Spatial flow configuration and resource unit allocation

Abstract

In some examples, the first wireless device includes: a network interface for communicating with a plurality of wireless devices in a wireless network via up to 16 spatial streams; and at least one processor for sending control information elements specifying, for each of the plurality of wireless devices, a corresponding allocation of at least two and at most four spatial streams from the 16 spatial streams.

Description

[0001] Related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 033,143, filed June 1, 2020, entitled “Spatial Stream Configuration and Resource Unit Allocation”, and U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application No. 17 / 334,938, filed May 31, 2021, also entitled “Spatial Stream Configuration and Resource Unit Allocation”. Background Technology

[0003] The goal of successive generations of radio frequency communication systems has been to apply technologies that can increase the amount of information transmitted using communication resources compared to existing technologies. In some examples, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication can be employed. MIMO communication refers to wireless communication that can transmit multiple signals over one or more transmission resources by utilizing multipath propagation. Multipath propagation uses multiple spatial streams carrying corresponding signals over transmission resources.

[0004] In some cases, the number of spatial streams available in a wireless network can be limited, for example, by managing wireless communication standards. Limiting the number of spatial streams can result in the wireless network having wireless communication resources that may not support the needs of wireless devices. Summary of the Invention

[0005] According to various aspects of the present invention, a wireless network supporting multi-user multiple-input and multiple-output (MU-MIMO) communication can support up to 16 spatial streams for communicating with multiple wireless devices, wherein each wireless device uses at least 2 spatial streams.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a first wireless device is provided, comprising: a network interface for communicating with a plurality of wireless devices in a wireless network using up to 16 spatial streams; and at least one processor operatively connected to the network interface and configured to transmit control information elements specifying, for each of the plurality of wireless devices, a corresponding allocation of at least two and at most four spatial streams from the 16 spatial streams.

[0007] In some examples of the foregoing or other aspects, the control information element for each of the plurality of wireless devices includes: a resource unit allocation indicator indicating the allocation of resource units for that wireless device, and a space stream allocation indicator indicating the number of space streams allocated to that wireless device.

[0008] In at least some examples of the foregoing or other aspects, the control information element includes a corresponding user-specific field for each of the plurality of wireless devices, the user-specific field for each wireless device including: a wireless device identifier that identifies the wireless device, a resource unit allocation indicator for the wireless device, and a space flow allocation indicator for the wireless device.

[0009] In at least some examples of the above or other aspects, the length of the space flow allocation indicator is 2 bits.

[0010] In at least some examples of the foregoing or other aspects, the control information element for each of the plurality of wireless devices includes: a 4-bit index mapped to a corresponding spatial configuration, wherein different values ​​of the 4-bit index map to different spatial configurations corresponding to different allocations of the spatial stream.

[0011] In at least some examples of the foregoing or other aspects, the first wireless device includes a non-transitory storage medium for storing a space configuration table, wherein the space configuration is represented by different entries in the space configuration table.

[0012] In at least some of the examples above or in other aspects, the control information element is part of the preamble of the physical data unit.

[0013] In at least some examples of the foregoing or other aspects, the control information element is part of the Signal (SIG) field in the physical header of a wireless local area network (WLAN) frame.

[0014] In at least some of the examples above or otherwise, the first wireless device is an access point (AP).

[0015] In at least some examples of the foregoing or other aspects, the network interface is used to perform multi-user multiple-input and multiple-output (MU-MIMO) communication using up to 16 spatial streams.

[0016] In at least some examples of the foregoing or other aspects, the control information element includes a common field that includes a resource unit allocation indicator indicating resource unit allocation for the plurality of wireless devices and a device quantity indicator indicating the number of the plurality of wireless devices; and the control information element includes a corresponding device-specific field for each of the wireless devices, the corresponding device-specific field including a space flow allocation indicator for that wireless device.

[0017] In at least some examples of the foregoing or other aspects, the space stream allocation indicator indicates the number of space streams allocated for the wireless device.

[0018] In at least some examples of the above or other aspects, the length of the space flow allocation indicator is 2 bits.

[0019] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method for providing a first wireless device is provided, comprising: communicating with up to four wireless devices in a wireless network using up to 16 spatial streams, wherein each of the wireless devices is allocated at least two and at most four spatial streams; and transmitting control information elements, the control information elements specifying for each of the plurality of wireless devices a corresponding allocation of at least two and at most four spatial streams from the 16 spatial streams.

[0020] According to a third aspect of the present invention, a first wireless device is provided, comprising: a network interface for communicating with a second wireless device in a wireless network, the second wireless device supporting wireless communication with a plurality of wireless devices via a plurality of spatial streams, wherein the number of spatial streams in the plurality of spatial streams is up to 16, and wherein each of the plurality of wireless devices is allocated at least two and at most four spatial streams; and at least one processor for receiving control information elements from the second wireless device via the network interface, the control information elements specifying, for each of the plurality of wireless devices, a corresponding allocation of two to four spatial streams from the plurality of spatial streams.

