Improvement of PPDU for protection of response signal

Abstract

A first station (STA) associated with the present disclosure may transmit a first PPDU to a second STA. When the first PPDU elicits an enhanced long range (ELR) PPDU as a response frame, a first signal field of the first PPDU may include a field related to disallowance of spatial reuse (SR). Accordingly, the second STA may transmit a response frame on the ELR PPDU, and spatial reuse by a third STA (e.g., an OBSS STA) may be restricted. In addition, the SR restriction may be applied until a TXOP period or a transmission time point of the first PPDU, and then another STA may detect a channel as busy on the basis of a CCA result for the ELR PPDU. Accordingly, interference with the ELR PPDU may be reduced, and detection performance and reception performance may be improved.

Description

Improvement of PPDU for protection of response signals

[0001] This specification relates to the operation of transmitting / receiving a response signal in a wireless communication system, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for protecting a response frame transmitted via an Enhanced Long Range (ELR) PHY protocol data unit (PPDU) in a wireless LAN system.

[0002] Wireless local area networks (WLANs) have been improved in various ways. For example, the Extremely High Throughput (EHT) standard can utilize newly proposed increased bandwidth, an improved PHY protocol data unit (PPDU) structure, improved sequencing, and the Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) technique. The EHT standard can be referred to as the IEEE 802.11be standard.

[0003] To support high throughput and high data rates, the EHT standard may use wide bandwidth (e.g., 160 / 320 MHz), 16 streams, and / or multi-link (or multi-band) operation.

[0004] In the EHT standard, wide bandwidth (e.g., 160 / 240 / 320 MHz) can be used for high throughput. In addition, preamble puncturing and multiple RU transmission can be used to efficiently utilize bandwidth.

[0005] WLAN systems can be further improved through the Ultra High Reliability (UHR) standard. The UHR system may be referred to as the IEEE 802.11bn standard. The UHR system aims to support ultra-high reliability during signal transmission to STAs. To achieve this, various technologies are being considered for high throughput, low latency, and extended range support.

[0006] Additionally or generally, next-generation Wi-Fi (e.g., IEEE 802.11be and / or later) aims to support ultra-high reliability when transmitting signals to STAs, and to this end, various technologies are being considered to support high throughput, low latency, and extended range. For example, Enhanced Long Range (ELR) PPDUs can be used to deliver PPDUs with high reliability in long-distance and low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) environments.

[0007] The present specification may propose a method and apparatus for protecting response frames transmitted through said ELR PPDU by including a field related to the non-allowing of Spatial Reuse (SR) for an Enhanced Long Range (ELR) PPDU in a PPDU (PHY Protocol Data Unit) in a wireless LAN system.

[0008] More specifically, in a wireless LAN system, an enhanced long range (ELR) PPDU can be utilized as a PPDU to support long-distance communication. However, if signal transmission and reception by other STAs occur simultaneously or at adjacent times during the transmission and reception of the ELR PPDU, the detection and reception performance of the ELR PPDU may be degraded due to interference caused by the signals of the other STAs. In particular, since performance degradation due to interference can occur more significantly in an environment where response frames are transmitted and received using the ELR PPDU, a method to effectively reduce the impact of interference during ELR PPDU transmission and reception may be required.

[0009] In addition, when a first STA (e.g., AP) transmits a first PPDU that elicits an ELR PPDU as a response frame to a second STA (e.g., non-AP), if spatial reuse by surrounding STAs is allowed during the transmission and reception period of the first PPDU or the ELR PPDU transmitted as a response to the first PPDU, the possibility of interference with the ELR PPDU may increase. Therefore, a technology may be required to restrict the spatial reuse operations of other STAs at least during the period when protection of the ELR PPDU is required, by including a field related to the disallowance of SR (spatial reuse) in the PPDU that elicits the ELR PPDU as a response frame.

[0010] Furthermore, it may be necessary to control channel usage more precisely during the transmission and reception of ELR PPDU by considering not only STAs within the same BSS but also SR (spatial reuse) operations by STAs of the OBSS (Overlapping Basic Service Set). For example, a technology may be required to minimize the interference effects of other STAs by limiting SR within the TXOP set by the first STA, or by linking SR limiting up to the time of transmission of the first PPDU with CCA (Clear Channel Assessment)-based busy state detection for the ELR PPDU thereafter. Through this, a method may be required to improve the detection performance of the ELR PPDU and, consequently, improve the reception performance of the ELR PPDU.

[0011] This specification may propose technical features of various methods and devices related to Enhanced Long Range (ELR) PHY Protocol Data Units (PPDU). For example, an example of this specification may propose a method and device for protecting response frames transmitted via ELR PPDUs.

[0012] For example, this embodiment can be performed in a network environment that supports a next-generation wireless LAN system (UHR (Ultra High Reliability) wireless LAN system or next wi-fi). The next-generation wireless LAN system is a wireless LAN system that improves upon the 802.11be system and can satisfy backward compatibility with the 802.11be system.

[0013] For example, the present embodiment is performed at a first STA, and the first STA may correspond to an access point (AP) or an AP Multi-link Device (AP MLD). The second STA of the present embodiment may correspond to at least one non-AP STA (non-access point station) or non-AP MLD.

[0014] For example, an ELR PPDU can solve the problem where a difference in transmission range occurs between an AP and a non-AP STA due to power imbalance between the AP and the non-AP STA, and as a result, signals from a non-AP STA located at the AP's coverage boundary have difficulty reaching the AP. This embodiment proposes a method for protecting response frames transmitted via an ELR (Enhanced Long Range) PPDU (PHY Protocol Data Unit). Specifically, the PPDU includes a field related to the disallowance of Spatial Reuse (SR) for the ELR (Enhanced Long Range) PPDU (PHY Protocol Data Unit) to protect response frames transmitted via the ELR PPDU.

[0015] For example, a first STA may transmit a first PPDU to a second STA. The first PPDU may include a first signal field containing information for interpreting the first PPDU. Based on the first PPDU eliciting an enhanced long range (ELR) PPDU into a response frame, the first signal field may include a field related to the disallowance of spatial reuse (SR).

[0016] For example, the first STA may receive a response frame for the first PPDU from the second STA. The response frame of the first PPDU may be carried onto the ELR PPDU.

[0017] Additionally or generally, a field related to the disallowance of the spatial reuse (SR) may be included in the ELR PPDU transmitted by the second STA. For example, the field related to the disallowance of the spatial reuse (SR) may include information that does not allow the SR. For example, the information that does not allow the SR may be defined as SR disallow or SR prohibit. For example, the information that does not allow the SR may be included in the Universal Signal (U-SIG) field of the ELR PPDU. For example, the information that does not allow the SR may be defined as 1 bit to indicate SR disallow or SR prohibit.

[0018] Additionally or generally, the type of PPDU that the first STA transmits to the second STA may be an ELR PPDU. For example, a field related to the disallowance of spatial reuse (SR) may be included in the ELR PPDU transmitted by the first STA. For example, the field related to the disallowance of spatial reuse (SR) may include information that disallows SR. For example, the information that disallows SR may be defined as SR disallow or SR prohibit. For example, the information that disallows SR may be included in the Universal Signal (U-SIG) field of the ELR PPDU. For example, the information that disallows SR may be defined as 1 bit to indicate SR disallow or SR prohibit.

[0019] For example, the first STA and the second STA may be included in a single Basic Service Set (BSS). For example, the first STA may correspond to an access point (AP). For example, the second STA may correspond to a non-access point station (non-AP STA).

[0020] Various examples of this specification may relate to the various technical effects below.

[0021] According to one example of the present specification, by limiting spatial reuse (SR) in the interval related to the transmission and reception of enhanced long range (ELR) PPDUs, the impact of interference caused by the transmission and reception of signals from other STAs can be reduced. Accordingly, performance degradation that may occur during the transmission or reception of ELR PPDUs can be mitigated. In particular, more stable communication can be achieved in an environment where ELR PPDUs are transmitted and received as response frames.

[0022] In addition, by including a field related to the disallowance of SR in the PPDU that elicits the ELR PPDU into the response frame, the spatial reuse behavior of surrounding STAs can be appropriately restricted in the section where the ELR PPDU needs protection. Through this, the possibility of external interference to the ELR PPDU can be reduced. As a result, the detection performance of the ELR PPDU can be improved, and the receiving end can detect the ELR PPDU more accurately.

[0023] Furthermore, since spatial reuse by STAs within the same BSS as well as STAs in the OBSS (Overlapping Basic Service Set) can be controlled, the channel protection effect for the ELR PPDU transmission and reception interval can be further enhanced. For example, by suppressing interference in conjunction with SR restriction within a TXOP (transmission opportunity) or busy state detection based on CCA (Clear Channel Assessment), the reception reliability of the ELR PPDU can be improved. Accordingly, the efficiency and stability of ELR PPDU operation for long-distance communication can be increased.

[0024] For example, according to one example of the present specification, the Spatial Reuse (SR) field of a PPDU (e.g., DL PPDU) transmitted by a first STA (e.g., AP) may be set to disallow. When the value of the SR field is 15, the SR of the third STA for the transmission of an ELR PPDU within a TXOP set by the AP is prevented. Consequently, the impact of interference on an ELR PPDU transmitted by a non-AP STA is reduced.

[0025] Additionally or generally, the SR field of the PPDU (e.g., DL PPDU) transmitted by the first STA (e.g., AP) may be set to SR DELAYED. If the value of the SR field is 14, the SR of the third STA (e.g., OBSS STA) is not allowed until the time when the DL PPDU is transmitted. At this time, the third STAs (e.g., OBSS STAs) perform Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) again at the end of the length of the DL PPDU transmitted by the AP, and the non-AP STA transmits the ELR PPDU after Short Interframe Space (SIFS) following the transmission of the PPDU. Accordingly, the CCA value becomes busy due to the ELR PPDU transmitted by the non-AP STA, and the SR of the third STA is restricted. As a result, the impact of interference on the transmission of the ELR PPDU containing the response frame can be reduced.

[0026] In addition, the first STA (e.g., AP) utilizes a previously defined Spatial Reuse field to prevent the third STA from reusing space for the ELR PPDU, thereby enabling the control of space reuse without generating additional overhead.

[0027] As a result, the purpose of Enhanced Long Range (ELR) PPDU to resolve power imbalance between AP and non-AP STA and to expand coverage can be achieved.

[0028] FIG. 1 shows an example of a transmitting device and / or receiving device of the present specification.

[0029] Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the structure of a wireless LAN (WLAN).

[0030] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a general link setup process.

[0031] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a multi-link (ML).

[0032] FIG. 5 illustrates a PPDU (physical protocol data unit or physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit) transmitted / received in an STA of the present specification.

[0033] Figure 6 is a diagram showing the arrangement of resource units (RU) used for a 20 MHz PPDU.

[0034] Figure 7 is a diagram showing the arrangement of resource units (RU) used for a 40 MHz PPDU.

[0035] Figure 8 is a diagram showing the arrangement of resource units (RU) used for an 80 MHz PPDU.

[0036] Figure 9 shows the operation according to UL-MU.

[0037] Figure 10 shows an example of a channel used / supported / defined within the 2.4 GHz band.

[0038] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a channel used / supported / defined within the 5 GHz band.

[0039] FIG. 12 illustrates an example of a channel used / supported / defined within the 6 GHz band.

[0040] Figure 13 shows an example of a MAC frame header.

[0041] FIG. 14 shows a modified example of a transmitting device and / or receiving device of the present specification.

[0042] Figure 15 illustrates an example of the UHR ELR PPDU format.

[0043] Figure 16 illustrates an example of the UHR Capabilities element format.

[0044] Figure 17 illustrates an example of the UHR PHY Capabilities Information field format.

[0045] FIG. 18 illustrates the operation in which a response frame to a DL PPDU is transmitted through an ELR PPDU.

[0046] FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a transmitting device according to the present embodiment.

[0047] FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a receiving device according to the present embodiment.

[0048] FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure for a first STA to transmit a PPDU and receive a response ELR PPDU according to the present embodiment.

[0049] FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure for a second STA to receive a PPDU and transmit a response ELR PPDU according to the present embodiment.

[0050] In this specification, "A or B" may mean "only A," "only B," or "both A and B." Alternatively, in this specification, "A or B" may be interpreted as "A and / or B." For example, in this specification, "A, B or C" may mean "only A," "only B," "only C," or "any combination of A, B and C."

[0051] A slash ( / ) or a comma used in this specification may mean "and / or." For example, "A / B" may mean "A and / or B." Accordingly, "A / B" may mean "only A," "only B," or "both A and B." For example, "A, B, C" may mean "A, B or C."

[0052] In this specification, "at least one of A and B" may mean "only A," "only B," or "both A and B." Additionally, in this specification, the expressions "at least one of A or B" or "at least one of A and / or B" may be interpreted as synonymous with "at least one of A and B."

