Multiple generation communication in wireless local area network (WLAN)

Abstract

The present disclosure provides methods, devices, and systems for wireless communication, and more particularly, to methods, devices, and systems for generating or receiving a wireless packet including a first preamble based on a first generation of a wireless communication protocol and a second preamble based on a second generation of the wireless communication protocol. The wireless packet can include the first preamble in a first subchannel of a wireless channel and the second preamble in a second subchannel of the wireless channel. Thus, the wireless packet can concurrently include communications to or from different types of wireless stations supporting different generations of the wireless communication protocol.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This patent application claims priority to U.S. non-provisional patent application No. 17 / 209,132, filed March 22, 2021, entitled "MULTI-GENERATION COMMUNICATION IN A WIRELESS LOCAL AREA NETWORK (WLAN)," which claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 62 / 993,609, filed March 23, 2020, entitled "MULTI-GENERATION COMMUNICATION IN A WIRELESS LOCALAREA NETWORK (WLAN)," which has been assigned to the assignee of this application. The disclosure of the earlier application is considered part of this patent application and is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure generally relates to wireless communications, and more particularly to multigenerational communications in wireless local area networks (WLANs).

[0004] Related technical descriptions

[0005] A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) can be formed by one or more Access Points (APs) that provide a shared wireless communication medium for use by several client devices (also known as stations (STAs)). The basic building block of a WLAN conforming to the IEEE 802.11 family of standards is the Basic Service Set (BSS) managed by the AP. Each BSS is identified by a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) advertised by the AP. The AP periodically broadcasts beacon frames to enable any STA within the AP's wireless range to establish or maintain a communication link with the WLAN.

[0006] The IEEE 802.11 standard family defines communication protocols collectively known as WLAN communication protocols. Some revisions to the IEEE 802.11 specification can be referred to as next-generation WLAN communication protocols (sometimes also called new wireless communication protocols). For example, the IEEE 802.11ax and 802.11be revisions to the IEEE 802.11 specification can be considered as different generations of wider IEEE 802.11 WLAN communication protocols. New generations of WLAN communication protocols are continuously created in an ongoing development cycle. Compared to the previous generation, each generation of WLAN communication protocols can achieve greater bandwidth or enhanced features.

[0007] Overview

[0008] The systems, methods, and apparatus disclosed herein each have several innovative aspects, and no single aspect is solely responsible for the desired properties disclosed herein.

[0009] One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a method for wireless communication. The method may include obtaining first data for a first wireless station. The method may include obtaining second data for a second wireless station. The method may include transmitting a wireless packet comprising a generation-specific first preamble formatted according to a first generation of a wireless communication protocol via a first sub-channel of the wireless channel and a generation-specific second preamble formatted according to a second generation of the wireless communication protocol via a second sub-channel of the wireless channel. The wireless packet may include first data and second data filled in corresponding portions (such as RUs) of one or more data fields following the generation-specific first and second preambles.

[0010] Another inventive aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a method for wireless communication. The method may include receiving at least a portion of a wireless packet via a first sub-channel of a wireless channel, the wireless packet including a generation-specific first preamble formatted according to a first generation of a wireless communication protocol. The wireless packet may include a generation-specific second preamble formatted according to a second generation of the wireless communication protocol in a second sub-channel of the wireless channel. The method may include processing the generation-specific first preamble according to the first generation. Brief description of the attached diagram

[0012] Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the following description. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from this description, the drawings, and the claims. It should be noted that the relative dimensions in the following drawings may not be drawn to scale.

[0013] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an example wireless communication network is shown.

[0014] Figure 2 An example Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) is shown that can be used for communication between an Access Point (AP) and several Stations (STAs).

[0015] Figure 3 An example PPDU including the Universal Signal Field (U-SIG) is shown.

[0016] Figure 4A An example PPDU with a first preamble based on a first wireless communication protocol is shown.

[0017] Figure 4BAn example PPDU with a second preamble based on a second wireless communication protocol is shown.

[0018] Figure 5 Example wireless packets with preambles based on different wireless communication protocols are shown according to some implementations.

[0019] Figure 6 An example radio packet is shown, according to some implementations, in which the allocation of resource element (RU) signaled by a first preamble is restricted to the same subchannel as the first preamble.

[0020] Figure 7A An example wireless packet formatted as a composite PPDU according to some implementation is shown, which includes PPDUs that are signaled concurrently in different sub-channels.

[0021] Figure 7B Another example of a wireless packet, formatted to concurrently support multiple generations according to some implementations, is shown.

[0022] Figure 8 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device is shown.

[0023] Figure 9A A block diagram of an example AP is shown.

[0024] Figure 9B A block diagram of an example STA is shown.

[0025] Figure 10 An example wireless packet is shown that supports channel bandwidths greater than 320MHz according to some implementations.

[0026] Figure 11 An example of selective bandwidth preamble decoding based on some implementations is shown.

[0027] Figure 12 An example of precode orthogonality based on some implementations is shown.

[0028] Figure 13 An example of uplink communication based on some implementations is shown.

[0029] Figure 14 A flowchart illustrating an example process for transmitting wireless packets, based on some implementations, is shown.

[0030] Figure 15 A flowchart illustrating an example process for receiving wireless packets, based on some implementations, is shown.

[0031] Figure 16 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device based on some implementations is shown.

[0032] Figure 17 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device based on some implementations is shown.

[0033] Figure 18 A block diagram of an example electronic device is shown.

[0034] Similar reference numerals and naming conventions in the various figures indicate similar elements.

[0035] Detailed description

[0036] The following description is directed to certain implementations in order to describe aspects of the innovation of this disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in many different ways. The described implementations can be implemented according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, the IEEE 802.15 standard, and as defined by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). The described implementation can be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals according to one or more of the following standards, or those published by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP): Long Term Evolution (LTE), 3G, 4G, or 5G (New Radio (NR)). The described implementation can be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving RF signals according to one or more of the following technologies or techniques: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), Single Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), Single User (SU) Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), and Multi User (MU) MIMO. The described implementation can also be implemented using other wireless communication protocols or RF signals suitable for use in one or more of Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), Wireless Wide Area Networks (WWANs), or Internet of Things (IoT) networks.

[0037] Various implementations generally involve the formats, structures, and techniques for combining data communications formatted according to different generations of the IEEE 802.11 specification into a single radio packet. A generation of the IEEE 802.11 specification may refer to a revision that modifies the physical layer (PHY) protocol or defines additional radio channel bandwidth options associated with WLAN communications. IEEE 802.11ax, IEEE 802.11be, and future revisions can be examples of different generations of the IEEE 802.11 specification. In some implementations, these generations may be numbered (e.g., 4G, 5G, and 6G). In some aspects, radio packets may be formatted as a single PHY Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) comprising communications according to multiple generations of the IEEE 802.11 specification. Some implementations more specifically involve preparing and transmitting radio packets that include both signaling and data according to different generations. Signaling refers to control fields or information that can be used to instruct subchannel puncturing, the structure of data fields, or resource unit (RU) allocation, etc. In some implementations, radio packets may concurrently include preambles for different generations in different corresponding subchannels of the radio channel. In some implementations, a PPDU may include a single data field spanning the entire channel bandwidth following a generation-specific subchannel preamble with different generations. In other implementations, the radio packet may be formatted as a composite PPDU formed from PPDUs of different wireless communication protocols, each PPDU including a generation-based preamble and data field in the same corresponding subchannel; these PPDUs are then transmitted concurrently as a composite PPDU. This radio packet may be referred to as a multi-generation PPDU because it supports multiple generations of the IEEE 802.11 specification.

[0038] In some respects, while multi-generation PPDUs can span the entire channel bandwidth of a wireless channel, they can include different generation-specific preambles in different sub-channels. Each generation-specific preamble can be constructed according to different wireless communication protocols representing different generations of the IEEE 802.11 specification. The generation-specific preamble can include RU allocations (or "assignments") for one or more data fields following the generation-specific preamble. In some implementations, each generation-specific preamble can signal RU allocations within a single data field spanning the entire channel bandwidth. In some implementations, the generation-specific preamble can constrain RU allocations within a sub-channel portion of a single data field. Thus, a single data field following the generation-specific preamble can be segmented based on a sub-channel, and the generation-specific preamble can include only RU assignments within its own sub-channel. In some implementations where multi-generation PPDUs are formatted as composite PPDUs, each sub-channel can include a separate generation-specific preamble that signals RU allocations within the generation-specific data fields of that sub-channel.

[0039] The aspects of the multi-generation PPDU described herein enable selective bandwidth preamble processing. For example, a WLAN device can be configured to decode a generation-specific preamble in a particular sub-channel without decoding generation-specific preambles in other sub-channels. In some implementations, a multi-generation PPDU may include a generation-specific preamble and a generation-specific data field in the same sub-channel, allowing a WLAN device that supports that particular generation but may not support other generations to decode only the portion of the multi-generation PPDU within that sub-channel. Furthermore, when a multi-generation PPDU is formatted as a composite PPDU, a WLAN device can treat the generation-specific preamble and the generation-specific data field within a sub-channel as separate PPDUs and can ignore other portions of the multi-generation PPDU in other sub-channels.

[0040] In some implementations, generation-specific preambles are aligned to achieve preamble orthogonality. For example, although based on different wireless communication protocols, the first and second preambles can have the same length so that they terminate simultaneously when transmitted in different sub-channels. In some implementations, WLAN devices may add padding to generation-specific preambles or data fields to support preamble orthogonality and data field orthogonality. Furthermore, the first and second preambles can be configured such that they are transmitted in concurrent orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols with the same format (such as symbol duration, subcarrier spacing, and duration guard interval), although via different corresponding subcarriers (or "frequency modulation") of multiple generations of PPDUs.

[0041] Specific implementations of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. As initially described above, the multi-generation PPDU proposed herein can support simultaneous communication to or from stations (STAs) implementing different generations of WLAN communication protocols. As WLAN communication protocols evolve to expand channel bandwidth or add other features, the multi-generation PPDU can continue to enable communication formatted according to the previous generation, while concurrently supporting communication formatted using the new generations. Additionally, because the multi-generation PPDU can include multi-generation preambles, RU allocation can be more flexible.

[0042] Figure 1A block diagram of an example wireless communication network 100 is shown. Depending on some aspects, the wireless communication network 100 may be an example of a wireless local area network (WLAN) (such as a Wi-Fi network) (and will be referred to WLAN 100 below). For example, WLAN 100 may be a network implementing at least one of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard families (such as standards defined by the IEEE 802.11-2016 specification or its revisions, including but not limited to 802.11ah, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11ax, 802.11az, 802.11ba, and 802.11be). WLAN 100 may include numerous wireless communication devices, such as access points (APs) 102 and multiple stations (STAs) 104. Although only one AP 102 is shown, WLAN network 100 may also include multiple APs 102.

[0043] Each STA 104 may also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), mobile device, mobile handheld device, wireless handheld device, access terminal (AT), user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), or subscriber unit, and other possibilities. STA 104 may represent a variety of devices such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), other handheld devices, netbooks, laptops, tablets, laptops, display devices (e.g., TVs, computer monitors, navigation systems, etc.), music or other audio or stereo devices, remote control devices (“remote controllers”), printers, kitchen or other household appliances, key fobs (e.g., for passive keyless entry and start (PKES) systems), and other possibilities.

[0044] A single AP 102 and its associated set of STAs 104 may be referred to as a Basic Service Set (BSS), which is managed by the corresponding AP 102. Figure 1Example coverage area 106 of AP 102 is shown, which may represent the Basic Service Area (BSA) of WLAN 100. The BSA can be identified to users by a Service Set Identifier (SSID) and to other devices by a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID), which may be the Media Access Control (MAC) address of AP 102. AP 102 periodically broadcasts a beacon frame (“beacon”) including the BSSID to enable any STA 104 within the wireless range of AP 102 to “associate” or reassociate with AP 102 to establish or maintain a corresponding communication link 108 with AP 102 (also referred to hereinafter as a “Wi-Fi link”). For example, the beacon may include an identifier of the primary channel used by the corresponding AP 102 and a timing synchronization function for establishing or maintaining timing synchronization with AP 102. AP102 can provide access to external networks to each STA 104 in the WLAN via the corresponding communication link 108.

