60GHz physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) format
By mapping the first part of the WLAN communication protocol data unit to multiple subcarriers and sending it on carrier frequencies above 7GHz, the problems of phase noise and path loss in the prior art are solved, achieving higher throughput and wider bandwidth.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202380042730.5
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-05-31
- Filing Date
- 2023-05-11
- Publication Date
- 2025-02-14
AI Technical Summary
The existing WLAN communication protocols face problems of phase noise and path loss at carrier frequencies above 7GHz, making it difficult to achieve enhanced communication features such as higher throughput and wider bandwidth.
By mapping the first portion of the Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) to multiple subcarriers and converting it into a time-varying signal at a subcarrier interval greater than 1.2MHz, it is sent on carrier frequencies above 7GHz .
This method effectively reduces phase noise, improves wireless communication performance at carrier frequencies above 7GHz, supports higher carrier frequencies and wider bandwidth.
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Figure CN119452615A_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] Cross-references
[0002] This patent application claims priority to U.S. patent application No. 17 / 828,085, entitled “60GHZ PHYSICAL LAYER CONVERGENCE PROTOCOL (PLCP) PROTOCOL DATA UNIT (PPDU) FORMATS,” filed by Yang et al. on May 31, 2022, which is assigned to the assignee of this application and is expressly incorporated by reference. Technical Field
[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly, to a physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) format for wireless communications in the 60 GHz frequency band. Background Art
[0004] 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.
[0005] Many existing WLAN communication protocols are designed for wireless communications at carrier frequencies below 7 GHz (such as in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz bands). However, new WLAN communication protocols are being developed to enable enhanced WLAN communication features (such as higher throughput and wider bandwidth) that require even higher carrier frequencies (such as in the 45 GHz or 60 GHz bands). Wireless communications at higher carrier frequencies may suffer from greater phase noise and greater path loss than wireless communications at lower carrier frequencies. Therefore, new packet designs and parameter sets are needed to support wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz, as new WLAN communication protocols can enable enhanced features. Summary of the invention
[0006] 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.
[0007] An innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure can be implemented as a method of wireless communication. The method can be performed by a wireless communication device and can include: mapping a first portion of a physical layer (PHY) convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) to a number (N) of subcarriers, wherein the first portion of the PPDU represents at least a portion of a PHY preamble, the at least a portion of the PHY preamble including a short training field (STF), a long training field (LTF), and one or more signal (SIG) fields immediately following the LTF and carrying information for interpreting the PPDU; at a sampling rate (f) associated with a first subcarrier spacing (SCS) greater than 1.2 MHz. s ) transforms the N subcarriers into a first time-varying signal, wherein the first SCS represents the separation amount between adjacent subcarriers of the N subcarriers in the frequency domain; and s ) is sent on a wireless channel with a bandwidth (BW) associated with the first time-varying signal. In some aspects, the first time-varying signal can be sent on a carrier frequency higher than 7 GHz.
[0008] In some aspects, the PPDU may follow a PPDU format associated with wireless communications on a carrier frequency below 7 GHz. In some implementations, the one or more SIG fields may include a legacy SIG field (L-SIG) and a non-legacy SIG field immediately following the L-SIG. In some other implementations, the one or more SIG fields may include the L-SIG, a repetition of the L-SIG immediately following the L-SIG (RL-SIG), and a non-legacy SIG field immediately following the RL-SIG. In some implementations, the STF and the non-legacy SIG field may each consist of two orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. In some other implementations, the STF may consist of two OFDM symbols repeated in time, and the non-legacy SIG field may consist of four OFDM symbols.
[0009] In some aspects, the PPDU may consist of only the first portion. In some other aspects, the method may also include: mapping the second portion of the PPDU including at least a data field, a packet extension, or one or more training fields (TRNs) to a number (M) of subcarriers; sThe M subcarriers are transformed into a second time-varying signal; and the second time-varying signal is sent on the wireless channel immediately after the first time-varying signal. In some implementations, the one or more SIG fields may consist of a single SIG field, followed by the data field, the packet extension, or the one or more TRNs. In some implementations, the second part of the PPDU may also include one or more additional LTFs. In some implementations, the one or more SIG fields may consist of a single SIG field, followed by one or more additional LTFs.
[0010] In some implementations, M may be equal to N, and BW may be equal to f s In some other implementations, M may be equal to N, and the PPDU may be replicated for transmission on a number (m) of subbands, each subband spanning a respective portion of the bandwidth equal to BW / m, where BW is equal to m*f s In addition, in some implementations, M may be greater than N. In some implementations, the first portion of the PPDU may be replicated for transmission on a number (n) of sub-bands, each sub-band spanning a respective portion of bandwidth equal to BW / n, where BW is equal to f s In some implementations, the transformation of the M subcarriers to the second time-varying signal may generate a second SCS equal to the first SCS, wherein the second SCS represents the amount of separation in the frequency domain between adjacent subcarriers of the M subcarriers. In some other implementations, the transformation of the M subcarriers to the second time-varying signal may generate a second SCS different from the first SCS, wherein the second SCS represents the amount of separation in the frequency domain between adjacent subcarriers of the M subcarriers.
[0011] In some implementations, since the first part of the PPDU is replicated for transmission on the n subbands, the LTF may be sent on the same subcarrier as the second part of the PPDU. In some implementations, the LTF may include a first OFDM symbol and a second OFDM symbol that is identical to the first OFDM symbol. In some other implementations, the LTF may include a first OFDM symbol and a second OFDM symbol, wherein the method further includes: applying a P matrix to the LTF so that the first OFDM symbol is different from the second OFDM symbol. In some implementations, the STF may include a Golay sequence. In some implementations, the information carried in the one or more SIG fields may include an indication of whether the PPDU is associated with a beamforming training operation.
[0012] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure can be implemented in a wireless communication device. In some specific implementations, the wireless communication device may include: at least one memory; and at least one processor, the at least one processor being communicatively coupled to the at least one memory and configured to cause the wireless communication device to perform operations, the operations including: mapping a first portion of a PPDU to a number (N) of subcarriers, wherein the first portion of the PPDU represents at least a portion of a PHY preamble, the at least a portion of the PHY preamble including an STF, an LTF, and one or more SIG fields immediately following the LTF and carrying information for interpreting the PPDU; at a sampling rate (f ) associated with a first sub-SCS greater than 1.2 MHz s ) transforms the N subcarriers into a first time-varying signal, wherein the first SCS represents the separation amount between adjacent subcarriers of the N subcarriers in the frequency domain; and s ) is transmitted on a wireless channel with a bandwidth (BW) associated with the wireless channel.
[0013] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented as a method of wireless communication. The method may be performed by a wireless communication device and may include: mapping a first portion of a PPDU to a number (N) of subcarriers, wherein the first portion of the PPDU represents at least a portion of a PHY preamble, and at least a portion of the PHY preamble includes an STF and one or more SIG fields carrying information for interpreting the PPDU; mapping an LTF of the PHY preamble to a number (M) of subcarriers, wherein the LTF follows the STF in the PHY preamble and precedes the one or more SIG fields, wherein M is greater than N; transforming the N subcarriers and the M subcarriers into a time-varying signal; and sending the time-varying signal over a wireless channel. In some aspects, the wireless channel may be associated with a carrier frequency greater than 7 GHz.
[0014] In some implementations, the method may further include mapping a second portion of the PPDU including at least a data field, a packet extension, or one or more TRNs to the M subcarriers. In some implementations, the N subcarriers and the M subcarriers may be associated with a sampling rate (f s ) into the time-varying signal, wherein the SCS represents the amount of separation in the frequency domain between adjacent subcarriers of the N subcarriers. In some implementations, the first portion of the PPDU may be replicated for transmission on a number (n) of subbands, each subband spanning a corresponding bandwidth portion equal to BW / n.
[0015] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented in a wireless communication device. In some specific implementations, the wireless communication device may include: at least one memory; and at least one processor, the at least one processor being communicatively coupled to the at least one memory and configured to cause the wireless communication device to perform operations, the operations including: mapping a first portion of a PPDU to a number (N) of subcarriers, wherein the first portion of the PPDU represents at least a portion of a PHY preamble, the at least a portion of the PHY preamble including an STF and one or more SIG fields carrying information for deciphering the PPDU; mapping an LTF of the PHY preamble to a number (M) of subcarriers, wherein the LTF follows the STF in the PHY preamble and precedes the one or more SIG fields, wherein M>N; transforming the N subcarriers and the M subcarriers into a time-varying signal; and transmitting the time-varying signal over a wireless channel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The details of one or more specific 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 the description, drawings, and claims. Note that the relative dimensions in the drawings may not be drawn to scale.
[0017] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an example wireless communication network is shown.
[0018] Figure 2A Example protocol data units (PDUs) that may be used for communications between an access point (AP) and one or more wireless stations (STAs) are shown.
[0019] Figure 2B Shows Figure 2A Example fields in a PDU.
[0020] Figure 3 Example physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data units (PPDUs) that may be used for communications between an AP and one or more STAs are shown.
[0021] Figure 4 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device is shown.
[0022] Figure 5A A block diagram of an example AP is shown.
[0023] Figure 5B A block diagram of an example STA is shown.
[0024] Figure 6 An example communication environment including an AP and a STA according to some implementations is shown.
[0025] Figure 7 A block diagram of an example transmit (TX) processing chain for a wireless communication device is shown according to some implementations.
[0026] Figure 8 A block diagram of an example orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) upconversion system is shown, according to some implementations.
[0027] Fig.9A An example PPDU formatted according to the legacy PPDU format is shown.
[0028] Fig. 9B According to some specific implementations, Fig.9A An example upconverted PPDU is depicted in the PPDU format.
[0029] Fig. 9C According to some specific implementations, Fig.9A Another example of a PPDU format is depicted as an up-converted PPDU.
[0030] Fig.9D According to some specific implementations, Fig.9A Another example of a PPDU format is depicted as an up-converted PPDU.
[0031] Fig. 10A An example PPDU formatted according to the legacy PPDU format is shown.
[0032] Fig. 10B According to some specific implementations, Fig. 10A An example upconverted PPDU is depicted in the PPDU format.
[0033] Fig.11A An example PPDU formatted according to the legacy PPDU format is shown.
[0034] Fig. 11B According to some specific implementations, Fig.11A An example upconverted PPDU is depicted in the PPDU format.
[0035] Fig. 11C According to some specific implementations, Fig.11A Another example of a PPDU format is depicted as an up-converted PPDU.
[0036] Fig.11D According to some specific implementations, Fig.11A Another example of a PPDU format is depicted as an up-converted PPDU.
[0037] Fig. 12A An example PPDU formatted according to the legacy PPDU format is shown.
[0038] Fig. 12B According to some specific implementations, Fig. 12A An example upconverted PPDU is depicted in the PPDU format.
[0039] Fig. 12C According to some specific implementations, Fig. 12A Another example of a PPDU format is depicted as an up-converted PPDU.