[0053] Additionally, parentheses used in this specification may mean "for example." Specifically, when indicated as "control information (UHR-Signal field)," the "UHR-Signal field" may be proposed as an example of "control information." In other words, the "control information" of this specification is not limited to the "UHR-Signal field," and the "UHR-Signal field" may be proposed as an example of "control information." Furthermore, even when indicated as "control information (UHR-Signal field)," the "UHR-Signal field" may be proposed as an example of "control information."

[0054] Additionally, "a / an" as used in this specification may mean "at least one" or "one or more." Also, terms ending in "(s)" may mean "at least one" or "one or more."

[0055] Additionally, the expressions "based on," "on the basis of," or "according to" as used in this specification mean "based at least in part on" and do not mean "based only on".

[0056] Technical features described individually within a single drawing in this specification may be implemented individually or simultaneously.

[0057] The following examples of this specification may be applied to various wireless communication systems. For example, the following examples of this specification may be applied to wireless local area network (WLAN) systems. For example, this specification may be applied to IEEE 802.11a / g / n / ac / ax / be / bn standards. In addition, the examples of this specification may be applied to Ultra High Reliability (UHR) standards or next-generation wireless LAN standards that enhance IEEE 802.11bn. In addition, the examples of this specification may be applied to mobile communication systems. For example, they may be applied to mobile communication systems based on Long Term Evolution (LTE) and its evolution based on 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) standards.

[0058] To explain the technical features of this specification, the technical features to which this specification can be applied are described below.

[0059] FIG. 1 shows an example of a transmitting device and / or receiving device of the present specification.

[0060] 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 this specification may also be referred to by various names such as mobile terminal, wireless device, Wireless Transmit / Receive Unit (WTRU), User Equipment (UE), Mobile Station (MS), Mobile Subscriber Unit, or simply user. The STA (110, 120) of this specification may also be referred to by various names such as network, base station, Node-B, Access Point (AP), repeater, router, relay, etc. The STA (110, 120) of this specification may also be referred to by various names such as receiving apparatus, transmitting device, receiving STA, transmitting STA, receiving device, transmitting device, etc.

[0061] For example, the STA (110, 120) can perform the role of an access point (AP) or a non-AP. That is, the STA (110, 120) of this specification can perform the functions of an AP and / or a non-AP. In this specification, an AP may also be indicated as an AP STA.

[0062] The STA (110, 120) of this specification may support various communication standards other than the IEEE 802.11 standard. For example, it may support communication standards according to 3GPP standards (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR standards). In addition, the STA of this specification may be implemented in various devices such as mobile phones, vehicles, and personal computers. Furthermore, the STA of this specification may support communication for various communication services such as voice calls, video calls, data communication, and self-driving.

[0063] In this specification, the STA (110, 120) may include a medium access control (MAC) that complies with the provisions of the IEEE 802.11 standard and a physical layer interface for the wireless medium.

[0064] Based on side drawing (a) of Fig. 1, STA (110, 120) is described as follows.

[0065] The first STA (110) may include a processor (111), 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.

[0066] The transceiver (113) of the first STA performs the operation of transmitting and receiving signals. Specifically, it can transmit and receive IEEE 802.11 packets (e.g., IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be, etc.).

[0067] 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 transmitted signal, and perform control for transmitting the signal. The memory (112) of the AP can store the signal received through the transceiver (113) (i.e., the received signal) and the signal to be transmitted through the transceiver (i.e., the transmitted signal).

[0068] For example, the second STA (120) can perform the intended operation of a Non-AP STA. For example, the non-AP transceiver (123) performs the operation of transmitting and receiving signals. Specifically, it can transmit and receive IEEE 802.11 packets (e.g., IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be, etc.).

[0069] For example, the processor (121) of the Non-AP STA can receive a signal through the transceiver (123), process the received signal, generate a transmitted signal, and perform control for transmitting the signal. The memory (122) of the Non-AP STA can store the signal received through the transceiver (123) (i.e., the received signal) and can store the signal to be transmitted through the transceiver (i.e., the transmitted signal).

[0070] For example, the operation of the device indicated as AP in the following specification may be performed in the first STA (110) or the second STA (120). For example, if the first STA (110) is the AP, the operation of the device indicated as AP is controlled by the processor (111) of the first STA (110), and related signals may be transmitted or received through a transceiver (113) controlled by the processor (111) of the first STA (110). Additionally, control information related to the operation of the AP or the transmission / reception signals of the AP may be stored in the memory (112) of the first STA (110). Additionally, if the second STA (110) is the AP, the operation of the device indicated as AP is controlled by the processor (121) of the second STA (120), and related signals 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 AP or the transmission / reception signals of the AP can be stored in the memory (122) of the second STA (110).

[0071] For example, the operation of a device indicated as non-AP (or User-STA) in the following specification may be performed in the STA (110) or the second STA (120). For example, if the second STA (120) is non-AP, the operation of the device indicated as non-AP is controlled by the processor (121) of the second STA (120), and related signals may be transmitted or received through a transceiver (123) controlled by the processor (121) of the second STA (120). Additionally, control information related to the operation of the non-AP or the transmission / reception signals 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 the device marked as non-AP is controlled by the processor (111) of the first STA (110), and the related signal can be transmitted or received through a transceiver (113) controlled by the processor (111) of the first STA (120). Additionally, control information related to the operation of the non-AP or the transmission / reception signal of the AP can be stored in the memory (112) of the first STA (110).

[0072] In the following specification, a device referred to as (transmission / reception) STA, first STA, second STA, STA1, STA2, AP, first AP, second AP, AP1, AP2, (transmission / reception) Terminal, (transmission / reception) device, (transmission / reception) apparatus, network, etc. may refer to the STA (110, 120) of FIG. 1. For example, a device indicated without specific drawing symbols as (transmission / reception) STA, first STA, second STA, STA1, STA2, AP, first AP, second AP, AP1, AP2, (transmission / reception) Terminal, (transmission / reception) device, (transmission / reception) apparatus, network, etc. may also refer to the STA (110, 120) of FIG. 1. For example, in the following example, the operation of various STAs transmitting and receiving signals (e.g., PPPDU) may be performed by the transceiver (113, 123) of FIG. 1. Additionally, in the following example, 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 to generate a transmission / reception signal or to perform data processing or operations in advance for a transmission / reception signal may include: 1) an operation to determine / acquire / configure / operate / decode / encode bit information of sub-fields (SIG, STF, LTF, Data) included in the PPDU; 2) an operation to determine / configure / acquire time resources or frequency resources (e.g., subcarrier resources) used for sub-fields (SIG, STF, LTF, Data) included in the PPDU; 3) an operation to determine / configure / acquire specific sequences (e.g., pilot sequence, STF / LTF sequence, extra sequence applied to SIG) used for sub-fields (SIG, STF, LTF, Data) included in the PPDU; 4) a power control operation and / or power saving operation applied to the STA; and 5) an operation related to determining / acquiring / configuring / operating / decoding / encoding, etc. of an ACK signal. In addition, in the following example, various information (e.g., information related to fields, subfields, control fields, parameters, power, etc.) used by various STAs for determining / acquiring / configuring / calculating / decoding / encoding of transmission and reception signals can be stored in the memory (112, 122) of FIG. 1.

[0073] The device / STA of the aforementioned supplementary drawing (a) of FIG. 1 can be modified as shown in supplementary drawing (b) of FIG. 1. Hereinafter, the STA (110, 120) of this specification will be described based on supplementary drawing (b) of FIG. 1.

[0074] For example, the transceiver (113, 123) shown in side drawing (b) of FIG. 1 can perform the same function as the transceiver shown in side drawing (a) of FIG. 1 described above. For example, the processing chip (114, 124) shown in side 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) shown in side drawing (b) of FIG. 1 can perform the same function as the processor (111, 121) and the memory (112, 122) shown in side drawing (a) of FIG. 1 described above.

[0075] 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, AP (Access Point), 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) shown in side drawings (a) / (b) of FIG. 1, or the processing chip (114, 124) shown in side drawing (b) of FIG. 1. That is, the technical features of the present specification may be performed in the STA (110, 120) shown in side drawings (a) / (b) of FIG. 1, or only in the processing chip (114, 124) shown in side drawing (b) of FIG. 1. For example, the technical feature of the transmitting STA transmitting a control signal may be understood as a technical feature in which a control signal generated in the processor (111, 121) shown in side drawings (a) / (b) of FIG. 1 is transmitted through the transceiver (113, 123) shown in side drawings (a) / (b) of FIG. 1. Alternatively, the technical feature of the transmitting STA transmitting a control signal may be understood as a technical feature in which a control signal to be transmitted from the processing chip (114, 124) shown in side drawing (b) of FIG. 1 is generated to the transceiver (113, 123).

[0076] For example, the technical feature of the receiving STA receiving a control signal can be understood as the technical feature of the control signal being received by the transceiver (113, 123) shown in side view (a) of FIG. 1. Alternatively, the technical feature of the receiving STA receiving a control signal can be understood as the technical feature of the control signal received by the transceiver (113, 123) shown in side view (a) of FIG. 1 being acquired by the processor (111, 121) shown in side view (a) of FIG. 1. Alternatively, the technical feature of the receiving STA receiving a control signal can be understood as the technical feature of the control signal received by the transceiver (113, 123) shown in side view (b) of FIG. 1 being acquired by the processing chip (114, 124) shown in side view (b) of FIG. 1.

[0077] Referring to side view (b) of FIG. 1, software code (115, 125) may be included in 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.

[0078] The processor (111, 121) or processing chip (114, 124) illustrated in FIG. 1 may include an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), other chipsets, logic circuits, and / or data processing devices. 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 a processor enhanced therefrom.

[0079] In this specification, an uplink may refer to a link for communication from a non-AP STA to an AP STA, and uplink PPDUs / packets / signals, etc. may be transmitted through the uplink. Additionally, in this specification, a downlink may refer to a link for communication from an AP STA to a non-AP STA, and downlink PPDUs / packets / signals, etc. may be transmitted through the downlink.

[0080] Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the structure of a wireless LAN (WLAN).

[0081] The top of Figure 2 shows the structure of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) 802.11 infrastructure BSS (basic service set).

[0082] The top of Figure 2 shows the structure of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) 802.11 infrastructure BSS (basic service set).

[0083] Referring to the top of FIG. 2, the wireless LAN system may include one or more infrastructure BSSs (200, 205) (hereinafter BSS). The BSS (200, 205) is a set of APs and STAs, such as an AP (access point, 225) and STA1 (Station, 200-1), that can communicate with each other by successfully synchronizing, and is not a concept referring to a specific area. The BSS (205) may include one or more STAs (205-1, 205-2) that can be combined with one AP (230).

[0084] The BSS may include at least one STA, an AP (225, 230) that provides a distribution service, and a distribution system (DS, 210) that connects multiple APs.

[0085] A distributed system (210) can implement an extended service set (ESS, 240) by connecting multiple BSSs (200, 205). The term ESS (240) may be used to refer to a network formed by connecting one or more APs through the distributed system (210). APs included in a single ESS (240) may have the same service set identification (SSID).

[0086] The portal (portal, 220) can act as a bridge to connect a wireless LAN network (IEEE 802.11) with another network (e.g., 802.X).

[0087] In a BSS like the one at the top 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 between STAs and perform communication without APs (225, 230). A network that establishes a network between STAs and performs communication without APs (225, 230) is defined as an ad-hoc network or an independent basic service set (IBSS).

[0088] The bottom of Fig. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing IBSS.

[0089] 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 performs management functions centrally. 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 since access to the distributed system is not allowed, they form a self-contained network.

[0090] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a general link setup process.

[0091] In the described S310 step, the STA can perform a network discovery operation. The network discovery operation may include the STA's scanning operation. That is, in order for the STA to access a network, it must find a network it can join. Before joining a wireless network, the STA must identify a compatible network, and the process of identifying networks existing in a specific area is called scanning. Scanning methods include active scanning and passive scanning.

[0092] Figure 3 illustrates a network discovery operation that includes an active scanning process as an example. In active scanning, the STA performing the scanning moves between channels and transmits a probe request frame to search for nearby APs, and waits for a response. The responder transmits a probe response frame as a response to the probe request frame to the STA that transmitted the probe request frame. Here, the responder may be the STA that last transmitted a beacon frame from the BSS of the channel being scanned. In a BSS, the AP becomes the responder because it transmits the beacon frame, whereas in an IBSS, the responder is not constant because STAs within the IBSS take turns transmitting the beacon frame. 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 in the same way (i.e., transmit and receive probe request / response on channel 2).