[0021] According to another example of the third aspect, the control information element for each of the plurality of wireless devices includes: a resource unit allocation indicator indicating the allocation of resource units for the wireless device, and a space stream allocation indicator indicating the number of space streams allocated to the wireless device.

[0022] According to one or more of the above examples in the third aspect, the control information element includes a corresponding user-specific field for each of the plurality of wireless devices, the user-specific field for each wireless device including: a wireless device identifier that identifies the wireless device, a resource unit allocation indicator for the wireless device, and a space flow allocation indicator for the wireless device.

[0023] According to one or more of the above or other examples of the third aspect, the length of the space flow allocation indicator is 2 bits.

[0024] According to one or more of the above or other examples of the third aspect, the at least one processor is used to determine the spatial flow allocation for the first wireless device based on the user-specific field.

[0025] According to one or more of the above or other examples of the third aspect, the control information element for each of the plurality of wireless devices includes a corresponding value selected from a plurality of values ​​corresponding to different allocations of the spatial streams to the plurality of wireless devices, and each of the corresponding values ​​in the control information element includes a value of a four-bit index mapped to a corresponding spatial configuration, and wherein different values ​​of the four-bit index are mapped to different spatial configurations corresponding to different allocations of the spatial streams.

[0026] According to one or more of the above or other examples of the third aspect, the first wireless device further includes a non-transitory storage medium for storing a space configuration table, wherein the space configuration is represented by different entries in the space configuration table.

[0027] According to one or more of the above or other examples of the third aspect, the control information element is part of the Signal (SIG) field in the physical header of a wireless local area network (WLAN) frame.

[0028] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a method for providing a first wireless device is provided, comprising: communicating with a second wireless device in a wireless network, the second wireless device supporting wireless communication with a plurality of wireless devices via a plurality of spatial streams, wherein the number of spatial streams in the plurality of spatial streams is up to 16, and wherein the wireless devices are allocated at least two and at most four spatial streams; and receiving control information elements from the second wireless device, the control information elements specifying for each of the plurality of wireless devices a corresponding allocation of two to four spatial streams from the plurality of spatial streams.

[0029] According to an example of the fourth aspect, the control information element includes a corresponding user-specific field for each of the plurality of wireless devices, the user-specific field for each wireless device including: a wireless device identifier that identifies the wireless device, a resource unit allocation indicator for the wireless device, and a space flow allocation indicator for the wireless device.

[0030] According to one or more of the above or other examples of the fourth aspect, the length of the space flow allocation indicator is 2 bits.

[0031] According to one or more of the above or other examples of the fourth aspect, the control information element includes a value selected from a plurality of values ​​corresponding to different allocations of the spatial streams to the plurality of wireless devices.

[0032] According to one or more of the above or other examples of the fourth aspect, the values ​​in the control information element include values ​​of four-bit indices mapped to corresponding spatial configurations, and wherein different values ​​of the four-bit indices map to different spatial configurations corresponding to different allocations of the spatial flow. Attached Figure Description

[0033] Some implementations of the invention are described with reference to the following figures.

[0034] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless arrangement including wireless devices capable of communicating in the form of spatial streams, according to some implementations of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 2A and Figure 2B An exemplary space configuration table is shown according to some implementation methods.

[0036] Figure 3 It is a block diagram based on some examples of control information elements.

[0037] Figure 4 This is a block diagram of a processing unit that can be used to implement a wireless device according to some implementations of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 5 This is a message flow diagram illustrating the processing according to some implementations of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 6 This is a block diagram of another example of control information elements based on some examples.

[0040] In all the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals denote similar but not necessarily identical elements. These drawings are not necessarily to scale, and the dimensions of some components may be enlarged to more clearly illustrate the examples shown. Furthermore, the drawings provide examples and / or implementations consistent with the specification; however, the specification is not limited to the examples and / or implementations provided in the drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0041] In this invention, the terms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to also include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, when used in this invention, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “constituting,” “forming,” “having,” or “possessing” specify the presence of the said element but do not exclude the presence or addition of other elements.

[0042] Multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) is a wireless communication technology that supports wireless communication between multiple wireless devices using multiple spatial streams. The spatial streams are spatially distributed. A source wireless device can transmit signals to multiple receiving wireless devices in the form of spatial streams. Different spatial streams can carry information that has been modulated or encoded differently. For example, the information carried in the first spatial stream may be modulated or encoded differently from the information in the second spatial stream.

[0043] The throughput available for wireless communication using spatial streams depends on the number of spatial streams that can be used for wireless communication. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11ax standard supports MU-MIMO spatial configurations that allow up to eight spatial streams. Limiting the number of spatial streams for MU-MIMO communication to eight may cause wireless networks to be unable to meet the communication needs of wireless devices, as the number of wireless devices capable of communicating in wireless networks continues to grow. It is conceivable that future standards will support MU-MIMO spatial configurations with more than eight spatial streams, such as MU-MIMO spatial configurations with up to 16 spatial streams. Furthermore, in future networks, all end-user wireless devices will be able to support at least two spatial streams.