[0040] Fig.12D According to some specific implementations, Fig. 12A Another example of a PPDU format is depicted as an up-converted PPDU.
[0041] Fig.13A An example PPDU formatted according to the legacy PPDU format is shown.
[0042] Fig. 13B According to some specific implementations, Fig.13A An example upconverted PPDU is depicted in the PPDU format.
[0043] Fig. 13C According to some specific implementations, Fig.13A Another example of a PPDU format is depicted as an up-converted PPDU.
[0044] Fig.13D According to some specific implementations, Fig.13A Another example of a PPDU format is depicted as an up-converted PPDU.
[0045] Fig.14A An example PPDU conforming to the Green Field PPDU format according to some implementations is shown.
[0046] Fig. 14B Another example PPDU following the Green Field PPDU format according to some implementations is shown.
[0047] Fig. 14C Another example PPDU following the Green Field PPDU format according to some implementations is shown.
[0048] Fig.15A An example PPDU conforming to the Green Field PPDU format according to some implementations is shown.
[0049] Fig. 15B Another example PPDU following the Green Field PPDU format according to some implementations is shown.
[0050] Fig. 15CAnother example PPDU following the Green Field PPDU format according to some implementations is shown.
[0051] Fig.16 A flow chart illustrating an example process for wireless communications supporting a 60 GHz PPDU format is shown.
[0052] Fig.17 A flow chart illustrating an example process for wireless communications supporting a 60 GHz PPDU format is shown.
[0053] Fig.18 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device is shown in accordance with some implementations.
[0054] Fig.19 A block diagram of an example wireless communication device is shown in accordance with some implementations.
[0055] The same reference numbers and designations in different drawings represent the same elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0056] The following description is directed to certain specific 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 a variety of different ways. The specific implementations described may 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 in accordance with 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 in accordance with 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.
[0057] As described above, new WLAN communication protocols are being developed to implement enhanced features for wireless communications on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz, such as in the 45 GHz or 60 GHz bands. However, wireless communications on higher carrier frequencies may suffer from greater phase noise and path loss than wireless communications on lower frequency bands. For example, increasing the carrier frequency from 5.8 GHz to 60 GHz results in a 10-fold increase in phase noise. Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that phase noise can be mitigated by increasing the subcarrier spacing (SCS) between modulated subcarriers. Existing WLAN packet formats include an old short training field (L-STF) that is modulated on every 4th subcarrier across a given bandwidth to support carrier frequency offset (CFO) estimates spaced up to 2 subcarriers apart. Aspects of the present disclosure also recognize that the local oscillator (LO) implemented by existing WLAN transmitters and receivers needs to be accurate to ±20ppm. Therefore, existing WLAN architectures can support CFO up to ±40ppm (between transmitter and receiver), which is equivalent to ±2.4MHz in the 60GHz band and ±1.8MHz in the 45GHz band. To support CFO up to ±2.4MHz, the SCS associated with the L-STF should be greater than or equal to 1.2MHz.
[0058] Various aspects generally relate to increasing carrier frequencies for wireless communications in WLANs, and more specifically, to packet designs that support wireless communications on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz. In some aspects, a wireless communication device may map a physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier according to an existing frequency modulation plan associated with a carrier frequency below 7 GHz (also referred to as a "below 7 GHz" frequency modulation plan), and may upconvert the PPDU for transmission on a carrier frequency above 7 GHz. As used herein, the term "upconverting" refers to increasing the frequency of a clock signal used to convert the PPDU between the frequency domain and the time domain (above the frequency (f) associated with an existing frequency modulation plan below 7 GHz). 0 )), and the frequency of the upconversion (f s ) and f 0 The ratio (K) is called the "up-conversion ratio" (where In some aspects, the up-conversion may result in an SCS greater than or equal to 1.2 MHz, where the SCS represents the spacing between subcarriers to which at least a portion of the PPDU (including the L-STF) is mapped. More specifically, the SCS may be greater than or equal to 1.2 MHz due to the up-conversion (SCS U ) can be an SCS associated with the existing sub-7 GHz frequency modulation plan (SCS 0 ), where SCS U =K*SCS0 In some implementations, the up-converted PPDU may follow an existing PPDU format designed for wireless communications below 7 GHz. In some other implementations, the up-converted PPDU may follow a new "green field" PPDU format optimized for wireless communications on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz.
[0059] Specific implementations of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. Aspects of the present disclosure may leverage existing WLAN hardware to increase the carrier frequency over which such PPDUs are sent (such as to the 60 GHz or 45 GHz band) by upconverting PPDUs that are mapped to OFDM subcarriers according to an existing sub-7 GHz frequency modulation plan. As described above, existing WLAN architectures can support CFO estimation in the 60 GHz band if the SCS associated with the L-STF is greater than or equal to 1.2 MHz. The SCS depends in part on the frequency modulation plan used to map the PPDU to the OFDM subcarriers, and more specifically, on the size of the inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) associated with the frequency modulation plan. Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that for any given IFFT size (N ) associated with an existing sub-7 GHz frequency modulation plan, the SCS may be greater than or equal to 1.2 MHz. IFFT ), you can choose a suitable sampling rate f s , so that By upconverting existing frequency modulation plans below 7 GHz, aspects of the present disclosure can further reuse existing PPDU formats (associated with such frequency modulation plans) for wireless communications on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz, thereby reducing the cost and complexity of hardware that would otherwise be required to support the new PPDU format. On the other hand, by designing a new green field PPDU format, aspects of the present disclosure can reduce the overhead of communications on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz by eliminating various fields, signaling, or other redundancies associated with legacy WLAN protocols (such as in existing PPDU formats).
[0060] 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 standards defined by the IEEE 802.11-2020 specification or revisions 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.
[0061] 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, notebook 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.
[0062] 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 108 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 medium 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 reassociate with the AP 102 to establish or maintain a corresponding communication link 106 (also referred to as a “Wi-Fi link” hereinafter) 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 various STAs 104 in the WLAN with access to external networks via respective communication links 106 .
[0063] To establish a communication link 106 with AP 102, each of STAs 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 passive scanning, 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 active scanning, the STA 104 generates probe requests and sequentially transmits these probe requests 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 scanning information obtained through passive or active scanning, and perform authentication and association operations to establish a communication link 106 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 association identifier (AID) to track the STA 104.
[0064] 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). Extended network stations associated with WLAN 100 may be connected to a wired or wireless distribution system that allows multiple APs 102 to be connected in such ESS. Therefore, STA 104 may be covered by more than one AP 102 and may be associated with different APs 102 at different times for different transmissions. Additionally, after associating with AP 102, STA 104 may also be configured to periodically scan its surroundings to find a more appropriate AP 102 to associate with. 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 more suitable network characteristics (such as a larger received signal strength indicator (RSSI) or a reduced traffic load).
[0065] 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 a specific implementation, although STA 104 may be able to communicate with each other through AP 102 using communication link 106, STA 104 may also communicate directly with each other via direct wireless link 110. Additionally, two STA 104 may communicate via direct communication link 110, regardless of whether the two STA 104 are associated with the same AP 102 and served by the same AP. In such an ad hoc system, one or more STA 104 may assume the role played by AP 102 in the BSS. Such STA 104 may be referred to as a group owner (GO) and may coordinate the transmission within the ad hoc network. Examples of the direct wireless link 110 include a Wi-Fi direct connection, a connection established by using a Wi-Fi Tunnel Direct Link Setup (TDLS) link, and other P2P group connections.
[0066] The AP 102 and the STA 104 may function and communicate (via corresponding communication links 106) 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 medium access control (MAC) layers. The AP 102 and the STA 104 send 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 send 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 700 MHz band. Some specific 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.
[0067] Each frequency band in the frequency band may include multiple sub-bands or frequency channels. For example, PPDUs that comply with IEEE 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, and 802.11be standard revisions may be sent on 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz frequency bands, where each frequency band is divided into multiple 20 MHz channels. Therefore, these PPDUs are sent on a physical channel with a minimum bandwidth of 20 MHz, but larger channels may be formed by channel bonding. For example, a PPDU may be sent on a physical channel with a bandwidth of 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz by bonding multiple 20 MHz channels together.
[0068] Each PPDU is a composite structure including a PHY preamble and a payload in the form of a PHY 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 sent on a bound channel, the preamble field can be copied and sent in each of a plurality of component channels. The PHY preamble may include both a legacy part (or "legacy preamble") and a non-legacy part (or "non-legacy preamble"). Legacy preambles can be used for packet detection, automatic gain control, and channel estimation, as well as other purposes. Legacy preambles can also be generally used to maintain compatibility with legacy devices. The format, decoding, and information provided therein of the non-legacy part of the preamble are based on the specific IEEE 802.11 protocol to be used to send the payload.
[0069] Figure 2A An example protocol data unit (PDU) 200 that can be used for wireless communication between an AP 102 and one or more STAs 104 is shown. For example, the PDU 200 can be configured as a PPDU. As shown, the PDU 200 includes a PHY preamble 202 and a PHY payload 204. For example, the preamble 202 can include a legacy portion, which itself includes a legacy short training field (L-STF) 206 that can consist of two BPSK symbols, a legacy long training field (L-LTF) 208 that can consist of two BPSK symbols, and a legacy signal field (L-SIG) 210 that can consist of two BPSK symbols. The legacy portion of the preamble 202 can be configured according to the IEEE 802.11a wireless communication protocol standard. The preamble 202 may also include a non-legacy portion including one or more non-legacy fields 212 that comply with, for example, an IEEE wireless communication protocol such as IEEE 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, or a later wireless communication protocol.
[0070] L-STF 206 generally enables the receiving device to perform automatic gain control (AGC) and coarse timing and frequency estimation. L-LTF 208 generally enables the receiving device to perform fine timing and frequency estimation, and can also perform initial estimation of the wireless channel. L-SIG 210 generally enables the receiving device to determine the duration of the PDU and use the determined duration to avoid sending on the PDU. For example, L-STF 206, L-LTF 208 and L-SIG 210 can be modulated according to a binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation scheme. Payload 204 can be modulated according to a BPSK modulation scheme, an orthogonal BPSK (Q-BPSK) modulation scheme, an orthogonal amplitude modulation (QAM) modulation scheme, or another appropriate modulation scheme. Payload 204 may include a PSDU including a data field (DATA) 214, which in turn may carry, for example, a medium access control (MAC) protocol data unit (MPDU) or higher layer data in the form of an aggregated MPDU (A-MPDU).
[0071] Figure 2B Shows Figure 2A 2. The example L-SIG 210 in the PDU 200 of FIG. L-SIG 210 includes a data rate field 222, a reserved bit 224, a length field 226, a parity bit 228, and a tail field 230. The data rate field 222 indicates the data rate (note that the data rate indicated in the data rate field 212 may not be the actual data rate of the data carried in the payload 204). The length field 226 indicates the packet length, for example, in symbols or bytes. The parity bit 228 can be used to detect bit errors. The tail field 230 includes a tail bit that can be used by a receiving device to terminate the operation of a decoder (e.g., a Viterbi decoder). The receiving device can use the data rate and length indicated in the data rate field 222 and the length field 226 to determine the packet duration, for example, in microseconds (μs) or other time units.
