Physical layer preamble and signaling for wireless communication

Abstract

The invention provides a physical layer preamble and signaling for wireless communication. The present disclosure provides methods, devices and systems for wireless communication, particularly methods, devices and systems for signaling including enhanced features with respect to a new wireless communication protocol. The signaling may be included in various portions of a physical layer preamble of the wireless transmission. In some implementations, according to the preamble signaling design of the present disclosure, a physical layer preamble may be used to indicate a perforation of a sub-band or content channel that may carry further signaling. Physical layer preamble signaling may be parallelized for different sub-channels of a wireless channel that includes a plurality of sub-channels. Some implementations of a physical layer preamble may be used to multiplex different types of wireless local area network communications into different subsets of multiple sub-channels of the wireless channel.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of a patent application with an international application date of August 9, 2020, an international application number of PCT / US2020 / 045550, a Chinese application number of 202080055004.3, and an invention name of “Physical layer preamble and signaling for wireless communication”.

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This patent application claims the rights of U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 988,631 filed on August 8, 2020, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 885,192 filed on August 9, 2019, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 926,406 filed on October 25, 2019, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 957,117 filed on January 3, 2020, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 957,117 filed on February 18, 2020, The present invention relates to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 978,297 filed on March 3, 2020, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 984,777 filed on March 3, 2020, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 003,812 filed on April 1, 2020, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 013,530 filed on April 21, 2020, all of which are entitled “PHYSICALLAYER PREAMBLE AND SIGNALING FOR WIRELESS COMMUNICATION” and are assigned to the assignee of the present application. The disclosures of these prior applications are considered part of and incorporated by reference into the present application. Technical Field

[0004] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications and, more particularly, to physical layer preambles and signaling for wireless transmissions.

[0005] Related technical description

[0006] A wireless local area network (WLAN) may be formed by one or more access points (APs) that provide a shared wireless communication medium for use by several client devices, also referred to as stations (STAs). The basic building block of a WLAN that complies with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards is a basic service set (BSS) managed by an AP. Each BSS is identified by a basic service set identifier (BSSID) announced by the AP. The AP periodically broadcasts beacon frames to enable any STA within the wireless range of the AP to establish or maintain a communication link with the WLAN. New WLAN communication protocols are being developed to implement enhanced WLAN communication features. Since the new WLAN communication protocols implement enhanced features, new preamble designs are required to support signaling related to features and resource allocation.

[0007] Overview

[0008] The systems, methods, and devices of the disclosure each have several innovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for the desirable attributes disclosed herein.

[0009] An innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented in a method for wireless communication. The method includes receiving a packet including a preamble portion and a data portion via a wireless channel. The preamble portion may include a universal signal field (U-SIG), followed by one or more signal fields that vary from version to version. The one or more signal fields that vary from version to version may include a third signal field (EHT-SIG) on one or more subchannels of the wireless channel. The method may include determining that the U-SIG includes at least a version identifier, frequency occupancy information, and a format information field. The method may include determining the format of the packet based at least in part on the format information field. The method may include determining one or more subchannels of the wireless channel including a signal field that varies from version to version based on the frequency occupancy information. The method includes receiving at least a portion of the packet and decoding the signal field that varies from version to version on the one or more subchannels based on the determined format.

[0010] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented as an apparatus. The apparatus may include a processor configured to perform any of the above methods.

[0011] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented as a computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform any of the methods described above.

[0012] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented as a system including means for implementing any of the above-described methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in the present disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the following description. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from this description, the accompanying drawings, and the claims. It should be noted that the relative dimensions of the following drawings may not be drawn to scale.

[0015] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an example wireless communication network is shown.

[0016] Figure 2 An example protocol data unit (PDU) that may be used for communications between an access point (AP) and a number of stations (STAs) is shown.

[0017] Figure 3A An example PDU that may be used for communication between an AP and several STAs is shown.

[0018] Figure 3B Another example PDU that may be used for communication between an AP and several STAs is shown.

[0019] Figure 4 An example PDU including a universal signal field (U-SIG) is shown in accordance with some implementations.

[0020] Figure 5A An example bonded wireless channel comprising multiple sub-channels is shown.

[0021] Figure 5B A conceptual diagram showing Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is shown.

[0022] Figure 5C A conceptual diagram of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) illustrating resource assignment for a wireless channel is shown.

[0023] Figure 6 An exemplary series of radio frames utilizing OFDMA is depicted.

[0024] Figure 7 An example perforated transmission is depicted.

[0025] Figure 8 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device is shown.

[0026] Fig. 9A A block diagram of an example AP is shown.

[0027] Fig. 9B A block diagram of an example STA is shown.

[0028] Fig.10An example physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) that may be used for communication between an AP and several STAs according to some implementations is shown.

[0029] Fig.11 Example options for PPDU bandwidth (BW) and punctured channel information according to some implementations are shown.

[0030] Fig. 12A An example table is shown with a 5 to 6 bit design for the punctured channel indication option to indicate a non-OFDMA punctured channel mode.

[0031] Fig. 12B An example table is shown with a 5 to 6 bit design for the punctured channel indication option to indicate both OFDMA and non-OFDMA punctured channel modes.

[0032] Fig.13 A conceptual diagram illustrating an Extreme High Throughput (EHT) Signal field (EHT-SIG) in a content channel of a first example content channel structure according to some implementations.

[0033] Fig.14 A conceptual diagram illustrating different EHT-SIGs in different content channels of a second example content channel structure according to some implementations.

[0034] Fig.15 An example frame structure is shown in which a U-SIG is followed by an EHT-SIG field according to some implementations.

[0035] Fig.16 An example frame structure is shown in accordance with some implementations, where different types of signal fields follow the RL-SIG on different subchannels.

[0036] Fig.17 A flow chart illustrating an example process for receiving wireless communications according to some implementations is shown.

[0037] Fig.18 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device is shown in accordance with some implementations.

[0038] Fig.19 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device is shown in accordance with some implementations.

[0039] Fig. 20 An example of encoding the EHT-SIG using code blocks according to some implementations is shown.

[0040] Fig.21 An example padding scheme employing EHT-SIG code blocks according to some implementations is shown.

[0041] Fig. 22 An example padding scheme employing EHT-SIG code blocks when subchannels are punctured according to some implementations is shown.

[0042] Fig.23 An example padding scheme employing EHT-SIG code blocks using two content channels according to some implementations is shown.

[0043] Fig.24 An example padding scheme employing EHT-SIG code blocks when a content channel includes punctured sub-channels according to some implementations is shown.

[0044] Fig.25 Another example padding scheme employing EHT-SIG code blocks when a content channel includes punctured sub-channels according to some implementations is shown.

[0045] Fig.26 An example spatial stream scenario is shown that supports up to 16 spatial streams according to some implementations.

[0046] Fig. 27 An example is shown according to some implementations in which EHT-SIG signaling may be modified to support OFDMA resource unit (RU) allocations in different 80 MHz bandwidth portions of a wireless channel.

[0047] Fig.28 Example resource unit (RU) allocation using user-specific fields with RU assignments according to some implementations is shown.

[0048] Fig.29 An example RU allocation employing user-specific fields to maintain RU assignment order according to some implementations is shown.

[0049] Fig.30 Example RU allocations are shown that may be used to eliminate some user-specific fields according to some implementations.

[0050] Fig.31 Example RU allocations are shown according to some implementations, where RU assignments are included in a user-specific field.

[0051] Fig.32A A first example table is shown with different options for compression modes (including no compression mode) that may be used in the EHT-SIG.

[0052] Fig.32B A second example table is shown with different options for compressed modes that may be used in the EHT-SIG, including compressed mode for PPDUs including fractional bandwidth MU-MIMO.

[0053] Fig.32CA third example table is shown with different options for compression modes that may be used in the EHT-SIG.

[0054] Fig.32D A fourth example table is shown with different options for compression modes that may be used in the EHT-SIG.

[0055] Fig.33 A table showing the number of per-user RU assignment options when a self-contained user field is used in the EHT-SIG.

[0056] Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements. Detailed Description

[0058] The following description is directed to certain implementations in order to describe the innovative aspects of the present disclosure. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in many different ways. The described implementations can be implemented in a manner that can be implemented in accordance with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, the IEEE 802.15 standard, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), or the like. The described implementations may be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals according to one or more of the Long Term Evolution (LTE), 3G, 4G, or 5G (New Radio (NR)) standards, or the like released by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The described implementations may 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 implementations may also be implemented using other wireless communication protocols or RF signals suitable for use in one or more of a wireless personal area network (WPAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless wide area network (WWAN), or an Internet of Things (IOT) network.

[0059] A physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) may span multiple subchannels and may include a preamble portion and a data portion. Signaling refers to a control field or information in the preamble portion, which a wireless communication device may use to interpret another field or portion of the preamble portion or the data portion of the PPDU. A wireless channel may be formed by multiple subchannels. Portions of the wireless channel bandwidth may be divided or grouped to form different resource units (RUs). In particular, the preamble portion of the PPDU may include signaling for indicating which RUs are allocated to different devices. Other types of signaling include indicators about which subchannels include further signaling or which subchannels may be punctured. There are several PPDU formats (and related structures) defined for current wireless communication protocols. Because new wireless communication protocols implement enhanced features, new preamble designs are needed to support signaling related to features and resource allocation. In addition, it is desirable to define a new preamble signaling protocol that can support future wireless communication protocols.

[0060] Implementations generally relate to signaling included in a physical layer preamble supporting a new wireless communication protocol. Some implementations more specifically relate to a preamble design for a PPDU in a wireless channel having up to (and potentially greater than) 320 MHz bandwidth. In some implementations, the preamble design is optimized to minimize the length of the preamble portion. Additionally or alternatively, some implementations more specifically relate to a preamble design that accommodates different types of signal fields. Additionally or alternatively, some implementations more specifically relate to a preamble design that accommodates signaling parallelization between different content channels, subchannels, or subbands (which may include subchannel groups) within a wireless channel. A subband may refer to a portion of the total bandwidth of a wireless channel and may include the use of multiple contiguous or non-contiguous subchannels.

[0061] According to various implementations of the present disclosure, signaling may be included in various parts of the physical layer preamble of a wireless packet (e.g., PPDU). In some implementations, the physical layer preamble may be used to indicate the puncturing of a subchannel or content channel that may carry further signaling. The physical layer preamble signaling may be parallelized for different subchannels of a wireless channel including multiple subchannels. Some implementations of the physical layer preamble may be used to multiplex different types of wireless local area network communications into different subsets of the subchannels that make up the channel.

[0062] In some implementations, a universal signal field (U-SIG) may follow the legacy signal field in the preamble portion of the PPDU. The U-SIG may include version-independent fields and version-dependent fields (i.e., fields that depend on the version of the wireless communication protocol used to format or otherwise generate the PPDU). The U-SIG may be preceded by one or more other signal fields that are specific to the wireless communication protocol version identified in the U-SIG. The present disclosure includes several example version-independent fields and version-dependent fields that may be included in the U-SIG.

[0063] In some implementations, the information carried in the U-SIG may depend on the format of the PPDU being transmitted. For different formats of the PPDU, some or all of the format and content of the U-SIG may be different. The PPDU may be a triggered (TB) PPDU, a single-user (SU) PPDU, an extended range (ER) SU PPDU, or a multi-user (MU) PPDU. In some implementations, a unified format for the PPDU may support SU or MU communications. For example, in some implementations, a format of the U-SIG may be used for a PPDU serving a single user or multiple users. The present disclosure includes several example formats of the U-SIG that can be used for various PPDU formats.

[0064] In some implementations, the U-SIG may be used to indicate bandwidth, perforated channels, content channel structure, or any combination thereof. For example, the U-SIG may include an indicator indicating the bandwidth structure of the PPDU. The U-SIG may include perforated channel information associated with the perforated portion of the bandwidth. In some implementations, the U-SIG may support the use of different content channel structures including further signaling following the U-SIG.

[0065] After the U-SIG, the PPDU may include one or more Extremely High Throughput (EHT) Signal fields (EHT-SIG). In some preamble designs, the EHT-SIG may be different on different subchannels. The EHT-SIG may include overflow signaling information from the U-SIG and additional signaling about the data portion of the PPDU. For example, the EHT-SIG may include RU allocation information, spatial stream configuration information, and per-user signaling information, among other things. The present disclosure includes several preamble design options for the EHT-SIG, including optimization for RU allocation information. The RU allocation information signaled in the EHT-SIG may be optimized for full bandwidth, partial bandwidth, or aggregated RU allocation. In some implementations, the RU allocation information may support partitioning based on subchannels within a wireless channel and the use of different content channels for the PPDU.

[0066] The preamble design options in the present disclosure may support flexible RU allocation for OFDMA communication during the data portion of the PPDU. Alternatively or additionally, the preamble design options may implement MU MIMO based on a new RU allocation table. In some implementations, the RU allocation table may be optimized to provide RU allocation that supports OFDMA and MU-MIMO while reducing the number of signaling bits used to indicate RU allocations for different users. For example, in some implementations, a 9-bit signal field may include signaling for RU allocation and MU-MIMO options. In some implementations, the 9-bit signal field for RU allocation and MU-MIMO options may be included in one or more self-contained user fields of the EHT-SIG. In addition, the preamble design options in the present disclosure may support up to (and potentially more than) 16 spatial streams. Some preamble design options may implement signaling for 16 spatial streams within a fixed preamble length.

[0067] The present disclosure includes some design options for encoding and populating fields in the EHT-SIG to support different types of devices. For example, in some implementations, the content of the EHT-SIG can be modified to support OFDMA RU allocations in different 80MHz portions of a wireless channel. Some options for determining the content and coding scheme of the EHT-SIG can provide flexibility and improved spectral efficiency for wireless channels.

[0068] Specific implementations of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. In some implementations, the described techniques may provide a universal signal field for a new wireless communication protocol. The universal signal field may have a format and structure that supports future wireless communication protocols, particularly wireless communication protocols in the IEEE 802.11 family. By defining a universal signal field, the present disclosure enables wireless communication protocols to add new features and greater bandwidth support compared to legacy wireless communication protocols.

[0069] Figure 1A block diagram of an example wireless communication network 100 is shown. According to 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 as WLAN 100 hereinafter). For example, the WLAN 100 may be a network that implements at least one of the IEEE 802.11 family of wireless communication protocol standards, such as the standards defined by the IEEE 802.11-2016 specification or an amendment thereof, including but not limited to 802.11ah, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11ax, 802.11az, 802.11ba, and 802.11be. The WLAN 100 may include numerous wireless communication devices, such as an access point (AP) 102 and a plurality of stations (STAs) 104. Although only one AP 102 is shown, the WLAN network 100 may also include a plurality of APs 102.

[0070] Each STA 104 may also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), a mobile device, a mobile handset, a wireless handset, an access terminal (AT), a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), or a subscriber unit, etc. STA 104 may represent a variety of devices, such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), other handheld devices, netbooks, netbook computers, tablet computers, laptops, display devices (e.g., TVs, computer monitors, navigation systems, etc.), music or other audio or stereo equipment, remote control devices (“remote controls”), printers, kitchen or other home appliances, key fobs (e.g., for passive keyless entry and start (PKES) systems), etc.

[0071] A single AP 102 and the associated set of STAs 104 may be referred to as a basic service set (BSS), which is managed by the corresponding AP 102 . Figure 1Additionally shown is an example coverage area 106 of the AP 102, which may represent a basic service area (BSA) of the WLAN 100. The BSS may be identified to users by a service set identifier (SSID) and may also be identified to other devices by a basic service set identifier (BSSID), which may be a media access control (MAC) address of the AP 102. The AP 102 periodically broadcasts a beacon frame (“beacon”) including the BSSID to enable any STA 104 within the wireless range of the AP 102 to “associate” or re-associate with the AP 102 to establish or maintain a corresponding communication link 108 (hereinafter also referred to as a “Wi-Fi link”) with the AP 102. For example, the beacon may include an identification of a primary channel used by the corresponding AP 102 and a timing synchronization function for establishing or maintaining timing synchronization with the AP 102. The AP 102 may provide access to external networks to the respective STAs 104 in the WLAN via the corresponding communication links 108.

[0072] To establish a communication link 108 with the AP 102, each STA 104 is configured to perform passive or active scanning operations ("scans") on frequency channels in one or more frequency bands (eg, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, or 60 GHz bands). To perform a passive scan, the STA 104 listens for beacons transmitted by the corresponding AP 102 at periodic time intervals, referred to as target beacon transmission times (TBTTs), measured in time units (TUs), where one TU may be equal to 1024 microseconds (μs). To perform an active scan, the STA 104 generates probe requests and transmits them sequentially on each channel to be scanned, and listens for probe responses from the AP 102. Each STA 104 may be configured to identify or select an AP 102 to associate with based on the scan information obtained through passive or active scanning, and to perform authentication and association operations to establish a communication link 108 with the selected AP 102. The AP 102 assigns an association identifier (AID) to the STA 104 at the end of the association operation, and the AP 102 uses the AID to track the STA 104.

[0073] As wireless networks become more and more common, STA 104 may have the opportunity to select one of many BSSs within the range of the STA or to select among multiple APs 102 that together form an extended service set (ESS) (including multiple connected BSSs). The extended network station associated with WLAN 100 may be connected to a wired or wireless distribution system that allows multiple APs 102 to be connected in such an ESS. In this way, 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. In addition, after associating with AP 102, STA 104 may also be configured to periodically scan its surroundings to find a more suitable AP 102 to associate with it. For example, a STA 104 that is moving relative to its associated AP 102 may perform a "roaming" scan to find another AP 102 with a more desirable network characteristic (such as a larger received signal strength indicator (RSSI) or a reduced traffic load).

[0074] In some cases, STA 104 may form a network without AP 102 or other equipment other than STA 104 itself. An example of such a network is an ad hoc network (or wireless ad hoc network). An ad hoc network may alternatively be referred to as a mesh network or a peer-to-peer (P2P) network. In some cases, an ad hoc network may be implemented within a larger wireless network (such as WLAN 100). In such an implementation, although STA 104 may be able to communicate with each other through AP 102 using a communication link 108, STA 104 may also communicate directly with each other via a direct wireless link 110. In addition, two STAs 104 may communicate via a direct communication link 110, regardless of whether the two STAs 104 are associated with the same AP 102 and served by the same AP 102. In such an ad hoc system, one or more STAs 104 may assume the role played by AP 102 in a BSS. Such a STA 104 may be referred to as a group master (GO) and may coordinate transmissions within the ad hoc network. Examples of direct wireless link 110 include a Wi-Fi Direct connection, a connection established by using a Wi-Fi Tunneled Direct Link Setup (TDLS) link, and other P2P group connections.

[0075] The AP 102 and the STA 104 may function and communicate (via corresponding communication links 108) in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 family of wireless communication protocol 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 WLAN radio and baseband protocols for the PHY and media access control (MAC) layers. The AP 102 and the STA 104 transmit and receive wireless communications (hereinafter also referred to as "Wi-Fi communications") to and from each other in the form of physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data units (PPDUs). The AP 102 and STA 104 in the WLAN 100 may transmit PPDUs on an unlicensed spectrum, which may be a portion of a spectrum that includes frequency bands traditionally used by Wi-Fi technology, such as the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, the 60 GHz band, the 3.6 GHz band, and the 900 MHz band. Some implementations of the AP 102 and STA 104 described herein may also communicate in other frequency bands, such as the 6 GHz band, that may support both licensed and unlicensed communications. The AP 102 and STA 104 may also be configured to communicate on other frequency bands, such as shared licensed frequency bands, where multiple operators may have licenses to operate in one or more of the same or overlapping frequency bands.

[0076] Each frequency band may include multiple channels (which may be used as subchannels of a larger bandwidth channel as described below). For example, PPDUs compliant with the IEEE 802.11n, 802.11ac, and 802.11ax standard amendments may be transmitted on 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands, where each frequency band is divided into multiple 20 MHz channels. As such, these PPDUs are transmitted on a physical channel with a minimum bandwidth of 20 MHz, but may be formed into larger channels through channel bonding. For example, a PPDU may be transmitted on a physical channel with a bandwidth of 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz by bonding multiple 20 MHz channels (which may be referred to as subchannels) together.

[0077] Each PPDU is a composite structure including 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 device to decode subsequent data in the PSDU. In an instance where the PPDU is transmitted over a bonded channel, the preamble field can be copied and transmitted in each of a plurality of component channels. The PHY preamble may include 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, and other purposes. The first part can also be used to maintain compatibility with legacy devices and non-legacy devices. The format, encoding, and information provided therein of the second part of the preamble are based on the specific IEEE 802.11 protocol to be used to transmit the payload.

[0078] Figure 2 An example protocol data unit (PDU) 200 that can be used for wireless communication between an AP and a number of STAs is shown. For example, the PDU 200 can be configured as a PPDU. As shown, the PDU 200 includes a preamble 201 and a payload 204. For example, the preamble 201 may include a first portion 202, which itself includes a legacy short training field (L-STF) 206 that may be composed of two BPSK symbols, a legacy long training field (L-LTF) 208 that may be composed of two BPSK symbols, and a legacy signal field (L-SIG) 210 that may be composed 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.

[0079] The L-STF 206 generally enables the receiving device to perform automatic gain control (AGC) and coarse timing and frequency estimation. The L-LTF 208 generally enables the receiving device to perform fine timing and frequency estimation, and can also perform an initial estimation of the wireless channel. The L-SIG 210 generally enables the receiving device to determine the duration of the PDU and use the determined duration to avoid transmitting over the PDU. For example, the 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 in a PDU 200 is shown. The 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 222 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 may be used to detect bit errors. The tail field 230 includes tail bits, which may be used by a receiving device to terminate the operation of a decoder (e.g., a Viterbi decoder). The receiving device may 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.