[0044] A space flow allocation table can be used to specify the allocation of space flows to multiple stations in a MU-MIMO allocation. The goal of the space flow allocation table is to save communication overhead by minimizing the amount of information that must be sent to fully specify the space flow allocated to each STA in a MU-MIMO allocation. The larger the number of possible permutations of flows allocated to STAs, the larger the space allocation table becomes, the more storage space it occupies, and the more bits are required to index such a table.

[0045] With the introduction of SU-MIMO into 802.11n and the increasing prevalence of MU-MIMO in the 802.11ac basic service set, a larger proportion of user equipment (UEs) are configured to include multiple antennas to take advantage of the greater bandwidth offered by MU-MIMO. It is possible that each UE in the BSS may have multiple antennas. In this case, allocating a single flow to the UE may become suboptimal and therefore rare. Providing numerous options for allocating a single flow to the STA in the spatial allocation table may become inefficient. It is desirable to reduce the overhead consumed by the spatial allocation table and streamline these tables for the most common use cases as the UE evolves to utilize multiple antennas.

[0046] According to some implementations of the present invention, a MU-MIMO spatial configuration is provided that supports up to 16 spatial streams for wireless communication, wherein each MU-MIMO-scheduled wireless device is allocated at least 2 spatial streams. Figure 1 This is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless arrangement including multiple wireless devices, including an access point (AP) 104 and various electronic devices 106(1) to 106(N). The access point (AP) 104 is capable of communicating with electronic devices 106(1) to 106(N) (collectively referred to as electronic devices 106 in the singular) in a wireless network 102, where N ≥ 2. AP 104 and electronic devices 106(1) to 106(N) are examples of wireless devices capable of performing wireless communication.

[0047] In some examples, AP 104 and electronic devices 106(1) to 106(N) are able to communicate according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard group. In such examples, wireless network 102 is referred to as wireless local area network (WLAN), and electronic devices 106(1) to 106(N) are referred to as stations (STA).

[0048] In other examples, AP 104 and electronic devices 106(1) to 106(N) can communicate according to other standards, such as wireless standards including the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) standard promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In other examples, the wireless standard may include the Fifth Generation (5G) wireless standard. In a wireless network, the AP is referred to as a base station, such as an Evolved NodeB (eNB) of LTE.

[0049] Although Figure 1 Only one AP 104 is shown, but it should be noted that the wireless network 102 may include multiple APs that define a corresponding coverage area for communicating with electronic devices.

[0050] Examples of electronic devices 106(1) to 106(N) include any or some combination of the following: desktop computers, laptops, tablet computers, smartphones, Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices (e.g., sensors, cameras, thermostats, home appliances, etc.), wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart glasses, head-mounted devices, etc.), vehicles, server computers, storage devices, communication nodes, etc.

[0051] AP 104 includes multiple transceivers 108 capable of communicating with electronic devices 106(1) to 106(N) via corresponding spatial streams 110(1), 110(2), ..., 110(M–1), 110(M). Typically, M is greater than or equal to 4, and any scheduled electronic device 106 will be assigned at least two spatial streams. Figure 1 In the example, AP 104 communicates with a corresponding transceiver 109 of electronic device 106(1) via multiple spatial streams 110(1) and 110(2). AP 104 communicates with a corresponding transceiver 109 of electronic device 106(N) via multiple spatial streams 110(M–1) and 110(M). A “transceiver” includes a transmitter for transmitting wireless signals and a receiver for receiving wireless signals. A transceiver may include an antenna and associated amplification and modulation / demodulation circuitry. Each electronic device 106(1) to 106(N) includes two or more transceivers 109.

[0052] In some examples, communication between AP 104 and electronic devices 106(1) to 106(N) in wireless network 102 may use an orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) channel. According to some wireless standards, such as IEEE 802.11ax, an OFDMA channel is subdivided into multiple resource units (RUs). Different RUs of an OFDMA channel comprise subcarriers of different frequencies. Each RU is a subchannel of the OFDMA channel. Although referenced to IEEE 802.11ax, it should be noted that the techniques or mechanisms of some implementations of the present invention may be used in conjunction with other standards, including future generations of IEEE 802.11 standards or different standards.

[0053] In the example using OFDMA RUs, AP 104 can schedule MU-MIMO communication on one or more RUs. In other examples, MU-MIMO can be scheduled on other types of radio transport resources.

[0054] According to some implementations of the present invention, AP 104 can use the following MU-MIMO spatial configuration, which supports wireless communication with electronic devices via up to 16 spatial streams. AP 104 can schedule a minimum of two and a maximum of four spatial streams for wireless communication with each electronic device 106. In other words, the number of spatial streams used by AP 104 for communication with a single electronic device 106 will be at least two but no more than four. Compared to examples where fewer than two or more than four spatial streams can be scheduled for a single electronic device 106, in some applications, limiting the number of spatial streams that can be used for a single electronic device to between two and four spatial streams improves MU-MIMO communication performance.