[0072] Figure 3An example PPDU 300 is shown that may be used for communication between an AP 102 and one or more STAs 104. As described above, each PPDU 300 includes a PHY preamble 302 and a PSDU 304. Each PSDU 304 may represent (or "carry") one or more MAC protocol data units (MPDUs) 316. For example, each PSDU 304 may carry an aggregated MPDU (A-MPDU) 306 that includes an aggregation of multiple A-MPDU subframes 308. Each A-MPDU subframe 306 may include an MPDU frame 310 that includes a MAC delimiter 312 and a MAC header 314 preceding an accompanying MPDU 316 that includes a data portion ("payload" or "frame body") of the MPDU frame 310. Each MPDU frame 310 may also include a frame check sequence (FCS) field 318 for error detection (e.g., the FCS field may include a cyclic redundancy check (CRC)) and padding bits 320. The MPDU 316 may carry one or more MAC service data units (MSDUs) 326. For example, the MPDU 316 may carry an aggregated MSDU (A-MSDU) 322 that includes multiple A-MSDU subframes 324. Each A-MSDU subframe 324 includes a corresponding MSDU 330 preceded by a subframe header 328 and, in some cases, followed by padding bits 332.
[0073] Referring back to the MPDU frame 310, the MAC delimiter 312 may be used as a marker for the start of the associated MPDU 316 and indicates the length of the associated MPDU 316. The MAC header 314 may include a plurality of fields containing information defining or indicating the characteristics or attributes of the data encapsulated in the frame body 316. The MAC header 314 includes a duration field indicating a duration from the end of the PPDU to at least the end of the ACK (ACK) or block ACK (BA) to be sent by the receiving wireless communication device for the PPDU. The use of the duration field is used to reserve the wireless medium for the indicated duration and enable the receiving device to establish its network allocation vector (NAV). The MAC header 314 also includes one or more fields indicating the address of the data encapsulated in the frame body 316. For example, the MAC header 314 may include a combination of a source address, a transmitter address, a receiver address, or a destination address. The MAC header 314 may also include a frame control field containing control information. The frame control field may specify a frame type, such as a data frame, a control frame, or a management frame.
[0074] Figure 4 4 shows a block diagram of an example wireless communication device 400. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 400 may be a STA (such as a reference Figure 1In some implementations, the wireless communication device 400 may be an example of a device in an AP (such as a STA in the reference STA 104). Figure 1 The wireless communication device 400 is an example of a device in the AP 102 described above. The wireless communication device 400 is capable of sending (or outputting for sending) and receiving wireless communications (e.g., in the form of wireless packets). For example, the wireless communication device can be configured to: send and receive packets in the form of physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data units (PPDUs) and medium 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 revisions, including but not limited to 802.11ah, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11ax, 802.11az, 802.11ba, and 802.11be).
[0075] The wireless communication device 400 may be or may include a chip, system on chip (SoC), chipset, package, or device including one or more modems 402 (e.g., Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 compatible) modems). In some implementations, one or more modems 402 (collectively, “modems 402”) additionally include a WWAN modem (e.g., a 3GPP 4G LTE or 5G compatible modem). In some implementations, the wireless communication device 400 also includes one or more radio components 404 (collectively, “radio components 404”). In some implementations, the wireless communication device 406 also includes one or more processors, processing blocks, or processing elements 406 (collectively, “processors 406”) and one or more memory blocks or elements 408 (collectively, “memory 408”).
[0076] The modem 402 may include an intelligent hardware block or device, such as, for example, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or the like. The modem 402 is generally configured to implement the PHY layer. For example, the modem 402 is configured to modulate packets and output the modulated packets to the radio component 404 for transmission over a wireless medium. Similarly, the modem 402 is configured to obtain the modulated packets received by the radio component 404 and demodulate the packets to provide the demodulated packets. In addition to the modulator and demodulator, the modem 402 may also include a digital signal processing (DSP) circuit, an automatic gain control (AGC), a decoder, a decoder, a multiplexer, and a demultiplexer. For example, when in a transmit mode, the data obtained from the processor 406 is provided to a decoder, which encodes the data to provide the encoded bits. The encoded bits are then mapped to points in the modulation constellation (using the selected MCS) to provide the modulated symbols. The modulated symbols can then be mapped to a number N SS spatial streams or the number 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 circuit 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 a frequency upconverter and ultimately to the radio component 404. In a specific implementation involving beamforming, the modulated symbols in the corresponding spatial stream may be pre-coded via a steering matrix before being provided to the IFFT block.
[0077] When in receive mode, a digital signal received from the radio component 404 is provided to a DSP circuit configured to acquire the received signal, for example, by detecting the presence of a signal and estimating an initial timing and frequency offset. The DSP circuit is further configured to digitally condition the digital signal, for example, using channel (narrowband) filtering, analog impairment conditioning (such as correcting I / Q imbalance), and applying digital gain to ultimately obtain a narrowband signal. The output of the DSP circuit may then be fed to an AGC configured to use information extracted from the digital signal (e.g., in one or more received training fields) to determine an appropriate gain. The output of the DSP circuit is also coupled to a demodulator configured to extract the 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, which may be configured to process the LLRs to provide decoded bits. The decoded bits from all spatial streams are then fed to a demultiplexer for demultiplexing. The demultiplexed bits may then be descrambled and provided to the MAC layer (processor 406) for processing, evaluation, or interpretation.
[0078] The radio component 404 typically 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 circuits, 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 specific implementations, the wireless communication device 400 may include or be coupled to multiple transmit antennas (each transmit antenna having a corresponding transmit chain) and multiple receive antennas (each receive antenna having a corresponding receive chain). The symbols output from the modem 402 are provided to the radio component 404, which then transmits the symbols via the coupled antennas. Similarly, the symbols received via the antennas are obtained by the radio component 404, which then provides the symbols to the modem 402.
[0079] The processor 406 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)), a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof. The processor 406 processes information received through the radio component 404 and the modem 402, and processes information to be output by the modem 402 and the radio component 404 to be sent through the wireless medium. For example, the processor 406 can 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 the coding and decoding of frames, spatial multiplexing, space-time block coding (STBC), beamforming, and OFDMA resource allocation and other operations or techniques. In some specific implementations, the processor 406 can generally control the modem 402 to cause the modem to perform the above-mentioned various operations.
[0080] The memory 408 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 408 may also store non-transitory processor or computer executable software (SW) code containing instructions that, when executed by the processor 406, cause the processor to perform various operations described herein for wireless communication, including the generation, transmission, reception, and interpretation of MDPUs, frames, or packets. For example, the various functions of the components disclosed herein or the various boxes 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.
[0081] Figure 5A 5 shows a block diagram of an example AP 502. For example, AP 502 may be a reference Figure 1 The AP 102 is described in detail with reference to an example implementation of the AP 102. The AP 502 includes a wireless communication device (WCD) 510 (although the AP 502 itself may also be generally referred to as a wireless communication device, as used herein). For example, the wireless communication device 510 may be a wireless communication device. Figure 4 The example implementation of the wireless communication device 400 described above. The AP 502 also includes a plurality of antennas 520 coupled to the wireless communication device 510 to send and receive wireless communications. In some implementations, the AP 502 additionally includes an application processor 530 coupled to the wireless communication device 510 and a memory 540 coupled to the application processor 530. The AP 502 also includes at least one external network interface 550 that enables the AP 502 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 550 may include one or both of a wired (e.g., Ethernet) network interface and a wireless network interface (such as a WWAN interface). Components of the above components may communicate directly or indirectly with other components of the components via at least one bus. The AP 502 also includes a housing that surrounds the wireless communication device 510, the application processor 530, the memory 540, and at least portions of the antenna 520 and the external network interface 550.
[0082] Figure 5B 5 shows a block diagram of an example STA 504. For example, STA 504 may be a reference Figure 1 STA 504 includes a wireless communication device 515 (although STA 504 itself may also be generally referred to as a wireless communication device, as used herein). For example, wireless communication device 515 may be a reference Figure 4The example implementation of the wireless communication device 400 described above. STA 504 also includes one or more antennas 525 coupled to the wireless communication device 515 to send and receive wireless communications. STA 504 additionally includes an application processor 535 coupled to the wireless communication device 515 and a memory 545 coupled to the application processor 535. In some implementations, STA 504 also includes a user interface (UI) 555 (such as a touch screen or keyboard) and a display 565, which can be integrated with UI 555 to form a touch screen display. In some implementations, STA504 may also include one or more sensors 575, such as, for example, one or more inertial sensors, accelerometers, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, or altitude sensors. Components in the above components can communicate directly or indirectly with other components in the components through at least one bus. STA 504 also includes a housing that surrounds the wireless communication device 515, the application processor 535, the memory 545, and at least portions of the antenna 525, UI 555, and the display 565.
[0083] As described above, new WLAN communication protocols are being developed to implement enhanced features for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz (such as in the 45 GHz or 60 GHz bands). However, wireless communications at higher carrier frequencies may suffer from greater phase noise and path loss than wireless communications at lower frequency bands. For example, increasing the carrier frequency from 5.8 GHz to 60 GHz results in a 10-fold increase in phase noise. Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that phase noise can be mitigated by increasing the SCS between modulated subcarriers. Existing WLAN packet formats include L-STF (such as Figure 2A The L-STF 206 is modulated on every 4th subcarrier across a given bandwidth to support CFO estimates up to 2 subcarriers apart. Aspects of the present disclosure also recognize that the LO implemented by existing WLAN transmitters and receivers needs to be accurate to ±20ppm. Therefore, existing WLAN architectures can support CFOs up to ±40ppm (between transmitter and receiver), which is equivalent to ±2.4MHz in the 60GHz band and ±1.8MHz in the 45GHz band. In order to support CFOs up to ±2.4MHz, the SCS associated with the L-STF should be greater than or equal to 1.2MHz.
[0084] Various aspects generally relate to increasing carrier frequencies for wireless communications in WLANs, and more specifically, to packet designs that support wireless communications on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz. In some aspects, a wireless communication device may map a PPDU to OFDM subcarriers according to an existing frequency modulation plan associated with a carrier frequency below 7 GHz (also referred to as a "sub-7 GHz" frequency modulation plan), and may upconvert the PPDU for transmission on a carrier frequency above 7 GHz. As used herein, the term "upconverting" refers to increasing the frequency of a clock signal used to convert the PPDU between the frequency domain and the time domain (above the frequency (f) associated with an existing sub-7 GHz frequency modulation plan). 0 )), and the frequency of the upconversion (f s ) and f 0 The ratio (K) is called the "up-conversion ratio" (where In some aspects, the up-conversion may result in an SCS greater than or equal to 1.2 MHz, where the SCS represents the spacing between subcarriers to which at least a portion of the PPDU (including the L-STF) is mapped. More specifically, the SCS may be greater than or equal to 1.2 MHz due to the up-conversion (SCS U ) can be an SCS associated with the existing sub-7 GHz frequency modulation plan (SCS 0 ), where SCS U =K*SCS 0 In some implementations, the up-converted PPDU may follow an existing PPDU format designed for wireless communications below 7 GHz. In some other implementations, the up-converted PPDU may follow a new "green field" PPDU format optimized for wireless communications on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz.