[0080] The preamble 201 may also include a second portion 203 that includes, for example, one or more non-legacy signal fields 212 that conform to an IEEE wireless communication protocol, such as IEEE 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, or a later wireless communication protocol standard. In some implementations, the second portion 203 of the preamble 201 may include a repetition of the L-SIG (RL-SIG, not shown) before the non-legacy signal field 212. To accommodate later versions of the IEEE wireless communication protocol, some of the L-SIG 210 fields, such as the data rate field 222 and the length field 226, have been redefined or overridden with new definitions. For example, the data rate field 222 and the length field 226 may be populated with values ​​that are used to identify the type that the non-legacy signal field 212 will conform to. However, such a solution may not be scalable, and as more wireless communication protocols are developed, the redefined or overridden L-SIG fields may become saturated. As further described in the present disclosure, the non-legacy signal field 212 may include a universal signal field (U-SIG, not shown) that is constructed to indicate the type of PDU, the version of the wireless communication protocol associated with the PPDU, the bandwidth, perforation, or any combination thereof.

[0081] Following the non-legacy signal field 212, the PDU 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 including a data field (DATA) 214, which in turn may carry higher layer data in the form of, for example, a media access control (MAC) protocol data unit (MPDU) or an aggregated MPDU (A-MPDU).

[0082] Figure 3A Another example PDU 300 that can be used for wireless communication between an AP and a number of STAs is shown. The PDU 300 includes a PHY preamble that includes a first portion 302 and a second portion 304. The PDU 300 may further include a PHY payload 306 following the preamble (e.g., in the form of a PSDU including a data field 322). The first portion 302 of the preamble includes an L-STF 308, an L-LTF 310, and an L-SIG 312. The second portion 304 of the preamble and the data field 322 may be formatted as a very high throughput (VHT) preamble and a frame, respectively, according to the IEEE 802.11ac amendment to the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard. The second portion 304 includes a first VHT signal field (VHT-SIG-A) 314, a VHT short training field (VHT-STF) 316, a number of VHT long training fields (VHT-LTF) 318, and a second VHT signal field (VHT-SIG-B) 320 that is encoded separately from the VHT-SIG-A field 314. As with the L-STF 308, L-LTF 310, and L-SIG 312, in instances involving the use of bonded channels, the information in the VHT-SIG-A 314 may be replicated and transmitted in each component 20 MHz sub-channel.

[0083] The VHT-STF 316 may be used to improve automatic gain control estimation in MIMO transmissions. The VHT-LTF 318 may be used for MIMO channel estimation and pilot subcarrier tracking. The preamble may include one VHT-LTF 318 for each spatial stream that transmits the preamble. The VHT-SIG-A 314 may indicate to the VHT-compatible AP 102 and STA 104 that the PPDU is a VHT PPDU. The VHT-SIG-A 314 includes signaling information and other information that may be used by the STA 104 to decode the VHT-SIG-B 320. The VHT-SIG-A 314 may indicate the bandwidth (BW) of the packet, the presence of space-time block coding (STBC), the number of space-time streams per user N, and the number of space-time streams per user N. STS(NSTS), a group ID indicating the group and user location assigned to the STA, a partial association identifier that can combine the AID and BSSID, a short guard interval (GI) indication, a single user / multi-user (SU / MU) coding indicating whether convolutional coding or LDPC coding is used, a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), an indication of whether a beamforming matrix has been applied to the transmission, a cyclic redundancy check (CRC), and a tail. The VHT-SIG-B 320 may be used for MU transmissions and may include the actual data rate and MPDU or A-MPDU length value for each of the multiple STAs 104, as well as signaling information (including, for example, MCS and beamforming information) that may be used by the STA 104 to decode the data received in the data field 322.

[0084] Figure 3B Another example PDU 350 that can be used for wireless communication between an AP and a number of STAs is shown. The PDU 350 can be used for MU-OFDMA or MU-MIMO transmission. The PDU 350 includes a PHY preamble, which includes a first part 352 and a second part 354. The PDU 350 may further include a PHY payload 356 following the preamble (e.g., in the form of a PSDU including a data field 374). The first part 352 includes an L-STF 358, an L-LTF 360, and an L-SIG 362. The second part 354 of the preamble and the data field 374 may be formatted as a high efficiency (HE) WLAN preamble and a frame, respectively, according to the IEEE 802.11ax amendment to the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard. The second portion 354 includes a repeated legacy signal field (RL-SIG) 364, a first HE signal field (HE-SIG-A) 366, a second HE signal field (HE-SIG-B) 368 encoded separately from the HE-SIG-A 366, a HE short training field (HE-STF) 370, and a number of HE long training fields (HE-LTF) 372. As with the L-STF 358, L-LTF 360, and L-SIG 362, in instances involving the use of bonded channels, the information in the RL-SIG 364 and HE-SIG-A 366 may be replicated and transmitted in each component 20 MHz subchannel. In contrast, the HE-SIG-B 368 may be unique to each 20 MHz subchannel and may be targeted to a specific STA 104.

[0085] The RL-SIG 364 may indicate to the HE-compatible STA 104 that the PPDU is a HE PPDU. The AP 102 may use the HE-SIG-A 366 to identify multiple STAs 104 and inform the multiple STAs 104 that the AP has scheduled UL or DL ​​resources for them. The HE-SIG-A 366 may be decoded by each HE-compatible STA 104 served by the AP 102. The HE-SIG-A 366 includes information that may be used by each identified STA 104 to decode the associated HE-SIG-B 368. For example, the HE-SIG-A 366 may indicate the frame format (including the location and length of the HE-SIG-B 368), the available channel bandwidth, and the modulation and coding scheme (MCS), etc. The HE-SIG-A 366 may also include HE WLAN signaling information that may be used by STAs 104 other than the identified STAs 104.

[0086] HE-SIG-B 368 may carry STA-specific scheduling information, such as, for example, per-user MCS values ​​and per-user RU allocation information. In the context of DL MU-OFDMA, such information enables the corresponding STA 104 to identify and decode the corresponding RU in the associated data field. Each HE-SIG-B 368 includes a common field and at least one field that is different from STA (also called a "user field"). The common field may indicate the RU distribution of multiple STAs 104, indicate the RU assignment in the frequency domain, indicate which RUs are allocated for MU-MIMO transmission and which RUs correspond to MU-OFDMA transmission, and the number of users in the allocation, etc. The common field may be encoded with common bits, CRC bits, and tail bits. The user field is assigned to a specific STA 104 and may be used to schedule a specific RU and indicate the schedule to other WLAN devices. Each user field may include multiple user block fields (which may be followed by padding). Each user block field may include two user fields, which contain information for two corresponding STAs to decode their corresponding RU payloads in the data field 374.

[0087] Figure 4 An example PDU including a Universal Signal Field (U-SIG) according to some implementations is shown. For example, PDU 400 may be configured as a PPDU. Recall that PDU 300 ( Figure 3A ) is formatted in accordance with the IEEE 802.11ac amendment to the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard, and the PDU 350 ( Figure 3B ) is formatted according to the IEEE 802.11ax amendment to the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard. Compared to the PDU 300 and PDU 350, Figure 4 The PDU 400 in the IEEE 802.11be amendment to the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication standard and future amendments, each of which may be referred to herein as a version of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication standard. Specifically, the PDU 400 may include a universal signal field (U-SIG) 416, which may indicate, among other things, the format of the PPDU, the version of the wireless communication protocol (e.g., the Extremely High Throughput (EHT) protocol defined in 802.11be), bandwidth, puncturing, or any combination thereof. Thus, the U-SIG 416 may precede version-specific signaling that is formatted as the EHT portion of the preamble according to the IEEE 802.11be amendment to the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard, or may be formatted as a preamble and frame that complies with any later (post-EHT) version of a new wireless communication protocol (complying with a future IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard or other standard), respectively. For the sake of brevity, the fields that vary from version to version may be described according to EHT signaling.

[0088] The PDU 400 includes a PHY preamble including a first portion 402 and a second portion 404. The PDU 400 may further include a PHY payload 406 following the preamble (e.g., in the form of a PSDU including a data field 426). The first portion 402 includes an L-STF 408, an L-LTF 410, and an L-SIG 412. The second portion 404 of the preamble includes a repeated legacy signal field (RL-SIG) 414. Following the RL-SIG 414, the second portion 404 of the preamble includes a U-SIG 416. Depending on the format of the PPDU, the PDU 400 may include a version-specific signal field, such as an EHT-SIG 418. The second part 404 further includes an additional short training field 422 (referred to herein as "EHT-STF", but it may also be constructed to be used for other wireless communication protocol versions other than EHT and carry version-related information) and several additional long training fields (referred to herein as "EHT-LTF" 424, but they may be constructed to be used for other wireless communication protocol versions other than EHT and carry version-related information).

[0089] The U-SIG 416 may include a version-independent field 442 and a version-dependent field 444. Examples of the version-independent field 442 may include a version identifier, an indication of whether the PDU 400 is an uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) PPDU, a BSS color, and a transmission opportunity (TxOP) duration, etc. The version identifier in the version-independent field 442 may indicate the version (and associated format) of the version-dependent field 444. In some implementations, the version-dependent field 444 may indicate the PPDU format (such as in the format information field). The PPDU format may determine which other indicators are included in the version-dependent field 444 and the format or content of the rest of the U-SIG 416 and the EHT-SIG 418. For example, depending on the value of the PPDU format field in the version-dependent field 444, the PDU 400 may include different formats 472, 474, 476, or 478 for the EHT-SIG 418. In some implementations, if the PPDU format field indicates that the PDU 400 is a triggered (TB) PPDU, the EHT-SIG (as shown in format 472) may be omitted. If the PPDU format field indicates that the PDU 400 is a single-user (SU) PPDU, the EHT-SIG 452 may be formatted as shown in format 474. For example, the EHT-SIG 452 for the SU PPDU may be a single symbol length and may be modulated using a fixed MCS (e.g., rate 1 / 2, BPSK). If the PPDU format field indicates that the PDU 400 is a multi-user (MU) PPDU, there may be other format information fields for interpreting the EHT-SIG structure and content, such as EHT-SIG MCS, EHT-DCM, EHT-SIG compression, the number of EHT-SIG symbols or the number of non-OFDMA users, etc. The EHT-SIG may then be formatted as shown in format 476. For example, the EHT-SIG may include a common field 462 and one or more user fields 464. The format 476 of the MU PPDU may be multi-symbol length and may have a variable MCS as indicated in the U-SIG 416 .

[0090] In some other implementations, the PPDU (which may be referred to as a unified SU / MU PPDU) may be formatted to support a single-user (SU) or multi-user (MU) payload. The unified SU / MU PPDU may include a U-SIG 416 having a consistent field structure regardless of whether the unified SU / MU PPDU carries SU traffic or MU traffic. In addition, the U-SIG 416 may be followed by an EHT-SIG 418 having a unified SU / MU EHT-SIG format 478. In a unified approach, there may not be separate formats 474 and 476 for SU and MU PPDU formats. Instead, the unified SU / MU PPDU may have a U-SIG 416 and an EHT-SIG format 478 that support MU-specific signal fields or SU-specific signal fields. For example, when used for SU traffic, the EHT-SIG format 478 may have a compressed version of the EHT-SIG defined for the MU format 476. For example, the unified SU / MU EHT-SIG format 478 may include a compressed mode of the common field 466 and may include only one user-specific field 468. For a PPDU that occupies the full bandwidth and is directed to a single user, the common field 466 may omit some unnecessary information, such as resource unit (RU) allocation, etc. The U-SIG 416 may be two symbols long followed by an EHT-SIG 418 with an adjustable MCS indicated by the U-SIG 416. The EHT-SIG of the unified SU / MU EHT-SIG format 478 may be multiple symbols long and may use a determinable MCS (such as rate 1 / 2, BPSK).

[0091] In some implementations, the U-SIG 416 may include the PPDU bandwidth (BW) and the perforated channel information. The PPDU BW and the perforated channel information may be collectively referred to as a frequency occupancy indication. The frequency occupancy indication may allow WLAN devices on the wireless channel to determine the utilization of various portions of the wireless channel. For example, the frequency occupancy information may be used to indicate the perforation of some sub-channels.

[0092] Figure 5A An example bonded wireless channel 500 including multiple sub-channels is shown. In FIG5, a channel map of a frequency band (such as a 2.5 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz frequency band) may define multiple channels 504. Figure 5A In the example of , each channel 504 has a uniform channel width W (such as 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 80 MHz, etc.). Some WLAN devices are capable of transmitting at higher bandwidths using wireless channels composed of multiple channels (which may be referred to as sub-channels when used as part of a larger wireless channel). Figure 5AIn the example of , wireless channel 500 may be used to transmit 80 MHz transmissions by bonding together a group of four subchannels 504 (first subchannel 504A, second subchannel 504B, third subchannel 504C, and fourth subchannel 504D). Although depicted as contiguous subchannels in the channel map, in some implementations, wireless channel 500 may include subchannels 504 that are not contiguous in the channel map. Furthermore, in some implementations, larger channel groups 504 may be used. For example, IEEE 802.11ax provides for the use of 8 subchannels, and later versions of IEEE 802.11 may provide for the use of 16 (or more) subchannels for higher bandwidth transmissions.

[0093] Figure 5B A conceptual diagram of a conventional OFDM 501 is shown. The OFDM channel width may include multiple subcarriers. A WLAN packet (also referred to as a PPDU) includes data encoded using subcarriers of the channel width. For example, a first STA may transmit a first PPDU 510 during a first time period 530. During a second time period, a second STA may transmit a second PPDU 520. The time durations of PPDUs 510 and 520 may be the same or different. Typically, the first STA and the second STA (as well as any other STA in the BSS) will contend for access to the channel. Once a STA wins the contention, the STA may use the channel to transmit a PPDU. As Figure 5B As shown in , the different shading of the PPDU indicates that different STAs can utilize the wireless channel in sequence, one STA at a time. However, this communication structure can be inefficient if the WLAN device does not have enough data to justify the use of the full channel bandwidth. The IEEE 802.11ax standard introduces the use of OFDMA in WLAN.

[0094] Figure 5C 5 shows a conceptual diagram of OFDMA 502 illustrating resource assignment of a wireless channel. OFDMA decomposes the full channel width into multiple resource units (RUs). Each RU may include a different number of subcarriers. By using OFDMA, a first WLAN device (such as an AP) may allocate different RUs to different STAs. Figure 5C As shown, different shading indicates different RUs of a PPDU that may be transmitted to different STAs (or allocated for use by different STAs). For example, a PPDU 550 may include different RUs allocated to a first STA, a second STA, a third STA, and a fourth STA. One RU 540 is allocated to a STA to transmit uplink data in the PPDU 550, while other RUs are allocated to different STAs. The allocation of RUs may be used for downlink transmission or scheduling channel access.

[0095] Figure 6 An exemplary series of radio frames 600 using OFDMA is depicted. The first frame 601 (F1) includes a first RU 610 assigned to a first STA ("User 1"). For example, the first RU 610 can be used for downstream traffic from the AP to the first STA (User 1). In Figure 5, the first RU 610 is a 40MHz RU (684 tones). If there is more data to be sent to User 1, the AP can allocate a second RU 620 in the next radio frame (second frame 602, F2). In the second frame 602, the second RU 620 is assigned to User 1. The second RU 620 is a 20MHz RU (242 tones) associated with the fourth subchannel in the second frame 602. The second frame 602 also allocates a third RU 630 to a second STA ("User 2").

[0096] refer to Figure 6 The example shown and described is illustrative in nature and illustrates only one of many examples that may be supported by aspects of the present disclosure. For example, the RU allocation techniques of the present disclosure may be used for 160 MHz wide channels and RU allocations with two or more users. In another example, a 320 MHz wide channel may support 240 MHz allocated to user 1 (using a combination of smaller RU sizes) and 80 MHz allocated to user 2. In some implementations, RUs may be allocated or combined in non-contiguous portions of a PPDU.

[0097] Figure 7 An example perforated transmission 700 is depicted. Specifically, Figure 7 A conceptual time-based illustration of possible transmissions on a first subchannel 715, a second subchannel 725, a third subchannel 735, and a fourth subchannel 745 of a wireless channel is shown. For an untriggered transmission that was not prompted (or triggered) by a previous transmission, the WLAN device performs a clear channel assessment (CCA, not shown) before sending the untriggered transmission. CCA is a type of collision avoidance technique. Other types may be referred to as carrier sensing, carrier detection, listen before talk, etc. CCA is performed by the WLAN device to determine whether the wireless communication medium (such as a subchannel group) is available or busy (used by another transmission). If the wireless communication medium is in use, the WLAN device can postpone the transmission until the CCA is performed again and the wireless communication medium is not being used by another device.

[0098] exist Figure 7, there is an incumbent system transmission occupying a portion of the second subchannel 725. Therefore, the wireless channel can be punctured to exclude the second subchannel 725 from the transmission. Therefore, the transmission 700 is sent only on the first subchannel 715, the third subchannel 735, and the fourth subchannel 745. The preamble 705 may include signaling 710, 730, and 740 on the unpunctured subchannels 715, 735, and 745, respectively. However, the signaling may be omitted from the second subchannel 725.

[0099] Figure 8 800. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 800 may be a wireless communication device for a STA (such as the one described above). Figure 1 In some implementations, the wireless communication device 800 may be an example of a device in an AP (such as one of the STAs 104 described above). Figure 1 The wireless communication device 800 is an example of a device in the described AP 102. The 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) and media access control (MAC) protocol data units (MPDUs) that comply with IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standards (such as standards defined by the IEEE802.11-2016 specification or its amendments, including but not limited to 802.11ah, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11ax, 802.11az, 802.11ba, and 802.11be).

[0100] The wireless communication device 800 may be or may include a chip, system on chip (SoC), chipset, package, or device including one or more modems 802 (e.g., Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 compliant) modems). In some implementations, one or more modems 802 (collectively, "modems 802") additionally include a WWAN modem (e.g., a 3GPP 4G LTE or 5G compatible modem). In some implementations, the wireless communication device 800 also includes one or more radios 804 (collectively, "radios 804"). In some implementations, the wireless communication device 800 further includes one or more processors, processing blocks, or processing elements 806 (collectively, "processors 806") and one or more memory blocks or elements 808 (collectively, "memory 808").

[0101] The modem 802 may include intelligent hardware blocks or devices, such as, for example, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and the like. The modem 802 is generally configured to implement the PHY layer. For example, the modem 802 is configured to modulate packets and output the modulated packets to the radio 804 for transmission on the wireless medium. Similarly, the modem 802 is configured to obtain modulated packets received by the radio 804 and demodulate the packets to provide demodulated packets. In addition to the modulator and demodulator, the modem 802 may further include a digital signal processing (DSP) circuit system, an automatic gain control (AGC), an encoder, a decoder, a multiplexer, and a demultiplexer. For example, when in the transmission mode, the data obtained from the processor 806 is provided to the encoder, which encodes the data to provide coded bits. The coded bits are then mapped to points in the modulation constellation (using the selected MCS) to provide modulated symbols. Subsequently, the modulated symbols may be mapped to a number (N SS ) spatial streams or several (N STS The modulated symbols in the corresponding spatial stream or space-time stream may then 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 may then be provided to a digital-to-analog converter (DAC). The resulting analog signal may then be provided to an upconverter and ultimately to the radio 804. In an implementation involving beamforming, the modulated symbols in the corresponding spatial stream may be precoded via a steering matrix before being provided to the IFFT block.

[0102] When in receive mode, a digital signal received from the radio 804 is provided to a DSP circuit system that is 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 circuit 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. Subsequently, the output of the DSP circuit system may be fed to an AGC that is 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 circuit system is also coupled to a demodulator that is configured to extract modulated symbols from the signal and, for example, calculate a log-likelihood ratio (LLR) for each bit position of each subcarrier in each spatial stream. The demodulator is coupled to a decoder that may be configured to process the LLRs to provide decoded bits. Subsequently, the decoded bits from all spatial streams are fed to a demultiplexer for demultiplexing. The demultiplexed bits may then be descrambled and provided to the MAC layer (processor 806) for processing, evaluation, or interpretation.

[0103] The radio 804 generally includes at least one radio frequency (RF) transmitter (or "transmitter chain") and at least one RF receiver (or "receiver chain"), which can be combined into one or more transceivers. For example, the RF transmitter and receiver may include various DSP circuit systems, including at least one power amplifier (PA) and at least one low noise amplifier (LNA), respectively. The RF transmitter and receiver may in turn be coupled to one or more antennas. For example, in some implementations, the wireless communication device 800 may include or be coupled to multiple transmit antennas (each having a corresponding transmit chain) and multiple receive antennas (each having a corresponding receive chain). The codewords output from the modem 802 are provided to the radio 804, which then transmits the codewords via the coupled antenna. Similarly, the codewords received via the antenna are obtained by the radio 804, which then provides the codewords to the modem 802.

[0104] The processor 806 may include an intelligent hardware block or device designed to perform the functions described herein, such as, for example, a processing core, a processing block, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD) (such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA)), discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. The processor 806 processes information received through the radio 804 and the modem 802, and processes information to be output by the modem 802 and the radio 804 for transmission over a wireless medium. For example, the processor 806 may implement a control plane and a MAC layer, which is configured to perform various operations related to the generation and transmission of MPDUs, frames, or packets. The MAC layer is configured to perform or facilitate encoding and decoding of frames, spatial multiplexing, space-time block coding (STBC), beamforming, and OFDMA resource allocation, and other operations or techniques. In some implementations, the processor 806 may generally control the modem 802 to cause the modem to perform the various operations described above.

