Method and device for adjusting time interval during which NPCA non-AP sta stays in non-primary channel according to length of basic NAV of NPCA AP and NPCA non-AP sta in wireless LAN system

Abstract

Proposed are a method and a device for adjusting a time interval during which an NPCA non-AP STA stays in a non-primary channel according to the length of a basic NAV of an NPCA AP and the NPCA non-AP STA in a wireless LAN system. Specifically, a first non-AP STA receives an ICF from a first AP over a non-primary channel. The first non-AP STA transmits an ICR to the first AP over the non-primary channel. The first non-AP STA adjusts a time interval for staying in the non-primary channel on the basis of the ICF and the ICR. The first non-AP STA switches from the non-primary channel to a primary channel 20 MHz channel to perform channel access after the adjusted time interval.

Description

Method and device for adjusting the time period during which an NPCA NON-AP STA stays in a non-primary channel according to the length of the basic NAV of the NPCA AP and the NPCA NON-AP STA in a wireless LAN system

[0001] The present specification relates to a technique for adjusting a time period during which an NPCA non-AP STA stays in a non-primary channel according to the length of a basic NAV of an NPCA AP and an NPCA non-AP STA in a wireless LAN system, and more specifically, to a method and device for transmitting information about a time period during which the NPCA AP and the NPCA non-AP STA can perform channel access on a non-primary channel, thereby aligning the time period during which the NPCA non-AP STA stays in a non-primary channel with the time period during which the NPCA AP stays in a non-primary channel.

[0002] Next-generation Wi-Fi (e.g., IEEE 802.11be and / or later) aims to support ultra-high reliability when transmitting signals to STAs. To achieve this, various technologies are being considered to support high throughput, low latency, and extended range. For example, procedures for accessing non-primary channels can be performed.

[0003] The present specification proposes a method and device for adjusting the time period during which an NPCA non-AP STA stays in a non-primary channel according to the length of a basic NAV of the NPCA AP and the NPCA non-AP STA in a wireless LAN system.

[0004] An example of the present specification proposes a method for adjusting the time interval during which an NPCA non-AP STA stays on a non-primary channel according to the length of a basic NAV of the NPCA AP and the NPCA non-AP STA.

[0005] The present embodiment can be performed in a network environment that supports a next-generation wireless LAN system (UHR (Ultra High Reliability) wireless LAN system, 802.11bn or next wi-fi). The next-generation wireless LAN system is a wireless LAN system that improves the 802.11be system and can satisfy backward compatibility with the 802.11be system.

[0006] The present embodiment proposes a method for controlling a time period during which an NPCA AP and an NPCA non-AP STA, which perform channel access and exchange frames on a non-primary channel, transmit information about a time period during which each NPCA non-AP STA can perform channel access on the non-primary channel, thereby adjusting the time period during which the NPCA non-AP STA stays on the non-primary channel. In addition, the present embodiment proposes a method including a structure of an ICF and an ICR that transmit information about a time period during which channel access can be performed on the non-primary channel, and an information / container for NPCA.

[0007] The first non-AP (non-access point) STA (station) receives an ICF (Initial Control Frame) from the first AP through a non-primary channel.

[0008] The first non-AP STA transmits an ICR (Initial Control Response) to the first AP through the non-primary channel.

[0009] The first non-AP STA adjusts the time period during which it stays on the non-primary channel based on the ICF and the ICR.

[0010] The above first non-AP STA performs channel access by switching from the non-primary channel to the primary channel 20 MHz channel after the adjusted time period.

[0011] The ICF includes information about a first time interval during which the first AP can perform channel access on the non-primary channel. The ICR includes information about a second time interval during which the first non-AP STA can perform channel access on the non-primary channel.

[0012] Specifically, the first time interval may be set from the time at which the ICF is transmitted until the time at which the first basic Network Allocation Vector (NAV) set for the first AP ends. The second time interval may be set from the time at which the ICR is transmitted until the time at which the second basic NAV set for the first non-AP STA ends.

[0013] The above-mentioned adjusted time interval may be set as a time interval obtained by subtracting the SIFS (Short Interframe Space) and the time at which the ICR is transmitted from the first time interval.

[0014] The method for adjusting the interval of the basic NAV set to the primary 20 MHz channel by the above NPCA non-AP STA according to the length of the basic NAV of the NPCA AP and the NPCA non-AP STA is as follows.

[0015] First, based on the second basic NAV being longer than or equal to the first basic NAV, the end point of the adjusted time interval can be determined (or adjusted) to the end point of the first time interval. Accordingly, the first AP and the first non-AP STA can simultaneously switch from the non-primary channel to the primary channel 20 MHz channel after the adjusted time interval.

[0016] Based on the second basic NAV being shorter than the first basic NAV, the end point of the adjusted time interval may be determined (or adjusted) to the end point of the first time interval. Accordingly, the first AP and the first non-AP STA may simultaneously switch from the non-primary channel to the primary channel 20 MHz channel after the adjusted time interval.

[0017] Previously, there was a problem that when the length of the basic NAV set for the primary 20 MHz channel was different between the NPCA AP and the NPCA non-AP STA, the NPCA AP and the NPCA non-AP STA had different times of switching (or switching back) from the non-primary channel to the primary 20 MHz channel, which may result in unnecessary EDCA (Enhanced Distributed Channel Access) channel access for the primary 20 MHz channel. For example, if the NPCA AP first switches back to the primary 20 MHz channel, and the NPCA non-AP STA performs frame exchange on the primary 20 MHz channel with another NPCA non-AP STA before switching back to the primary 20 MHz channel, the NPCA non-AP STA may not recognize this due to a blindness issue within the BSS, and may determine that the primary 20 MHz channel is IDLE and attempt unnecessary channel access and frame exchange, which may cause a frame collision in the NPCA AP.

[0018] According to the method proposed by the present embodiment, by aligning the time period during which the NPCA AP can stay on the non-primary channel and the time period during which the NPCA non-AP STA can stay on the non-primary channel, the NPCA non-AP STA can switch (or switch back) to the primary 20 MHz channel in the same manner as the NPCA AP regardless of its own basic NAV, thereby preventing unnecessary EDCA channel access of the NPCA non-AP STA to the primary 20 MHz channel, preventing unnecessary increase in the CW (contention window) value, and preventing loss of medium synchronization.

[0019] Figure 1 illustrates an example of a transmitting device and / or a receiving device of the present specification.

[0020] Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the structure of a wireless local area network (WLAN).

[0021] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a general link setup process.

[0022] Figure 4 illustrates one embodiment of a multi-link (ML).

[0023] Figure 5 illustrates a PPDU (physical protocol data unit or physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit) transmitted / received by an STA of this specification.

[0024] Figure 6 is a diagram showing the layout of resource units (RUs) used for 20MHz PPDU.

[0025] Figure 7 is a diagram showing the layout of resource units (RUs) used for 40MHz PPDU.

[0026] Figure 8 is a diagram showing the layout of resource units (RUs) used for 80MHz PPDU.

[0027] Figure 9 shows the operation according to UL-MU.

[0028] Figure 10 shows an example of channels used / supported / defined within the 2.4 GHz band.

[0029] Figure 11 illustrates an example of channels used / supported / defined within the 5 GHz band.

[0030] Figure 12 illustrates an example of channels used / supported / defined within the 6 GHz band.

[0031] Figure 13 shows an example of a header of a MAC frame.

[0032] FIG. 14 illustrates a modified example of a transmitting device and / or a receiving device of the present specification.

[0033] Figure 15 illustrates an example of channel access in an 802.11 wireless LAN system.

[0034] Figure 16 illustrates an example of the basic procedure of SCA.

[0035] Figure 17 illustrates an example of a network topology and an example of Basic NAV being set in the PCH of NPCA STAs.

[0036] Figure 18 illustrates an example of Delivered info using Bitmap Indication.

[0037] Figure 19 illustrates an example of Delivered Info using Special value or Indexing.

[0038] Figure 20 illustrates an example of Delivered Info (Bitmap directive) using the Delivered Info Flag.

[0039] Figure 21 illustrates an example of Delivered Info (Special value or Indexing indicator) using the Delivered Info Flag.

[0040] Figure 22 illustrates an example of using Special AID according to the Delivered Info Flag of the Trigger frame and including Delivered Info in User Info.

[0041] Figure 23 illustrates an example in which Delivered Info and additional information are included separately according to the Delivered Info Flag of the Trigger frame.

[0042] Figure 24 illustrates an example of including Delivered Info using the same AID12 in a Trigger frame.

[0043] Figure 25 illustrates an example of including a Delivered Info flag in the Common Info field of a Trigger frame and a Delivered Info (Bitmap indicator) in Padding.

[0044] Figure 26 illustrates an example of including Delivered Info using a Special AID value in the User Info field of a Trigger frame.

[0045] Figure 27 illustrates an example of transmitting Delivered Info based on ID.

[0046] Figure 28 illustrates an example where ID-based Delivered Info is included in the Padding area.

[0047] Figure 29 illustrates another example where Delivered Info is included in the Padding area.

[0048] Figure 30 illustrates an example of a trigger frame format.

[0049] Figure 31 illustrates an example of the format of the Special User Info field of a trigger frame.

[0050] Figure 32 illustrates an example of the EHT variant Common Info field format of a Trigger frame.

[0051] Figure 33 illustrates an example of configuring Delivered Info when a Trigger frame solicits a non-HT(dup) PPDU.

[0052] Figure 34 illustrates an example of the operation process of an NPCA STA with a longer Basic NAV than the NPCA AP.

[0053] Figure 35 illustrates an example of the operation process of an NPCA STA with a shorter Basic NAV than the NPCA AP.

[0054] Figures 36a and 36b illustrate another example of the operation process of an NPCA STA with a shorter Basic NAV than the NPCA AP.

[0055] Figure 37 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a transmitting device according to the present embodiment.

[0056] Figure 38 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a receiving device according to the present embodiment.

[0057] FIG. 39 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for performing channel access by switching from a non-primary channel to a primary 20 MHz channel by an NPCA AP and an NPCA non-AP STA according to the length of the basic NAV according to the present embodiment.

[0058] FIG. 40 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for adjusting the time at which an NPCA non-AP STA switches from a non-primary channel to a primary 20 MHz channel according to the length of the basic NAV of the NPCA AP and the NPCA non-AP STA according to the present embodiment.

[0059] In this specification, “A or B” can mean “only A,” “only B,” or “both A and B.” In other words, “A or B” in this specification can be interpreted as “A and / or B.” For example, “A, B or C” in this specification can mean “only A,” “only B,” “only C,” or “any combination of A, B, and C.”

[0060] As used herein, a slash ( / ) or a comma can mean "and / or." For example, "A / B" can mean "and / or B." Accordingly, "A / B" can mean "only A," "only B," or "both A and B." For example, "A, B, C" can mean "A, B, or C."

[0061] In this specification, “at least one of A and B” can mean “only A,” “only B,” or “both A and B.” Additionally, in this specification, the expressions “at least one of A or B” or “at least one of A and / or B” can be interpreted identically to “at least one of A and B.”

[0062] In addition, parentheses used in this specification may mean “for example.” Specifically, when “control information (UHR-Signal field)” is indicated, the “UHR-Signal field” may be suggested as an example of “control information.” In other words, the “control information” in this specification is not limited to the “UHR-Signal field,” and the “UHR-Signal field” may be suggested as an example of “control information.” In addition, even when indicated as “control information (UHR-Signal field),” the “UHR-Signal field” may be suggested as an example of “control information.”

[0063] Additionally, as used herein, “a / an” can mean “at least one” or “one or more.” Additionally, terms ending in “(s)” can mean “at least one” or “one or more.”

[0064] Additionally, the expressions “based on” or “on the basis of” or “according to” used herein mean “based at least in part on” and not “based solely on.”

[0065] Technical features individually described in a single drawing in this specification may be implemented individually or simultaneously.

[0066] The following examples of this specification can be applied to various wireless communication systems. For example, the following examples of this specification can be applied to wireless local area network (WLAN) systems. For example, the present specification can be applied to the IEEE 802.11a / g / n / ac / ax / be / bn standards. In addition, the examples of this specification can be applied to the Ultra High Reliability (UHR) standard or the next-generation wireless LAN standard that enhances IEEE 802.11bn. In addition, the examples of this specification can be applied to mobile communication systems. For example, the examples of this specification can be applied to mobile communication systems based on Long Term Evolution (LTE) and its evolution based on the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard.

[0067] In order to explain the technical features of this specification, the technical features to which this specification can be applied are described below.

[0068] Figure 1 illustrates an example of a transmitting device and / or a receiving device of the present specification.

[0069] An example of FIG. 1 can perform various technical features described below. FIG. 1 relates to at least one STA (station). For example, the STA (110, 120) of the present specification may also be referred to by various names such as a mobile terminal, a wireless device, a Wireless Transmit / Receive Unit (WTRU), a User Equipment (UE), a Mobile Station (MS), a Mobile Subscriber Unit, or simply a user. The STA (110, 120) of the present specification may also be referred to by various names such as a network, a base station, a Node-B, an access point (AP), a repeater, a router, a relay, etc. The STA (110, 120) of the present specification may also be referred to by various names such as a receiving apparatus, a transmitting apparatus, a receiving STA, a transmitting STA, a receiving device, a transmitting device, etc.

[0070] For example, STA (110, 120) may perform the role of an AP (access point) or a non-AP role. That is, STA (110, 120) of the present specification may perform the functions of an AP and / or a non-AP. In the present specification, AP may also be indicated as an AP STA.

[0071] The STA (110, 120) of this specification can support various communication standards other than the IEEE 802.11 standard. For example, it can support communication standards according to the 3GPP standard (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR standard). In addition, the STA of this specification can be implemented in various devices such as mobile phones, vehicles, and personal computers. In addition, the STA of this specification can support communication for various communication services such as voice calls, video calls, data communications, and autonomous driving (Self-Driving, Autonomous-Driving).

[0072] In this specification, STA (110, 120) may include a medium access control (MAC) and a physical layer interface for a wireless medium that follow the provisions of the IEEE 802.11 standard.

[0073] Based on the sub-drawing (a) of Fig. 1, STA (110, 120) is described as follows.

[0074] The first STA (110) may include a processor (111), a memory (112), and a transceiver (113). The illustrated processor, memory, and transceiver may each be implemented as separate chips, or at least two blocks / functions may be implemented through a single chip.

[0075] The transceiver (113) of the first STA performs signal transmission and reception operations. Specifically, it can transmit and receive IEEE 802.11 packets (e.g., IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be, etc.).

[0076] For example, the first STA (110) can perform the intended operation of the AP. For example, the processor (111) of the AP can receive a signal through the transceiver (113), process the received signal, generate a transmission signal, and perform control for signal transmission. The memory (112) of the AP can store a signal received through the transceiver (113) (i.e., a reception signal) and store a signal to be transmitted through the transceiver (i.e., a transmission signal).

[0077] For example, the second STA (120) can perform the intended operation of a non-AP STA. For example, the transceiver (123) of the non-AP performs signal transmission and reception operations. Specifically, it can transmit and receive IEEE 802.11 packets (e.g., IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be, etc.).

[0078] For example, the processor (121) of the Non-AP STA can receive a signal through the transceiver (123), process the received signal, generate a transmission signal, and perform control for signal transmission. The memory (122) of the Non-AP STA can store a signal received through the transceiver (123) (i.e., a reception signal) and store a signal to be transmitted through the transceiver (i.e., a transmission signal).

[0079] For example, in the specification below, the operation of a device indicated as AP may be performed in the first STA (110) or the second STA (120). For example, if the first STA (110) is an AP, the operation of the device indicated as AP may be controlled by the processor (111) of the first STA (110), and a related signal may be transmitted or received through a transceiver (113) controlled by the processor (111) of the first STA (110). In addition, control information related to the operation of the AP or a transmission / reception signal of the AP may be stored in the memory (112) of the first STA (110). In addition, when the second STA (110) is an AP, the operation of the device indicated as an AP is controlled by the processor (121) of the second STA (120), and a related signal can be transmitted or received through a transceiver (123) controlled by the processor (121) of the second STA (120). In addition, control information related to the operation of the AP or the transmission / reception signal of the AP can be stored in the memory (122) of the second STA (110).

[0080] For example, in the specification below, the operation of a device indicated as a non-AP (or User-STA) may be performed in the STA (110) or the second STA (120). For example, if the second STA (120) is a non-AP, the operation of the device indicated as a non-AP may be controlled by the processor (121) of the second STA (120), and a related signal may be transmitted or received through a transceiver (123) controlled by the processor (121) of the second STA (120). In addition, control information related to the operation of the non-AP or the transmission / reception signal of the AP may be stored in the memory (122) of the second STA (120). For example, if the first STA (110) is a non-AP, the operation of a device indicated as a non-AP is controlled by the processor (111) of the first STA (110), and a related signal may be transmitted or received through a transceiver (113) controlled by the processor (111) of the first STA (120). In addition, control information related to the operation of the non-AP or the transmission / reception signal of the AP may be stored in the memory (112) of the first STA (110).

