Wireless communication method in 6 ghz low power indoor system and communication apparatus

Abstract

Techniques related to signaling of uplink trigger-based physical layer protocol data units (PPDUs) using distributed audio resource units (dRUs) in 6 GHz low power indoor (LPI) systems are described. A station STA receives a trigger frame and, in response to the trigger frame, the STA generates and transmits a PPDU using a dRU, where the trigger frame is used to inform of a RU type or an indication that dRU operation is enabled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application generally relates to wireless communications, and more specifically, to signaling in 6 GHz for uplink (UL) trigger-based (TB) physical-layer protocol data units (PPDUs) using distributed-tone resource units (dRUs). Background Technology

[0002] Unless otherwise stated herein, the methods described in this section are not prior art to the claims listed below, and are not admitted as prior art simply because they are included in this section.

[0003] In next-generation wireless communications, such as 6 GHz LPI systems according to IEEE standards, limitations on power spectral density (PSD) often restrict coverage, particularly for UL TB PPDUs. One approach to improving service coverage is to use dRUs (drug-based resonators) that distribute tones across a wider bandwidth (BW) to increase transmit (Tx) power. Since there are multiple different dRU operating modes, it is necessary to define how to enable different dRU operating modes through different notification methods. Therefore, a solution is needed for notifying UL TB PPDUs about dRU usage in 6 GHz LPI systems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The following overview is illustrative only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. That is, it is provided to introduce the concepts, highlights, benefits, and advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described herein. Implementations are further described in the detailed description below. Therefore, the following overview is not intended to identify the essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0005] One object of the present invention is to provide schemes, concepts, designs, techniques, methods, and apparatus relating to notification of dRUs for UL TB PPDUs in a 6 GHz LPI system. Under various proposed schemes according to the invention, several notification methods can be used to enable different dRU operating modes. Such notification methods include: (1) a notification / indication method for tone distribution across the entire PPDU bandwidth of 20 / 40 / 80 MHz; (2) a notification / indication method for tone distribution in each 80 MHz frequency sub-block within a bandwidth of equal widths of 160 / 320 MHz; (3) a notification / indication method for mixed operation of dRUs and regular RUs (rRUs) on different 80 MHz frequency sub-blocks in wide bandwidths of 160 MHz and 320 MHz; and (4) a notification / indication method for puncturing a 20 MHz frequency sub-block within an 80 MHz bandwidth or within a wider 80 MHz frequency sub-block of 160 / 320 MHz, enabling dRU operation in punctured mode operation on the remaining 20 MHz and 40 MHz frequency sub-blocks.

[0006] In one aspect, a method may involve receiving a trigger frame. The method may also involve sending a PPDU using a dRU in response to a trigger frame, wherein the trigger frame is used to indicate that the RU type or dRU operation is enabled.

[0007] In another approach, one method may involve sending a trigger frame. The method may also involve receiving a PPDU (Power Request Duty DU) in response to the trigger frame, wherein the trigger frame is used to indicate that the RU type or dRU operation is enabled.

[0008] In another aspect, an apparatus may include a transceiver configured for wireless communication and a processor coupled to the transceiver. The processor may receive a trigger frame via the transceiver. In response to the trigger frame, the processor may transmit a PPDU using a dRU via the transceiver, wherein the trigger frame is used to indicate that the RU type or dRU operation is enabled.

[0009] In the above technical solution of the present invention, the trigger frame can be used to notify the RU type or the indication that dRU operation is enabled, so that the receiver of the trigger frame can use dRU to send PPDU.

[0010] It is worth noting that although the descriptions provided herein may be in the context of certain radio access technologies, networks, and network topologies (e.g., Wi-Fi), the proposed concepts, schemes, and any variations / derivatives can be implemented in other types of radio access technologies, networks, and network topologies, and can be used for and implemented by other types of radio access technologies, networks, and network topologies, such as, but not limited to, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and 5G (5G). thGeneration (5G) / New Radio (NR), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, Internet of Things (IoT), Industrial IoT (IIoT), and Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT). Therefore, the scope of this invention is not limited to the examples described herein. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this invention. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the specific embodiments, serve to explain the principles of the invention. It is understood that, for clarity of the concept of the invention, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, as some components may appear disproportionate to their actual size in practice.

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an example network environment in which various solutions and schemes based on the present invention can be implemented.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an example design under the second proposed scheme according to the present invention.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of an example design under the second proposed scheme according to the present invention.

[0015] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of an example design under the second proposed scheme according to the present invention.

[0016] Figure 5A and Figure 5B This is a schematic diagram of a corresponding part of an example design under the second proposed embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of an example design under the second proposed scheme according to the present invention.

[0018] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of an example scenario under the proposed solution according to the present invention.

[0019] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of an example scenario under the proposed solution according to the present invention.

[0020] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of an example scenario under the proposed solution according to the present invention.

[0021] Figure 10This is a schematic diagram of an example scenario under the proposed solution according to the present invention.

[0022] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of an example scenario under the proposed solution according to the present invention.

[0023] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of an example scenario under the proposed solution according to the present invention.

[0024] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of an example scenario under the proposed solution according to the present invention.

[0025] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of an example design under the second proposed scheme according to the present invention.

[0026] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of an example design under the second proposed scheme according to the present invention.

[0027] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of an example scenario under the proposed solution according to the present invention.

[0028] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of an example design under the second proposed scheme according to the present invention.

[0029] Figure 18 This is a schematic diagram of an example design under the second proposed scheme according to the present invention.

[0030] Figure 19 This is a schematic diagram of an example design under the second proposed scheme according to the present invention.

[0031] Figure 20 This is a schematic diagram of an example design under the second proposed scheme according to the present invention.

[0032] Figure 21 This is a schematic diagram of an example scenario under the proposed solution according to the present invention.

[0033] Figure 22 This is a schematic diagram of an example design under the second proposed scheme according to the present invention.

[0034] Figure 23 This is a schematic diagram of an example scenario under the proposed solution according to the present invention.

[0035] Figure 24 This is a schematic diagram of an example scenario under the proposed solution according to the present invention.

[0036] Figure 25 This is a schematic diagram of an example scenario under the proposed solution according to the present invention.

[0037] Figure 26This is a block diagram of an example communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 27 This is a flowchart of an example process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 28 This is a flowchart of an example process according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0040] This document discloses detailed embodiments and implementations of the claimed subject matter. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are merely illustrative of the claimed subject matter, which can be embodied in various forms. The invention can be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments and implementations are provided to make the description of the invention thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the following description, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments and implementations.

[0041] The embodiments of the present invention relate to various techniques, methods, schemes, and / or solutions related to notification of UL TB PPDUs using dRUs in a 6 GHz LPI system. According to the present invention, multiple possible solutions can be implemented individually or in combination. That is, although these possible solutions may be described individually below, two or more of these possible solutions may be implemented in one combination or another.

[0042] It is worth noting that, in this invention, a regular RU (rRU) refers to an RU having continuous (e.g., adjacent to each other) tones that are not intertwined, overlapping, or otherwise dispersed. Furthermore, a 26-tone regular RU can be interchangeably represented as RU26 (or rRU26), a 52-tone regular RU can be interchangeably represented as RU52 (or rRU52), a 106-tone regular RU can be interchangeably represented as RU106 (or rRU106), a 242-tone regular RU can be interchangeably represented as RU242 (or rRU242), and so on. Additionally, a multi-tone regular multi-RU (MRU) with aggregated (26+52) tones can be interchangeably represented as MRU78 (or rMRU78), a multi-tone regular MRU with aggregated (26+106) tones can be interchangeably represented as MRU132 (or rMRU132), and so on. Furthermore, in this invention, the 26-pitch distributed pitch RU can be interchangeably represented as dRU26, the 52-pitch distributed pitch RU can be interchangeably represented as dRU52, the 106-pitch distributed pitch RU can be interchangeably represented as dRU106, the 242-pitch distributed pitch RU can be interchangeably represented as dRU242, and so on. Additionally, the aggregated (26+52)-pitch distributed pitch MRU can be interchangeably represented as dMRU78, the aggregated (26+106)-pitch distributed pitch MRU can be interchangeably represented as dMRU132, and so on.

[0043] Since the examples above are merely illustrative and not an exhaustive list of all possibilities, this also applies to regular RUs, distributed tone RUs, MRUs, and distributed tone MRUs of different sizes (or different numbers of tones). It should also be noted that, in this invention, a 20MHz bandwidth can be interchangeably represented as BW20, a 40MHz bandwidth as BW40, an 80MHz bandwidth as BW80, a 160MHz bandwidth as BW160, a 240MHz bandwidth as BW240, and a 320MHz bandwidth as BW320. It is further noteworthy that, in this invention, 26-interleaved pitch (or interlaced pitch) RUs can be interchangeably represented as iRU26 and dRU26 (26-distributed pitch RUs), 52-interleaved pitch (or interlaced pitch) RUs can be interchangeably represented as iRU52 and dRU52 (52-distributed pitch RUs), 106-interleaved pitch (or interlaced pitch) RUs can be interchangeably represented as iRU106 and dRU106 (106-distributed pitch RUs), 242-interleaved pitch (or interlaced pitch) RUs can be interchangeably represented as iRU242 and dRU242 (242-distributed pitch RUs), and 484-interleaved pitch (or interlaced pitch) RUs can be interchangeably represented as iRU484 and dRU484 (484-distributed pitch RUs). It is also worth noting that in this invention, the concept of "RU type = dRU" is equivalent to enabling dRU, and the concept of "RU type = rRU" is equivalent to not enabling dRU.