[0085] Specific implementations of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. Aspects of the present disclosure may leverage existing WLAN hardware to increase the carrier frequency over which such PPDUs are sent (such as to the 60 GHz or 45 GHz band) by upconverting PPDUs that are mapped to OFDM subcarriers according to an existing sub-7 GHz frequency modulation plan. As described above, existing WLAN architectures can support CFO estimation in the 60 GHz band if the SCS associated with the L-STF is greater than or equal to 1.2 MHz. The SCS depends in part on the frequency modulation plan used to map the PPDU to the OFDM subcarriers, and more specifically, on the size of the IFFT associated with the frequency modulation plan. Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that for any given IFFT size (N ) associated with an existing sub-7 GHz frequency modulation plan, the SCS may be smaller than the IFFT size associated with the sub-7 GHz frequency modulation plan. IFFT ), you can choose a suitable sampling rate f s , so that By upconverting existing frequency modulation plans below 7 GHz, aspects of the present disclosure can further reuse existing PPDU formats (associated with such frequency modulation plans) for wireless communications on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz, thereby reducing the cost and complexity of hardware that would otherwise be required to support the new PPDU format. On the other hand, by designing a new green field PPDU format, aspects of the present disclosure can reduce the overhead of communications on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz by eliminating various fields, signaling, or other redundancies associated with legacy WLAN communication protocols (such as in existing PPDU formats).
[0086] Figure 6 An example communication environment 600 including an AP 610 and a STA 620 according to some implementations is shown. In some implementations, the AP 610 can be Figure 1 and Figure 5A 102 or 502. In some implementations, the STA 620 may be Figure 1 and Figure 5B An example of either STA 104 or 504. Figure 6 In the example of FIG. 6 , AP 610 is associated with a BSS that supports wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz, such as in the 60 GHz band.
[0087] As described above, wireless communications in the 60 GHz band may suffer from greater path loss than wireless communications in bands below 7 GHz. Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that analog beamforming (using a large number of antenna elements) may mitigate the effects of path loss and enable greater wireless communication range at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz. Analog beamforming is a wireless communication technique by which a transmitting device and a receiving device may adjust the gain and phase of their transmit (TX) and receive (RX) antenna elements to achieve directionality in wireless communications. The process by which a transmitting device and a receiving device tune their antennas for beamforming is referred to as "beamforming training."
[0088] In some implementations, the AP 610 can use analog beamforming techniques to communicate with the STA 620. Figure 6In the example of , AP 610 is depicted as a transmitting device. Therefore, AP 610 can tune a set of TX antennas to focus the energy of the transmitted signal in a specific direction (referred to as "TX beamforming"). For example, AP 610 can send packets or PPDUs via several antenna sectors T1-T7 (also referred to as "TX sectors") that are configured or tuned for TX beamforming. The antenna elements associated with each TX sector are weighted so that the energy radiated by each antenna element is combined along a specific beam direction. Therefore, each TX sector in TX sectors T1-T7 can be tuned to a corresponding TX beam direction. For simplicity, AP 610 is shown as including 7 TX sectors T1-T7. However, in an actual implementation, AP 610 may include more than 7 TX sectors. Figure 6 Those depicted have fewer or more TX sectors.
[0089] In some implementations, STA 620 may also communicate with AP 610 using analog beamforming techniques. Figure 6 In the example of , STA 620 is depicted as a receiving device. Therefore, STA 620 can tune the RX antenna set to focus the energy of the received signal in a specific direction (referred to as "RX beamforming"). For example, STA 620 can receive a packet or PPDU via several antenna sectors R1-R7 (also referred to as "RX sectors") configured or tuned for RX beamforming. The antenna elements associated with each RX sector are weighted so that the energy received by each antenna element is combined along a specific beam direction. Therefore, each RX sector in RX sectors R1-R7 can be tuned to a corresponding RX beam direction. For simplicity, STA 620 is shown as including 7 RX sectors R1-R7. However, in an actual implementation, STA 620 may include more than 7 RX sectors. Figure 6 Those depicted have fewer or more TX sectors than those with RX sectors.
[0090] In some aspects, the AP 610 may perform beamforming training operations with the STA 620 to determine TX and RX beam directions that optimize beamforming gain for wireless communications between the AP 610 and the STA 620. For example, the AP 610 may train its TX antenna for TX beamforming by sending a respective beamforming training (BFT) packet via each of the TX sectors T1-T7 and receiving feedback from the STA 620 indicating the TX beam direction associated with the highest TX beamforming gain. Additionally, the STA 620 may train its RX antenna for RX beamforming by listening to a respective BFT packet from the AP 610 via each of the RX sectors R1-R7 and determining the RX beam direction associated with the highest RX beamforming gain based on the received BFT packets. In some implementations, the AP 610 can further train its RX antenna (not shown for simplicity) for RX beamforming, and the STA 620 can further train its TX antenna (not shown for simplicity) for TX beamforming.
[0091] exist Figure 6 , the AP 610 and the STA 620 may achieve the best beamforming gain for a beam transmitted via TX sector T1 (of the AP 610) and received via RX sector R7 (of the STA 620). In contrast, beams transmitted by the AP 610 in other TX beam directions (such as via any of TX sectors T2-T7) may fail to reach the STA 620. Prior to performing a beamforming training operation, the AP 610 generally does not know the direction of the STA 620. In some aspects, the AP 610 may transmit a beam in each of its TX beam directions while the STA 620 listens in an omni-directional mode to increase the likelihood that the STA 620 will receive at least one of the beams transmitted by the AP 610 prior to performing a beamforming training operation.
[0092] Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that the beamforming gain when TX beamforming is used at a transmitting device in conjunction with RX beamforming at a receiving device (also referred to as "full beamforming gain") is significantly greater than the beamforming gain when TX beamforming is used at a transmitting device when the receiving device operates in an omni-directional mode (also referred to as "single-sided beamforming gain"). In some aspects, different PPDU formats may be used for wireless communications between the AP 610 and the STA 620 depending on the level of beamforming gain that can be achieved. More specifically, when full beamforming gain is achievable, a "data PHY" (DPHY) PPDU format may be used, and when only single-sided beamforming gain is achievable, a "control PHY" (CPHY) PPDU format may be used.
[0093] Figure 7 700 is a block diagram of an example TX processing chain 700 of a wireless communication device according to some implementations. The TX processing chain 700 is configured to process a PPDU 701 for transmission as a radio frequency (RF) signal 705. In some aspects, the PPDU 701 may be Figure 3 In some implementations, the wireless communication device may be Figure 6 In some other implementations, the wireless communication device may be Figure 6 For simplicity, in Figure 7 Only a single spatial stream of the TX processing chain 700 is depicted. In actual implementations, the TX processing chain 700 may include any number of spatial streams.
[0094] The TX processing chain 700 includes a constellation mapper 710, an OFDM modulator 720, an RF mixer 730, and a power amplifier (PA) 740. The constellation mapper 710 maps the PPDU 701 to one or more frequency domain (FD) symbols 702 associated with a modulation scheme. Example suitable modulation schemes include binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). The OFDM modulator 720 modulates the FD symbols 702 onto a set of orthogonal subcarriers and converts the modulated subcarriers into a time-varying TX signal 703. The RF mixer 730 up-converts the TX signal 703 to a carrier frequency, and the power amplifier 740 amplifies the resulting RF signal 705 for transmission via one or more antennas 750. For example, the RF mixer 730 may modulate the TX signal 703 onto an LO signal 704 oscillating at a carrier frequency. In some aspects, the carrier frequency associated with the LO signal 704 may be higher than 7 GHz. In some implementations, the carrier frequency can be in the 60 GHz band. In some other implementations, the carrier frequency can be in the 45 GHz band.
[0095] As described above, many existing WLAN architectures are designed for wireless communications on carrier frequencies below 7 GHz (such as in 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz bands). In some aspects, existing WLAN hardware can be reused to support wireless communications on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz. For example, the TX processing chain 700 can receive an LO signal 704 from a local oscillator accurate to ±20 ppm. As described above, increasing the carrier frequency of the LO signal 704 also increases the phase noise associated with the RF signal 705. For example, operating the local oscillator at 60 GHz can produce a CFO of ±2.4 MHz between the transmitter and the receiver. According to the existing version of the IEEE 802.11 standard, the PHY preamble of the PPDU 701 includes an L-STF with a 1x symbol duration associated with an SCS equal to 312.5 KHz, which can support CFO estimates separated by up to 2 subcarriers. As used herein, the term "1xSCS" refers to the subcarrier spacing between the subcarriers to which the L-STF is mapped. Therefore, to support CFO up to ±2.4 MHz, the 1x SCS associated with the PPDU 701 should be greater than or equal to 1.2 MHz.
[0096] Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that any SCS greater than or equal to 1.2 MHz may not be suitable for wireless communications on carrier frequencies below 7 GHz. Therefore, existing WLAN communication protocols for wireless communications below 7 GHz (such as IEEE802.11be, 11ax, 11ac, and earlier revisions of the IEEE 802.11 standard) do not define PPDU formats or frequency modulation plans associated with SCS greater than or equal to 1.2 MHz. In some aspects, the TX processing chain 700 may receive a PPDU 701 formatted for transmission on a carrier frequency below 7 GHz, and may upconvert the PPDU 701 to a wider bandwidth suitable for transmission on a carrier frequency above 7 GHz (such as in a 60 GHz or 45 GHz band). For example, a wider bandwidth is achieved by expanding the subcarriers to which the PPDU 701 is mapped. In some specific implementations, the TX processing chain 700 may upconvert the PPDU 701 so that the 1x SCS associated with the PPDU 701 is greater than or equal to 1.2 MHz.
[0097] In some implementations, the PPDU 701 may follow a PPDU format defined by the IEEE 802.11ac revision of the IEEE 802.11 standard (also referred to as the "11ac PPDU format"). For example, the PPDU 701 may follow a 11ac PPDU format associated with a 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 80+80 MHz, or 160 MHz channel bandwidth, and may be up-converted for transmission over an 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz, 480 MHz, 640 MHz, 960 MHz, 1.28 GHz, 1.92 GHz, or 2.56 GHz bandwidth wireless channel in a 60 GHz or 45 GHz band. In some other implementations, the PPDU 701 may follow a PPDU format defined by the IEEE 802.11be (or 11ax) revision of the IEEE 802.11 standard (also referred to as the "11be PPDU format"). For example, the PPDU 701 may follow an 11be PPDU format associated with a 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 80 MHz channel bandwidth, and may be upconverted for transmission over an 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz, 480 MHz, 640 MHz, 960 MHz, 1.28 GHz, 1.92 GHz, or 2.56 GHz bandwidth wireless channel in a 60 GHz or 45 GHz band. In addition, in some implementations, the PPDU 701 may follow a new green field PPDU format optimized for communication in a 60 GHz or 45 GHz band.