[0081] In the following specification, devices called (transmitting / receiving) STA, first STA, second STA, STA1, STA2, AP, first AP, second AP, AP1, AP2, (transmitting / receiving) Terminal, (transmitting / receiving) device, (transmitting / receiving) apparatus, network, etc. may refer to the STA (110, 120) of FIG. 1. For example, devices indicated as (transmitting / receiving) STA, first STA, second STA, STA1, STA2, AP, first AP, second AP, AP1, AP2, (transmitting / receiving) Terminal, (transmitting / receiving) device, (transmitting / receiving) apparatus, network, etc. without specific drawing symbols may also refer to the STA (110, 120) of FIG. 1. For example, in the example below, the operation of various STAs transmitting and receiving signals (e.g., PPPDU) may be performed by the transceiver (113, 123) of FIG. 1. In addition, in the example below, the operation of various STAs generating transmission and reception signals or performing data processing or calculations in advance for transmission and reception signals may be performed by the processor (111, 121) of FIG. 1.For example, an example of an operation that generates a transmission / reception signal or performs data processing or operation in advance for a transmission / reception signal may include 1) an operation of determining / obtaining / configuring / computing / decoding / encoding bit information of a subfield (SIG, STF, LTF, Data) field included in a PPDU, 2) an operation of determining / configuring / obtaining time resources or frequency resources (e.g., subcarrier resources) used for a subfield (SIG, STF, LTF, Data) field included in a PPDU, 3) an operation of determining / configuring / obtaining a specific sequence (e.g., a pilot sequence, an STF / LTF sequence, an extra sequence applied to SIG) used for a subfield (SIG, STF, LTF, Data) field included in a PPDU, 4) a power control operation and / or a power saving operation applied to an STA, 5) an operation related to determining / obtaining / configuring / computing / decoding / encoding an ACK signal, etc. Additionally, in the examples below, various information (e.g., information related to fields / subfields / control fields / parameters / power, etc.) used by various STAs for determining / acquiring / configuring / computing / decoding / encoding transmission / reception signals can be stored in the memory (112, 122) of FIG. 1.

[0082] The device / STA of the sub-drawing (a) of the above-described FIG. 1 can be modified as in the sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1. Hereinafter, the STA (110, 120) of the present specification will be described based on the sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1.

[0083] For example, the transceiver (113, 123) illustrated in sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1 may perform the same function as the transceiver illustrated in sub-drawing (a) of FIG. 1 described above. For example, the processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1 may include a processor (111, 121) and a memory (112, 122). The processor (111, 121) and the memory (112, 122) illustrated in sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1 may perform the same function as the processor (111, 121) and the memory (112, 122) illustrated in sub-drawing (a) of FIG. 1 described above.

[0084] The mobile terminal, wireless device, Wireless Transmit / Receive Unit (WTRU), User Equipment (UE), Mobile Station (MS), Mobile Subscriber Unit, user, user STA, network, Base Station, Node-B, Access Point (AP), repeater, router, relay, receiving device, transmitting device, receiving STA, transmitting STA, receiving Device, transmitting Device, receiving Apparatus, and / or transmitting Apparatus described below may refer to the STA (110, 120) illustrated in the sub-drawings (a) / (b) of FIG. 1, or may refer to the processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in the sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1. That is, the technical feature of the present specification may be performed in the STA (110, 120) illustrated in the sub-drawings (a) / (b) of FIG. 1, or may be performed only in the processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in the sub-drawings (b) of FIG. 1. For example, the technical feature that the transmitting STA transmits a control signal may be understood as a technical feature that the control signal generated in the processor (111, 121) illustrated in the sub-drawings (a) / (b) of FIG. 1 is transmitted through the transceiver (113, 123) illustrated in the sub-drawings (a) / (b) of FIG. 1. Alternatively, the technical feature that the transmitting STA transmits a control signal may be understood as a technical feature that the control signal to be transmitted to the transceiver (113, 123) is generated in the processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in the sub-drawings (b) of FIG. 1.

[0085] For example, the technical feature of a receiving STA receiving a control signal can be understood as a technical feature of a control signal being received by a transceiver (113, 123) illustrated in sub-drawing (a) of FIG. 1. Alternatively, the technical feature of a receiving STA receiving a control signal can be understood as a technical feature of a control signal received by a transceiver (113, 123) illustrated in sub-drawing (a) of FIG. 1 being acquired by a processor (111, 121) illustrated in sub-drawing (a) of FIG. 1. Alternatively, the technical feature of a receiving STA receiving a control signal can be understood as a technical feature of a control signal received by a transceiver (113, 123) illustrated in sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1 being acquired by a processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in sub-drawing (b) of FIG.

[0086] Referring to the sub-drawing (b) of FIG. 1, software code (115, 125) may be included in the memory (112, 122). The software code (115, 125) may include instructions that control the operation of the processor (111, 121). The software code (115, 125) may be included in various programming languages.

[0087] The processor (111, 121) or processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in FIG. 1 may include an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), another chipset, a logic circuit, and / or a data processing device. The processor may be an application processor (AP). For example, the processor (111, 121) or processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in FIG. 1 may include at least one of a digital signal processor (DSP), a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), and a modem (modulator and demodulator). For example, the processor (111, 121) or processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in FIG. 1 may be a SNAPDRAGON™ series processor manufactured by Qualcomm®, an EXYNOSTM series processor manufactured by Samsung®, an A series processor manufactured by Apple®, a HELIO™ series processor manufactured by MediaTek®, an ATOM™ series processor manufactured by INTEL®, or an enhanced processor thereof.

[0088] In this specification, uplink may mean a link for communication from a non-AP STA to an AP STA, and uplink PPDU / packet / signal, etc. may be transmitted through the uplink. In addition, in this specification, downlink may mean a link for communication from an AP STA to a non-AP STA, and downlink PPDU / packet / signal, etc. may be transmitted through the downlink.

[0089] Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the structure of a wireless local area network (WLAN).

[0090] The upper part of Figure 2 shows the structure of the infrastructure BSS (basic service set) of IEEE (institute of electrical and electronic engineers) 802.11.

[0091] The upper part of Figure 2 shows the structure of the infrastructure BSS (basic service set) of IEEE (institute of electrical and electronic engineers) 802.11.

[0092] Referring to the top of FIG. 2, the wireless LAN system may include one or more infrastructure BSSs (200, 205) (hereinafter, BSS). The BSSs (200, 205) are a collection of APs and STAs, such as an access point (AP) 225 and a station (STA1, 200-1), that have successfully synchronized and can communicate with each other, and are not a concept that designates a specific area. The BSS (205) may also include one or more STAs (205-1, 205-2) that can be associated with one AP (230).

[0093] A BSS may include at least one STA, an AP (225, 230) providing a distribution service, and a distribution system (DS, 210) connecting multiple APs.

[0094] A distributed system (210) can connect multiple BSSs (200, 205) to implement an extended service set (ESS, 240). An ESS (240) can be used as a term to indicate a network formed by connecting one or more APs through the distributed system (210). APs included in a single ESS (240) can have the same SSID (service set identification).

[0095] The portal (portal, 220) can act as a bridge to connect a wireless LAN network (IEEE 802.11) to another network (e.g., 802.X).

[0096] In a BSS such as the upper part of Fig. 2, a network between APs (225, 230) and a network between APs (225, 230) and STAs (200-1, 205-1, 205-2) can be implemented. However, it may also be possible to establish a network and perform communication between STAs without an AP (225, 230). A network that establishes a network and performs communication between STAs without an AP (225, 230) is defined as an ad-hoc network or an independent basic service set (IBSS).

[0097] The bottom of Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram showing IBSS.

[0098] Referring to the bottom of Fig. 2, the IBSS is a BSS that operates in ad-hoc mode. Since the IBSS does not include an AP, there is no centralized management entity. That is, in the IBSS, the STAs (250-1, 250-2, 250-3, 255-4, 255-5) are managed in a distributed manner. In the IBSS, all STAs (250-1, 250-2, 250-3, 255-4, 255-5) can be mobile STAs, and access to the distributed system is not permitted, forming a self-contained network.

[0099] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a general link setup process.

[0100] In step S310, the STA may perform a network discovery operation. This network discovery operation may include scanning by the STA. That is, for the STA to access the network, it must find a network it can join. Before joining a wireless network, the STA must identify compatible networks. The process of identifying networks in a specific area is called scanning. Scanning methods include active scanning and passive scanning.

[0101] Figure 3 illustrates a network discovery operation that includes an active scanning process as an example. In active scanning, an STA performing scanning transmits a probe request frame to discover which APs exist in the vicinity while moving between channels and waits for a response. A responder transmits a probe response frame to the STA that transmitted the probe request frame in response to the probe request frame. Here, the responder may be the STA that last transmitted a beacon frame in the BSS of the channel being scanned. In a BSS, the AP transmits the beacon frame, so the AP becomes the responder. In an IBSS, the STAs within the IBSS take turns transmitting beacon frames, so the responder is not constant. For example, an STA that transmits a probe request frame on channel 1 and receives a probe response frame on channel 1 can store BSS-related information included in the received probe response frame and move to the next channel (e.g., channel 2) to perform scanning (i.e., transmitting and receiving probe requests / responses on channel 2) in the same manner.

[0102] Although not shown in the example of FIG. 3, the scanning operation can also be performed in a passive scanning manner. An STA performing scanning based on passive scanning can wait for a beacon frame while moving between channels. A beacon frame is one of the management frames in IEEE 802.11. It announces the presence of a wireless network and is periodically transmitted so that the scanning STA can find the wireless network and participate in the wireless network. In the BSS, the AP periodically transmits the beacon frame, and in the IBSS, the STAs within the IBSS take turns transmitting the beacon frame. When the scanning STA receives a beacon frame, it stores the information about the BSS included in the beacon frame and moves to another channel, recording the beacon frame information on each channel. An STA that receives a beacon frame can store the BSS-related information included in the received beacon frame, move to the next channel, and perform scanning on the next channel in the same manner.

[0103] An STA that discovers a network can perform an authentication process through step S320. This authentication process may be referred to as the first authentication process to clearly distinguish it from the security setup operation of step S340 described below. The authentication process of S320 may include a process in which the STA transmits an authentication request frame to the AP, and the AP responds by transmitting an authentication response frame to the STA. The authentication frame used for the authentication request / response corresponds to a management frame.

[0104] The authentication frame may include information such as an authentication algorithm number, an authentication transaction sequence number, a status code, a challenge text, a Robust Security Network (RSN), and a Finite Cyclic Group.

[0105] An STA can transmit an authentication request frame to an AP. The AP can determine whether to grant authentication to the STA based on the information contained in the received authentication request frame. The AP can provide the result of the authentication process to the STA via an authentication response frame.

[0106] A successfully authenticated STA may perform an association process based on step S330. The association process includes a process in which the STA transmits an association request frame to the AP, and the AP transmits an association response frame to the STA in response. For example, the association request frame may include information related to various capabilities, such as a beacon listen interval, a service set identifier (SSID), supported rates, supported channels, RSN, mobility domain, supported operating classes, a Traffic Indication Map Broadcast request, and interworking service capabilities. For example, the association response frame may contain information related to various capabilities, status codes, Association ID (AID), supported rates, Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) parameter sets, Received Channel Power Indicator (RCPI), Received Signal to Noise Indicator (RSNI), mobility domains, timeout interval (association comeback time), overlapping BSS scan parameters, TIM broadcast response, QoS maps, etc.

[0107] In step S340, the STA may perform a security setup process. The security setup process of step S340 may include, for example, a process of setting up a private key through a four-way handshaking using an Extensible Authentication Protocol over LAN (EAPOL) frame.

[0108] Figure 4 illustrates one embodiment of a multi-link (ML).

[0109] As illustrated in FIG. 4, multiple multi-link devices (MLDs) can communicate over a remote link. The MLDs can be categorized into AP MLDs including multiple AP STAs and non-AP MLDs including multiple non-AP STAs. That is, the AP MLD can include affiliated APs (i.e., AP STAs), and the non-AP MLD can include affiliated STAs (i.e., non-AP STAs, or user-STAs).

[0110] A multilink may include a first link and a second link, and different channels / subchannels / frequency resources may be allocated to the first and second links. The first and second multilinks may be identified through a link ID of 4 bits (or other n bits). The first and second links may be configured in the same 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz band. Alternatively, the first link and the second link may be configured in different bands.

[0111] The AP MLD of FIG. 4 includes three affiliated APs. In the example of FIG. 4, AP1 may operate in the 2.4 GHz band, AP2 may operate in the 5 GHz band, and AP3 may operate in the 6 GHz band. In the example of FIG. 4, the first link in which AP1 and non-AP1 operate may be defined as a channel / subchannel / frequency resource within the 2.4 GHz band. Furthermore, in the example of FIG. 4, the second link in which AP2 and non-AP2 operate may be defined as a channel / subchannel / frequency resource within the 5 GHz band. Furthermore, in the example of FIG. 4, the third link in which AP3 and non-AP3 operate may be defined as a channel / subchannel / frequency resource within the 6 GHz band.

[0112] In the example of FIG. 4, AP1 may initiate a multi-link setup procedure (ML setup procedure) by transmitting an Association Request frame to non-AP STA1. In the example of FIG. 4, non-AP STA1 may transmit an Association Response frame in response to the Association Request frame. Each AP (e.g., AP1 / 2 / 3) illustrated in FIG. 4 may be identical to the AP illustrated in FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 2, and each non-AP (e.g., non-AP1 / 2 / 3) illustrated in FIG. 4 may be identical to the STA (i.e., user-STA or non-AP STA) illustrated in FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 2.

[0113] The specific features of this specification are not limited to the specific features of FIG. 4. That is, the number of links can be defined in various ways, and multiple links can be defined in various ways within at least one band.

[0114] Figure 5 illustrates a PPDU (physical protocol data unit or physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit) transmitted / received by an STA of this specification.

[0115] The STA (e.g., AP STA, non-AP STA, AP MLD, non-AP MLD) of the present specification can transmit and / or receive the PPDU of FIG. 5. The PPDU described in the present specification may have, for example, the structure of FIG. 5. In addition, the PPDU described in the present specification may be called by various names such as a transmission PPDU, a reception PPDU, a first type PPDU, or an Nth type PPDU, etc. The PPDU described in the present specification can be used in a WLAN system defined according to IEEE 802.11bn and / or a next-generation WLAN system that improves IEEE 802.11bn.

[0116] The PPDU of FIG. 5 may be related to various PPDU types used in a UHR system. For example, the example of FIG. 5 may be used for at least one of a single-user (SU) mode / type / transmission, a multi-user (MU) mode / type / transmission, and a null data packet (NDP) mode / type / transmission related to channel sounding. For example, if the example of FIG. 5 is related to NDP, the Data field illustrated may be omitted. If the PPDU of FIG. 5 is used for a trigger-based (TB) mode, the UHR-SIG of FIG. 5 may be omitted. In other words, an STA that has received a trigger frame for UL-MU (Uplink-MU) communication may transmit a PPDU with the UHR-SIG omitted in the example of FIG. 5.

[0117] In FIG. 5, L-STF or UHR-LTF may be called a preamble or physical preamble, and may be generated / transmitted / received / acquired / decoded in the physical layer (included in the transmitting / receiving STA).

[0118] Each block illustrated in Fig. 5 may be called a field / subfield / signal, etc. The names of these fields / subfields / signals may be, as illustrated in Fig. 5, L-STF (legacy short training field), L-LTF (legacy long training field), L-SIG (legacy signal), RL-SIG (repeated L-SIG), U-SIG (Universal Signal), UHR-SIG (UHR-signal), etc.

[0119] The subcarrier spacing of the L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, U-SIG, and UHR-SIG fields in FIG. 5 may be set to 312.5 kHz, and the subcarrier spacing of the UHR-STF, UHR-LTF, and Data fields may be set to 78.125 kHz. That is, the tone index (or subcarrier index) of the L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, U-SIG, and UHR-SIG fields may be expressed in units of 312.5 kHz, and the tone index (or subcarrier index) of the UHR-STF, UHR-LTF, and Data fields may be expressed in units of 78.125 kHz.

[0120] In the PPDU of Fig. 5, L-LTF and L-STF may be identical to conventional fields (e.g., non-HT LTF and non-HT STF defined in conventional WLAN standards).