[0105] The memory 808 may include a tangible storage medium, such as a random access memory (RAM) or a read-only memory (ROM) or a combination thereof. The memory 808 may also store non-transient processor or computer executable software (SW) code containing instructions that, when executed by the processor 806, cause the processor to perform various operations for wireless communication described herein, including generation, transmission, reception, and interpretation of MPDUs, frames, or packets. For example, the various functions of the various 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.

[0106] Fig. 9A A block diagram of an example AP 902 is shown. For example, the AP 902 may be a reference Figure 1 An example implementation of the AP 102 is described. The AP 902 includes a wireless communication device (WCD) 910. For example, the wireless communication device 910 may be a wireless communication device (WCD) 910. Figure 8 An example implementation of the wireless communication device 800 described. The AP 902 also includes a plurality of antennas 920 coupled to the wireless communication device 910 to transmit and receive wireless communications. In some implementations, the 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. The AP 902 further includes at least one external network interface 950, which enables the AP 902 to communicate with a core network or a backhaul network to obtain access to an external network including the Internet. For example, the 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 in the aforementioned components may communicate directly or indirectly with other components in these components on at least one bus. The AP 902 further includes a housing that surrounds the wireless communication device 910, the application processor 930, the memory 940, and surrounds at least a portion of the antenna 920 and the external network interface 950.

[0107] Fig. 9B A block diagram of an example STA 904 is shown. For example, STA 904 may be a reference Figure 1 104. The 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 wireless communication device 800 described. The STA 904 also includes one or more antennas 925 coupled to the wireless communication device 915 to transmit and receive wireless communications. The 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, the STA 904 further includes a user interface (UI) 955 (such as a touch screen or keyboard) and a display 965, which can be integrated with the UI 955 to form a touch screen display. In some implementations, the STA 904 may further include one or more sensors 975 (such as one or more inertial sensors, accelerometers, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, or altitude sensors, for example). Components in the aforementioned components can communicate directly or indirectly with other components in these components on at least one bus. The STA 904 further includes a housing that surrounds the wireless communication device 915, the application processor 935, the memory 945, and surrounds at least a portion of the antenna 925, the UI 955, and the display 965.

[0108] As described above, since the new wireless communication protocol realizes enhanced features, a new preamble design is needed to support the signaling related to the features and resource allocation. Each implementation generally relates to the signaling included in the physical layer preamble supporting the new wireless communication protocol. Some implementations more specifically relate to the preamble design that does not significantly increase the preamble length. Additionally or alternatively, some implementations more specifically relate to the preamble design that accommodates different types of signal fields. Additionally or alternatively, some implementations more specifically relate to the preamble design that accommodates the signaling parallelization between different content channels, subchannels or subbands (subchannel groups) within the wireless channel.

[0109] Fig.10 An example PPDU 1000 that can be used for wireless communication between an AP and a number of STAs according to some implementations is shown. The PPDU 1000 can be used for SU, MU-OFDMA, or MU-MIMO transmission. The PPDU 1000 includes a PHY preamble that includes a first portion 1002 and a second portion 1004. The PPDU 1000 may further include a PHY payload 1006 following the preamble (e.g., in the form of a PSDU including a data field 1026). The first portion 1002 includes an L-STF 1008, an L-LTF 1010, and an L-SIG 1012. The second portion 1004 of the preamble and the data field 1026 may be formatted as an extremely high throughput (EHT) WLAN preamble and frame, respectively, according to the IEEE 802.11be amendment to the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard, or may be formatted as a preamble and frame, respectively, compliant with any later (post-HT) version of a new wireless communication protocol (compliant with future IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standards or other standards).

[0110] The second part 1004 of the preamble includes a repeated legacy signal field (RL-SIG) 1014 and a plurality of wireless communication protocol version-related signal fields following the RL-SIG 1014. For example, the second part may include a second signal field 1016 (referred to herein as "U-SIG") and a third signal field 1018 (referred to herein as "EHT-SIG", but it may be constructed to be used for other wireless communication protocol versions other than EHT and carry version-related information). The second part 1004 further includes an additional short training field 1022 (referred to herein as "EHT-STF", but it may also be constructed to be used for other wireless communication protocol versions other than EHT and carry version-related information) and several additional long training fields 1024 (referred to herein as "EHT-LTF", but they may be constructed to be used for other wireless communication protocol versions other than EHT and carry version-related information). As with the L-STF 1008, L-LTF 1010, and L-SIG 1012, in instances involving the use of bonded channels, information in the RL-SIG 1014, U-SIG 1016, and EHT-SIG 1018 may be replicated and transmitted in each component 20 MHz subchannel (which may include a content channel). In some implementations, the EHT-SIG 1018 may additionally or alternatively carry information in one or more non-primary 20 MHz channels that is different from the information carried in the primary 20 MHz subchannel. In some implementations, the EHT-SIG may have some content that is the same in all 20 MHz subchannels and may have some other content that is different for one or more of the 20 MHz subchannels.

[0111] The RL-SIG 1014 and the U-SIG 1016 may indicate to the STA 104 that complies with EHT or a later version that the PPDU 1000 is an EHT PPDU or a PPDU that complies with another non-legacy wireless communication protocol version. For example, the U-SIG 1016 may be used by the receiving device to interpret bits in one or more of the EHT-SIG 1018 or the data field 1026. In some implementations, the U-SIG 1016 may include a reserved bit that indicates whether the PPDU 1000 complies with, for example, EHT or a later version of the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol standard family or other standards (e.g., after IEEE 802.11ax). In some implementations, the U-SIG 1016 includes a version field that includes at least one bit indicating a specific wireless communication protocol version that the PPDU 1000 complies with. In some implementations, the U-SIG 1016 also includes at least one general bit that is independent of the wireless communication protocol version.

[0112] A device receiving the PPDU 1000 may initially begin or continue its determination of the wireless communication protocol version used to transmit the PPDU 1000 based on the presence of the RL-SIG 1014 and the modulation scheme used to modulate the symbols in the U-SIG 1016. In some implementations, the receiving device may initially determine that the wireless communication protocol used to transmit the PPDU 1000 is HE or later based on the presence of the RL-SIG 1014 (i.e., determining that the first symbol of the second portion of the preamble is the same as the L-SIG 1012) and determining that both the first and second symbols following the RL-SIG 1014 are modulated according to a BPSK modulation scheme (e.g., BPSK1 / 2 as opposed to Q-BPSK or other modulation schemes) (as are the L-STF 1008, the L-LTF 1010, the L-SIG 1012, and the RL-SIG 1014). In this way, a STA that complies with HE but does not comply with EHT or later versions can interpret the PPDU 1000 as an HE PPDU and can comply with the duration of the PPDU 1000 indicated by the L-SIG 1012. In addition, the ability of the HE device to interpret information associated with transmissions that comply with EHT or later versions (such as an indication of whether the PPDU 1000 is an uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) PPDU, the BSS color, and the transmission opportunity (TxOP) duration) enables advanced delay techniques.

[0113] Although the presence of the RL-SIG 1014 and the modulation scheme may indicate that an HE or later IEEE 802.11 wireless communication protocol is used to transmit the PPDU 1000, in some implementations, to indicate that the PPDU is an EHT or later 802.11 wireless communication protocol version, the transmitting device sets the value of a reserved bit in the U-SIG 1016 such that it is inverted (or "flipped") relative to the value of a reserved bit in a corresponding bit position within the HE-SIG-A (e.g., the reserved bit may have a value of logic "0" instead of the expected logic "1" in the HE-SIG-A). In some such implementations, the value of the reserved bit itself does not indicate a particular version, but rather the (e.g., 16-bit) value of the version field identifies a particular version in a set of possible versions. In some other implementations, more than one reserved bit may be used to indicate a version, and a separate version field may not be used.

[0114] As previously described, in IEEE 802.11be and future generations, new fields may be used to carry signaling information. For example, new fields and signaling information may be included in U-SIG 1016. Additionally, new fields and signaling information may be included in EHT-SIG 1018 (or may overflow into EHT-SIG 1018). If additional training signals (such as additional training signals in L-SIG and RL-SIG in 11ax) are sent on other frequency modulations before U-SIG, each codeword in U-SIG may carry more available data for feature signaling rather than training signals. In some implementations, U-SIG 1016 includes two codewords, which may be jointly encoded together in a single block, and each codeword may carry at least twenty-four available data (or "information") bits. In some implementations, U-SIG 1016 may support 26 bits per codeword by using four additional frequency modulations for signaling. Therefore, a total of 52 bits may be available from the two codewords used for U-SIG 1016. The present disclosure includes several options so that U-SIG 1016 and EHT-SIG 1018 can carry 2 more bits per symbol compared to L-SIG (which carries 24 bits). For example, training signals on additional frequency tones (such as [-28, -27, 27, 28]) can be sent on L-SIG and RL-SIG as in IEEE 802.11ax. Channel estimates for these 4 frequency tones are ready after RL-SIG, so these additional four frequency tones can be used for signaling starting from U-SIG. In another option, training signals on additional frequency tones (such as [-28, -27, 27, 28]) can be sent on L-LTF and L-SIG. If the energy detection and comparison signals in these 4 frequency tones in L-LTF and L-SIG indicate training, the receiver can try to use 52 data frequency tones. Then, these additional four frequency tones can be enabled for signaling starting from U-SIG.

[0115] The bits in the U-SIG 1016 may include signaling regarding the type or format of an additional signal field, such as the EHT-SIG 1018, that follows the U-SIG 1016. The U-SIG 1016 may include two types of content, such as a version-independent field 1050 and a version-dependent field 1051. In some implementations, the version-independent field 1050 includes a general field 1056, such as a version identifier for indicating a WLAN protocol version of the packet (such as a value for indicating 802.11be), an indicator as to whether the PPDU is uplink or downlink (UL / DL indicator), a transmission opportunity (TX OP) field or a BSS color, and the like.

[0116] The U-SIG 1016 may include a frequency occupancy indication that permits any WLAN device on the wireless channel to determine the utilization of various portions of the wireless channel. For example, the U-SIG 1016 may include a PPDU BW and perforated channel information field 1052. The PPDU BW and perforated channel information field 1052 may include a PPDU BW value, a perforated channel indicator, or any combination thereof. The PPDU BW and perforated channel information field 1052 may be included in the version-independent field 1050 or the version-dependent field 1051. The PPDU BW and perforated channel information field 1052 may be included in the version-independent field 1050 to explicitly indicate a full perforation pattern of a specific 80 MHz so that bystanders will know the perforated channel. Alternatively, if bystanders do not need to be notified, the PPDU BW and perforated channel information field 1052 may be included in the version-dependent field 1051. Fig.11 Examples of the PPDU BW and punctured channel information field 1052 are further described in .

[0117] In addition to the version-independent field 1050, the U-SIG 1016 may also include a version-dependent field 1051. Examples of the version-dependent field 1051 may include a format information field 1058 and (s) additional signaling field 1062. The format information field 1058 may indicate the format of the remaining fields of the U-SIG 1016 and the format of the EHT-SIG 1018 (if included). For example, the format information field 1058 may include a PPDU format field that indicates whether the PPDU 1000 is a triggered (TB) PPDU, a single-user (SU) PPDU, or a multi-user (MU) PPDU. In some implementations, the format information field 1058 may change how the rest of the U-SIG 1016 and the EHT-SIG 1018 are structured. For example, the format of the additional signaling field 1062 and the EHT-SIG 1018 may depend on the value in the format information field 1058. In some implementations, the format information field 1058 may include a PPDU format field indicating whether the PPDU is a TB PPDU, a SU PPDU, or a MU PPDU. For a TB PPDU, the EHT-SIG 1018 may not be present. For a SU-PPDU, the EHT-SIG 1018 may have a first format 1070. And, for a MU PPDU, the EHT-SIG 1018 may have a second format 1080. The format and content of the additional signaling field 1062 and the EHT-SIG 1018 are further described below. The U-SIG 1016 may also include a CRC and a tail (not shown). The CRC may protect earlier fields of the U-SIG 1016. In some implementations, the CRC may protect earlier fields of the U-SIG 1016 and all or a portion of the L-SIG.

[0118] The EHT-SIG 1018 may include one or more jointly coded symbols and, in some implementations, may be encoded in a different block than the block in which the U-SIG 1016 is encoded. The EHT-SIG 1018 may be used by the AP to identify multiple STAs 104 and to inform the multiple STAs 104 that the AP has scheduled UL or DL ​​resources. The EHT-SIG 1018 may be decoded by each compatible STA 104 served by the AP 102. The U-SIG 1016 may include information that may be used by the identified STA 104 to decode the EHT-SIG 1018. The U-SIG 1016 may generally be used by a receiving device to interpret bits in the EHT-SIG 1018 or the data field 1026. For example, the U-SIG 1016 may indicate the format of the EHT-SIG 1018 in each component channel, the available channel bandwidth, and the modulation and coding scheme (MCS), among other things. The EHT-SIG 1018 may further include a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) (eg, 4 bits) and a tail (eg, 6 bits) that may be used for a binary convolutional code (BCC).

[0119] The EHT-SIG 1018 may carry STA-specific scheduling information, such as, for example, per-user MCS values ​​and per-user RU allocation information. The EHT-SIG 1018 may generally be used by a receiving device to interpret bits in the data field 1026. In the context of DL MU-OFDMA, such information enables the corresponding STA 104 to identify and decode the corresponding RU in the associated data field 1026. Each EHT-SIG 1018 includes a common field and at least one field ("user field") that is specific to a STA. The common field may indicate the RU distribution to multiple STAs 104, indicate the RU assignment in the frequency domain, indicate which RUs are allocated for MU-MIMO transmission and which RUs correspond to MU-OFDMA transmission, and the number of users in the allocation, etc. The common field may be encoded with common bits, CRC bits, and tail bits. The user field is assigned to a specific STA 104 and may be used to schedule a specific RU and indicate the schedule to other WLAN devices. The common field may have a varying length. Each user field may include multiple user block fields (which may be followed by padding). Each user block field may include, for example, two user fields containing information for two corresponding STAs to decode their corresponding RU payloads.

[0120] In some implementations, the EHT-SIG 1018 content is replicated in each content channel. In some other implementations, a parallel design of the EHT-SIG 1018 (or a portion of the EHT-SIG 1018) may include extending different fields into different content channels. Table 1 summarizes how the U-SIG 1016 and the EHT-SIG 1018 may be formatted differently for different PPDU formats (such as different formats for a TB PPDU, a SU PPDU, or a MU PPDU).

[0121]

[0122]

[0123]

[0124] Table 1. Examples of U-SIG and EHT-SIG

[0125] For a TB PPDU, the additional signaling field 1062 may include one or more indicators regarding spatial reuse. For example, in some implementations, the additional signaling field 1062 may include a spatial reuse field that includes 4 bits. The 4-bit field may indicate spatial reuse for the entire PPDU BW or an 80 MHz portion of a wireless channel. The spatial reuse field may be different for each 80 MHz portion of a wireless channel. In some other implementations, the spatial reuse field may include 8 bits and may indicate spatial reuse for each half BW of the entire PPDU BW, or for each 40 MHz portion within an 80 MHz portion of a wireless channel. As indicated above, EHT-SIG 1018 may not be present in a TB PPDU.

[0126] For SU PPDU, the additional signaling field 1062 may include one or more of the following indicators: guard interval and long training field size (GI+LTF, such as 2 bits), number of EHT-LTF symbols and midamble periodicity (or NSTS and midamble periodicity) (such as 4 bits), Doppler indicator (such as 1 bit), LDPC additional symbol segmentation (such as 1 bit), space-time block code (STBC, such as 1 bit), pre-FEC filling factor (such as 2 bits), packet extension (PE) disambiguation indicator (such as 1 bit) and beam change (such as 1 bit), etc. Note that some of these above-mentioned indicators may be carried over into a part of the EHT-SIG 1018, or may be signaled in the EHT-SIG 1018 (rather than the U-SIG 1016). For example, the EHT-SIG 1018 may include overflow from the U-SIG and the SU-specific field 1072. The SU-specific fields may include an MCS indicator (such as 4 bits), a DCM indicator (such as 1 bit), a coding indicator (such as 1 bit), a beamforming indicator (such as 1 bit), or spatial reuse (such as 4 bits or 8 bits), etc.

[0127] For MU PPDU, the additional signaling field 1062 may include one or more of the following indicators: spatial reuse (such as 4 bits), guard interval and long training field size (GI+LTF, such as 2 bits), number of EHT-LTF symbols and midamble periodicity (such as 4 bits), Doppler indicator (such as 1 bit), LDPC additional symbol segmentation (such as 1 bit), space-time block code (STBC, such as 1 bit), pre-FEC filling factor (such as 2 bits), packet extension (PE) disambiguation indicator (such as 1 bit) and beam change (such as 1 bit), etc. Note that some of these above-mentioned indicators may be carried over into a part of the EHT-SIG 1018, or may be signaled in the EHT-SIG 1018 (rather than the U-SIG 1016). For example, the common field 1082 may include overflow bits from the additional signaling field 1062. In addition, the common field 1082 may include resource allocation information (such as RU allocation for one or more STAs). The user-specific field 1084 may include one or more user block fields. For example, there may be a different user block field for each resource allocation indicated in the common field 1082. In some implementations, the EHT-SIG compression field (such as 2 bits) may be used to indicate one non-punctured non-OFDMA compressed mode, one punctured non-OFDMA compressed mode, and one uncompressed mode (for OFDMA). In some implementations, the EHT-SIG compression field (such as 1 bit) may be used to indicate one (punctured or non-punctured) non-OFDMA compressed mode and one uncompressed mode (for OFDMA).

[0128] For the unified SU / MU PPDU format, the additional signaling field 1062 may include fields for SU or MU transmission, including one or more of the following indicators: spatial reuse (such as 4 bits), guard interval and long training field size (GI+LTF, such as 2 bits), number of EHT-LTF symbols and midamble periodicity (such as 4 bits), Doppler indicator (such as 1 bit), LDPC additional symbol segmentation (such as 1 bit), space-time block code (STBC, such as 1 bit), pre-FEC filling factor (such as 2 bits), packet extension (PE) disambiguation indicator (such as 1 bit) and beam change (such as 1 bit), etc. Note that some of these above-mentioned indicators may be carried over into a portion of the EHT-SIG 1018, or may be signaled in the EHT-SIG 1018 (rather than the U-SIG 1016). For example, the common field 1082 may include overflow bits from the additional signaling field 1062. If the unified SU / MU PPDU is directed to multiple users, the common field 1082 may include resource allocation information (such as RU allocations for one or more STAs). Alternatively, if the unified SU / MU PPDU is directed to a single user and there is no preamble puncturing, the RU allocation information may be omitted. In some uses of the SU / MU PPDU, such as when SU ​​preamble puncturing is used, RU allocation information may be included (optionally, in a compressed version compared to the RU allocation subfield for traditional multi-user transmission). The user-specific field 1084 may include one or more user block fields. For example, if the unified SU / MU PPDU is directed to multiple users, there may be a different user block field for each resource allocation indicated in the common field 1082. Alternatively, if the unified SU / MU PPDU is directed to a single user, there may be only one user field (with a non-MU-MIMO format), in which SU-specific fields (such as MCS, DCM, coding, beamformed, etc.) may be merged. Compared to the fields that differ from SU to SU, there are additional fields that may be included in the user field, such as a STA ID field (11 bits) and a NSTS (4 bits).

[0129] The unified MU / SU PPDU format can support MU or SU traffic. For full-BW SU transmission, the cost of using the unified MU / SU PPDU format U-SIG is an additional 26 bits (other format information fields (11 bits) for MU PPDU in U-SIG, STA ID field (11 bits) in the user field, and NSTS field (4 bits) compared to the SU PPDU format). However, for higher bandwidth communication protocols (such as IEEE 802.11be and later), it may be desirable to use a unified MU / SU PPDU format. The total size of the U-SIG and EHT-SIG of the unified MU / SU PPDU will be >= 73 bits (for a PPDU formatted for single-user transmission), which can be filled in a 2-symbol U-SIG (BPSK, rate 1 / 2) and a tightly matched 2-symbol EHT-SIG. In some implementations, if the PPDU BW and Puncture Information fields use > 4 bits, or if there is signaling for additional features, a 3-symbol EHT-SIG (BPSK, rate 1 / 2) may be used. In some implementations, the EHT-SIG compression field (such as 2 bits) may be used to indicate one non-punctured non-OFDMA compressed mode, one punctured non-OFDMA compressed mode, and one uncompressed mode (for OFDMA). In some implementations, the EHT-SIG compression field (such as 1 bit) may be used to indicate one (punctured or unpunctured) non-OFDMA compressed mode and one uncompressed mode (for OFDMA). In some implementations, the EHT-SIG compression field (such as 2 bits) may be used to indicate one (punctured or unpunctured) SU compressed mode (to support single-user transmission), one (punctured or unpunctured) non-OFDMA compressed mode (for MU-MIMO transmission to support more than one user), and one uncompressed mode (for OFDMA transmission).

[0130] Some fields of the EHT-SIG may be transmitted in a specific 20 MHz sub-channel of a first content channel, and different fields may be transmitted in different 20 MHz sub-channels of a second content channel. Although the content or values ​​within the EHT-SIG may be different for different content channels, the format and field structure of the EHT-SIG may be consistent for all content channels. For punctured sub-channels (as indicated in the PPDU BW and punctured channel information field 1052), the content channel (including the EHT-SIG) may be eliminated.

[0131] The fields and field sizes in Table 1 are provided as illustrative examples. Some implementations may include additional fields or different sizes.