[0055] AP 104 includes a MU-MIMO control engine 112, which is capable of controlling the scheduling of spatial flows for the set of electronic devices. Each electronic device 106(1) to 106(N) includes a corresponding MU-MIMO communication engine 114, which is capable of interacting with the MU-MIMO control engine 112 to perform MU-MIMO communication with AP 104 by means of spatial flows allocated to the corresponding electronic devices 106(1) to 106(N).

[0056] As used herein, "engine" can refer to hardware processing circuitry, which may include any or some combination of a microprocessor, a core of a multi-core microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable integrated circuit, a programmable gate array, a digital signal processor, or other hardware processing circuitry. Alternatively, "engine" can refer to a combination of hardware processing circuitry and machine-readable instructions (software and / or firmware) executable on the hardware processing circuitry.

[0057] The MU-MIMO control engine 112 is capable of sending control information elements to each corresponding electronic device 106(1) to 106(N) for controlling the allocation of two or more spatial streams to the electronic devices 106(1) to 106(N). An "information element" can refer to a message, a portion of a message, or any other set of information. A control information element can also include multiple parts of a message (e.g., fields) or multiple messages. The control information element can be broadcast or multicast by AP 104 to multiple electronic devices. Alternatively, in some examples, the control information element can be unicast by AP 104 to a single electronic device.

[0058] The MU-MIMO communication engine 114 in each corresponding electronic device 106 can receive control information elements and determine the spatial stream allocation for the electronic device 106 based on the control information elements. It should be noted that the spatial streams allocated for the electronic device 106 may include a minimum of two spatial streams and a maximum of four spatial streams.

[0059] In an exemplary embodiment, the MU-MIMO control engine 112 of AP 104 is used to allocate space streams based on predetermined allocation rules, which are defined by a space configuration table 120 stored in the storage medium 122 of AP 104. The storage medium 122 of AP 104 may include any or some combination of disk-based storage devices, solid-state drives, memory devices, etc.

[0060] Figure 2A and Figure 2BAn example of a spatial configuration table 120 according to some implementations of the present invention is shown. In the spatial configuration table 120, the N_STA column 202 includes values ​​(e.g., 2 to 8) specifying the number of electronic devices scheduled for MU-MIMO communication. The spatial configuration table 120 provides rules for the allocation of spatial flows for RUs in scenarios where the number of spatial flows M is at most 16 (i.e., M <= 16), the number of electronic devices N is between 2 and 8 (i.e., 2 <= N <= 8), and the number of spatial flows Nsts allocated to each electronic device per RU is between 2 and 4 (i.e., 2 <= Nsts(i) <= 4, where 1 = i <= 8). Different values ​​of N_STA are mapped to different spatial configuration table portions (204(2) to 204(8)) of the spatial configuration table 120. Space configuration table portion 204(2) of space configuration table 120 contains entries for a scenario in which two electronic devices are scheduled for MU-MIMO communication; space configuration table portion 204(3) of space configuration table 120 contains entries for a scenario in which three electronic devices are scheduled for MU-MIMO communication; space configuration table portion 204(4) of space configuration table 120 contains entries for a scenario in which four electronic devices are scheduled for MU-MIMO communication, and so on, up to space configuration table portion 204(8) of space configuration table 120, which contains entries for a scenario in which eight electronic devices are scheduled for MU-MIMO communication.

[0061] The spatial configuration index column 206 includes distinct values ​​of the spatial configuration index, which are implemented as four bits B3, B2, B1, and B0.

[0062] Column Nsts(1) specifies the number of space flows (Nsts) allocated to electronic device 106(1), column Nsts(2) specifies the number of space flows allocated to electronic device 106(2), column Nsts(3) specifies the number of space flows allocated to electronic device 106(3), and so on, up to column Nsts(8), which specifies the number of space flows allocated to electronic device 106(8). It should be noted that a blank in column Nsts(i) indicates that the allocation of space flows in the corresponding entry of space configuration table 120 does not apply to the corresponding electronic device 106(i) (i = 1 to 8).

[0063] The total N_STS column 208 of the space configuration table 120 indicates the total number of space flows allocated to electronic devices performing MU-MIMO scheduling. The entry number column specifies the number of entries present in the corresponding portion of the space configuration table 120. For example, a value of 6 for the entry number of space configuration table portion 204(2) indicates that space configuration table portion 204(2) includes 6 entries, which correspond to the 6 possible values ​​(0000 to 0101) of the space configuration index included in the index column 206.

[0064] In the space configuration table section 204(2) corresponding to N_STA=2, the value of the index in the space configuration index ranges from 0000 to 0101.