[0045] In order to establish a communication link 108 with AP 102, each STA 104 is configured to perform passive or active scanning operations (“scanning”) on frequency channels in one or more frequency bands (e.g., 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, or 60 GHz bands). To perform a passive scan, STA 104 listens for beacons transmitted by the corresponding AP 102 at periodic time intervals (referred to as Target Beacon Transmission Time (TBTT) (measured in units of time (TU), where one TU can be equal to 1024 microseconds (μs)). To perform an active scan, STA 104 generates probe requests and transmits these requests sequentially on each channel to be scanned, and listens for probe responses from AP 102. Each STA 104 can be configured to identify or select an AP 102 to associate with based on scan information obtained through passive or active scanning, and perform authentication and association operations to establish a communication link 108 with the selected AP 102. At the end of the association operation, AP 102 assigns an Association Identifier (AID) to STA 104, which AP 102 uses to track STA 104.

[0046] As wireless networks become increasingly prevalent, STA 104 can have the opportunity to choose from one of many BSSs within its range or from multiple APs 102 that together form an Extended Service Set (ESS) (comprising multiple connected BSSs). The extended network station associated with WLAN 100 can be connected to a wired or wireless distribution system that allows multiple APs 102 to be connected in such an ESS. Thus, STA 104 can be covered by more than one AP 102 and can be associated with different APs 102 at different times for different transmissions. Additionally, after being associated with an AP 102, STA 104 can also be configured to periodically scan its surroundings to find a more suitable AP 102 to associate with. For example, a STA 104 moving relative to its associated AP 102 can perform a "roaming" scan to find another AP 102 with more suitable network characteristics, such as a larger Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) or reduced traffic load.

[0047] In some scenarios, STA 104 can form a network without AP 102 or other equipment besides STA 104 itself. An example of such a network is an ad hoc network (or wireless ad hoc network). Ad hoc networks are alternatively referred to as mesh networks or peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. In some scenarios, ad hoc networks can be implemented within a larger wireless network (such as WLAN 100). In such implementations, while STA 104 can communicate with each other via communication link 108 through AP 102, STA 104 can also communicate directly with each other via direct wireless link 110. Furthermore, two STA 104 can communicate via direct communication link 110, regardless of whether the two STA 104 are associated with and served by the same AP 102. In such ad hoc systems, one or more STA 104 can assume the role played by AP 102 in the BSS. Such STA 104 can be referred to as the group leader (GO) and can coordinate transmissions within the ad hoc network. Examples of direct wireless links 110 include Wi-Fi Direct connections, connections established using Wi-Fi Tunneling Direct Link Establishment (TDLS) links, and other P2P group connections.

[0048] AP 102 and STA 104 function and communicate (via the corresponding communication link 108) in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol family of standards, such as those defined by the IEEE 802.11-2016 specification or its revisions, including but not limited to 802.11ah, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11ax, 802.11az, 802.11ba, and 802.11be. These standards define the WLAN radio and baseband protocols used for the PHY and Media Access Control (MAC) layers. AP 102 and STA 104 transmit and receive wireless communications (also referred to below as "Wi-Fi communication") to and from each other in the form of Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) Protocol Data Units (PPDUs). AP 102 and STA 104 in WLAN 100 can transmit PPDUs on unlicensed spectrum, which can be a portion of the spectrum including bands traditionally used by Wi-Fi technologies, such as the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, 60 GHz band, 3.6 GHz band, and 900 MHz band. Some implementations of AP 102 and STA 104 described herein can also communicate in other bands, such as the 6 GHz band, that can support both licensed and unlicensed communication. AP 102 and STA 104 can also be configured to communicate on other bands, such as shared licensed bands, where multiple operators may have licenses to operate in one or more of the same or overlapping bands.

[0049] Each frequency band may include multiple channels (which can be used as sub-channels of larger bandwidth channels, as described below). For example, PPDUs conforming to revisions of the IEEE 802.11n, 802.11ac, and 802.11ax standards can be transmitted in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands, where each band is divided into multiple 20 MHz channels. Thus, these PPDUs are transmitted on physical channels with a minimum bandwidth of 20 MHz, but larger channels can be formed through channel bonding. For example, PPDUs can be transmitted on physical channels with bandwidths of 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz by bonding multiple 20 MHz channels (which may be referred to as sub-channels) together.

[0050] Each PPDU is a composite structure comprising a PHY preamble and a payload in the form of a PLCP Service Data Unit (PSDU). The information provided in the preamble can be used by the receiving equipment to decode subsequent data in the PSDU. In instances where the PPDU is transmitted over a bonded channel, the preamble field may be copied and transmitted in each of the multiple component channels. The PHY preamble may comprise both a first part (or "legacy preamble") and a second part (or "non-legacy preamble"). The first part can be used for packet detection, automatic gain control, and channel estimation, among other purposes. The first part is also typically used to maintain compatibility with both legacy and non-legacy equipment. The format, decoding, and information provided in the second part of the preamble are based on the specific IEEE 802.11 protocol to be used for transmitting the payload.

[0051] Figure 2 An example PPDU 200 for wireless communication between an AP and several STAs is shown. As shown, the PPDU 200 includes a PHY preamble 201 and a PHY payload 204. For example, the preamble 201 may include a first portion 202, which itself includes a legacy short training field (L-STF) 206 consisting of two BPSK symbols, a legacy long training field (L-LTF) 208 consisting of two BPSK symbols, and a legacy signal field (L-SIG) 210 consisting of one BPSK symbol. The first portion 202 of the preamble 201 may be configured according to the IEEE 802.11a wireless communication protocol standard.

[0052] L-STF 206 generally enables receiver equipment to perform automatic gain control (AGC) and coarse timing and frequency estimation. L-LTF 208 generally enables receiver equipment to perform fine timing and frequency estimation, and also to perform initial estimation of the radio channel. L-SIG 210 generally enables receiver equipment to determine the duration of the PPDU and use the determined duration to avoid transmission over the PPDU. For example, L-STF 206, L-LTF 208, and L-SIG 210 can be modulated according to a binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation scheme. Figure 2An example L-SIG 210 from PPDU 200 is shown. L-SIG 210 includes a data rate field 222, reserved bits 224, a length field 226, parity bits 228, and a tail field 230. The data rate field 222 indicates the data rate (note that the data rate indicated in the data rate field 212 may not be the actual data rate of the data carried in the payload 204). The length field 226 indicates the packet length, for example, in symbols or bytes. The parity bits 228 can be used to detect bit errors. The tail field 230 includes tail bits, which can be used by the receiving device to terminate the operation of a decoder (e.g., a Viterbi decoder). The receiving device can use the data rate and length indicated in the data rate field 222 and the length field 226 to determine the packet duration, for example, in microseconds (μs) or other time units.

[0053] Preamble 201 may also include a second part 203, which includes one or more non-legacy signal fields 212, for example, conforming to IEEE wireless communication protocols (such as IEEE 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, or later wireless communication protocol standards). In some implementations, the second part 203 of preamble 201 may include a repetition of L-SIG (RL-SIG, not shown) before the non-legacy signal field 212. To accommodate later IEEE wireless communication protocols, some of the L-SIG 210 fields (such as the data rate field 222 and the length field 226) have been redefined or overloaded with new definitions. For example, the data rate field 222 and the length field 226 may be filled with values ​​that identify the type that the non-legacy signal field 212 will conform to. However, such a solution may not be scalable, and the redefined or overloaded L-SIG fields may become saturated as more wireless communication protocols are developed. As further described in this disclosure, the non-legacy signal field 212 may include a general signal field (U-SIG, not shown) configured to indicate the type of PPDU, an indication of the generation of the wireless communication protocol associated with the PPDU (such as a version indicator), bandwidth settings, puncturing, or any combination thereof.

[0054] Following the non-legacy signal field 212, the PPDU 200 may include a payload 204. The payload 204 may be modulated according to a BPSK modulation scheme, a quadrature BPSK (Q-BPSK) modulation scheme, a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) modulation scheme, or another appropriate modulation scheme. The payload 204 may include a PSDU containing a data field 214, which may in turn carry higher-level data, such as Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Units (MPDUs) or Aggregated MPDUs (A-MPDUs).

[0055] Figure 3 An example PPDU including U-SIG is shown. For example, PPDU 300 can be configured as a PPDU. The IEEE implementation of U-SIG 316 is expected to be part of the preamble for the IEEE 802.11be revision of the IEEE 802.11 standard, as well as the preamble for future generations (e.g., subsequent revisions of the IEEE 802.11 standard). U-SIG 316 may include version-independent and version-dependent fields. Version-independent fields can typically be specified jointly for multiple generations (e.g., starting with 802.11be and moving forward). U-SIG 316 may in particular indicate the format of the PPDU, the indication of the generation (e.g., the Extremely High Throughput (EHT) protocol as defined in 802.11be), subchannel bandwidth, puncturing, or any combination thereof. Version-dependent fields may depend on the generation of the wireless communication protocol used to format and otherwise generate the PPDU (e.g., associated with a specific revision of the IEEE 802.11 standard). U-SIG 316 may be followed by generation-specific signaling 318. U-SIG 316 and generation-specific signaling 318 together may be collectively referred to as generation-specific preamble 354. The format of generation-specific preamble 354 may vary based on the generation of the wireless communication protocol. For example, U-SIG 316 may precede generation-specific signaling 318, which is formatted as the EHT portion of the preamble according to the IEEE 802.11be revision of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard, or it may be formatted as a preamble for any subsequent (post-EHT) generation that conforms to a new wireless communication protocol (which conforms to future IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standards or other standards).

[0056] PPDU 300 includes a PHY preamble comprising a first portion 302 and a second portion 304. PPDU 300 may further include a PHY payload 306 (e.g., in the form of a PSDU including a data field 326) following the preamble. The first portion 302 includes L-STF 308, L-LTF 310, and L-SIG 312. The second portion 304 of the preamble includes a repeating legacy signaling field (RL-SIG) 314. Following RL-SIG 314, the second portion 304 of the preamble includes U-SIG 316. Depending on the PPDU format, PPDU 300 may include generation-specific signaling fields, such as generation-specific signaling fields 318. Part 2, 304, further includes an additional non-legacy short training field 322 (referred to herein as “NL-STF”, but which may be constructed for other wireless communication protocol versions and carry their generation-related information) and several additional non-legacy long training fields 324 (referred to herein as “NL-LTF”, but which may be constructed for other wireless communication protocol versions and carry their generation-related information).

[0057] U-SIG 316 may include a version-independent field 342 and a version-dependent field 344. Examples of the version-independent field 342 may include a version identifier, an indication of whether PPDU 300 is an uplink (UL) PPDU or a downlink (DL) PPDU, a BSS color, and a transmission opportunity (TxOP) duration, etc. The version identifier in the version-independent field 342 may indicate the version (and associated format) of the version-dependent field 344. In some implementations, the version-dependent field 344 may indicate the PPDU format (such as in a format information field). The PPDU format may determine which other indicators are included in the version-dependent field 344 and the format or content of the remainder of U-SIG 316 and generation-specific signaling 318. For example, depending on the value of the PPDU format field in the version-dependent field 344, PPDU 300 may include different formats 372, 374, 376, or 378 for generation-specific signaling 318. In some implementations, generation-specific signaling 318 may include RU allocation, etc. U-SIG 316 can be two symbol long, followed by a variable-length, generation-specific signaling 318. In some implementations, the generation-specific signaling 318 has an adjustable MCS indicated by U-SIG 316. In some implementations, U-SIG 316 may include PPDU bandwidth (BW) and punctured channel information. The PPDU BW and punctured channel information can be collectively referred to as frequency occupancy indication. Frequency occupancy indication allows WLAN devices on a wireless channel to determine the utilization of various portions of the wireless channel. For example, frequency occupancy information can be used to indicate puncturing of some sub-channels.