[0098] Figure 8 800 is a block diagram of an example OFDM upconversion system 800 according to some implementations. In some aspects, the OFDM upconversion system 800 may be configured to upconvert the PPDU 801 to a TX signal 806 suitable for transmission at a carrier frequency greater than 7 GHz (e.g., in a 60 GHz or 45 GHz band). More specifically, the OFDM upconversion system 800 may map the PPDU 801 to a set of orthogonal subcarriers associated with a 1x SCS greater than or equal to 1.2 MHz. In some implementations, the OFDM upconversion system 800 may be Figure 7 In such implementations, the PPDU 801 and the TX signal 806 may be, respectively, Figure 7 An example of an FD symbol 702 and a TX signal 703.
[0099] The OFDM upconversion system 800 includes a tone mapper 810, an N-point IFFT 820, a CP adder 830, and a DAC 840. The tone mapper 810 is configured to map the PPDU 801 to a number (N) of subcarriers associated with a sub-7 GHz tone plan to generate N modulated subcarriers 802. In some implementations, the sub-7 GHz tone plan may include 64 subcarriers associated with a 20 MHz channel bandwidth (such as according to a 11ac PPDU format). For example, the 64 subcarriers may include 52 data subcarriers, 4 pilot subcarriers, 7 guard subcarriers, and 1 direct current (DC) subcarrier. In some other implementations, the sub-7 GHz tone plan may include 128 subcarriers associated with a 40 MHz channel bandwidth (such as according to a 11ac PPDU format). For example, the 128 subcarriers may include 108 data subcarriers, 6 pilot subcarriers, 11 guard subcarriers, and 3 DC subcarriers.
[0100] In some implementations, the sub-7 GHz frequency modulation plan may include 256 subcarriers associated with an 80 MHz channel bandwidth (such as according to the 11ac PPDU format) or a 20 MHz channel bandwidth (such as according to the 11be PPDU format). For example, the 256 subcarriers may include 234 data subcarriers, 8 pilot subcarriers, 11 guard subcarriers, and 3 DC subcarriers. In some other implementations, the sub-7 GHz frequency modulation plan may include 512 subcarriers associated with a 160 MHz channel bandwidth (such as according to the 11ac PPDU format). In such implementations, the 512 subcarriers may include 468 data subcarriers, 16 pilot subcarriers, 11 guard subcarriers, and 11 DC subcarriers. In addition, in some implementations, the sub-7 GHz frequency modulation plan may include 512 subcarriers associated with a 40 MHz channel bandwidth (such as according to the 11be PPDU format). In such a specific implementation, the 512 subcarriers may include 468 data subcarriers, 16 pilot subcarriers, 23 guard subcarriers, and 5 DC subcarriers.
[0101] In some implementations, the sub-7 GHz frequency modulation plan may include 1024 subcarriers associated with an 80 MHz channel bandwidth (such as according to an 11be PPDU format). In such implementations, the 1024 subcarriers may include 980 data subcarriers, 16 pilot subcarriers, 23 guard subcarriers, and 5 DC subcarriers. In some other implementations, the sub-7 GHz frequency modulation plan may include 2048 subcarriers associated with a 160 MHz channel bandwidth (such as according to an 11be PPDU format). In such implementations, the 2048 subcarriers may include 1960 data subcarriers, 32 pilot subcarriers, 23 guard subcarriers, and 23 DC subcarriers. In addition, in some implementations, the sub-7 GHz frequency modulation plan may include 4096 subcarriers associated with a 320 MHz channel bandwidth (such as according to an 11be PPDU format). In such a specific implementation, the 4096 subcarriers may include 3920 data subcarriers, 64 pilot subcarriers, 23 guard subcarriers, and 23 DC subcarriers.
[0102] The N-point IFFT 820 transforms the N modulated subcarriers 802 from the frequency domain to the time domain as N time domain samples 803. The CP adder 830 adds a cyclic prefix to the N time domain samples 803 to generate a number of prefixed samples 804. The DAC 840 converts the prefixed samples 804 into a TX signal 806 based on the clock signal 805. More specifically, the frequency of the clock signal 805 controls the sampling rate (f s ). In addition, the SCS associated with the TX signal 806 depends on the sampling rate f of the DAC 840. s (which is controlled by the frequency of clock signal 805) and the size of IFFT 820 (N IFFT ),in In some aspects, the clock signal 805 may be up-converted so that the 1x SCS associated with the TX signal 806 is greater than or equal to 1.2 MHz (f s ≥N IFFT *1.2MHz).
[0103] Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that some existing versions of the IEEE 802.11 standard support channel bonding, whereby PPDUs can be sent concurrently on multiple channels to achieve gains similar to wider bandwidth channels. For example, the IEEE 802.11ac revision of the IEEE 802.11 standard defines a PPDU format that can be sent concurrently on two 80MHz channels (also referred to as 80+80 channel bandwidth) to achieve gains similar to 160MHz channels. In some aspects, the OFDM upscaling system 800 may utilize existing channel bonding hardware to send PPDUs with wider bandwidths (without additional upscaling). In such aspects, PPDU801 may represent a first PPDU segment configured to be sent on a first wireless channel. The OFDM upscaling system 800 may further receive a second PPDU segment 801' configured to be sent on a second wireless channel, wherein the PPDU segments 801 and 801' together form a single PPDU.
[0104] In some specific implementations, the OFDM upconversion system 800 may include an additional frequency tone mapper 850, an additional N-point IFFT 860, an additional CP adder 870, and an additional DAC 880. The frequency tone mapper 850 is configured to map the second PPDU segment 801' to N subcarriers associated with the sub-7GHz frequency tone plan to produce N modulated subcarriers 802'. More specifically, the frequency tone mappers 810 and 850 may implement the same sub-7GHz frequency tone plan. The N-point IFFT 860 transforms the N modulated subcarriers 802' from the frequency domain to the time domain as N time domain samples 803'. The CP adder 870 adds a cyclic prefix to the time domain samples 803 to produce a number of prefixed samples 804. The DAC 880 converts the prefixed samples 804' into a TX signal 806' based on the clock signal 805. In some implementations, TX signals 806 and 806' can be sent concurrently over respective bandwidth portions of a wireless channel.
[0105] Fig.9A An example PPDU 900 formatted according to the legacy PPDU format is shown. Fig.9A In the example of , the legacy PPDU format is a 11ac PPDU format associated with a 160 MHz channel bandwidth. More specifically, the PPDU 900 follows a non-high throughput (non-HT) duplicate transmission (DUP) PPDU format. The PPDU 900 includes a PHY preamble 901 followed by a data portion 902. The PHY preamble includes an L-STF, an L-LTF, and an L-SIG. Fig.9AAs shown, the PHY preamble 901 and the data portion 902 are replicated across eight 20 MHz sub-bands spanning a 160 MHz bandwidth. Therefore, the bandwidth (BW) of the PPDU 900 is the sampling rate (f) of the clock signal used to convert the PPDU 900 from the frequency domain to the time domain. s ) (BW = 8*f s According to the 11ac PPDU format, the PPDU 900 is mapped to data subcarriers associated with a 64-subcarrier frequency modulation plan (within each 20 MHz subband). In other words, the PHY preamble 901 is mapped to the same number of subcarriers as the data portion 902.
[0106] In some aspects, the PPDU 900 may be upconverted to a CPHY PPDU for wireless communication at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz. More specifically, the PPDU 900 may be used for wireless communication when only unilateral beamforming gain can be achieved between the transmitting device and the receiving device. In some implementations, the transmitting device may send the PPDU 900 before performing a beamforming training operation with the receiving device. In some other implementations, the transmitting device may send the PPDU 900 as part of a beamforming training operation with the receiving device. Thus, the PPDU 900 may carry beam management information 905 indicating whether the PPDU 900 is associated with a beamforming training operation or various parameters associated with the beamforming training operation. Example beam management information 905 may include PPDU type, training direction, beam tracking request, training length, countdown, sector ID, antenna ID, best antenna ID, best sector ID, number of RX sectors or RX antennas of the transmitting device, or SNR report, etc. In some implementations, beam management information 905 can be carried in the data portion 902 (such as in a MAC payload).
[0107] Fig. 9B According to some specific implementations, Fig.9A An example of a PPDU format is depicted, an upconverted PPDU 910. The PPDU 910 includes a PHY preamble 911 followed by a data portion 912. In some aspects, the PPDU 910 may represent a PPDU 900 upconverted by a factor M. In such aspects, the PHY preamble 911 and the data portion 912 may be, respectively, Fig.9A 901 and data portion 902. In some implementations, a packet extension (PE) or one or more training fields (TRN) 913 may be added to the PPDU 910 to support enhanced features for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz (such as beamforming training operations). In some aspects, upscaling may be performed by Figure 8 The OFDM upconversion system 800 is used to perform.
[0108] Due to upconversion, the PHY preamble 911, the data portion 912, and the PE or TRN 913 are replicated across eight 20*M MHz sub-bands spanning a 160*M MHz bandwidth. For example, given a 2x upconversion ratio (M=2), the PHY preamble 911, the data portion 912, and the PE or TRN 913 are replicated across eight 40 MHz sub-bands spanning a 320 MHz bandwidth. In some aspects, the PPDU 910 may be a CPHY PPDU that may be used for wireless communications on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz when only unilateral beamforming gain may be achieved between the transmitting device and the receiving device. In some implementations, the data portion 912 may carry beam management information (such as Fig.9A The PPDU 910 may include beam management information 905 indicating whether the PPDU 910 is associated with a beamforming training operation or various parameters associated with a beamforming training operation.
[0109] Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that because the CPHY PPDU format is used for wireless communication prior to (or during) the performance of the beamforming training operation between the transmitting device and the receiving device, the data portion 912 may not carry any user data. In some aspects, the overhead associated with the PPDU 910 (or the delay in processing the PPDU 910) may be reduced by moving the beam management information 905 from the MAC layer to the PHY layer. For example, the L-SIG may be reused to carry at least a portion of the beam management information 905. However, aspects of the present disclosure recognize that the length of the L-SIG may not be sufficient to accommodate all of the beam management information 905. In other words, the PHY preamble 911 may require one or more additional SIG fields (or symbols) to carry the beam management information 905 (instead of the data portion 912).