[0065] The three possible values ​​(0000, 0001, and 0010) in the space configuration index range of 0000 to 0010 correspond to the number of different space flows allocated to electronic device 106(1). For example, if the space configuration index is set to 0000 and N_STA = 2, then the number of space flows allocated to electronic device 106(1) in column Nsts(1) is 2, and the number of space flows allocated to electronic device 106(2) in column Nsts(2) is 2 (it should be noted that in this entry of space configuration table 120, other electronic devices 3 to 16 are not allocated any space flows). If the space configuration index is set to 0001 and N_STA = 2, then the number of space flows allocated to electronic device 106(1) in column Nsts(1) is 3, and the number of space flows allocated to electronic device 106(2) in column Nsts(2) is 2 (it should be noted that in this entry of space configuration table 120, other electronic devices 106(3) to 106(8) are not allocated any space flows). If the space configuration index is set to 0010 and N_STA = 2, then the number of space flows allocated to electronic device 106(1) in column Nsts(1) is 4, and the number of space flows allocated to electronic device 106(2) in column Nsts(2) is 2 (it should be noted that in this entry of space configuration table 120, no space flows are allocated to other electronic devices 106(3) to 106(8)).

[0066] If the space configuration index is set to 0011 and N_STA = 2, then the number of space flows allocated to electronic device 106(1) in column Nsts(1) is 3, and the number of space flows allocated to electronic device 106(2) in column Nsts(2) is 3 (it should be noted that in this entry of space configuration table 120, no space flows are allocated to other electronic devices 106(3) to 106(8)). If the space configuration index is set to 0100 and N_STA = 2, then the number of space flows allocated to electronic device 106(1) in column Nsts(1) is 4, and the number of space flows allocated to electronic device 106(2) in column Nsts(2) is 3 (it should be noted that in this entry of space configuration table 120, no space flows are allocated to other electronic devices 106(3) to 106(8)).

[0067] The other entries in section 204(2) of the space allocation table are explained similarly.

[0068] In another example, for N_STA = 4 (which maps to space configuration table part 204(4)), if the space configuration index is set to 0111, the number of space flows allocated to electronic device 106(1) in column Nsts(1) is 4, the number of space flows allocated to electronic device 106(2) in column Nsts(2) is 3, the number of space flows allocated to electronic device 106(3) in column Nsts(3) is 3, and the number of space flows allocated to electronic device 106(4) in column Nsts(4) is 2 (it should be noted that in this entry of space configuration table 120, no space flows are allocated to other electronic devices 106(5) to 106(8)).

[0069] The rest of the space configuration table 120 is explained similarly.

[0070] Therefore, in Figure 2A and Figure 2B In the exemplary space configuration table 120, certain combinations of N_STA values ​​and space configuration index values ​​are mapped to space configurations that allocate 4 to 16 space streams among electronic devices. Each electronic device 106 with allocated space streams is assigned 2 to 4 space streams.

[0071] In some implementations of the invention, the space configuration index is 4 bits long, which allows for the specification of up to 16 different space allocation combinations. For example, once the number of electronic devices N_STA is known, the four-bit space configuration index makes it possible to specify 15 different space flow allocation possibilities in each of the configuration table portions 204(4) (i.e., N_STA = 4) and 204(5) (i.e., N_STA = 5).

[0072] As described above, the MU-MIMO control engine 112 of AP 104 is used to send control information elements to the participating electronic devices 106(1) to 106(N) for controlling the allocation of two or more spatial streams to each of the electronic devices 106(1) to 106(N). The MU-MIMO communication engine 114 of each electronic device 106(1) to 106(N) participating in MU-MIMO communication is used to determine its respective spatial stream allocation based on the control information elements received from AP 104.

[0073] The following describes two different exemplary embodiments of the control information element and its processing. In one exemplary embodiment, the control information element is self-contained, meaning that the MU-MIMO communication engine 114 of the receiving electronic device 106 can determine its space stream allocation based on information included in the user-specific fields of the control information element 300 without needing to access a locally stored version of the space configuration table 120. In another exemplary embodiment, the control information element is not self-contained.

[0074] Self-contained control information element

[0075] Figure 3 An exemplary control information element 300 is illustrated. In some examples, the control information element 300 may be in the form of a signal (SIG) field in the physical (PHY) header 310 of a WLAN frame. In other examples, the control information element 300 may be a different field or part of a different message (or part of multiple fields or messages). For example, the control information element 300 may be part of the preamble of a physical data unit. Figure 3 In the example, the control information element 300 is in the form of the extreme high throughput signal (EHT-SIG) field in the physical (PHY) header 310 of the physical data unit.

[0076] The control information element 300 is self-contained, which means that the MU-MIMO communication engine 114 of the receiving electronic device 106 can determine its space flow allocation based on the information included in the user-specific fields 306(1) to 305(P) of the control information element 300 without needing to access the local storage version of the space configuration table 120.