[0044] Figure 1 An example network environment 100 is shown, in which various solutions and schemes according to the present invention can be implemented. For example... Figures 2 to 28 Examples of implementations of various proposed schemes according to the present invention in a network environment 100 are shown. References Figures 1 to 28 The following provides descriptions of various proposed solutions.

[0045] like Figure 1As shown, network environment 100 may involve at least one station (STA) 110 that wirelessly communicates with STA 120. Each of STA 110 and STA 120 may be a non-access point (non-AP) STA, or, optionally, either STA 110 or STA 120 may be used as an access point (AP) STA. In some cases, STA 110 and STA 120 may be associated with a basic service set (BSS) according to one or more IEEE 802.11 standards (e.g., IEEE 802.11be and future standards). Based on the various proposed schemes described below, UL TB PPDU communication using dRU in a 6 GHz LPI system can be implemented by configuring the signaling protocol between devices SAT110 and SAT120. That is, either or both of STA 110 and STA 120 may act as a "user" in the proposed schemes and examples described below.

[0046] Figure 2 An example design 200 according to a proposed scheme is shown. Design 200 shows examples of labels or indexes for BW20, BW40, and BW80. According to the proposed scheme, a 26-tone dRU (dRU26) can be used as a basic “building block” for constructing dRUs of other sizes. For example, a 52-tone dRU (dRU52) can be constructed from two 26-tone dRUs, a 106-tone dRU (dRU106) can be constructed from four 26-tone dRUs (or two 52-tone dRUs) padded with two additional tones, and a 242-tone dRU (dRU242) can be constructed from nine 26-tone dRUs padded with eight additional tones (or two 106-tone dRUs plus one 26-tone dRU padded with four additional tones). Figure 2 Section (A) shows the dRU index for BW20 under the proposed scheme. Figure 2 Section (B) shows the dRU index for BW40 under the proposed scheme. Figure 2 Section (C) shows the dRU index for BW80 under the proposed scheme.

[0047] Regarding Figure 2 The dRU index circled in box (i) of section (C) shows that, based on the dRU hierarchy, 52-tone dRU2 can be composed of two 26-tone dRUs, namely dRU3 and dRU4. Similar to the scheduling of regular RUs, if 52-tone dRU2 is assigned to one user, then 26-tone dRU3 and dRU4 may not be scheduled to other users to avoid conflicts. Regarding... Figure 2The dRU index circled in box (ii) of section (C) is based on the dRU hierarchy. A 106-tone dRU3 can consist of four 26-tone dRUs, i.e., dRU10 to dRU13 (or two 52-tone dRUs, i.e., dRU5 and dRU6), and two additional padding tones. Similar to regular RU scheduling, if a 106-tone dRU3 is assigned to one user, 26-tone dRU10 to dRU13 and 52-tone dRU5 and dRU6 are not scheduled to other users to avoid conflicts. Regarding... Figure 2 The dRU index circled in box (iii) of section (C) is based on the dRU hierarchy. A 242-tone dRU4 can consist of nine 26-tone dRUs (dRU29–dRU37) and eight additional padding tones (or two 106-tone dRUs (dRU7 and dRU8) plus one 26-tone dRU (e.g., dRU33) and four additional padding tones). Similar to regular RU scheduling, if a 242-tone dRU4 is assigned to one user, then 26-tone dRU29–dRU37, 52-tone dRU13–dRU16, and 106-tone dRU7 and dRU8 may not be scheduled to other users to avoid conflicts.

[0048] Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5A and Figure 5B Example designs 300, 400, and 500 are illustrated under the proposed scheme according to the present invention. Under the proposed scheme, the regular RU allocation subfield table can be reused for notification of dRU UL trigger frames. With dRU transmission enabled, Figure 3 The RU indexes in the table shown can be interpreted as dRU indexes. For example, see reference... Figure 3 The table shown here represents the regular RU index and subcarrier for BW20. Figure 5A In the middle, B7-B1 = 8, if RU type = rRU (or "dRU enabled = 0"), then it represents rule 26 - tone RU9. For another example, see [reference needed]. Figure 4 The table shown here represents the distributed tone RU (dRU) index and subcarriers for BW20. If RU type = dRU (or "dRU enabled = 1"), then... Figure 5A B7-B1=8 in the table is interpreted as representing the distributed 26-tone dRU9. The upper part of the table in Reference Design 500 and... Figure 5AAs shown, B7-B1 remains the same for distributed tone RUs and regular RUs. For example, the B7-B1 corresponding to RU1 can be used for dRU1, the B7-B1 corresponding to RU2 can be used for dRU2, ..., the B7-B1 corresponding to RU9 can be used for dRU9, and so on. See the lower part of the table in Reference Design 500. Figure 5B As shown, for distributed MRU and regular MRU, B7-B1 can remain the same. For example, B7-B1 corresponding to MRU1 can be used for dMRU1, B7-B1 corresponding to MRU2 can be used for dMRU2, ..., B7-B1 corresponding to MRU8 can be used for dMRU8, and so on.

[0049] Figure 6 An example design 600 according to a proposed scheme based on the present invention is shown. Design 600 illustrates an example trigger frame format for dRU notification in IEEE 802.11be. The dRU notification may have multiple options in the trigger frame. In the first option (Option 1), the notification can be made in the public information field (in... Figure 6 The notification indicates the RU type (or dRU enabled / disabled) in the "Common Info" section. Figure 7 , Figure 8 and Figure 9 Example scenarios 700, 800, and 900 are shown under Option 1 of the proposed scheme. In the second option (Option 2), special user information fields (in...) Figure 6 The notification RU type (or dRU enabled / disabled) is indicated in the "Special User Info Field". Figure 10 Example scenario 1000 is shown under option 2 of the proposed scheme. In the third option (option 3), the user information field (in...) Figure 6 The notification RU type (or dRU enabled / disabled) is indicated in the "User Info List". Figure 11 and Figure 12 Example scenarios 1100 and 1200 are shown under option 3 of the proposed scheme.

[0050] Figure 7 Example scenario 700 shows the dRU notification in the public information field of the triggered frame under option 1. For example... Figure 7As shown, in one method (option 1a), when the trigger frame is used for EHT PPDU transmission, the “reserved” bit of bit B22, bit B26, bit B53, or bit B63 can be used to indicate the RU type (or dRU enabled / disabled) across the entire bandwidth. For example, a “0” value in B53 can indicate regular RU transmission of the EHT TB PPDU (i.e., RU type = rRU), while a “1” value in B53 can indicate dRU transmission of the EHT TB PPDU (i.e., RU type = dRU). Optionally or additionally, in another method (option 1b), one of a plurality of ULHE signal reserved bits (“UL HE-SIG-A2 reserved”) can be used to indicate the RU type (or dRU enabled / disabled) across the entire bandwidth. Alternatively, a bitmap (e.g., up to 4 bits) can be used to indicate dRU / rRU operation (or dRU+duplication (DUP)+dual-carrier modulation (DCM) operation) for each 80MHz frequency subblock. Optionally or additionally, when BW ≥ 160MHz, one bit (e.g., a reserved bit in B63 or another bit) may be used to indicate the distributed bandwidth (or the size of the tone distribution window). For example, for BW = 160MHz or 320MHz, a value of "0" in B63 indicates a window size of 80MHz, and a value of "1" in B63 indicates a window size of 160MHz or greater.

[0051] Figure 8 Example scenario 800 shows the dRU notification in the public information field of the triggered frame under option 1. For example... Figure 8 As shown, when UL BW ≤ 80MHz, bit B56 (or another bit) can be used to indicate whether dRU is enabled or disabled across the entire bandwidth. Furthermore, when UL BW = 160MHz, bits B56-B57 can be used to indicate dRU enable, and when UL BW = 160MHz, bits B56-B57 (or the other two bits) can be used to indicate... Figure 8Examples of rRU transmission, mixed rRU and dRU transmission, per-80MHz segment dRU transmission, and dRU plus duplicate (DUP) transmission are shown. Here, rRU transmission indicates transmission using rRUs, mixed rRU and dRU transmission indicates mixed transmission using rRUs and dRUs in their respective 80MHz sub-blocks, per-80MHz segment dRU transmission indicates transmission using dRUs per 80MHz segment, and dRU plus duplicate (DUP) transmission indicates transmission using dRUs plus DUP. In scenario 800, "dRU disabled" refers to regular RU (rRU) transmission. Regarding the transmission of dRU plus DUP (dRU+DUP), it can be assumed that: (1) DUP is indicated by the EHT modulation coding scheme in the user information field, such as EHT-MCS14; (2) DUP is only used in bandwidths of BW≥160 (BW=160 or BW>160); and (3) the same dRU index is used on two 80MHz frequency sub-blocks. Additionally, if the tone distribution window size is 80MHz, then DUP can be distributed across BW160. Furthermore, the dRU+DUP mode may be feasible in certain situations, such as: (1) all STAs use dRU+DUP transmission; and (2) some STAs use dRU transmission per 80MHz segment, while some STAs use dRU+DUP transmission.