[0132] Fig.11Example options for PPDU BW and perforated channel information according to some implementations are shown. As indicated above, there may be alternative options 1150 for the content and format of the PPDU BW and perforated channel information field 1052. In some options 1172, 1174, and 1176, the PPDU BW and perforated channel information field 1052 may be included in a version-dependent field of the U-SIG. For example, these options may be used if bystanders do not need to be notified. In another option 1178, the PPDU BW and perforated channel information field 1052 may be included in a version-independent field.

[0133] In the first option 1172, the PPDU BW and punctured channel information field 1052 may include a value representing the combined BW and puncturing configuration to convey complete puncturing information. The value may be determined from a table in which different bit values ​​(possibly up to 8 bits or more) represent different combinations of BW and puncturing.

[0134] In the second option 1174, the PPDU BW and punctured channel information field 1052 may convey partial channel puncturing information (at the content channel level). The PPDU BW and punctured channel information field 1052 may indicate the puncturing of the primary 80 MHz sub-channel, and the value of the PPDU BW and punctured channel information field 1052 may be replicated in each 80 MHz sub-channel that constitutes the full channel.

[0135] In the third option 1176, the PPDU BW and punctured channel information field 1052 may convey partial channel puncturing information (at the content channel level). However, unlike option 1174, the third option 1176 uses different values ​​for each different 80 MHz subchannel of the full channel. Therefore, the PPDU BW and punctured channel information field 1052 includes a value specific to that 80 MHz subchannel in each 80 MHz subchannel.

[0136] In a fourth option 1178, the PPDU BW and punctured channel information field 1052 may explicitly indicate the full puncturing pattern for each 80 MHz. In some implementations, this option 1178 may be used to inform bystanders of the punctured 20 MHz subchannels in each specific 80 MHz subchannel and to inform the intended recipient so that the recipient knows the content channel location in each specific 80 MHz subchannel.

[0137] In some implementations, the PPDU BW and the perforated channel information field 1052 may include a perforated channel bitmap to indicate a perforated channel. In one option, the PPDU BW and the perforated channel information field 1052 may be a 4-bit value, which includes a value selected from a lookup table. Each potential value of the PPDU BW and the perforated channel information field 1052 in the lookup table may be associated with a specific bandwidth of the channel. In addition, some values ​​may further indicate a fixed perforation configuration set. In another option, the PPDU BW and the perforated channel information field 1052 may be a 3-bit value, which indicates a value for a specific bandwidth selected from the lookup table. In such an example, the U-SIG may further include a perforated channel bitmap (not shown) following the 3-bit value. The perforated channel bitmap (if included) may indicate perforation at different granularities. For example, in some implementations, the perforated channel bitmap may be a per 80MHz bitmap, where each bit indicates the perforation (or non-perforation) of a corresponding one of the 80MHz subchannels of the wireless channel. In some other implementations, the punctured channel bitmap may be a per 20 MHz bitmap, where each bit indicates the puncturing (or non-puncturing) of a 20 MHz subchannel. In some implementations, parallelization may be used to prepare a different punctured channel bitmap for each 80 MHz subchannel of a wireless channel. For example, the punctured channel bitmap may be a per 20 MHz bitmap, where each bit indicates the puncturing (or non-puncturing) of a 20 MHz subchannel within a corresponding one of the 80 MHz portions of the wireless channel. Thus, the punctured channel bitmap may be different for each 80 MHz portion and may include bits specific to that 80 MHz portion.

[0138] In some implementations, the PPDU BW and the perforated channel information are separate subfields. The PPDU BW subfield may use 3 bits to indicate the PPDU BW, including but not limited to the following: 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz (or 160 / 80+80MHz), 320MHz (or 320 / 160+160MHz). The indication of 320MHz (or 320 / 160+160MHz) may be just one entry, or two entries, to indicate how the PPDU BW and the channelization of 320MHz are used to disambiguate both. For example, one entry may be 320MHz (lower 160MHz) to indicate that the PPDU BW is 320MHz and the current 160MHz subchannel is the lower 160MHz channel of the PPDU BW; another entry may be 320MHz (upper 160MHz) to indicate that the PPDU BW is 320MHz and the current 160MHz subchannel is the upper 160MHz channel of the PPDU BW.

[0139] In some implementations, the punctured channel information may use 5 to 6 bits to indicate the punctured channel information, which may depend on the PPDU BW and the EHT-SIG compression field (which indicates whether the PPDU is OFDMA or non-OFDMA, which may include SU transmissions and non-OFDMA MU-MIMO transmissions). For example, if the EHT-SIG compression field indicates that it is an uncompressed mode (e.g., OFDMA transmission), 4 bits of the 5-6 bit field are used to indicate the per-20MHz punctured channel bitmap for the current 80MHz. If the EHT-SIG compression field indicates that it is a non-OFDMA compressed mode, the 5-6 bit field is used to indicate the non-OFDMA punctured channel mode.

[0140] Fig. 12A An example table 1201 is shown having a 5 to 6 bit design for a punctured channel indication option to indicate a non-OFDMA punctured channel mode. Each entry of the table 1201 may provide information on puncturing information including a non-OFDMA punctured channel mode.

[0141] Fig. 12B An example table 1202 is shown with a 5 to 6 bit design for a perforated channel indication option to indicate both OFDMA and non-OFDMA perforated channel modes. Each entry of table 1202 may provide information about the PPDU BW and puncturing information including OFDMA or non-OFDMA perforated channel modes. If the EHT-SIG compression field indicates that it is an uncompressed mode (e.g., OFDMA transmission), the 5-6 bit field is used to indicate the current 80 MHz perforated channel information by using the row corresponding to "80 MHz / segment" in table 1202. If the EHT-SIG compression field indicates that it is a non-OFDMA compressed mode, the 5-6 bit field is used to indicate the non-OFDMA perforated channel mode by looking at the row corresponding to the PPDU BW.

[0142] Spatial Reuse (SR) Field

[0143] Recall that in IEEE 802.11ax, each spatial reuse (SR) field has 4 bits. For SU and MU PPDUs, the SR field is used for the entire PPDU BW. For TB PPDUs, if the total BW is <= 80 MHz, each spatial reuse field is used for a 20 MHz subband, or, if the total BW is 160 MHz, each spatial reuse field is used for a 40 MHz subband. However, the bystander only needs to know the spatial reuse information of a specific 80 MHz (rather than the entire PPDU BW). Therefore, the SR field can be modified for IEEE 802.11be and later. For example, for SU / MU PPDU, the SR field can be used for a specific 80 MHz. For TB PPDU, the SR field can be a 4-bit value representing the SR for a specific 80 MHz. The SR field can carry different values ​​in different 80 MHz subchannels. In another option, for a TB PPDU, the SR field (or each SR field) may include a total of 8 bits per 80 MHz, where each SR field has 4 bits for a 40 MHz channel. Each SR field may be used for a 40 MHz subband within a specific 80 MHz and may carry different values ​​in different 80 MHz channels. In some implementations, the SR field may use 2 bits to indicate a subset of states that the 11ax 4-bit SR field may indicate.

[0144] Content Channel

[0145] In IEEE 802.11be, a 320MHz bandwidth may be divided into sixteen 20MHz subchannels. The sixteen 20MHz subchannels may be referenced (or labeled) based on frequency. Thus, from the lowest frequency to the highest frequency, the sixteen 20MHz subchannels may be labeled as the first to the sixteenth 20MHz subchannels. Similarly, a 160MHz bandwidth may be divided into eight 20MHz subchannels, which are referenced (or labeled) as the first to the eighth 20MHz subchannels from the lowest frequency to the highest frequency. An 80MHz bandwidth may be divided into four 20MHz subchannels, which are referenced (or labeled) as the first to the fourth 20MHz subchannels from the lowest frequency to the highest frequency. A 40MHz bandwidth may be divided into two 20MHz subchannels, which are referenced (or labeled) as the first to the second 20MHz subchannels from the lowest frequency to the highest frequency.

[0146] In some implementations, a content channel of 320MHz bandwidth includes a 20MHz subchannel in an upper or lower 160MHz subband of a wireless channel, and thus each content channel may carry an RU allocation for an upper or lower 160MHz subband depending on the content channel position (such as depending on a [1,2,1,2] or [1,2,3,4] content channel structure). In other words, just as a 20MHz subchannel is split into an upper or lower 160MHz subband of the entire bandwidth, an RU allocation for a 320MHz channel or a 160+160MHz channel is split into two parts, namely, an upper and lower 160MHz subband. The subband sizes and number of divisions described are examples. Other divisions and sizes of subbands may be possible. For example, a channel may be split into three subbands of 80MHz, 80MHz, and 160MHz bandwidths.

[0147] In IEEE 802.11ax, only SIG-B (which has RU allocation information as a common field and has fields that vary from user to user) uses the content channel structure, but SIG-A does not. Similar to IEEE 802.11ax, EHT-SIG (which includes common fields and fields that vary from user to user) can use the content channel structure. However, U-SIG does not use the content channel structure. In addition, the common field in EHT-SIG may include RU allocation in the common field and fields overflowed from U-SIG. In some implementations, the content channel structure for all bandwidth modes (including 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz (and 80+80MHz), 240MHz (and 160+80MHz), 320MHz (and 160+160MHz) and even higher bandwidth modes (such as 480MHz or 640MHz, etc.)) can use the [1,2,1,2] content channel structure. In some implementations, the content channel structure for legacy bandwidth modes (up to 160 MHz) may use the [1,2,1,2] content channel structure as described in IEEE 802.11ax. Higher bandwidth modes (such as 320 MHz or higher) may use a different content channel structure.

[0148] For a wireless channel with a bandwidth of 320 MHz (or a bandwidth of 160 MHz + 160 MHz), a first option for the content channel structure may use a [1,2,1,2] structure. For example, each 20 MHz subchannel in the wireless channel may be labeled (from the lowest frequency to the highest frequency) as the first to sixteenth 20 MHz subchannels and grouped into two subchannel groups to form two content channels. For example, a first content channel may include the first, third, fifth, and so on, to the fifteenth 20 MHz subchannels. A second content channel may include the second, fourth, sixth, and so on, to the sixteenth 20 MHz subchannels. Each 20 MHz subchannel in a content channel may carry signaling for every other 20 MHz in the content channel.

[0149] For a wireless channel with a 320MHz bandwidth (or a 160MHz+160MHz bandwidth), the second option for the content channel structure can split the wireless channel into an upper 160MHz bandwidth portion and a lower 160MHz bandwidth portion. Each of the upper and lower 160MHz bandwidth portions can use a [1,2,1,2] structure. For example, the first content channel in the lower 160MHz bandwidth portion may include the first, third, fifth, and seventh 20MHz sub-channels. The second content channel in the lower 160MHz bandwidth portion may include the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth 20MHz sub-channels. The third content channel in the upper 160MHz bandwidth portion may include the ninth, eleventh, thirteenth, and fifteenth 20MHz sub-channels. The fourth content channel in the upper 160MHz bandwidth portion may include the tenth, twelfth, fourteenth, and sixteenth 20MHz sub-channels.

[0150] As described herein, various options for content channel structures may be implemented. In one option, a [1,2,1,2] content channel structure may be used, in which the transmitter divides all 20MHz subchannels into even subchannel indices or odd subchannel indices. The first content channel may carry signaling information for all odd subchannels. For example, the first content channel carries signaling information for the first, third, fifth, seventh, ninth, eleventh, thirteenth, and fifteenth 20MHz subchannels. The second content channel may carry signaling information for all even subchannels. For example, the second content channel carries signaling information for the second, fourth, sixth, eighth, tenth, twelfth, fourteenth, and sixteenth 20MHz subchannels. Thus, there may be two subchannel groups, and each group corresponds to a content channel. Each 20MHz subchannel in each group may carry the same signaling information. For example, an odd subchannel may have a first content channel for an EHT-SIG, and an even subchannel may have a second content channel for an EHT-SIG. Note that if the subchannel is perforated, the content channel may not exist.

[0151] In another option, a [1,2,3,4] content channel structure may be used, in which the transmitter divides all 20MHz subchannels into four groups associated with four content channels. For example, every 4th 20MHz subchannel may be grouped together, and thus the 20MHz subchannels of the content channel are separated by multiples of 80MHz. The first content channel may carry signaling information for the first, fifth, ninth, and thirteenth 20MHz subchannels. The second content channel may carry signaling information for the second, sixth, tenth, and fourteenth 20MHz subchannels. The third content channel may carry signaling information for the third, seventh, eleventh, and fifteenth 20MHz subchannels. The fourth content channel may carry signaling information for the fourth, eighth, twelfth, and sixteenth 20MHz subchannels. In some implementations, the 20MHz subchannel groups associated with the content channels corresponding to every 4th 20MHz subchannel may have the same EHT-SIG.

[0152] In another option, the 20 MHz subchannels of the total 320 MHz bandwidth may be divided into multiple bandwidth parts, and a [1,2,1,2] content channel structure may be used in each part. A part may be an 80 MHz segment or a 160 MHz subchannel. Content channels in one bandwidth part (such as content channels in an 80 MHz segment) may carry different signaling information than content channels in another bandwidth part (such as content channels in another 80 MHz segment). Content channels in one part (such as content channels in an 80 MHz segment) may carry signaling information for the entire PPDU bandwidth, or alternatively, carry signaling information for 20 MHz subchannels within the current bandwidth part (such as the current 80 MHz segment). For example, the 20 MHz subchannels of the total 320 MHz bandwidth may be divided into an upper 160 MHz part (which may also be referred to as an upper 160 MHz subband) including eight upper 20 MHz subchannels, and a lower 160 MHz part (which may also be referred to as a lower 160 MHz subband) including eight lower 20 MHz subchannels. For example, the lower 20MHz subchannels of the lower 160MHz may include the first to eighth 20MHz subchannels, and the upper 20MHz subchannels of the upper 160MHz may include the ninth to sixteenth 20MHz subchannels. In this option, the [1,2,1,2] content channel structure may be used in both the lower 160MHz and the upper 160MHz, resulting in a total of four content channels. The first content channel in the lower 160MHz may carry signaling information for the first, third, fifth, and seventh 20MHz subchannels. The second content channel in the lower 160MHz may carry signaling information for the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth 20MHz subchannels. The third content channel in the upper 160MHz may carry signaling information for the ninth, eleventh, thirteenth, and fifteenth 20MHz subchannels. The fourth content channel in the upper 160MHz may carry signaling information for the tenth, twelfth, fourteenth, and sixteenth 20MHz subchannels. In some implementations, the 20MHz subchannel group associated with each content channel may have the same EHT-SIG.

[0153] In another option, the 20MHz subchannels of the total 320MHz bandwidth can also be divided into an upper 160MHz portion including eight upper 20MHz subchannels and a lower 160MHz portion including eight lower 20MHz subchannels. For example, the lower 20MHz subchannels of the lower 160MHz may include the first to eighth 20MHz subchannels, and the upper 20MHz subchannels of the upper 160MHz may include the ninth to sixteenth 20MHz subchannels. In this option, the [1,2,3,4] content channel structure can be used in both the lower 160MHz and the upper 160MHz, resulting in a total of eight content channels. The first content channel in the lower 160MHz may carry signaling information for the first and fifth 20MHz subchannels. The second content channel in the lower 160MHz may carry signaling information for the second and sixth 20MHz subchannels. The third content channel in the lower 160MHz may carry signaling information for the third and seventh 20MHz subchannels. The fourth content channel in the lower 160MHz may carry signaling information for the fourth and eighth 20MHz subchannels. The fifth content channel in the upper 160 MHz may carry signaling information for the ninth and thirteenth 20 MHz sub-channels. The sixth content channel in the upper 160 MHz may carry signaling information for the tenth and fourteenth 20 MHz sub-channels. The seventh content channel in the upper 160 MHz may carry signaling information for the eleventh and fifteenth 20 MHz sub-channels. The eighth content channel in the upper 160 MHz may carry signaling information for the twelfth and sixteenth 20 MHz sub-channels. In some implementations, the 20 MHz sub-channel groups associated with each content channel may have the same EHT-SIG.

[0154] For another example, a 20 MHz subchannel with a total bandwidth of 160 MHz may be divided into two 80 MHz parts (segments).For example, a 20 MHz subchannel with a total bandwidth of 320 MHz may be divided into four 80 MHz parts (segments). The first 80MHz segment includes the first, second, third and fourth 20MHz subchannels and can carry signaling information of the entire PPDU bandwidth, or alternatively, carry signaling information of the first 80MHz segment; the second 80MHz segment includes the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth 20MHz subchannels and can carry signaling information of the entire PPDU bandwidth, or alternatively, carry signaling information of the second 80MHz segment; the third 80MHz segment includes the ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth 20MHz subchannels and can carry signaling information of the entire PPDU bandwidth, or alternatively, carry signaling information of the third 80MHz segment; the fourth 80MHz segment includes the thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth 20MHz subchannels and can carry signaling information of the entire PPDU bandwidth, or alternatively, carry signaling information of the fourth 80MHz segment. In this option, the [1,2,1,2] content channel structure can be used within each 80MHz segment. If the same signaling information of the entire PPDU bandwidth is carried in content channels in different 80MHz segments, it results in a total of two content channels. If different signaling information of the entire PPDU bandwidth or a portion of the bandwidth is carried in content channels in different 80MHz segments, it results in a total of eight content channels.

[0155] In some implementations, parallelization may be used on U-SIG and EHT-SIG. Parallelization may involve not duplicating signaling in all 20 MHz subchannels. Parallelization may involve using the same field structure in all 20 MHz subchannels, but using different values ​​in some signaling fields in different 20 MHz subchannels. Instead, different signaling may be carried in different subchannels (such as different subchannels in different content channels), as described previously herein.

[0156] In some implementations, parallelization design for U-SIG may include using the same field structure in all 20MHz subchannels. All U-SIGs in 20MHz subchannels within an 80MHz segment carry the same signaling information. Certain fields in U-SIG may carry different values ​​in different 80MHz segments.

[0157] In some implementations, parallelization design for EHT-SIG may include spreading different fields into different content channels. For example, some fields may be transmitted in a specific 20 MHz subchannel of a first content channel, and different fields may be transmitted in a different 20 MHz subchannel of a second content channel. In some other implementations, parallelization may not be applied to EHT-SIG, and the content is repeated for each content channel.

[0158] In some implementations, the parallelization design for the EHT-SIG may include content channels on 20MHz subchannels in both the upper 160MHz subband and the lower 160MHz subband, and thus each content channel may carry RU allocations for both the upper 160MHz subband and the lower 160MHz subband depending on the content channel position (such as depending on a [1,2,1,2] or [1,2,3,4] content channel structure). In some implementations, the content channel includes a 20MHz subchannel of an upper or lower 160MHz subband. In such an implementation, each content channel may carry RU allocations for an upper or lower 160MHz subband depending on the content channel position (e.g., depending on a [1,2,1,2] or [1,2,3,4] content channel structure). In other words, just as a 20MHz subchannel can be split into an upper or lower 160MHz subband, the RU allocations for 320MHz and 160+160MHz can be split into two parts, namely, upper and lower 160MHz.

[0159] In another option, the content channel structure may depend on the EHT-SIG compression field. In some implementations, for (punctured or unpunctured) SU compression mode, for all PPDU bandwidths, the EHT-SIG may not use a parallel design and carry the same signaling information in all 20MHz subchannels, resulting in a [1,1,1,1] content channel structure. For (punctured or unpunctured) non-OFDMA compression mode (for MU-MIMO transmission) and uncompressed mode (for OFDMA transmission), the EHT-SIG may use a parallel design. For another example, a 20MHz subchannel with a total bandwidth of 160MHz may be divided into two 80MHz parts (segments). For example, a 20MHz subchannel with a total bandwidth of 320MHz may be divided into four 80MHz parts (segments). The first 80MHz segment includes the first, second, third and fourth 20MHz subchannels and can carry signaling information of the entire PPDU bandwidth, or alternatively, carry signaling information of the first 80MHz segment; the second 80MHz segment includes the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth 20MHz subchannels and can carry signaling information of the entire PPDU bandwidth, or alternatively, carry signaling information of the second 80MHz segment; the third 80MHz segment includes the ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth 20MHz subchannels and can carry signaling information of the entire PPDU bandwidth, or alternatively, carry signaling information of the third 80MHz segment; the fourth 80MHz segment includes the thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth 20MHz subchannels and can carry signaling information of the entire PPDU bandwidth, or alternatively, carry signaling information of the fourth 80MHz segment. In this option, the [1,2,1,2] content channel structure can be used within each 80MHz segment. If the same signaling information of the entire PPDU bandwidth is carried in content channels in different 80MHz segments, it results in a total of two content channels. If different signaling information of the entire PPDU bandwidth or a portion of the bandwidth is carried in content channels in different 80MHz segments, it results in a total of eight content channels.

[0160] For different content channel structures, there may be different common field design options, such as Fig.13 and 14 as described.

[0161] Fig.13 A conceptual diagram of EHT-SIG 1300 in a content channel of a first example content channel structure according to some implementations is shown. For example, when the content channel structure uses a [1,2,1,2] structure spanning an entire 320 MHz bandwidth wireless channel, a common field (shown as common-1A and common-1B) may use multiple coding blocks for the common field in each content channel. Fig.13 The EHT-SIG 1300 shown in FIG. 1 is an example of an EHT-SIG that may be included on the first content channel.

[0162] Fig.14 A conceptual diagram showing EHT-SIG in different content channels of a second example content channel structure according to some implementations. For example, Fig.14 It can be used to depict an example where a 320 MHz bandwidth wireless channel is divided into an upper 160 MHz bandwidth portion and a lower 160 MHz bandwidth portion. A [1,2,1,2] content channel structure can be used for the lower 160 MHz bandwidth portion 1401 , while a [3,4,3,4] content channel structure can be used for the upper 160 MHz bandwidth portion 1402 .