[0077] In an exemplary embodiment, control information element 300 includes one or more user-specific fields 306(1) to 306(P) (collectively referred to as user-specific fields 306 in the singular). Each user-specific field 306 includes information specific to a particular individual electronic device 106. Each user-specific field 306(1) to 306(P) includes a corresponding field for: a device identifier 304 (e.g., a station or STA identifier) ​​for identifying the corresponding electronic device 106; an RU allocation indicator 302 for indicating RU allocation for electronic device 106; an SS allocation indicator 308 for indicating the number of space streams Nsts allocated for electronic device 106; and an MCS and decoding indicator for indicating the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) and decoding that electronic device 106 will use to decode or encode information transmitted using the allocated space streams. In other examples, user-specific fields 306(1) to 306(P) may include additional information. In some examples, each electronic device 106 may include multiple user-specific fields.

[0078] The information included in the control information element 300 indicates the space stream allocation for each electronic device 106(1) to 106(N) participating in the scheduled MU-MIMO communication. Accordingly, the number of user-specific fields 306 in the control information element 300 indicating the allocation of the same RU will correspond to the number of electronic devices 106(1) to 106(N) participating in the MU-MIMO communication using the same RU. In an exemplary embodiment, the space streams are allocated sequentially in an order corresponding to the order of the user-specific fields 306(1) to 306(P) within the control information element 300, and the SS allocation indicator 308 included in the user-specific field 306 for a particular electronic device 106 indicates the number of space streams allocated to that particular electronic device 106.

[0079] The MU-MIMO communication engine 114 of the receiving electronic device 106 can identify the first spatial stream allocated to the receiving electronic device 106 in the spatial stream sequence by determining the number of spatial streams already allocated for the same RU in the user-specific field included in the control information element 300 before addressing the user-specific field 306 of the electronic device 106. Then, the MU-MIMO communication engine 114 of the receiving electronic device 106 can identify the remaining spatial streams allocated to it based on the number indicated in the SS allocation indicator 308 of the user-specific field 306.

[0080] Therefore, for cases where the number of space streams for each electronic device is between 2 and 4, the SS allocation indicator 308 only requires 2 bits. For example, "00" can indicate that the number of space streams allocated for the identified electronic device 106 is 2, "01" can indicate that the number of space streams is 3, and "10" can indicate that the number of space streams is 4. The start and end streams do not need to be explicitly identified by the SS allocation indicator 308.

[0081] As an example, referring to space configuration table 120, in the specific case where the space flow allocation index is “1001” for N_STA = 3, the binary form of the SS allocation indicator 308 for each of the corresponding user-specific fields 306(1), 306(2), 306(3) of each of the three electronic devices 106(1), 106(2), and 106(3) with the same RU allocation will be “10”, “10”, “10” (where “10” represents 4 space flows). Based on this information, electronic device 106(3) will determine that the first 8 space flows have been allocated, and its space flow allocation is space flows 9 to 12.

[0082] Figure 4 This is a block diagram of wireless device 400. Wireless device 400 can be... Figure 1 AP 104 or Figure 1 Electronic device 106. Wireless device 400 includes one or more hardware processors 402. The hardware processor may include a microprocessor, the core of a multi-core microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable integrated circuit, a programmable gate array, a digital signal processor, or other hardware processing circuitry.

[0083] Wireless device 400 also includes a network interface 404 for use over a wireless network (e.g., Figure 1 The network interface 404 includes a transceiver and a network protocol layer to enable communication via a wireless network. In the case of AP 104, the network interface 404 includes transceiver 108, and in the case of electronic device 106, the network interface 404 includes transceiver 109.

[0084] The wireless device 400 also includes a non-transitory machine-readable or computer-readable storage medium 406, which stores machine-readable instructions that can be executed on one or more hardware processors 402 to perform corresponding tasks.

[0085] Machine-readable instructions include MU-MIMO related instructions 408, which can be executed when run on one or more hardware processors 402. Figure 1 The task of the MU-MIMO control engine 112 or Figure 1 The task of the MU-MIMO communication engine 114.

[0086] For example, MU-MIMO related instructions 408 can send control information element 300, which indicates the number of radio devices with the same RU allocation, and the number of spatial streams allocated to each radio device for that RU in the spatial stream set. Each radio device is allocated two to four spatial streams.

[0087] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of a process that can be performed by AP 104 and electronic device 106(i), one of electronic devices 106(i) to 106(N), according to some examples. AP 104 (at 502) transmits control information element 300, which includes user-specific fields 306(1) to 306(P) in sequential transmission order. Each of the user-specific fields 306(1) to 306(P) includes a corresponding electronic device identifier 304, an RU allocation indicator 302, and a space stream allocation indicator 308, which indicates the number of space streams allocated for the identified electronic device. Electronic devices 106(1) to 106(N) have been selected by the MU-MIMO control engine 112 of AP 104 to participate in MU-MIMO communication using the same RU. Therefore, N user-specific fields 306 are included in the user-specific fields 306(1) to 306(P), each of which has the same RU allocation indicator 302 and corresponds to the corresponding electronic device 106(1) to 106(N).