[0121] The L-SIG field of FIG. 5 may include, for example, 24 bits of bit information. For example, the 24 bits of information may include a 4 bit Rate field, a 1 bit Reserved bit, a 12 bit Length field, a 1 bit Parity bit, and a 6 bit Tail bit. For example, the 12 bit Length field may include information about the length or time duration of the PPDU. For example, the value of the 12 bit Length field may be determined based on the type of the PPDU. For example, if the PPDU is a non-HT (non-High Throughput), HT (High Throughput), VHT (Very High Throughput) PPDU, or an EHT (extremely high throughput) PPDU or UHR PPDU, the value of the Length field may be determined as a multiple of 3. For example, if the PPDU is a HE PPDU, the value of the Length field may be determined as "a multiple of 3 + 1" or "a multiple of 3 + 2". In other words, for non-HT, HT, VHT PPDU, EHT PPDU, UHR PPDU, the value of the Length field can be determined as a multiple of 3, and for HE (High-Efficiency) PPDU, the value of the Length field can be determined as "a multiple of 3 + 1" or "a multiple of 3 + 2". In other words, the Length field in an UHR PPDU is set to a value satisfying the condition that the remainder is zero when LENGTH is divided by 3.

[0122] For example, (non-AP and AP) STAs can apply BCC encoding based on a code rate of 1 / 2 to the 24 bits of information in the L-SIG field. Then, the transmitting STA can obtain 48 BCC coded bits. BPSK modulation can be applied to the 48 coded bits to generate 48 BPSK symbols. The transmitting STA can map the 48 BPSK symbols to positions excluding the pilot subcarriers {subcarrier index -21, -7, +7, +21} and the DC subcarrier {subcarrier index 0}. As a result, the 48 BPSK symbols can be mapped to subcarrier indices -26 to -22, -20 to -8, -6 to -1, +1 to +6, +8 to +20, and +22 to +26. The transmitting STA can additionally map the signal {-1, -1, -1, 1} to the subcarrier indices {-28, -27, +27, +28}. The above signal can be used for channel estimation for the frequency domain corresponding to {-28, -27, +27, +28}.

[0123] For example, (non-AP and AP) STA can generate RL-SIG, which is generated in the same manner as L-SIG. BPSK modulation can be applied to RL-SIG. Receiving (non-AP and AP) STA can determine whether the received PPDU is a HE PPDU, EHT PPDU, or UHR PPDU based on the presence of RL-SIG. In other words, if RL-SIG is present, receiving (non-AP and AP) STA can determine whether the received PPDU is one of HE PPDU, EHT PPDU, or UHR PPDU. In other words, if RL-SIG is not present, receiving (non-AP and AP) STA can determine whether the received PPDU is one of non-HT PPDU, HT PPDU, or VHT PPDU. In other words, the RL-SIG field is a repeat of the L-SIG field and is used to differentiate an UHR PPDU from a non-HT PPDU, HT PPDU, and VHT PPDU.

[0124] After the RL-SIG in Fig. 5, a U-SIG (Universal SIG) may be inserted. The U-SIG may be called by various names such as the first SIG field, the first SIG, the first type SIG, the control signal, the control signal field, the first (type) control signal, the common control field, and the common control signal.

[0125] A U-SIG can contain N bits of information and can include information for identifying the type of EHT PPDU. For example, a U-SIG can be formed based on two symbols (e.g., two consecutive OFDM symbols). Each symbol (e.g., an OFDM symbol) for a U-SIG can have a duration of 4 microseconds. Each symbol of a U-SIG can be used to transmit 26 bits of information. For example, each symbol of a U-SIG can be transmitted and received based on 52 data tones and 4 pilot tones.

[0126] For example, A bit information (e.g., 52 uncoded bits) can be transmitted through U-SIG, and the first symbol of U-SIG can transmit the first X bits of information (e.g., 26 uncoded bits) out of the total A bit information, and the second symbol of U-SIG can transmit the remaining Y bits of information (e.g., 26 uncoded bits) out of the total A bit information. For example, the transmitting STA can obtain 26 uncoded bits included in each U-SIG symbol. The transmitting STA can perform convolutional encoding (i.e., BCC encoding) based on a rate of R=1 / 2 to generate 52 coded bits, and perform interleaving on the 52 coded bits. The transmitting STA can perform BPSK modulation on the interleaved 52 coded bits to generate 52 BPSK symbols allocated to each U-SIG symbol. A single U-SIG symbol can be transmitted based on 56 tones (subcarriers) from subcarrier index -28 to subcarrier index +28, excluding DC index 0. The 52 BPSK symbols generated by the transmitting STA can be transmitted based on the remaining tones (subcarriers) excluding the pilot tones -21, -7, +7, and +21.

[0127] For example, A bit information (e.g., 52 uncoded bits) transmitted by U-SIG may include a CRC field (e.g., a 4-bit long field) and a tail field (e.g., a 6-bit long field). The CRC field and the tail field may be transmitted through the second symbol of the U-SIG. The CRC field may be generated based on 26 bits allocated to the first symbol of the U-SIG and the remaining 16 bits excluding the CRC / tail field within the second symbol, and may be generated based on a conventional CRC calculation algorithm. In addition, the tail field may be used to terminate the trellis of the convolutional decoder and may be set to, for example, "000000".

[0128] The A bit information (e.g., 52 uncoded bits) transmitted by the U-SIG (or U-SIG field) can be divided into version-independent bits and version-dependent bits. For example, the size of the version-independent bits can be fixed or variable. For example, the version-independent bits can be assigned only to the first symbol of the U-SIG, or the version-independent bits can be assigned to both the first symbol and the second symbol of the U-SIG. For example, the version-independent bits and the version-dependent bits can be called by various names, such as the first control bit and the second control bit.

[0129] For example, the version-independent bits of the U-SIG may include a 3-bit PHY version identifier. For example, the 3-bit PHY version identifier may include information related to the PHY version of the transmitted and received PPDU. For example, a first value (e.g., a value of 000) of the 3-bit PHY version identifier may indicate that the transmitted and received PPDU is an EHT PPDU. In addition, a second value (e.g., a value of 001) of the 3-bit PHY version identifier may indicate that the transmitted and received PPDU is an UHR PPDU.

[0130] In other words, when the (AP / non-AP) STA transmits an EHT PPDU, it can set the 3-bit PHY version identifier to the first value. In other words, the receiving (AP / non-AP) STA can determine that the received PPDU is an EHT PPDU based on the PHY version identifier having the first value, and can determine that the received PPDU is an UHR PPDU based on the PHY version identifier having the second value.

[0131] For example, the version-independent bits of U-SIG may include a 1-bit UL / DL flag field. The first value of the 1-bit UL / DL flag field relates to UL communication, and the second value of the UL / DL flag field relates to DL communication.

[0132] For example, the version-independent bits of U-SIG may include information about the length of a transmission opportunity (TXOP) and information about the BSS color ID.

[0133] For example, if a UHR PPDU is classified into various types (e.g., a type related to SU transmission (performed based on UL or DL), a type related to DL transmission, a type related to NDP transmission, a type related to DL non-MU-MIMO, a type related to DL MU-MIMO, a type related to Multi-AP operation, a type related to CBF (Coordinated beamforming), SR (Spatial Reuse), a type related to C-OFDMA (Coordinated OFDMA), a type related to C-TDMA (Coordinated TDMA)), information about the type of the EHT PPDU (e.g., 2-bit or 3-bit information) can be included in the version-dependent bits of the U-SIG.

[0134] For example, a U-SIG may include information about 1) a bandwidth field including information about a bandwidth, 2) a field including information about an MCS technique applied to the UHR-SIG, 3) an indication field including information about whether a dual subcarrier modulation (DCM) technique is applied to the UHR-SIG, 4) a field including information about the number of symbols used for the UHR-SIG, 5) a field including information about whether the UHR-SIG is generated over the entire band, 6) a field including information about the type of UHR-LTF / STF, and 7) a field indicating the length of the UHR-LTF and the CP length.

[0135] Preamble puncturing may be applied to the PPDU of FIG. 5. Preamble puncturing refers to applying puncturing to a portion of the entire bandwidth of the PPDU (e.g., the secondary 20 MHz band). For example, when an 80 MHz PPDU is transmitted, the STA applies puncturing to the secondary 20 MHz band within the 80 MHz band, and can transmit the PPDU only through the primary 20 MHz band and the secondary 40 MHz band.

[0136] For example, the pattern of preamble puncturing can be preset. For example, when the first puncturing pattern is applied, puncturing can be applied only to the secondary 20 MHz band within the 80 MHz band. For example, when the second puncturing pattern is applied, puncturing can be applied only to one of the two secondary 20 MHz bands included in the secondary 40 MHz band within the 80 MHz band. For example, when the third puncturing pattern is applied, puncturing can be applied only to the secondary 20 MHz band included in the primary 80 MHz band within the 160 MHz band (or 80+80 MHz band). For example, when the fourth puncturing pattern is applied, a primary 40 MHz band included in the primary 80 MHz band within the 160 MHz band (or 80+80 MHz band) may be present, and puncturing may be applied to at least one 20 MHz channel that does not belong to the primary 40 MHz band.

[0137] Information regarding preamble puncturing applied to the PPDU may be included in the U-SIG and / or UHR-SIG. For example, the first field of the U-SIG may include information regarding the contiguous bandwidth of the PPDU, and the second field of the U-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing applied to the PPDU.

[0138] For example, U-SIG and UHR-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing based on the following method. If the bandwidth of the PPDU exceeds 80 MHz, the U-SIG may be individually configured in units of 80 MHz. For example, if the bandwidth of the PPDU is 160 MHz, the PPDU may include a first U-SIG for the first 80 MHz band and a second U-SIG for the second 80 MHz band. In this case, the first field of the first U-SIG may include information regarding the 160 MHz bandwidth, and the second field of the first U-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing applied to the first 80 MHz band (i.e., information regarding the preamble puncturing pattern). Additionally, the first field of the second U-SIG may include information about a 160 MHz bandwidth, and the second field of the second U-SIG may include information about preamble puncturing applied to the second 80 MHz band (i.e., information about a preamble puncturing pattern). Meanwhile, the UHR-SIG consecutive to the first U-SIG may include information about preamble puncturing applied to the second 80 MHz band (i.e., information about a preamble puncturing pattern), and the UHR-SIG consecutive to the second U-SIG may include information about preamble puncturing applied to the first 80 MHz band (i.e., information about a preamble puncturing pattern).

[0139] Additionally or alternatively, U-SIG and UHR-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing based on the following methods. U-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing for all bands (i.e., information regarding preamble puncturing patterns). That is, UHR-SIG may not include information regarding preamble puncturing, and only U-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing (i.e., information regarding preamble puncturing patterns).

[0140] U-SIGs can be configured in 20 MHz units. For example, if an 80 MHz PPDU is configured, U-SIGs can be duplicated. That is, four identical U-SIGs can be included within an 80 MHz PPDU. PPDUs exceeding the 80 MHz bandwidth can contain different U-SIGs.

[0141] The UHR-SIG of FIG. 5 may include control information for a receiving STA. The UHR-SIG may be transmitted via at least one symbol, and each symbol may have a length of 4 us. Information regarding the number of symbols used for the UHR-SIG may be included in the U-SIG.

[0142] UHR-SIG provides additional signals to the U-SIG field to enable STAs to interpret / decode UHR PPDUs. The UHR-SIG field may contain U-SIG overflow bits that are common to all users. The UHR-SIG field also contains resource allocation information, allowing STAs to look up resources used in fields containing data fields / UHR-STF / UHR-LTF (i.e., UHR modulated fields of an UHR PPDU).

[0143] The frequency resources of the UHR-LTF, UHR-STF, and data fields illustrated in FIG. 5 can be determined based on RUs (resource units) defined by multiple subcarriers / tones. That is, the UHR-LTF, UHR-STF, and data fields of this specification can be transmitted / received through RUs (resource units) defined by multiple subcarriers / tones.

[0144] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the layout of resource units (RUs) used for a 20 MHz PPDU. That is, the UHR-LTF, UHR-STF, and / or data fields included in the 20 MHz PPDU can be transmitted / received through at least one of the various RUs defined in FIG. 6.

[0145] As shown at the top of Fig. 6, 26 units (i.e., units corresponding to 26 tones) can be arranged. Six tones can be used as a guard band in the leftmost band of the 20 MHz band, and five tones can be used as a guard band in the rightmost band of the 20 MHz band. In addition, seven DC tones can be inserted in the center band, i.e., the DC band, and 26 units corresponding to 13 tones can exist on each side of the DC band. In addition, 26 units, 52 units, and 106 units can be allocated to other bands. Each unit can be allocated for a receiving station, i.e., a user.

[0146] Meanwhile, the RU arrangement of FIG. 6 is utilized not only in a situation for multiple users (MUs) but also in a situation for a single user (SU), in which case it is possible to use one 242-unit as shown at the bottom of FIG. 4, in which case three DC tones can be inserted.

[0147] In the example of Fig. 6, RUs of various sizes, such as 26-RU, 52-RU, 106-RU, and 242-RU, are proposed. Since the specific sizes of these RUs can be expanded or increased, the present embodiment is not limited to the specific size of each RU (i.e., the number of corresponding tones). In this specification, N-RU may be represented as N-tone RU, etc. For example, 26-RU may be represented as 26-tone RU.

[0148] Figure 7 is a diagram showing the layout of resource units (RUs) used for 40MHz PPDU.

[0149] As in the example of Fig. 6 where RUs of various sizes were used, the example of Fig. 7 can also use 26-RU, 52-RU, 106-RU, 242-RU, 484-RU, etc. In addition, 5 DC tones can be inserted at the center frequency, 12 tones can be used as a guard band in the leftmost band of the 40 MHz band, and 11 tones can be used as a guard band in the rightmost band of the 40 MHz band.

[0150] Additionally, as illustrated, 484 RUs may be used when used for a single user. Meanwhile, the specific number of RUs may be changed, as in the example of FIG. 6.

[0151] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating the layout of resource units (RUs) used for an 80MHz PPDU. The layout of resource units (RUs) used in this specification may vary. For example, the layout of resource units (RUs) used in the 80MHz band may vary.

[0152] Figure 9 illustrates an operation according to UL-MU. As illustrated, a transmitting STA (e.g., AP) can perform channel access through contending (i.e., backoff operation) and transmit a trigger frame (930). That is, the transmitting STA (e.g., AP) can transmit a PPDU including a trigger frame (930). When a PPDU including a trigger frame is received, a TB (trigger-based) PPDU is transmitted after a delay of SIFS.

[0153] TB PPDUs (941, 942) are transmitted at the same time and can be transmitted from multiple STAs (e.g., User STAs) whose AIDs are indicated in the Trigger frame (930). The ACK frame (950) for the TB PPDU can be implemented in various forms.

[0154] Figure 10 shows an example of channels used / supported / defined within the 2.4 GHz band.

[0155] The 2.4 GHz band may be referred to by other names, such as the first band (band). Furthermore, the 2.4 GHz band may refer to a frequency range in which channels with a center frequency adjacent to 2.4 GHz (e.g., channels with a center frequency between 2.4 and 2.5 GHz) are used / supported / defined.

[0156] The 2.4 GHz band may include multiple 20 MHz channels. The 20 MHz within the 2.4 GHz band may have multiple channel indices (e.g., indices 1 through 14). For example, the center frequency of a 20 MHz channel assigned channel index 1 may be 2.412 GHz, the center frequency of a 20 MHz channel assigned channel index 2 may be 2.417 GHz, and the center frequency of a 20 MHz channel assigned channel index N may be (2.407 + 0.005*N) GHz. The channel indices may be referred to by various names, such as channel numbers. The specific numerical values ​​of the channel indices and center frequencies may change.

[0157] Figure 10 exemplarily illustrates four channels within the 2.4 GHz band. The illustrated first frequency region (1010) to fourth frequency region (1040) may each include one channel. For example, the first frequency region (1010) may include channel 1 (a 20 MHz channel having an index of 1). In this case, the center frequency of channel 1 may be set to 2412 MHz. The second frequency region (1020) may include channel 6. In this case, the center frequency of channel 6 may be set to 2437 MHz. The third frequency region (1030) may include channel 11. In this case, the center frequency of channel 11 may be set to 2462 MHz. The fourth frequency region (1040) may include channel 14. In this case, the center frequency of channel 14 may be set to 2484 MHz.

[0158] Figure 11 illustrates an example of channels used / supported / defined within the 5 GHz band.

[0159] The 5 GHz band may be referred to by other names, such as a second band / band, etc. The 5 GHz band may refer to a frequency range in which channels with center frequencies greater than or equal to 5 GHz and less than 6 GHz (or less than 5.9 GHz) are used / supported / defined. Alternatively, the 5 GHz band may include multiple channels between 4.5 GHz and 5.5 GHz. The specific figures shown in FIG. 11 are subject to change.

[0160] Multiple channels within the 5 GHz band include Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (UNII)-1, UNII-2, UNII-3, and ISM. UNII-1 may be referred to as UNII Low. UNII-2 may include frequency ranges called UNII Mid and UNII-2Extended. UNII-3 may be referred to as UNII-Upper.