[0058] Figure 4A An example PPDU with a first preamble based on a first wireless communication protocol is shown. For example, PPDU 401 may be an example of a conventional PPDU according to the IEEE 802.11be revision of the IEEE 802.11 specification. PPDU 401 includes, as referenced... Figure 3 The described legacy preamble fields (L-STF, L-LTF, and L-SIG) and RL-SIG field are referred to as legacy preamble section 405. Following legacy preamble section 405, PPDU 401 includes a first preamble 410. The first preamble 410 may include references to... Figure 3 The U-SIG 316 described is similar to U-SIG 416. In some implementations, U-SIG 416 can change how the rest of the first preamble 410 is constructed. For example, see reference... Figure 3 As described, U-SIG can be followed by generation-specific signaling. Figure 4A In this context, the generation-specific signaling is the EHT Signaling Field (EHT-SIG) 418 field. For example, U-SIG 416 can indicate the format of EHT-SIG 418 in each component channel, the available channel bandwidth, and the modulation and coding scheme (MCS), etc. EHT-SIG 418 can be used by the AP to identify multiple STAs and notify them that the AP has scheduled UL or DL ​​resources. EHT-SIG 418 can be decoded by each compatible STA served by the AP. EHT-SIG 418 can carry STA-specific scheduling information, such as, for example, per-user MCS values ​​and per-user RU allocation information. EHT-SIG 418 can generally be used by the receiving equipment to interpret the bits in the data field 426. In some implementations, EHT-SIG 418 includes a common field and at least one STA-specific (“user-specific”) field. The shared field can indicate the RU distribution across multiple STAs, indicate RU assignment in the frequency domain, indicate which RUs are allocated for MU-MIMO transmissions and which RUs correspond to MU-OFDMA transmissions, and the number of users in the allocation, etc. User-specific fields are assigned to specific STAs and can be used to schedule specific RUs and indicate this scheduling to other WLAN devices. The shared field can have a variable length. Each user-specific field can include multiple user block fields (which may be followed by padding). Each user block field can include, for example, two user fields containing information for two corresponding STAs to decode their respective RU payloads. The first preamble 410 may also include an EHT short training field (EHT-STF) 422 and an EHT long training field (EHT-LTF) 424.

[0059] Figure 4B An example PPDU with a second preamble based on a second wireless communication protocol is shown. By design, PPDU 402 has the same characteristics as the reference... Figure 4A The PPDU 402 is similar in structure and size to the described PPDU 401. However, PPDU 402 may be a format for a next-generation IEEE 802.11 specification, as defined by a new revision of the IEEE 802.11 specification that may follow IEEE 802.11be. For brevity, this next-generation specification may be referred to as Next Generation (NG). PPDU 402 includes a legacy preamble portion 405, followed by a second preamble 420. The second preamble 420 includes U-SIG 446 and generation-specific signaling. The generation-specific signaling may be formatted as a Next Generation Signaling Field (NG-SIG) 448. The format and content of NG-SIG 448 may differ from the referenced format. Figure 4A The EHT-SIG 418 is described. In some implementations, the NG-SIG 448 includes RU allocation information indicating resources in the data (DATA) field 426 that have been allocated to one or more STAs. The second preamble 420 may also include a next-generation short training field (NG-STF) 452 and a next-generation long training field (NG-LTF) 454.

[0060] In respectively Figure 4A and 4B PPDUs 401 and 402 have been described separately. However, as described in this disclosure, it may be possible to combine or merge them to form multi-generation PPDUs according to various implementations of this disclosure. In some implementations, the format of PPDUs 401 and 402 may be modified or adapted for use in multi-generation PPDUs. For example, one or both of EHT-SIG 418 and NG-SIG448 may be extended with padding symbols so that they are all of the same length.

[0061] Figure 5 Example wireless packets 500 with preambles based on different wireless communication protocols are shown according to some implementations. Wireless packets 500 can span the channel bandwidth 505 of a wireless channel. Figure 5 In the example, the wireless channel may include a first sub-channel 501, a second sub-channel 502, and a third sub-channel 503. In various implementations, the wireless channel may have a bandwidth greater than or equal to 320 MHz. In some such implementations, a code-specific preamble may be signaled in sub-channels having bandwidths that are multiples of 80 MHz. For example, the bandwidth of each sub-channel may be 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 240 MHz, 320 MHz, 400 MHz, 480 MHz, or greater. These sub-channel bandwidths may vary. Figure 5 In the example shown, the first sub-channel 501 may have a bandwidth of 160 MHz, the second sub-channel 502 may also have a bandwidth of 160 MHz, and the third sub-channel 503 may have a bandwidth of 320 MHz. Therefore, the total channel bandwidth 502 in this example is 640 MHz. The radio packet 500 includes a legacy preamble portion 510 (such as a legacy preamble field and RL-SIG). The legacy preamble portion 510 can be copied through each sub-channel within the radio channel. Following the legacy preamble portion 510, the radio packet 500 includes a generation-specific preamble 551. The generation-specific preamble 551 may be based on different wireless communication protocols and may be signaled in different sub-channels. For example, the generation-specific preamble 551 includes a first preamble 511 in the first sub-channel 501, a second preamble 512 in the second sub-channel 502, and a third preamble 513 in the third sub-channel 503. Each generation-specific preamble 551 may include, as referenced... Figure 3 , 4A And the U-SIG described in 4B, as well as the generation-specific signaling. For example, the first preamble 511 may be similar to reference Figure 4A The first preamble 410 is described and can be formatted according to a first wireless communication protocol defined by IEEE 802.11be. The second preamble 512 can be similar to that described in reference to... Figure 4B The second preamble 420 is described and can be formatted according to a second wireless communication protocol defined by the next-generation IEEE 802.11 technical standard specification. The third preamble 513 can be another generation of IEEE 802.11, or it can be another instance of IEEE 802.11be or the next-generation format.

[0062] Following the generation-specific preamble 551, the radio packet 500 may include a data field 552. Figure 5 In the example, data field 552 is a single data field 521 spanning the entire channel bandwidth 505. Generation-specific preambles 551 may include RU assignments to different STAs. RU assignments can indicate resources within a single data field 521. In some implementations, the size and distribution of available RUs can be based on the technology standard specification for each generation. For example, the first-generation technology standard specification might define bandwidths that can be used up to 320 MHz (which is only...). Figure 5The example uses a RU allocation table (half of the total channel bandwidth 505). Therefore, the first preamble 511 can include RU allocations within the first sub-channel 501 and the second sub-channel 502. Hypothetically, next-generation technology standards may support RU allocations for larger bandwidths (such as a full channel bandwidth 505 of 640 MHz). The second preamble 512 can include RU allocations from the first sub-channels 501, 502, and the third sub-channel 503. In other words, depending on the RU allocation table and options given in each generation of technology standards, the sub-channel size can be related to the generation-specific preamble 551, but not to the data field 552. In another example, RU allocation can be based on, as referenced... Figure 6 The size of the described subchannel is limited or constrained.

[0063] Figure 6 An example radio packet 600 is shown, according to some implementations, in which the RU allocation signaled by a first preamble is restricted to the same subchannel as the first preamble. The structure of radio packet 600 may be similar to that of reference [reference]. Figure 5 The structure of the described wireless packet 500. For example, the wireless packet 600 may include a legacy preamble portion 510, multiple generation-specific preambles 551, and a data field 552. A first preamble 611 may occupy a first subchannel 501, a second preamble 612 may occupy a second subchannel 502, and a third preamble 613 may occupy a third subchannel 503. Figure 6 Wireless Packet 600 and Figure 5 The difference between radio packet 500 and radio packet 600 is that radio packet 600 constrains the RU allocation in data field 552 to the subchannel size. For example, a first preamble 611 may include the RU allocation in a first data portion 621 of data field 552 based on a first subchannel 501. The RU allocation signaled in the first preamble 611 may refer to an allocation within the first subchannel bandwidth of the first data portion 621 of data field 552. Similarly, the RU allocation indicated in a second preamble 612 may be constrained to a second data portion 622 of data field 552, and the RU allocation indicated in a third preamble 613 may be constrained to a third data portion 623 of data field 552. Although subchannel RU constraints are shown for all generation-specific preambles 551, some implementations may use subchannel RU constraints only for some generation-specific preambles 551. For example, in some implementations, the first preamble 611 may be constrained to the RU allocation within the first data portion 621, while the second preamble 612 is not constrained to the second data portion 622.

[0064] Figure 7AAn example wireless packet 700, formatted as a composite PPDU according to some implementation, is shown. This composite PPDU includes PPDUs that are signaled concurrently in different sub-channels. Similar to the reference... Figure 5 and Figure 6 The described corresponding features indicate that the wireless packet 700 may include a legacy preamble portion 510, followed by generation-specific preambles 551 in different sub-channels. The wireless packet 700 differs from the previous example in that each generation-specific preamble 551 is associated with a corresponding generation-specific data field in data field 552. For example, a first preamble 771 and a first data field 721 may occupy a first sub-channel 501. The first preamble 711 and the first data field 721 together may be formatted as a first PPDU 731 based on a first wireless communication protocol. For example, the first PPDU 731 may be similar to referenced... Figure 4A The described PPDU 401. Similarly, the second preamble 712 and the second data field 722 may occupy the second sub-channel 502 and may form a second PPDU 732 based on the second wireless communication protocol. For example, the second PPDU 732 may be similar to the referenced Figure 4B The described PPDU 402. The third preamble 713 and the third data field 723 may occupy the third sub-channel 503 and may be formatted according to a third wireless communication protocol as defined by future generation technology standard specifications. Instead of transmitting each individual PPDU 731, 732, and 733, the WLAN device may combine them to form a reference... Figure 7A The structure described is a composite PPDU. Composite PPDUs may also be referred to as combined PPDUs, multi-generation PPDUs, multiple PPDUs, mPPDUs, aggregated PPDUs (A-PPDUs), or other terms.

[0065] When preparing a radio packet 700 based on a combination of generation-specific PPDUs 731, 732, and 733, the WLAN device can modify these generation-specific PPDUs to align the preambles and data fields in time. For example, for preamble orthogonality, it may be desirable to align the OFDM symbols of the generation-specific preambles 551 in time. For example, the OFDM symbols may use the same symbol duration, guard interval duration, and subcarrier spacing. Furthermore, the number of OFDM symbols used for each generation-specific preamble can be consistent. In some implementations, additional OFDM symbols can be added to one or more of the generation-specific preambles 551 to align them in time. For example, if one of the generation-specific preambles 551 is shorter than the others, the transmitting WLAN device can add padding to ensure that all generation-specific preambles 551 have the same length. Similarly, the transmitting WLAN device may add padding to one or more of the data fields specific to a given time so that these data fields have the same length and can communicate using the same OFDM symbols for the wireless channel.

[0066] Figure 7B Another example wireless packet 701, formatted to concurrently support multiple generations according to some implementation, is shown. Similar to the reference... Figure 7A The described corresponding features indicate that the radio packet 701 may include a legacy preamble portion 510, followed by a generation-specific preamble 551 in different sub-channels. Figure 7BIn this configuration, a first preamble 771 may occupy a first sub-channel 501 and may be formatted as a generation-specific IEEE 802.11ax preamble. A second preamble 712 may occupy a second sub-channel 502 and may be formatted as a generation-specific IEEE 802.11be preamble. As an illustrative example, the wireless channel may have a 320MHz channel bandwidth 505, and each of the first sub-channel 501 and the second sub-channel 502 may have a 160MHz bandwidth. The first preamble 711 may constrain RU allocation to RUs located within a first data field 721 in the first sub-channel 501, because IEEE 802.11ax supports a 160MHz bandwidth. For example, the RU allocation table and frequency modulation mapping for IEEE 802.11ax may be limited to a 160MHz bandwidth. Meanwhile, IEEE 802.11be may support up to 320MHz bandwidth, and RU allocation tables and signaling may be defined to support higher bandwidths. The second preamble 712 may include signaling for RU allocation, including RUs located within the first data field 721 and the second data field 722. A radio station implementing IEEE 802.11be can decode the second preamble 712 to identify the RU allocated within the first and second sub-channels 501 and 502. A radio station not implementing IEEE 802.11be but implementing IEEE 802.11ax can decode the first preamble 711 to identify the RU allocated within the first sub-channel 501. Therefore, radio packet 701 can concurrently transmit data to radio stations using either IEEE 802.11ax or IEEE 802.11be.