[0088] As shown in box 506, in response to receiving control information element 300, receiving electronic device 106(i) (which is one of electronic devices 106(1) to 106(N)) decodes control information element 300 to identify user-specific field 306(j) (1<=j<=P) based on electronic device identifier 304 that identifies electronic device 106(i) included in the corresponding user-specific field. By decoding its own user-specific field 306(j), electronic device 106(i) can determine: (i) its own RU allocation as indicated by RU allocation indicator 302; and (ii) the number of space streams Nsts that have been allocated to it as indicated by SS allocation indicator 308. Furthermore, by decoding any user-specific fields 306(1) to 306(j–1) included in the control information element 300 before its own user-specific field 306(j), the electronic device 106(i) can determine how many electronic devices 106 with the same RU allocation in the control information element 300 have been allocated space streams, and the number of space streams allocated to each of these other electronic devices 106. Based on this information, the MU-MIMO communication engine 114 of the electronic device 106(i) can determine the starting space stream and the ending space stream that have been allocated to the electronic device 106(i) from a set of 16 possible space streams.

[0089] The MU-MIMO communication engine 114 configures the electronic device 106(i) to communicate with the AP 104 (at 508) using an allocated spatial stream (e.g., 2 to 4 streams). For example, the electronic device 106 receives information from the allocated spatial stream from the AP 104.

[0090] Non-self-contained control information elements

[0091] In another exemplary embodiment, the control information element is not self-contained, and in this case, the control information element includes additional information compared to the information described above with respect to the self-contained control information element 300. In this respect, Figure 6An example of the physical header 310A of a WLAN frame according to another exemplary embodiment is shown. The control information element 300A of the physical header 310A (e.g., the EHT-SIG field in the illustrated example) includes an additional field, namely a common field 602, preceding the user-specific fields 306(1) to 306(P). The common field 602 includes a RU allocation indicator (RU) for a specified RU allocation and a corresponding field for a number of devices (N_STA) indicator for the number of radio devices with the specified RU allocation in a specified MU-MIMO communication. Since the RU allocation for N_STA radio devices is specified in the common field 602, the control information element 300A does not include the RU allocation field 306 in the corresponding user-specific fields 306(1) to 306(P).

[0092] In a first exemplary embodiment using non-self-contained control information element 300A, each of the electronic devices 106(1) to 106(N) includes a version of the space configuration table 120 stored in a corresponding local storage medium, and the space flow allocation indicator 308 in each user-specific field 306(1) to 306(P) will include a corresponding four-bit space configuration index from the space index table column 206 (instead of a two-bit value indicating the number of space flows).

[0093] In this case, Figure 5 In block 506, receiving electronic device 106(i) decodes the common field 602 of control information element 300A to identify the total number of electronic devices with the same RU allocation in RU allocation and MU-MIMO communication, thereby enabling receiving electronic device 106(i) to determine the value of N-STA to map to the appropriate spatial configuration table portions 204(2) to 204(8) of spatial configuration table 120. Receiving electronic device 106(i) recovers its corresponding spatial flow allocation indicator 308 from its corresponding user-specific field 306(j), which identifies a 4-bit spatial flow configuration index for index column 206 of spatial configuration table 120. Based on the recovered N_STA and spatial flow configuration index values, the MU-MIMO communication engine 114 of electronic device 106(i) can determine its corresponding spatial flow allocation according to spatial configuration table 120.

[0094] As an example, referring to the space configuration table 120, in the specific case where the space flow allocation index is “1001” for N_STA = 3, the SS allocation indicator 308 in binary form of the corresponding user-specific fields 306(1), 306(2), and 306(3) for the three electronic devices 106(1), 106(2), and 106(3) with the same RU allocation will be “1001”, “1001”, and “1001”. When it is determined that the number of electronic devices specified in the control information element 300 is 3 (e.g., N_STA = 3) and the SS allocation indicator 308 in the user-specific field 306(3) is “1001”, the electronic device 106(3) will determine its corresponding space flow allocation as space flow 9 to space flow 12 based on the space configuration table 120.

[0095] Except that the SS allocation indicator 308 adopts the same format as described above for the self-contained control information element 300, the second exemplary embodiment of the non-self-contained control information element 300A is similar to the first exemplary embodiment described above. In particular, in the second exemplary embodiment of the non-self-contained control information element 300A, the SS allocation indicator 300 is only two bits long and specifies the number (e.g., 2 to 4) of space streams allocated to the corresponding electronic device 106(i) identified by the device identifier 304 in the user-specific field 306(j). Based on the information about RU allocation and the number of user devices with such RU allocation included in the common field 602 and the 2-bit space stream allocation indicator included in the user-specific field, the receiving electronic device 106(i) can infer the specific 2 to 4 space streams that have been sequentially allocated to it out of the possible 16 space streams without needing the locally stored space configuration table 120. This eliminates the need to indicate the start and / or end flow of each STA undergoing MU-MIMO scheduling in the SS allocation subfield of each user-specific field in the EHT-SIG, since the RU allocation in the common information field clearly indicates how many user-specific fields are being MU-MIMO scheduled together.