[0161] Within the 5 GHz band, multiple channels can be configured, and the bandwidth of each channel can be variously configured, such as 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or 160 MHz. For example, the 5170 MHz to 5330 MHz frequency domain / range within UNII-1 and UNII-2 can be divided into eight 20 MHz channels. The 5170 MHz to 5330 MHz frequency domain / range can be divided into four channels through a 40 MHz frequency domain. The 5170 MHz to 5330 MHz frequency domain / range can be divided into two channels through an 80 MHz frequency domain. Alternatively, the 5170 MHz to 5330 MHz frequency domain / range can be divided into one channel through a 160 MHz frequency domain.

[0162] Figure 12 illustrates an example of channels used / supported / defined within the 6 GHz band.

[0163] The 6 GHz band may also be referred to by other names, such as the third band / band. The 6 GHz band may refer to the frequency range in which channels with center frequencies above 5.9 GHz are used, supported, or defined. The specific figures shown in Figure 12 are subject to change.

[0164] For example, the 20 MHz channel of FIG. 12 can be defined from 5.940 GHz. Specifically, the leftmost channel among the 20 MHz channels of FIG. 12 can have an index of 1 (or channel index, channel number, etc.), and a center frequency of 5.945 GHz can be assigned. That is, the center frequency of the indexed channel N can be determined as (5.940 + 0.005*N) GHz.

[0165] Accordingly, the indexes (or channel numbers) of the 20 MHz channels of FIG. 12 are 1, 5, 9, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29, 33, 37, 41, 45, 49, 53, 57, 61, 65, 69, 73, 77, 81, 85, 89, 93, 97, 101, 105, 109, 113, 117, 121, 125, 129, 133, 137, 141, 145, 149, 153, 157, 161, 165, 169, 173, 177, 181, 185, 189, 193, It can be 197, 201, 205, 209, 213, 217, 221, 225, 229, 233. Also, according to the (5.940 + 0.005*N) GHz rule mentioned above, the indices of the 40 MHz channels in Fig. 12 can be 3, 11, 19, 27, 35, 43, 51, 59, 67, 75, 83, 91, 99, 107, 115, 123, 131, 139, 147, 155, 163, 171, 179, 187, 195, 203, 211, 219, 227.

[0166] Below, the structure and types / subtypes of MAC frames are described.

[0167] Fig. 13 illustrates an example of a header of a MAC frame. As illustrated, the MAC frame may include a frame control field / information of 2 octets in length, a duration field / information of 2 octets in length, a RA (Receiver Address) field / information of 6 octets in length, and a TA (Transmitter Address) field / information of 6 octets in length. As illustrated in Fig. 13, the four fields may be consecutive to each other. The MAC header of Fig. 13 may be modified in various ways, and a new field may be inserted between the four illustrated fields, or at least one of the illustrated fields may be omitted.

[0168] The MAC header illustrated in Fig. 13 may be positioned at the very front of a MAC frame. That is, the MAC frame may include a MAC header as illustrated in Fig. 13 and MAC body fields / information subsequent to the MAC header. The MAC frame including the MAC header of Fig. 13 is inserted / included in the data field of the PPDU (e.g., UHR PPDU) illustrated in Fig. 5.

[0169] The MAC frames included in the data field of the PPDU of this specification can be classified into various types. For example, the MAC frames of this specification can be classified into control frames, management frames, and data frames.

[0170] For example, the management frame includes Association Request, Association Response, Reassociation Request, Reassociation Response, Probe Request, Probe Response, Beacon, Disassociation, Authentication, and Deauthentication frames / signals defined in conventional WLAN. For the management frame, the values ​​of the type fields (B3 and B2) in FIG. 13 are set to 00. In addition, the values ​​of the subtype fields (B7, B6, B5, B4) in FIG. 13 are as follows: Association Request (0000), Association Response (0001), Reassociation Request (0010), Reassociation Response (0011), Probe Request (0100), Probe Response (0101), Beacon (1000), Disassociation (1010), Authentication (1011), Deauthentication (1100).

[0171] For example, the control frame includes Trigger Beamforming Report Poll, NDP Announcement (NDPA), Control Frame Extension, Control Wrapper, Block Ack Request (BlockAckReq), Block Ack (BlockAck), PS-Poll, RTS, CTS, Ack, and CF-End frames / signals defined in conventional WLAN. For the control frame, the value of the type field (B3 and B2) in FIG. 13 is set to 01. Also, the values ​​of the subtype fields (B7, B6, B5, B4) of FIG. 13 are as follows: Trigger (0010), Beamforming Report Poll (0100), NDP Announcement (0101), Control Frame Extension (0110), Control Wrapper (0111), BlockAckReq (1000), BlockAck (1001), PS-Poll (1010), RTS (1011), CTS (1100), Ack (1101), CF-End (1110).

[0172] For example, the data frame includes (QoS) Data, (QoS) Null, etc. defined in conventional WLAN. For the management frame, the value of the type field (B3 and B2) of Fig. 13 is set to 10.

[0173] The MAC frame / signal used in this specification can be identified through the type field / information and subtype field / information described above. For example, “frame” in this specification can mean a MAC frame in which the type bits B3 and B2 bits in the frame control field of the MAC header are set to 01, and the subtype bits B7, B6, B5, and B4 bits in the frame control field are set to 0010. Various MAC frames described in this specification are inserted / included in the data fields of various PPDUs (e.g., HE / VHT / HE / EHT / UHR PPDUs).

[0174] FIG. 14 illustrates a modified example of a transmitting device and / or a receiving device of the present specification.

[0175] The devices (e.g., AP STA, non-AP STA) illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 may be modified as illustrated in FIG. 14. The transceiver (630) of FIG. 14 may be identical to the transceivers (113, 123) of FIG. 1. The transceiver (630) of FIG. 14 may include a receiver and a transmitter.

[0176] The processor (610) of FIG. 14 may be identical to the processor (111, 121) of FIG. 1. Alternatively, the processor (610) of FIG. 14 may be identical to the processing chip (114, 124) of FIG. 1.

[0177] The memory (150) of FIG. 14 may be the same as the memory (112, 122) of FIG. 1. Alternatively, the memory (150) of FIG. 14 may be a separate external memory different from the memory (112, 122) of FIG. 1.

[0178] Referring to FIG. 14, a power management module (611) manages power to a processor (610) and / or a transceiver (630). A battery (612) supplies power to the power management module (611). A display (613) outputs results processed by the processor (610). A keypad (614) receives input to be used by the processor (610). The keypad (614) may be displayed on the display (613). A SIM card (615) may be an integrated circuit used to securely store an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) and an associated key used to identify and authenticate a subscriber in a mobile phone device, such as a mobile phone or computer.

[0179] Referring to FIG. 14, the speaker (640) can output sound-related results processed by the processor (610). The microphone (641) can receive sound-related input to be used by the processor (610).

[0180] 1. How to perform Non-Primary Channel Access (NPCA) or Secondary Channel Access (SCA)

[0181] This specification proposes a secondary channel access process, and first defines the primary channel and the secondary channel as follows.

[0182] The primary channel is a common operating channel for all STAs that are members of a BSS, and in a 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, 80+80MHz or 320MHz BSS, the primary channel is the primary 20MHz channel.

[0183] A secondary channel is a channel associated with a primary channel that is used to create a wider channel than the primary channel. In a 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, 80+80MHz, or 320MHz BSS, the secondary channel is a secondary 20MHz channel. The secondary channel may also be referred to as a non-primary channel or a Non-Primary Channel Access (NPCA) primary channel. Additionally, a Secondary Channel Access (SCA) may also be referred to as a Non-Primary Channel Access (NPCA). These terms will be used interchangeably in the following specification.

[0184] Currently, 802.11 performs channel access based on the primary channel. That is, an STA can transmit frames, including on an idle secondary channel, only when the primary channel is idle and the back-off counter (BC) reaches 0. To this end, all STAs perform CCA (Clear Channel Assessment) with the primary channel as a priority. Accordingly, the AP announces the primary channel of the BSS and always includes the primary channel to transmit management frames such as beacons and probe response frames. This mechanism is effective for protection because frame exchange between all STAs and the AP is performed without interference. However, on the other hand, it is inefficient from a medium usage perspective because the idle secondary channel cannot be accessed when only the primary channel is BUSY.

[0185] Figure 15 illustrates an example of channel access in an 802.11 wireless LAN system.

[0186] Figure 15 shows channel access based on the primary channel in an 80MHz bandwidth. As shown in Figure 15, the primary channel and secondary channel are referred to as follows in this specification.

[0187] P20: Primary 20MHz Channel

[0188] S20: Secondary 20MHz Channel (when the bandwidth is 40MHz, it refers to the secondary channel of 20MHz excluding P20)

[0189] S40: Secondary 40MHz Channel (when the bandwidth is 80MHz, it refers to the secondary channel of 40MHz excluding P20 / S20)

[0190] S80: Secondary 80MHz Channel (when the bandwidth is 160MHz, it refers to the secondary channel of 80MHz excluding P20 / S20 / S40)

[0191] S160: Secondary 160MHz Channel (when the bandwidth is 320MHz, it refers to the secondary channel of 160MHz excluding P20 / S20 / S40 / S80)

[0192] S320: Secondary 320MHz Channel (when the bandwidth is 640MHz, it refers to the secondary channel of 320MHz excluding P20 / S20 / S40 / S80 / S160)

[0193] If P20 is BUSY due to CCA or NAV (Network Allocation Vector), the BC is not reduced and waits until it becomes IDLE. When BC becomes 0 through this back-off process, the channel status of S20 and S40 is checked (i.e., CCA) and a frame is transmitted. In this example, since S40 is BUSY, the STA transmits a frame corresponding to a 40MHz PPDU through P20 and S20.

[0194] As previously mentioned, when P20 is BUSY and S20 and S40 are IDLE, as shown in Figure 15, 60MHz of bandwidth is wasted, reducing medium utilization efficiency. Therefore, this specification proposes a method for accessing the secondary channel when P20 is BUSY. Specifically, this specification proposes the information necessary for efficient secondary channel access and a secondary channel access method utilizing this information.

[0195] The references (names) in this specification may change, and STA may include AP STA or non-AP STA.

[0196] 1.1. STA Capabilities for Secondary Channel Access

[0197] Capabilities for Secondary Channel Access (SCA) can be defined. For example, STAs and APs can communicate to each other whether they support / enable SCA capabilities. SCA capabilities can be determined primarily by Type 1 CCA (referred to as preamble detection (PD)), which identifies Wi-Fi frames performed on the Primary Channel (PCH), i.e., whether frames can be decoded on the Secondary Channel (SCH). This allows NAVs to be set on the SCH as well.

[0198] - Level 0: No Back-off on SCH: SCH performs the second type of CCA as before. That is, it performs CCA that can detect Wi-Fi signals (referred to as guard interval detection (GID)), CCA that detects signals above a certain strength (referred to as energy detection (ED)), etc.

[0199] - Level 1: Back-off on a SCH at a time: PD, a Type 1 CCA, is performed on only one secondary channel at a time (i.e., CCA performed on multiple SCHs simultaneously is not possible).

[0200] - Level 2: Back-off on SCHs at the same time: PD, a Type 1 CCA, is performed on more than one secondary channel simultaneously (i.e., CCA can be performed on multiple SCHs simultaneously).

[0201] These Capabilities can be included in UHR capabilities IEs, etc. For example, from the AP perspective, information about these capabilities can be transmitted in Beacon, Probe Response frame, (Re)Association Request frame, etc., and from the non-AP STA perspective, information about these capabilities can be included in Probe Request frame, (Re)Association Request frame, etc.

[0202] 1.2. Basic Procedure of Secondary Channel Access

[0203] For the aforementioned STA, two NAVs can be set: a Basic NAV and an intra-BSS NAV. The Basic NAV can be updated based on a PPDU identified as inter-BSS, or based on a PPDU that cannot be identified as inter-BSS or intra-BSS. The Intra-BSS NAV can be updated based on a PPDU identified as intra-BSS.

[0204] Basically, if STA has Intra-BSS NAV set in PCH, the following situation may occur:

[0205] - When an AP exchanges frames with an STA within the TXOP it has acquired, the intra-BSS NAV is set for other STAs based on the primary channel. At this time, if an STA with an intra-BSS NAV set accesses the SCH and transmits a frame to the AP, the AP will not receive it (i.e., a frame on the SCH transmitted from the STA to the AP) when the AP transmits (e.g., DL Data, Ack, etc.).

[0206] Therefore, STA can perform SCA when a Basic NAV from a BSS other than its own BSS (i.e., an Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS)) is set in the PCH.

[0207] That is, STA can perform SCA when Basic NAV is set in PCH.

[0208] Figure 16 illustrates an example of the basic procedure of SCA.

[0209] Figure 16 illustrates the basic SCA process. If the Basic NAV is set while the STA is performing a backoff at P20, the backoff is performed at S20 at the time the NAV is set. (Switching delay may occur for the PD from P20 to S20 for the PD to S20.) This is a difference in the CCA method in that the CCA can be performed at S20, and can be performed at all levels. The reason for performing a backoff at S20 is that if a neighboring STA with the same or similar operation channel as this STA does not perform a backoff and is in an idle state and transmits a frame at the same time, a collision may occur, which may waste the channel.

[0210] When performing SCA, considerations include:

[0211] i) Frame transmission method

[0212] Previously, when the backoff counter reached 0 through backoff on P20, frames could be transmitted through P20 and one or more idle SCHs based on whether one or more SCHs were idle or busy. Therefore, SCA requires a change to account for the BUSY state of P20, and the backoff operation for this is as follows.

[0213] - STA can perform back-off on one or more SCHs when P20 is BUSY.

[0214] => The reason why back-off is performed on the SCH is that if a neighboring STA that has the same or similar operation channel as a specific STA does not perform back-off on a channel that includes / overlaps with the SCH of the specific STA and is determined to be IDLE as a result of CCA for a short period of time (e.g., 1 slot), and the specific STA and the neighboring STA transmit frames at the same time, a collision may occur, which may result in channel waste.

[0215] => If the remaining NAV timer in the current PCH (P20) is not enough time to catch the TXOP in the SCH, Back-off may not be performed in the SCH.

[0216] - When the back-off counter becomes 0, the STA can perform a second type of CCA for other SCH(s) other than the one or more SCHs that performed the back-off. For example, the STA can perform CCA for other SCH(s) other than the SCH that performed the back-off during a certain period of time (e.g., PIFS) before the back-off counter becomes 0 for the SCH that performed the back-off, to determine whether the channel is IDLE or BUSY.

[0217] - Based on the CCA result, the STA transmits a frame on a channel that includes one or more SCHs that are IDLE and one or more SCHs that have performed back-off.

[0218] For example, in the example of FIG. 16, a back-off is being performed at S20, and when the back-off counter reaches 0, both 20MHz channels of S40 are in an IDLE state. Therefore, in this case, an 80MHz PPDU (including a MAC Frame) including a signaling that P20 has been punctured can be transmitted.

[0219] ii) How to set TXOP

[0220] Since CCA must be performed for P20 by default when Basic NAV expires in P20, the end time of TXOP in SCH is set to end before the time when Basic NAV expires.

[0221] => If TXOP is set to end after the time when Basic NAV expires, there is a problem that STAs cannot receive frames because Legacy STAs, etc. can transmit frames through P20 after the Basic NAV set for the STA. In addition, if the target beacon transmission time (TBTT) is set in the middle of the Basic NAV, problems may occur because the AP must prepare to transmit the Beacon immediately after the Basic NAV, and non-AP STAs may not receive the Beacon that the AP should transmit in time and wait for more time than the scheduled time. Therefore, normal frame exchange can be performed in P20 through the condition of 'Set TXOP so that the end time of TXOP ends before the time when Basic NAV expires.'

[0222] => If there is not enough time to catch the TXOP, the frame is not transmitted. In other words, if it is difficult to catch the TXOP for the interval between the point when the Back-off counter (BC) in the SCH becomes 0 and the point when the Basic NAV in the PCH ends, the frame is not transmitted.

[0223] For example, as in the example of Fig. 16, when performing a back-off at S20, the back-off counter becomes 0 and the TXOP is caught, the end is made earlier than the point at which the Basic NAV ends.

[0224] 2. How to check if the receiving side performs NPCA

[0225] Furthermore, after switching to NPCH, a peer STA may not switch to NPCH as well, for various reasons. For example, due to a hidden node issue, a peer STA's PCH may not switch to NPCH even though it is in a BUSY state. To address this, STAs that switch to NPCH need a method to confirm that the receiving side performs NPCA more quickly, rather than immediately transmitting a long frame.