[0067] Refer to each Figure 5 , 6 The example multi-generation PPDUs 500, 600, 700, and 701 of 7A and 7B are provided as illustrative examples of combining generation-specific preambles to form multi-generation PPDUs for wireless channels. The combination of generation-specific preambles enables the wireless channel to support WLAN devices manufactured for different generation technology standard specifications. In some implementations, the receiving WLAN device can observe the generation-specific preamble within a sub-channel. For example, a STA parked or monitoring the first sub-channel 501 obtains the first preamble (as shown in references respectively). Figure 5 , 6 The first preamble 511, first preamble 611 or first preamble 711 described in 7A and 7B, while ignoring the generation-specific preambles in other sub-channels.

[0068] Figure 8 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device 800 is shown. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 800 may be for STAs (such as those mentioned above). Figure 1Examples of devices in one of the STAs 104 described above. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 800 may be for an AP (such as those described above). Figure 1 Example of a device in the described AP 102. Wireless communication device 800 is capable of transmitting (or outputting for transmission) and receiving wireless communications (e.g., in the form of wireless packets). For example, the wireless communication device can be configured to transmit and receive packets in the form of Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) Protocol Data Units (PPDUs) conforming to IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standards (such as those defined by the IEEE 802.11-2016 specification or its amendments, including but not limited to 802.11ah, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11ax, 802.11az, 802.11ba, and 802.11be).

[0069] Wireless communication device 800 may be or may include a chip, system-on-a-chip (SoC), chipset, package, or device that includes one or more modems 802 (e.g., a Wi-Fi (compliant with IEEE 802.11) modem). In some implementations, one or more modems 802 (collectively, "modem 802") additionally include a WWAN modem (e.g., a 3GPP 4G LTE or 5G compatible modem). In some implementations, wireless communication device 800 also includes one or more radios 804 (collectively, "radio 804"). In some implementations, wireless communication device 806 further includes one or more processors, processing blocks, or processing elements 806 (collectively, "processor 806") and one or more memory blocks or elements 808 (collectively, "memory 808").

[0070] Modem 802 may include intelligent hardware blocks or devices (e.g., application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)). Modem 802 is generally configured to implement the PHY layer. For example, modem 802 is configured to modulate packets and output modulated packets to radio 804 for transmission over a wireless medium. Similarly, modem 802 is configured to acquire modulated packets received by radio 804 and demodulate these packets to provide demodulated packets. In addition to modulators and demodulators, modem 802 may further include digital signal processing (DSP) circuitry, automatic gain control (AGC), decoders, decoders, multiplexers, and demultiplexers. For example, when in transmission mode, data acquired from processor 806 is provided to a decoder, which encodes the data to provide encoded bits. The encoded bits are then mapped to points in a modulation constellation (using a selected MCS) to provide modulated symbols. Subsequently, the modulated symbols may be mapped to several (N) SSOne) spatial flow or several (N) STS (1) space-time stream. Subsequently, the modulated symbols in the corresponding space stream or space-time stream can be multiplexed, transformed via an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) block, and then provided to the DSP circuitry for Tx windowing and filtering. The digital signal can then be provided to a digital-to-analog converter (DAC). The resulting analog signal can then be provided to an up-converter and ultimately to Radio 804. In implementations involving beamforming, the modulated symbols in the corresponding space stream are pre-coded via a guiding matrix before being provided to the IFFT block.

[0071] In receive mode, the digital signal received from radio 804 is provided to a DSP circuitry system configured to acquire the received signal, for example, by detecting the presence of the signal and estimating the initial timing and frequency offset. The DSP circuitry system is further configured to digitally condition the digital signal, for example, using channel (narrowband) filtering, analog impairment conditioning (such as correcting I / Q imbalance), and applying digital gain to ultimately obtain a narrowband signal. The output of the DSP circuitry system can then be fed to an AGC, configured to use information extracted from the digital signal (e.g., in one or more received training fields) to determine an appropriate gain. The output of the DSP circuitry system is also coupled to a demodulator configured to extract modulated symbols from the signal and, for example, calculate the log-likelihood ratio (LLR) for each bit position of each subcarrier in each spatial stream. The demodulator is coupled to a decoder configured to process the LLR to provide decoded bits. The decoded bits from all spatial streams are then fed to a demultiplexer for demultiplexing. The demultiplexed bits can then be descrambled and provided to the MAC layer (processor 806) for processing, evaluation, or interpretation.

[0072] Radio 804 generally includes at least one radio frequency (RF) transmitter (or “transmitter chain”) and at least one RF receiver (or “receiver chain”), which may be combined into one or more transceivers. For example, the RF transmitter and receiver may include various DSP circuitry systems, each including at least one power amplifier (PA) and at least one low-noise amplifier (LNA). The RF transmitter and receiver may then be coupled to one or more antennas. For example, in some implementations, wireless communication device 800 may include or be coupled to multiple transmit antennas (each with a corresponding transmit chain) and multiple receive antennas (each with a corresponding receive chain). Symbols output from modem 802 are provided to radio 804, which then transmits these symbols via the coupled antennas. Similarly, symbols received via the antennas are acquired by radio 804, which then provides these symbols to modem 802.

[0073] Processor 806 may include intelligent hardware blocks or devices designed to perform the functions described herein, such as, for example, processing cores, processing blocks, central processing units (CPUs), microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs) (such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)), discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. Processor 806 processes information received via radio 804 and modem 802, and processes information to be output via modem 802 and radio 804 for transmission over a wireless medium. For example, processor 806 may implement a control plane and a MAC layer configured to perform various operations related to the generation and transmission of MPDUs or frames. The MAC layer is configured to perform or facilitate frame decoding and decoding, spatial multiplexing, space-time block decoding (STBC), beamforming, and OFDMA resource allocation, and other operations or techniques. In some implementations, processor 806 may generally control modem 802 to cause the modem to perform the various operations described above.

[0074] Memory 804 may include tangible storage media, such as random access memory (RAM) or read-only memory (ROM), or combinations thereof. Memory 804 may also store non-transient processor or computer-executable software (SW) code containing instructions that, when executed by processor 806, cause the processor to perform various operations described herein for wireless communication, including the generation, transmission, reception, and interpretation of PPDUs, MPDUs, frames, or packets. For example, the various functions of the components disclosed herein, or the various blocks or steps of the methods, operations, processes, or algorithms disclosed herein, may be implemented as one or more modules of one or more computer programs.

[0075] Figure 9A A block diagram of an example AP 902 is shown. For example, AP 902 could be a reference... Figure 1 The described example implementation of AP 102. AP 902 includes a wireless communication device (WCD) 910. For example, the wireless communication device 910 may be a reference... Figure 8An example implementation of the described wireless communication device 800 is described. AP 902 also includes a plurality of antennas 920 coupled to the wireless communication device 910 for transmitting and receiving wireless communications. In some implementations, AP 902 additionally includes an application processor 930 coupled to the wireless communication device 910, and a memory 940 coupled to the application processor 930. AP 902 further includes at least one external network interface 950, which enables AP 902 to communicate with a core network or backhaul network to obtain access to external networks, including the Internet. For example, external network interface 950 may include one or both of a wired (e.g., Ethernet) network interface and a wireless network interface (such as a WWAN interface). Components of the foregoing can communicate directly or indirectly with other components of these components on at least one bus. AP 902 further includes a housing that encloses the wireless communication device 910, the application processor 930, the memory 940, and at least a portion of the antennas 920 and the external network interface 950.

[0076] Figure 9B A block diagram of example STA 904 is shown. For example, STA 904 could be a reference... Figure 1 The STA 104 is described as an example implementation. STA 904 includes a wireless communication device 915. For example, the wireless communication device 915 may be a reference... Figure 8 An example implementation of the described wireless communication device 800. STA 904 also includes one or more antennas 925 coupled to the wireless communication device 915 for transmitting and receiving wireless communications. STA 904 additionally includes an application processor 935 coupled to the wireless communication device 915, and a memory 945 coupled to the application processor 935. In some implementations, STA 904 further includes a user interface (UI) 955 (such as a touchscreen or keyboard) and a display 965, which can be integrated with the UI 955 to form a touchscreen display. In some implementations, STA 904 may further include one or more sensors 975 (for example, such as one or more inertial sensors, accelerometers, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, or altitude sensors). Components of the foregoing can communicate directly or indirectly with other components of these components on at least one bus. STA 904 further includes a housing that encloses the wireless communication device 915, the application processor 935, the memory 945, and at least portions of the antenna 925, the UI 955, and the display 965.

[0077] As described above, it is desirable to support multiple wireless communication protocols in a single communication via a wireless channel. Various implementations generally involve formats, structures, and techniques for combining data communications formatted according to different wireless communication protocols within the same wireless channel. Some implementations more specifically involve the delivery of wireless packets that concurrently include signaling and data for multiple wireless communication protocols representing different generations of WLAN communication protocols. For example, such wireless packets may be referred to as multi-generation PPDUs. Multi-generation PPDUs may include generation-specific preambles in different sub-channels of the wireless channel. Additionally or alternatively, some implementations more specifically involve composite PPDUs formed from sub-channel PPDUs based on different wireless communication protocols. These techniques in this disclosure enable communication using different generations of IEEE 802.11 WLAN communication protocols such that communications for these different generations can be combined into a single PPDU or a composite PPDU. In some implementations, wireless packets may be formatted as a single PPDU, where a single data field spans the entire channel bandwidth after a preamble for the different generation. In some other implementations, wireless packets can be formatted as composite PPDUs formed from PPDUs of different wireless communication protocols, each PPDU including a protocol-based preamble and data field in the same corresponding subchannel, and these PPDUs are then transmitted concurrently. Specific implementations of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. As initially described above, the multi-generation PPDUs proposed herein can support simultaneous communication to or from stations (STAs) implementing different generations of WLAN communication protocols. As WLAN communication protocols evolve to expand channel bandwidth or add other features, multi-generation PPDUs can continue to enable communication formatted according to previous generations while concurrently supporting communication formatted using newer generations. Additionally, because multi-generation PPDUs can include multi-generation preambles, RU allocation can be more flexible.

[0078] Figure 10 An example of a wireless packet 1000 supporting channel bandwidths greater than 320MHz is shown according to some implementations. Figure 10In the example, the channel bandwidth 1005 is 640MHz. The lower portion 1020 can be a 320MHz subchannel, and the upper portion 1010 can also be a 320MHz subchannel. Within each subchannel, different generation-specific signaling and formatting may exist. These signaling and data fields can be aligned such that the generation-specific preamble 1034 and the end of the data portion 1038 are time-aligned within different subchannels. Furthermore, within each 320MHz subchannel, further subdivisions may exist to create smaller subchannels. For example, the lower portion 1020 may include four 80MHz bandwidth subchannels. The lower portion 1020 may include a legacy preamble portion 1032, followed by a first preamble including U-SIG and EHT-SIG 1052. U-SIG may be different for different 80MHz bandwidth subchannels. EHT-SIG 1052 may assign RUs within the lower portion 1020 of the data portion 1038 in the radio packet 1000. In some implementations, the EHT-SIG 1052 can allocate RUs based on 80MHz sub-channels.

[0079] The upper part 1010 may include the legacy preamble portion 1032 and U-SIG. Similar to the lower part 1020, in... Figure 10 In the example, the legacy preamble section 1032 and U-SIG are parallelized in the 80MHz subchannel. The next-generation signal field (NG-SIG) 1054 follows U-SIG. NG-SIG 1054 can assign RUs from the upper section 1010 and the lower section 1020. In the example where radio packets 1000 are transmitted by an AP, the AP can determine which RUs in the lower section 1020 of the legacy preamble section 1032 should remain unassigned in EHT-SIG 1052 so that they can be assigned in NG-SIG 1054.