[0093] Although not shown in the example of Fig. 3, scanning operations may also be performed using a passive scanning method. An STA performing scanning based on passive scanning can wait for a beacon frame while switching between channels. A beacon frame is one of the management frames in IEEE 802.11, which announces the presence of a wireless network and is periodically transmitted to allow a scanning STA to find the wireless network and join it. In a BSS, the AP performs the role of periodically transmitting beacon frames, while in an IBSS, STAs within the IBSS take turns transmitting beacon frames. When a scanning STA receives a beacon frame, it stores the information about the BSS included in the beacon frame and records the beacon frame information in each channel while moving to another channel. An STA that has received a beacon frame can store the BSS-related information included in the received beacon frame, move to the next channel, and perform scanning in the next channel in the same manner.

[0094] The STA that discovered the 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 later. The authentication process of S320 may include the STA sending an authentication request frame to the AP, and the AP sending an authentication response frame to the STA in response. The authentication frame used in the authentication request / response corresponds to a management frame.

[0095] The authentication frame may include information regarding the authentication algorithm number, authentication transaction sequence number, status code, challenge text, RSN (Robust Security Network), Finite Cyclic Group, etc.

[0096] The STA can send an authentication request frame to the AP. Based on the information contained in the received authentication request frame, the AP can determine whether to allow authentication for the STA. The AP can provide the result of the authentication process to the STA through an authentication response frame.

[0097] A successfully authenticated STA may perform an association process based on step S330. The association process includes the STA sending an association request frame to the AP, and in response, the AP sending an association response frame to the STA. For example, the association request frame may include information regarding various capabilities, beacon listen interval, service set identifier (SSID), supported rates, supported channels, RSN, mobility domain, supported operating classes, Traffic Indication Map Broadcast request, interworking service capabilities, etc. For example, a connection response frame may include information related to various capabilities, status code, AID (Association ID), support rate, EDCA (Enhanced Distributed Channel Access) parameter set, RCPI (Received Channel Power Indicator), RSNI (Received Signal to Noise Indicator), mobility domain, timeout interval (association comeback time), overlapping BSS scan parameters, TIM broadcast response, QoS map, etc.

[0098] Subsequently, 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 4-way handshake via an EAPOL (Extensible Authentication Protocol over LAN) frame.

[0099] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a multi-link (ML).

[0100] As illustrated in FIG. 4, multiple multi-link devices (MLDs) can communicate through a multi-link. The MLDs can be classified into an AP MLD containing multiple AP STAs and a non-AP MLD containing multiple non-AP STAs. That is, the AP MLD may include affiliated APs (i.e., AP STAs), and the non-AP MLD may include affiliated STAs (i.e., non-AP STAs, or user-STAs).

[0101] A multilink may include a first link and a second link, and different channels / subchannels / frequency resources may be assigned to the first and second links. The first and second multilinks may be identified by 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 link may be configured in different bands.

[0102] The AP MLD of FIG. 4 includes three affiliated APs. In one 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 one 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. Additionally, in one 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. Additionally, in one 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.

[0103] In one example of FIG. 4, AP1 can initiate a multilink setup procedure (ML setup procedure) by transmitting an Association Request frame to non-AP STA1. In one example of FIG. 4, non-AP STA1 can transmit an Association Response frame in response to the Association Request frame. Each AP (e.g., AP1 / 2 / 3) shown in FIG. 4 may be the same as the AP shown in FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 2, and each non-AP (e.g., non-AP1 / 2 / 3) shown in FIG. 4 may be the same as the STA shown in FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 2 (i.e., user-STA or non-AP STA).

[0104] 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.

[0105] FIG. 5 illustrates a PPDU (physical protocol data unit or physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit) transmitted / received in an STA of the present specification.

[0106] The STAs of this specification (e.g., AP STA, non-AP STA, AP MLD, non-AP MLD) can transmit and / or receive the PPDU of FIG. 5. The PPDU described in this specification may have the structure of FIG. 5, for example. Additionally, the PPDU described in this specification, the Ultra High Reliability (UHR) PPDU, may be referred to by various names such as transmit PPDU, receive PPDU, first type or N type PPDU. The PPDU described in this specification may be used in WLAN systems defined according to IEEE 802.11bn and / or next-generation WLAN systems that improve upon IEEE 802.11bn.

[0107] 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 SU (single-user) mode / type / transmission, MU (multi-user) mode / type / transmission, and NDP (null data packet) mode / type / transmission related to channel sounding. For example, if the example of FIG. 5 is related to NDP, the illustrated Data field may be omitted. If the PPDU of FIG. 5 is used for TB (Trigger-based) mode, the UHR-SIG of FIG. 5 may be omitted. In other words, an STA that receives a Trigger frame for UL-MU (Uplink-MU) communication may transmit a PPDU in which the UHR-SIG is omitted in the example of FIG. 5.

[0108] In FIG. 5, L-STF to UHR-LTF can be called a preamble or physical preamble and can be generated / transmitted / received / acquired / decoded at the physical layer (included in the transmitting / receiving STA).

[0109] Each block illustrated in FIG. 5 may be referred to as a field / subfield / signal, etc. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the names of these fields / subfields / signals may be 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.

[0110] The subcarrier spacing of the L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, U-SIG, and UHR-SIG fields in Fig. 5 can be set to 312.5 kHz, and the subcarrier spacing of the UHR-STF, UHR-LTF, and Data fields can 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 can be displayed in units of 312.5 kHz, and the tone index (or subcarrier index) of the UHR-STF, UHR-LTF, and Data fields can be displayed in units of 78.125 kHz.

[0111] The PPDU of Fig. 5, L-LTF and L-STF, may be the same as conventional fields (e.g., non-HT LTF and non-HT STF defined in conventional WLAN standards).

[0112] The L-SIG field of FIG. 5 may contain, 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 contain information regarding 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 a UHR PPDU, the value of the Length field may be determined as a multiple of 3. For example, if the PPDU is an 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, or 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 a UHR PPDU is set to a value satisfying the condition that the remainder is zero when LENGTH is divided by 3.

[0113] For example, a (non-AP and AP) STA can apply BCC encoding based on a code rate of 1 / 2 to 24 bits of information in the L-SIG field. Subsequently, the transmitting STA can obtain 48 bits of BCC encoding. BPSK modulation can be applied to the 48 bits of encoding to generate 48 BPSK symbols. The transmitting STA can map the 48 BPSK symbols to positions excluding the pilot subcarrier {subcarrier indices -21, -7, +7, +21} and the DC subcarrier {subcarrier index 0}. Consequently, 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 of {-1, -1, -1, 1} to the subcarrier index {-28, -27, +27, +28}. The above signal can be used for channel estimation for the frequency domain corresponding to {-28, -27, +27, +28}.

[0114] For example, the (non-AP and AP) STA can generate an RL-SIG that is identical to the L-SIG. BPSK modulation may be applied to the RL-SIG. The receiving (non-AP and AP) STA can determine that the received PPDU is a HE PPDU, EHT PPDU, or UHR PPDU based on the presence of the RL-SIG. In other words, the receiving (non-AP and AP) STA can determine that the received PPDU is one of the HE PPDU, EHT PPDU, or UHR PPDU if the RL-SIG is present. In other words, the receiving (non-AP and AP) STA can determine that the received PPDU is one of the non-HT PPDU, HT PPDU, or VHT PPDU if the RL-SIG is not present. 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.

[0115] After the RL-SIG in Fig. 5, a U-SIG (Universal SIG) may be inserted. The U-SIG may be referred to by various names such as the first SIG field, first SIG, first type SIG, control signal, control signal field, first (type) control signal, common control field, and common control signal.

[0116] U-SIG may contain N bits of information and may contain information to identify the type of EHT PPDU. For example, U-SIG may be constructed based on two symbols (e.g., two consecutive OFDM symbols). Each symbol for U-SIG (e.g., OFDM symbol) may have a duration of 4 us. Each symbol of U-SIG may be used to transmit 26 bits of information. For example, each symbol of U-SIG may be transmitted and received based on 52 data tones and 4 pilot tones.

[0117] For example, A bit information (e.g., 52 un-coded bits) can be transmitted through U-SIG, and the first symbol of U-SIG can transmit the first X bit information (e.g., 26 un-coded bits) of the total A bit information, and the second symbol of U-SIG can transmit the remaining Y bit information (e.g., 26 un-coded bits) of the total A bit information. For example, the transmitting STA can obtain the 26 un-coded bits included in each U-SIG symbol. The transmitting STA can generate 52-coded bits by performing convolutional encoding (i.e., BCC encoding) based on a rate of R=1 / 2 and can perform interleaving on the 52-coded bits. The transmitting STA can generate 52 BPSK symbols assigned to each U-SIG symbol by performing BPSK modulation on the interleaved 52-coded bits. 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. 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.

[0118] For example, A bit information (e.g., 52 un-coded bits) transmitted by U-SIG may include a CRC field (e.g., a field of 4 bits) and a tail field (e.g., a field of 6 bits). The CRC field and the tail field may be transmitted through a second symbol of U-SIG. The CRC field may be generated based on 26 bits assigned to the first symbol of U-SIG and the remaining 16 bits within the second symbol excluding the CRC / tail field, and may be generated based on a conventional CRC calculation algorithm. Additionally, the tail field may be used to terminate the trellis of a convolutional decoder and may be set, for example, to "000000".

[0119] A bit information (e.g., 52 un-coded bits) transmitted by 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 may be assigned only to the first symbol of U-SIG, or the version-independent bits may be assigned to both the first and second symbols of U-SIG. For example, the version-independent bits and the version-dependent bits may be referred to by various names, such as the first control bit and the second control bit.

[0120] For example, the version-independent bits of 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 of the 3-bit PHY version identifier (e.g., a value of 000) may indicate that the transmitted and received PPDU is an EHT PPDU. Additionally, a second value of the 3-bit PHY version identifier (e.g., a value of 001) may indicate that the transmitted and received PPDU is a UHR PPDU.

[0121] In other words, when an (AP / non-AP) STA transmits an EHT PPDU, it can set a 3-bit PHY version identifier to a first value. In other words, a 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 a UHR PPDU based on the PHY version identifier having the second value.

[0122] 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 is related to UL communication, and the second value of the UL / DL flag field is related to DL communication.

[0123] For example, the version-independent bits of U-SIG may include information regarding the length of the TXOP (transmission opportunity) and information regarding the BSS color ID.

[0124] For example, if the UHR PPDU is classified into various types (e.g., type related to SU transmission (performed based on UL or DL), type related to DL transmission, type related to NDP transmission, type related to DL non-MU-MIMO, type related to DL MU-MIMO, type related to Multi-AP operation, type related to CBF (Coordinated beamforming) and SR (Spatial Reuse), type related to C-OFDMA (Coordinated OFDMA), type related to C-TDMA (Coordinated TDMA)), information regarding the type of the EHT PPDU (e.g., 2-bit or 3-bit information) may be included in the version-dependent bits of the U-SIG.

[0125] For example, U-SIG may include: 1) a bandwidth field containing information regarding bandwidth; 2) a field containing information regarding the MCS technique applied to UHR-SIG; 3) an indication field containing information regarding whether the dual subcarrier modulation (DCM) technique is applied to UHR-SIG; 4) a field containing information regarding the number of symbols used for UHR-SIG; 5) a field containing information regarding whether UHR-SIG is generated across the entire band; 6) a field containing information regarding the type of UHR-LTF / STF; and 7) information regarding a field indicating the length of UHR-LTF and CP length.

[0126] Preamble puncturing may be applied to the PPDU of Fig. 5. Preamble puncturing means applying puncturing to a portion of the total band of the PPDU (e.g., a 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.

[0127] For example, the pattern of preamble puncturing can be pre-set. For example, when a first puncturing pattern is applied, puncturing may be applied only to a secondary 20 MHz band within an 80 MHz band. For example, when a second puncturing pattern is applied, puncturing may be applied only to one of two secondary 20 MHz bands included in a secondary 40 MHz band within an 80 MHz band. For example, when a third puncturing pattern is applied, puncturing may be applied only to a secondary 20 MHz band included in a primary 80 MHz band within a 160 MHz band (or 80+80 MHz band). For example, when the fourth puncturing pattern is applied, within the 160 MHz band (or 80+80 MHz band), the primary 40 MHz band included in the primary 80 MHz band is present, and puncturing may be applied to at least one 20 MHz channel that does not belong to the primary 40 MHz band.

[0128] 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.

[0129] 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 configured individually in 80 MHz units. 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 regarding a 160 MHz bandwidth, and the second field of the second U-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing applied to the second 80 MHz band (i.e., information regarding a preamble puncturing pattern). Meanwhile, the UHR-SIG following the first U-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing applied to the second 80 MHz band (i.e., information regarding a preamble puncturing pattern), and the UHR-SIG following the second U-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing applied to the first 80 MHz band (i.e., information regarding a preamble puncturing pattern).