[0052] Figure 9 Example scenario 900 is shown in the public information field of the triggered frame under option 1, representing a dRU notification. (Refer to...) Figure 9 With UL BW = 320MHz, bits B56-B59 (or four other bits) can be used for indication. Figure 9 Examples of rRU transmission, dRU transmission for each 80MHz segment, mixed rRU and dRU transmission, and mixed rRU and dRU + DUP (and optionally DCM) transmission are shown. For transmission in mixed mode, DUP can be on BW160 if the tone distribution window size is 80MHz, and on BW320 if the tone distribution window size is 160MHz. Regarding transmission in mixed mode, it can be assumed that: (1) DUP is indicated by EHT-MCS (e.g., EHT-MCS14) in the user information field, (2) DUP is only used for bandwidths of BW≥160 (BW=160 or BW>160), and (3) the same dRU index is used on two 80MHz segments, and (4) DUP is only operated on two consecutive 80MHz segments in the lower 160MHz or the upper 160MHz.

[0053] Figure 10 Example scenario 1000 is shown in the special user information field of the trigger frame under option 2, representing the dRU notification. Figure 10 As shown, when BW ≥ 160MHz, a single bit (e.g., a bit in the Reserved field or another bit in the Universal Signaling (U-SIG) Disregard field) can be used to indicate the size of the tone distribution window. For example, for BW = 160MHz or 320MHz, a "0" value in the "Reserved bit" or "U-SIG Disregard bit" can indicate a window size of 80MHz, and a "1" value in the "Reserved bit" or "U-SIG Disregard bit" can indicate a window size of 160MHz or larger. Optionally or additionally, one of multiple U-SIG Disregard bits can be used to indicate that dRU is enabled or disabled across the entire bandwidth. Alternatively, a bitmap (e.g., up to 4 bits) can be used to indicate dRU / rRU operation (or dRU+DUP+DCM operation) for each 80MHz subblock. The definition of the bitmap can be the same as that in Option 1.

[0054] Figure 11 Example scenario 1100 shows the dRU notification in the user information field of the triggered frame under option 3. For example... Figure 11 As shown, one bit (e.g., one or another in a reserved field) can be used to indicate the RU type (or enable or disable dRU) for each user / STA. By reusing the IEEE 802.11be RU allocation table, the information indicated in the RU allocation field can be used for dRU allocation indication. With dRU transmission enabled (or dRU type = dRU), information in the UL MCS field (e.g., EHT-MCS14 or other bits) can be used to indicate DUP+dRU+(DCM). It is worth noting that under Option 3, it can be assumed that dRU operation can be performed using a finite number of spatial streams (Nss). When BW ≥ 80MHz, one or two bits in the "SS allocation" field can be used to indicate the size of the tone distribution window. In Option 3, the information in the "RU allocation" and "P / S160" (primary / secondary 160) fields can remain the same as the rRU and can be used together to indicate on which 80MHz segment dRU transmission is enabled (the indicated information may include the size and index of the dRU).

[0055] Figure 12 Example scenario 1200 shows the dRU notification in the user information field of the triggered frame under option 3. (Reference) Figure 12With UL BW = 160MHz and EHT-MCS = 14 (or other) and dRU enabled, a transmission using dRU+DUP+(DCM) on BW160 can be indicated. It can be assumed that DUP can be on BW160 when the tone distribution window size is 80MHz. Furthermore, with UL BW = 320MHz and P / S160 = 0 and EHT-MCS = 14 (or other) and dRU enabled, a transmission using dRU+DUP+(DCM) on the low BW160 can be indicated. It is worth noting that with a tone distribution window size of 160MHz, DUP can be on BW320. Furthermore, with UL BW = 320MHz and PS160 = 1 and EHT-MCS = 14 (or other) and dRU enabled, a transmission using dRU+DUP+(DCM) on the high BW160 can be indicated.

[0056] Figure 13 An example scenario 1300 of dRU operation modes under various proposed schemes according to the present invention is shown. (Reference) Figure 13 As shown, various dRU operation modes may include the following: (1) dRU on the entire PPDU bandwidth of 20 / 40 / 80MHz; (2) dRU on each 80MHz frequency sub-block; (3) a hybrid mode of rRU and dRU operation; (4) a punched mode on BW80; (5) a hybrid mode of rRU+dRU, wherein the dRU has a punched mode. For example, in a wide bandwidth of 160MHz or 320MHz, dRU and rRU are on different 80MHz frequency sub-blocks, one 80MHz frequency sub-block is used for rRU operation, some sub-blocks in one 80MHz frequency sub-block are punctured, and dRU operation is enabled in the remaining sub-blocks in the 80MHz frequency sub-block, for example, 20MHz sub-block is punctured, and dRU operation is enabled in the remaining 20MHz and 40MHz; (6) dRU is on each 80MHz sub-block, one of the 80MHz sub-blocks operates in punctured mode; (7) dRU is on each 80MHz sub-block, both of the 80MHz sub-blocks operate in punctured mode.

[0057] It is worth noting that certain information needs to be indicated for different dRU operating modes / scenarios. This information includes, but is not limited to, RU type (e.g., dRU or rRU), dRU distribution bandwidth (e.g., 20MHz, 40MHz, or 80MHz), and dRU allocation (e.g., dRU index and dRU size, such as dRU26, dRU52, dRU106, dRU242, and / or dRU484). For the dRU index, a structure similar to the IEEE 802.11be RU allocation subfield table can be reused, with the encoding of RU allocation subfields B0–B7 and the P / S160 subfield remaining the same as for rRUs, simply by replacing rRUs with dRUs. Since dRUs support distributions up to 484 tones and distribution bandwidths up to 80MHz, the dRU allocation subfield table can be simplified for distribution bandwidths up to 80MHz. For dRUs on wide-bandwidth (e.g., 160MHz and 320MHz) frequency subblocks, P / S160, along with B0 of the RU allocation subfield, can indicate the location of the 80MHz subblock within the 160 / 320MHz wide bandwidth (e.g., indicated by the 80MHz subblock index N). Within each 80MHz, as defined in this invention, there may be different mappings from dRU indices to 20MHz and 40MHz subblock indices M. To indicate the RU type and dRU distribution bandwidth, several signaling options can be used by employing a common information field, a special user information field, or a user information field.

[0058] Figure 14 An example design 1400 of 20MHz and 80MHz sub-block indexing according to the proposed scheme of the present invention is shown. Reference Figure 14 For the BW80, the indices (M) of the four 20MHz sub-blocks can be in the range of 0 to 3 (e.g., M = 0, 1, 2, or 3), and the index (N) of one 80MHz sub-block can be 0. For the BW160, the M of the four 20MHz sub-blocks in each 80MHz sub-block can be in the range of 0 to 3 (e.g., M = 0, 1, 2, or 3), and the N of the two 80MHz sub-blocks can be in the range of 0 to 1 (e.g., N = 0 or 1). For the BW320, the M of the four 20MHz sub-blocks in each 80MHz sub-block can be in the range of 0 to 3 (e.g., M = 0, 1, 2, or 3), and the N of the four 80MHz sub-blocks can be in the range of 0 to 3 (e.g., N = 0, 1, 2, or 3).

[0059] Figure 15 An example design 1500 of 40MHz and 80MHz sub-block indexing according to the proposed scheme is shown. (Reference) Figure 15For the BW80, the indices (M) of the two 40MHz sub-blocks can be in the range of 0 to 1 (e.g., M = 0 or 1), and the index (N) of the 80MHz sub-block can be 0. For the BW160, the M of the two 40MHz sub-blocks in each 80MHz sub-block can be in the range of 0 to 1 (e.g., M = 0 or 1), and the N of the two 80MHz sub-blocks can be in the range of 0 to 1 (e.g., N = 0 or 1). For the BW320, the M of the two 40MHz sub-blocks in each 80MHz sub-block can be in the range of 0 to 1 (e.g., M = 0 or 1), and the N of the four 80MHz sub-blocks can be in the range of 0 to 3 (e.g., N = 0, 1, 2, or 3).