[0080] supply Figure 10 The example is provided to illustrate the advantages of a multi-generation PPDU, described as Radio Packet 1000, compared to a traditional single-generation PPDU. In the same transmission, the AP can communicate with STAs implementing a first preamble design and also with STAs implementing a second preamble design. Hypothetically, the second preamble can support RU allocation within a larger channel bandwidth compared to the first preamble. Therefore, the AP has greater flexibility to concurrently schedule STAs within the radio channel, depending on which generation each STA supports and the resources available for each STA.

[0081] Figure 11Examples of selective bandwidth preamble decoding according to some implementations are shown. Selective bandwidth preamble decoding enables WLAN devices to save power and improve the reception of preamble signaling. WLAN devices can tune to or monitor specific sub-channels and decode the preamble within those sub-channels. In some implementations, WLAN devices can be tuned to a sub-channel using RF tuning involving MAC layer signaling and tuning time. Alternatively or additionally, WLAN devices can use digital tuning to tune to a sub-channel, where the receiver radio receives the complete RF signal, but the receiver discards RF signals outside the sub-channel before processing and decoding the remaining RF signals. Figure 11 In the example, STA 104 can be configured to monitor a first subchannel 1155. In the first subchannel 1155, the STA can receive and process a generation-specific preamble 1122 and a data field 1124. In some implementations, STA 104 can treat the generation-specific preamble 1122 and data field 1124 as a self-contained PPDU 1120, even if they are part of a multi-generation PPDU. Figure 11 As shown, the first subchannel 1155 may be different from the main subchannel 1150, which is typically associated with the wireless channel. The STA 104 may determine which subchannel (such as the first subchannel 1155) to monitor based on control signaling (not shown) in a previously transmitted (not shown) message. For example, the AP may instruct the STA 104 to stop observing the main subchannel 1150 and instead monitor the first subchannel 1155.

[0082] Figure 12 An example of preamble orthogonality based on some implementations is shown. For comparison purposes, the first sub-channel PPDU 1201 is shown relative to the second sub-channel PPDU 1202. The first sub-channel PPDU 1201 and the second sub-channel PPDU 1202 can be used as references. Figure 7A Or an example of a 7B PPDU. However, the same concept of precode orthogonality applies to multi-generation PPDUs that are not composite PPDUs, such as reference PPDUs. Figure 5 and 6 The multi-generation PPDUs described herein. Prefix orthogonality allows multi-generation PPDUs to include time-aligned and orthogonal generation-specific prefixes. For example, generation-specific prefixes can be of the same duration and utilize OFDM symbols of the same size. In some implementations, prefix orthogonality can be achieved by using an equal number of 1x, 2x, and 4x symbols (with the same guard interval) in the generation-specific prefixes.

[0083] The first subchannel PPDU 1201 is shown as a series of OFDM symbols with a fixed cyclic prefix length. The first subchannel PPDU 1201 includes L-STF 1208, L-LTF 1210, L-SIG 1212, and RL-SIG 1214, followed by U-SIG and EHT-SIG. L-SIG 1212 and RL-SIG 1214 can each be a single OFDM symbol. U-SIG can occupy two OFDM symbols 1216 and 1217. EHT-SIG can occupy multiple OFDM symbols 1221-1222. After EHT-SIG, a first preamble may include OFDM symbol 1225 for EHT-STF and one or more symbols 1227 for EHT-LTF. EHT-LTF may also be referred to as a generation-specific LTF. Each OFDM symbol preceding the generation-specific LTF may have an OFDM symbol duration of 4 μs (which includes a 3.2 μs FFT duration plus a 0.8 μs cyclic prefix).

[0084] The second sub-channel PPDU 1202 is also shown as a series of OFDM symbols with the same structure as the first sub-channel PPDU 1201. Instead of EHT-SIG, the second sub-channel PPDU 1202 may have an NG-SIG occupying multiple OFDM symbols 1241–1242. To maintain preamble orthogonality, when the first sub-channel PPDU 1201 and the second sub-channel PPDU 1202 are transmitted as part of a multi-generation PPDU, the generation-specific preambles should end at the same time 1252 and have the same symbol characteristics. Therefore, in some implementations, padding symbols 1224 can be added to one of the generation-specific signal fields so that the number of OFDM symbols for the two generation-specific preambles is consistent. In some implementations, a multi-user (MU) preamble design for each generation-specific preamble can be used because the MU preamble design is variable-length and can support padding as needed to align the lengths of these generation-specific preambles. Continuing with the second subchannel PPDU 1202, after NG-SIG, the second preamble may include one or more symbols for NG-STF (OFDM symbol 1245) and NG-LTF (OFDM symbol 1247). NG-LTF may also be referred to as generation-specific LTF. Each OFDM symbol preceding the generation-specific LTF may have an OFDM symbol duration of 4 μs (which includes a 3.2 μs FFT duration plus a 0.8 μs cyclic prefix).

[0085] Another aspect of precode orthogonality is aligning pre-LTF OFDM symbols (refer to generation-specific LTF).

[0086] For example, both the first and second precodes can use 1xOFDM symbols with the same symbol duration and cyclic prefix for pre-LTF OFDM symbols.

[0087] Using the same OFDM symbol configuration and number of OFDM symbols for these two generation-specific precodes ensures that the length of the pre-LTF OFDM symbol remains consistent across the multi-generation PPDU.

[0088] In addition to aligning the end of the generation-specific preamble 1252, in some implementations, the transmitting WLAN device may also add padding to the data portion so that each data field (and thus the multi-generation PPDU) ends at the same time 1254.

[0089] Figure 13 An example of uplink communication according to some implementations is shown. STA 104 can receive trigger frames 1310 from an AP that controls resource distribution in the WLAN. The AP can use generation-specific preambles and signaling as described herein. Figure 13 In the example, STA 104 can park on the first sub-channel 1350 and can be used as referenced. Figure 11 The selective bandwidth preamble processing is described. Therefore, STA 104 can observe a portion of trigger frame 1310 in the first sub-channel 1350 and can process that portion of trigger frame 1310 as a generation-specific trigger frame 1314 according to the first wireless communication protocol. Figure 13 In the example, the AP can signal to STA 104 to transmit a multi-user (MU) uplink (UL) PPDU in the third sub-channel 1355. Therefore, STA 104 can use a first preamble 1322 and a first data field 1324 to transmit the MU UL PPDU 1320. The UL MU PPDU 1320 can be an example of a generation-specific PPDU as described herein. Furthermore, a trigger frame 1310 can instruct other STAs (not shown) to transmit different generation-specific PPDUs in other sub-channels.

[0090] To ensure that preamble orthogonality is maintained, in some implementations, trigger frame 1314 may include additional signaling regarding the length of the first preamble 1322 or the first data field 1324 (or both). For example, the AP may determine the maximum length from the preambles in the various sub-channels and transmit the preamble length value in trigger frame 1310. Thus, STA 104 may determine the length of the first preamble 1322 based on the preamble length value indicated in trigger frame 1314. If the first preamble 1322 is shorter than the specified length, STA 104 may add padding to the first preamble 1322 to ensure it matches the specified length. Similarly, the data field length value may be signaled in trigger frame 1314, and STA 104 may extend the first data field 1324 as needed to match the specified length. One reason for signaling the preamble length and data field length is to allow the AP to notify all STAs (not shown) of the specified length, so that all uplink PPDUs in each subchannel will have preambles that end simultaneously and share the same OFDM symbols, and all data fields will end simultaneously.

[0091] Figure 14 A flowchart illustrating an example process 1400 for receiving wireless packets, based on some implementation, is shown. Process 1400 can be implemented by a wireless communication device (such as the one mentioned above). Figure 8 The described wireless communication device 800) performs this operation. In some implementations, process 1400 can be performed by an AP (such as those described above, referred to separately). Figure 1 and Figure 9A The process 1400 is performed by a wireless communication device that operates as one of the described APs 102 and 902, or operates within an AP. In some implementations, process 1400 can be performed by a STA (such as those described above, referred to separately). Figure 1 and Figure 9B The wireless communication device that operates or operates within the STA (either of the STA 104 and 904) as described herein.

[0092] In some implementations, process 1400 begins in block 1410 with the acquisition of first data for a first wireless station. In block 1420, process 1400 proceeds to the acquisition of second data for a second wireless station. In block 1430, process 1400 proceeds to the transmission of a wireless packet comprising a generation-specific first preamble formatted according to a first generation of the wireless communication protocol via a first sub-channel of the wireless channel and a generation-specific second preamble formatted according to a second generation of the wireless communication protocol via a second sub-channel of the wireless channel. The wireless packet may include first data and second data filled in corresponding portions (such as RUs) of one or more data fields following the generation-specific first and second preambles.

[0093] Figure 15 A flowchart illustrating an example process 1500 for receiving wireless packets, based on some implementation, is shown. Process 1500 can be implemented by a wireless communication device (such as the one mentioned above). Figure 8 The described wireless communication device 800) performs the procedure. In some implementations, the procedure 1500 can be performed by an AP (such as those described above, referred to separately). Figure 1 and Figure 9A The process 1500 is performed by a wireless communication device that operates as one of the described APs 102 and 902, or operates within an AP. In some implementations, process 1500 can be performed by a STA (such as those described above, referred to separately). Figure 1 and Figure 9B The wireless communication device that operates or operates within the STA (either of the STA 104 and 904) as described herein.

[0094] In some implementations, process 1500 begins in block 1510 with receiving at least a portion of a wireless packet via a first sub-channel of the wireless channel, the wireless packet including a generation-specific first preamble formatted according to a first generation of the wireless communication protocol. The wireless packet may include a generation-specific second preamble formatted according to a second generation of the wireless communication protocol in a second sub-channel of the wireless channel. In block 1520, process 1500 proceeds to processing the generation-specific first preamble according to the first generation.

[0095] Figure 16 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device 1600 according to some implementations is shown. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1600 is configured to perform one or more of the processes described above. The wireless communication device 1600 may be the above-referenced Figure 8 The described wireless communication device 800 is an example implementation. For example, wireless communication device 1600 may be a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device including at least one processor and at least one modem (e.g., a Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) modem or a cellular modem). In some implementations, wireless communication device 1600 may be used in an access point (such as those described above, respectively). Figure 1 and 9A The device described is one of the APs 102 and 902. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1600 can be used in a STA (such as those described above, respectively). Figure 1 and 9B The device is one of the STAs 104 and 904 described. In some other implementations, the wireless communication device 1600 may be an AP or STA that includes such a chip, SoC, chipset, package or device and at least one transmitter, at least one receiver and at least one antenna.

[0096] Wireless communication device 1600 includes a demodulation module 1602, a decoding module 1604, a signaling module 1606, and a protocol module 1608. A portion of one or more of modules 1602, 1604, 1606, and 1608 may be implemented at least partially in hardware or firmware. For example, the demodulation module 1602, decoding module 1604, signaling module 1606, and protocol module 1608 may be implemented at least partially by a modem (such as modem 802). In some implementations, a portion of some of modules 1602, 1604, 1606, or 1608 is implemented at least partially as software stored in a memory (such as memory 808). For example, a portion of one or more of modules 1602, 1604, 1606, or 1608 may be implemented as non-transient instructions (or "code") executable by a processor (such as processor 806) to perform the function or operation of the respective module.

[0097] Demodulation module 1602 is configured to receive at least a portion of a multi-generation PPDU according to a WLAN communication protocol implemented by protocol module 1608. Demodulation module 1602 is configured to demodulate the symbols in the received packets and determine the modulation scheme that was used to modulate the symbols. Decoding module 1604 is configured to decode the bits in the demodulated symbols based on the WLAN communication protocol and interpret the bits in the decoded bits.

[0098] Signaling module 1606 is configured to interpret the generation-specific preamble signal field in a multi-generation PPDU according to the implementation described above. Generation protocol module 1608 is configured to receive and process at least a portion of the multi-generation PPDU according to the generation of the WLAN communication protocol supported by wireless communication device 1600.