[0110] Fig. 9C According to some specific implementations, Fig.9A Another example of a PPDU format is depicted, an upconverted PPDU 920. The PPDU 920 includes a PHY preamble having a first portion 921 and a second portion 922. Fig. 9B Compared to the PPDU 910 of FIG. 1 , the PPDU 920 does not include a data portion but adds two SIG symbols (SIG-A1 and SIG-A2) via the second preamble portion 922 (similar to the Very High Throughput (VHT) 11ac PPDU format). In some aspects, the PPDU 920 may represent an up-conversion of the PPDU 900 by a factor of M. In such aspects, the first preamble portion 921 may be Fig.9AIn some implementations, a PE or one or more TRNs 923 may be added to the PPDU 920 to support enhanced features (such as beamforming training operations) for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz. In some aspects, upscaling may be performed by Figure 8 The OFDM upconversion system 800 is used to perform.
[0111] Due to the upconversion, the first preamble portion 921, the second preamble portion 922, and the PE or TRN 923 are replicated across eight 20*M MHz sub-bands spanning a 160*M MHz bandwidth. For example, given a 2x upconversion ratio (M=2), the first preamble portion 921, the second preamble portion 922, and the PE or TRN 923 are replicated across eight 40 MHz sub-bands spanning a 320 MHz bandwidth. In some aspects, the PPDU 920 may be a CPHY PPDU that may be used for wireless communications on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz when only unilateral beamforming gain may be achieved between the transmitting device and the receiving device. In some implementations, the L-SIG, SIG-A1, and SIG-A2 may be reused to carry beam management information (such as Fig.9A The PPDU 920 may include beam management information 905 indicating whether the PPDU 920 is associated with a beamforming training operation or various parameters associated with the beamforming training operation.
[0112] Fig.9D According to some specific implementations, Fig.9A Another example of a PPDU format is depicted, an upconverted PPDU 930. The PPDU 930 includes a PHY preamble having a first portion 931 and a second portion 932. Fig. 9B Compared to the PPDU 910 of FIG. 1 , the PPDU 930 does not include a data portion but adds a repetition of the L-SIG (RL-SIG) and two additional SIG symbols (SIG1 and SIG2) via the second preamble portion 932 (similar to the 11be PPDU format). In some aspects, the PPDU 930 may represent an upconversion of the PPDU 900 by a factor of M. In such aspects, the first preamble portion 931 may be Fig.9A In some implementations, a PE or one or more TRNs 933 may be added to the PPDU 930 to support enhanced features (such as beamforming training operations) for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz. In some aspects, upscaling may be performed by Figure 8 The OFDM upconversion system 800 is used to perform.
[0113] Due to the up-conversion, the first preamble portion 931, the second preamble portion 932, and the PE or TRN 933 are replicated across eight 20*M MHz sub-bands spanning a 160*M MHz bandwidth. For example, given a 2x up-conversion ratio (M=2), the first preamble portion 931, the second preamble portion 932, and the PE or TRN 933 are replicated across eight 40 MHz sub-bands spanning a 320 MHz bandwidth. In some aspects, the PPDU 930 may be a CPHY PPDU that may be used for wireless communications on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz when only unilateral beamforming gain may be achieved between the transmitting device and the receiving device. In some implementations, the L-SIG, RL-SIG, SIG1, and SIG2 may be reused to carry beam management information (such as Fig.9A The PPDU 930 may include beam management information 905 indicating whether the PPDU 930 is associated with a beamforming training operation or various parameters associated with a beamforming training operation.
[0114] Fig. 10A An example PPDU 1000 formatted according to the legacy PPDU format is shown. Fig. 10A In the example of , the legacy PPDU format is an 11be PPDU format associated with a 20MHz channel bandwidth. More specifically, PPDU 1000 follows an extended range (ER) single user (SU) PPDU format. PPDU 1000 includes a PHY preamble having a first part 1001 and a second part 1002, followed by a data part 1003 and a PE 1004. The first preamble part 1001 includes an L-STF, an L-LTF, an L-SIG, an RL-SIG, and four non-legacy signal fields (SIG1-SIG4). The second preamble part 1002 includes a non-legacy short training field (STF) and one or more non-legacy long training fields (LTF).
[0115] The IEEE 802.11be revision of the IEEE 802.11 standard defines each of the non-legacy signal fields SIG1-SIG4 as a corresponding symbol in the universal signal field (U-SIG), and defines the remaining non-legacy fields STF and LTF as extremely high throughput (EHT) fields EHT-STF and EHT-LTF, respectively. In addition, the STF sequence associated with the L-STF is repeated (2 times) in the time domain to produce an "extended L-STF". According to the 11be PPDU format, the data portion 1003 (and PE1004) is mapped to each consecutive data subcarrier associated with a 256-subcarrier frequency modulation plan. In contrast, the L-STF is mapped to every 4th data subcarrier associated with a 64-subcarrier frequency modulation plan, and the remainder of the first preamble portion 1001 is mapped to each consecutive data subcarrier associated with a 64-subcarrier frequency modulation plan. Therefore, the bandwidth (BW) of the PPDU 1000 is equal to the sampling rate (f s )(BW=f s ), the SCS associated with L-STF is 4 times larger than the SCS associated with data portion 1003.
[0116] In some aspects, the PPDU 1000 may be upconverted to a CPHY PPDU for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz. More specifically, the PPDU 1000 may be used for wireless communications when only unilateral beamforming gain may be achieved between the transmitting device and the receiving device. In some implementations, the transmitting device may send the PPDU 1000 prior to performing a beamforming training operation with the receiving device. In some other implementations, the transmitting device may send the PPDU 1000 as part of a beamforming training operation with the receiving device. Thus, the PPDU 1000 may carry beam management information 1005 indicating whether the PPDU 1000 is associated with a beamforming training operation or various parameters associated with the beamforming training operation (such as reference information). Fig.9A In some implementations, the beam management information 1005 may be carried in one or more of the SIG fields L-SIG, RL-SIG, or SIG1-SIG4. In such implementations, the data portion 1003 and the PHY preamble fields associated therewith (such as the second preamble portion 1002) may be omitted from the PPDU 1000 to reduce overhead.
[0117] Fig. 10B According to some specific implementations, Fig. 10AAn example up-converted PPDU 1010 of a PPDU format is depicted. In some aspects, the PPDU 1010 may be a CPHY PPDU useful for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz when only unilateral beamforming gain may be achieved between a transmitting device and a receiving device. The PPDU 1010 includes a PHY preamble 1011 followed by a PE or one or more TRNs 1014. In some aspects, the PPDU 1010 may represent an up-converted PPDU 1000 by a factor of M. In such aspects, the PHY preamble 1011 and the PE or TRN 1014 may be, respectively, Fig. 10A 1001 and PE 1004. However, Fig. 10A Compared to the depicted PPDU format, the PPDU 1010 is omitted. Fig. 10A The second preamble portion 1002 and the data portion 1003. In some aspects, the upscaling may be performed by Figure 8 The OFDM upconversion system 800 is used to perform.
[0118] As reference Fig. 10A As described, the SCS associated with the L-STF is 4 times greater than the SCS associated with the data portion 1003. Therefore, the first preamble portion 1001 may be upconverted by a factor of M / 4 and replicated 4 times in the frequency domain to achieve an SCS greater than or equal to 1.2 MHz in the L-STF. In some implementations, the OFDM upconversion system 800 may upconvert the first preamble portion 1001 by a factor of M / 4 to achieve a PPDU bandwidth equal to 20*M MHz. Therefore, the PHY preamble 1011 is replicated on four 5*M MHz sub-bands spanning a 20*M MHz bandwidth. For example, given a 16x upconversion ratio (M=16), the PHY preamble 1011 is replicated on four 80 MHz sub-bands spanning a 320 MHz bandwidth. Replicating the PHY preamble 1011 4 times in the frequency domain produces a 6 dB frequency combining gain at the receiving device. In addition, repeating various fields of the PHY preamble 1011 in the time domain, such as each of the L-STF, L-LTF, and SIG fields or symbols, produces an additional 3dB gain at the receiving device. This frequency domain replication and time domain repetition of various fields of the PPDU 1010 can produce a combined gain of 9dB at the receiving device, which can help compensate for single-sided beamforming gain.
[0119] Fig.11A An example PPDU 1100 formatted according to the legacy PPDU format is shown. Fig.11AIn the example of , the legacy PPDU format is an 11be PPDU format associated with a 20 MHz channel bandwidth. PPDU 1100 includes a PHY preamble having a first portion 1101 and a second portion 1102, followed by a data portion 1103 and a PE 1104. The first preamble portion 1101 includes an L-STF, an L-LTF, an L-SIG, an RL-SIG, a first non-legacy signal field (SIG1), and a second non-legacy signal field (SIG2). The second preamble portion 1102 includes a non-legacy short training field (STF) and one or more non-legacy long training fields (LTF).
[0120] The IEEE 802.11be revision of the IEEE 802.11 standard defines the first non-legacy signal field SIG1 as a universal signal field (U-SIG), and defines the remaining non-legacy fields SIG2, STF, and LTF as EHT fields EHT-SIG, EHT-STF, and EHT-LTF, respectively. According to the 11be PPDU format, the data portion 1103 (and PE 1104) is mapped to each consecutive data subcarrier associated with a 256-subcarrier frequency modulation plan. In contrast, the L-STF is mapped to every 4th data subcarrier associated with a 64-subcarrier frequency modulation plan, and the remainder of the first preamble portion 1101 is mapped to each consecutive data subcarrier associated with the 64-subcarrier frequency modulation plan. Therefore, the bandwidth (BW) of the PPDU 1100 is equal to the sampling rate (f) of the clock signal used to convert the PPDU 1100 from the frequency domain to the time domain. s )(BW=f s ), the SCS associated with L-STF is 4 times larger than the SCS associated with data portion 1103.
[0121] In some aspects, the PPDU 1100 may be upconverted to a DPHY PPDU for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz. More specifically, the PPDU 1100 may be used for wireless communications when full beamforming gain may be achieved between the transmitting device and the receiving device. In other words, the transmitting device may send the PPDU 1100 after performing a beamforming training operation with the receiving device. In some other implementations, the transmitting device may send the PPDU 1100 as part of a beam refinement procedure associated with a beamforming training operation with the receiving device (such as when the transmitting device trains its TX antenna for TX beamforming and the receiving device concurrently trains its RX antenna for RX beamforming) or with a beam tracking request. In some implementations, the PPDU 1100 may carry beam management information 1105 indicating whether the PPDU 1100 is associated with a beamforming training operation or various parameters associated with the beamforming training operation (such as reference information). Fig.9AIn some implementations, the beam management information 1105 may be carried in one or more of the SIG fields L-SIG, RL-SIG, SIG1, or SIG2.
[0122] In some implementations, the training sequence associated with the L-STF may be replaced with a Golay sequence to simplify packet detection. For example, a Golay sequence is a sequence of bipolar symbols (+1 or -1) that are commonly used for channel estimation due to its auto-correlation characteristics. According to the 11be PPDU format, the non-legacy STF (in the second preamble portion 1102) provides AGC and CFO estimates for the data portion 1103. However, aspects of the present disclosure recognize that because the channel (or beam) does not change between the transmission of the first preamble portion 1101 and the transmission of the data portion 1103, the receiving device may perform AGC and CFO estimates for the data portion 1103 based on the L-STF (in the first preamble portion 1101). In some aspects, the non-legacy STF may be "turned off" or otherwise ignored in the PPDU 1100. In some implementations, the close field may carry padding or non-essential information. In some other implementations, the close field may be completely omitted from the PPDU 1100.