[0060] Figure 16 An example scenario 1600 of a dRU on a frequency subblock according to the proposed scheme is shown. For a given frequency subblock size (e.g., 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 80 MHz), each logical RU may have its own associated frequency subblock. Under the proposed scheme, it is permissible for the tone distribution of a given logical RU to be distributed across its associated frequency subblock. Reference Figure 16 In part (A), the logic RU can be located in a shaded frequency sub-block (e.g., 20 MHz), and under the proposed scheme, the tones can be distributed across 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 80 MHz associated with the shaded frequency sub-block. (See reference) Figure 16 In part (B), the logic RU can be located in a shaded frequency sub-block (e.g., 20 MHz), and under the proposed scheme, the tones can be distributed across 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 80 MHz associated with the shaded frequency sub-block. (See reference) Figure 16 In part (C), the logic RU can be located in the shaded frequency sub-block (e.g., 20 MHz), and under the proposed scheme, the tone can be distributed in 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 80 MHz associated with the shaded frequency sub-block.

[0061] Figure 17 An example design 1700 is shown, illustrating the reuse of the rRU allocation subfield for dRU notification under the proposed scheme according to the present invention. Reference Figure 17 , Figure 17 The left-hand side of the table shown can remain the same as the rRU allocation subfield table, but is limited to BW80 and a dRU size of up to 484 tones. Additionally, the right-hand side of the table displays the 20MHz and 40MHz sub-block indexes M within the 80MHz band.

[0062] Figure 18 An example design 1800 is shown, defining an 80MHz sub-block index N under the proposed scheme according to the present invention. (Reference) Figure 18Under the proposed scheme, the 80MHz sub-block index N can be mapped from the B0 and P / S160 sub-fields of the RU allocation sub-field in the user information field.

[0063] Figure 19 An example design 1900 of dRU notification in the first option (Option A) of the proposed scheme according to the invention is shown. Under the proposed scheme, the RU allocation subfield and the P / S160 subfield can be used to indicate: (a) the dRU size, and (b) the location where the dRU is located or distributed (e.g., indication of 20 / 40 / 80MHz subblock indices M and N). Furthermore, the reserved bit B25 can be used to indicate the RU type, either dRU or rRU (e.g., "1" indicates rRU, "0" indicates dRU, and vice versa). It can be assumed that the dRU is only orthogonal frequency-division multiple-access (OFDMA), in which case certain bits in the "SS allocation" subfield can be used to indicate the distributed bandwidth or distributed window size for BW≥80MHz. For example, bits B26-B27 (or B28-B29 or two other bits) can be used to indicate the distributed bandwidth or distributed window size for BW≥80MHz (e.g., "00" indicates dRU distributed on a 20MHz sub-block, "01" indicates dRU distributed on a 40MHz sub-block, and "11" (or "10") indicates dRU distributed on an 80MHz sub-block). For BW20 PPDU and BW40 PPDU, the distributed bandwidth can be the same as the PPDU bandwidth.

[0064] Figure 20 Example design 2000 of dRU notification is shown among various options of the proposed scheme. Reference Figure 20 Under the proposed scheme, the rRU allocation subfield table under IEEE 802.11be can be reused for dRU notification.

[0065] Figure 21 Example scenario 2100 of dRU notification in option A of the proposed scheme is shown. (Reference) Figure 21 In part (A) of the BW160, the AP can schedule different STAs for each transmission. For example, the 484-tone rule RU (rRU484) in the 80MHz subblock can be assigned or otherwise allocated to the first STA (STA1), the 52-tone dRU (dRU52) in the 20MHz subblock can be assigned or otherwise allocated to the second STA (STA2), and the 106-tone dRU (dRU106) in the 40MHz subblock can be assigned or otherwise allocated to the third STA (STA3), while the remaining 20MHz subblock of the BW160 can be punctured. (See reference) Figure 21In section (B), bits in the RU allocation subfield, bit B25 of the reserved field, two of the six bits in the Spatial Stream (SS) allocation subfield, and bit B39 of the P / S160 subfield of the user information field can be used for dRU notification to STA1, STA2, and STA3. It is worth noting that the bits in the RU allocation subfield and P / S160 subfield used for dRU notification can remain the same as the bits used for rRU allocation notification.

[0066] Figure 22 An example design 2200 for dRU notification in the second option (Option B) of the proposed scheme according to the invention is shown. Under the proposed scheme, an alternative dRU notification method can use reserved bits in the public information field and the special user information field as dRU notification. The reserved bits can be redefined to indicate the RU type (rRU or dRU), distributed bandwidth, and punching pattern with BW ≥ 80MHz.

[0067] In Option B, for BW20 and BW40, one bit can be used to indicate the RU type because the distributed bandwidth can be equivalent to the PPDU bandwidth. For BW ≥ 80MHz, each 80MHz sub-block may require 4 bits (or 3 bits) for dRU notification. For example, the first bit can indicate the RU type (e.g., "1" indicates rRU, "0" indicates dRU, and vice versa), the second bit can indicate the puncturing mode (e.g., "1" indicates no puncturing and "0" indicates puncturing, and vice versa), and the third and fourth bits can indicate the puncturing pattern (e.g., 4 puncturing options). As for the number of bits required for dRU notification, for BW20 and BW40, 1 bit is required; for BW80, 4 or 3 bits are required; for BW160, 8 or 6 bits are required; and for BW320, 16 or 12 bits are required. Therefore, reserved bits in the public information field and the special user information field can be used together for dRU notification.

[0068] Figure 23Example scenario 2300 of dRU notification in Option B of the proposed scheme is shown. For BW20 / BW40 PPDUs, a reserved bit in the common information field (or an ignored / reserved bit in the special user information field) can be used for dRU notification. For example, bit B56 (or another reserved bit) in the common information field (or one of several ignored / reserved bits in the special user information field) can be used to indicate the RU type (e.g., "1" indicates rRU and "0" indicates dRU, and vice versa). The distributed bandwidth can be the same as the PPDU bandwidth (e.g., 20MHz or 40MHz). For BW80 PPDUs, four or three reserved bits in the common information field (or some ignored / reserved bits in the special user information field) can be used for dRU notification. For example, bits B56–B59 (or other reserved bits) of the public information field (or some ignored / reserved bits in the special user information field) can be redefined so that: (a) bit B56 can indicate the RU type (e.g., “1” for rRU, “0” for dRU, and vice versa); (b) bit B57 can indicate the dRU mode (e.g., “1” for non-punched mode, and “0” for punched mode, and vice versa); (c) when B56 = 0 and B57 = 0 (e.g., dRU is in punched mode), bits B58–B59 can indicate the punching pattern.

[0069] For the BW160 PPDU, 8 or 6 reserved bits in the common information field (or some ignored / reserved bits in the special user information field) can be used for dRU notification. For example, bits B56–B59 (or other reserved bits) (or some ignored / reserved bits in the special user information field) in the common information field can be used for notification about the first 80MHz sub-block, while bits B60–B63 (or other reserved bits) (or some ignored / reserved bits in the special user information field) in the common information field can be used for notification about the second 80MHz sub-block. In this case: (a) the definitions of bits B56-B59 of the first 80MHz sub-block may be the same as those of the BW80PPDU; (b) bit B60 may indicate the RU type (e.g., "1" indicates rRU, "0" indicates dRU, and vice versa); (c) bit B61 may indicate the dRU mode (e.g., "1" indicates non-drilled mode, "0" indicates drilled mode, and vice versa); (d) when B60 = 0 and B61 = 0, bits B62-B63 may indicate the drilling pattern (e.g., for the second 80MHz sub-block, the dRU is in drilled mode); (e) the definitions of bits B62-B63 may be the same as those of bits B58-B59.

[0070] For the BW320 PPDU, 16 or 12 reserved bits in the common information field and special user information field can be used for dRU notification. For example, bits B56–B59 (or other reserved bits) of the common information field can be used for notification of the first 80MHz subblock, while bits B60–B63 (or other reserved bits) of the common information field can be used for notification of the second 80MHz subblock, as defined for the BW160. Furthermore, bits B25–B28 (or the other 4 ignored / reserved bits) of the special user information field can be used for dRU notification of the third 80MHz subblock. Similarly, bits B32–B35 (or the other 4 ignored / reserved bits) of the special user information field can be used for dRU notification of the fourth 80MHz subblock. The definitions of the ignored / reserved bits B25–B28 and B32–B35 in the special user information field can be similar to those of the reserved bits B56–B59 and B60–B63 in the common information field. For example, (a) the first bit can indicate the RU type (e.g., "1" indicates rRU, "0" indicates dRU, and vice versa); (b) the second bit can indicate the dRU mode (e.g., "1" indicates non-punch mode, "0" indicates punch mode, and vice versa); (c) when B56=0 and B57=0, the third and fourth bits can indicate the punch pattern (e.g., dRU is in punch mode).