[0130] Additionally or generally, U-SIG and UHR-SIG may include information regarding preamble puncturing based on the following method. 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).

[0131] 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 may contain different U-SIGs.

[0132] The UHR-SIG of FIG. 5 may include control information for a receiving STA. The UHR-SIG may be transmitted through at least one symbol, and one 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.

[0133] UHR-SIG provides additional signals to the U-SIG field, enabling the STA to interpret / decode the UHR PPDU. The UHR-SIG field may include U-SIG overflow bits that apply commonly to all users. Additionally, the UHR-SIG field contains resource allocation information, making it possible for the STA to look up resources used in fields containing data fields / UHR-STF / UHR-LTF (i.e., UHR modulated fields of an UHR PPDU).

[0134] The frequency resources of the UHR-LTF, UHR-STF, and data fields illustrated in FIG. 5 can be determined based on a RU (resource unit) defined by a plurality of subcarriers / tones. That is, the UHR-LTF, UHR-STF, and data fields of this specification can be transmitted / received through a RU (resource unit) defined by a plurality of subcarriers / tones.

[0135] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the arrangement of resource units (RUs) used for a 20 MHz PPDU. That is, 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.

[0136] As shown at the top of FIG. 6, 26 units (i.e., units corresponding to 26 tones) may be arranged. Six tones may be used as a guard band in the leftmost band of the 20 MHz band, and five tones may be used as a guard band in the rightmost band of the 20 MHz band. Additionally, seven DC tones are inserted in the center band, i.e., the DC band, and 26 units corresponding to 13 tones may exist on the left and right sides of the DC band. Furthermore, 26 units, 52 units, and 106 units may be allocated to other bands. Each unit may be allocated for a receiving station, i.e., a user.

[0137] Meanwhile, the RU arrangement of Fig. 6 is utilized not only for situations involving multiple users (MU) but also for situations involving a single user (SU), in which case it is possible to use one 242-unit as shown at the bottom of Fig. 4, and in this case, three DC tones can be inserted.

[0138] In the example of FIG. 6, various sizes of RUs, namely 26-RU, 52-RU, 106-RU, 242-RU, etc., are proposed. Since the specific size 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 indicated as N-tone RU, etc. For example, 26-RU may be indicated as 26-tone RU.

[0139] Figure 7 is a diagram showing the arrangement of resource units (RU) used for a 40 MHz PPDU.

[0140] Just as various sizes of RUs were used in the example of FIG. 6, 26-RU, 52-RU, 106-RU, 242-RU, 484-RU, etc., may also be used in the example of FIG. 7. Additionally, 5 DC tones may be inserted at the center frequency, 12 tones may be used as guard bands in the leftmost band of the 40 MHz band, and 11 tones may be used as guard bands in the rightmost band of the 40 MHz band.

[0141] In addition, as described, 484-RU 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.

[0142] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the arrangement of resource units (RUs) used for an 80 MHz PPDU. The arrangement of resource units (RUs) used in this specification may be varied. For example, the arrangement of resource units (RUs) used in the 80 MHz band may be varied.

[0143] FIG. 9 illustrates the operation according to UL-MU. As illustrated, a transmitting STA (e.g., AP) can establish a channel connection through contending (i.e., Backoff operation) and transmit a Trigger frame (930). That is, the transmitting STA (e.g., AP) can transmit a PPDU containing the Trigger frame (930). When the PPDU containing the Trigger frame is received, a TB (trigger-based) PPDU is transmitted after a delay of SIFS.

[0144] TB PPDUs (941, 942) may be transmitted at the same time and may be transmitted from multiple STAs (e.g., User STAs) with AIDs indicated within the Trigger frame (930). The ACK frame (950) for the TB PPDU may be implemented in various forms.

[0145] Figure 10 shows an example of a channel used / supported / defined within the 2.4 GHz band.

[0146] The 2.4 GHz band may be referred to by other names, such as the first band (band). Additionally, 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 located between 2.4 and 2.5 GHz) are used / supported / defined.

[0147] The 2.4 GHz band may include multiple 20 MHz channels. The 20 MHz channels 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 to channel index 1 may be 2.412 GHz, the center frequency of a 20 MHz channel assigned to channel index 2 may be 2.417 GHz, and the center frequency of a 20 MHz channel assigned to channel index N may be (2.407 + 0.005*N) GHz. Channel indices may be referred to by various names, such as channel numbers. The specific numerical values ​​of channel indices and center frequencies may change.

[0148] FIG. 10 illustrates four channels within a 2.4 GHz band as an example. The illustrated first frequency range (1010) to fourth frequency range (1040) may each include one channel. For example, the first frequency range (1010) may include channel 1 (a 20 MHz channel having index 1). In this case, the center frequency of channel 1 may be set to 2412 MHz. The second frequency range (1020) may include channel 6. In this case, the center frequency of channel 6 may be set to 2437 MHz. The third frequency range (1030) may include channel 11. In this case, the center frequency of channel 11 may be set to 2462 MHz. The fourth frequency range (1040) may include channel 14. In this case, the center frequency of channel 14 may be set to 2484 MHz.

[0149] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a channel used / supported / defined within the 5 GHz band.

[0150] The 5 GHz band may be referred to by other names such as the second band / band. The 5 GHz band may refer to a frequency range in which channels with a center frequency of 5 GHz or higher 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 may be changed.

[0151] Multiple channels within the 5 GHz band include UNII (Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure)-1, UNII-2, UNII-3, and ISM. UNII-1 may be referred to as UNII Low. UNII-2 may include frequency regions referred to as UNII Mid and UNII-2 Extended. UNII-3 may be referred to as UNII-Upper.

[0152] Multiple channels may be configured within the 5 GHz band, and the bandwidth of each channel may be varied, such as 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or 160 MHz. For example, the 5170 MHz to 5330 MHz frequency range within UNII-1 and UNII-2 may be divided into eight 20 MHz channels. The 5170 MHz to 5330 MHz frequency range may be divided into four channels through a 40 MHz frequency range. The 5170 MHz to 5330 MHz frequency range may be divided into two channels through an 80 MHz frequency range. Alternatively, the 5170 MHz to 5330 MHz frequency range may be divided into one channel through a 160 MHz frequency range.

[0153] FIG. 12 illustrates an example of a channel used / supported / defined within the 6 GHz band.

[0154] The 6 GHz band may be referred to by other names such as the third band / band. The 6 GHz band may refer to a frequency range in which channels with a center frequency of 5.9 GHz or higher are used / supported / defined. The specific figures shown in FIG. 12 are subject to change.

[0155] For example, the 20 MHz channel of FIG. 12 can be defined starting from 5.940 GHz. Specifically, the leftmost channel among the 20 MHz channels of FIG. 12 may have index 1 (or channel index, channel number, etc.), and the center frequency may be assigned as 5.945 GHz. That is, the center frequency of the index N channel may be determined as (5.940 + 0.005*N) GHz.

[0156] Accordingly, the indices (or channel numbers) of the 20 MHz channel in 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, 197, It may be 201, 205, 209, 213, 217, 221, 225, 229, 233. Also, according to the (5.940 + 0.005*N) GHz rule described above, the index of the 40 MHz channel of FIG. 12 may 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.

[0157] The structure and types / subtypes of MAC frames are described below.

[0158] FIG. 13 shows an example of a MAC frame header. As illustrated, the MAC frame may include a frame control field / information of 2 octets, a duration field / information of 2 octets, a Receiver Address (RA) field / information of 6 octets, and a Transmitter Address (TA) field / information of 6 octets. As illustrated in FIG. 13, the four fields may be consecutive. 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.

[0159] The MAC header shown in FIG. 13 may be located at the very beginning of the MAC frame. That is, the MAC frame may include a MAC header such as that in FIG. 13 and a MAC body field / information following the MAC header. The MAC frame containing the MAC header of FIG. 13 is inserted / included in the data field of the PPDU (e.g., UHR PPDU) shown in FIG. 5.

[0160] MAC frames included in the data fields of the PPDU of this specification may be classified into various types. For example, MAC frames of this specification may be classified into control frames, management frames, and data frames.

[0161] For example, a 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 WLANs. For the management frame, the values ​​of the type fields (B3 and B2) in FIG. 13 are set to 00. Additionally, 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).

[0162] For example, the control frame includes the 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 WLANs. For the control frame, the values ​​of the type fields (B3 and B2) in FIG. 13 are 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).

[0163] For example, the data frame includes (QoS) Data, (QoS) Null, etc., defined in conventional WLANs. For the management frame, the value of the type field (B3 and B2) in FIG. 13 is set to 10.

[0164] MAC frames / signals used in this specification can be identified through the type field / information and subtype field / information described above. For example, "frame" in this specification may refer to a MAC frame in which the type bits B3 and B2 within the frame control field of the MAC header are set to 01, and the subtype bits B7, B6, B5, and B4 within 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 PPDU).

[0165] FIG. 14 shows a modified example of a transmitting device and / or receiving device of the present specification.

[0166] The device illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 (e.g., AP STA, non-AP STA) can be modified as in FIG. 14. The transceiver (1430) of FIG. 14 may be identical to the transceiver (113, 123) of FIG. 1. The transceiver (1430) of FIG. 14 may include a receiver and a transmitter.

[0167] The processor (1410) of FIG. 14 may be the same as the processor (111, 121) of FIG. 1. Or, the processor (1410) of FIG. 14 may be the same as the processing chip (114, 124) of FIG. 1.

[0168] The memory (1420) of FIG. 14 may be the same as the memory (112, 122) of FIG. 1. Alternatively, the memory (1420) of FIG. 14 may be a separate external memory different from the memory (112, 122) of FIG. 1.

[0169] Referring to FIG. 14, a power management module (1411) manages power for a processor (1410) and / or a transceiver (1430). A battery (1412) supplies power to the power management module (1411). A display (1413) outputs results processed by the processor (1410). A keypad (1414) receives input to be used by the processor (1410). The keypad (1414) may be displayed on the display (1413). A SIM card (1415) may be an integrated circuit used to securely store an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) and associated keys used to identify and authenticate a subscriber in a mobile device such as a mobile phone and a computer.

[0170] Referring to FIG. 14, the speaker (1440) can output sound-related results processed by the processor (1410). The microphone (1441) can receive sound-related inputs to be used by the processor (1410).

[0171] The technical features related to ELR (Enhanced Long Range) PPDU are explained below.

[0172] FIG. 15 illustrates an example of an ELR PPDU of the present specification. For example, FIG. 15 illustrates an example of an ELR PPDU. As illustrated, the ELR PPDU may include L-STF (1505), L-LTF (1510), L-SIG (1515), RL-SIG (1520), U-SIG (1525), ELR-MARK (1530), UHR-STF (1535), UHR-LTF (1540), ELR-SIG (1545), and Data (1550). For example, some fields of FIG. 15 may be omitted. For example, some fields of FIG. 15 may be changed in order. Each field disclosed in FIG. 15 may be referred to by various names such as signal / bit.

[0173] For example, the value of the number of spatial streams (e.g., Nss) for an ELR PPDU may be limited to 1. Additionally or generally, for example, an ELR PPDU has a fixed bandwidth of 20 MHz and can be used for both downlink and uplink in 2.4 GHz band operation, but only for uplink in 5 GHz and 6 GHz band operation. In other words, an ELR PPDU may consist only of 20 MHz and may not have bandwidths such as 40 / 80 / 160 / 320 MHz.

[0174] For example, the above L-SIG (1515) and / or RL-SIG (1520) may be identical to the L-SIG and RL-SIG described in FIG. 5. For example, the technical features of the L-SIG and RL-SIG described with respect to FIG. 5 may be equally applicable to the above L-SIG (1515) and / or RL-SIG (1520).

[0175] For example, the ELR-MARK (1530) of FIG. 15 may be composed of two OFDM symbols. The ELR-MARK (1530) may include information regarding an identifier (e.g., BSS_COLOR) indicating the BSS color to which the STA transmitting the corresponding PPDU belongs.

[0176] For example, the ELR-MARK field may include an identifier related to a BSS (basic service set) color. For example, the ELR-MARK field may include one of 64 orthogonal sequences corresponding to the BSS color. Alternatively, the ELR-MARK field may indicate a BSS color ID for the intended STA of the ELR PPDU. Alternatively, the ELR-MARK field may include an orthogonal sequence corresponding to the BSS color ID for the intended STA of the ELR PPDU. The orthogonal sequence may be set differently depending on the value of the BSS color ID. For example, in this specification, the ELR-MARK field may be referred to by various expressions such as ELR MARK, ELR MARK symbol, ELR MARK signal, etc.

[0177] For example, an example of this specification may relate to improvements to at least one of the fields of FIG. 15: U-SIG (1525), UHR-LTF (1540), ELR-SIG (1545), and Data (1550). Accordingly, further description of the remaining fields / signals, excluding the four fields / signals (1525, 1540, 1545, 1550), may be omitted below.