[0163] In some implementations, the common fields may be parallelized between different content channels. There are 4 content channels (2 for the upper 160 MHz bandwidth portion and 2 for the lower 160 MHz bandwidth portion). Thus, there may be one common field per content channel. The encoded block of the common fields may have 44 information bits plus a 4-bit CRC and a 6-bit tail, for a total of 54 bits. Fig.14 Examples of an EHT-SIG 1410 in content channel #1, an EHT-SIG 1420 in content channel #2, an EHT-SIG 1430 in content channel #3, and an EHT-SIG 1440 in content channel #4 are shown.

[0164] In some implementations, the coding block structure of the EHT-SIG may depend on the EHT-SIG compression field and the PPDU bandwidth. In one option, the EHT-SIG common field in each content channel is encoded using one coded block for all subfields in punctured non-OFDMA compressed mode (for SU and MU-MIMO transmissions) and unpunctured non-OFDMA compressed mode (for SU and MU-MIMO transmissions) or (punctured and unpunctured) non-OFDMA compressed mode (for SU and MU-MIMO transmissions). In uncompressed mode (for OFDMA transmission), if the PPDU bandwidth is 20MHz, 40MHz, or 80MHz, the EHT-SIG common field in each content channel can use one coded block to encode all subfields; if the PPDU bandwidth is 160MHz and above (such as 240MHz, 320MHz, 480MHz, 640MHz, etc.), the EHT-SIG common field in each content channel can use multiple coded blocks to encode different subfields, and each coded block has a maximum of 64 information bits (such as 54 signaling bits, 4-bit CRC, and 6-bit tail) before encoding. For example, for PPDU bandwidths of 160MHz and 320MHz, the EHT-SIG common field can use 2 coded blocks. The EHT-SIG user-specific fields in each content channel use one coded block to encode every two user fields, until the last coded block may have only one user field or two user fields.

[0165] In another option, for some compression modes, the EHT-SIG common field in one content channel and the first user field in the user-specific field are jointly encoded into one coded block. For example, the EHT-SIG common field and the first user field can be jointly encoded for one or more of the following compression modes: punctured non-OFDMA compressed mode (for SU and MU-MIMO transmission), unpunctured non-OFDMA compressed mode (for SU and MU-MIMO transmission), (punctured and unpunctured) non-OFDMA compressed mode (for SU and MU-MIMO transmission), (punctured and unpunctured) SU compressed mode (for SU transmission), or (punctured and unpunctured) non-OFDMA MU-MIMO compressed mode (for MU-MIMO transmission). After the jointly encoded EHT-SIG common field and the first user field, the remaining user fields in the content channel can be encoded using one coded block to encode every two user fields. The last coded block may have only one user field or two user fields. In uncompressed mode (for OFDMA transmission), if the PPDU bandwidth is 20MHz, 40MHz, or 80MHz, the EHT-SIG common field in each content channel can use one coded block to encode all subfields. If the PPDU bandwidth is 160MHz and above (such as 240MHz, 320MHz, 480MHz, 640MHz, etc.), the EHT-SIG common field in each content channel can use multiple coded blocks to encode different subfields, and each coded block has a maximum of 64 information bits before encoding (such as a maximum of 54 signaling bits, a 4-bit CRC, and a 6-bit tail). For example, for PPDU bandwidths of 160MHz and 320MHz, the EHT-SIG common field can use 2 coded blocks. In uncompressed mode (for OFDMA transmission), the EHT-SIG user-specific fields in each content channel use one coded block to encode every two user fields until the last coded block that may have only one user field or two user fields.

[0166] Fig.15An example frame structure is shown in which the U-SIG is followed by the EHT-SIG field 1512 according to some implementations. In some implementations, the U-SIG may be replicated for each 20 MHz subchannel, followed by the EHT-SIG field 1512. In some other implementations, the U-SIG may have the same field structure in all 20 MHz subchannels, but the values ​​of some fields are different for each 80 MHz or 160 MHz subband and specific to the 80 MHz or 160 MHz subband. For example, within each 80 MHz or 160 MHz subband, the U-SIG is replicated for each 20 MHz subchannel. Thus, the U-SIG may contain different signaling information for different subbands. In some implementations, the EHT-SIG field 1512 may contain different signaling information for each 80 MHz bandwidth portion of the wireless channel. In some implementations, the content of the EHT-SIG may be based on a per 80 MHz bandwidth basis or for the total bandwidth of the wireless channel. In some implementations, the content of the EHT-SIG may be based on which devices are camped on the 80 MHz bandwidth portion and may support signaling of RU allocations for other 80 MHz bandwidth portions.

[0167] Fig.16 An example frame structure according to some implementations is shown, in which different types of signal fields follow the RL-SIG on different subchannels. For example, an upper subband 1600 of a total channel bandwidth (such as 320 MHz) may be used for 11ax transmission, while a lower subband 1650 of a total channel bandwidth may be used for 11be transmission. This may be referred to as mixed mode transmission because it may include a mix of communication protocols in the same packet. After RL-SIG 1608, the upper subband 1600 may include HE-SIG-A1 1610, HE-SIG-A2 1612, and HE-SIG-B 1614. HE-SIG-B 1614 may span multiple 20 MHz subchannels constituting the upper subband 1600. Meanwhile, in the lower subband 1650, the RL-SIG 1628 may be followed by U-SIG 1630 and EHT-SIG 1632. EHT-SIG 1632 may span multiple 20 MHz subchannels constituting the lower subband 1650. The examples of which types of transmissions are included in the upper and lower subbands are intended as illustrative examples, but other sizes of subbands and other types of protocol signaling may be used in other examples.

[0168] Thus, according to this technique, 11ax STAs may be multiplexed in the 80MHz or 160MHz subband (using the 11ax preamble), while 11be STAs may be multiplexed in the rest of the channel bandwidth (using the 11be preamble). In some implementations, signal fields (such as HE-SIG-B and EHT-SIG) may end at the same symbol boundary, even though other signal fields in the second part of the preamble may have different sizes (such as Fig.16 As shown). The SIGNAL field may end simultaneously for all subchannels and all subbands, so that the next symbol after the RL-SIG to the end of the SIG-B has the same number of OFDM SIG symbols (4 μs each) for all subchannels and all subbands. After the SIG, there may be other fields (such as the EHT short training field (EHT-STF), the EHT long training field (EHT-LTF), and data) after the end of the SIG. Therefore, the EHT-STF and the EHT-LTF are aligned in time for all subchannels and all subbands.

[0169] In some implementations, the HE data (HE-Data) of the subchannel starting with the 11ax preamble and the EHT data (EHT-Data) of the subchannel starting with the 11be preamble do not need to end at the same time. In addition, the L_length (L_LENGTH) value in the L-SIG does not need to be the same for the subchannel starting with the 11ax preamble and for the subchannel starting with the 11be preamble. And, the TXOP value in the HE-SIG-A in the 11ax preamble and the EHT-SIG-A in the 11be preamble does not need to be the same. The 11ax device is in 11ax mode, and the 11be device that is parked in the subband starting with the 11ax preamble will be in 11ax mode, using 1 RU per device. When a device is parked in a subband, the device processes the 20MHz legacy preamble signal within that subband, and then continues to process potentially wider bandwidth or other subbands if signaling (such as PPDU BW indication and perforated channel indication) indicates that the device should process signaling in other subbands. An 11be device that is parked in a subband that starts with an 11be preamble will be in 11be mode and can utilize multiple RUs (including RUs in subbands that start with an 11ax preamble).

[0170] In addition to the formats of the signal fields described in the previous figures, the present disclosure also includes various types of information that can be included in the signal fields. For example, punctured channel information can be indicated in one or more signal fields.

[0171] Punctured Channel Indicator

[0172] In some implementations, the perforated channel information may be indicated in the PPDU bandwidth (BW) field. The perforated channel information may indicate which channels are perforated and the perforation pattern in the total bandwidth (such as 160MHz or 320MHz) so that the receiving STA knows which channels to process to obtain information (such as content channel information further described herein), and which channels are perforated and therefore unavailable or do not include information for processing by the STA. In some implementations, the PPDU BW field may be included in the U-SIG field. In some other implementations, the PPDU BW field may be included in the EHT-SIG-A field. The PPDU BW field may be a 4-bit or 5-bit field for indicating the perforated channel and the perforation pattern. In some implementations, the PPDU BW field may also indicate which EHT-SIG content channel to demodulate.

[0173] In some implementations, for a 4-bit PPDU BW field, a PPDU BW field value of 0 may indicate a 20 MHz channel bandwidth (and no preamble puncturing). A PPDU BW field value of 1 may indicate a 40 MHz channel bandwidth (and no preamble puncturing). A PPDU BW field value of 2 may indicate an 80 MHz channel bandwidth (and no preamble puncturing). A PPDU BW field value of 3 may indicate a 160 MHz channel bandwidth or an 80+80 MHz sub-band bandwidth (and no preamble puncturing). A PPDU BW field value of 4 may indicate a 320 MHz channel bandwidth or a 160+160 MHz sub-band bandwidth (and no preamble puncturing). A PPDU BW field value of 5 may indicate an 80 MHz channel bandwidth, and only the secondary 20 MHz sub-channel is punctured. A PPDU BW field value of 6 may indicate an 80 MHz channel bandwidth, and the primary 40 MHz sub-channel is not punctured. A PPDU BW field value of 7 may indicate a 160 MHz channel bandwidth or an 80+80 MHz sub-band bandwidth, and only the secondary 20 MHz sub-channel is punctured in the primary 80 MHz sub-band. A PPDU BW field value of 8 may indicate a 160 MHz channel bandwidth or an 80+80 MHz sub-band bandwidth, and the primary 40 MHz sub-channel is not punctured in the primary 80 MHz sub-band. A PPDU BW field value of 9 may indicate a 320 MHz channel bandwidth or a 160+160 MHz sub-band bandwidth, and only the secondary 20 MHz sub-channel is punctured in the primary 80 MHz sub-band. A PPDU BW field value of 10 may indicate a 320 MHz channel bandwidth or a 160+160 MHz sub-band bandwidth, and the primary 40 MHz sub-channel is not punctured in the primary 80 MHz sub-band. In some implementations, for a 5-bit PPDU BW field, a PPDU BW field value of 0 may indicate a 20 MHz channel bandwidth (and no preamble puncturing). A PPDU BW field value of 1 may indicate a 40 MHz channel bandwidth (and no preamble puncturing). A PPDU BW field value of 2 may indicate an 80 MHz channel bandwidth (and no preamble puncturing). A PPDU BW field value of 3 may indicate a 160 MHz channel bandwidth or an 80+80 MHz sub-band bandwidth (and no preamble puncturing). A PPDU BW field value of 4 may indicate a 320 MHz channel bandwidth or a 160+160 MHz sub-band bandwidth (and no preamble puncturing). A PPDU BW field value of 5 may indicate an 80 MHz channel bandwidth, and only the secondary 20 MHz sub-channel is punctured. A PPDU BW field value of 6 may indicate an 80 MHz channel bandwidth, and the primary 40 MHz sub-channel is not punctured. A PPDU BW field value of 7 may indicate a 160 MHz channel bandwidth or an 80+80 MHz sub-band bandwidth, and only the secondary 20 MHz sub-channel is punctured in the primary 80 MHz sub-band.A PPDU BW field value of 8 may indicate a 160 MHz channel bandwidth or an 80+80 MHz sub-band bandwidth, and the primary 40 MHz sub-channel is not punctured in the primary 80 MHz sub-band. A PPDU BW field value of 9 may indicate a 320 MHz channel bandwidth or a 160+160 MHz sub-band bandwidth, and only the secondary 20 MHz sub-channel is punctured in the primary 80 MHz sub-band. A PPDU BW field value of 10 may indicate a 320 MHz channel bandwidth or a 160+160 MHz sub-band bandwidth, and the primary 40 MHz sub-channel is not punctured in the primary 80 MHz sub-band. A PPDU BW field value of 11 may indicate an 80 MHz channel bandwidth, and only the primary 40 MHz sub-channel is punctured (the secondary 20 MHz sub-channel is punctured). A PPDU BW field value of 12 may indicate an 80 MHz channel bandwidth, and the secondary 20 MHz subchannel and the tertiary 20 MHz subchannel are not punctured, but the primary 20 MHz subchannel is punctured (the secondary 20 MHz subchannel is not punctured). A PPDU BW field value of 13 may indicate a 160 MHz channel bandwidth or an 80+80 MHz subband bandwidth, and only the primary 40 MHz subchannel is punctured in the primary 80 MHz subband. A PPDU BW field value of 14 may indicate a 160 MHz channel bandwidth or an 80+80 MHz subband bandwidth, and the secondary 20 MHz subchannel and the tertiary 20 MHz subchannel are not punctured, but the primary 20 MHz subchannel is punctured. A PPDU BW field value of 15 may indicate a 320 MHz channel bandwidth, and only the primary 40 MHz subchannel is punctured in the primary 80 MHz subband. A PPDU BW field value of 16 may indicate a 320 MHz channel bandwidth, and the secondary 20 MHz subchannel and the tertiary 20 MHz subchannel are not punctured, but the primary 20 MHz subchannel is punctured.

[0174] In some implementations, instead of the PPDU BW field, the perforated channel bitmap may be used to indicate the perforated subchannel and perforation mode. In some implementations, the perforated channel bitmap may be included in the N-bit field of the U-SIG. In some implementations, the perforated channel bitmap may be included in the N-bit field of the EHT-SIG. In some implementations, the number of bits (N) of the N-bit field may be based on the total bandwidth and the perforation granularity (B), where the product of N and B is equal to the total bandwidth. For example, if the total bandwidth is 320MHz and the granularity is 20MHz, 16 bits (N=16) will be used. Therefore, each 80MHz or 160MHz subband may have a 16-bit field to indicate the perforated channel bitmap. In some implementations, one bit may be used to signal the perforation granularity (B) to indicate a 20MHz or 40MHz granularity. In some implementations, the PPDU BW field value may indicate the perforation granularity (B) without the need for additional signaling.

[0175] In some implementations, instead of duplicating the N-bit field with the punctured channel bitmap for each subband (such as an 80 MHz or 160 MHz subband), each subband may include a different N-bit field with its own punctured channel bitmap. In some implementations, for each subband, the number of bits (N) of the N-bit field may be based on the subband bandwidth and the puncturing granularity (B), where the product of N and B is equal to the subband bandwidth. For example, if the subband bandwidth is 80 MHz and the granularity is 20 MHz, 4 bits (N=4) will be used. If the subband bandwidth is 160 MHz and the granularity is 20 MHz, 8 bits (N=8) will be used. In some implementations, due to parallelization, the intended receiving STA may look at all 80 MHz or 160 MHz subbands to find the relevant punctured channel bitmap.

[0176] Multi-AP transmission and beamforming

[0177] In some implementations, signaling for multi-AP coordinated beamforming (CBF) and joint transmission may be included. In some implementations, both signaling for multi-AP CBF and signaling for joint transmission may be provided in advance for sounding and feedback. In some implementations, multi-AP CBF may form null values ​​for unintended recipients through precoding. Each CBF PPDU may work like a single BSS PPDU without OBSS interference. The beamformed portion of the PPDU may be protected by the nulling of OBSS interference. In some implementations, beamforming may be performed from the beginning of the packet (including the legacy portion of the preamble), and the beam change bit may be set to zero to indicate that beamforming is performed from the beginning of the packet. When the beam change bit is set to 1, it indicates that the legacy portion and the non-legacy portion are using different beams and different beamforming. In some implementations, in 11be, the beam change bit may be included in the U-SIG or EHT-SIG. In some implementations, multi-AP joint transmission uses beamforming from multiple APs to the intended recipient. The multi-AP JT sequence can be triggered and ensure that all participating APs and STAs (in the response packet) are synchronized in time, frequency, and phase. Each JT PPDU can use a triggered PPDU, where much of the signaling information is learned from the trigger. The beamformed portion of the PPDU may have the benefit of JT gain. A special BSS color may be assigned to the JT sequence so that all participating APs use that BSS color. In some implementations, beamforming may be performed from the beginning of the packet (including the legacy portion), and there may be no beam change bit in the signaling.

[0178] Fig.17 1 is a flow chart illustrating an example process 1700 for receiving wireless communications according to some implementations. The process 1700 may be performed by a wireless communication device (such as the one described above with reference to FIG. Figure 8 In some implementations, process 1700 may be performed by an AP (such as the wireless communication device 800 described above). Figure 1 and Fig. 9A In some implementations, process 1700 may be performed by a wireless communication device operating as a STA (such as one of APs 102 and 902 described above). Figure 1 and Fig. 9B The method is performed by a wireless communication device operating with or within the STA 104 and 904 described above.

[0179] In some implementations, process 1700 begins in block 1702 by receiving a packet including a preamble portion and a data portion via a wireless channel. The preamble portion includes a universal signal field (U-SIG) followed by one or more version-specific signal fields. The one or more version-specific signal fields include a third signal field (EHT-SIG) on one or more subchannels of the wireless channel.

[0180] At block 1704 , process 1700 proceeds to determine that the U-SIG includes at least a version identifier, frequency occupancy information, and format information fields.

[0181] At block 1706, process 1700 proceeds to determine a format of the packet based at least in part on the format information field.

[0182] At block 1708, process 1700 proceeds to determine, based at least in part on the frequency occupancy information, one or more subchannels of the wireless channel that include a version-specific signal field.

[0183] At block 1710, process 1700 proceeds to receive at least a portion of the packet and decode the version-specific signal fields on the one or more subchannels based on the determined format.

[0184] Fig.18 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device 1800 is shown according to some implementations. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1800 is configured to perform one or more of the processes described above. The wireless communication device 1800 may be the one described above with reference to Figure 8 The wireless communication device 800 is described as an example implementation. For example, the wireless communication device 1800 can be a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device that includes 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, the wireless communication device 1800 can be used in an AP (such as the above-referenced Figure 1 and 9AIn some implementations, the wireless communication device 1800 may be a device used in a STA (such as one of the APs 102 and 902 described above). Figure 1 and 9B In some other implementations, the wireless communication device 1800 may be an AP or STA including such a chip, SoC, chipset, package or device and at least one transmitter, at least one receiver and at least one antenna.

[0185] The wireless communication device 1800 includes a demodulation module 1802, a decoding module 1804, a signaling module 1806, and a parameter configuration module 1808. Portions of one or more of the modules 1802, 1804, 1806, and 1808 may be implemented at least in part in hardware or firmware. For example, the demodulation module 1802, the decoding module 1804, the signaling module 1806, and the parameter configuration module 1808 may be implemented at least in part by a modem (such as modem 802). In some implementations, portions of some of the modules 1802, 1804, 1806, or 1808 are at least partially implemented as software stored in a memory (such as memory 808). For example, portions of one or more of the modules 1802, 1804, 1806, or 1808 may be implemented as non-transient instructions (or "codes") that can be executed by a processor (such as processor 806) to perform the functions or operations of the corresponding module.

[0186] The demodulation module 1802 is configured to receive a packet including a physical layer preamble, the physical layer preamble including a first portion and a second portion following the first portion. The packet may further include a payload following the preamble. The demodulation module 1802 is configured to demodulate the symbols in the received packet and determine the modulation scheme that was used to modulate the symbols. In some implementations, the packet may be a reference Fig.10 1016. As described above, in such an implementation, the first portion includes a first signal field (L-SIG) and the second portion includes a repetition of the L-SIG (RL-SIG) immediately following the L-SIG. In some implementations, the RL-SIG may be masked with a mask sequence, and the demodulation module 1802 is further configured to demask the RL-SIG before demodulating it. The second portion further includes at least one additional signal field after the RL-SIG. For example, the second portion of the preamble may include a new signal field (U-SIG), such as U-SIG 1016. The second portion may further include an additional third signal field, such as EHT-SIG.

[0187] The decoding module 1804 is configured to decode bits in the demodulated symbols and interpret bits in the decoded bits based on the WLAN communication protocol.

[0188] The signaling module 1806 is configured to interpret the signal field of the packet according to the implementation described above. For example, the signaling module 1806 can interpret the signal field using parallelization for different subbands or different subchannels of the wireless channel. The signaling module 1806 can interpret the signaling about different content channels following the RL-SIG or U-SIG. The signaling module 1806 can interpret the EHT-SIG based on the format information field in the U-SIG.

[0189] The parameter configuration module 1808 is configured to set at least one reception parameter for the packet based on the at least one interpreted bit received from the decoding module 1804. For example, the parameter configuration module 1808 can set parameters including one or more of a channel bandwidth parameter, a spatial stream setting, and a modulation order for receiving the packet.

[0190] Fig.19 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device 1900 according to some implementations is shown. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1900 is configured to perform one or more of the processes described above. The wireless communication device 1900 may be the one described above with reference to Figure 8 The wireless communication device 1900 may be an example implementation of the wireless communication device 800 described. For example, the wireless communication device 1900 may be a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device that includes 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, the wireless communication device 1900 may be a wireless communication device used in an AP (such as the wireless communication device 1900 described above). Figure 1 and 9A In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1900 may be a device used in a STA (such as one of the APs 102 and 902 described above). Figure 1 and 9B In some other implementations, the wireless communication device 1900 may be an AP or STA including such a chip, SoC, chipset, package or device and at least one transmitter, at least one receiver and at least one antenna.

[0191] The wireless communication device 1900 includes a packet generation module 1902, a signaling module 1904, a coding module 1906, a modulation module 1908, and a parameter selection module 1910. Portions of one or more of the modules 1902, 1904, 1906, 1908, and 1910 may be implemented at least in part in hardware or firmware. For example, the packet generation module 1902, the signaling module 1904, the coding module 1906, the modulation module 1908, and the parameter selection module 1910 may be implemented at least in part by a modem, such as the modem 802. In some implementations, portions of some of the modules 1902, 1904, 1906, 1908, and 1910 are implemented at least in part as software stored in a memory, such as the memory 808. For example, portions of one or more of modules 1902, 1904, 1906, or 1908 may be implemented as non-transitory instructions (or "code") executable by a processor (such as processor 806) to perform the functions or operations of the corresponding module.