[0071] Figure 24 Example scenario 2400 of dRU notification in option B of the proposed scheme is shown. (Reference) Figure 24 In part (A) of the BW160, the AP can schedule different STAs for each transmission. For example, the 484-tone rule RU (rRU484) in the 80MHz sub-block can be assigned or otherwise allocated to the first STA (STA1), the 52-tone dRU (dRU52) in the 20MHz sub-block can be assigned or otherwise allocated to the second STA (STA2), and the 106-tone dRU (dRU106) in the 40MHz sub-block can be assigned or otherwise allocated to the third STA (STA3), while the remaining 20MHz sub-blocks of the BW160 can be punctured. (See reference) Figure 24 In section (B), the eight reserved bits B56–B62 and B63 in the public information field can be used to indicate the RU type, puncture mode, and puncture pattern of each 80MHz subblock. For example, a value of “1” in B56 can indicate that rRU is the RU type of the first 80MHz subblock of the BW160, while a value of “0” in B60 can indicate that dRU is the RU type of the second 80MHz subblock of the BW160. (See reference) Figure 24In section (C), bits in the RU allocation subfield, bit B25 of the reserved field, two of the six bits in the SS allocation subfield, and bit B39 of the P / S160 subfield of the user information field can be used for dRU notification to STA1, STA2, and STA3. It is worth noting that the bits in the RU allocation subfield and PS160 subfield used for dRU notification can remain the same as the bits used for rRU allocation notification.

[0072] In the third option (Option C) of the proposed scheme, both Options A and B above can be combined for dRU indication. Therefore, when the RU type is dRU, the RU type (e.g., rRU or dRU) can be indicated by using reserved bits in the common information field (or ignored bits and / or reserved bits in the special user information field), and the dRU distributed bandwidth can be indicated by using two bits in the SS allocation subfield of the user information field when the RU type is dRU. One or two bits of the SS allocation subfield in the user information field are used to indicate the number of spatial flows per STA. The number of reserved bits in the common information field (or special user information field) used to indicate the RU type may vary depending on the bandwidth. For example, one bit may be used for BW20, BW40, and BW80, two bits for BW160 (e.g., one bit per 80MHz subblock), and four bits for BW320 (e.g., one bit per 80MHz subblock). Furthermore, if reserved bits in the common information field are used to indicate the RU type, the bitmap used for RU type indication may vary depending on the bandwidth. For example, for BW20 / 40 / 80, bit B56 is "1" for rRU and "0" for dRU (and vice versa). For BW160, bits B56-B57 are used. For rRUs on the first 80MHz subblock, bit B56 is "1" and for dRUs on the first 80MHz subblock, bit B56 is "0". For rRUs on the second 80MHz subblock, bit B57 is "1" and for dRUs on the second 80MHz subblock, bit B57 is "0". For the BW320 using bits B56 to B59, B56 is "1" for the rRU on the first 80MHz subblock and "0" for the dRU on the first 80MHz subblock. For the rRU on the second 80MHz subblock, B57 is "1" and "0". For the rRU on the third 80MHz subblock, B58 is "1" and "0". For the rRU on the fourth 80MHz subblock, B59 is "1" and "0".

[0073] Figure 25 Example scenario 2500 is shown, illustrating the dRU indication in option C of the proposed scheme. (Reference) Figure 25 In part (A) of the BW160, the AP can schedule different STAs for each transmission. For example, the 484-tone rule RU (rRU484) in the 80MHz sub-block can be assigned or otherwise allocated to the first STA (STA1), the 52-tone dRU (dRU52) in the 20MHz sub-block can be assigned or otherwise allocated to the second STA (STA2), and the 106-tone dRU (dRU106) in the 40MHz sub-block can be assigned or otherwise allocated to the third STA (STA3), while the remaining 20MHz sub-blocks of the BW160 can be punctured. (See reference) Figure 25 In section (B), two of the reserved bits B56–B62 in the public information field can be used to indicate the RU type. For example, a value of “1” in B56 (or the other) indicates that the rRU is the RU type of the first 80MHz subblock of the BW160, while a value of “0” in B57 (or the other) indicates that the dRU is the RU type of the second 80MHz subblock of the BW160. (See reference...) Figure 25 In section (C), bits in the RU allocation subfield, bit B25 of the reserved field, two of the six bits in the SS allocation subfield, and bit B39 of the P / S160 subfield of the user information field can be used to notify STA1, STA2, and STA3 of the dRU. It is worth noting that bit B25 can remain reserved, and bits B26 and B27 of the SS allocation subfield can indicate the distributed bandwidth.

[0074] Illustrative Implementation

[0075] Figure 26 An example system 2600 with at least example apparatus 2610 and example apparatus 2620 according to embodiments of the present invention is shown. Each of apparatus 2610 and apparatus 2620 can perform various functions to implement the schemes, techniques, processes, and methods described herein relating to notification of dRU use for UL TB PPDU in a 6 GHz LPI system, including the various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods described above and the processes described below. For example, apparatus 2610 may be implemented in STA 110 and apparatus 2620 may be implemented in STA 120, and vice versa.

[0076] Each of devices 2610 and 2620 may be part of an electronic device, which may be a STA or AP, such as a portable or mobile device, a wearable device, a wireless communication device, or a computing device. When implemented in a STA, each of devices 2610 and 2620 may be implemented in a smartphone, smartwatch, personal digital assistant, digital camera, or computing device such as a tablet, laptop, or notebook computer. Each of devices 2610 and 2620 may also be part of a machine-type device, which may be an IoT device such as a fixed or stationary device, a home appliance, a wired communication device, or a computing device. For example, each of devices 2610 and 2620 may be implemented in a smart thermostat, a smart refrigerator, a smart door lock, a wireless speaker, or a home control center. When implemented in or as a network device, devices 2610 and / or 2620 may be implemented in a network node, such as an AP in a WLAN.

[0077] In some embodiments, each of devices 2610 and 2620 may be implemented as one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more reduced-instruction-set computing (RISC) processors, or one or more complex-instruction-set computing (CISC) processors. In all the above embodiments, each of devices 2610 and 2620 may be implemented in or as a STA or AP. Each of devices 2610 and 2620 may include... Figure 26 At least some of the components shown are, for example, processors 2612 and 2622, respectively. Each of devices 2610 and 2620 may also include one or more other components unrelated to the proposed embodiments of the present invention (e.g., internal power supply, display device, and / or user interface device), and, for simplicity and brevity, none of such components (one or more) of devices 2610 and 2620 are mentioned. Figure 26 It is shown in the image and not described below.

[0078] In one aspect, each of processors 2612 and 2622 may be implemented as one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more RISC processors, or one or more CISC processors. That is, even though the singular term "processor" is used herein to refer to processors 2612 and 2622, according to the invention, each of processors 2612 and 2622 may include multiple processors in some embodiments and a single processor in other embodiments. In another aspect, each of processors 2612 and 2622 may be implemented as hardware (and optionally, firmware) having electronic components, including, but not limited to, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors, and / or one or more varactor diodes, configured and arranged to perform a specific purpose according to the invention. In other words, in at least some embodiments, each of processors 2612 and 2622 is a dedicated machine specifically designed, arranged, and configured to perform specific tasks, including tasks related to notification of dRU usage for UL TB PPDUs in a 6GHz LPI system based on various embodiments of the invention.

[0079] In some embodiments, device 2610 may further include a transceiver 2616 coupled to processor 2612. Transceiver 2616 may include a transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting data and a receiver capable of wirelessly receiving data. In some embodiments, device 2620 may further include a transceiver 2626 coupled to processor 2622. Transceiver 2626 may include a transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting data and a receiver capable of wirelessly receiving data. It is worth noting that although transceivers 2616 and 2626 are shown as being external to and separate from processors 2612 and 2622, respectively, in some embodiments, transceiver 2616 may be part of processor 2612 as a system-on-a-chip (SoC) and / or transceiver 2626 may be part of processor 2622 as a SoC.

[0080] In some embodiments, device 2610 may further include memory 2614 coupled to processor 2612 and accessible by processor 2612 for storing data therein. In some embodiments, device 2620 may further include memory 2624 coupled to processor 2622 and accessible by processor 2622 for storing data therein. Each of memory 2614 and memory 2624 may include a type of random-access memory (RAM), such as dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), thyristor RAM (T-RAM), and / or zero-capacitor RAM (Z-RAM). Optionally or additionally, each of memories 2614 and 2624 may include a read-only memory (ROM), such as a mask ROM, a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), and / or an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM). Optionally or additionally, each of memories 2614 and 2624 may include a non-volatile random-access memory (NVRAM), such as flash memory, solid-state memory, ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), and / or phase-change memory.

[0081] Each of devices 2610 and 2620 can be a communication entity capable of communicating with each other using various proposed schemes according to the present invention. For illustrative purposes and without limitation, a description of the capabilities of device 2610 as STA 110 and device 2620 as STA 120 is provided below. It is worth noting that while a detailed description of the capabilities, functions, and / or technical features of device 2610 is provided below, the same applies to device 2620, although a detailed description of device 2620 is not provided merely for brevity. It is also worth noting that although the example embodiments described below are provided in a WLAN environment, they can also be implemented in other types of networks.