[0099] Figure 17 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device 1700 according to some implementations is shown. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1700 is configured to perform one or more of the processes described above. The wireless communication device 1700 may be the above-referenced Figure 8 The described wireless communication device 800 is an example implementation. For example, wireless communication device 1700 may be a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device including at least one processor and at least one modem (e.g., a Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) modem or a cellular modem). In some implementations, wireless communication device 1700 may be used in an AP (such as those described above, respectively referred to). Figure 1 and 9A The device described is one of the APs 102 and 902. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1700 can be used in STAs (such as those described above, respectively). Figure 1 and9B The device is one of the STAs 104 and 904 described. In some other implementations, the wireless communication device 1700 may be an AP or STA that includes such a chip, SoC, chipset, package or device and at least one transmitter, at least one receiver and at least one antenna.

[0100] Wireless communication device 1700 includes a packet generation module 1702, a signaling module 1704, an encoding module 1706, a modulation module 1708, and a multigeneration protocol module 1710. A portion of one or more of modules 1702, 1704, 1706, 1708, and 1710 may be implemented at least partially in hardware or firmware. For example, the packet generation module 1702, signaling module 1704, encoding module 1706, modulation module 1708, and multigeneration protocol module 1710 may be implemented at least partially by a modem (such as modem 802). In some implementations, a portion of some of modules 1702, 1704, 1706, 1708, and 1710 is implemented at least partially as software stored in a memory (such as memory 808). For example, portions of one or more of modules 1702, 1704, 1706, or 1708 may be implemented as non-transient instructions (or "code") that can be executed by a processor (such as processor 806) to perform the function or operation of the respective module.

[0101] The packet generation module 1702 is configured to generate multi-generation PPDUs according to any of the examples described herein. The signaling module 1704 is configured to prepare signal fields for the PPDUs according to the implementation described above. For example, the signaling module 1704 can prepare generation-specific signaling to be included in the generation preamble. The modulation module 1708 is configured to modulate the symbols in the generated PPDUs. The multi-generation protocol module 1710 is configured to implement one or more generations of the WLAN communication protocol.

[0102] Figure 18 A block diagram of an example electronic device is shown. In some implementations, electronic device 1800 may be an access point (including any AP described herein), a range extender, or another electronic system. Electronic device 1800 may include processor 1802 (potentially including multiple processors, multiple cores, multiple nodes, or implementing multithreading, etc.). Electronic device 1800 may also include memory 1806. Memory 1806 may be system memory or any of the possible implementations of the computer-readable media described herein. Electronic device 1800 may also include bus 1810 (such as PCI, ISA, PCI-Express, etc.). AHB, AXI, etc.) and network interface 1804, the network interface 1804 may include wireless network interface (such as WLAN interface, ... interface, interface, The electronic device 1800 may have at least one of a network interface (such as a wireless USB interface, etc.) and a wired network interface (such as an Ethernet interface, a power line communication interface, etc.). In some implementations, the electronic device 1800 may support multiple network interfaces, each of which is configured to couple the electronic device 1800 to a different communication network.

[0103] Electronic device 1800 may include a multi-generation PPDU unit 1860. In some implementations, the multi-generation PPDU unit 1860 may be distributed within processor 1802, memory 1806, and bus 1810. The multi-generation PPDU unit 1860 may perform some or all of the operations described herein. For example, the multi-generation PPDU unit 1860 may generate multi-generation PPDUs according to any example herein. Alternatively or additionally, the multi-generation PPDU unit 1860 may be configured to receive and process at least a portion of the multi-generation PPDUs.

[0104] Memory 1806 may include computer instructions that can be executed by processor 1802 to implement... Figure 1-17 The functionality of each implementation described herein. Any of these functionalities may be implemented partially (or entirely) in hardware or on processor 1802. For example, the functionality may be implemented using an application-specific integrated circuit, in logic implemented in processor 1802, in a coprocessor on a peripheral device or card, etc. Furthermore, the implementations may include fewer components or include Figure 18 Additional components not described herein (such as video cards, audio cards, additional network interfaces, peripherals, etc.). Processor 1802, memory 1806, and network interface 1804 may be coupled to bus 1810. Although described as being coupled to bus 1810, memory 1806 may also be coupled to processor 1802.

[0105] Figure 1-18 The operations described herein are examples intended to aid in understanding the exemplary implementations and should not be used to limit potential implementations or the scope of the claims. Some implementations may perform additional operations, perform fewer operations, perform operations in parallel or in a different order, or perform some operations differently.

[0106] The foregoing disclosure provides explanations and descriptions, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made in light of the foregoing disclosure or may be obtained through practice of the aspects. While aspects of this disclosure have been described by way of various examples, any combination of aspects derived from any of these examples is also within the scope of this disclosure. The examples in this disclosure are provided for illustrative purposes. As a replacement or supplement to the other examples described herein, examples include any combination of the following implementation options (identified as clauses for reference).

[0107] Terms and Conditions

[0108] Clause 1. A method for wireless communication by an access point (AP) of a wireless local area network (WLAN), comprising: obtaining first data for a first wireless station; obtaining second data for a second wireless station; and transmitting a wireless packet comprising a generation-specific first preamble formatted according to a first generation of a wireless communication protocol via a first sub-channel of a wireless channel and a generation-specific second preamble formatted according to a second generation of the wireless communication protocol via a second sub-channel of the wireless channel, the wireless packet further comprising first data and second data filled in corresponding portions of one or more data fields following the generation-specific first preamble and the generation-specific second preamble.

[0109] Clause 2. The method of Clause 1 further includes: including a first signaling specific to a generation in the first preamble of the generation to indicate that a first resource element (RU) in one or more data fields of the radio packet is allocated to a first radio station; and including a second signaling specific to a generation in the second preamble of the generation to indicate that a second RU is allocated to a second radio station.

[0110] Clause 3. The method of Clause 2, wherein the first signaling instruction specific to a particular type is assigned to a first plurality of RUs of a first plurality of radio stations including a first radio station, and wherein the second signaling instruction specific to a particular type is assigned to a second plurality of RUs of a second plurality of radio stations including a second radio station.

[0111] Clause 4. The method of Clause 3 further includes: limiting the bandwidth of the first plurality of RUs to the first sub-channel by signaling in the first signaling specific to the first channel.

[0112] Clause 5. The method of Clause 4 further includes: allocating at least one RU among a second plurality of RUs signaled in the second signaling specific to the second sub-channel within the bandwidth of the first sub-channel, wherein the one or more data fields include a single data field spanning at least the first sub-channel and the second sub-channel.

[0113] Clause 6. The method of Clause 1, wherein the radio packet is formatted as a composite physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU), the method further comprising: concurrently transmitting a first PPDU formatted according to a first generation via a first sub-channel and a second PPDU formatted according to a second generation via a second sub-channel to form the composite PPDU.

[0114] Clause 7. The method of Clause 6, wherein the first PPDU includes the first preamble specific to the generation followed by a first data field in the first sub-channel, and the second PPDU includes the second preamble specific to the generation followed by a second data field in the second sub-channel.

[0115] Clause 8. The method of Clause 7, wherein the generation-specific first preamble of the first PPDU includes signaling for a resource element (RU) in the first data field based on the bandwidth of the first sub-channel, and

[0116] The second PPDU's generation-specific second preamble includes signaling for the RU in the second data field based on the bandwidth of the second sub-channel.

[0117] Clause 9. The method of Clause 7 further includes: padding the shorter of the first data field or the second data field to make the corresponding lengths of the first data field and the second data field the same, so that the first PPDU and the second PPDU terminate concurrently.

[0118] Clause 10. The method of Clause 1 further includes: padding the shorter of the first or second precode specific to the generation so that the corresponding lengths of the first and second precode specific to the generation are the same, such that the first and second precode specific to the generation terminate concurrently.

[0119] Clause 11. The method of Clause 1, wherein the first preamble and the second preamble specific to a given generation are output using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols spanning the first and second sub-channels.

[0120] Clause 12. The method of Clause 1, wherein the first bandwidth size of the first sub-channel is different from the second bandwidth size of the second sub-channel, and wherein each of the first sub-channel and the second sub-channel has a bandwidth size that is a multiple of 80 MHz bandwidth.

[0121] Clause 13. The method of Clause 1 further includes, prior to transmitting the radio packet, transmitting a control message that informs the first radio station to decode the generation-specific first preamble on the first sub-channel according to the first generation, such that the first radio station ignores the generation-specific second preamble on the second sub-channel.

[0122] Clause 14. The method of Clause 1, wherein the first generation of the wireless communication protocol is based on the IEEE 802.11be revision of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 technical standard specification, and the generation-specific first preamble includes a Universal Signal (U-SIG) field followed by an Extremely High Throughput (EHT) Signal (EHT-SIG) field, and wherein the second generation of the wireless communication protocol is based on a different revision of the IEEE 802.11 technical standard specification.

[0123] Clause 15. The method of Clause 1 further includes: transmitting a trigger frame to at least a first wireless station and a second wireless station, the trigger frame notifying the first wireless station to transmit a first uplink (UL) physical layer protocol data unit (UL PPDU) via a first sub-channel and further notifying the second wireless station to transmit a second UL PPDU via a second sub-channel; and concurrently receiving the first UL PPDU from the first wireless station via the first sub-channel and receiving the second UL PPDU from the second wireless station via the second sub-channel, wherein the first UL PPDU is formatted according to a first generation and the second UL PPDU is formatted according to a second generation.

[0124] Clause 16. The method of Clause 15, wherein the trigger frame indicates the length of the first UL preamble and the first UL data field of the first UL PPDU such that the length of the first UL preamble and the first UL data field of the first UL PPDU received via the first sub-channel is aligned with the corresponding length of the second UL preamble and the second UL data field of the second UL PPDU received in the second sub-channel.

[0125] Clause 17. A method for an apparatus of a wireless station to conduct wireless communication, comprising: receiving at least a portion of a wireless packet via a first sub-channel of a wireless channel, the wireless packet including a generation-specific first preamble formatted according to a first generation of a wireless communication protocol, wherein the wireless packet includes a generation-specific second preamble formatted according to a second generation of the wireless communication protocol in a second sub-channel of the wireless channel; and processing the generation-specific first preamble according to the first generation.

[0126] Clause 18. The method of Clause 17 further includes: ignoring the generation-specific second preamble in the second sub-channel.

[0127] Clause 19. The method of Clause 17, wherein the radio packet is a composite multigenerational physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) comprising a first PPDU formatted according to the first generation in a first subchannel and a second PPDU formatted according to the second generation in a second subchannel.

[0128] Clause 20. The method of Clause 17 further includes: receiving a control message prior to the radio packet, the control message instructing the radio station to monitor and receive a first preamble in the first subchannel, wherein the radio station is configured to ignore subchannels other than the first subchannel when receiving the radio packet.

[0129] Clause 21. The method of Clause 17 further includes: receiving a trigger frame that notifies the radio station to transmit a first uplink (UL) physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) via a first sub-channel; and transmitting a first UL PPDU via the first sub-channel, wherein the UL PPDU is formatted according to the first generation.

[0130] Clause 22. The method of Clause 21, wherein the trigger frame indicates the length of the first UL preamble and the first UL data field of the first UL PPDU such that the length of the first UL preamble and the first UL data field is aligned with the corresponding length of the second UL preamble and the second UL data field of the second UL PPDU from a different radio station in the second sub-channel.

[0131] Clause 23. An access point comprising: at least one processor configured to: acquire first data for a first wireless station and acquire second data for a second wireless station; and at least one modem communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and configured to output wireless packets comprising a generation-specific first preamble formatted according to a first generation of a wireless communication protocol via a first sub-channel of a wireless channel and a generation-specific second preamble formatted according to a second generation of the wireless communication protocol via a second sub-channel of the wireless channel, the wireless packets further comprising first data and second data filled in corresponding portions of one or more data fields following the generation-specific first preamble and the generation-specific second preamble.

[0132] Clause 24. An access point as described in Clause 23, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: include generation-specific first signaling in the generation-specific first preamble to indicate a first resource unit (RU) allocated to a first radio station; and include generation-specific second signaling in the generation-specific second preamble to indicate a second RU allocated to a second radio station.

[0133] Clause 25. An access point as described in Clause 23, wherein the radio packet is formatted as a composite physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU), and wherein the at least one modem is configured to concurrently output a first PPDU formatted according to a first generation via a first subchannel and a second PPDU formatted according to a second generation via a second subchannel to form the composite PPDU.