[0226] When performing frame exchange in NPCA, the AP can announce the maximum length of a frame that can be used as the first frame (referred to as Length Threshold for NPCA in this specification).

[0227] By announcing the Length Threshold for NPCA field, the length of the frame that can be initially used when STAs performing NPCA switch to NPCH can be limited. This has the advantage of preventing unnecessary medium waste by enabling faster confirmation than attempting to transmit a long frame to determine if a peer STA is also performing NPCA.

[0228] For example, if the unit of the length can be expressed in us, and the Length Threshold for NPCA field has an 8-bit value, in the case of 0000 1111, the Length Threshold for NPCA can be 15 us. Accordingly, STAs that have switched to NPCH can transmit a frame with a length of 15 us or less as the first frame to be transmitted.

[0229] Additionally or alternatively, the first frame can be a data frame and a control frame.

[0230] Additionally or alternatively, the Length Threshold for NPCA may be the PPDU length indicated in the LENGTH field of L-SIG, or may be the frame length excluding the PHY header.

[0231] Additionally or alternatively, the Length Threshold for NPCA field may be set based on the size (PPDU length or frame length) of RTS / MU-RTS / BSRP.

[0232] 3. The problem that frame exchange is not successful in NPCA due to different views of the AP and STA's PCH.

[0233] Figure 17 illustrates an example of a network topology and an example of Basic NAV being set in the PCH of NPCA STAs.

[0234] Also, as shown in Fig. 17, when NPCA STA1 receives OBSS1 traffic, NPCA AP switches only NPCA STA1 to NPCH because OBSS1 traffic is not hearable, and if frame exchange is continuously attempted with NPCA AP without knowing that NPCA AP has not switched, unnecessary contention window increases and medium waste continues to occur (Case 2 described below)). In other words, a problem occurs in which successful frame exchange is not possible in NPCA because AP and STA have different views of PCH.

[0235] Case 1) This means that the PCH of the AP is BUSY and the PCH of the STA is IDLE, and Case 2) This means that the PCH of the AP is IDLE and the PCH of the STA is BUSY.

[0236] Case 1) is a problem that can also occur in existing Wi-Fi systems. For example, if the AP is BUSY on the PCH, the AP cannot respond to the STA even if there is an STA performing frame exchange on the PCH. In addition, the AP can perform NPCA with not only the STA whose PCH is IDLE but also the STA that has switched to the NPCH due to the PCH being BUSY. On the other hand, as in Case 2), if the AP's PCH is IDLE but the STA's PCH is BUSY, and the STA alone switches to the NPCH to perform NPCA, a channel waste occurs, making Case 2) a bigger problem. In addition, NPCA AP and NPCA STA2 receive OBSS2 traffic and switch to NPCH to perform NPCA, and NPCA STA1 then receives OBSS1 traffic, and since a longer Basic NAV is set than that of the NPCA AP, NPCA STA1 may continue to attempt frame exchange on NPCH even though the NPCA AP has switched back to PCH, which may result in unnecessary medium waste.

[0237] 4. How to solve the above problem

[0238] Define the following fields:

[0239] PCH / NPCH: The PCH / NPCH field is a field that indicates whether the transmitted PPDU and frame are frames transmitted based on PCH or frames transmitted based on NPCH by performing NPCA.

[0240] For example, when the PCH / NPCH field has a value of 1 bit, if it is set to 0, it indicates that it is a frame transmitted based on PCH, and if it is set to 1, it indicates that it is a frame transmitted based on NPCH by performing NPCA.

[0241] 1) ICF and ICR structure (Delivered info)

[0242] 1-1) The NPCA Duration, which is the time the AP will stay in the NPCH, is transmitted in the ICF transmitted by the AP.

[0243] The Initial Control Frame (ICF) transmitted by the AP can indicate the length of time the AP will remain on the NPCH. This is referred to as the NPCA Duration in this specification, but the name is subject to change.

[0244] Additionally or alternatively, the NPCA Duration may be communicated in units of us or ms.

[0245] Additionally or alternatively, if the NPCA Duration field has a value of 7 bits, the first bit may indicate the unit of the NPCA Duration (e.g., if 0: 8us, if 1: 128us + 512us), and the remaining 6 bits may indicate the NPCA Duration.

[0246] For example, if the NPCA Duration field is 1000 0011, it can be interpreted as 128us * 3 (0000 0011) + 512us.

[0247] Additionally or alternatively, if the NPCA Duration field has a value of 16 bits (2 octets), the value of NPCA Duration can be set in units of us. That is, it can be expressed from 0 to 32,767 us.

[0248] Additionally or alternatively, the NPCA Duration may be the PPDU Length (obtained from L-SIG) or the TXOP duration (obtained from the TXOP Duration field of the PHY preamble or the Duration / ID of the MAC header) for OBSS traffic. That is, the NPCA Duration means the remaining time for which NPCA can be performed.

[0249] Additionally or alternatively, the NPCA Duration field may indicate the point in time when the OBSS traffic starts (OBSS Traffic Start time) and the period during which the OBSS traffic continues (NPCA Duration).

[0250] -> Additionally, the start time of OBSS traffic can be the entire (e.g., 8 octets) or part (partial TSF) of the timestamp (TSF) received from the AP or the AP itself. For example, in the case of partial TSF, similar to the existing Broadcast TWT (Target Wake Time), a bit value of X octets (e.g., 2 octets) can be used starting from a specific bit value of the TSF.

[0251] Additionally or alternatively, the NPCA Duration field may indicate the point in time when OBSS traffic ends (OBSS Traffic End time).

[0252] -> Additionally, the end time of OBSS traffic can be determined by using the entire (e.g., 8 octets) or part (partial TSF) of the timestamp (TSF) received from the AP or the AP's own timestamp. For example, in the case of partial TSF, similar to the existing Broadcast TWT, a bit value of X octets (e.g., 2 octets) can be used starting from a specific bit value of the TSF.

[0253] Additionally or alternatively, the value of the NPCA Duration field may indicate the remaining time that the STA sending the ICF remains in the NPCH by subtracting the TSF value at the time when the OBSS traffic starts (OBSS Traffic Start Time) from the TSF value at the time when the STA sending the ICF transmits the ICF. That is, the STA sending the ICF can calculate the remaining time that it can remain in the NPCH by subtracting the TSF value at the time when the OBSS traffic starts from the TSF value at the time when the STA sending the ICF transmits the ICF.

[0254] Additionally or alternatively, the NPCA-related Delivered Info described above (NPCA Info; at least one of the above-described PCH / NPCH, NPCA Duration, OBSS Traffic Start Time, and OBSS Traffic End Time) may be transmitted by being included in a BSRP (Buffer Status Report Poll) trigger, a MU-RTS (Multi User-Request To Send) trigger, and an RTS frame.

[0255] Additionally or alternatively, for example, when a non-AP STA becomes a TXOP holder by switching to NPCH, only the PCH / NPCH Indication may be included in the NPCA Info delivered to the ICF and transmitted. Additionally or alternatively, the remaining NPCA Info may be transmitted with the Reserved bit set.

[0256] Figure 18 illustrates an example of Delivered info using Bitmap Indication.

[0257] Option 1) To construct a Trigger frame including NPCA Info to be delivered to the Peer STA (e.g., PCH / NPCH described above, NPCA Duration, OBSS Traffic Start Time, etc.), the Reserved Bit of the Common Info field of the Trigger frame (e.g., EHT Reserved bits (B56 to B62) of the EHT variant Common Info field or, in the case of MU RTS, additional reserved bits (e.g., UL Length, UL Spatial Reuse, etc.)) can be used to indicate the presence of delivered info related to NPCA.

[0258] Referring to FIG. 18, the EHT Reserved bits (B56 to B62) may be composed of an FCS field (B56), a MAP field (B57), a DPS field (B58), an IDC field (B59), an NPCA field (B60), and Reserved fields (B61, B62).

[0259] The FCS (Frame Check Sequence) field contains information about the error detection code of the wireless frame and can be used by the receiver to verify whether the frame was received without errors. In the case of NPCA, FCS errors may also occur depending on the channel condition or interference, so it can be utilized for reliability analysis, etc. The MAP (Medium Access Priority) field contains information about the medium access priority, and based on the MAP field, the priority can be set differently for each traffic type (Voice, Video, etc.) based on EDCA (Enhanced Distributed Channel Access). In NPCA as well, the MAP value can affect which frame has priority access. The DPS (Duration-based Puncturing Scheduling or Dynamic Puncturing Scheduling) field contains information about the method of scheduling wireless resources by dynamically puncturing them according to interference situations. The DPS field plays a role in avoiding the relevant band when a part of the channel is interfered with and efficiently using the remaining resources. Because NPCA uses non-primary channels, DPS plays a crucial role in environments with frequent interference. The Interference Detection and Classification (IDC) field can be used by wireless STAs or APs to analyze the type of interference occurring in surrounding channels (e.g., Bluetooth, other Wi-Fi BSSs, etc.). Because NPCA operates in interference environments, the IDC function can be utilized to determine accessibility, change channels, or implement DPS strategies.

[0260] Additionally, in the Delivered info of FIG. 18, AID12 may be set to 2008, followed by a type field (4 bits), and then an NPCA Info field (or Delivered Info field) may be located. For example, if the value of the type field is 0, it may indicate Co-TDMA (Coordinated time division multiple access), and if the value of the type field is 1, it may indicate IDC. Based on the value of the type field, the Delivered Info field may include characteristic information for each type.

[0261] Figure 19 illustrates an example of Delivered Info using Special value or Indexing.

[0262] Referring to Figure 19, it may be possible to replace the Delivered Info using the Bitmap directive with a directive such as a Special value (e.g., a specific AID12 value) or indexing, in addition to or alternatively.

[0263] Option 2) Including Delivered Info in the User Info field by indicating it with the Delivered Info flag in the Common Info field.

[0264] Figure 20 illustrates an example of Delivered Info (Bitmap directive) using the Delivered Info Flag.

[0265] One bit of the Reserved Bit of the Common Info field of the Trigger frame (e.g., EHT Reserved bit (B56 ~ B62) of the EHT variant Common Info field or, in the case of MU RTS, additional reserved bits (e.g., UL Length, UL Spatial Reuse, etc.)) can be defined as a Delivered Info flag indicating whether Delivered Info exists or not. The Delivered Info flag can be used to indicate the presence of Delivered Info, and one of the User Info fields of the Trigger frame can be used to include NPCA info (e.g., AID12 = 2008) by using the Special value of AID12. The Delivered Info field can be indicated in a bitmap format.

[0266] Figure 21 illustrates an example of Delivered Info (Special value or Indexing indicator) using the Delivered Info Flag.

[0267] In addition to or alternatively to Delivered Info (indicated by Bitmap) using the Delivered Info Flag, it may be possible to replace it with a method such as indexing as shown in Fig. 21. That is, the Delivered Info field may be indicated based on a specific value or indexing.

[0268] Figure 22 illustrates an example of using Special AID according to the Delivered Info Flag of the Trigger frame and including Delivered Info in User Info.

[0269] Figure 22 can show a method of including Bitmap indications of Features and actual Feature Info (Control Info) in Delivered Info by specifying one Special AID value.

[0270] Additionally or alternatively to Figure 22, it may be possible to define separately the values ​​of AID12 that include only the Bitmap directive and AID12 that includes additional information (e.g. IDC Info) depending on the value of Special AID.

[0271] Figure 23 illustrates an example in which Delivered Info and additional information are included separately according to the Delivered Info Flag of the Trigger frame.

[0272] Figure 23 shows an example in which NPCA Info and IDC Info are included separately depending on the value of Special AID.

[0273] Figure 24 illustrates an example of including Delivered Info using the same AID12 in a Trigger frame.

[0274] Referring to FIG. 24, in addition to or alternatively including a Delivered Info flag in the Common Info field of the Trigger frame and a Delivered Info (Bitmap indication) in the User Info field, it may be possible to use a Special AID (e.g., 2008) and sequentially indicate with the same AID when the size of the Delivered Info increases considering the size of the User Info field. When sequentially indicating, it may be indicated that multiple User Info fields are continuously connected to the same AID by using a Continue bit or including length information such as a Length subfield. It may also be possible to include or omit a Delivered Info flag indicating whether the corresponding information is included in the Common Info field.

[0275] Figure 25 illustrates an example of including a Delivered Info flag in the Common Info field of a Trigger frame and a Delivered Info (Bitmap indicator) in Padding.

[0276] Referring to FIG. 25, in addition to or alternatively including a Delivered Info flag in the Common Info field of the Trigger frame and including Delivered Info (Bitmap indicator) in the User Info field, it may be possible to include Delivered Info in the padding area of ​​the Trigger frame.

[0277] Referring to FIG. 25, it may be possible to indicate that Delivered Info exists in Padding by having a Delivered Info Flag in the Common Info field. Based on the Delivered Info Flag, Delivered Info may be included in the Padding area, and a presence bitmap (a bitmap indicator described above and / or below) indicating that the Delivered Info includes Feature Information and / or Control Information may be further included. Depending on the presence bitmap, multiple Feature Information and / or Control Information may exist. Additionally, as an alternative, it may be possible for the Delivered Info Flag not to exist in the Common Info field but to always be included in the Padding in the Delivered Info.

[0278] Figure 26 illustrates an example of including Delivered Info using a Special AID value in the User Info field of a Trigger frame.

[0279] Referring to Figure 26, it may be possible to include Delivered Info in the User Info field(s) implicitly using a Special AID12 value (e.g., a value greater than 2007) rather than additionally or alternatively indicating that Delivered Info is included in the Common Info field. It may be possible to use the same AID12 value, and additionally or alternatively, it may be possible to assign a separate AID12 for each Control Info.

[0280] Option 3) How to direct Delivered Info based on ID

[0281] Figure 27 illustrates an example of transmitting Delivered Info based on ID.

[0282] Referring to Figure 27, it may be possible to provide ID-based instructions to construct a Trigger frame containing Delivered Info to be delivered to a peer STA. For example, ID-based Delivered Info may be included by specifying a specific AID12 value, or alternatively, ID-based Delivered Info may be included in a padding area.

[0283] In Fig. 27, Delivered Info contents (which may be named Feature Info and / or Control Info) may be included based on ID according to Delivered Info (e.g., Bitmap directive). For example, an ID for NPCA and an ID for IDC may be assigned respectively, and Delivered Info contents (which may be named Feature Info and / or Control Info) for the corresponding functions may be included. Additionally or alternatively, it may be possible to include them in the form of ID(Type)-Length-Value (TLV).

[0284] Figure 28 illustrates an example where ID-based Delivered Info is included in the Padding area.

[0285] Figure 28 shows an example in which the above-described ID-based Delivered Info is included in the padding area of ​​the trigger frame.

[0286] Figure 29 illustrates another example where Delivered Info is included in the Padding area.

[0287] Referring to FIG. 29, additionally or alternatively, the ID (and / or Control Info Type) may be omitted when indicating Delivered Info according to each feature in Common Info.

[0288] Meanwhile, in the 802.11 baseline, the Trigger frame is defined to solicit multiple non-AP STAs to respond with a TB PPDU to the AP. Additionally or alternatively, the Trigger frame may be defined to solicit non-TB PPDUs, such as non-HT PPDUs and / or non-HT duplicate PPDUs (which may be similar to MU-RTS / CTS and may enable better protection of hidden nodes). This may be defined for soliciting a single-user Trigger frame response rather than a multi-user Trigger frame response. This may be accomplished in one or more of the following ways.

[0289] The non-HT PPDU is a legacy transmission format for compatibility with STAs that do not support HT, VHT, HE, EHT, or UHR functions, and includes a legacy preamble, a legacy signal field, and legacy data. The non-HT duplicated PPDU is a format for transmitting the non-HT PPDU in duplicate, and transmits the same frame in duplicate on two channels or two 20 MHz channels. The non-HT duplicated PPDU can ensure that a legacy STA can receive data in a wide bandwidth environment (such as 40 / 80 MHz) and can improve reception reliability through duplicate transmission. In particular, it operates in mixed-mode (when legacy + HT / VHT / HE equipment is mixed).

[0290] - A method of determining the response frame format of a trigger frame based on the application of the RA (Receiver Address) of the trigger frame (e.g., unicast MAC address or broadcast MAC address of a specific STA) and the PHY Version Identifier of Special User Info.

[0291] Figure 30 illustrates an example of a trigger frame format.

[0292] Figure 31 illustrates an example of the format of the Special User Info field of a trigger frame.

[0293] If there is one or more User Info fields in the User Info List of the Trigger frame, the RA field can be set to a broadcast address. In this case, the Trigger frame response may be determined as a frame format that can perform UL MU Transmission, such as TB PPDU, as defined in the baseline. If there is only one User Info field, the RA field can be set to the MAC address of the corresponding STA. In this case, if the value is not 0 (0 can be indicated as EHT in the baseline) and is set to 1 or more, using the PHY Version Identifier of Special User Info, it may be possible to determine the response frame format of the Trigger frame as a non-TB PPDU (e.g., non-HT PPDU and / or non-HT duplicate PPDU).