[0082] In the proposed embodiment of the present invention relating to notification of dRU use for UL TB PPDU in a 6GHz LPI system, device 2610 is implemented in network environment 100 as a non-AP STA STA 110 or as STA 110, and device 2620 is implemented in network environment 100 as an AP STA STA 120 or as STA 120. The processor 2612 of device 2610 can receive trigger frames from device 2620 via transceiver 2616. Additionally, the processor 2612 can generate PPDU and transmit the PPDU to device 2620 via transceiver 2616 using a dRU in response to a trigger frame indicating that RU type (e.g., rRU or dRU) or dRU operation is enabled. Similarly, the processor 2622 of device 2620 can transmit trigger frames to device 2610 via transceiver 2626. Furthermore, the processor 2622 can receive via transceiver 2626 a PPDU using a dRU in response to a trigger frame, wherein the trigger frame indicates that the RU type (e.g., rRU or dRU) or dRU operation is enabled.

[0083] In some implementations, the trigger frame can notify that dRU operation is enabled by using an RU allocation subfield table designed for the rRU, indicating one or more aspects of the dRU operation, wherein the rRU has a continuous tone that is non-interleaved, non-interlaced, or non-distributed. In such a case, when transmitting a PPDU using the dRU, the processor 2612 can determine the tone allocation of the dRU by interpreting the RU allocation subfield table designed for the rRU to transmit the PPDU.

[0084] In some implementations, the indication may include an indication of the RU type as rRU or dRU, the dRU distribution bandwidth, and each of the dRU allocations including the dRU size and dRU index.

[0085] In some implementations, the indication can be communicated using one or more reserved bits in the common information field of the trigger frame. In some implementations, the indication may include a bitmap of up to four bits (one bit per 80MHz subblock) indicating that the RU type for each 80MHz segment or frequency subblock is dRU or rRU. Optionally or additionally, the indication may include: (a) in the case of a UL bandwidth of 80MHz or less, one bit in the reserved field indicating whether dRU operation is enabled or disabled across the entire bandwidth; or (b) in the case of a UL bandwidth of 160MHz or 320MHz, two or four bits in the reserved field indicating one of the following: (i) transmission of rRU, (ii) transmission of both rRU and dRU, (iii) transmission of dRU per 80MHz segment, and (iv) transmission of dRU and duplicate.

[0086] In some implementations, the indication can be communicated using one or more ignore bits, one or more reserved bits, or one or more ignore bits and one or more reserved bits (e.g., one or more ignore bits and / or one or more reserved bits) in a special user information field of the trigger frame. In some implementations, the indication may include a bitmap of up to four bits (one bit per 80MHz subblock) of ignore bits and / or reserved bits in the special user information field to indicate that the RU type of each 80MHz segment or frequency subblock is dRU or rRU.

[0087] In some implementations, the indication may be communicated in the user information field of the trigger frame. In some implementations, the indication may include at least one of the following: (a) a reserved bit indicating whether the RU type or dRU operation is enabled or disabled (or the RU type is rRU or dRU); (b) one or more bits in the SS allocation subfield indicating the distributed bandwidth or distribution window size of the dRU tone if the RU type indicates dRU; (c) one or more bits in the combination of the RU allocation subfield and the P / S160 subfield indicating one or more 80MHz segments or frequency subblocks with dRU transmission enabled; and (d) one or two bits in the SS allocation field indicating the number of spatial streams.

[0088] In some implementations, the indication may be communicated in the user information field of the trigger frame, and in one or both of the common information field and the special user information field of the trigger frame. In some implementations, the indication may include at least one of the following: (a) a reserved bit in the common information field indicating the RU type; (b) two bits in the SS allocation subfield of the user information field indicating the dRU tone distribution bandwidth or distribution window size if the RU type indicates dRU; (c) one or more reserved bits in the common information field or one or more ignored bits and / or one or more reserved bits in the special user information field indicating one or more 80MHz segments or frequency subblocks to initiate dRU or rRU transmission; and (d) one or two bits in the SS allocation field indicating the number of spatial streams.

[0089] In some implementations, dRU operation may include one of the following: (a) dRU tone distribution operation distributed across the entire PPDU bandwidth of 20MHz, 40MHz, or 80MHz; (b) dRU tone distribution operation in each 80MHz segment or frequency sub-block across a wide bandwidth of 160MHz or 320MHz; (c) a first mixed-mode operation of dRU and rRU in different 80MHz sub-blocks in a wide bandwidth of 160MHz or 320MHz; (d) dRU operation enabled in a puncturing mode operation of dRUs on the remaining sub-blocks when a portion of the 80MHz frequency sub-blocks in the 80MHz bandwidth or in the 80MHz frequency sub-blocks of the 160MHz or 320MHz wide bandwidth are punctured. For example, dRU operation enabled in a puncturing mode operation of dRUs on the remaining 20MHz and 40MHz sub-blocks when a 20MHz frequency sub-block in the 80MHz bandwidth or in the 80MHz frequency sub-blocks of the 160MHz or 320MHz wide bandwidth are punctured. (e) A second hybrid mode operation of dRU and rRU, wherein the dRU is in puncturing mode, for example, in a wide bandwidth of 160MHz or 320MHz, the dRU and rRU are on different 80MHz frequency subblocks, one 80MHz frequency subblock is used for rRU operation, a portion of the subblocks in one 80MHz frequency subblock are punctured, and dRU operation is enabled in the remaining subblocks in that 80MHz frequency subblock, for example, 20MHz subblocks are punctured, and dRU operation is enabled in the remaining 20MHz and 40MHz. (f) A first multi-dRU operation, having one dRU on one or more dRUs in each of multiple 80MHz subblocks, wherein one 80MHz subblock is in puncturing mode, and (g) a second multi-dRU operation, having one dRU on one or more dRUs in each of multiple 80MHz subblocks, wherein each 80MHz subblock is in puncturing mode.

[0090] In some implementations, when transmitting a PPDU, processor 2612 can transmit a UL TB PPDU in a 6 GHz LPI system. Similarly, when receiving a PPDU, processor 2622 can receive a UL TB PPDU in a 6 GHz LPI system.

[0091] Explanatory process

[0092] Figure 27 An example process 2700 according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Process 2700 may represent one aspect of implementing the various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods described above. More specifically, process 2700 may represent one aspect of proposed concepts and schemes related to notification of dRU use for UL TB PPDU in a 6GHz LPI system according to the present invention. Process 2700 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as shown in one or more of blocks 2710 and 2720. Although shown as discrete blocks, the individual blocks of process 2700 may be divided into additional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated, depending on the desired implementation. Furthermore, the blocks / sub-blocks of process 2700 may be arranged in... Figure 7 The process can be executed in the order shown, or in a different order. Furthermore, one or more boxes / sub-boxes of process 2700 can be executed repeatedly or iteratively. Process 2700 can be implemented by or within devices 2610 and 2620 and any variations thereof. For illustrative purposes only and without limitation, process 2700 is described in an environment where device 2610 is implemented in STA110 as a non-AP STA or as STA110, and device 2620 is implemented in or as STA120 as an AP STA, wherein the non-AP STA / AP STA is in a wireless network (e.g., WLAN) of network environment 270 according to one or more IEEE 802.11 standards. Process 2700 may begin at box 2710.

[0093] At 2710, process 2700 may involve the processor 2612 of device 2610 receiving a trigger frame from device 2620 via transceiver 2616. Process 2700 can proceed from 2710 to 2720.

[0094] At 2720, process 2700 may involve processor 2612 sending a PPDU to device 2620 via transceiver 2616 using a dRU in response to a trigger frame, wherein the trigger frame is used to notify an indication that the RU type (e.g., rRU or dRU) or dRU operation is enabled.

[0095] In some implementations, the trigger frame can notify that dRU operation is enabled by using an RU allocation subfield table designed for a continuous tone of an rRU that is non-interlaced, non-interleaved, or non-distributed, indicating one or more aspects of the dRU operation. In this case, when sending a PPDU using a dRU, process 2700 may involve processor 2612 determining the tone allocation of the dRU by interpreting the RU allocation subfield table designed for the rRU to send the PPDU.

[0096] In some implementations, the indication may include an indication of the RU type as rRU or dRU, the dRU distributed bandwidth, and each of the dRU allocations including the dRU size and dRU index.

[0097] In some implementations, the indication can be communicated using one or more reserved bits in the common information field of the trigger frame. In some implementations, the indication may include a bitmap of up to 4 bits (1 bit per 80MHz subblock) indicating that the RU type for each 80MHz segment or frequency subblock is dRU or rRU. Optionally or additionally, the indication may include: (a) in the case of a UL bandwidth of 80MHz or less, one bit in the reserved field indicating that the dRU operation is enabled or disabled across the entire bandwidth, or (b) in the case of a UL bandwidth of 160MHz or 320MHz, two or four bits in the reserved field indicating one of the following: (i) the transmission of rRU, (ii) the transmission of both rRU and dRU, (iii) the transmission of dRU per 80MHz segment, and (iv) the transmission of dRU and duplicate.