[0123] Fig. 11B According to some specific implementations, Fig.11A An example up-converted PPDU 1110 of a PPDU format is depicted. In some aspects, the PPDU 1110 may be a DPHY PPDU that may be used for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz when full beamforming gain may be achieved between a transmitting device and a receiving device. The PPDU 1110 includes a PHY preamble having a first portion 1111 and a second portion 1112, followed by a data portion 1113 and a PE or one or more TRNs 1114. In some aspects, the PPDU 1110 may represent an up-converted PPDU 1100 by a factor M. In such aspects, the first preamble portion 1111, the second preamble portion 1112, the data portion 1113, and the PE or TRNs 1114 may be, respectively. Fig.11A 1101, the second preamble portion 1102, the data portion 1103, and the PE 1104. In some aspects, the upscaling may be performed by Figure 8 The OFDM upconversion system 800 is used to perform.
[0124] As reference Fig.11AAs described, the SCS associated with the L-STF is 4 times greater than the SCS associated with the data portion 1113. Therefore, the first preamble portion 1101 can be up-converted by a factor of M / 4 and replicated 4 times in the frequency domain to achieve the same SCS in the L-STF as in the data portion 1103. In some implementations, the OFDM up-conversion system 800 can up-convert the first preamble portion 1101 by a factor of M / 4 and can up-convert the rest of the PPDU 1100 by a factor of M to generate the PPDU 1110. Therefore, the second preamble portion 1112 and the data portion 1113 are spread over a 20*M MHz bandwidth, and the first preamble portion 1111 is replicated over four 5*M MHz sub-bands spanning the 20*M MHz bandwidth. For example, given a 16-fold up-conversion ratio (M=16), the second preamble portion 1112 and the data portion 1113 are spread over a 320 MHz bandwidth, while the first preamble portion 1111 is replicated over four 80 MHz sub-bands spanning the 320 MHz bandwidth.
[0125] As reference Fig.11A As described above, the non-legacy STF (in the second preamble portion 1112) may be turned off to reduce the overhead associated with the PPDU 1110. Fig. 11B In the example of , the non-legacy LTF is retained in the second preamble portion 1112. The non-legacy LTF provides a channel estimate for the data portion 1113. Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that because the channel (or beam) does not change between the transmission of the first preamble portion 1111 and the transmission of the data portion 1113, the receiving device can estimate the channel associated with the data portion 1113 based on the L-LTF (in the first preamble portion 1111). In some aspects, when a single spatial stream (N SS =1), the non-legacy LTF may be turned off or otherwise ignored to further reduce the overhead associated with the PPDU 1100. In some implementations, the non-legacy LTF may carry padding or non-essential information. In some other implementations, the non-legacy LTF may be omitted entirely from the PPDU 1110.
[0126] Aspects of the present disclosure also recognize that L-LTFs and non-legacy LTFs are mapped to different subcarriers according to different frequency modulation plans. Fig.11AAs described, the L-LTF is mapped to (52) data subcarriers associated with a 64-point IFFT (and replicated 4 times in the frequency domain), while the non-legacy LTF is mapped to (234) data subcarriers associated with a 256-point IFFT. Therefore, the L-LTF is mapped to fewer data subcarriers (across the bandwidth of the PPDU 1110) than the non-legacy LTF. In some specific implementations, when using the existing L-LTF to estimate the channel associated with the data portion 1113, the receiving device may need to interpolate the missing data subcarriers (such as the data subcarriers to which the data portion 1113 is mapped but the L-LTF is not mapped). However, such channel interpolation may result in performance loss. In some other specific implementations, the L-LTF may be modified or redesigned to provide a more accurate channel estimate for the data portion 1113.
[0127] Fig. 11C According to some specific implementations, Fig.11A Another example of a PPDU format depicted is an up-converted PPDU 1120. In some aspects, the PPDU 1120 may be a DPHY PPDU that may be used for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz when full beamforming gain may be achieved between a transmitting device and a receiving device. The PPDU 1120 includes a PHY preamble having a first portion 1121 and a second portion 1122, followed by a data portion 1123 and a PE or one or more TRNs 1124. In some aspects, the PPDU 1120 may represent an up-converted PPDU 1100 by a factor M. In such aspects, the first preamble portion 1121, the second preamble portion 1122, the data portion 1123, and the PE or TRN 1124 may be, respectively. Fig.11A 1101, the second preamble portion 1102, the data portion 1103, and the PE 1104. In some aspects, the upscaling may be performed by Figure 8 The OFDM upconversion system 800 is used to perform.
[0128] As reference Fig.11AAs described, the SCS associated with the L-STF is 4 times greater than the SCS associated with the data portion 1123. Therefore, the first preamble portion 1101 may be up-converted by a factor of M / 4 and replicated 4 times in the frequency domain to achieve the same SCS in the L-STF as in the data portion 1103. In some implementations, the OFDM up-conversion system 800 may up-convert the first preamble portion 1101 by a factor of M / 4 and may up-convert the remainder of the PPDU 1100 by a factor of M to generate the PPDU 1120. Therefore, the second preamble portion 1122 and the data portion 1123 are spread over a 20*M MHz bandwidth, and the PHY preamble 1121 is replicated over four 5*M MHz sub-bands spanning the 20*M MHz bandwidth. For example, given a 16-fold up-conversion ratio (M=16), the second preamble portion 1122 and the data portion 1123 are spread over a 320 MHz bandwidth, and the first preamble portion 1121 is replicated over four 80 MHz sub-bands spanning the 320 MHz bandwidth.
[0129] As reference Fig.11A As described above, the non-legacy STF (in the second preamble portion 1122) may be turned off to reduce the overhead associated with the PPDU 1120. In some implementations, the non-legacy LTF (in the second preamble portion 1122) may also be turned off to further reduce the overhead associated with the PPDU 1120. Fig. 11C In the example of , L-LTF can be filled on the same subcarrier as the data portion 1123 to compensate for the lack of non-legacy LTF. Fig. 11B As described, due to the difference in the frequency modulation plan associated with the existing L-LTF, the existing L-LTF is mapped to fewer data subcarriers than the data portion 1123. More specifically, the frequency modulation plan associated with the first preamble code portion 1121 includes protection subcarriers at the boundary of each 5*M MHz subband. In some aspects, non-zero values may be modulated on at least some of the protection subcarriers associated with the data subcarriers to which the L-LTF is mapped. In other words, the L-LTF may include non-zero values mapped to each data subcarrier of its associated frequency modulation plan and several protection subcarriers at each subband boundary (which coincide with the data subcarriers to which the data portion 1123 is mapped).
[0130] Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that the mapping of non-zero values to guard subcarriers can be implemented by existing WLAN hardware (which operates on a 20 MHz bandwidth portion). However, the resulting LTF values may increase the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) of the PPDU 1120. Aspects of the present disclosure also recognize that additional LTFs may be required to support multiple spatial streams. More specifically, the application of the P matrix requires that the LTF values be the same for each spatial stream. Therefore, in some implementations, the LTF value is only used when the LTF is to be mapped to more than one spatial stream (N). SS >1), the non-legacy LTF may be included in the second preamble portion 1122. In some other implementations, the P matrix is directly applied to the L-LTF (in the first preamble portion 1121) to generate two non-identical OFDM symbols that can support up to two spatial streams. In such implementations, the P matrix is applied directly to the L-LTF (in the first preamble portion 1121) to generate two non-identical OFDM symbols that can support up to two spatial streams. SS >2) when sending PPDU1120, non-legacy LTF may be included in the second preamble portion 1122.
[0131] Fig.11D According to some specific implementations, Fig.11A Another example of a PPDU format depicted is an up-converted PPDU 1130. In some aspects, the PPDU 1130 may be a DPHY PPDU that may be used for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz when full beamforming gain may be achieved between a transmitting device and a receiving device. The PPDU 1130 includes a PHY preamble having a first portion 1131 and a second portion 1132, followed by a data portion 1133 and a PE or one or more TRNs 1134. In some aspects, the PPDU 1130 may represent an up-converted PPDU 1100 by a factor of M. However, unlike Fig.11A Compared to the PPDU 1100 of FIG. 1 , the first preamble portion 1131 includes a non-legacy long training field (LTF) that replaces the L-LTF and is mapped to the same data subcarrier (according to the same frequency modulation plan) as the data portion 1133. In some aspects, the up-conversion may be performed by Figure 8 The OFDM upconversion system 800 is used to perform.
[0132] As reference Fig.11AAs described above, the SCS associated with the L-STF is 4 times greater than the SCS associated with the data portion 1133. Therefore, the first preamble portion 1101 (excluding the LTF) can be up-converted by a factor of M / 4 and replicated 4 times in the frequency domain to achieve the same SCS in the L-STF as in the data portion 1103. In some specific implementations, the OFDM up-conversion system 800 can up-convert the first preamble portion 1101 (excluding the LTF) by a factor of M / 4, and can up-convert the rest of the PPDU 1100 (including the LTF in the first preamble portion 1101) by a factor of M to generate the PPDU 1130. Therefore, the non-legacy LTF in the first preamble portion 1131, the second preamble portion 1132, and the data portion 1133 are spread over the 20*M MHz bandwidth, and the remainder of the first preamble portion 1131 is replicated over four 5*M MHz sub-bands spanning the 20*M MHz bandwidth. For example, given a 16x up-conversion ratio (M=16), the non-legacy LTF in the first preamble portion 1131, the second preamble portion 1132, and the data portion 1133 are spread over the 320 MHz bandwidth, and the remainder of the first preamble portion 1131 is replicated over four 80 MHz sub-bands spanning the 320 MHz bandwidth.
[0133] As reference Fig.11A As described above, the non-legacy STF (in the second preamble portion 1132) may be turned off to reduce the overhead associated with the PPDU 1130. In some implementations, the non-legacy LTF (in the second preamble portion 1132) may also be turned off to further reduce the overhead associated with the PPDU 1130. Fig.11D In the example of , the non-legacy LTFs in the first preamble portion 1131 are padded on the same subcarriers as the data portion 1133 to compensate for the lack of non-legacy LTFs in the second preamble portion 1132. In some implementations, the non-legacy LTFs can be optimized for the bandwidth associated with the PPDU 1130. Referring to, for example Fig. 11C , the non-legacy LTFs in the first preamble portion 1131 may produce a lower PAPR than the L-LTF mapping in the first preamble portion 1121 of the PPDU 1120 .