[0178] For example, the U-SIG (1525) may have the following features. For example, the U-SIG (1525) of this specification may be composed of a signal / field for an ELR PPDU. For example, a PPDU that is not an ELR PPDU (e.g., UHR MU PPDU or UHR TB PPDU) may also include the U-SIG, but the contents of the U-SIG (1525) of this specification may include different contents.

[0179] For example, the U-SIG (1525) of this specification has a length of 2 symbols, and each symbol may be represented as U-SIG-1 and U-SIG-2. For example, bits B0 to B2 of U-SIG-1 may have various names such as the first information or PHY Version Identifier described above, and may include a value (e.g., a value of 1) that identifies that the PHY version of the PPDU is UHR. For example, the positions of bits B0 to B2 may be changed.

[0180] Additionally or generally, bits B3 through B5 of U-SIG-1 may have various names such as the second information or BW information, and may include information regarding the bandwidth of the ELR PPDU. For example, bits B3 through B5 of U-SIG-1 may have only a value of 0. This is because it is desirable for the bandwidth of the ELR PPDU to be fixed at 20 MHz. For example, the positions of bits B3 through B5 may be changed.

[0181] Additionally or generally, the B6 bit of U-SIG-1 may contain information regarding whether the PPDU is transmitted to UL or DL. For example, the position of the B6 bit may be changed.

[0182] Additionally or generally, bits B7 through B12 of U-SIG-1 may represent the ID of the Basic Service Set (BSS). For example, bits B7 through B12 may include ID information (or BSS color information) of the BSS to which the STA transmitting / receiving the PPDU belongs. For example, the positions of bits B7 through B12 may be changed.

[0183] Additionally or generally, bits B13 through B19 of U-SIG-1 may contain information related to the duration of a TXOP (transmission opportunity). For example, the positions of bits B13 through B19 may be changed.

[0184] Additionally or generally, bits B20 through B24 of U-SIG-1 may all be set to 1, and the bits may be called disregard. For example, the positions of bits B20 through B24 may be changed.

[0185] Additionally or generally, the B25 bit of U-SIG-1 may be set to 1, and the bit may be called Validate. For example, the position of the B25 bit may be changed.

[0186] Additionally or generally, bits B0 to B1 of U-SIG-2 may have various names such as the third information or PPDU Type and Compression Mode. Bits B0 to B1 may always have a value of 3 regardless of whether the associated PPDU is a DL PPDU or a UL PPDU, thereby indicating / identifying that the PPDU is an ELR PPDU. For example, the positions of bits B0 to B1 may be changed.

[0187] Additionally or generally, bits B2 through B12 of U-SIG-2 may be composed of a STA ID. For example, bits B2 through B12 may be composed of some 11 bits (e.g., LSB 11 bits or MSB 11 bits) of the Association ID (AID) of the STA transmitting the PPDU. For example, the positions of bits B2 through B12 may be changed.

[0188] Additionally or generally, bits B13 through B15 of U-SIG-2 may be configured as ELR validate. These three bits may be used to identify the ELR PPDU, and these three bits may all be set to 1 (i.e., these three bits have a value of 7). For example, the positions of bits B13 through B15 may be changed.

[0189] Additionally or generally, bits B16 through B19 of U-SIG-2 may be composed of a CRC.

[0190] Additionally or generally, bits B20 through B25 of U-SIG-2 may be configured as a tail, so that all bits are zero.

[0191] For example, the UHR-LTF (1540) may have the following features. The UHR-LTF (1540) may be divided into a signal for ELR communication and a signal for non-ELR communication.

[0192] For example, the UHR-LTF (1540) may be constructed based on a sequence in which the first LTF sequence is duplicated four times in the frequency domain in 52-tone RU units. For example, the first LTF sequence may have a length of 52. For example, the non-zero elements of the first LTF sequence may be 52 in total. Additionally, or generally, the UHR-LTF for the ELR communication may be constructed based on a 2x LTF sequence. The 2x LTF sequence may be defined in the range from index -122 to index +122.

[0193] For example, the ELR-SIG (1545) may have the following features. For example, the ELR-SIG (1545) of this specification may have two parts. Each part may be denoted as ELR-SIG-1 and ELR-SIG-2. For example, the B0 bit of ELR-SIG-1 may contain the first ER / ELR-SIG information or ELR Version Identifier described above. For example, the B0 bit of ELR-SIG-1 may contain information for identifying the ELR version, and the ELR Version Identifier included in the ELR PPDU having the technical features described in this specification may have a value of 0. For example, the position of the B0 bit may be changed.

[0194] Additionally or generally, the B1 bit of ELR-SIG-1 may contain a UL / DL field. For example, the bit may contain information regarding whether the ELR PPDU is transmitted as UL / DL. For example, the position of B1 may be changed.

[0195] Additionally or generally, the B2 bit of ELR-SIG-1 may contain an MCS field. For example, the bit may contain information related to MCS information applied to the data field of the ELR PPDU. For example, if the bit is set to a first value (e.g., 0), the bit may indicate that BPSK with a coding rate of 1 / 2 is applied to the data field of the ELR PPDU. For example, if the bit is set to a second value (e.g., 1), the bit may indicate that QPSK with a coding rate of 1 / 2 is applied to the data field of the ELR PPDU. For example, the position of B2 may be changed.

[0196] Additionally or generally, the B3 bit of ELR-SIG-1 may contain a coding (type) field. For example, the bit may contain information related to coding (type) information applied to the data field of the ELR PPDU. For example, if the bit is set to a first value (e.g., 0), the bit may indicate that the BCC technique is applied to the data field of the ELR PPDU. For example, if the bit is set to a second value (e.g., 1), the bit may indicate that the LDPC technique (e.g., LDPC having a word length of 648, 1296, or 1944) is applied to the data field of the ELR PPDU.

[0197] Additionally or generally, bits B4 through B12 of ELR-SIG-1 may contain a length field. For example, the length field may have a length of 9 bits, and the specific bit position may change. For example, the field may contain information regarding the number of symbols in the data field included in the ELR PPDU.

[0198] Additionally or generally, the B13 bit of ELR-SIG-1 may contain information regarding the presence of LDPC extra (OFDM) symbols. For example, such information may include information regarding whether additional OFDM symbols are required for LDPC encoding of the PPDU.

[0199] Additionally or generally, bits B14 through B17 of ELR-SIG-1 may include CRC bits, and bits B18 through B23 of ELR-SIG-1 may include tail bits and have a value of 0.

[0200] Additionally or generally, bits B0 through B10 of ELR-SIG-2 may contain information regarding the STA-ID. For example, the bits may consist of some 11 bits (e.g., LSB 11 bits or MSB 11 bits) of the AID of the STA transmitting the ELR PPDU. For example, the position of the bits may change.

[0201] Additionally or generally, bits B1 through B13 of ELR-SIG-2 may contain disregard fields / information. Each bit of the corresponding 3-bit fields / information may be set to 1.

[0202] Additionally or generally, bits B14 through B17 of ELR-SIG-2 may include CRC bits, and bits B18 through B23 of ELR-SIG-1 may include tail bits and have a value of 0.

[0203] For example, the Data (1550) field may be referred to by various names such as ER / ELR-Data, payload, etc. The Data (1550) field and ELR-SIG (1545) of this specification may be transmitted through four duplicated 52-tone RUs as described below.

[0204] For example, ELR-SIG-1 and ELR-SIG-2 included in ELR-SIG (1545) may each contain information of 24 bits in length (e.g., un-coded bits of 24 bits). BCC encoding at a 1 / 2 code rate may be applied to this information of 24 bits in length (e.g., un-coded bits of 24 bits) to generate coded bits of 48 bits in length. BPSK modulation may be applied to the coded bits to generate 48 BPSK symbols corresponding to ELR-SIG-1 and ELR-SIG-2, respectively. Four pilots are added to these 48 BPSK symbols to generate data corresponding to a total of 52 subcarriers / tones, and this data is included in a 52-tone RU. These 52-tone RUs can be transmitted through 52-tone RUs that are duplicated / repeated four times in the frequency domain (or through four duplicated 52-tone RUs).

[0205] For example, the information contained in Data (1550) can be mapped to a 52-tone RU based on BPSK or QPSK modulation. The 52-tone RU can be transmitted through a 52-tone RU that is duplicated / repeated four times in the frequency domain (or through four duplicated 52-tone RUs).

[0206] The ELR PPDU described above can resolve the signal transmission and reception range difference caused by TX power imbalance between the AP and non-AP STA. When transmitting and receiving signals using such an ELR PPDU, it may be necessary to define procedures and methods for efficient detection and reception of the ELR PPDU.

[0207] Accordingly, the present specification proposes technical features of a method and apparatus for receiving an ELR PPDU.

[0208] In order to successfully receive, detect, interpret, and decode ELR PPDUs in STA, various technical features must be defined. As an example of these various technical features, technical features related to ELR capability are described below.

[0209] In a UHR system, whether transmission and / or reception of ELR PPDU is supported can be determined by the capability of the STA (e.g., AP and / or non-AP STA). For example, the AP and non-AP STA can mutually indicate whether transmission and / or reception of signals using ELR PPDU is supported through the UHR capability.

[0210] Specifically, information regarding whether ELR PPDU is supported or whether ELR transmission is supported can be indicated through the UHR PHY Capabilities Information field. For example, the UHR PHY Capabilities Information field may include an ELR support field or an ELR PPDU field. The names of these fields can be determined in various ways, and in addition to the ELR support field and ELR PPDU field, they may have various names such as an ELR transmission support field / bit / subfield and an ELR reception support field / bit / subfield.

[0211] For example, the above ELR-related field / bit / subfield may have various bit lengths. For example, the above ELR-related field / bit / subfield may have a length of 1 bit. For example, if the value of the corresponding 1 bit is set to a first value (e.g., 1), it may indicate ELR transmission support. For example, if the value of the corresponding 1 bit is set to a second value (e.g., 0), it may indicate that ELR transmission is not supported.

[0212] The technical features of this specification may relate to Spatial Reuse (SR) technology / operation / technique. The above-mentioned SR technology / operation / technique is described below.

[0213] In a wireless LAN system, the above-mentioned SR technology can be proposed to improve the efficiency of spatial frequency reuse by expanding simultaneous transmission opportunities between adjacent BSSs on the same channel. Generally, when a STA detects an Overlapping BSS (OBSS) or a signal from another BSS, it determines that the wireless channel is occupied based on physical carrier detection (e.g., CCA) and may suspend transmission from that STA. However, a STA operating based on the above-mentioned SR may consider the channel to be idle even if it detects an OBSS signal under specific conditions, provided that the OBSS signal is below a predetermined power threshold (e.g., OBSS_PD threshold). Through this, the STA can allow transmission without suspending it, thereby enabling spatial reuse.

[0214] Additionally, or generally, the above SR technology can maximize channel utilization efficiency in environments where interference is expected to be at an acceptable level (e.g., when sufficient distance is secured between adjacent BSSs, when path loss is large, or when transmission power is operated at a limited level). Through this, the above SR technology can improve the overall system throughput and improve frequency resource utilization in high-density deployment environments.

[0215] Additionally or generally, the ELR PPDU may be a data unit usable in a physical layer transmission scheme designed for long-distance transmission. For example, for the ELR PPDU, PHY parameters to ensure high reliability, such as a low MCS, repeated transmissions, and extended guard intervals, may be applied to maximize the link budget. The ELR PPDU may generally be transmitted in environments where the received signal strength is low and susceptible to interference.

[0216] The above SR technology may have a negative effect on the ELR PPDU. For example, if OBSS-based power sensing threshold relaxation (e.g., OBSS_PD based SR technique) is applied to the ELR PPDU, the transmission of other BSSs may be underestimated, and simultaneous transmission may occur within the Serving BSS and OBSS. In this case, there is a possibility that reception reliability in long-distance or low-signal environments may be significantly reduced. Additionally, in this case, the coverage benefits and stability of the ELR link may be compromised.

[0217] Accordingly, when SR technology related to the ELR PPDU is restricted or disabled based on various conditions proposed in this specification, the reception reliability and link stability required for long-distance transmission can be prioritized. This technical feature of this specification can be distinguished from potential throughput increases resulting from space reuse. For example, this technical feature of this specification may be a technical feature that prioritizes securing extended coverage and communication reliability.

[0218] Technical features related to the indication of whether the transmission and / or reception of ELR PPDU is supported may be described below.

[0219] In the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) 802.11bn system, various examples of Enhanced Long Range (ELR) PPDU (Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit) can be proposed to resolve power imbalance between access points (AP) and non-access point stations (STA) and to extend the supported range.