[0134] Clause 26. An access point as described in Clause 25, wherein the first PPDU includes the first preamble specific to the generation followed by a first data field in the first sub-channel, and the second PPDU includes the second preamble specific to the generation followed by a second data field in the second sub-channel.

[0135] Clause 27. The access point as described in Clause 23 further includes: at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code; at least one transceiver coupled to the at least one modem; at least one antenna coupled to the at least one transceiver to wirelessly transmit signals output from the at least one transceiver and wirelessly receive signals to be input to the at least one transceiver; and a housing surrounding at least a portion of the at least one modem, the at least one processor, the at least one memory, the at least one transceiver, and the at least one antenna.

[0136] Clause 28. A wireless station comprising: at least one modem configured to receive at least a portion of a wireless packet via a first subchannel of a wireless channel, the wireless packet including a generation-specific first preamble formatted according to a first generation of a wireless communication protocol, wherein the wireless packet includes a generation-specific second preamble formatted according to a second generation of the wireless communication protocol in a second subchannel of the wireless channel; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one modem and configured to process the generation-specific first preamble according to the first generation.

[0137] Clause 29. The wireless station of Clause 28 further includes: the at least one modem being configured to receive a control message prior to the wireless packet; and the at least one processor being configured to: process the control message, based on instructions in the control message, cause the at least one modem to monitor and receive a first preamble in a first subchannel, and cause the at least one modem to ignore subchannels other than the first subchannel.

[0138] Clause 30. The wireless station of Clause 28 further includes: at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code; at least one transceiver coupled to the at least one modem; at least one antenna coupled to the at least one transceiver to wirelessly transmit signals output from the at least one transceiver and wirelessly receive signals to be input to the at least one transceiver; and a housing surrounding at least a portion of the at least one modem, the at least one processor, the at least one memory, the at least one transceiver, and the at least one antenna.

[0139] Clause 31. A method for wireless communication by means of a first wireless local area network (WLAN), comprising: obtaining first data for a first wireless station and second data for a second wireless station; determining a first wireless communication protocol for transmitting the first data to the first wireless station and a second wireless communication protocol for transmitting the second data to the second wireless station; generating a first preamble based on the first wireless communication protocol and generating a second preamble based on the second wireless communication protocol; generating one or more data fields, the one or more data fields including resource allocation for conveying the first data and the second data based on the first wireless communication protocol and the second wireless communication protocol; and transmitting a wireless packet via a wireless channel including a first sub-channel and a second sub-channel, the wireless packet including the first preamble in the first sub-channel and the second preamble in the second sub-channel, the wireless packet further including the one or more data fields following the first preamble and the second preamble.

[0140] Clause 32. The method of Clause 31, wherein the first preamble includes signaling for a first resource element (RU) allocated to a first radio station in one or more data fields of the radio packet, and wherein the second preamble includes signaling for a second RU allocated to a second radio station in one or more data fields of the radio packet.

[0141] Clause 33. The method of Clause 32, wherein the first preamble includes signaling based on a first wireless communication protocol for a first plurality of RUs respectively assigned to a first plurality of wireless stations including a first wireless station, and wherein the second preamble includes signaling based on a second wireless communication protocol for a second plurality of RUs respectively assigned to a second plurality of wireless stations including a second wireless station.

[0142] Clause 34. The method of Clause 33, wherein the first plurality of RUs signaled in the first preamble are limited to the bandwidth of the first subchannel within a single data field.

[0143] Clause 35. The method of any of Clauses 33-34, wherein the second plurality of RUs signaled in the second preamble includes at least one allocated RU within the bandwidth of the first subchannel.

[0144] Clause 36. The method of any of Clauses 32-35, wherein the one or more data fields comprise a single data field spanning the entire bandwidth of the wireless channel.

[0145] Clause 37. The method of any of Clauses 31-36, wherein the radio packet is a Multigeneration Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) formatted as a single PPDU.

[0146] Clause 38. The method of any of Clauses 1-3, wherein the radio packet comprises: a first PPDU, the first PPDU comprising a first preamble followed by a first data field in a first subchannel; and a second PPDU, the second PPDU comprising a second preamble followed by a second data field in a second subchannel, and wherein the first PPDU and the second PPDU are output concurrently via the first subchannel and the second subchannel, respectively, to form a composite PPDU.

[0147] Clause 39. The method of Clause 38, wherein the radio packet is a multi-generation physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) formatted as a composite PPDU, wherein each subchannel includes signaling and data fields that can be decoded as a separate PPDU.

[0148] Clause 40. The method of any of Clauses 38-39, wherein the first preamble of the first PPDU includes signaling for a resource unit (RU) in the first data field, wherein the second preamble of the second PPDU includes signaling for a RU in the second data field, and wherein the signaling for the RU in the first preamble and the second preamble is based on the bandwidth of the first data field and the second data field, respectively.

[0149] Clause 41. The method of any of Clauses 38-40 further comprises: determining the length of each of the first data field and the second data field; and padding the shorter of the first data field or the second data field to make the first data field and the second data field have the same length, so that the first PPDU and the second PPDU terminate concurrently.

[0150] Clause 42. The method of any of Clauses 31-41, wherein the first preamble and the second preamble are output concurrently using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols including the first sub-channel and the second sub-channel.

[0151] Clause 43. The method of any of Clauses 31-42 further comprises: determining the length of each of the first preamble and the second preamble; and padding the shorter of the first preamble or the second preamble so that the lengths of the first preamble and the second preamble are the same.

[0152] Clause 44. The method of any of Clauses 31-43, wherein the first bandwidth size of the first sub-channel is different from the second bandwidth size of the second sub-channel.

[0153] Clause 45. The method of any of Clauses 31-44, wherein each of the first sub-channel and the second sub-channel has a bandwidth size that is a multiple of 80 MHz.

[0154] Clause 46. The method of any of Clauses 31-45, wherein the channel bandwidth of the wireless channel is greater than 320 MHz, and wherein the bandwidth of at least one of the first sub-channel and the second sub-channel is limited to a bandwidth of 320 MHz.

[0155] Clause 47. The method of any of Clauses 31-46, wherein the first WLAN device is an access point (AP), the method further comprising: before outputting the wireless packet, performing the following operation: causing the first wireless station to monitor the first sub-channel and decode the first preamble on the first sub-channel without decoding the second preamble.

[0156] Clause 48. The method of any of Clauses 31-47, wherein the first communication protocol is based on the IEEE 802.11be revision of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 technical standard specification, and the first preamble includes a Universal Signal (U-SIG) field followed by an Extremely High Throughput (EHT) Signal (EHT-SIG) field, and wherein the second communication protocol is based on the next generation of the IEEE 802.11 technical standard specification, and the second preamble includes a U-SIG field followed by a Next Generation Signal (NG-SIG) field.

[0157] Clause 49. A method for an apparatus of a wireless station to perform wireless communication, comprising: receiving at least a portion of a wireless packet, the wireless packet including a first preamble in a first sub-channel of a wireless channel and a second preamble in a second sub-channel of the wireless channel, the first preamble being based on a first wireless communication protocol and the second preamble being based on a second wireless communication protocol; determining that the wireless station supports the first wireless communication protocol; and processing the first preamble according to the first wireless communication protocol.

[0158] Clause 50. The method of Clause 49 further includes: determining that the wireless station also supports a second wireless communication protocol; and processing the second preamble in accordance with the second wireless communication protocol.

[0159] Clause 51. The method of any of Clauses 49-50, wherein the radio packet is a Multigeneration Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) formatted as a single PPDU.

[0160] Clause 52. The method of any of Clauses 49-50, wherein the radio packet is a multi-generation physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) formatted as a composite PPDU, wherein each subchannel includes signaling and data fields that can be decoded as a separate PPDU.

[0161] Clause 53. The method of any of Clauses 49-52 further includes: receiving a control message prior to the radio packet, the control message instructing the radio station to monitor and receive a first preamble in the first subchannel, wherein the radio station is configured to ignore subchannels other than the first subchannel when receiving the radio packet.

[0162] Clause 54. The method of any of Clauses 49-53, wherein the radio packet includes a trigger frame that instructs the first WLAN device, upon receiving the trigger frame, to use a first subchannel for a multi-user (MU) uplink (UL) physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU), the method further comprising: transmitting the MU UL PPDU via the first subchannel, wherein the MU UL PPDU is formatted according to a first wireless communication protocol.

[0163] Clause 55. The method of Clause 54, wherein the MU UL PPDU includes a first UL preamble and a first UL data field, wherein the trigger frame indicates the lengths of the first UL preamble and the first UL data field such that the lengths of the first UL preamble and the first UL data field are aligned with the corresponding lengths of the second UL preamble and the second UL data field of the different UL PPDUs in the second subchannel, and wherein the MU UL PPDU and the different UL PPDUs are transmitted concurrently via the first subchannel and the second subchannel, respectively.

[0164] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a wireless communication device. In some implementations, the wireless communication device includes at least one interface and at least one processor configured to perform any of the methods described above.

[0165] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a wireless communication device having at least one memory communicatively coupled to at least one processor and storing processor-readable code that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the wireless communication device to implement any of the methods described above.

[0166] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a mobile station including a wireless communication device and one or more transceivers coupled to the wireless communication device for communicating with a WLAN. The mobile station may include one or more antennas coupled to the one or more transceivers to wirelessly transmit signals output from and wirelessly receive signals input to the transceivers. The mobile station may include a housing surrounding at least a portion of the wireless communication device, the one or more transceivers, and the one or more antennas.

[0167] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in an apparatus having at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory being communicatively coupled to the at least one processor of a wireless communication device and storing processor-readable code that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the wireless communication device to implement any of the methods described above.

[0168] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a tangible computer-readable storage medium comprising non-transient processor executable code, which, when executed by at least one processor of a wireless communication device, enables the wireless communication device to implement any of the methods described above.

[0169] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be realized in a system comprising means for implementing any of the methods described above.

[0170] As used in this article, the phrase “at least one of” a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including a single member. As an example, “at least one of a, b, or c” is intended to cover: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc.

[0171] The various descriptive logics, logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic processes described in conjunction with the implementations disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. Hardware-software interchangeability has been generally described in terms of its functionality and is explained throughout the various descriptive components, blocks, modules, circuits, and processes described herein. Whether such functionality is implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0172] Hardware and data processing means for implementing the various descriptive logics, logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or executed using a general-purpose single-chip or multi-chip processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors cooperating with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In some implementations, specific processes and methods may be executed by a circuit system dedicated to a given function.

[0173] In one or more aspects, the described functionality may be implemented in hardware, digital electronic circuit systems, computer software, firmware (including the structures disclosed herein and their structural equivalents), or any combination thereof. Implementation of the subject matter described herein may also be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a computer storage medium for execution by a data processing apparatus or for controlling the operation of a data processing apparatus.

[0174] If implemented in software, the functions can be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on or through a computer-readable medium. The processes of the methods or algorithms disclosed herein can be implemented in a processor-executable software module that can reside on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that can be implemented to transfer a computer program from one location to another. Storage media can be any available medium accessible to a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disc storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and is accessible to a computer. Any connection can also be properly referred to as a computer-readable medium. As used herein, disk and disc include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital multi-purpose discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray™ discs, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations can also be included within the scope of computer-readable media. Additionally, the operation of a method or algorithm may reside as one of code and instructions, or any combination or set of code and instructions, on a machine-readable and computer-readable medium that may be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0175] Various modifications to the implementations described in this disclosure may be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein, but are to be granted the broadest scope consistent with this disclosure, the principles disclosed herein, and the novel features.

[0176] In addition, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the terms “upper” and “lower” are sometimes used for the convenience of describing the figures and indicate a relative position corresponding to the orientation of the figures on the correctly oriented page, and may not reflect the true orientation of any device as implemented.

[0177] Some features described in this specification in the context of separate implementations may also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single implementation may also be implemented separately or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple implementations. Furthermore, although features may be described as operating in certain combinations and even originally claimed in this way, one or more features from the claimed combination may be removed from that combination in some cases, and the claimed combination may be for sub-combinations or variations thereof.