[0098] In some implementations, the indication can be communicated using one or more ignore bits, one or more reserved bits, or one or more ignore bits and one or more reserved bits (e.g., one or more ignore bits and / or one or more reserved bits) in a special user information field of the trigger frame. In some implementations, the indication may include a bitmap of up to 4 bits (1 bit per 80MHz subblock) indicating that the RU type for each 80MHz segment or frequency subblock is dRU or rRU.

[0099] In some implementations, the indication may be communicated in the user information field of the trigger frame. In some implementations, the indication may include at least one of the following: (a) a reserved bit indicating whether the RU type or dRU operation is enabled or disabled; (b) one or more bits in the SS allocation subfield indicating the bandwidth distribution or distribution window size for the dRU tone when the RU type indicates dRU; (c) one or more bits in a combination of the RU allocation subfield and the P / S160 subfield indicating one or more 80MHz segments or frequency subblocks that enable dRU transmission; and (d) one or two bits in the SS allocation field indicating the number of spatial streams.

[0100] In some implementations, the indication may be communicated in the user information field of the trigger frame and in one or both of the common information field and special user information field of the trigger frame. In some implementations, the indication may include at least one of the following: (a) a reserved bit in the common information field or an ignored bit or reserved bit in the special user information field to indicate the RU type; (b) two bits in the SS allocation subfield of the user information field to indicate the distributed bandwidth or distribution window size for the dRU tone when the RU type indicates dRU; (c) one or more reserved bits in the common information field or one or more ignored bits and / or one or more reserved bits in the special user information field to indicate one or more 80MHz segments or frequency subblocks that enable dRU transmission; and (d) one or two bits in the SS allocation field to indicate the number of spatial streams.

[0101] In some implementations, dRU operation may include one of the following: (a) dRU tone distribution operation across the entire PPDU bandwidth of 20MHz, 40MHz, or 80MHz; (b) dRU tone distribution operation for each 80MHz segment or frequency subblock across a wide bandwidth of 160MHz or 320MHz; (c) first mixed-mode operation of dRU and rRU across different 80MHz subblocks in a wide bandwidth of 160MHz or 320MHz; (d) 20MHz of a frequency subblock within an 80MHz bandwidth or within a wide bandwidth of 160MHz or 320MHz is punched, dRU The U operation is enabled for dRU puncturing mode operation on the remaining 20MHz and 40MHz sub-blocks, (e) a second mixed mode operation of dRU and rRU, wherein the dRU is in puncturing mode, (f) a first multi-dRU operation, having one dRU among multiple dRUs on each of multiple 80MHz sub-blocks, wherein one of the multiple 80MHz sub-blocks is in puncturing mode, and (g) a second multi-dRU operation, having one dRU among multiple dRUs on each of multiple 80MHz sub-blocks, wherein each of the multiple 80MHz sub-blocks is in puncturing mode.

[0102] In some implementations, when transmitting the PPDU, process 2700 may involve processor 2612 transmitting a UL TB PPDU in a 6 GHz LPI system.

[0103] Figure 28An example process 2800 according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Process 2800 may represent one aspect of implementing the various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods described above. More specifically, process 2800 may represent one aspect of proposed concepts and schemes related to notification of dRU use for UL TB PPDU in a 6GHz LPI system according to the present invention. Process 2800 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as shown in one or more of blocks 2810 and 2820. Although shown as discrete blocks, the individual blocks of process 2800 may be divided into additional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated, depending on the desired implementation. Furthermore, the blocks / sub-blocks of process 2800 may be arranged in... Figure 28 The process can be executed in the order shown, or in a different order. Furthermore, one or more boxes / sub-boxes of process 2800 can be executed repeatedly or iteratively. Process 2800 can be implemented by or within devices 2610 and 2620 and any variations thereof. For illustrative purposes only and without limitation, process 2800 is described in an environment where device 2610 is implemented in or as STA110 and device 2620 is implemented in or as STA120, wherein STA110 / STA120 is in a wireless network (e.g., WLAN) of a network environment 280 according to one or more IEEE 802.11 standards. Process 2800 may begin in box 2810.

[0104] At 2810, process 2800 may involve the processor 2622 of device 2620 sending a trigger frame to device 2610 via transceiver 2626. Process 2800 can proceed from 2810 to 2820.

[0105] At 2820, process 2800 may involve processor 2622 receiving via transceiver 2626 a PPDU of use of dRU in response to a trigger frame, the trigger frame being used to notify of RU type (e.g., rRU or dRU) or an indication that dRU operation is enabled.

[0106] In some implementations, the trigger frame can notify that dRU operation is enabled by using a table of RU allocation subfields designed for rRUs with non-interleaved, non-interlaced, or non-distributed continuous tones to indicate one or more aspects of dRU operation.

[0107] In some implementations, the indication may include indications for each of the RU type, dRU distribution bandwidth, and dRU allocation including dRU size and dRU index.

[0108] In some implementations, the indication can be communicated using one or more reserved bits in the common information field of the trigger frame. In some implementations, the indication may include a bitmap of up to four bits (one bit per 80MHz subblock) indicating whether the RU type per 80MHz segment or frequency subblock is dRU or rRU. Optionally or additionally, the indication may include: (a) in the case of a UL bandwidth of 80MHz or less, one bit in the reserved field indicating whether dRU operation is enabled or disabled across the entire bandwidth; or (b) in the case of a UL bandwidth of 160MHz or 320MHz, two or four bits in the reserved field indicating one of the following: (i) transmission of rRU, (ii) transmission of both rRU and dRU, (iii) transmission of dRU per 80MHz segment, and (iv) transmission of both dRU and duplicate.

[0109] In some implementations, the indication can be communicated using one or more ignore bits and / or one or more reserved bits in a special user information field of the trigger frame. In some implementations, the indication may include a bitmap of up to 4 bits (1 bit per 80MHz subblock) indicating that the RU type of each 80MHz segment or frequency subblock is dRU or rRU.

[0110] In some implementations, the indication may be communicated in the user information field of the trigger frame. In some implementations, the indication may include at least one of the following: (a) a reserved bit indicating whether the RU type is dRU or rRU or whether dRU operation is enabled or disabled; (b) one or more bits in the SS allocation subfield, indicating the distributed bandwidth or distribution window size of the dRU tone if the RU type indicates dRU; (c) one or more bits in the combination of the RU allocation subfield and the P / S160 subfield, indicating one or more 80MHz segment or frequency subblocks with dRU transmission enabled; and (d) one or two bits in the SS allocation field, indicating the number of spatial streams.

[0111] In some implementations, the indication may be communicated in the user information field of the trigger frame, and in one or both of the common information field and special user information field of the trigger frame. In some implementations, the indication may include at least one of the following: (a) a reserved bit in the common information field indicating the RU type; (b) two bits in the SS allocation subfield of the user information field indicating the distributed bandwidth or window size of the dRU tone if the RU type indicates dRU; (c) one or more reserved bits in the common information field or one or more ignored bits and / or one or more reserved bits in the special user information field indicating one or more 80MHz segments or frequency subblocks with dRU transmission enabled; and (d) one or two bits in the SS allocation field indicating the number of spatial streams.

[0112] In some implementations, dRU operation may include one of the following: (a) dRU tone distribution operation across the entire PPDU bandwidth of 20MHz, 40MHz, or 80MHz; (b) tone distribution operation of dRUs in each 80MHz segment or frequency subblock across a wide bandwidth of 160MHz or 320MHz; (c) first mixed-mode operation of dRUs and rRUs in different 80MHz subblocks within a wide bandwidth of 160MHz or 320MHz; (d) dRUs being punched in a 20MHz frequency subblock within an 80MHz bandwidth or within an 80MHz frequency subblock of a wide bandwidth of 160MHz or 320MHz. Operations are enabled in the puncturing mode of the dRUs on the remaining 20MHz and 40MHz sub-blocks, (e) a second mixed mode operation of dRUs and rRUs, wherein the dRUs are in puncturing mode, (f) a first multi-dRU operation, having one dRU among multiple dRUs on each of the multiple 80MHz sub-blocks, wherein one of the multiple 80MHz sub-blocks is in puncturing mode, and (g) a second multi-dRU operation, having one dRU among multiple dRUs on each of the multiple 80MHz sub-blocks, wherein each of the multiple 80MHz sub-blocks is in puncturing mode.

[0113] In some implementations, when receiving a PPDU, process 2800 may involve processor 2622 receiving a UL TB PPDU in a 6 GHz LPI system.