[0220] Specifically, in the above 802.11bn system or UHR (Ultra High Reliability) system, whether transmission and / or reception (e.g., transmission and / or reception) of an ELR PPDU is supported may be determined based on the capability of a STA (e.g., AP and / or non-AP STA). Specifically, whether transmission and / or reception (e.g., transmission and / or reception) of an ELR PPDU is supported may be indicated based on a field / information / field / subfield included in the UHR Capabilities element.

[0221] Figure 16 illustrates an example of the UHR Capabilities element format.

[0222] The Element ID field and Element ID Extension field of FIG. 16 can be used to identify the type of element. The Length field of FIG. 16 can indicate the number of octets within the corresponding element, excluding the Element ID field and the Length field. The octet represents 8 bits. As shown in FIG. 16, UHR PHY Capabilities Information (field format) and UHR MAC Capabilities Information (field format) can be defined. An example of FIG. 16 can be included in various management frames. For example, the management frame can be included in various frames transmitted by an STA (e.g., AP or non-AP STA), such as a beacon frame, an association request / response frame, or a probe request / response frame.

[0223] Figure 17 illustrates an example of the UHR PHY Capabilities Information field format.

[0224] The UHR PHY Capabilities Information field may be included in the UHR Capabilities element of FIG. 16. The ELR Rx Support field of FIG. 17 may indicate whether reception of an ELR PPDU is supported. For example, the ELR Rx Support field may consist of 1 bit. For example, the ELR Rx Support field may be located at bit B6 as shown in FIG. 17. For example, a first value (e.g., 1) of the ELR Rx Support field may indicate that reception of the ELR PPDU is supported. For example, a second value (e.g., 0) of the ELR Rx Support field may indicate that reception of the ELR PPDU is not supported. The ELR Tx Support field of FIG. 17 may indicate whether transmission of an ELR PPDU is supported. For example, the ELR Tx Support field may be located at bit B7 as shown in FIG. 17. For example, the ELR Tx Support field may consist of 1 bit. For example, a first value (e.g., 1) of the ELR Tx Support field may indicate that the ELR PPDU transmission is supported, and a second value (e.g., 0) of the ELR Tx Support field may indicate that the ELR PPDU transmission is not supported. For example, an AP and a non-AP STA may exchange the UHR PHY Capabilities Information field (or a management frame containing the field). Through this, one STA may inform the other STA whether it supports ELR transmission and reception (e.g., transmission and / or reception).

[0225] Additionally or generally, whether signal transmission and reception (e.g., transmission and / or reception) using the ELR PPDU is supported may be indicated through the UHR OM (Operating Mode) Control field. For example, the UHR OM control field may consist of 10 bits. For example, the UHR OM control field may consist of a 4-bit control ID field and a 6-bit information field. For example, the value of the control ID field may be set to one decimal value between 10 and 14.

[0226] For example, the above UHR OM control field may include an ELR Disable subfield. For example, the above ELR Disable subfield may consist of 1 bit. For example, a first value (e.g., 0) of the above ELR Disable subfield may indicate that support for ELR PPDU transmission and reception (transmission or reception) is possible, and a second value (e.g., 1) of the above ELR Disable subfield may indicate that support for ELR PPDU transmission and reception (e.g., transmission and / or reception) is not possible.

[0227] The above UHR OM control field may be included in the A-control field.

[0228] In this specification, a STA that supports the transmission and reception (transmission or reception) of an ELR PPDU may be referred to as an ELR STA or by various other terms. For example, various terms such as ELR-enabled STA, first / second STA, UHR STA, etc. may be used.

[0229] An example of an ELR PPDU being sent / received in response to a PPDU is described below.

[0230] For example, a second STA (e.g., ELR STA) that has received a PPDU (Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit) from a first STA (e.g., AP) may transmit a response frame for the received PPDU through the ELR PPDU. In other words, the response frame may be carried within the ELR PPDU. For example, the response frame may be various control frames or management frames. More specifically, the response frame may be an ACK (Acknowledgment) frame, a BA (Block ACK) frame, a CTS (Clear To Send) frame, or a Probe Response frame.

[0231] FIG. 18 illustrates the operation in which a response frame to a DL (Downlink) PPDU is transmitted through an ELR PPDU.

[0232] The present specification may propose a method for limiting spatial reuse (SR) for ELR PPDU transmission to reduce interference caused by signal transmission of a third STA (e.g., OBSS STA) when an ELR PPDU is used to carry a response frame to a PPDU (e.g., DL PPDU) as shown in FIG. 18.

[0233] Table 1 below shows the information indicated by the value of the Spatial Reuse field.

[0234] ValueMeaning0PSR_DISALLOW1-12Reserved13SR_RESTRICTED14SR_DELAYED15PSR_AND_NON_SRG_OBSS_PD_PROHIBITED

[0235] An example of a case where the SR field is set to disallow is described below.

[0236] For example, when an ELR PPDU is transmitted in response to a PPDU, the value of the Spatial Reuse (SR) field of the various signal fields included in the PPDU (e.g., DL PPDU) (e.g., SIG-A field or U-SIG (Universal Signal) field included in the UHR MU PPDU) can be set to a first value (e.g., 15). The name of the SR field can be changed in various ways, and various names such as first field / subfield / information may be used.

[0237] For example, if the value of the SR field is set to 15 as defined in Table 1 above, PSR_AND_NON_SRG_OBSS_PD_PROHIBITED may be indicated. Additionally or generally, the first STA (e.g., AP) may set the TXVECTOR parameter SPATIAL_REUSE to a value corresponding to PSR_AND_NON_SRG_OBSS_PD_PROHIBITED.

[0238] For example, if the most recent PPDU received by the first STA (e.g., AP) from the second STA (non-AP STA) is an ELR PPDU, the second STA (non-AP STA) may transmit an ELR PPDU as a response to the PPDU transmitted by the first STA (e.g., AP).

[0239] For example, in order to protect the response frame carried through the ELR PPDU transmitted by the second STA (e.g., non-AP STA) to the first STA (e.g., AP), the first STA (e.g., AP) may disallow SR (description / operation) when transmitting / receiving signals (and / or frames) with the second STA (e.g., non-AP). To this end, the first STA (e.g., AP) may set the TXVECTOR parameter SPATIAL_REUSE to a value corresponding to PSR_AND_NON_SRG_OBSS_PD_PROHIBITED, or set the value of the SR (Spatial Reuse) field of the signal field (e.g., SIG-A field or U-SIG field included in the UHR MU PPDU) included in the PPDU (e.g., DL PPDU) to a first value (e.g., 15).

[0240] In other words, the SR field of the PPDU (e.g., DL PPDU or UHR MU PPDU) transmitted by the first STA (e.g., AP) can be set to a first value (e.g., 15) corresponding to disallow. Accordingly, the SR operation of at least one third STA (e.g., OBSS STA) for the transmission of an ELR PPDU performed within a TXOP (transmission opportunity) set / acquired by the first STA (e.g., AP) can be restricted. As a result, it is possible to reduce interference with the ELR PPDU transmitted by the second STA (e.g., non-AP STA).

[0241] An example of the above SR field being set to SR Delayed is described below.

[0242] For example, when an ELR PPDU is transmitted in response to a PPDU (e.g., DL PPDU), the value of the SR (Spatial Reuse) field of the signal field (e.g., SIG-A field or U-SIG field included in the UHR MU PPDU) included in the (e.g., PPDU) may be set to a second value (e.g., 14). For example, if the value of the SR field is set to 14 as defined in Table 1 above, SR_DELAYED may be indicated. Additionally or generally, the first STA (e.g., AP) may set the TXVECTOR parameter SPATIAL_REUSE to a value corresponding to SR_DELAYED.

[0243] For example, if the most recent PPDU received by the first STA (e.g., AP) from the second STA (e.g., non-AP STA) is an ELR PPDU, the second STA (e.g., non-AP STA) may transmit an ELR PPDU as a response to the PPDU (e.g., DL PPDU) transmitted by the first STA (e.g., AP).

[0244] For example, in order to protect the response frame carried through the ELR PPDU transmitted by the second STA (e.g., non-AP STA) to the first STA (e.g., AP), the first STA (e.g., AP) may delay the SR (description / operation) when transmitting / receiving a signal (or frame) with the second STA (e.g., non-AP). To do this, the first STA (e.g., AP) may set the TXVECTOR parameter SPATIAL_REUSE to a value corresponding to SR_DELAYED, or set the value of the SR (Spatial Reuse) field of the signal field (e.g., SIG-A field or U-SIG field included in the UHR MU PPDU) included in the PPDU (e.g., DL PDU) to a second value (e.g., 14).

[0245] In other words, the SR field of the PPDU (e.g., DL PPDU or UHR MU PPDU) transmitted by the first STA (e.g., AP) may be set to a second value (e.g., 14) corresponding to DELAYED. When the value of the SR field is 14, the SR (description / operation) of the third STA (e.g., OBSS STA) may not be allowed until the time when the PPDU (e.g., DL PPDU or UHR MU PPDU) is transmitted. At this time, at least one third STA (e.g., OBSS STA) performs a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) again at the end of the PPDU transmitted by the first STA (e.g., AP), and the second STA (e.g., non-AP STA) may transmit an ELR PPDU after a Short Interframe Space (SIFS) following the transmission of the PPDU. Accordingly, the CCA value of at least one third STA (e.g., OBSS STA) may correspond to busy, and thereby the SR (technical / operation) of the third STA may be limited. As a result, a technical effect may occur in which interference with the ELR PPDU transmitted by the second STA (non-AP STA) is reduced.

[0246] An example of how SR (technique / operation) is limited in an ELR PPDU containing a response frame is described below.

[0247] Additionally or generally, an ELR PPDU transmitted in response to a PPDU transmitted by the first STA (e.g., AP) may include information indicating that an SR (technical / operation) is not allowed. For example, the information may be referred to by various names. For example, various terms such as SR disallow (bits / information / field) or SR prohibit (bits / information / field) may be used. For example, the information indicating SR disallow or SR prohibit may be defined as 1 bit. For example, the information indicating SR disallow or SR prohibit may be included in various signal fields (e.g., U-SIG (Universal-Signal) fields) of the ELR PPDU. For example, the information indicating SR disallow or SR prohibit may be defined by assigning one bit from B20 to B25 (e.g., the 21st to 26th bits) of the first part of the U-SIG field. For example, information indicating the above SR disallow or SR prohibit may exist when the PPDU is an ELR PPDU, where PHY identifier=1 and PPDU Type And Compression Mode=3. For example, when the above PPDU is an ELR PPDU, the first information (e.g., PHY identifier) ​​of 3 bits included in the U-SIG of the above PPDU may have a first value (e.g., 1), and the second information (e.g., PPDU Type And Compression Mode) included in the U-SIG of the above PPDU may have a second value (e.g., 3).

[0248] An example of a case where transmission is initiated by an ELR PPDU is described below.

[0249] Additionally or generally, when the starting PPDU of signal transmission and reception (transmission and / or reception) is an ELR (Enhanced Long Range) PPDU, a method for limiting the SR (Spatial Reuse) of a third STA (e.g., OBSS STA) for the transmission of said ELR PPDU may be proposed.

[0250] For example, an ELR PPDU used for transmitting and receiving signals (or frames) between STAs (e.g., between AP and non-AP STA) may include information indicating SR disallow or SR prohibit. The information indicating SR disallow or SR prohibit may consist of 1 bit. The information indicating SR disallow or SR prohibit may be included in the signal field (e.g., U-SIG (Universal-Signal) field) of the ELR PPDU. For example, the information indicating SR disallow or SR prohibit may exist when the PPDU is an ELR PPDU (e.g., when the value of the PHY identifier is 1 and the value of the PPDU Type And Compression Mode is 3 as described above). For example, information indicating the above SR disallow or SR prohibit can be defined by assigning one bit from B20 to B25 (e.g., the 21st to 26th bits) of the first part of the U-SIG field.

[0251] For example, the TXVECTOR parameter SPATIAL_REUSE or RXVECTOR parameter SPATIAL_REUSE of the ELR PPDU transmitted by the above non-AP STA or AP may be set to PSR_AND_NON_SRG_OBSS_PD_PROHIBITED.

[0252] FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a transmitting device according to the present embodiment.

[0253] An example of FIG. 19 can be performed on a transmitting STA or a transmitting device (AP and / or non-AP STA).

[0254] Some of the steps (or detailed sub-steps described later) of each example in FIG. 19 may be omitted or changed.

[0255] Through step S1910, a transmitting device (e.g., STA) can obtain information regarding the above-described Tone Plan. As described above, the information regarding the Tone Plan may include the size and location of the RU, control information related to the RU, information regarding the frequency band in which the RU is included, and / or information regarding the STA receiving the RU.

