps with the NPCA primary channel and does not overlap with the primary channel.When an AP is performing NPCA, for a TB PPDU requested by the AP, the AP may issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive upon receiving the TB PPDU on the NPCA primary channel, the NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel, the NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel, or the NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel.

[0195] "During NPCA" may refer to a period during which channel access, reception, and / or transmission are performed on one or more channels, including at least the NPCA primary channel, while the primary channel is busy with OBSS traffic. "When NPCA is being performed" may refer to a case in which channel access, reception, and / or transmission are performed on one or more channels, including at least the NPCA primary channel, while the primary channel is busy with OBSS traffic. "When NPCA is being performed" may refer to a period during which NPCA is being performed. "During NPCA" may also be referred to as "in NPCA operation." "While not performing NPCA" may refer to a period during which channel access, reception, and / or transmission are performed on one or more channels, including at least the primary channel. "When not performing NPCA" may refer to a case in which channel access, reception, and / or transmission are performed on one or more channels, including at least the primary channel. Figure 13 may refer to a case in which NPCA is being performed. Figure 14 may refer to a case in which NPCA is being performed. Figure 15 may refer to a case in which NPCA is being performed.

[0196] 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for issuing a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive according to one aspect of the present embodiment. In NPCA, a STA or AP receives a PPDU that overlaps with the NPCA primary channel (S1601). The PHY (physical layer) of the STA or AP issues a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive (S1602).

[0197] 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for issuing a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for a TB PPDU according to one aspect of the present embodiment. In NPCA, an AP requests a TB PPDU from a STA (S1701). The AP receives the (requested) TB PPDU from the STA via the NPCA primary channel (S1702). The PHY (physical layer) of the AP issues a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive (S1703). In NPCA, the AP requests a TB PPDU from the STA (S1701), and the AP receives the TB PPDU from the STA via the NPCA primary channel and / or the NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel and / or the NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel and / or the NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel (S1702). The PHY (physical layer) of the AP may then issue a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive (S1703).

[0198] As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, the PHY (physical layer) of the STA and AP issues the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when receiving a PPDU on the NPCA primary channel, the NPCA secondary 20 MHz channel, the NPCA secondary 40 MHz channel, or the NPCA secondary 80 MHz channel. This invention allows the STA and AP to issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive when receiving a PPDU in the NPCA.

[0199] The programs operating in the base station device and terminal device according to the embodiments of the present invention may be programs (programs that cause a computer to function) that control a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like so as to realize the functions of the above-described embodiments of the present invention. Information handled by these devices is temporarily stored in RAM (Random Access Memory) during processing, and then stored in various ROMs such as Flash ROM (Read Only Memory) or HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and is read, modified, and written by the CPU as needed.

[0200] Note that the terminal device and part of the base station device in the above-described embodiments may be realized by a computer, in which case a program for realizing the control function may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read by a computer system and executed.

[0201] The term "computer system" used here refers to a computer system built into a terminal device or base station device, and includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. Also, the term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into a computer system.

[0202] Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" may include a medium that dynamically stores a program for a short period of time, such as a communication line when transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, or a medium that stores a program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory within a computer system that serves as a server or client in such a case. The program may also be one that realizes part of the above-mentioned functions, or one that can realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

[0203] The terminal device may comprise at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program instructions (computer program). The memory and computer program instructions (computer program) may be configured to cause the terminal device to perform the operations and processes described in the above embodiments using the processor. The base station device may comprise at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program instructions (computer program). The memory and computer program instructions (computer program) may be configured to cause the base station device to perform the operations and processes described in the above embodiments using the processor.

[0204] Furthermore, the base station device in the above-described embodiments can also be realized as a collection (device group) consisting of multiple devices. Each of the devices constituting the device group may have some or all of the functions or functional blocks of the base station device according to the above-described embodiments. The device group may have all of the functions or functional blocks of the base station device. Furthermore, the terminal devices according to the above-described embodiments can also communicate with the base station device as a collection.

[0205] Furthermore, some or all of the terminal device and base station device in the above-described embodiments may be realized as an LSI, which is typically an integrated circuit, or as a chipset. Each functional block of the terminal device and base station device may be individually formed into a chip, or some or all of them may be integrated into a chip. Furthermore, the integrated circuit method is not limited to LSI, and may be realized using a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. Furthermore, if an integrated circuit technology that can replace LSI emerges due to advances in semiconductor technology, it is also possible to use an integrated circuit based on that technology.

[0206] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a terminal device is described as an example of a communication device, but the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to terminal devices or communication devices such as stationary or non-movable electronic devices installed indoors or outdoors, for example, AV equipment, kitchen equipment, cleaning / washing equipment, air conditioning equipment, office equipment, vending machines, and other household appliances.

[0207] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment and includes design modifications within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the present invention is susceptible to various modifications within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, configurations in which elements described in the above embodiments are substituted with elements that achieve the same effect are also included.

[0208] The present invention can be used in, for example, a communication system, a communication device (for example, a mobile phone device, a base station device, a wireless LAN device, or a sensor device), an integrated circuit (for example, a communication chip), or a program.

[0209] SU1, AU1 Antenna section SU2, AU2 RF section SU3, AU3 Physical layer processing section SU4, AU4 MAC layer processing section SU5 Upper layer packet processing section SU6, AU6 Radio transmission / reception section SU7, AU7 Frame processing section AU5 DSAF section

Claims

1. A base station device comprising a processing unit that issues a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive, and that does not issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for a PPDU that does not overlap with an NPCA primary channel if the PPDU is not a TB PPDU requested by an AP.

2. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the NPCA primary channel is a channel to which the primary channel is transferred when the primary channel is occupied by an OBSS.

3. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, wherein transmission may be performed on one or more channels that include the NPCA primary channel but do not include the primary channel, in accordance with a backoff procedure on the NPCA primary channel.

4. A terminal device comprising a processing unit that issues a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive, and that does not issue the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for a PPDU that does not overlap with an NPCA primary channel.

5. The terminal device according to claim 4, wherein the NPCA primary channel is a channel to which the primary channel transitions when the primary channel is occupied by an OBSS.

6. The terminal device of claim 4, further comprising a backoff procedure on the NPCA primary channel, and further comprising one or more channels including the NPCA primary channel but excluding the primary channel.

7. A communication method for a base station device, comprising a step of issuing a PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive, and not issuing the PHY-RXSTART.indication primitive for a PPDU that does not overlap with the NPCA primary channel if the PPDU is not a TB PPDU requested by the AP.

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