[0294] - A method to explicitly indicate the response frame format of the trigger frame in the trigger frame.

[0295] In order to indicate the response format of the trigger frame, a bitmap instruction may be possible using the Common Info field Reserved bit of the trigger frame (e.g., the EHT Reserved bit (B56 to B62) of the EHT variant Common Info field or, in the case of MU-RTS, additional reserved bits (e.g., UL Length, UL Spatial Reuse, etc.). It may be possible to set the reserved bit to determine a TB PPDU when it is 0 and a non-TB PPDU (e.g., non-HT PPDU and / or non-HT duplicate PPDU) when it is 1. Additionally or alternatively, it may also be possible to indicate the response format of the trigger frame by indexing with one or more reserved bits to specify multiple response PPDU formats. (e.g., indexing 0 for TB-PPDU, indexing 1 for non-HT PPDU, indexing 2 for non-HT duplicate PPDU, etc.)

[0296] - A method of indicating the response frame format of a trigger frame based on a combination of the RA of the trigger frame and an explicit instruction.

[0297] If there is one or more User Info fields in the User Info List of the Trigger frame, the RA field may be set to a broadcast address. In this case, the response of the Trigger frame may be determined as a frame format that can perform UL MU Transmission, such as TB PPDU, as defined in the baseline. If there is only one User Info field, the RA field may be set to the MAC address of the corresponding STA. In this case, a bitmap indication using the Reserved bit of the Common Info field of the Trigger frame described above may be possible. If the value of the reserved bit is 0, it may be determined as a TB PPDU, and if it is 1, it may be determined as a non-TB PPDU (e.g., non-HT PPDU and / or non-HT duplicate PPDU). Additionally or alternatively, it may also be possible to indicate the response format of the Trigger frame by indexing with one or more reserved bits to specify multiple response PPDU formats. (For example, indexing 0 is TB-PPDU, indexing 1 is non-HT PPDU, indexing 2 is non-HT duplicate PPDU, etc.)

[0298] - A method of determining the frame format based on the application of the RA (Receiver Address) of the trigger frame (e.g., the unicast MAC address or broadcast MAC address of a specific STA) and the value of the GI And HE / EHT-LTF Type subfield encoding subfield of the Common Info field.

[0299] Figure 32 illustrates an example of the EHT variant Common Info field format of a Trigger frame.

[0300] Referring to FIG. 32, when the RA (Receiver Address) of the Trigger frame is a unicast MAC address and / or the GI And HE / EHT-LTF Type subfield value is 0x11 (Reserved value), it may also be possible to define soliciting non-TB PPDUs such as non-HT PPDU and / or non-HT duplicate PPDU (which may be in a form similar to MU-RTS / CTS, and may enable better protection of the Hidden node). When soliciting non-TB PPDUs such as non-HT PPDU and / or non-HT duplicate PPDU, all fields after GI And HE / EHT-LTF Type in the Common Info field of the Trigger frame may be processed as Reserved. The bits processed as Reserved may be used for the above-described Solicited Info and / or the above-described Delivered Info. An example of using Reserved bits (42 bits) for Delivered Info may be as shown in Fig. 33.

[0301] Figure 33 illustrates an example of configuring Delivered Info when a Trigger frame solicits a non-HT(dup) PPDU.

[0302] As mentioned above, Figure 33 can be an example of including Delivered Info in the Reserved bits (42 bits) when a Trigger frame such as BSRP solicits a non-HT(dup) PPDU, and Delivered Info can be configured in any of the above-described ways and included in the Reserved bits (42 bits). Solicited Info and Delivered Info can be included together or separately, depending on the scenario in which the information is to be used.

[0303] Additionally or alternatively, the NPCA Duration field may be transmitted set to the Duration / ID value of the MAC header of each frame.

[0304] Additionally or alternatively, ICF may also be transmitted by non-AP STAs.

[0305] 1-2) NPCA Duration, which is the time that the STA will stay in the NPCH, is transmitted in the ICR transmitted by the STA.

[0306] STAs receiving this can inform the ICR of the length of time the STA will remain on the NPCH. This is referred to as the NPCA Duration in this specification, but the name is subject to change.

[0307] Additionally or alternatively, the NPCA Duration may be communicated in units of us or ms.

[0308] Additionally or alternatively, if the NPCA Duration field has a 7-bit value, the first bit may represent the unit of the NPCA Duration (e.g., if 0: 8us, if 1: 128us + 512us), and the remaining 6 bits may represent the NPCA Duration.

[0309] For example, if the NPCA Duration field is 1000 0011, it can be interpreted as 128us * 3 (0000 0011) + 512us.

[0310] Additionally or alternatively, if the NPCA Duration field has a value of 16 bits (2 octets), the value of NPCA Duration can be set in units of us. That is, it can be expressed from 0 to 32,767 us.

[0311] Additionally or alternatively, the NPCA Duration may be the PPDU Length (obtained from L-SIG) or the TXOP duration (obtained from the TXOP Duration field of the PHY preamble or the Duration / ID of the MAC header) for OBSS traffic, i.e., the remaining time for which NPCA can be performed.

[0312] Additionally or alternatively, the point in time when the OBSS traffic starts (OBSS Traffic Start time) and the duration of the OBSS traffic (NPCA Duration) can be provided together.

[0313] -> Additionally, the start time of OBSS traffic can be the entire (e.g., 8 octets) or part (partial TSF) of the timestamp (TSF) received from the AP or the AP itself. For example, in the case of partial TSF, similar to the existing Broadcast TWT, a bit value of X octets (e.g., 2 octets) can be used starting from a specific bit value of the TSF.

[0314] Additionally or alternatively, the OBSS Traffic End time can be notified.

[0315] -> Additionally, the end time of OBSS traffic can be determined by using the entire (e.g., 8 octets) or part (partial TSF) of the timestamp (TSF) received from the AP or the AP itself. For example, in the case of partial TSF, similar to the existing Broadcast TWT, a bit value of X octets (e.g., 2 octets) can be used starting from a specific bit value of the TSF.

[0316] Additionally or alternatively, the NPCA Duration value may indicate the remaining time that the STA sending the ICR remains on the NPCH by subtracting the TSF value at the time when the OBSS traffic starts (OBSS Traffic Start Time) from the TSF value at the time when the STA sending the ICR transmits the ICR. That is, the STA sending the ICR can calculate the remaining time that it can remain on the NPCH by subtracting the TSF value at the time when the OBSS traffic starts from the TSF value at the time when the STA sending the ICR transmits the ICR.

[0317] 2-1) Basic NAV of NPCA STA > = Basic NAV of NPCA AP

[0318] Figure 34 illustrates an example of the operation process of an NPCA STA with a longer Basic NAV than the NPCA AP.

[0319] As shown in Fig. 34, when an NPCA AP transmits an ICF with the NPCA Duration set to 4ms, if the Basic NAV of the NPCA STA1 that received it is longer, the NPCA AP switches back to the PCH before the NPCA STA1. NPCA STA1 that switches back to the PCH afterward may experience a blindness issue within the BSS. If NPCA STA2 and the NPCA AP perform a frame exchange before the NPCA STA1 switches back to the PCH, the NPCA STA1 may not recognize this and may determine that the PCH is idle and attempt a frame exchange at the PCH, which may result in a frame collision at the NPCA AP.

[0320] NPCA STA aligns the timing of switching back to the PCH with the NPCA AP based on the NPCA Duration of the ICF transmitted by the NPCA AP, if the Basic NAV of NPCA STA1 is longer or equal to it, regardless of its Basic NAV, thereby preventing unnecessary EDCA channel access of NPCA STA1 and not losing medium synchronization when switching back to the PCH.

[0321] NPCA STA can inform ICR of the time remaining on its Basic NAV.

[0322] The above remaining time can be set to the time obtained by subtracting the time taken by NPCA STA1 to transmit ICR from the NPCA Duration value of the ICF transmitted by the NPCA AP and SIFS (Short Interframe Space).

[0323] Additionally or alternatively, the remaining time may be set to the NPCA Duration value of the ICF transmitted by the NPCA AP minus the time it takes for the NPCA AP to transmit the ICF and the SIFS and the time it takes for the NPCA STA1 to transmit the ICR.

[0324] Additionally or alternatively, the NPCA STA may indicate when OBSS traffic ends.

[0325] 2-2) Basic NAV of NPCA STA < Basic NAV of NPCA AP

[0326] Figure 35 illustrates an example of the operation process of an NPCA STA with a shorter Basic NAV than the NPCA AP.

[0327] As shown in Fig. 35, when the NPCA AP sets the duration / ID value of TXOP to be longer than the Basic NAV of NPCA STA1, a problem occurs in which NPCA cannot be performed even though NPCA STA1 cannot respond and switches to NPCH.

[0328] Opt1) Based on the NPCA Duration of the ICF transmitted by the AP, NPCA STA1 also updates the time it stays on the NPCH. Regardless of whether it has a longer or shorter NPCA Duration, it can synchronize the timing of switching back to the PCH with the AP.

[0329] Through this, there is an advantage in that NPCA STAs that were previously unable to perform NPCA because the NPCA Duration was smaller than the Duration / ID value indicated in the AP's ICF and thus were unable to respond can now perform NPCA by responding.

[0330] Additionally or alternatively, non-AP STAs with a shorter NPCA Duration than the NPCA Duration of the ICF transmitted by the AP may perform NPCA for a longer period of time than the time their PCH is BUSY and then switch back to the PCH, which may result in blindness issues when returning to the PCH.

[0331] Opt2) NPCA STA can inform ICR of its NPCA Duration.

[0332] The above NPCA Duration can be set to the remaining NPCA Duration value based on the time point at which the ICR of NPCA STA1 is transmitted. NPCA STA1 can transmit the above NPCA Duration to the NPCA AP via the ICR.

[0333] Additionally or alternatively, the NPCA Duration may be set to a value obtained by subtracting the time required to transmit the ICR from the remaining NPCA Duration value based on the time point at which the NPCA STA1 transmits the ICR.

[0334] Additionally or alternatively, the NPCA STA may indicate when OBSS traffic ends.

[0335] By informing the AP of the possible NPCA Durations of NPCA STAs, the AP can schedule DL / UL traffic based on this information. For example, when transmitting a DL MU to an NPCA STA with a shorter NPCA Duration, the AP can ensure that frame exchange is completed within the specified NPCA Duration, resulting in more efficient channel utilization.

[0336] In addition, since NPCA STAs that obtain NPCA Duration from the ICF of the AP know that the AP will not switch back to the PCH for a certain period of time when they switch back to the PCH before the AP, there is an advantage in that the NPCA STAs may not attempt to obtain a TXOP from the PCH for that period of time, thereby preventing unnecessary increase in the CW (contention window) value.

[0337] Figures 36a and 36b illustrate another example of the operation process of an NPCA STA with a shorter Basic NAV than the NPCA AP.

[0338] An AP that receives ICRs from NPCA STAs and obtains NPCA Duration information of NPCA STAs can operate as shown in Fig. 36. Based on this information, after ICF / ICR frame exchange, the subsequent frame exchange sequence can be considered based on the NPCA Duration included in the ICR of NPCA STAs.

[0339] For example, for STAs with shorter NPCA Duration, such as NPCA STA1, this can be taken into consideration when transmitting DL MU PPDUs. The first DL MU PPDU transmitted by the NPCA AP after ICF / ICR is transmitted because both NPCA STA1 and STA2 can successfully exchange frames on the NPCH, whereas after NPCA STA1 switches back to the PCH, the NPCA AP transmits DL through the NPCH only to NPCA STA2.

[0340] At this time, NPCA STA1, which has switched back to PCH first, knows that NPCA AP will stay in NPCH for another 2ms (4ms ~ 2ms) and switch back. Therefore, NPCA STA1 may return to PCH and not attempt frame exchange with NPCA AP for the 2ms.

[0341] <SCA에 대한 STA의 동작과정 #1>

[0342] - STA can be a non-AP STA or an AP

[0343] In the present disclosure, an STA performing SCA may transmit frames / PPDUs on an SCH even during the time when a NAV is set on the PCH. For example, the STA may transmit frames / PPDUs excluding / punctured by the PCH on one or more SCHs in an IDLE state determined through backoff performed on one or more SCHs and CCA results of one or more SCHs on which backoff is not performed.

[0344] Additionally or alternatively, a TXOP starting with a frame / PPDU transmission on the SCH may be configured to end before the NAV on the PCH ends. The TXOP length may be configured / indicated via the duration / ID field of the corresponding frame. For example, the value of the duration / ID field may be set to a value representing the time required for the exchange of a frame / PPDU following the corresponding frame / PPDU (including the interframe gap (IFS)).

[0345] In the present disclosure, an STA receiving a frame transmitted via SCA can perform frame detection on the SCH even during the time when the NAV is set in the PCH. For example, the STA may perform backoff on the SCH because there is a frame to be transmitted, or even when there is no frame to be transmitted, the STA may attempt to receive a frame addressed to itself on the SCA. In addition, the STA may perform NAV setting / resetting based on the value of the duration / ID field of the frame detected on the SCH.

[0346] The PPDU in which the signal of this specification is transmitted / received may include a data field.

[0347] The above data field contains user data and may contain packets for upper layers, i.e., may contain MPDU (MAC Frame).

[0348] For example, the duration / ID field in the MAC header included in the MPDU may be set to a value including the time length of the frame exchange following the frame or PPDU transmitted excluding (or puncturing) the PCH when supporting channel access operation on the secondary channel. For example, the TXOP end time determined based on the value of the duration / ID field may be set before the end time of the NAV set on the primary channel.

[0349] Additionally, as shown in the above drawing 1, the transmitting device and the receiving device may each include a memory, a processor, and a transceiver.

[0350] The above memory can store information regarding a plurality of Secondary Channel Accesses described herein.

[0351] The processor can perform back-off in the secondary channel based on the information stored in the memory, generate various RUs, and configure PPDUs. The processor can be configured as described in this specification.<SCA에 대한 STA의 동작과정 #1> Can be set to do all / some.

[0352] In particular, the transceiver (113) of the transmitting device includes an antenna and can perform analog signal processing. Specifically, the processor (111) can control the transceiver (113) to transmit a PPDU generated by the processor (111).

[0353] Alternatively, the processor (111) may generate a transmission PPDU and store information about the transmission PPDU in the memory (112).

[0354] For example, the processor (111) of the transmitting device may be configured to perform the operations of the transmitting STA according to the examples of the present disclosure. For example, the processor (111) may be configured to transmit a frame on the SCH through the transceiver (113) during a time period in which a NAV is set on the PCH. For example, the processor (111) may be configured to perform a backoff on the SCH through the transceiver (113) and determine one or more SCHs in an IDLE state. For example, the processor (111) may be configured to transmit a frame / PPDU with the PCH excluded / punctured through the transceiver (113) on one or more SCHs. Additionally or alternatively, the processor (111) may be configured to generate a frame including a duration / ID field set to a value such that a TXOP starting with a frame / PPDU transmission on the SCH ends before the time point at which the NAV on the PCH ends.

[0355] Additionally, the transceiver (123) of the receiving device can receive a PPDU based on the control of the processor (121). For example, the transceiver (123) can include a plurality of detailed units (not shown). For example, the transceiver (123) can include at least one receiving antenna and a filter for the corresponding receiving antenna.

[0356] A PPDU received through a transceiver (123) may be stored in a memory (122). A processor (121) may process decoding of the received PPDU through the memory (122). The processor (121) may obtain control information (e.g., SIG) regarding BW / Tone-Plan / RU included in the PPDU and store the obtained control information in the memory (122).

[0357] The processor (121) can perform decoding on the received PPDU. In addition, the processor (121) can process the decoded data. For example, the processor (121) can perform a processing operation to transmit information about the decoded data field to a higher layer (e.g., MAC layer). In addition, if the generation of a signal is instructed from the higher layer to the PHY layer in response to the data transmitted to the higher layer, a subsequent operation can be performed.

[0358] For example, the processor parses a MAC PDU obtained through PHY decoding of the DATA field of a PPDU received through a transceiver.

[0359] For example, the processor (121) of the receiving device may be configured to perform the operations of the receiving STA according to the examples of the present disclosure. For example, the processor (121) may attempt to detect a frame on the SCH via the transceiver (123) during the time for which the NAV is set on the PCH. The processor (121) may be configured to decode / parse a frame addressed to it based on a frame received on the SCH. Additionally, the processor (121) may be configured to set / reset the NAV based on the value of the duration / ID field of a frame not addressed to it.

[0360] Figure 37 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a transmitting device according to the present embodiment.