[0256] Through step S1920, the transmitting device can construct / generate a PPDU based on acquired control information. The step of constructing / generating the PPDU may include the step of constructing / generating each field of the PPDU. For example, step S1820 includes the step of constructing a UHR-SIG field containing control information regarding a Tone Plan. That is, step S1820 may include the step of constructing a field containing control information (e.g., N bitmap) indicating the size / location of the RU and / or the step of constructing a field containing an identifier (e.g., AID) of the STA receiving the RU.

[0257] Additionally, step S1920 may include the step of generating an STF / LTF sequence transmitted through a specific RU. The STF / LTF sequence may be generated based on a pre-set STF generation sequence / LTF generation sequence.

[0258] Additionally, step S1920 may include a step of generating a data field (e.g., MPDU) transmitted through a specific RU. The step of generating the data field may include a step of configuring it by applying UEQM / EQM.

[0259] The transmitting device can transmit the PPDU configured through step S1920 to the receiving device based on step S1930.

[0260] While performing step S1930, the transmitting device may perform at least one of the following operations: CSD, Spatial Mapping, IDFT / IFFT operation, GI insertion, etc.

[0261] FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a receiving device according to the present embodiment.

[0262] The PPDU described above in this specification can be received according to an example of FIG. 20.

[0263] An example of FIG. 20 can be performed on a receiving STA or receiving device (e.g., AP and / or non-AP STA).

[0264] Some of the steps (or detailed sub-steps described later) of each example in FIG. 20 may be omitted.

[0265] A receiving device (e.g., STA) can receive all or part of the PPDU through step S2010.

[0266] The sub-step of step S2010 can be determined based on step S1930 of FIG. 18. That is, step S2010 can perform an operation to restore the results of the CSD, Spatial Mapping, IDFT / IFFT operation, and GI insert operation applied in step S1930.

[0267] In step S2020, the receiving device can perform decoding of 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.

[0268] More specifically, the receiving device can decode the L-SIG, U-SIG, and UHR-SIG of the PPDU based on the Legacy STF / LTF and obtain information contained in the L-SIG, U-SIG, and UHR-SIG fields. Information regarding various Tone Plans (i.e., RU) described herein may be included in the UHR-SIG, and the receiving STA can obtain information regarding the Tone Plan (i.e., RU) through the UHR-SIG. Additionally, information regarding the application of UEQM / EQM can be obtained through the UHR-SIG.

[0269] In step S2030, the receiving device can decode the remainder of the PPDU based on information regarding the Tone Plan (i.e., RU) and UEQM / EQM obtained through step S2020. For example, the receiving STA can decode the STF / LTF field of the PPDU based on information regarding the tone Plan (i.e., RU). Additionally, the receiving STA can decode the data field of the PPDU based on information regarding the Tone Plan (i.e., RU) and UEQM / EQM information, and obtain the MPDU contained in the data field.

[0270] Additionally, the receiving device can perform a processing operation to transmit the decoded data through step S2030 to an upper layer (e.g., MAC layer). Furthermore, if the generation of a signal is instructed from the upper layer to the PHY layer in response to the data transmitted to the upper layer, a subsequent operation can be performed.

[0271] Hereinafter, the above-described embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 20.

[0272] FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure for a first STA to transmit a PPDU and receive a response ELR PPDU according to the present embodiment.

[0273] An example of FIG. 21 can be performed in a network environment that supports a next-generation wireless LAN system (UHR (Ultra High Reliability) wireless LAN system or next wi-fi). The next-generation wireless LAN system is a wireless LAN system that improves upon the 802.11be system and can satisfy backward compatibility with the 802.11be system.

[0274] An example of FIG. 21 is performed at a first STA, and the first STA may correspond to an access point (AP) or an AP Multi-link Device (AP MLD). The second STA of FIG. 21 may correspond to at least one station (STA) or non-AP MLD.

[0275] The purpose of the ELR PPDU is to resolve the issue where a difference in transmission range occurs between the AP and the non-AP STA due to power imbalance between the AP and the non-AP STA, and as a result, signals from non-AP STAs located at the AP's coverage boundary are difficult to reach the AP. To achieve the purpose of the ELR PPDU, this embodiment proposes a method for protecting response frames transmitted via an ELR (Enhanced Long Range) PPDU (PHY Protocol Data Unit). Specifically, the PPDU includes a field related to the disallowance of Spatial Reuse (SR) for the ELR (Enhanced Long Range) PPDU (PHY Protocol Data Unit) to protect response frames transmitted via the ELR PPDU.

[0276] In step S2110, the first STA may transmit a first PPDU to the second STA. The first PPDU may include a first signal field containing information for interpreting the first PPDU. Based on the first PPDU eliciting an enhanced long range (ELR) PPDU as a response frame, the first signal field may include a field related to the disallowance of spatial reuse (SR).

[0277] In step S2120, the first STA may receive a response frame for the first PPDU from the second STA. The response frame of the first PPDU may be carried onto the ELR PPDU.

[0278] Additionally or generally, a field related to the disallowance of the spatial reuse (SR) may be included in the ELR PPDU transmitted by the second STA. For example, the field related to the disallowance of the spatial reuse (SR) may include information that does not allow the SR. For example, the information that does not allow the SR may be defined as SR disallow or SR prohibit. For example, the information that does not allow the SR may be included in the Universal Signal (U-SIG) field of the ELR PPDU. For example, the information that does not allow the SR may be defined as 1 bit to indicate SR disallow or SR prohibit.

[0279] Additionally or generally, the type of PPDU that the first STA transmits to the second STA may be an ELR PPDU. For example, a field related to the disallowance of spatial reuse (SR) may be included in the ELR PPDU transmitted by the first STA. For example, the field related to the disallowance of spatial reuse (SR) may include information that disallows SR. For example, the information that disallows SR may be defined as SR disallow or SR prohibit. For example, the information that disallows SR may be included in the Universal Signal (U-SIG) field of the ELR PPDU. For example, the information that disallows SR may be defined as 1 bit to indicate SR disallow or SR prohibit.

[0280] For example, the first STA and the second STA may be included in a single Basic Service Set (BSS). For example, the first STA may correspond to an access point (AP). For example, the second STA may correspond to a non-access point station (non-AP STA).

[0281] For example, based on the fact that the most recent PPDU by the second STA after association with the second STA is an ELR PPDU, the response frame of the first PPDU can be transmitted onto the ELR PPDU.

[0282] As another example, the second STA that received the PPDU may transmit a non-HT (non-High Throughput) PPDU in response to the PPDU. However, if the type of PPDU most recently transmitted by the second STA to the first STA is an ELR PPDU, the response frame to the PPDU may be carried in an ELR PPDU. However, the preceding rule may be changed if other conditions outside the scope of the standard apply.

[0283] For example, a field related to the disallowance of the above-mentioned SR (spatial reuse) may include information regarding the disallowance of the SR performed in the third STA. In this case, the third STA may be an OBSS (Overlapping Basic Service Set) STA.

[0284] For example, based on the field related to the disallowance of the above SR (spatial reuse) being set to a first value (e.g., 15), the field related to the disallowance of the above SR (spatial reuse) may not allow the SR performed in the third STA within the transmission opportunity (TXOP) set by the first STA. In this case, the SR field may indicate PSR_AND_NON_SRG_OBSS_PD_PROHIBITED.

[0285] For example, based on the field related to the disallowance of the spatial reuse (SR) being set to a second value (e.g., 14), the field related to the disallowance of the spatial reuse (SR) may not allow the SR performed at the third STA until the time when the first PPDU is transmitted. The field related to the disallowance of the spatial reuse (SR) set to the second value (e.g., 14) may indicate SR_DELAYED. At this time, after the time when the first PPDU is transmitted, the SR of the third STA may not be allowed because the channel state is busy due to the ELR PPDU. This may be because the ELR PPDU is transmitted after the PPDU is received and SIFS (Short Interframe Space). The channel state may be detected by the CCA (Clear Channel Assessment) of the third STA. The CCA of the third STA can be performed after the time when the first PPDU is transmitted. Through this, the third STA may not attempt SR even while the ELR PPDU is being transmitted. As a result, interference by the third STA during the transmission of the ELR PPDU can be prevented, thereby protecting the transmission of the ELR PPDU.

[0286] For example, the first STA may transmit a management frame. The management frame may include an Ultra High Reliability (UHR) Capabilities field. The UHR Capabilities field may include information regarding whether the first STA supports the transmission or reception of an ELR PPDU. For example, the UHR Capabilities field may correspond to the UHR PHY Capabilities Information field of FIG. 16. For example, the ELR Rx Support field of FIG. 17 may include information regarding whether the reception of the ELR PPDU is supported. For example, the ELR Tx Support field of FIG. 17 may include information regarding whether the transmission of the ELR PPDU is supported. Additionally, or generally, information regarding the transmission or reception (transmission or reception) support of the ELR PPDU may be indicated through the UHR OM Control field.

[0287] For example, the first PPDU may be an Ultra High Reliability (UHR) PPDU.

[0288] For example, the first signal field may be a U-SIG (Universal-Signal) field or a UHR-SIG (Ultra High Reliability) field.

[0289] FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure for a second STA to receive a PPDU and transmit a response ELR PPDU according to the present embodiment.

[0290] An example of FIG. 22 can be performed in a network environment that supports a next-generation wireless LAN system (UHR (Ultra High Reliability) wireless LAN system or next wi-fi). The next-generation wireless LAN system is a wireless LAN system that improves upon the 802.11be system and can satisfy backward compatibility with the 802.11be system.

[0291] An example of FIG. 22 is performed in a second STA, and the second STA may correspond to at least one STA (station) or non-AP MLD (non-access point Multi-link Device). The first STA of FIG. 22 may correspond to an AP (access point) or AP MLD.

[0292] The purpose of the ELR PPDU is to resolve the issue where a difference in transmission range occurs between the AP and the non-AP STA due to power imbalance between the AP and the non-AP STA, and as a result, signals from non-AP STAs located at the AP's coverage boundary are difficult to reach the AP. To achieve the purpose of the ELR PPDU, this embodiment proposes a method for protecting response frames transmitted via an ELR (Enhanced Long Range) PPDU (PHY Protocol Data Unit). Specifically, the PPDU includes a field related to the disallowance of Spatial Reuse (SR) for the ELR (Enhanced Long Range) PPDU (PHY Protocol Data Unit) to protect response frames transmitted via the ELR PPDU.

[0293] In step S2210, the second STA may receive a first PPDU from the first STA. The first PPDU may include a first signal field containing information for interpreting the first PPDU. Based on the first PPDU eliciting an enhanced long range (ELR) PPDU as a response frame, the first signal field may include a field related to the disallowing of spatial reuse (SR).

[0294] In step S2220, the second STA may transmit a response frame for the first PPDU to the first STA. The response frame of the first PPDU may be carried onto the ELR PPDU.

[0295] Additionally or generally, a field related to the disallowance of spatial reuse (SR) may be included in the ELR PPDU transmitted by the second STA. For example, the field related to the disallowance of spatial reuse (SR) may include information that disallows SR. For example, the information that disallows SR may be defined as SR disallow or SR prohibit. For example, the information that disallows SR may be included in the Universal-Signal (U-SIG) field of the ELR PPDU. For example, the information that disallows SR may be defined as 1 bit to indicate SR disallow or SR prohibit.

[0296] Additionally or generally, the type of PPDU that the first STA transmits to the second STA may be an ELR PPDU. For example, a field related to the disallowance of spatial reuse (SR) may be included in the ELR PPDU transmitted by the first STA. For example, the field related to the disallowance of spatial reuse (SR) may include information that disallows SR. For example, the information that disallows SR may be defined as SR disallow or SR prohibit. For example, the information that disallows SR may be included in the Universal Signal (U-SIG) field of the ELR PPDU. For example, the information that disallows SR may be defined as 1 bit to indicate SR disallow or SR prohibit.

[0297] For example, the first STA and the second STA may be included in a single Basic Service Set (BSS). For example, the first STA may correspond to an access point (AP). For example, the second STA may correspond to a non-access point station (non-AP STA).

[0298] For example, based on the fact that the most recent PPDU by the second STA after association with the second STA is an ELR PPDU, the response frame of the first PPDU can be transmitted onto the ELR PPDU.

[0299] As another example, the second STA that received the PPDU may transmit a non-HT (non-High Throughput) PPDU in response to the PPDU. However, if the type of PPDU most recently transmitted by the second STA to the first STA is an ELR PPDU, the response frame to the PPDU may be carried in an ELR PPDU. However, the preceding rule may be changed if other conditions outside the scope of the standard apply.

[0300] For example, a field related to the disallowance of the above-mentioned SR (spatial reuse) may include information regarding the disallowance of the SR performed in the third STA. In this case, the third STA may be an OBSS (Overlapping Basic Service Set) STA.