[0096] Storage media (e.g., Figure 4406) may include any or some combination of the following: semiconductor memory devices, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or static random access memory (SRAM), erasable and programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable and programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and flash memory; magnetic disks, such as fixed disks, floppy disks, and removable disks; other magnetic media, including magnetic tape; optical media, such as compact discs (CDs) or digital video discs (DVDs); or other types of storage devices. It should be noted that the instructions discussed above may be provided on a single computer-readable or machine-readable storage medium, or alternatively, on multiple computer-readable or machine-readable storage media distributed across a large system that may have multiple nodes. Such one or more computer-readable or machine-readable storage media are considered part of an article of manufacture (or an article of manufacture). An article of manufacture or an article of manufacture may refer to any single or multiple manufactured components. One or more storage media may be located in a machine that runs machine-readable instructions, or at a remote site from which machine-readable instructions can be downloaded via a network for execution.

[0097] In the foregoing description, numerous details have been set forth to provide an understanding of the subject matter disclosed herein. However, these implementations can be practiced without these details. Other implementations may include modifications and variations to the details discussed above. The appended claims are intended to cover such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A first wireless device, characterized in that, include: A network interface that allows communication with wireless devices using up to 16 spatial streams in a wireless network; as well as At least one processor is operatively connected to the network interface and configured to send control information elements to a plurality of wireless devices, the control information elements specifying, for each of the plurality of wireless devices, the allocation of a minimum of two and a maximum of four spatial streams from 16 spatial streams based on a 4-bit spatial configuration index in the control information elements, the 4-bit spatial configuration index mapping to a corresponding spatial configuration of the 16 spatial streams in a spatial configuration table, wherein different values ​​of the 4-bit spatial configuration index map to different spatial configurations in the spatial configuration table corresponding to different allocations of the 16 spatial streams.

2. The first wireless device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control information element for each of the plurality of wireless devices includes: a resource unit allocation indicator indicating the allocation of resource units for that wireless device, and a space stream allocation indicator indicating the number of space streams allocated to that wireless device.

3. The first wireless device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The control information element includes corresponding user-specific fields for each of the plurality of wireless devices. The user-specific fields for each wireless device include: a wireless device identifier that identifies the wireless device, a resource unit allocation indicator for the wireless device, and a space stream allocation indicator for the wireless device.

4. The first wireless device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The length of the space flow allocation indicator is 2 bits.

5. The first wireless device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The length of the space flow allocation indicator is 2 bits.

6. The first wireless device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A non-transitory storage medium for storing the space configuration table, wherein the space configuration is represented by different entries in the space configuration table.

7. The first wireless device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The control information element is part of the preamble of the physical data unit.

8. The first wireless device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The control information element is part of the Signal (SIG) field in the physical header of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) frame.

9. The first wireless device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The first wireless device is an access point (AP).

10. The first wireless device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The network interface is used to perform multi-user-multiple-input-multiple-output (MU-MIMO) communication using up to 16 spatial streams.

11. The first wireless device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The control information element includes a common field, which includes a resource unit allocation indicator indicating the allocation of resource units for the plurality of wireless devices and a device quantity indicator indicating the number of the plurality of wireless devices; and the control information element includes a corresponding device-specific field for each of the wireless devices, which includes a space flow allocation indicator for that wireless device.

12. The first wireless device according to claim 11, characterized in that, The spatial stream allocation indicator indicates the number of spatial streams allocated for the wireless device.

13. The first wireless device according to claim 11, characterized in that, The length of the space flow allocation indicator is 2 bits.

14. A method of a first wireless device, characterized in that, include: Use up to 16 spatial streams to communicate with wireless devices in a wireless network; as well as Control information elements are sent to multiple wireless devices, each specifying, for each of the multiple wireless devices, the allocation of a minimum of two and a maximum of four spatial streams from 16 spatial streams based on a 4-bit spatial configuration index in the control information element, wherein the 4-bit spatial configuration index maps to the corresponding spatial configuration of the 16 spatial streams in a spatial configuration table, and wherein different values ​​of the 4-bit spatial configuration index map to different spatial configurations in the spatial configuration table corresponding to different allocations of the 16 spatial streams.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The control information element for each of the plurality of wireless devices includes: a resource unit allocation indicator indicating the allocation of resource units for that wireless device, and a space stream allocation indicator indicating the number of space streams allocated to that wireless device.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The control information element includes corresponding user-specific fields for each of the plurality of wireless devices. The user-specific fields for each wireless device include: a wireless device identifier that identifies the wireless device, a resource unit allocation indicator for the wireless device, and a space stream allocation indicator for the wireless device.

17. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The length of the space flow allocation indicator is 2 bits.

18. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The length of the space flow allocation indicator is 2 bits.

19. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, Also includes: The spatial configuration table is stored in the non-transitory storage medium of the first wireless device, wherein the spatial configuration is represented by different entries in the spatial configuration table.

20. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 19, characterized in that, The control information element is part of the Signal (SIG) field in the physical header of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) frame.

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