[0361] An example of FIG. 37 may be performed at a transmitting STA or transmitting device (AP and / or non-AP STA).

[0362] Some of the steps (or detailed sub-steps described below) in the example of Figure 37 may be omitted or changed.

[0363] Through step S3710, the transmitting device (transmitting STA) can obtain information regarding the aforementioned Tone Plan. As described above, the information regarding the Tone Plan includes the size and location of the RU, control information related to the RU, information regarding the frequency band in which the RU is included, information regarding the STA receiving the RU, etc.

[0364] Through step S3720, the transmitting device can configure / generate a PPDU based on the acquired control information. The step of configuring / generating the PPDU may include a step of configuring / generating each field of the PPDU. That is, step S3720 may include a step of configuring a UHR-SIG field including control information regarding a Tone Plan. That is, step S3720 may include a step of configuring a field including control information indicating the size / position of the RU (e.g., an N bitmap) and / or a step of configuring a field including an identifier (e.g., an AID) of an STA receiving the RU.

[0365] Additionally, step S3720 may include a step of generating an STF / LTF sequence to be transmitted through a specific RU. The STF / LTF sequence may be generated based on a preset STF generation sequence / LTF generation sequence.

[0366] Additionally, step S3720 may include a step of generating a data field (i.e., MPDU) to be transmitted via a specific RU.

[0367] The transmitting device can transmit the PPDU configured through step S3720 to the receiving device based on step S3730.

[0368] While performing step S3730, the transmitting device may perform at least one of operations such as CSD, Spatial Mapping, IDFT / IFFT operation, and GI insertion.

[0369] A signal / field / sequence configured according to this specification can be transmitted in the form of FIG. 5.

[0370] Figure 38 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a receiving device according to the present embodiment.

[0371] The above-described PPDU can be received according to an example of FIG. 38.

[0372] An example of FIG. 38 may be performed at a receiving STA or receiving device (AP and / or non-AP STA).

[0373] Some of the steps (or detailed sub-steps described below) in the example of Fig. 38 may be omitted.

[0374] A receiving device (receiving STA) may receive all or part of a PPDU through step S3810. The received signal may have the form of FIG. 5.

[0375] The sub-step of step S3810 can be determined based on step S3730 of Fig. 37. That is, step S3810 can perform an operation to restore the results of the CSD, Spatial Mapping, IDFT / IFFT operations, and GI insert operations applied in step S3730.

[0376] At step S3820, the receiving device can decode all or part of the PPDU. Additionally, the receiving device can obtain control information related to the Tone Plan (i.e., RU) from the decoded PPDU.

[0377] More specifically, the receiving device can decode the L-SIG and UHR-SIG of the PPDU based on the Legacy STF / LTF, and obtain information included in the L-SIG and UHR-SIG fields. Information regarding various Tone Plans (i.e., RUs) described herein can be included in the UHR-SIG, and the receiving STA can obtain information regarding the Tone Plan (i.e., RU) through the UHR-SIG.

[0378] In step S3830, the receiving device can decode the remaining portion of the PPDU based on the information about the Tone Plan (i.e., RU) acquired in step S3820. For example, the receiving STA can decode the STF / LTF field of the PPDU based on the information about one Plan (i.e., RU). In addition, the receiving STA can decode the data field of the PPDU based on the information about the Tone Plan (i.e., RU) and acquire the MPDU included in the data field.

[0379] Additionally, the receiving device may perform a processing operation to transmit the decoded data to a higher layer (e.g., MAC layer) through step S3830. Furthermore, if the generation of a signal from the higher layer to the PHY layer is instructed in response to the data transmitted to the higher layer, a subsequent operation may be performed.

[0380] Hereinafter, the above-described embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 38.

[0381] FIG. 39 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for performing channel access by switching from a non-primary channel to a primary 20 MHz channel by an NPCA AP and an NPCA non-AP STA according to the length of the basic NAV according to the present embodiment.

[0382] An example of Fig. 39 can be performed in a network environment that supports a next-generation wireless LAN system (UHR (Ultra High Reliability) wireless LAN system, 802.11bn or next wi-fi). The next-generation wireless LAN system is a wireless LAN system that improves the 802.11be system and can satisfy backward compatibility with the 802.11be system.

[0383] The present embodiment proposes a method for controlling a time period during which an NPCA AP and an NPCA non-AP STA, which perform channel access and exchange frames on a non-primary channel, transmit information about a time period during which each NPCA non-AP STA can perform channel access on the non-primary channel, thereby adjusting the time period during which the NPCA non-AP STA stays on the non-primary channel. In addition, the present embodiment proposes a method including a structure of an ICF and an ICR that transmit information about a time period during which channel access can be performed on the non-primary channel, and an information / container for NPCA.

[0384] In step S3910, the first AP (access point) transmits an Initial Control Frame (ICF) to the first non-AP STA (station) through a non-primary channel.

[0385] In step S3920, the first AP receives an Initial Control Response (ICR) from the first non-AP STA through the non-primary channel.

[0386] At step S3930, the first AP performs channel access by switching from the non-primary channel to the primary channel 20 MHz channel after a time interval adjusted based on the ICF and the ICR.

[0387] The first non-AP STA may adjust the time period during which it remains on the non-primary channel based on the ICF and the ICR. After the adjusted time period, the first non-AP STA may perform channel access by switching from the non-primary channel to the primary channel (20 MHz channel).

[0388] The ICF includes information about a first time interval during which the first AP can perform channel access on the non-primary channel. The ICR includes information about a second time interval during which the first non-AP STA can perform channel access on the non-primary channel.

[0389] Specifically, the first time interval may be set from the time at which the ICF is transmitted until the time at which the first basic Network Allocation Vector (NAV) set for the first AP ends. The second time interval may be set from the time at which the ICR is transmitted until the time at which the second basic NAV set for the first non-AP STA ends.

[0390] The above-mentioned adjusted time interval may be set as a time interval obtained by subtracting the SIFS (Short Interframe Space) and the time at which the ICR is transmitted from the first time interval.

[0391] The method for adjusting the interval of the basic NAV set to the primary 20 MHz channel by the above NPCA non-AP STA according to the length of the basic NAV of the NPCA AP and the NPCA non-AP STA is as follows.

[0392] First, based on the second basic NAV being longer than or equal to the first basic NAV, the end point of the adjusted time interval can be determined (or adjusted) to the end point of the first time interval. Accordingly, the first AP and the first non-AP STA can simultaneously switch from the non-primary channel to the primary channel 20 MHz channel after the adjusted time interval.

[0393] Based on the second basic NAV being shorter than the first basic NAV, the end point of the adjusted time interval may be determined (or adjusted) to the end point of the first time interval. Accordingly, the first AP and the first non-AP STA may simultaneously switch from the non-primary channel to the primary channel 20 MHz channel after the adjusted time interval.

[0394] Previously, there was a problem that when the length of the basic NAV set for the primary 20 MHz channel was different between the NPCA AP and the NPCA non-AP STA, the NPCA AP and the NPCA non-AP STA had different times of switching (or switching back) from the non-primary channel to the primary 20 MHz channel, which may result in unnecessary EDCA (Enhanced Distributed Channel Access) channel access for the primary 20 MHz channel. For example, if the NPCA AP first switches back to the primary 20 MHz channel, and the NPCA non-AP STA performs frame exchange on the primary 20 MHz channel with another NPCA non-AP STA before switching back to the primary 20 MHz channel, the NPCA non-AP STA may not recognize this due to a blindness issue within the BSS, and may determine that the primary 20 MHz channel is IDLE and attempt unnecessary channel access and frame exchange, which may cause a frame collision in the NPCA AP.

[0395] However, the present embodiment aligns the time period during which the NPCA AP can stay on the non-primary channel with the time period during which the NPCA non-AP STA can stay on the non-primary channel, so that the NPCA non-AP STA can switch (or switch back) to the primary 20 MHz channel in the same manner as the NPCA AP regardless of its own basic NAV, thereby preventing unnecessary EDCA channel access of the NPCA non-AP STA to the primary 20 MHz channel, preventing unnecessary increase in the CW (contention window) value, and preventing loss of medium synchronization.

[0396] The above non-primary channel may be a secondary channel capable of performing backoff while the second basic NAV is set on the primary 20 MHz channel.

[0397] The second basic NAV may be set by OBSS (Overlapping Basic Service Set) traffic. For example, the OBSS traffic may be traffic transmitted and received between a second AP and a second non-AP STA. The second AP may be an OBSS AP for the first AP. The second non-AP STA may be an OBSS non-AP STA within the BSS (Basic Service Set) of the second AP. The second time interval may be set to a time point when the OBSS traffic ends.

[0398] In addition, the present embodiment proposes a method for configuring the structure of the ICF and the ICR based on a trigger frame and an information / container for NPCA (non-primary channel access).

[0399] The ICF may further include channel access information for the non-primary channel. The channel access information for the non-primary channel may include indicator information for the non-primary channel, information regarding the start time of the OBSS traffic, information regarding the end time of the OBSS traffic, and information regarding the first time interval.

[0400] The indicator information for the above non-primary channel may include information regarding whether the ICF is a frame transmitted and received based on the primary 20 MHz channel or a frame transmitted and received based on the non-primary channel.

[0401] The above ICF may be a trigger frame. The ICR may be a TB PPDU triggered by the trigger frame or a non-TB PPDU not triggered by the trigger frame.

[0402] The above trigger frame may include a Common Info field, a Special User Info field, a User Info field, and a padding field.

[0403] For example, channel access information for the non-primary channel may be included in a reserved bit of the common information field. The common information field may further include solicited information. The solicited information may include information regarding whether the ICR requested by the trigger frame is a trigger-based (TB) Physical Protocol Data Unit (PPDU), a non-HT (non-High Throughput) PPDU, or a non-HT duplicated PPDU. The non-HT PPDU and the non-HT duplicated PPDU may be the non-TB PPDU.

[0404] As another example, the user information field may further include an AID12 subfield. The reserved bits of the common information field may include a flag field indicating whether channel access information for the non-primary channel exists. Based on the flag field and the AID12 subfield, channel access information for the non-primary channel may be included in the user information field. The AID12 subfield may be set to 2008.

[0405] As another example, the reserved bits of the common information field may include a flag field indicating whether channel access information for the non-primary channel exists. The padding field may include an ID (Identifier) ​​field for channel access to the non-primary channel. Based on the flag field and the ID field, channel access information for the non-primary channel may be included in the padding field. The AID12 subfield may be set to 2008.

[0406] As another example, the special user information field may further include an AID12 subfield, a type subfield, and channel access information for the non-primary channel. The AID12 subfield may be set to 2008. The type subfield may include information about the type of delivered information. For example, when the value of the type subfield is 0, it may indicate Co-TDMA, and when the value of the type subfield is 1, it may indicate IDC.

[0407] The above embodiment assumes that the first AP transmits the ICF, but the same can be applied to the case where the first non-AP STA transmits the ICF.

[0408] The first non-AP STA may perform backoff for the first non-primary channel. If the backoff value for the first non-primary channel is 0, the first non-AP STA may perform channel access for the second non-primary channel. The receiving STA may transmit or receive a Physical Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) through an idle channel among the first and second non-primary channels.

[0409] The first and second non-primary channels may be included in the non-primary channel. The first non-primary channel may be a secondary 20 MHz channel on which the backoff is performed in the non-primary channel. The second non-primary channel may be a secondary channel remaining in the BSS (Basic Service Set) operating channel of the first AP, excluding the first non-primary channel.

[0410] FIG. 40 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for adjusting the time at which an NPCA non-AP STA switches from a non-primary channel to a primary 20 MHz channel according to the length of the basic NAV of the NPCA AP and the NPCA non-AP STA according to the present embodiment.

[0411] An example of Fig. 40 can be performed in a network environment that supports a next-generation wireless LAN system (UHR (Ultra High Reliability) wireless LAN system, 802.11bn or next wi-fi). The next-generation wireless LAN system is a wireless LAN system that improves the 802.11be system and can satisfy backward compatibility with the 802.11be system.

[0412] The present embodiment proposes a method for controlling a time period during which an NPCA AP and an NPCA non-AP STA, which perform channel access and exchange frames on a non-primary channel, transmit information about a time period during which each NPCA non-AP STA can perform channel access on the non-primary channel, thereby adjusting the time period during which the NPCA non-AP STA stays on the non-primary channel. In addition, the present embodiment proposes a method including a structure of an ICF and an ICR that transmit information about a time period during which channel access can be performed on the non-primary channel, and an information / container for NPCA.

[0413] In step S4010, the first non-AP (non-access point) STA (station) receives an ICF (Initial Control Frame) from the first AP through a non-primary channel.

[0414] In step S4020, the first non-AP STA transmits an Initial Control Response (ICR) to the first AP through the non-primary channel.

[0415] In step S4030, the first non-AP STA adjusts the time period for which it stays on the non-primary channel based on the ICF and the ICR.

[0416] In step S4040, the first non-AP STA performs channel access by switching from the non-primary channel to the primary channel 20 MHz channel after the adjusted time period.

[0417] The ICF includes information about a first time interval during which the first AP can perform channel access on the non-primary channel. The ICR includes information about a second time interval during which the first non-AP STA can perform channel access on the non-primary channel.

[0418] Specifically, the first time interval may be set from the time at which the ICF is transmitted until the time at which the first basic Network Allocation Vector (NAV) set for the first AP ends. The second time interval may be set from the time at which the ICR is transmitted until the time at which the second basic NAV set for the first non-AP STA ends.

[0419] The above-mentioned adjusted time interval may be set as a time interval obtained by subtracting the SIFS (Short Interframe Space) and the time at which the ICR is transmitted from the first time interval.

[0420] The method for adjusting the interval of the basic NAV set to the primary 20 MHz channel by the above NPCA non-AP STA according to the length of the basic NAV of the NPCA AP and the NPCA non-AP STA is as follows.

[0421] First, based on the second basic NAV being longer than or equal to the first basic NAV, the end point of the adjusted time interval can be determined (or adjusted) to the end point of the first time interval. Accordingly, the first AP and the first non-AP STA can simultaneously switch from the non-primary channel to the primary channel 20 MHz channel after the adjusted time interval.

[0422] Based on the second basic NAV being shorter than the first basic NAV, the end point of the adjusted time interval may be determined (or adjusted) to the end point of the first time interval. Accordingly, the first AP and the first non-AP STA may simultaneously switch from the non-primary channel to the primary channel 20 MHz channel after the adjusted time interval.

[0423] Previously, there was a problem that when the length of the basic NAV set for the primary 20 MHz channel was different between the NPCA AP and the NPCA non-AP STA, the NPCA AP and the NPCA non-AP STA had different times of switching (or switching back) from the non-primary channel to the primary 20 MHz channel, which may result in unnecessary EDCA (Enhanced Distributed Channel Access) channel access for the primary 20 MHz channel. For example, if the NPCA AP first switches back to the primary 20 MHz channel, and the NPCA non-AP STA performs frame exchange on the primary 20 MHz channel with another NPCA non-AP STA before switching back to the primary 20 MHz channel, the NPCA non-AP STA may not recognize this due to a blindness issue within the BSS, and may determine that the primary 20 MHz channel is IDLE and attempt unnecessary channel access and frame exchange, which may cause a frame collision in the NPCA AP.

[0424] However, the present embodiment aligns the time period during which the NPCA AP can stay on the non-primary channel with the time period during which the NPCA non-AP STA can stay on the non-primary channel, so that the NPCA non-AP STA can switch (or switch back) to the primary 20 MHz channel in the same manner as the NPCA AP regardless of its own basic NAV, thereby preventing unnecessary EDCA channel access of the NPCA non-AP STA to the primary 20 MHz channel, preventing unnecessary increase in the CW (contention window) value, and preventing loss of medium synchronization.

[0425] The above non-primary channel may be a secondary channel capable of performing backoff while the second basic NAV is set on the primary 20 MHz channel.

[0426] The second basic NAV may be set by OBSS (Overlapping Basic Service Set) traffic. For example, the OBSS traffic may be traffic transmitted and received between a second AP and a second non-AP STA. The second AP may be an OBSS AP for the first AP. The second non-AP STA may be an OBSS non-AP STA within the BSS (Basic Service Set) of the second AP. The second time interval may be set to a time point when the OBSS traffic ends.

[0427] In addition, the present embodiment proposes a method for configuring the structure of the ICF and the ICR based on a trigger frame and an information / container for NPCA (non-primary channel access).

[0428] The ICF may further include channel access information for the non-primary channel. The channel access information for the non-primary channel may include indicator information for the non-primary channel, information regarding the start time of the OBSS traffic, information regarding the end time of the OBSS traffic, and information regarding the first time interval.

[0429] The indicator information for the above non-primary channel may include information regarding whether the ICF is a frame transmitted and received based on the primary 20 MHz channel or a frame transmitted and received based on the non-primary channel.