[0301] For example, based on the field related to the disallowance of the above SR (spatial reuse) being set to a first value (e.g., 15), the field related to the disallowance of the above SR (spatial reuse) may not allow the SR performed in the third STA within the transmission opportunity (TXOP) set by the first STA. In this case, the SR field may indicate PSR_AND_NON_SRG_OBSS_PD_PROHIBITED.

[0302] For example, based on the field related to the disallowance of the spatial reuse (SR) being set to a second value (e.g., 14), the field related to the disallowance of the spatial reuse (SR) may not allow the SR performed at the third STA until the time when the first PPDU is transmitted. The field related to the disallowance of the spatial reuse (SR) set to the second value (e.g., 14) may indicate SR_DELAYED. At this time, after the time when the first PPDU is transmitted, the SR of the third STA may not be allowed because the channel state is busy due to the ELR PPDU. This may be because the ELR PPDU is transmitted after the PPDU is received and SIFS (Short Interframe Space). The channel state may be detected by the CCA (Clear Channel Assessment) of the third STA. The CCA of the third STA can be performed after the time when the first PPDU is transmitted. Through this, the third STA may not attempt SR even while the ELR PPDU is being transmitted. As a result, interference by the third STA during the transmission of the ELR PPDU can be prevented, thereby protecting the transmission of the ELR PPDU.

[0303] For example, the first STA may transmit a management frame. The management frame may include an Ultra High Reliability (UHR) Capabilities field. The UHR Capabilities field may include information regarding whether the first STA supports the transmission or reception of an ELR PPDU. For example, the UHR Capabilities field may correspond to the UHR PHY Capabilities Information field of FIG. 16. For example, the ELR Rx Support field of FIG. 17 may include information regarding whether the reception of the ELR PPDU is supported. For example, the ELR Tx Support field of FIG. 17 may include information regarding whether the transmission of the ELR PPDU is supported. Additionally, or generally, information regarding the transmission or reception (transmission or reception) support of the ELR PPDU may be indicated through the UHR OM Control field.

[0304] For example, the first PPDU may be an Ultra High Reliability (UHR) PPDU.

[0305] For example, the first signal field may be a U-SIG (Universal-Signal) field or a UHR-SIG (Ultra High Reliability) field.

[0306] The technical features of the specification described above may be applied to various devices and methods. For example, the technical features of the specification described above may be performed / supported through the device of FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 14. For example, the technical features of the specification described above may be applied only to parts of FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 14. For example, the technical features of the specification described above may be implemented based on the processing chip (114, 124) of FIG. 1, or based on the processor (111, 121) and memory (112, 122) of FIG. 1, or based on the processor (1410) and memory (1420) of FIG. 14. For example, the device of the specification transmits a PPDU to a second STA; and receives an Enhanced Long Range (ELR) PPDU from the second STA in response to the PPDU.

[0307] The technical features of this specification may be implemented based on a computer-readable medium (CRM). For example, the CRM proposed by this specification is at least one computer-readable medium comprising instructions based on execution by at least one processor.

[0308] The above CRM may store instructions for performing operations including the step of transmitting a PPDU to a second STA; and the step of receiving an Enhanced Long Range (ELR) PPDU from the second STA in response to the PPDU. Instructions stored in the CRM of this specification may be executed by at least one processor. At least one processor associated with the CRM of this specification may be the processor (111, 121) or processing chip (114, 124) of FIG. 1, or the processor (1410) of FIG. 14. Meanwhile, the CRM of this specification may be the memory (112, 122) of FIG. 1, the memory (1420) of FIG. 14, or a separate external memory / storage medium / disk, etc.

[0309] The technical features of the present specification described above are applicable to various applications or business models. For example, the technical features described above may be applied for wireless communication in devices supporting Artificial Intelligence (AI).

[0310] Artificial intelligence refers to the field of researching artificial intelligence or the methodologies to create it, while machine learning refers to the field of researching methodologies to define and solve various problems addressed within the field of artificial intelligence. Machine learning is also defined as an algorithm that improves performance on a task through continuous experience.

[0311] An Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is a model used in machine learning that can refer to any model capable of problem-solving, composed of artificial neurons (nodes) that form a network through the connection of synapses. An artificial neural network can be defined by connection patterns between neurons in different layers, a learning process that updates model parameters, and an activation function that generates output values.

[0312] An artificial neural network may include an input layer, an output layer, and optionally one or more hidden layers. Each layer may include one or more neurons, and the artificial neural network may include synapses connecting the neurons. In an artificial neural network, each neuron may output a function value of an activation function for input signals, weights, and biases input through the synapses.

[0313] Model parameters refer to parameters determined through learning, including synaptic connection weights and neuron biases. Hyperparameters, on the other hand, refer to parameters that must be set prior to training in a machine learning algorithm, including the learning rate, number of iterations, mini-batch size, and initialization function.

[0314] The objective of training an artificial neural network can be viewed as determining model parameters that minimize the loss function. The loss function can be used as an indicator to determine optimal model parameters during the training process of an artificial neural network.

[0315] Machine learning can be classified into supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning depending on the learning method.

[0316] Supervised learning refers to a method of training an artificial neural network with labels provided for the training data; a label can refer to the correct answer (or result) that the neural network must infer when the training data is input. Unsupervised learning refers to a method of training an artificial neural network without labels provided for the training data. Reinforcement learning refers to a learning method in which an agent defined within an environment is trained to select an action or sequence of actions that maximizes the cumulative reward in each state.

[0317] Machine learning implemented using a Deep Neural Network (DNN) that includes multiple hidden layers among artificial neural networks is also called Deep Learning, and Deep Learning is a part of Machine Learning. Hereinafter, Machine Learning is used in a sense that includes Deep Learning.

[0318] In addition, the aforementioned technical features can be applied to the wireless communication of robots.

[0319] A robot can refer to a machine that automatically processes or operates a given task based on its own capabilities. In particular, a robot that has the ability to perceive its environment, make decisions on its own, and perform actions can be called an intelligent robot.

[0320] Robots can be classified into industrial, medical, domestic, and military types depending on their purpose or field of use. Robots are equipped with drive units, including actuators or motors, to perform various physical movements, such as moving robot joints. Additionally, mobile robots include wheels, brakes, and propellers in their drive units, enabling them to drive on the ground or fly in the air.

[0321] In addition, the aforementioned technical features can be applied to devices that support augmented reality.

[0322] Extended Reality is a collective term for Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR). VR technology provides real-world objects or backgrounds solely as CG images, AR technology provides virtual CG images superimposed on real-world images, and MR technology is a computer graphics technology that mixes and combines virtual objects with the real world.

[0323] MR technology is similar to AR technology in that it displays real-world objects and virtual objects together. However, there is a difference in that while virtual objects in AR technology are used to complement real-world objects, virtual objects and real-world objects are used as equals in MR technology.

[0324] XR technology can be applied to HMDs (Head-Mount Displays), HUDs (Head-Up Displays), mobile phones, tablet PCs, laptops, desktops, TVs, digital signage, etc., and devices to which XR technology is applied can be called XR devices.

[0325] The claims described in this specification may be combined in various ways. For example, the technical features of the method claims in this specification may be combined to be implemented as a device, and the technical features of the device claims in this specification may be combined to be implemented as a method. Furthermore, the technical features of the method claims and the technical features of the device claims in this specification may be combined to be implemented as a device, and the technical features of the method claims and the technical features of the device claims in this specification may be combined to be implemented as a method.

Claims

1. In a wireless LAN system, The first STA (station) transmits the first PPDU (Physical Protocol Data Unit) to the second STA, wherein The first PPDU includes a first signal field containing information for interpreting the first PPDU, and Based on the fact that the first PPDU elicits an ELR (enhanced long range) PPDU into a response frame, the first signal field includes a field related to the disallowance of SR (spatial reuse); and The first STA receives a response frame of the first PPDU from the second STA, wherein The response frame of the first PPDU comprises the step of being carried onto the ELR PPDU. method.

2. In Paragraph 1, Based on the fact that the most recent PPDU by the second STA after association with the second STA is an ELR PPDU, the response frame of the first PPDU is transmitted onto the ELR PPDU. method.

3. In Paragraph 1, The field related to the disallowance of the above SR (spatial reuse) includes information regarding the disallowance of the SR performed in the third STA, and The above third STA is an OBSS (Overlapping Basic Service Set) STA. method.

4. In Paragraph 3, Based on the field related to the disallowance of the above-mentioned SR (spatial reuse) being set to a first value, the field related to the disallowance of the above-mentioned SR (spatial reuse) does not allow the SR performed by the third STA within the transmission opportunity (TXOP) set by the first STA. method.

5. In Paragraph 3, Based on the fact that the field related to the disallowance of the above SR (spatial reuse) is set to a second value, the field related to the disallowance of the above SR (spatial reuse) does not allow the SR performed in the third STA until the time when the first PPDU is transmitted, and After the time when the first PPDU is transmitted, the SR of the third STA is not allowed because the channel state is busy due to the ELR PPDU, and The above channel status is detected by the CCA (Clear Channel Assessment) of the third STA, and The CCA of the above third STA is performed after the time when the above first PPDU is transmitted. method.

6. In Paragraph 1, The above-mentioned first STA transmits a management frame, The above management frame includes the UHR (Ultra High Reliability) Capabilities field, and The above UHR Capabilities field includes information regarding whether the first STA supports the transmission or reception of an ELR PPDU. method.

7. In Paragraph 1, The above-mentioned first PPDU is an UHR (Ultra High Reliability) PPDU method.

8. In Paragraph 1, The above first signal field is a U-SIG (Universal-Signal) field or a UHR-SIG (Ultra High Reliability-Signal) field. method.

9. In a wireless LAN system, the first STA (station) is, At least one processor; and It includes at least one computer memory that is operablely connectable to the at least one processor and stores instructions that perform operations based on execution by the at least one processor, The above-mentioned instruction of at least one computer memory is, Transmit the first PPDU (Physical Protocol Data Unit) to the second STA, The first PPDU includes a first signal field containing information for interpreting the first PPDU, and Based on the fact that the first PPDU elicits an ELR (enhanced long range) PPDU into a response frame, the first signal field includes a field related to the disallowance of SR (spatial reuse); and Receive a response frame of the first PPDU from the second STA, The response frame of the first PPDU performs an operation including a step that is carried onto the ELR PPDU. 1st STA.

10. In Paragraph 9, The above-mentioned instruction of at least one computer memory performs an operation related to any one of claims 2 to 8. 1st STA.

11. In wireless LAN systems, The second STA (station) receives the first PPDU (Physical Protocol Data Unit) from the first STA, wherein The first PPDU includes a first signal field containing information for interpreting the first PPDU, and Based on the fact that the first PPDU elicits an ELR (enhanced long range) PPDU into a response frame, the first signal field includes a field related to the disallowance of SR (spatial reuse); and The second STA transmits a response frame of the first PPDU to the first STA, wherein The response frame of the first PPDU comprises the step of being carried onto the ELR PPDU. method.

12. In a wireless LAN system, the second STA (station) is, At least one processor; and It includes at least one computer memory that is operablely connectable to the at least one processor and stores instructions that perform operations based on execution by the at least one processor, The above-mentioned instruction of at least one computer memory is, Receive the first PPDU (Physical Protocol Data Unit) from the first STA, The first PPDU includes a first signal field containing information for interpreting the first PPDU, and Based on the fact that the first PPDU elicits an ELR (enhanced long range) PPDU into a response frame, the first signal field includes a field related to the disallowance of SR (spatial reuse); and Transmit the response frame of the first PPDU to the first STA, The response frame of the first PPDU performs an operation including a step that is carried onto the ELR PPDU. 2nd STA.

13. At least one computer-readable medium comprising an instruction based on execution by at least one processor, Transmit the first PPDU (Physical Protocol Data Unit) to the second STA (station), The first PPDU includes a first signal field containing information for interpreting the first PPDU, and Based on the fact that the first PPDU elicits an ELR (enhanced long range) PPDU into a response frame, the first signal field includes a field related to the disallowance of SR (spatial reuse); and Receive a response frame of the first PPDU from the second STA, The response frame of the first PPDU comprises the step of being carried onto the ELR PPDU. Recording media.

14. In a wireless LAN system, the device, At least one processor; and It includes at least one computer memory that is operablely connectable to the at least one processor and stores instructions that perform operations based on execution by the at least one processor, The above-mentioned instruction of at least one computer memory is, Transmit the first PPDU (Physical Protocol Data Unit) to the second STA, The first PPDU includes a first signal field containing information for interpreting the first PPDU, and Based on the fact that the first PPDU elicits an ELR (enhanced long range) PPDU into a response frame, the first signal field includes a field related to the disallowance of SR (spatial reuse); and Receive a response frame of the first PPDU from the second STA, The response frame of the first PPDU performs an operation including a step that is carried onto the ELR PPDU. device.

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