[0192] The packet generation module 1902 is configured to generate a packet including a physical layer preamble, the physical layer preamble including a first portion and a second portion following the first portion. The packet may also include a payload after the preamble. In some implementations, the packet may be a reference Fig.10 1016. As described above, in such an implementation, the first portion includes a first signal field (L-SIG) and the second portion includes a repetition of the L-SIG (RL-SIG) immediately following the L-SIG. In some implementations, the packet generation module 1902 may be configured to mask the RL-SIG with a mask sequence. The second portion also includes at least one additional signal field following the RL-SIG. For example, the second portion of the preamble may include a new signal field (U-SIG), such as U-SIG 1016. The second portion may further include an additional third signal field, such as EHT-SIG.

[0193] The signaling module 1904 is configured to prepare the signal field of the packet according to the implementation described above. For example, the signaling module 1904 can prepare the signal field using parallelization of different subbands or different subchannels of the wireless channel. The signaling module 1904 can determine and prepare signaling about different content channels after the RL-SIG or U-SIG.

[0194] The modulation module 1908 is configured to modulate the codewords in the generated packet. The parameter selection module 1910 is configured to select at least one transmission parameter for the packet. For example, the parameter selection module 1910 can set parameters including one or more of the channel bandwidth, spatial stream setting, and modulation order used to transmit the packet.

[0195] Fig. 20 An example of encoding the EHT-SIG using code blocks according to some implementations is shown. The EHT-SIG bit sequence 2010 may be prepared according to any of the example EHT-SIG options described herein. For example, the EHT-SIG bit sequence 2010 may include EHT-SIG common bits, which include bits overflowed from the U-SIG and RU allocation information. The EHT-SIG bit sequence 2010 may also include fields that vary from user to user. The EHT-SIG bit sequence 2010 may be divided into code blocks (also referred to as chunks), which are individually encoded to form EHT-SIG code blocks, such as EHT-SIG code blocks 1-n 2051, 2052, and 2053. In some implementations, the encoding process for each code block may include adding a CRC and a tail. The code block size for different code blocks may be different. The receiver may retrieve the code blocks and decode each code block individually, thereby combining them at the receiver to recover the EHT-SIG bit sequence 2010.

[0196] One reason for preparing the EHT-SIG code block is to enable the use of existing 20 MHz decoders for preamble processing.The use of the EHT-SIG code block may also enable different options for padding the EHT-SIG over the bandwidth portion of the wireless channel. Figure 21-25 Provides some Fig. 20 Example padding schemes and variations for EHT-SIG code blocks 1-n described in .

[0197] Fig.21 An example padding scheme using EHT-SIG code blocks according to some implementations is shown. Each 80 MHz portion may have a different EHT-SIG bit sequence used to generate an EHT-SIG code block for that 80 MHz portion. The first EHT-SIG code block 1 2151 may start at the lowest 20 MHz bandwidth subchannel of the 80 MHz portion. From this starting point, the EHT-SIG code blocks may be sequentially padded to fill the remaining 20 MHz bandwidth subchannels. Once the fourth 20 MHz bandwidth subchannel is filled with EHT-SIG code block 4, the next EHT-SIG code block 5 may be padded in the first 20 MHz bandwidth subchannel, and the pattern repeats until all EHT-SIG code blocks have been padded into the available subchannels within each 80 MHz BW (bandwidth) portion. All EHT-SIG code blocks 1-n ( Fig.21 The set of 1-8) in the illustrated example may collectively carry EHT-SIG signaling 2130 for the 80 MHz portion of the wireless channel.

[0198] Fig. 22 An example padding scheme using EHT-SIG code blocks when subchannels are punctured according to some implementations is shown. Fig. 22 In the example of FIG. 2 , the third 20 MHz sub-channel is punctured (shown as punctured channel 2210). In this example, the padding scheme may skip punctured channel 2210. For example, EHT-SIG code block 3 will skip punctured channel 2210 and will be padded in the fourth 20 MHz sub-channel. The padding scheme will then return to the first 20 MHz sub-channel to padded EHT-SIG code block 4.

[0199] Fig.23 An example padding scheme using EHT-SIG code blocks using two content channels according to some implementations is shown. This example is similar to the [1 2 1 2] content channel structure. EHT-SIG code block 1 may be padded in the first 20 MHz bandwidth subchannel (shown as code block 2310) and the third 20 MHz bandwidth subchannel (shown as code block 2310). Then, the next code block (EHT-SIG code block 2) may be padded in the second 20 MHz bandwidth subchannel and the fourth 20 MHz bandwidth subchannel. After this group of code blocks, the pattern will be repeated for the remaining EHT-SIG code blocks. For example, EHT-SIG code block 3 may be padded in the first 20 MHz bandwidth subchannel and the third 20 MHz bandwidth subchannel. Then, the next code block (EHT-SIG code block 4) may be padded in the second 20 MHz bandwidth subchannel and the fourth 20 MHz bandwidth subchannel. The [1 2 1 2] content channel structure may be used to transmit EHT-SIG code blocks in two content channels. For example, a first content channel may include first and third 20 MHz bandwidth sub-channels, and a second content channel may include second and fourth 20 MHz bandwidth sub-channels. For example, this structure may be useful for a receiver configured to use two 20 MHz decoders to decode EHT-SIG code blocks in an 80 MHz portion of a wireless channel.

[0200] Fig.24 An example padding scheme employing EHT-SIG code blocks when a content channel includes punctured subchannels according to some implementations is shown. By using a [1 2 1 2] content channel structure, EHT-SIG code blocks can be padded in their intended subchannels regardless of the punctured channel 2210. EHT code blocks that would otherwise be padded in the punctured channel 2210 can be omitted.

[0201] Fig.25 Another example padding scheme using EHT-SIG code blocks when a content channel includes punctured subchannels according to some implementations is shown. In this example, when EHT-SIG code blocks are padded within a [1 2 1 2] content channel structure, punctured channels 2210 may be skipped. Padding of EHT-SIG code blocks 1–4 in the first content channel pair (first and second 20 MHz subchannels) is similar to Fig.25and 26 However, since the first content channel in the second content channel pair in this example has a punctured channel 2210, the padding of the EHT-SIG code block may be different for the second content channel in the second content channel pair. Fig.26 As described above, the EHT-SIG code blocks may be filled into the available second content channel. For example, EHT-SIG code block 1 followed by EHT-SIG code block 2 are shown as being filled into the fourth 20 MHz bandwidth sub-channel.

[0202] The padding of the EHT-SIG code blocks in the fourth 20 MHz bandwidth subchannel may extend 2580 the length of the EHT-SIG portion of the preamble due to the punctured channel 2210. Thus, in some implementations, padding or repetition of code blocks may be added to the first content channel pair so that the EHT-SIG portions of the two content channel pairs end at the same block.

[0203] Fig.26 An example spatial stream scenario is shown that supports up to 16 spatial streams according to some implementations. The spatial stream scenario can be used for MU-MIMO spatial stream configurations within an RU allocated in the EHT-SIG. The first table 2610 shows a legacy implementation in 11ax that supports up to 8 users and 8 spatial streams (with a limitation of up to 4 spatial streams for MU-MIMO users). The spatial configuration subfield can use NSTS in non-increasing order for MU-MIMO users (e.g., NSTS[i+1]<=NSTS[i], where i is the MU-MIMO user index). Depending on the number of users, there are multiple configurations that the spatial stream can support. For example, if there are 8 users and 8 available spatial streams, there is only 1 possible configuration (each user gets 1 spatial stream). When there are 7 users and 8 available spatial streams, there are only 2 possible combinations (6 users each get 1 spatial stream, and 1 user gets 1 or 2 spatial streams). The highest number of combinations occurs when there are 3 users and 8 available spatial streams.

[0204] Thus, for the first table 2610, since the maximum number of configurations that can be used with 8 spatial streams (depending on the number of users) is 13, a 4-bit value can be used in the spatial stream configuration subfield in the user field of the EHT-SIG to identify which configuration is being used. By observing the number of devices and the spatial stream configuration, a device can determine which configuration is indicated. In addition, by observing the order of the user fields in the EHT-SIG, the device can determine how many SSs are assigned to it (based on NSTS [1] for the first listed device, NSTS [2] for the second listed device, and so on).

[0205] Since IEEE 802.11be is expected to support up to 16 spatial streams, the number of spatial stream configurations has increased significantly. For example, the second table 2620 shows the number of possible spatial stream configurations when up to 16 users share up to 16 spatial streams and there is a maximum limit of up to 4 spatial streams per user. In a similar example, the third table 2622 shows the number of possible spatial stream configurations when up to 8 users share up to 16 spatial streams and there is a maximum limit of up to 4 spatial streams per user. Table 16 provides an example of a spatial stream configuration using entries associated with the third table 2622. The spatial configuration subfield can use a non-increasing order of NSTS for MU-MIMO users (e.g., NSTS[i+1]<=NSTS[i], where i is the MU-MIMO user index). In a lookup table that supports up to 4 spatial streams per user and up to 8 users, the maximum number of spatial stream configurations can be 54. In order to signal the value for the spatial stream configuration, 6 bits will be used in the spatial stream configuration subfield in the user field of the EHT-SIG. In another option, 6 bits are used in the spatial configuration subfield in the user field of the EHT-SIG. The 6 bits include 4 bits (with values ​​from 1 to 16) for indicating the starting spatial stream index (Start NSTS Index) and then 2 bits (with values ​​from 1 to 4) for indicating the number of spatial streams for this user (NSTS-this user).

[0206] The fourth table 2630 shows the number of possible spatial stream configurations when up to 16 users share up to 16 spatial streams and there is a maximum limit of up to 8 spatial streams per user. The spatial configuration subfield can use non-increasing order of NSTS for MU-MIMO users (e.g., NSTS[i+1]<=NSTS[i], where i is the MU-MIMO user index). When there are 5 users sharing up to 16 available spatial streams, the maximum number of spatial stream configurations is 136. In order to signal the value for the spatial stream configuration, 8 bits will be used in the spatial stream configuration subfield in the user field of the EHT-SIG. In another option, 7 bits will be used in the spatial configuration subfield in the user field of the EHT-SIG. The 7 bits include 4 bits (having values ​​from 1 to 16) for indicating the starting spatial stream index (starting NSTS index) and then 3 bits (having values ​​from 1 to 8) for indicating the number of spatial streams for this user (NSTS-this user). In yet another option, the number of bits used to signal the spatial stream configuration may be reduced by using 7 bits to optimize the lookup table for the spatial stream configuration in the previous option. For example, the lookup table may indicate all combinations of the starting NSTS index and NSTS-this-user, and the number of spatial streams may be arranged in non-increasing order for the user (e.g., NSTS[i+1]<=NSTS[i]). By doing so, 6 bits may be used in the spatial stream configuration subfield in the user field of the EHT-SIG to indicate the spatial stream configuration and NSTS for a particular user.

[0207] Fig. 27 An example is shown according to some implementations in which EHT-SIG signaling may be modified to support OFDMA RU allocations in different 80 MHz bandwidth portions of a wireless channel. Fig. 27The wireless channel 2700 in can be a 320MHz bandwidth composed of four 80MHz bandwidth parts 2712, 2722, 2732 and 2742. The technology in this description is not limited to 320MHz wireless channels, but these concepts can be applied to any wireless channel composed of multiple 80MHz bandwidth parts. Each 80MHz bandwidth part 2712, 2722, 2732 and 2742 can include a preamble part 2710, 2720, 2730 and 2740 respectively. As described in the present disclosure, for all 80MHz bandwidth parts 2712, 2722, 2732 and 2742, some fields (such as L-STF, L-LTF) of the preamble parts 2710, 2720, 2730 and 2740 can be the same. Some fields, such as L-SIG, RL-SIG, U-SIG, and EHT-SIG, may be different for each 80 MHz bandwidth portion 2712, 2722, 2732, and 2742. The preamble portions 2710, 2720, 2730, and 2740 may describe how resource units in the OFDMA portion 2780 may be allocated. For simplicity, the first preamble portion 2710 is illustrated, but the other preamble portions 2720, 2730, and 2740 will have similar fields, although there may be different content for some fields.

[0208] In some implementations, a device may observe the preamble portion of a single 80MHz portion. For example, a STA that is parked on or monitoring an 80MHz bandwidth portion may obtain signaling from the preamble in the 80MHz bandwidth portion to determine which RUs of the preamble portion 2730 are assigned to it. However, RU assignments may not be limited to the 80MHz bandwidth portion on which the STA is parked or monitored. For example, a STA may monitor the first preamble portion 2710 in the first 80MHz bandwidth portion 2712 of a wireless channel. Based on the signaling in the U-SIG and EHT-SIG in the first 80MHz bandwidth portion of the wireless channel, the STA may determine that the RU assignment for it is assigned within the OFDMA portion 2730 in the second 80MHz bandwidth portion 2722. In some implementations, the EHT-SIG in each 80MHz bandwidth portion may signal all RU assignments for the entire bandwidth of the wireless channel. Alternatively, the EHT-SIG in each 80 MHz bandwidth portion may include signaling for that 80 MHz bandwidth portion and for any RU allocation including STAs camped on that 80 MHz bandwidth portion. To signal RU assignments in other 80 MHz bandwidth portions, the EHT-SIG may be configured based on the 80 MHz bandwidth portion. Figure 28-31 to modify the contents of the EHT-SIG using any of the examples described in . Figure 28-31The examples in are based on RU allocation for OFDMA, with one or more RUs potentially assigned for MU-MIMO. However, some concepts may be applicable to RU allocation for non-OFDMA MU-MIMO.

[0209] Fig.28 An example RU allocation using user-specific fields with RU assignments is shown in accordance with some implementations. The content of the EHT-SIG 2810 may include a common field 2820 and a user-specific field 2850, as described elsewhere in this disclosure. The common field 2820 may also include, among other subfields, a RU allocation 2822. The RU allocation 2822 describes the RU size within the 80 MHz bandwidth portion and the number of users in each RU. Currently, the mapping of user fields to RU allocations is done based on the order of the user fields in the user-specific fields 2850 portion of the EHT-SIG. For example, Fig.28 RU allocation 2822 in indicates that the 80 MHz bandwidth portion includes RU106 shared by 3 users and 5 RU26 assignments with 1 user each. The first three user fields 1–3 2811–2813 can be interpreted as three users sharing RU106, while each of the remaining user fields 4–8 2814–2818 is individually assigned to the next consecutive RU26 in the frequency plan for the 80 MHz bandwidth portion. Therefore, the order of the user fields in the user-specific field 2850 is used together with the RU allocation 2822 to determine which RU is assigned to which user.

[0210] As described herein, the EHT-SIG for one 80MHz bandwidth portion may include an RU allocation subfield and a user field for the 80MHz bandwidth portion, and may also include an RU allocation subfield and a user field for another 80MHz bandwidth portion. For example, this may be useful when a device is stationed on one 80MHz bandwidth portion and the RU assigned to the device is in another 80MHz bandwidth portion. For example, when RU assignments span 80MHz bandwidth boundaries or when multiple RUs are assigned to a particular device, including RU allocation subfields and user fields for other 80MHz bandwidth portions may also be useful.

[0211] Fig.29 An example RU allocation using user fields to maintain RU assignment order according to some implementations is shown. Fig.28As described, when any user camps on an 80 MHz bandwidth portion, the EHT-SIG for that 80 MHz bandwidth portion will include an RU assignment for that user, even if the RU assignment is in a different 80 MHz bandwidth portion. To include the RU assignment for that user, the RU allocation subfield 2922 may include an RU allocation value that defines the RU size and the number of users per RU in another 80 MHz bandwidth portion. To maintain the order of the user field and the relationship between the RU allocation subfields, in some implementations, whenever the EHT-SIG includes a RU allocation subfield in a different 80 MHz bandwidth portion, the EHT-SIG may also include a user field for that RU allocation subfield. By using Fig.29 In the example of FIG. 1 , the RU allocation subfield 2922 of the 20 MHz subchannel in the first 80 MHz bandwidth portion is for a different 80 MHz bandwidth portion, but defines the same Fig.28 Even if the STA defined in User Field 4 2914 is not stationed on the first 80 MHz bandwidth portion, the user-specific fields may include User Field 4 292914 in the user-specific fields so that the order of the user fields matches the RU allocation subfield.

[0212] Fig.30 3022 may carry a RU allocation subfield that describes a 20 MHz subchannel in a second 80 MHz bandwidth portion. Fig.29 The RU allocation subfield 3022 may be defined with an "unassigned" indicator for a particular RU. Fig.30 The example in FIG. 2 shows that the first RU 26 is unassigned (0 in the RU allocation value, which indicates zero users or unassigned RUs). When a RU is unassigned, the user field that would otherwise be included for the RU can be omitted from the user-specific fields. Fig.30 As shown in FIG. 1 , the first RU 26 is unassigned and the User Field 4 2914 may be omitted from the user-specific fields.

[0213] The RU allocation table may be extended to indicate unassigned or omitted RUs in addition to different sizes of RUs and the number of users per RU. In some implementations, the RU allocation field of the EHT-SIG may be extended to include subfields indicating which RUs are assigned or unassigned. These variations may be used to reduce the number of user fields included in the user-specific field portion of the EHT-SIG.

[0214] Fig.31 An example RU allocation is shown according to some implementations, where the RU assignment is included in the user field. Fig.31 The illustrated and described techniques include the RU assignment for each user in its corresponding user field, rather than including the RU allocation field (not shown) in the common field 2620 of the EHT-SIG 3110. The user-specific field 3150 of the EHT-SIG 3110 may include a user field containing the RU assignment for each user. The first user field 1 3110 includes the RU assignment for the first user, the second user field 2 3112 includes the RU assignment for the second user, and so on. In this example implementation, the order of the user fields can be modified as needed because the order is no longer related to the RU assignment value in the common field. Some potential new subfields that may be included in each user field may include the RU assignment and the MU-MIMO indicator (to indicate whether the RU assignment is for MU-MIMO or non-MU-MIMO), the NSTS and starting stream index of the user (when MU-MIMO is used), and so on.

[0215] To accommodate potential RU assignments that may be included in the per-user field, each RU within the entire bandwidth of the wireless channel may be given a different lookup value. Fig.33 Some RU size options are included. For example, for a total 320MHz PPDUBW, there may be 343 options for RU size and location within the 320MHz channel bandwidth (148 26-tone RUs, 64 52-tone RUs, 16 78-tone RUs, 32 106-tone RUs, 16 132-tone RUs, 16 242-tone RUs, 8 484-tone RUs, 16 726-tone RUs, 4 996-tone RUs, 8 (996+484)-tone RUs, 2 2x996-tone RUs, 4 3x996-tone RUs, 8 (3x996+484)-tone RUs, and 1 4x996-tone RU). In addition, in some implementations, there may be 115 options for different MU-MIMO RUs (if RU sizes of RU106 and above are available for MU-MIMO transmission). Therefore, a different 9-bit value (maximum 512 values) may be used to identify each different possible RU or aggregated RU within the PPDU BW of the 320MHz channel bandwidth. In another implementation, a 9-bit value (maximum 512 values) may be used to identify each different possible RU or aggregated RU assigned to a single user within the PPDU BW, as well as each different possible RU or aggregated RU assigned to multiple users for performing MU-MIMO transmissions.

[0216] In some implementations, the RU allocation table may support partial bandwidth MU-MIMO. Partial bandwidth MU-MIMO refers to the allocation of RUs that allow MU-MIMO for a portion of the bandwidth of the PPDU. Other parts of the same PPDU may be used for non-MU-MIMO OFDMA RUs. Therefore, such a PPDU may include a combination of MU-MIMO RUs and non-MU-MIMO OFDMA RUs. In order to signal such RUs, the present disclosure includes some design options or simplified rules that can be applied in some implementations. For example, simplified rules may reduce the number of RU allocation options or only reduce RU allocation signaling. In some implementations, these simplified rules may only be applied when the PPDU includes partial bandwidth MU-MIMO RUs. For example, in a PPDU that does not include partial bandwidth MU-MIMO or uses full bandwidth MU-MIMO, simplified rules may not be required. For full BW MU-MIMO (with or without perforated channels), up to 16 users can be supported without the use of a dedicated RU allocation table. At the same time, when the PPDU includes partial bandwidth MU-MIMO, the dedicated RU allocation table can be based on simplified rules. When fractional bandwidth MU-MIMO is present in the PPDU, a dedicated RU allocation table may be applied to both uplink traffic and downlink traffic.

[0217] The example simplification rules proposed in the present disclosure may include the minimum PPDU BW size permitted to support partial bandwidth MU-MIMO in the same PPDU. For example, partial bandwidth MU-MIMO may be permitted only in PPDUs whose bandwidth exceeds a threshold size. In some implementations, the minimum PPDU bandwidth that can support partial bandwidth MU-MIMO may be a 40MHz bandwidth or an 80MHz bandwidth. A PPDU with a PPDU BW less than the minimum bandwidth may not support partial bandwidth MU-MIMO. Instead, it may use the EHT-SIG compression mode for full bandwidth MU-MIMO (with or without perforated channels), or an RU allocation table for OFDMA only. By setting the minimum PPDU BW for supporting partial bandwidth PPDUs, RU allocation signaling can be simplified for various options for MU-MIMO and OFDMA RUs that will be used for higher bandwidth PPDUs. In some implementations, the minimum PPDU BW for supporting partial bandwidth MU-MIMO may be a configurable setting. Setting the minimum PPDU BW to support fractional bandwidth MU-MIMO to 20MHz bandwidth can effectively disable this rule, as all PPDU BWs will support fractional BW MU-MIMO. However, setting the minimum PPDU BW to 40MHz bandwidth or 80MHz bandwidth can cause a different RU allocation table to be used.