[0114] Additional notes

[0115] The topics described herein sometimes illustrate different components contained within or connected to other different components. It is important to understand that the architectures depicted are merely examples, and many other architectures can actually be implemented to achieve the same functionality. Conceptually, any arrangement of components that achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” to achieve the desired function. Therefore, any two components combined here to achieve a particular function can be considered “associated” with each other to achieve the desired function, regardless of the architecture or intermediate components. Similarly, any two components so associated can also be considered “operably connected” or “operably coupled” to each other to achieve the desired function, and any two components that can be so associated can also be considered “operably coupled” to each other to achieve the desired function. Specific examples of operational coupling include, but are not limited to, physically pairable and / or physically interacting components and / or wirelessly interactive components and / or logically interacting and / or logically interactive components.

[0116] Furthermore, regarding the use of virtually any plural and / or singular terms in this document, those skilled in the art can convert from plural to singular and / or from singular to plural depending on the context and / or application. For clarity, various singular / plural substitutions may be explicitly described herein.

[0117] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the terms generally used herein, particularly those used in the appended claims, such as the body of the appended claims, are generally intended as “open-ended” terms. For example, the term “comprising” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” and so on. Those skilled in the art will further understand that if a specific number of introduced claim elements are intended, such intent will be explicitly stated in the claim, and in the absence of such a statement, such intent does not exist. For example, to aid understanding, the appended claims may contain the use of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim elements. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed as implying that the claim element introduced by the indefinite article “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such an introduced claim element to containing only one such element, even when the same claim contains the introductory phrase “one or more” or “at least one” and the indefinite article such as “a” or “an,” for example, “a” and / or “an” should be interpreted as referring to “at least one” or “one or more,” and the same applies to the use of definite articles used to introduce claim elements. Furthermore, even when a specific number of the introduced claim elements are explicitly stated, those skilled in the art will recognize that such a statement should be interpreted as meaning at least the number listed. For example, the statement "two elements" without other modifiers means at least two elements or two or more elements. Additionally, in the use of phrases like "at least one of A, B, and C," for its purpose, such a structure is generally understood by those skilled in the art to be conventional. For example, "the system has at least one of A, B, and C" will include, but is not limited to, the system having a single A, a single B, a single C, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc. Similarly, in the use of phrases like "at least one of A, B, or C," for its purpose, such a structure is generally understood by those skilled in the art to be conventional. For example, "the system has at least one of A, B, or C" will include, but is not limited to, the system having a single A, a single B, a single C, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc. Those skilled in the art will further understand that any transitional words and / or phrases that actually represent two or more options, whether in the specification, claims, or drawings, should be understood to include the possibility of including one of a plurality of terms, any one of a plurality of terms, or two terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibility of “A” or “B” or “A and B”.

[0118] As can be seen from the foregoing, it is understood that various embodiments of this application have been described herein for illustrative purposes, and various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of this application. Therefore, the various embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, and the true scope and spirit are determined by the appended claims.

[0119] While certain preferred embodiments and methods have been disclosed herein, those skilled in the art can make changes and modifications to these embodiments and methods without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Any modifications that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are within the scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive a trigger frame; wherein the trigger frame is used to notify an indication, the indication being used to indicate whether resource unit RU type or distributed tone resource unit dRU operation is enabled; and If the indication indicates that the RU type is dRU or the dRU operation is enabled, use the dRU to send Physical Layer Protocol Data Units (PPDUs); The instructions include the following: The RU type is either rRU or dRU. The distributed bandwidth of the dRU, and This includes dRU allocation, including dRU size and dRU index.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The trigger frame notifies that the dRU operation is enabled by using an RU allocation subfield table designed for a regular resource unit (rRU) to indicate one or more aspects of the dRU operation, wherein the rRU has a continuous tone that is not interleaved, staggered, or distributed, and wherein sending the PPDU using the dRU includes: sending the PPDU by interpreting the RU allocation subfield table designed for the rRU to determine the tone distribution of the dRU.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The indication includes: an indication notified by using one or more reserved bits in the public information field of the trigger frame.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The indication includes a bitmap of at least one bit, with one bit for each 80MHz subblock, indicating that the RU type of each 80MHz segment or frequency subblock is dRU or rRU.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The instructions include: If the uplink UL bandwidth is 80MHz or less, one bit in the reserved field indicates whether the dRU operation is enabled or disabled across the entire bandwidth. When the UL bandwidth is 160MHz or 320MHz, the reserved field has 2 or 4 bits indicating one of the following: Enable rRU transmission. Enable rRU and dRU transfers. Transmissions with dRU enabled in each 80MHz band, and Enabled dRU and replicated transport.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The indication includes: an indication notified by using one or more ignore bits, or one or more reserved bits, or the one or more ignore bits and one or more reserved bits in the special user information field of the trigger frame.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The indication includes a bitmap of at least one bit, with one bit per 80MHz subblock, indicating that the RU type of each 80MHz segment or frequency subblock is dRU or rRU.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The indication includes: an indication notified in the user information field of the trigger frame.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The instruction includes at least one of the following: Reserved bit, indicating whether the RU type or the dRU operation is enabled or disabled. One or more bits in the SS allocation subfield of the spatial stream, in the case of the RU type indicating dRU, indicate the pitch distribution bandwidth or distribution window size of the dRU. One or more of the combination of the RU allocation subfield and the primary P / auxiliary S 160 subfield indicate one or more 80MHz segment or frequency subblocks that enable the transmission of the dRU, and The SS allocation subfield has one or two bits indicating the number of space streams.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The indication includes: an indication notified in the user information field of the trigger frame, and in one or both of the public information field and the special user information field of the trigger frame.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The instruction includes at least one of the following: Reserved bits in the public information field indicate the RU type. Two bits in the SS allocation subfield of the user information field indicate the pitch distribution bandwidth or window size of the dRU in the case of the RU type indicating dRU, and One or more reserved bits in the public information field, or one or more ignored bits or one or more reserved bits or both of one or more ignored bits and one or more reserved bits in the special user information field, indicate one or more 80MHz segments or frequency sub-blocks for which transmission of the dRU is enabled.

12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The dRU operation includes one of the following: The tone distribution operation of the dRU distributed across the entire PPDU bandwidth of 20MHz, 40MHz, or 80MHz. Tone distribution operation of dRUs in each 80MHz segment or frequency sub-block over a wide bandwidth of 160MHz or 320MHz. In a wide bandwidth of 160MHz or 320MHz, dRU and rRU operate in a first mixed mode on different 80MHz sub-blocks. If a 20MHz frequency sub-block within an 80MHz bandwidth, or an 80MHz frequency sub-block within a 160MHz or 320MHz wide bandwidth, is punctured, DRU operation is enabled in the puncturing mode of DRU operation on the remaining 20MHz and 40MHz sub-blocks. The second hybrid mode operation of the dRU and the rRU, wherein the dRU is in the punch mode. The first multi-dRU operation has one dRU on each of a plurality of 80MHz sub-blocks, and one of the plurality of 80MHz sub-blocks is in the puncturing mode. The second multi-dRU operation has one dRU on each of a plurality of 80MHz sub-blocks, and each of the plurality of 80MHz sub-blocks is in the punching mode.

13. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission of PPDU includes: transmitting uplink-triggered PPDUs in a 6GHz low-power indoor LPI system.

14. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Send a trigger frame; wherein the trigger frame is used to notify an indication, the indication being used to indicate whether resource unit RU type or distributed tone resource unit dRU operation is enabled; and If the indication indicates that the RU type is dRU or the dRU operation is enabled, receive a Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) using dRU in response to the trigger frame; The instructions include the following: The RU type is either rRU or dRU. The distributed bandwidth of the dRU, and This includes dRU allocation, including dRU size and dRU index.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The trigger frame notifies that the dRU operation is enabled by using a RU allocation subfield table designed for a regular resource unit (rRU) to indicate one or more aspects of the dRU operation, wherein the rRU has a continuous tone that is not interleaved, staggered, or distributed.

16. A communication device, characterized in that, include: The transceiver is configured for wireless communication; and A processor, coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform operations including: A trigger frame is received via the transceiver; wherein the trigger frame is used to notify an indication, the indication being used to indicate whether resource unit RU type or distributed tone resource unit dRU operation is enabled; and If the indication indicates that the RU type is dRU or the dRU operation is enabled, use the dRU to send Physical Layer Protocol Data Units (PPDUs); The instructions include the following: The RU type is either rRU or dRU. The distributed bandwidth of the dRU, and This includes dRU allocation, including dRU size and dRU index.

17. The communication device according to claim 16, characterized in that, The trigger frame notifies that the dRU operation is enabled by using an RU allocation subfield table designed for a regular resource unit (rRU) to indicate one or more aspects of the dRU operation, wherein the rRU has a continuous tone that is not interleaved, staggered, or distributed, and wherein the processor sends the PPDU by interpreting the RU allocation subfield table designed for the rRU to determine the tone distribution of the dRU.

Images