[0178] Similarly, although the operations are depicted in a specific order in the accompanying drawings, this should not be construed as requiring such operations to be performed in the specific order shown or sequentially, or requiring the performance of all explained operations to achieve the desired result. Furthermore, the drawings may schematically depict one or more example processes in the form of flowcharts. However, other operations not depicted may be incorporated into the schematically explained example processes. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, simultaneously with, or between any explained operation. In some environments, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the described implementation should not be construed as requiring such separation in all implementations, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. Additionally, other implementations also fall within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claims may be performed in a different order and still achieve the desired result.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication from an access point (AP) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), comprising: Obtain first data for the first wireless station; Obtain second data targeting the second wireless station; as well as Transmitting a radio packet, the radio packet including a physical layer protocol data unit, the physical layer protocol data unit including both a generation-specific first preamble formatted according to a first generation of a wireless communication protocol via a first sub-channel of the radio channel and a generation-specific second preamble formatted according to a second generation of the wireless communication protocol via a second sub-channel of the radio channel, the physical layer protocol data unit further including first data and second data filled in corresponding portions of one or more data fields following both the generation-specific first preamble and the generation-specific second preamble, the generation-specific first preamble indicating a first resource unit (RU) allocation according to the first generation of the wireless communication protocol and a second RU allocation according to the second generation of the wireless communication protocol in the one or more data fields, the second RU allocation allocating at least one RU in the first sub-channel for the second data corresponding to the second generation of the wireless communication protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The first signaling specific to the generation is included in the first preamble of the generation to indicate the first RU allocated to the first RU of the first radio station in one or more data fields of the physical layer protocol data unit; as well as The second signaling specific to the generation is included in the second preamble of the generation specific to the generation to indicate the second RU allocated to the second RU of the second radio station in one or more data fields of the physical layer protocol data unit.

3. The method as described in claim 2, wherein, The generation-specific first signaling indication is respectively assigned to the first plurality of RUs allocated to the first plurality of RUs of the first plurality of RUs including the first RU, and wherein the generation-specific second signaling indication is respectively assigned to the second plurality of RUs allocated to the second plurality of RUs of the second plurality of RUs including the second RU.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: The first plurality of RUs that will be signaled in the first signaling specific to the generation are limited to the bandwidth of the first sub-channel.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more data fields comprise a single data field spanning at least the first sub-channel and the second sub-channel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, The wireless packets are formatted as composite physical layer protocol data units, and the method further includes: Concurrently transmitting a first portion of the composite physical layer protocol data unit formatted according to the first generation via at least a portion of the first sub-channel and a second portion of the composite physical layer protocol data unit formatted according to the second generation via at least a portion of the second sub-channel to form the composite physical layer protocol data unit.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The first portion of the composite physical layer protocol data unit includes the generation-specific first preamble followed by a first data field in the first sub-channel via at least the portion of the first sub-channel, and the second portion of the composite physical layer protocol data unit includes the generation-specific second preamble followed by a second data field in the second sub-channel via at least the portion of the second sub-channel.

8. The method as described in claim 7, in, The generation-specific first preamble of the first portion of the composite physical layer protocol data unit includes a first signaling for the RU in the first data field based on the first bandwidth of the first sub-channel, and The second generation-specific second preamble of the second portion of the composite physical layer protocol data unit includes a second signaling for the RU in the second data field based on the second bandwidth of the second sub-channel.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising: The shorter of the first data field or the second data field is padded to make the corresponding lengths of the first data field and the second data field the same, so that the first part and the second part of the composite physical layer protocol data unit end concurrently.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The shorter of the generation-specific first preamble or the generation-specific second preamble is padded so that the corresponding lengths of the generation-specific first preamble and the generation-specific second preamble are the same, so that the generation-specific first preamble and the generation-specific second preamble terminate concurrently.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein, The generation-specific first preamble and the generation-specific second preamble are output using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols spanning the first sub-channel and the second sub-channel.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first bandwidth size of the first sub-channel is different from the second bandwidth size of the second sub-channel, and each of the first sub-channel and the second sub-channel has a bandwidth size that is a multiple of 80MHz.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing the following operations before transmitting the wireless packet: A control message is transmitted, which instructs the first wireless station to decode the generation-specific first preamble via the first sub-channel according to the first generation, so that the first wireless station ignores the generation-specific second preamble via the second sub-channel.

14. The method as described in claim 1, in, The first generation of the wireless communication protocol is based on the IEEE 802.11be revision of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 technical standard specification, and the generation-specific first preamble includes a Universal Signaling (U-SIG) field, followed by an Extremely High Throughput (EHT) Signaling (EHT-SIG) field, and The second generation of the wireless communication protocol is based on different revisions of the IEEE 802.11 technical standard specification.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising: A trigger frame is transmitted to at least the first wireless station and the second wireless station, the trigger frame informing the first wireless station to transmit a first uplink physical layer protocol data unit via at least a portion of the first sub-channel and further informing the second wireless station to transmit a second uplink physical layer protocol data unit via at least a portion of the second sub-channel. as well as Concurrently receiving a first uplink physical layer protocol data unit from a first wireless station via at least a portion of the first sub-channel and receiving a second uplink physical layer protocol data unit from a second wireless station via at least a portion of the second sub-channel, wherein the first uplink physical layer protocol data unit is formatted according to a first generation and the second uplink physical layer protocol data unit is formatted according to a second generation.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, The trigger frame indicates the length of the first uplink preamble and the first uplink data field of the first uplink physical layer protocol data unit, such that the length of the first uplink preamble and the first uplink data field of the first uplink physical layer protocol data unit received via at least the portion of the first sub-channel is aligned with the corresponding length of the second uplink preamble and the second uplink data field of the second uplink physical layer protocol data unit received in at least the portion of the second sub-channel.

17. A method for wireless communication by means of a wireless station, comprising: At least a portion of a wireless packet is received via a first sub-channel of a wireless channel, the wireless packet comprising a physical layer protocol data unit (PLAN), the PLAN including a generation-specific first preamble formatted according to a first generation of a wireless communication protocol, wherein the PLAN further includes a generation-specific second preamble formatted according to a second generation of the wireless communication protocol via a second sub-channel of the wireless channel, the generation-specific first preamble indicating a first resource unit (RU) allocation according to the first generation of the wireless communication protocol in one or more data fields of the PLAN, and the generation-specific second preamble indicating a second RU allocation according to the second generation of the wireless communication protocol in the one or more data fields of the PLAN, the second RU allocation allocating at least one RU within the first sub-channel for data corresponding to the second generation of the wireless communication protocol; as well as The generation-specific first preamble is processed according to the first generation.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising: Ignore the generation-specific second preamble via the second sub-channel.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein, The radio packet is formatted as a composite multigenerational physical layer protocol data unit, the composite multigenerational physical layer protocol data unit comprising a first portion of the composite multigenerational physical layer protocol data unit formatted according to the first generation via at least a portion of the first subchannel and a second portion of the composite multigenerational physical layer protocol data unit formatted according to the second generation via at least a portion of the second subchannel.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising: A control message is received prior to the wireless packet, the control message instructing the wireless station to monitor and receive the generation-specific first preamble via at least a portion of the first subchannel, wherein the wireless station is configured to ignore subchannels other than the first subchannel when receiving the wireless packet.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising: Receive a trigger frame that notifies the wireless station to transmit a first uplink (UL) physical layer protocol data unit via at least a portion of the first sub-channel; as well as The first uplink physical layer protocol data unit is transmitted via at least a portion of the first sub-channel, wherein the first uplink physical layer protocol data unit is formatted according to the first generation.

22. The method as described in claim 21, in, The trigger frame indicates the length of the first uplink preamble and the first uplink data field of the first uplink physical layer protocol data unit, such that the length of the first uplink preamble and the first uplink data field is aligned with the corresponding length of the second uplink preamble and the second uplink data field of the second uplink physical layer protocol data unit from different radio stations via the second sub-channel.

23. An access point, comprising: At least one processor, said at least one processor being configured to: Obtain first data for the first wireless station, and Obtain second data targeting the second wireless station; as well as At least one modem, communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and configured to output wireless packets, the wireless packets including physical layer protocol data units, the physical layer protocol data units including both a generation-specific first preamble formatted according to a first generation of a wireless communication protocol via a first sub-channel of the wireless channel and a generation-specific second preamble formatted according to a second generation of the wireless communication protocol via a second sub-channel of the wireless channel, the physical layer protocol data units further including first data and second data filled in corresponding portions of one or more data fields following both the generation-specific first preamble and the generation-specific second preamble, the generation-specific first preamble indicating a first resource unit (RU) allocation according to the first generation of the wireless communication protocol and a second RU allocation according to the second generation of the wireless communication protocol in the one or more data fields, the second RU allocation allocating at least one RU in the first sub-channel for the second data corresponding to the second generation of the wireless communication protocol.

24. The access point of claim 23, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: The generation-specific first signaling is included in the generation-specific first preamble to indicate the first RU allocated to the first RU of the first radio station in one or more data fields of the physical layer protocol data unit; and The second signaling specific to the generation is included in the second preamble of the generation specific to the generation to indicate the second RU allocated to the second RU of the second radio station in one or more data fields of the physical layer protocol data unit.

25. The access point as described in claim 23, wherein, The wireless packets are formatted as composite physical layer protocol data units, and wherein the at least one modem is configured to concurrently output a first portion of the composite physical layer protocol data unit formatted according to the first generation via at least a portion of the first sub-channel and a second portion of the composite physical layer protocol data unit formatted according to the second generation via at least a portion of the second sub-channel to form the composite physical layer protocol data unit.

26. The access point as described in claim 25, wherein, The first portion of the composite physical layer protocol data unit includes the generation-specific first preamble followed by a first data field of at least the portion of the one or more data fields via the first sub-channel, and the second portion of the composite physical layer protocol data unit includes the generation-specific second preamble followed by a second data field of at least the portion of the one or more data fields via the second sub-channel.

27. The access point as described in claim 23, further comprising: At least one memory, the at least one memory being communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code; At least one transceiver coupled to the at least one modem; At least one antenna, the at least one antenna being coupled to the at least one transceiver to wirelessly transmit a first signal output from the at least one transceiver and wirelessly receive a second signal to be input to the at least one transceiver; as well as A housing that surrounds at least a portion of the at least one modem, the at least one processor, the at least one memory, the at least one transceiver, and the at least one antenna.

28. A wireless station, comprising: At least one modem configured to receive at least a portion of a wireless packet via a first subchannel of a wireless channel, the wireless packet comprising a physical layer protocol data unit (PLC), the PLC including a generation-specific first preamble formatted according to a first generation of a wireless communication protocol, wherein the PLC further includes a generation-specific second preamble formatted according to a second generation of the wireless communication protocol via a second subchannel of the wireless channel, the generation-specific first preamble indicating a first resource unit (RU) allocation according to the first generation of the wireless communication protocol in one or more data fields of the PLC, and the generation-specific second preamble indicating a second RU allocation according to the second generation of the wireless communication protocol in the one or more data fields of the PLC, the second RU allocation allocating at least one RU within the first subchannel for data corresponding to the second generation of the wireless communication protocol; as well as At least one processor, the at least one processor being communicatively coupled to the at least one modem and configured to process the generation-specific first preamble according to the first generation.

29. The wireless station of claim 28, further comprising: The at least one modem is configured to receive a control message before the wireless packet; and The at least one processor is configured to: Process the control message, Based on the instructions in the control message, the at least one modem is instructed to monitor and receive the generation-specific first preamble via at least a portion of the first sub-channel, and This causes the at least one modem to ignore sub-channels other than the first sub-channel.

30. The wireless station of claim 28, further comprising: At least one memory, the at least one memory being communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code; At least one transceiver coupled to the at least one modem; At least one antenna, the at least one antenna being coupled to the at least one transceiver to wirelessly transmit a first signal output from the at least one transceiver and wirelessly receive a second signal to be input to the at least one transceiver; as well as A housing that surrounds at least a portion of the at least one modem, the at least one processor, the at least one memory, the at least one transceiver, and the at least one antenna.

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