[0218] Another example simplified rule proposed in the present disclosure may include a minimum RU size that can be allocated to partial bandwidth MU-MIMO. For example, the minimum RU size may be RU 242. In some implementations, the minimum RU size for use with MU-MIMO may depend on the bandwidth of the PPDU. For example, for a 240MHz bandwidth (or 320MHz bandwidth) PPDU, the minimum RU size for MU-MIMO may be RU484. For a PPDU with a smaller PPDU BW size (less than 240MHz bandwidth), the minimum RU size for MU-MIMO may be RU242. The determination of the minimum RU size for MU-MIMO may be fixed or may be dynamic. For example, in a fixed configuration, the minimum RU size for MU-MIMO may be the same, regardless of the PPDU BW. In a dynamic configuration, the minimum RU size for MU-MIMO may be adjusted based on the PPDU BW. In some implementations, the minimum RU size for MU-MIMO may be determined as a fraction of the PPDU BW (PBW) size. For example, the minimum RU size may be one eighth of the PBW size. In some implementations, there may be a lower limit, such as RU 242. Table 2 summarizes some example minimum RU sizes for partial BW MU-MIMO using this example simplified rule.

[0219]

[0220]

[0221] Table 2. Minimum RU size for partial BW MU-MIMO based on simplified rules

[0222] Option 1: Minimum PPDU BW = 40MHz, Minimum RU size = RU106 (+ allowed RU132)

[0223] Option 1a: Dynamic minimum RU size = 1 / 8 PPDU BW, where the lower limit of the minimum RU size is RU106 (i.e., minimum RU size = max(PPDU BW / 8, RU106))

[0224] 240 / 160+80MHz PPDU uses the minimum RU size of RU484

[0225] Option 1b: Static minimum RU size = RU106 (regardless of PPDU BW)

[0226] Option 2: Minimum PPDU BW = 80MHz, Minimum RU size = RU242

[0227] Option 2a: Dynamic minimum RU size = 1 / 8 PBW, where the lower limit of the minimum RU size is RU242 (i.e., minimum RU size = max(PBW / 8, RU242))

[0228] 240 / 160+80MHz PPDU uses the minimum RU size of RU484

[0229] Option 2b: Dynamic minimum RU size = 1 / 4 PBW

[0230] Option 2c: Static minimum RU size = RU242 (regardless of PPDU BW)

[0231] Option 3: Minimum PPDU BW = 40MHz, Minimum RU size = RU242

[0232] Option 3a: Dynamic minimum RU size = 1 / 8 PBW, where the lower limit of the minimum RU size is RU242 (i.e., minimum RU size = max(PBW / 8, RU242))

[0233] 240 / 160+80MHz PPDU uses the minimum RU size of RU484

[0234] Option 3b: Dynamic minimum RU size = 1 / 4PBW, where the lower limit of the minimum RU size is RU242 (i.e., minimum RU size = max(PBW / 4,RU242))

[0235] Option 3c: Static minimum RU size = RU242 (regardless of PPDU BW)

[0236] Another example simplified rule proposed in the present disclosure may include a minimum RU size that can be allocated to non-MU-MIMO users in a PPDU that includes a mix of MU-MIMO and OFDMA RUs. This minimum RU size can be used for OFDMA segments. In some implementations, the minimum RU size allocated to a single user may be the same as the minimum RU size for MU-MIMO. For example, the minimum RU size allocated to a single user may be RU242. In some implementations, the allocation of OFDMA segments may allow only a defined list of standard OFDMA modes within the OFDMA segment of the PPDU BW. For example, the standard OFDMA mode may be based on the restriction that the size of the OFDMA segment must be at least RU242. In some implementations, additional signaling may be used to split the RU used for the OFDMA segment into 2 or 4 RUs, each RU for one OFDMA user.

[0237] The example simplification rules described herein can be used independently or combined in various combinations.

[0238] The present disclosure includes design options for a compressed EHT-SIG that may follow the U-SIG. For example, the compressed EHT-SIG may be used when the EHT-SIG follows the U-SIG formatted for the unified SU / MU PPDU frame format. Other uses of the compressed EHT-SIG may be related to the MU PPDU. In some implementations, the size of the compressed EHT-SIG may be reduced by omitting the RU allocation subfield in the EHT-SIG common field or using a reduced size RU allocation subfield for the EHT-SIG common field.

[0239] Fig.32A A first example table 3200 is shown having different options for compression modes (including no compression mode) that may be used in the EHT-SIG. The use of different compression modes may depend on the type of communication in the PPDU (such as SU, non-OFDMA MU-MIMO, or OFDMA) and the puncturing of subchannels within the PPDU BW. The PPDU type may be a MU PPDU as indicated in the U-SIG. Alternatively or additionally, the SU or non-OFDMA MU-MIMO designation may be determined by the "Number of EHT-SIG Symbols" field, which may be interpreted as the number of non-OFDMA users (the value indicated in this field may be the number of non-OFDMA users minus 1). A value of "0" in the "Number of EHT-SIG Symbols" field may indicate that the PPDU is for SU transmission. A SU will have only one per-user EHT-SIG field for a non-MU-MIMO allocation format (even for punctured transmissions). In yet another implementation, if the SU PPDU is a separate PPDU type, the compression mode may be defined only for non-OFDMA MU-MIMO.

[0240] When the PPDU is directed to a single user or non-OFDMA MU-MIMO transmission is used, the first compression mode ("compression mode 1") may be used in PPDUs on unpunctured (full bandwidth) wireless channels. In compression mode 1, the RU allocation information in the common field (of the EHT-SIG) may be omitted.

[0241] When the PPDU is directed to a single user or non-OFDMA MU-MIMO transmission is used, a second compression mode ("Compression Mode 2") may be used in a PPDU on a perforated wireless channel. In Compression Mode 2, the RU allocation information in the common field (of the EHT-SIG) may be replaced with perforated channel information. The perforated channel information may have a granularity of 20MHz bandwidth. For example, the RU allocation information in the common field (of the EHT-SIG) may be replaced with a perforated channel bitmap of other 80MHz segments (different from where the EHT-SIG is located). The perforation information for the 80MHz segment (which carries the EHT-SIG) will be indicated by the PPDU BW indicator in the U-SIG. Therefore, Compression Mode 2 may permit the communication of information about perforations in the current 80MHz segment of the wireless channel as well as in other 80MHz segments.

[0242] In some implementations, if the PPDU BW is 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 80 MHz, the punctured channel bitmap may be omitted. If the PPDU BW is 160 MHz or 80 + 80 MHz, the punctured channel bitmap may be 4 bits. If the PPDU BW is 240 MHz or 160 + 80 MHz, the punctured channel bitmap may be 8 bits. If the PPDU BW is 320 MHz or 160 + 160 MHz, the punctured channel bitmap may be 12 bits. In some implementations, such as when the [1 2 1 2] structure is used with EHT-SIG parallelization, the punctured channel bitmap may be half the size.

[0243] When OFDMA is used, neither compression mode 1 nor compression mode 2 will be used. In a full-bandwidth PPDU, OFDMA signaling may not require a perforated channel bitmap. When OFDMA is used in a PPDU on a wireless channel with perforated subchannels, RU allocation can be based on a shifted frequency modulation plan or an updated RU allocation table. For example, an updated frequency modulation plan (with shifted RUs) can support different perforation patterns. The perforated channel bitmap can support indications of perforations in other 80MHz segments (different from the 80MHz segments used for this EHT-SIG). The perforated channel bitmap can support a granularity of 20MHz perforation. The updated frequency modulation plan can be based on the perforated channel bitmap. Alternatively, the RU allocation table may be revised to include 1-2 bits for indicating the use of an updated frequency modulation plan. In another alternative, the per-user field may be updated to include bits for indicating the use of an updated frequency modulation plan (with RU shift). In some implementations, the same perforated channel bitmap used with compression mode 2 may be used. In some implementations, such as when the frequency plan for 80MHz segmentation uses a replicated HE40 frequency plan or a new EHT80 frequency plan, the puncturing of subchannels does not change the OFDMA frequency plan, and punctured channel signaling may not be required in the EHT-SIG common field. In some implementations, the same RU allocation subfield design can be used for both full bandwidth OFDMA and OFDMA with punctured subchannels.

[0244] In some implementations, the RU allocation table may be reduced by limiting some of the options for RU allocation that can be made (in the EHT-SIG common RU allocation subfield or in the per-user RU allocation subfield). Depending on the limitations on the RU allocation options, the number of bits required to signal the RU allocation may change.

[0245] Fig.32B A second example table is shown with different options for compression modes that can be used in the EHT-SIG, including compression modes for PPDUs that include fractional bandwidth MU-MIMO. The use of different compression modes may depend on the type of communication in the PPDU (such as SU, non-OFDMA MU-MIMO, or OFDMA), the puncturing of subchannels within the PPDU BW, and whether the PPDU includes a fractional bandwidth MU-MIMO portion. A first compression mode ("Compression Mode 1") may be used in a PPDU on an unpunctured (full bandwidth) wireless channel when the PPDU is directed to a single user or using non-OFDMA MU-MIMO transmission. In compression mode 1, the RU allocation information in the common field (of the EHT-SIG) may be omitted.

[0246] When the PPDU is directed to a single user or non-OFDMA MU-MIMO transmission is used, a second compression mode ("compression mode 2") may be used in PPDUs on perforated wireless channels. In compression mode 2, the RU allocation information in the common field (of the EHT-SIG) may be replaced with perforated channel information.

[0247] When the PPDU includes OFDMA, neither compression mode 1 nor compression mode 2 may be used. In contrast, a third compression mode ("compression mode 3") may be used with a PPDU that includes fractional bandwidth MU-MIMO RUs. A fourth compression mode ("compression mode 4") may be used with a PPDU that includes only OFDMA RUs and does not include any MU-MIMO RUs. In compression mode 4, each RU may be assigned to no more than one user, and RUs may not be assigned for MU-MIMO. Thus, compression mode 3 supports a mix of OFDMA and MU-MIMO, and compression mode 4 may be used for a PPDU that is only OFDMA. The use of different compression modes may simplify signaling regarding RU allocation.

[0248] Fig.32C A third example table is shown having different options for compression modes that may be used in the EHT-SIG. The use of different compression modes may depend on the type of communication in the PPDU (such as SU, non-OFDMA MU-MIMO, or OFDMA). When the PPDU is directed to a single user, a first compression mode ("Compression Mode 1") may be used in the PPDU. In compression mode 1, the RU allocation information in the common field (of the EHT-SIG) may be omitted, and only the total number of non-OFDMA users is signaled in all 20MHz subchannels in the EHT-SIG common field. When the PPDU is a non-OFDMA MU-MIMO transmission, a second compression mode ("Compression Mode 2") may be used in the PPDU. In compression mode 2, the RU allocation information in the common field (of the EHT-SIG) may be omitted, and only the total number of non-OFDMA users is signaled in all 20MHz subchannels in the EHT-SIG common field. When the PPDU includes OFDMA, neither compression mode 1 nor compression mode 2 may be used.

[0249] Fig.32DA fourth example table is shown with different options for compression modes that can be used in the EHT-SIG. The use of compression mode may depend on the type of communication in the PPDU (such as SU, non-OFDMA MU-MIMO, or OFDMA). A first compression mode ("Compression Mode 1") may be used in the PPDU when the PPDU is directed to a single user or is a non-OFDMA MU-MIMO transmission. In compression mode 1, the RU allocation information in the common field (of the EHT-SIG) may be omitted, and only the total number of non-OFDMA users is signaled in all 20MHz subchannels in the EHT-SIG common field. When the PPDU includes OFDMA, no compression mode may be used.

[0250] The present disclosure includes some options for the RU allocation subfield with a reduced size of the EHT-SIG. In some implementations, the compressed EHT-SIG may use a [1,2,1,2] content channel structure similar to IEEE 802.11ax. However, the EHT-SIG structure for channel bandwidths up to 160 MHz may be the same as the SIG-B structure defined for IEEE 802.11ax. However, for channel bandwidths exceeding 160 MHz, the RU allocation subfield with a reduced size of the EHT-SIG may be used to manage overhead. For example, for 320 MHz, the RU allocation subfield with a reduced size of the EHT-SIG may include a 5-bit value (instead of an 8-bit value originally used to signal each size of the RU allocation).

[0251] In a first example option, the minimum RU size may be RU52. MU-MIMO may be allowed only for RU sizes >= RU242. Each 20 MHz center RU26 may be used only if it is aggregated with adjacent RU106.

[0252] In a second example option, the minimum RU size may be RU106. MU-MIMO may be allowed only for RU size >= RU242. Each 20 MHz center RU26 may be assigned separately.

[0253] In each 80MHz within EHT 80MHz, 160MHz, or 320MHz, there are other possible small RU aggregation modes. For example, in the first and third 20MHz subchannels, the aggregation may include [RU106+26, RU106]. In the second and fourth 20MHz subchannels, the aggregation may include [RU106, RU26+106]. In some implementations, the RU allocation table may assume a minimum RU52 size, and MU-MIMO is used for RU242 and larger RUs. In another example variant, the RU allocation table may use a minimum RU106 size with an aggregation mode option. The aggregation mode may depend on which 20MHz within each 80MHz. The center RU26 (C-RU26) in each 20MHz may be aggregated with adjacent RU106. The aggregation mode depends on which 20MHz within each 80MHz. Other variations may be possible. For example, each RU allocation subfield in the EHT-SIG may be in uncompressed mode and include up to 8 or 9 bits. However, by removing some RU allocation options, it is possible to add new RU allocation options for newly defined aggregated RUs in 11be or higher bandwidths. In addition, in some implementations, the revised RU allocation table may implement some further optimizations or conventions for MU-MIMO signaling. For example, by limiting the minimum RU allocation size for MU-MIMO RUs to RU242 or larger, the RU allocation table can be extended to include larger bandwidth RU options and MU-MIMO for up to 16 users without increasing the total size of the RU allocation table. In some options, aggregated RUs may also be used to support different RU sizes.

[0254] In some implementations, the RU allocation table may be modified to limit some options while adding new options. For example, each RU allocation subfield in the EHT-SIG may be in uncompressed mode and include up to 8 or 9 bits. However, by removing some RU allocation options, it is possible to add new RU allocation options for newly defined aggregated RUs in 11be or higher bandwidths. In addition, in some implementations, the revised RU allocation table may implement some further optimizations or conventions for MU-MIMO signaling. For example, by limiting the minimum RU allocation size for MU-MIMO RU to RU242 or larger, the RU allocation table may be extended to include larger bandwidth RU options and MU-MIMO for up to 16 users without increasing the total size of the RU allocation table. In some options, aggregated RUs may also be used to support different RU sizes. The updated RU allocation table may be used for RU allocation values ​​filled in the RU allocation subfield (in the EHT-SIG). Alternatively, as further described below, the updated RU allocation table may be used for RU assignments and MU-MIMO indications in the self-contained user field of the EHT-SIG. In some implementations, MU-MIMO transmissions may support up to 16 users without the RU Allocation subfield in the EHT-SIG Common. This may include MU-MIMO transmissions with or without puncturing. The MU-MIMO configuration may be signaled in the Per-User RU Allocation subfield of the User field. When the RU allocation (with or without the MU-MIMO indicator) is included in the Per-User RU Allocation subfield of the User field, the User field may be referred to as a self-contained User field, similar to the referenced Fig.31 When the EHT-SIG includes the Self-Contained Users field, the EHT-SIG Common may not include the RU Allocation subfield. Instead, the RU allocation information (and frequency allocation) is included in the Self-Contained Users field. In some implementations, the EHT-SIG Common may be revised to include the total number of users and the total number of spatial streams (N) for MU-MIMO RUs. sts,total ).

[0255] The RU allocation table may include an entry for the RU allocation subfield of the EHT-SIG that supports MU-MIMO for up to 16 users for RU242. For larger RUs (such as RUs spanning multiple 20MHz subchannels), 16 users may be supported for MU-MIMO because the RU allocation table may be used for each 20MHz. For each 20MHz of a full-bandwidth or perforated-bandwidth PPDU, an 8-bit value for the RU allocation subfield may be included. The example RU allocation table differs from the legacy IEEE 802.11ax RU allocation table because the example RU allocation tables all support MU-MIMO for up to 16 users. In the first example RU allocation table, RU allocation and MU-MIMO information may be combined in the RU allocation table, and the first example RU allocation table may include some aggregated RUs to enable more RU allocation options.

[0256] Each entry in the example RU allocation table (one table per 20MHz within the PPDU BW) indicates what the RUs are in this 20MHz and how many users are in each RU. The example RU allocation table may restrict some MU-MIMO configurations (below RU242) so that the same number of bits (8) can be used to signal the RU allocation options. For PPDUs that include MU-MIMO, the minimum RU size for partial BW MU-MIMO may be RU242 or higher. This is so that 16 users can be signaled with the existing RU allocation subfield size (8 bits).

[0257] In both example RU allocation tables, the number of entries for RU242 is increased from 8 to 16 to support up to 16 users. In some implementations, an entry may be added to the example RU allocation table to indicate the puncturing of a 20MHz subchannel. The advantage of having an entry to indicate puncturing is that if a particular 20MHz subchannel is punctured, the device can determine whether to shift the RU within the tone map. Both example RU allocation tables include additional entries within the 20MHz bandwidth. For example, the example RU allocation table adds 11 entries associated with RU78 and 10 entries associated with RU132 within the 20MHz bandwidth. The example RU allocation table includes additional entries to support bandwidths greater than 20MHz. For example, the example RU allocation table adds 18 entries associated with RU768 (242+484 or 484+242) to support additional options for RUs greater than 40Mhz. For another example, the example RU allocation table adds 54 entries related to RU (484+996 or 996+484), 9 entries related to RU2x996, and 9 entries related to RU3x996. These new entries are added so that RU allocation can be performed for larger bandwidths (greater than 80MHz or 160MHz bandwidth). The example RU allocation table may include additional entries to support additional options for bandwidths greater than 20MHz in the RU allocation table using more aggregation mode options. For example, the example RU allocation table adds 18 entries related to RU (484+2x996, 996+484+996, 2x996+484) and 18 entries related to RU (484+3x996).

[0258] In some implementations, the RU allocation table may support aggregated RUs, which are referred to as combinations of smaller RU sizes. For example, a 484-tone RU and a 996-tone RU may be combined to form an aggregated RU, referred to as a (484+996)-tone RU or a (996+484)-tone RU. To support larger aggregated RUs, the RU allocation subfield in the EHT-SIG common field may have a first entry and up to 8 other entries. The first entry indicates that the current 20 MHz is inside a (size A)-tone RU within an aggregated RU (such as a (size A+size B)-tone RU), and there is no user field associated with this RU allocation subfield in the EHT-SIG. In the RU allocation table including aggregated RUs, the (size A+size B)-tone RU and the (size B+size A)-tone RU (e.g., (484+996)-tone RU and (996+484)-tone RU) have different values. The "size A" RU component is in a lower frequency band, while the "size B" RU component is in a higher frequency band.

[0259] As previously described, when the wireless channel is full bandwidth or punctured, the content of the EHT-SIG common field may depend on the compression mode option for the PPDU. In addition, the size of the EHT-SIG common field may be adjusted based on the PPDU BW. Table 3 shows the size of the EHT-SIG based on the PPDU BW for 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, 240MHz, and 320MHz bandwidths.

[0260]

[0261] Table 3: EHT-SIG common field size

[0262] In addition to other details, Table 3 shows the number of RU allocation subfields in the EHT-SIG common. Each RU allocation subfield is 8 bits and can be used to signal RU allocation within a 20MHz bandwidth. Therefore, when the PPDU BW is 320MHz, up to 16 RU allocation subfields may be included in the EHT-SIG common to indicate RU allocation for the full bandwidth. In some implementations, when 11ax (similar to the [1 2 1 2] content channel structure) is used, the RU allocation subfield can be parallelized into two content channels, and the size of the common field in each content channel changes. Table 3 also shows the number of bits of the perforated channel bitmap used to indicate which subchannels are perforated.

[0263] In compressed mode, the user field may not include per-user RU allocation information. When the EHT-SIG common includes the RU allocation subfield, the user field may not include per-user RU allocation information. However, the EHT-SIG common user field can be adjusted to support up to 16 spatial streams for non-MU-MIMO and MU-MIMO. Examples of the user field are shown below as Table 4 (for non-MU-MIMO allocation), Table 5 (for non-MU-MIMO using MCS with DCM parameters), and Table 6 (for MU-MIMO allocation).

[0264] Subfield Number of bits STA-ID 11 NSTS 4 Beamforming 1 MCS 4 DCM 1 coding 1

[0265] Table 4: User fields for non-MU-MIMO allocations

[0266]

[0267]

[0268] Table 5: User fields for non-MU-MIMO allocations (where DCM and BPSK modulation are reflected in the MCS value)

[0269] Subfield Number of bits STA-ID 11 Space Configuration 6-8 MCS 4 coding 1

[0270] Table 6: User fields for MU-MIMO allocation

[0271] NSTS (in Table 4) can be 4 bits so that it can signal a high enough value to support 16 spatial streams. Table 5 Spatial Configuration (in Table 6) can be 6, 7, or 8 bits to support different spatial stream configurations for MU-MIMO, as shown in reference Fig.26 In some implementations, the space in Table 6 is configured as 6 bits, so that the user field is exactly 22 bits. Therefore, the user field for non-MU-MIMO (Table 4) and MU-MIMO (Table 6) can have a consistent size (22 bits) while supporting up to 16 spatial streams.