[0430] The above ICF may be a trigger frame. The ICR may be a TB PPDU triggered by the trigger frame or a non-TB PPDU not triggered by the trigger frame.

[0431] The above trigger frame may include a Common Info field, a Special User Info field, a User Info field, and a padding field.

[0432] For example, channel access information for the non-primary channel may be included in a reserved bit of the common information field. The common information field may further include solicited information. The solicited information may include information regarding whether the ICR requested by the trigger frame is a trigger-based (TB) Physical Protocol Data Unit (PPDU), a non-HT (non-High Throughput) PPDU, or a non-HT duplicated PPDU. The non-HT PPDU and the non-HT duplicated PPDU may be the non-TB PPDU.

[0433] As another example, the user information field may further include an AID12 subfield. The reserved bits of the common information field may include a flag field indicating whether channel access information for the non-primary channel exists. Based on the flag field and the AID12 subfield, channel access information for the non-primary channel may be included in the user information field. The AID12 subfield may be set to 2008.

[0434] As another example, the reserved bits of the common information field may include a flag field indicating whether channel access information for the non-primary channel exists. The padding field may include an ID (Identifier) ​​field for channel access to the non-primary channel. Based on the flag field and the ID field, channel access information for the non-primary channel may be included in the padding field. The AID12 subfield may be set to 2008.

[0435] As another example, the special user information field may further include an AID12 subfield, a type subfield, and channel access information for the non-primary channel. The AID12 subfield may be set to 2008. The type subfield may include information about the type of delivered information. For example, when the value of the type subfield is 0, it may indicate Co-TDMA, and when the value of the type subfield is 1, it may indicate IDC.

[0436] The above embodiment assumes that the first AP transmits the ICF, but the same can be applied to the case where the first non-AP STA transmits the ICF.

[0437] The first non-AP STA may perform backoff for the first non-primary channel. If the backoff value for the first non-primary channel is 0, the first non-AP STA may perform channel access for the second non-primary channel. The receiving STA may transmit or receive a Physical Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) through an idle channel among the first and second non-primary channels.

[0438] The first and second non-primary channels may be included in the non-primary channel. The first non-primary channel may be a secondary 20 MHz channel on which the backoff is performed in the non-primary channel. The second non-primary channel may be a secondary channel remaining in the BSS (Basic Service Set) operating channel of the first AP, excluding the first non-primary channel.

[0439] <Device Configuration>

[0440] The technical features of the present specification described above can be applied to various devices and methods. For example, the technical features of the present specification described above can be performed / supported by the devices of FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 14. For example, the technical features of the present specification described above can be applied only to a part of FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 14. For example, the technical features of the present specification described above can be implemented based on the processing chip (114, 124) of FIG. 1, or based on the processor (111, 121) and the memory (112, 122) of FIG. 1, or based on the processor (610) and the memory (620) of FIG. 14. For example, the device of the present specification receives an Initial Control Frame (ICF) from a first access point (AP) through a non-primary channel; transmits an Initial Control Response (ICR) to the first AP through the non-primary channel; Adjusting the time period for staying in the non-primary channel based on the ICF and the ICR; and performing channel access by switching from the non-primary channel to the primary channel 20 MHz channel after the adjusted time period.

[0441] The technical features of this specification can be implemented based on a computer-readable medium (CRM). For example, the CRM proposed by this specification is at least one computer-readable recording medium containing instructions that are executed by at least one processor.

[0442] The CRM may store instructions for performing operations including the steps of: receiving an Initial Control Frame (ICF) from a first AP (access point) through a non-primary channel; transmitting an Initial Control Response (ICR) to the first AP through the non-primary channel; adjusting a time period for staying in the non-primary channel based on the ICF and the ICR; and performing channel access by switching from the non-primary channel to a primary channel 20 MHz channel after the adjusted time period. The instructions stored in the CRM of the present specification may be executed by at least one processor. At least one processor related to the CRM of the present specification may be the processor (111, 121) or the processing chip (114, 124) of FIG. 1, or the processor (610) of FIG. 14. Meanwhile, the CRM of this specification may be the memory (112, 122) of FIG. 1, the memory (620) of FIG. 14, or a separate external memory / storage medium / disk, etc.

[0443] The technical features of this specification described above are applicable to various applications and business models. For example, the technical features described above can be applied to wireless communication in devices that support artificial intelligence (AI).

[0444] Artificial intelligence (AI) is the study of artificial intelligence or the methodologies for creating it, while machine learning (ML) defines various problems in the field of AI and studies the methodologies for solving them. Machine learning is also defined as an algorithm that improves performance on a task through consistent experience.

[0445] An artificial neural network (ANN) is a model used in machine learning. It can refer to a model with problem-solving capabilities, consisting of artificial neurons (nodes) formed by the connection of synapses to form a network. An ANN can be defined by the connection patterns between neurons in different layers, the learning process that updates model parameters, and the activation function that generates output values.

[0446] An artificial neural network may include an input layer, an output layer, and optionally one or more hidden layers. Each layer contains one or more neurons, and the artificial neural network may include synapses connecting neurons. In an artificial neural network, each neuron can output a function value of an activation function based on input signals, weights, and biases received through the synapses.

[0447] Model parameters are parameters determined through learning, including synaptic connection weights and neuron biases. Hyperparameters are parameters that must be set before learning in machine learning algorithms, including the learning rate, number of iterations, mini-batch size, and initialization function.

[0448] The goal of artificial neural network training can be seen as determining model parameters that minimize a loss function. The loss function can be used as an indicator for determining optimal model parameters during the artificial neural network training process.

[0449] Machine learning can be classified into supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning depending on the learning method.

[0450] Supervised learning refers to a method for training an artificial neural network when given labels for the training data. The labels can refer to the correct answer (or output value) that the artificial neural network must infer when the training data is input to the artificial neural network. Unsupervised learning can refer to a method for training an artificial neural network when the training data is not given labels. Reinforcement learning can refer to a learning method in which an agent defined within a given environment is trained to select actions or action sequences that maximize the cumulative reward in each state.

[0451] Machine learning implemented with a deep neural network (DNN) containing multiple hidden layers among artificial neural networks is also called deep learning, and deep learning is a subset of machine learning. Hereinafter, the term "machine learning" is used to encompass deep learning.

[0452] Additionally, the above-described technical features can be applied to wireless communication of robots.

[0453] A robot can be defined as a machine that automatically performs or operates a given task based on its own capabilities. Specifically, a robot capable of perceiving its environment, making independent judgments, and performing actions can be called an intelligent robot.

[0454] Robots can be categorized into industrial, medical, household, and military applications based on their intended use or field. Robots are equipped with actuators or motors, enabling them to perform various physical actions, such as moving robot joints. Furthermore, mobile robots incorporate wheels, brakes, and propellers into their actuators, enabling them to move on the ground or fly in the air.

[0455] Additionally, the above-described technical features can be applied to devices that support extended reality.

[0456] Extended reality is a general term for virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). VR technology presents real-world objects and backgrounds as CG images only, AR technology presents virtual CG images over images of real objects, and MR technology is a computer graphics technology that blends and combines virtual objects with the real world.

[0457] MR technology is similar to AR in that it presents both real and virtual objects simultaneously. However, while AR uses virtual objects to complement real objects, MR uses virtual and real objects on an equal footing.

[0458] XR technology can be applied to HMD (Head-Mount Display), HUD (Head-Up Display), mobile phones, tablet PCs, laptops, desktops, TVs, digital signage, etc., and devices to which XR technology is applied can be called XR devices.

[0459] The claims set forth in this specification may be combined in various ways. For example, the technical features of the method claims of this specification may be combined and implemented as a device, and the technical features of the device claims of this specification may be combined and implemented as a method. Furthermore, the technical features of the method claims and the technical features of the device claims of this specification may be combined and implemented as a device, and the technical features of the method claims and the technical features of the device claims of this specification may be combined and implemented as a method.

Claims

In wireless LAN systems, A step in which a first non-AP (non-access point) STA (station) receives an ICF (Initial Control Frame) from the first AP through a non-primary channel; A step in which the first non-AP STA transmits an ICR (Initial Control Response) to the first AP through the non-primary channel; A step of adjusting the time period during which the first non-AP STA stays in the non-primary channel based on the ICF and the ICR; and The step of the first non-AP STA performing channel access by switching from the non-primary channel to the primary channel 20 MHz channel after the adjusted time period is included, The ICF includes information about a first time interval during which the first AP can perform channel access on the non-primary channel, and The above ICR includes information about a second time interval during which the first non-AP STA can perform channel access on the non-primary channel. method. In the first paragraph, The first time interval is set from the time the ICF is transmitted to the time when the first basic NAV (Network Allocation Vector) set to the first AP ends, The second time interval is set from the time the ICR is transmitted to the time the second basic NAV set for the first non-AP STA ends, The above adjusted time interval is set as a time interval obtained by subtracting the SIFS (Short Interframe Space) and the time at which the ICR is transmitted from the first time interval. method. In the second paragraph, Based on the above second basic NAV being longer than or equal to the above first basic NAV, The end point of the above adjusted time interval is determined as the end point of the first time interval, The first AP and the first non-AP STA simultaneously switch from the non-primary channel to the primary channel 20 MHz channel after the adjusted time period. method. In the second paragraph, Based on the above second basic NAV being shorter than the above first basic NAV, The end point of the above adjusted time interval is determined as the end point of the first time interval, The first AP and the first non-AP STA simultaneously switch from the non-primary channel to the primary channel 20 MHz channel after the adjusted time period. method. In the second paragraph, The above non-primary channel is a secondary channel that can perform backoff while the second basic NAV is set to the primary 20 MHz channel, The above second basic NAV is set by OBSS (Overlapping Basic Service Set) traffic, The above OBSS traffic is traffic transmitted and received between the second AP and the second non-AP STA, The above second AP is an OBSS AP for the above first AP, The above second non-AP STA is an OBSS non-AP STA within the BSS (Basic Service Set) of the second AP, The above second time interval is set to the point in time when the above OBSS traffic ends. method. In paragraph 5, The above ICF further includes channel access information for the non-primary channel, The channel access information for the non-primary channel includes indicator information for the non-primary channel, information about when the OBSS traffic starts, information about when the OBSS traffic ends, and information about the first time interval. The indicator information for the non-primary channel includes information on whether the ICF is a frame transmitted and received based on the primary 20 MHz channel or a frame transmitted and received based on the non-primary channel. The above ICF is a trigger frame, The above trigger frame includes a Common Info field, a Special User Info field, a User Info field, and a padding field. method. In paragraph 6, Channel access information for the above non-primary channel is included in the reserved bit of the above common information field, The above common information field further includes solicited information, The requested information includes information about whether the ICR requested by the trigger frame is a TB (trigger based) PPDU (Physical Protocol Data Unit), a non-HT (non-High Throughput) PPDU, or a non-HT duplicated PPDU. method. In paragraph 7, The above user information field further includes an AID12 subfield, The reserved bits of the common information field include a flag field indicating whether channel access information for the non-primary channel exists, Channel access information for the non-primary channel based on the flag field and the AID12 subfield is included in the user information field, The above AID12 subfield is set to 2008. method. In paragraph 7, The reserved bits of the common information field include a flag field indicating whether channel access information for the non-primary channel exists, The above padding field includes an ID (Identifier) ​​field for channel access to the non-primary channel, Channel access information for the non-primary channel based on the flag field and the ID field is included in the padding field, The above AID12 subfield is set to 2008. method. In paragraph 7, The above special user information field further includes an AID12 subfield, a type subfield, and channel access information for the non-primary channel, The above AID12 subfield is set to 2008, The above type subfield contains information about the type of delivered information. method. In a wireless LAN system, the first non-AP (non-access point) STA (station) memory; transceiver; and A processor operatively coupled to the memory and the transceiver, the processor comprising: Receive an Initial Control Frame (ICF) from the first AP through a non-primary channel; Transmitting an ICR (Initial Control Response) to the first AP through the non-primary channel; Adjusting the time interval for staying in the non-primary channel based on the ICF and the ICR; and After the above-mentioned adjusted time period, channel access is performed by switching from the non-primary channel to the primary channel 20 MHz channel. The ICF includes information about a first time interval during which the first AP can perform channel access on the non-primary channel, and The above ICR includes information about a second time interval during which the first non-AP STA can perform channel access on the non-primary channel. 1st non-AP STA. In wireless LAN systems, A step in which a first AP (access point) transmits an ICF (Initial Control Frame) to a first non-AP STA (station) through a non-primary channel; A step in which the first AP receives an ICR (Initial Control Response) from the first non-AP STA through the non-primary channel; and The step of performing channel access by switching from the non-primary channel to the primary channel 20 MHz channel after a time period adjusted based on the ICF and the ICR is included in the above first AP. The ICF includes information about a first time interval during which the first AP can perform channel access on the non-primary channel, and The above ICR includes information about a second time interval during which the first non-AP STA can perform channel access on the non-primary channel. method. In paragraph 12, The first time interval is set from the time the ICF is transmitted to the time when the first basic NAV (Network Allocation Vector) set to the first AP ends, The second time interval is set from the time the ICR is transmitted to the time the second basic NAV set for the first non-AP STA ends, The above adjusted time interval is set as a time interval obtained by subtracting the SIFS (Short Interframe Space) and the time at which the ICR is transmitted from the first time interval. method. In paragraph 12, Based on the above second basic NAV being longer than or equal to the above first basic NAV, The end point of the above adjusted time interval is determined as the end point of the first time interval, The first AP and the first non-AP STA simultaneously switch from the non-primary channel to the primary channel 20 MHz channel after the adjusted time period. method. In paragraph 12, Based on the above second basic NAV being shorter than the above first basic NAV, The end point of the above adjusted time interval is determined as the end point of the first time interval, The first AP and the first non-AP STA simultaneously switch from the non-primary channel to the primary channel 20 MHz channel after the adjusted time period. method. In Article 15, The above non-primary channel is a secondary channel that can perform backoff while the second basic NAV is set to the primary 20 MHz channel, The above second basic NAV is set by OBSS (Overlapping Basic Service Set) traffic, The above OBSS traffic is traffic transmitted and received between the second AP and the second non-AP STA, The above second AP is an OBSS AP for the above first AP, The above second non-AP STA is an OBSS non-AP STA within the BSS (Basic Service Set) of the second AP, The above second time interval is set to the point in time when the above OBSS traffic ends. method. In Article 16, The above ICF further includes channel access information for the non-primary channel, The channel access information for the non-primary channel includes indicator information for the non-primary channel, information about when the OBSS traffic starts, information about when the OBSS traffic ends, and information about the first time interval. The indicator information for the non-primary channel includes information on whether the ICF is a frame transmitted and received based on the primary 20 MHz channel or a frame transmitted and received based on the non-primary channel. The above ICF is a trigger frame, The above trigger frame includes a Common Info field, a Special User Info field, a User Info field, and a padding field. method. In a wireless LAN system, the first AP (access point) is memory; transceiver; and A processor operatively coupled to the memory and the transceiver, the processor comprising: Transmit an ICF (Initial Control Frame) to the first non-AP STA (station) through a non-primary channel; Receive an ICR (Initial Control Response) from the first non-AP STA through the non-primary channel; and After a time interval adjusted based on the above ICF and the above ICR, channel access is performed by switching from the above non-primary channel to the above primary channel 20 MHz channel. The ICF includes information about a first time interval during which the first AP can perform channel access on the non-primary channel, and The above ICR includes information about a second time interval during which the first non-AP STA can perform channel access on the non-primary channel. 1st AP. At least one computer-readable medium containing instructions based on being executed by at least one processor, A step of receiving an ICF (Initial Control Frame) through a non-primary channel from a first AP (access point); A step of transmitting an ICR (Initial Control Response) to the first AP through the non-primary channel; A step of adjusting the time interval for staying in the non-primary channel based on the ICF and the ICR; and Including a step of performing channel access by switching from the non-primary channel to the primary channel 20 MHz channel after the above-mentioned adjusted time period, The ICF includes information about a first time interval during which the first AP can perform channel access on the non-primary channel, and The above ICR includes information about a second time interval during which the first non-AP STA can perform channel access on the non-primary channel. Recording medium. In a wireless LAN system, for a device, memory; and A processor operatively coupled to the memory, the processor comprising: Receive an ICF (Initial Control Frame) from the first AP (access point) through a non-primary channel; Transmitting an ICR (Initial Control Response) to the first AP through the non-primary channel; Adjusting the time interval for staying in the non-primary channel based on the ICF and the ICR; and After the above-mentioned adjusted time period, channel access is performed by switching from the non-primary channel to the primary channel 20 MHz channel. The ICF includes information about a first time interval during which the first AP can perform channel access on the non-primary channel, and The above ICR includes information about a second time interval during which the first non-AP STA can perform channel access on the non-primary channel. device.

Images