[0272] When the EHT-SIG includes a self-contained user field, each user field may include RU allocation information. In some implementations, the RU allocation subfield in the EHT-SIG common may not be necessary because the RU allocation information is included in the self-contained user field. Examples of self-contained user fields are shown below as Table 7 (for non-MU-MIMO allocation) and Table 8 (for MU-MIMO allocation).

[0273] Table 7 shows an example format of the Self-Contained User Field when RU allocation is for non-MU-MIMO allocation.

[0274]

[0275]

[0276] Table 7. Example format of the User field for non-MU-MIMO allocations

[0277] Table 8 shows an example format of the User field when RU is allocated for MU-MIMO allocation.

[0278]

[0279]

[0280] Table 8. Example format of the User field for MU-MIMO assignments

[0281] Table 9 shows an example format of the user field with a unified format supporting non-MU-MIMO or MU-MIMO allocation.

[0282]

[0283]

[0284] Table 9. Example unified format of user fields for non-MU-MIMO or MU-MIMO allocations

[0285] In some implementations, it is possible to combine RU allocation information with MU-MIMO information. For example, in IEEE 802.11ax, not all RUs perform MU-MIMO. RU26 and RU52 may be assigned only to a single user (SU) and not to multiple users performing MU-MIMO. Only RUs of a certain size (such as RU106 or RU242) and larger RUs may be assigned to multiple users for MU-MIMO.

[0286] If similar restrictions are used in IEEE 802.11be, it is possible to signal the RU allocation and MU-MIMO indication as a combined 9-bit value, as in Fig.33 For channel bandwidths up to 320 MHz, 458 RUs are possible in non-MU-MIMO mode and RU aggregation mode. See Fig.33 to obtain a list of various RU allocations and MU-MIMO options (and their potential bit lengths) for other bandwidth sizes. If only RU106 and larger RUs (32+16+8+4+2+1=63) and RU aggregation mode (using RU106 and larger RUs) are allowed to be allocated for MU-MIMO mode, the total number of RUs and combinations will be less than 512. Therefore, with restrictions imposed on smaller RUs, 9 bits may be sufficient to represent a combination of different RUs and MU-MIMO and non-MU-MIMO indications within a 320 MHz bandwidth. In addition, in another implementation, with restrictions imposed on smaller RUs, 9 bits may be sufficient to represent a combination of different RUs and RU aggregation modes and MU-MIMO and non-MU-MIMO indications within a 320 MHz bandwidth. Table 10 shows an example format of the user field when the RU allocation and MU-MIMO indicator are represented by a combined indicator and the user field is used for non-MU-MIMO allocations.

[0287]

[0288]

[0289] Table 10. Example format of the User field for non-MU-MIMO allocation with combined RU allocation

[0290] Table 11 shows an example format of the user field when RU allocation and the MU-MIMO indicator are represented by a combined indicator and the user field is used for MU-MIMO allocation.

[0291]

[0292]

[0293] Table 11. Example format of the user field for MU-MIMO allocation with combined RU allocation

[0294] Table 12 shows an example format of a user field using a unified format when RU allocation and MU-MIMO indicator are represented by a combined indicator.

[0295]

[0296] Table 12. Example unified format of user fields using combined RU allocation and MU-MIMO allocation

[0297] In some implementations, self-contained user fields (such as any of those described in Tables 7-12) may be formatted to have a consistent length (such as 31 or 32 bits). In a self-contained user field design, the number of reserved bits or the length of various indicators may be varied to achieve a consistent bit length for each user field.

[0298] Fig.33 Table 3310 shows the number of per-user RU assignment options when the self-contained user field is used in the EHT-SIG. The table shows the RU types that can be assigned within different channel bandwidth (CBW) options. For example, for a 20MHz channel bandwidth, there may be 9 26-tone RUs, 5 52-tone RUs, 2 78-tone RUs, 2 106-tone RUs, 2 132-tone RUs, and 1 242-tone RU. New RU sizes (based on aggregated RUs) are indicated in italics, such as 78-tone RUs, 132-tone RUs, and the like. Therefore, for a 20MHz CBW, there may be a total of 20 RU options for OFDMA. In addition to non-MU-MIMO OFDMA RU assignment options, the table can be extended to include MU-MIMO options. As described herein, MU-MIMO options can be restricted (such as RU106, RU242, or larger). The example in Table 3310 is based on the restriction that MU-MIMO RUs are assigned to RU106 or larger. For a 20MHz channel bandwidth, there may be up to 5 options for MU-MIMO RU. Therefore, in a 20MHz channel bandwidth, there may be 20 OFDMA RU options and 5 MU-MIMO RU options, for a total of 25 entries in the RU assignment table. The per-user RU assignment information in the self-contained user field can use 5 bits to signal any of the RU options - including whether the RU option is for OFDMA or MU-MIMO.

[0299] Table 3310 shows the total number of entries required in the RU allocation table for different channel bandwidths up to 320 MHz. For example, in a channel bandwidth of 320 (CBW80x4, CBW160+80x2, CBW160x2, or CBW320), there may be a total of 458 entries. Each entry may signal a different OFDMA RU option or MU-MIMO option. Therefore, it may be possible to use 9 bits to signal an OFDMA RU or MU-MIMO RU assignment.

[0300] In some implementations, the number of bits included in the per-user RU assignment information in the self-contained user field may vary depending on the PPDU BW. For example, the PPDU BW field in the U-SIG may indicate that the PPDU bandwidth is CBW20, CBW40, CBW80, CBW80+80, CBW160, CBW80x3, CBW160+80, CBW240, CBW80x4, CBW160+80x2, CBW160x2, or CBW320. Based on the value in the PPDU BW field of the U-SIG, the per-user RU assignment information in the self-contained user field may be 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 bits, respectively, as shown in Table 3310.

[0301] As described previously (ref. Fig.32B ), the signaling for PPDUs supporting partial bandwidth MU-MIMO and OFDMA can be simplified. In compression mode 3, the RU allocation subfield may include signaling for RU allocation within a PPDU that includes both MU-MIMO and OFDMA segments. Some partial BW RUs may be MU-MIMO RUs, while other RUs may be used for OFDMA. By using the simplified rules described in this article, a maximum of 8 MU-MIMO RUs can exist in a PPDU. The RU allocation subfield may include bits that signal the initial split of the PPDU BW into different initial RU parts. Further signaling for each initial RU part may then signal whether the initial RU part is punctured, used for MU-MIMO, or further split into one or more RUs for OFDMA.

[0302] In the example where uncompressed mode is used for the RU allocation subfield, there may be a new RU allocation table with entries optimized to support partial bandwidth MU-MIMO RU allocation. For example, the RU allocation table may include RU allocation options per 20MHz to support flexible combinations of MU-MIMO and OFDMA RU allocations in the PPDU. Table 14 shows the number of bits required to signal unique entries from some example RU allocation tables. For example, the first design option (option 1) for the RU allocation table may support RU106 for MU-MIMO, but not RU132 for MU-MIMO, support only 1 MU-MIMO RU and up to 16 users in a 20MHz bandwidth, or support 2 MU-MIMO RU and up to 4 users in a 20MHz bandwidth. There are 452 entries in the first design option for the RU allocation table. Therefore, 9 bits can be used to signal unique entries in the example RU allocation table with the first design option.

[0305]

[0306]

[0307]

[0308] Total 294

[0309] Table 15. Example RU allocation table

[0310] Table 16 shows the spatial stream configuration design.

[0311]

[0312]

[0313]

[0314]

[0315]

[0316]

[0317]

[0318]

[0319] Table 16 shows the spatial stream configuration design.

[0320] Table 16 shows the reference Fig.26A 6-bit spatial stream configuration is described.

[0321] As used herein, a phrase referring to "at least one" or "one or more" of a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. For example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover the following possibilities: only a, only b, only c, a combination of a and b, a combination of a and c, a combination of b and c, and a combination of a, b, and c.

[0322] The various illustrative components, logic, logic blocks, modules, circuits, operations, and algorithmic processes described in conjunction with the implementations disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, firmware, software, or a combination of hardware, firmware, or software, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents. This interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software has been generally described in terms of their functionality and is illustrated in the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and processes described above. Whether such functionality is implemented in hardware, firmware, or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0323] Various modifications to the implementations described in this disclosure may be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the universal principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein, but should be granted the widest scope consistent with the disclosure, the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0324] In addition, various 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 in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable subcombination. Thus, while features may be described above as functioning in a particular combination and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination may in some cases be removed from the combination, and a claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination, or a variation of a subcombination.

[0325] Similarly, although operations are depicted in a particular order in the accompanying drawings, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, or to perform all the illustrated operations to achieve the desired result. In addition, the accompanying drawings may schematically depict one or more example processes in the form of a flow chart or a flow diagram. However, other operations that are not depicted may be incorporated into the example processes schematically illustrated. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, simultaneously or between any illustrated operations. In some environments, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. In addition, the separation of various system components in the implementation described above should not be understood 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.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication by a wireless communication device, comprising: A packet including a preamble portion and a data portion is received via a wireless channel, the preamble portion including: a universal signal field U-SIG, which includes at least a version identifier and frequency occupancy information, wherein the frequency occupancy information includes a bandwidth field and a punctured channel information field; and a first signal field on one or more subchannels of the wireless channel indicated by one or more of the bandwidth field or the punctured channel information field; and The first signal field on the one or more subchannels of the wireless channel is decoded according to the version identifier and the frequency occupancy information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: The bandwidth field indicates a plurality of subchannels of the wireless channel, and The one or more subchannels of the wireless channel include each of the multiple subchannels according to the indication of the perforated channel information field that no subchannel is perforated, or the one or more subchannels of the wireless channel include fewer than all of the subchannels of the multiple subchannels according to the indication of the perforated channel information field that one or more subchannels of the multiple subchannels are perforated.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the bandwidth field indicates a plurality of subchannels of the wireless channel and the punctured channel information field includes a value indicating which one or more of the plurality of subchannels of the wireless channel are punctured.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the punctured channel information field comprises a bitmap, each bit of the bitmap indicating whether an associated subchannel of a plurality of subchannels of the wireless channel is punctured.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein each bit is associated with a single corresponding 20 MHz subchannel of the plurality of subchannels.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the wireless channel comprises a plurality of 80 MHz subchannels and wherein the punctured channel information field comprises a respective bit map for each of the plurality of 80 MHz subchannels, each bit of the bit map indicating whether an associated subchannel of the respective 80 MHz subchannel is punctured.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal field comprises one or more overflow bits associated with one or more fields of the U-SIG.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal field indicates one or more resource allocations for a single wireless communication device or a plurality of wireless communication devices.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal field is included in one or more content channels within the one or more subchannels of a plurality of subchannels of the wireless channel.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more content channels include a first content channel repeated within a first subchannel and a third subchannel of the one or more subchannels of the wireless channel, and a second content channel repeated within a second subchannel and a fourth subchannel of the one or more subchannels of the wireless channel.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the perforated channel information field indicates that at least one of the one or more subchannels of the wireless channel is a perforated subchannel, and the at least one perforated subchannel does not include a repetition of the first content channel or the second content channel.

12. A wireless communication device, comprising: at least one modem configured to communicate via a wireless channel; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one modem; as well as at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code that, when executed by the at least one processor in conjunction with the at least one modem, is configured to: obtaining, via the at least one modem, a packet comprising a preamble portion and a data portion, the preamble portion comprising: a universal signal field U-SIG, which includes at least a version identifier and frequency occupancy information, wherein the frequency occupancy information includes a bandwidth field and a punctured channel information field; and a first signal field on one or more subchannels of the wireless channel indicated by one or more of the bandwidth field or the punctured channel information field; and The first signal field on the one or more subchannels of the wireless channel is decoded according to the version identifier and the frequency occupancy information.

13. A wireless communication device as described in claim 12, wherein the bandwidth field includes a value indicating the following: the one or more subchannels of a plurality of subchannels of the wireless channel, the perforated channel information field is not present, and at least a portion of the first signal field is on each of the one or more subchannels.

14. The wireless communication device of claim 12, wherein the punctured channel information field comprises a value indicating which of the one or more subchannels of a plurality of subchannels of the wireless channel are punctured.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 12, wherein the punctured channel information field comprises a bitmap, each bit of the bitmap indicating whether an associated subchannel of a plurality of subchannels of the wireless channel is punctured.

16. The wireless communication device of claim 15, wherein each bit is associated with a single corresponding 20 MHz subchannel of the plurality of subchannels.

17. The wireless communication device of claim 16, wherein the wireless channel comprises a plurality of 80 MHz subchannels and wherein the punctured channel information field comprises a respective bit map for each of the plurality of 80 MHz subchannels, each bit of the bit map indicating whether an associated subchannel of the respective 80 MHz subchannel is punctured.

18. The wireless communication device of claim 12, wherein the first signal field comprises one or more overflow bits associated with one or more fields of the U-SIG.

19. The wireless communication device of claim 12, wherein the first signal field is included in one or more content channels within the one or more subchannels of a plurality of subchannels of the wireless channel.

20. A wireless communication device as described in claim 19, wherein the one or more content channels include a first content channel repeated in a first subchannel and a third subchannel of the one or more subchannels of the wireless channel, and a second content channel repeated in a second subchannel and a fourth subchannel of the one or more subchannels of the wireless channel.

21. The wireless communication device of claim 20, wherein the perforated channel information field indicates that at least one of the one or more subchannels of the wireless channel is a perforated subchannel, and the at least one perforated subchannel does not include a repetition of the first content channel or the second content channel.

22. A mobile station, comprising: A wireless communication device, the wireless communication device comprising: at least one modem; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one modem; and at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code that, when executed by the at least one processor in conjunction with the at least one modem, is configured to: A packet including a preamble portion and a data portion is received via a wireless channel, the preamble portion including: a universal signal field U-SIG, which includes at least a version identifier and frequency occupancy information, wherein the frequency occupancy information includes a bandwidth field and a punctured channel information field; and a first signal field on one or more subchannels of the wireless channel indicated by one or more of the bandwidth field or the punctured channel information field; and decoding the first signal field on the one or more subchannels of the wireless channel according to the version identifier and the frequency occupancy information; 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 to wirelessly receive signals for input into the at least one transceiver; and A housing encloses the at least one modem, the at least one processor, the at least one memory, the at least one transceiver, and at least a portion of the at least one antenna.

23. A wireless communication device, comprising: A processing system comprising processor circuitry and memory circuitry storing code, the processing system being configured to cause the wireless communication device to: receiving, via at least a portion of a wireless channel, a packet including a preamble portion and a data portion, the preamble portion comprising: a universal signal field U-SIG replicated on each subchannel in a first subset of subchannels of the wireless channel, the first subset of subchannels comprising two or more subchannels, and the U-SIG comprising at least a version identifier indicating a version of the packet and frequency occupancy information indicating a bandwidth and perforated channel information of the wireless channel, wherein the two or more subchannels in the first subset of subchannels are determined at least in part based on the bandwidth and the perforated channel information of the wireless channel; and a first signal field encoded in the frequency domain across said first subset of subchannels; and The first signal field on the first subset of subchannels is decoded based on the version identifier and the frequency occupancy information.

24. The wireless communication device of claim 23, wherein the wireless channel spans one or more 80 MHz bandwidth portions, and the first signal field is encoded across two or more 20 MHz sub-channels within a first 80 MHz bandwidth portion.

25. The wireless communication device of claim 24, wherein the starting 20 MHz subchannel within the first 80 MHz bandwidth portion is a lowest 20 MHz subchannel within the 80 MHz bandwidth portion.

26. A wireless communication device as described in claim 23, wherein the wireless channel spans one or more 80 MHz bandwidth portions, and a first instance of the first signal field is encoded across a first 20 MHz subchannel and a second 20 MHz subchannel within a first 80 MHz bandwidth portion, and a second instance of the first signal field is encoded across a third 20 MHz subchannel and a fourth 20 MHz subchannel within the first 80 MHz bandwidth portion.

27. The wireless communication device of claim 26, wherein: When the first 80 MHz bandwidth portion is not punctured, the first 20 MHz subchannel includes a first instance of a first content channel of the first signal field, the second 20 MHz subchannel includes a first instance of a second content channel of the first signal field, the third 20 MHz subchannel includes a second instance of the first content channel, and the fourth 20 MHz subchannel includes a second instance of the second content channel.

28. The wireless communication device of claim 27, wherein to decode the first signal field, the processing system is further configured to cause the wireless communication device to: combining the first instance of the first content channel and the second instance of the first content channel; and The first content channel is decoded using a 20 MHz decoder.

29. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 26, wherein the punctured channel information indicates that one or more of the 20 MHz sub-channels are punctured.

30. The wireless communication device of claim 29, wherein the first content channel and the second content channel are alternately encoded in consecutive 20 MHz sub-channels, and one or more instances of the first content channel or the second content channel are omitted when the corresponding 20 MHz sub-channel is punctured.

31. The wireless communication device of claim 29, wherein the first content channel and the second content channel are alternately encoded in consecutive unpunctured 20 MHz sub-channels.

32. The wireless communication device of claim 23, wherein the packet is formatted according to a multi-user (MU) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) format supporting multiple users including the wireless communication device, and wherein the first signal field further comprises a spatial stream configuration for the wireless communication device.

33. The wireless communication device of claim 32, wherein the spatial stream configuration indicates that at least two spatial streams are configured for the wireless communication device.

34. The wireless communication device of claim 33, wherein the spatial stream configuration indicates that up to 4 spatial streams or up to 8 spatial streams are configured for the wireless communication device, and wherein at least one other user is configured with up to 4 spatial streams or up to 8 spatial streams.

35. The wireless communication device of claim 32, wherein the spatial stream configuration supports up to 16 spatial streams.

36. A method for wireless communication, comprising: receiving, via at least a portion of a wireless channel, a packet including a preamble portion and a data portion, the preamble portion comprising: a universal signal field U-SIG replicated on each subchannel in a first subset of subchannels of the wireless channel, the first subset of subchannels comprising two or more subchannels, and the U-SIG comprising at least a version identifier indicating a version of the packet and frequency occupancy information indicating a bandwidth and perforated channel information of the wireless channel, wherein the two or more subchannels in the first subset of subchannels are determined at least in part based on the bandwidth and the perforated channel information of the wireless channel; and a first signal field encoded in the frequency domain across said first subset of subchannels; and The first signal field on the first subset of subchannels is decoded based on the version identifier and the frequency occupancy information.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the wireless channel spans one or more 80 MHz bandwidth portions, and the first signal field is encoded across two or more 20 MHz sub-channels within a first 80 MHz bandwidth portion.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the starting 20 MHz subchannel within the first 80 MHz bandwidth portion is a lowest 20 MHz subchannel within the 80 MHz bandwidth portion.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein the wireless channel spans one or more 80 MHz bandwidth portions, and a first instance of the first signal field is encoded across a first 20 MHz subchannel and a second 20 MHz subchannel within a first 80 MHz bandwidth portion, and a second instance of the first signal field is encoded across a third 20 MHz subchannel and a fourth 20 MHz subchannel within the first 80 MHz bandwidth portion.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein: When the first 80 MHz bandwidth portion is not punctured, the first 20 MHz subchannel includes a first instance of a first content channel of the first signal field, the second 20 MHz subchannel includes a first instance of a second content channel of the first signal field, the third 20 MHz subchannel includes a second instance of the first content channel, and the fourth 20 MHz subchannel includes a second instance of the second content channel.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the decoding further comprises: combining the first instance of the first content channel and the second instance of the first content channel; as well as The first content channel is decoded using a 20 MHz decoder.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein the punctured channel information indicates that one or more of the 20 MHz sub-channels are punctured.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the first content channel and the second content channel are alternately encoded in consecutive 20 MHz sub-channels, and one or more instances of the first content channel or the second content channel are omitted when the corresponding 20 MHz sub-channel is punctured.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the first content channel and the second content channel are alternately encoded in consecutive unpunctured 20 MHz sub-channels.

45. The method of claim 36, wherein the packet is formatted according to a multi-user (MU) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) format that supports multiple users, and wherein the first signal field further comprises a spatial stream configuration for the wireless communication device.

46. ​​The method of claim 45, wherein the spatial stream configuration indicates that at least two spatial streams are configured for the wireless communication device.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the spatial stream configuration indicates that up to 4 spatial streams or up to 8 spatial streams are configured for the wireless communication device, and wherein at least one other user is configured with up to 4 spatial streams or up to 8 spatial streams.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein the spatial stream configuration supports up to 16 spatial streams.

49. A mobile station comprising: A wireless communication device, the wireless communication device comprising: at least one modem; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one modem; and at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code that, when executed by the at least one processor in conjunction with the at least one modem, is configured to: receiving, via at least a portion of a wireless channel, a packet including a preamble portion and a data portion, the preamble portion comprising: a universal signal field U-SIG replicated on each subchannel in a first subset of subchannels of the wireless channel, the first subset of subchannels comprising two or more subchannels, and the U-SIG comprising at least a version identifier indicating a version of the packet and frequency occupancy information indicating a bandwidth and perforated channel information of the wireless channel, wherein the two or more subchannels in the first subset of subchannels are determined at least in part based on the bandwidth and the perforated channel information of the wireless channel; and a first signal field encoded in the frequency domain across said first subset of subchannels; and decoding the first signal field on the first subset of subchannels according to the version identifier and the frequency occupancy information; 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 to wirelessly receive signals for input into the at least one transceiver; and A housing encloses the at least one modem, the at least one processor, the at least one memory, the at least one transceiver, and at least a portion of the at least one antenna.

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