[0134] Aspects of the present disclosure also recognize that additional LTFs may be needed to support multiple spatial streams (such as reference Fig. 11C Therefore, in some implementations, only when multiple spatial streams (N SS>1), the additional non-legacy LTFs may be included in the second preamble portion 1132. In some other implementations, the P matrix may be directly applied to the non-legacy LTFs in the first preamble portion 1131 to generate two non-identical OFDM symbols that can support up to two spatial streams. In such implementations, the P matrix may be applied directly to the non-legacy LTFs in the first preamble portion 1131 to generate two non-identical OFDM symbols that can support up to two spatial streams. SS >2) when sending PPDU 1130 on the second preamble code part 1132, additional non-legacy LTFs may be included.
[0135] Fig. 12A An example PPDU 1200 formatted according to the legacy PPDU format is shown. Fig. 12A In the example of , the legacy PPDU format is a 11ac PPDU format associated with an 80MHz channel bandwidth. The PPDU 1200 includes a PHY preamble having a first portion 1201 and a second portion 1202, followed by a data portion 1203. The first preamble portion 1201 includes an L-STF, an L-LTF, an L-SIG, and a first non-legacy signal field (SIG-A) spanning a first OFDM symbol (SIG-A1) and a second OFDM symbol (SIG-A2). The second preamble portion 1202 includes a non-legacy short training field (STF), one or more non-legacy long training fields (LTFs), and a second non-legacy signal field (SIG-B).
[0136] The IEEE 802.11ac revision of the IEEE 802.11 standard defines the non-legacy fields SIG-A1, SIG-A2, STF, LTF, and SIG-B as VHT fields VHT-SIG-A1, VHT-SIG-A2, VHT-STF, VHT-LTF, and VHT-SIG-B, respectively. According to the 11ac PPDU format, the data portion 1203 is mapped to each consecutive data subcarrier associated with a 256-subcarrier frequency modulation plan across an 80MHz bandwidth. In contrast, the first preamble portion 1201 is replicated across four 20MHz subbands across an 80MHz bandwidth. More specifically, the L-STF is mapped to every 4th data subcarrier associated with a 64-subcarrier frequency modulation plan, and the remainder of the first preamble portion 1201 is mapped to each consecutive data subcarrier associated with a 64-subcarrier frequency modulation plan. Therefore, the bandwidth (BW) of the PPDU 1200 is equal to the sampling rate (f s )(BW=f s ), and the SCS associated with the L-STF is equal to the SCS associated with the data portion 1203.
[0137] In some aspects, the PPDU 1200 may be upconverted to a DPHY PPDU for wireless communication at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz. More specifically, the PPDU 1200 may be used for wireless communication when full beamforming gain may be achieved between the transmitting device and the receiving device. In other words, the transmitting device may transmit the PPDU 1200 after performing a beamforming training operation with the receiving device. In some implementations, the PPDU 1200 may carry beam management information 1205 indicating whether the PPDU 1200 is associated with a beamforming training operation or various parameters associated with the beamforming training operation (such as reference information). Fig.9A In some implementations, the beam management information 1205 may be carried in one or more SIG fields (such as L-SIG, SIG-A1, or SIG-A2) in the first preamble portion 1201.
[0138] In some implementations, the training sequence associated with the L-STF may be replaced with a Golay sequence to simplify packet detection (such as reference Fig.11A In some aspects, the non-legacy STF may be turned off to reduce the overhead associated with the PPDU 1200 (such as reference Fig.11A According to the 11ac PPDU format, the SIG-B (in the second preamble portion 1202) provides signaling for multi-user (MU) communication. However, aspects of the present disclosure recognize that due to the narrow beams required to overcome path loss at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz, the PPDU 1200 may not support MU communication (such as reference Figure 6 In some aspects, SIG-B may also be turned off to further reduce the overhead associated with the PPDU 1200. In some implementations, the Off field may carry padding or non-essential information. In some other implementations, the Off field may be omitted entirely from the PPDU 1200.
[0139] Fig. 12B According to some specific implementations, Fig. 12A An example up-converted PPDU 1210 of a PPDU format is depicted. In some aspects, PPDU 1210 may be a DPHY PPDU that may be used for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz when full beamforming gain may be achieved between a transmitting device and a receiving device. PPDU 1210 includes a PHY preamble having a first portion 1211 and a second portion 1212, followed by a data portion 1213. In some aspects, PPDU 1210 may represent an up-converted PPDU 1200 by a factor M. In such aspects, first preamble portion 1211, second preamble portion 1212, and data portion 1213 may be, respectively. Fig. 12A 1201, the second preamble portion 1202, and the data portion 1203. In some aspects, the upscaling may be performed by Figure 8 The OFDM upconversion system 800 is used to perform.
[0140] In some implementations, a PE or one or more TRNs 1214 may be added to the PPDU 1210 to support enhanced features (such as beamforming training operations) for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz. Due to upconversion, the second preamble portion 1212 and the data portion 1213 are spread over an 80*M MHz bandwidth, and the first preamble portion 1211 is replicated over four 20*M MHz sub-bands spanning the 80*M MHz bandwidth. For example, given a 4x upconversion ratio (M=4), the second preamble portion 1212 and the data portion 1213 are spread over a 320 MHz bandwidth, while the first preamble portion 1211 is replicated over four 80 MHz sub-bands spanning the 320 MHz bandwidth.
[0141] As reference Fig. 12A As described above, the non-legacy STF and SIG-B (in the second preamble portion 1212) may be turned off to reduce the overhead associated with the PPDU 1210. Fig. 12B In the example of , the non-legacy LTF is retained in the second preamble portion 1212. In some other aspects, the non-legacy LTF may be turned off or otherwise ignored to further reduce the overhead associated with the PPDU 1210 (such as reference Fig. 11B In some implementations, the receiving device may estimate the channel associated with the data portion 1213 based on the existing L-LTF in the first preamble portion 1211 (such as by interpolating the missing data subcarriers). In some other implementations, the L-LTF may be modified or redesigned to provide a more accurate channel estimate for the data portion 1213.
[0142] Fig. 12C According to some specific implementations, Fig. 12A Another example of a PPDU format depicted is an up-converted PPDU 1220. In some aspects, the PPDU 1220 may be a DPHY PPDU that may be used for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz when full beamforming gain may be achieved between a transmitting device and a receiving device. The PPDU 1220 includes a PHY preamble having a first portion 1221 and a second portion 1222, followed by a data portion 1223. In some aspects, the PPDU 1220 may represent an up-converted PPDU 1200 by a factor M. In such aspects, the first preamble portion 1221, the second preamble portion 1222, and the data portion 1223 may be, respectively. Fig. 12A 1201, the second preamble portion 1202, and the data portion 1203. In some aspects, the upscaling may be performed by Figure 8 The OFDM upconversion system 800 is used to perform.
[0143] In some implementations, a PE or one or more TRNs 1224 may be added to the PPDU 1220 to support enhanced features (such as beamforming training operations) for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz. Due to upconversion, the second preamble portion 1222 and the data portion 1223 are spread over an 80*M MHz bandwidth, and the first preamble portion 1221 is replicated over four 20*M MHz sub-bands spanning the 80*M MHz bandwidth. For example, given a 4x upconversion ratio (M=4), the second preamble portion 1222 and the data portion 1223 are spread over a 320 MHz bandwidth, while the first preamble portion 1221 is replicated over four 80 MHz sub-bands spanning the 320 MHz bandwidth.
[0144] As reference Fig. 12A As described above, the non-legacy STF and SIG-B (in the second preamble portion 1222) may be turned off to reduce the overhead associated with the PPDU 1220. In some implementations, the non-legacy LTF (in the second preamble portion 1222) may also be turned off to further reduce the overhead associated with the PPDU 1220. Fig. 12C In the example of , L-LTFs may be padded on the same subcarriers as data portion 1223 to compensate for the absence of non-legacy LTFs. In some aspects, non-zero values (such as reference 100) may be modulated on at least some of the guard subcarriers associated with the data subcarriers to which the L-LTFs are mapped. Fig. 11C In some implementations, only when multiple spatial streams (N SS >1), non-legacy LTFs may be included in the second preamble portion 1222. In some other implementations, the P matrix may be directly applied to the L-LTF (in the first preamble portion 1221) to produce two non-identical OFDM symbols. In such implementations, the P matrix may be applied directly to the L-LTF (in the first preamble portion 1221) only when more than two spatial streams (N SS >2) when sending PPDU 1220, non-legacy LTF may be included in the second preamble portion 1222.
[0145] Fig.12D According to some specific implementations, Fig. 12AAnother example of a PPDU format is depicted, an up-converted PPDU 1230. In some aspects, the PPDU 1230 may be a DPHY PPDU that may be used for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz when full beamforming gain may be achieved between a transmitting device and a receiving device. The PPDU 1230 includes a PHY preamble having a first portion 1231 and a second portion 1232, followed by a data portion 1233. In some aspects, the PPDU 1230 may represent an up-converted PPDU 1200 by a factor of M. However, unlike Fig. 12A Compared to the PPDU 1200 of FIG. 1 , the first preamble portion 1231 includes a non-legacy long training field (LTF) that replaces the L-LTF and is mapped to the same data subcarrier (according to the same frequency modulation plan) as the data portion 1233. In some aspects, the up-conversion may be performed by Figure 8 The OFDM upconversion system 800 is used to perform.
[0146] In some implementations, a PE or one or more TRNs 1234 may be added to the PPDU 1230 to support enhanced features (such as beamforming training operations) for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz. Due to upconversion, non-legacy LTFs in the first preamble portion 1231, the second preamble portion 1232, and the data portion 1233 are spread over an 80*M MHz bandwidth, and the first preamble portion 1231 (excluding LTFs) is replicated over four 20*M MHz sub-bands spanning the 80*M MHz bandwidth. For example, given a 4x upconversion ratio (M=4), non-legacy LTFs in the first preamble portion 1231, the second preamble portion 1232, and the data portion 1233 are spread over a 320 MHz bandwidth, and the first preamble portion 1231 (excluding LTFs) is replicated over four 80 MHz sub-bands spanning the 320 MHz bandwidth.
[0147] As reference Fig. 12A As described above, the non-legacy STF and SIG-B (in the second preamble portion 1232) may be turned off to reduce the overhead associated with the PPDU 1230. In some implementations, the non-legacy LTF (in the second preamble portion 1232) may also be turned off to further reduce the overhead associated with the PPDU 1230. Fig.12D In the example of FIG. 1 , the non-legacy LTFs in the first preamble portion 1231 are padded on the same subcarriers as the data portion 1233 to compensate for the absence of the non-legacy LTFs in the second preamble portion 1232. In some implementations, the non-legacy LTFs can be optimized for the bandwidth associated with the PPDU 1230 (such as with reference to FIG. 1 ). Fig.11D In some implementations, only when multiple spatial streams (NSS >1), the additional non-legacy LTFs may be added to the second preamble portion 1232. In some other implementations, the P matrix may be directly applied to the non-legacy LTFs in the first preamble portion 1231 to produce two non-identical OFDM symbols. In such implementations, the P matrix may be applied only when more than two spatial streams (N SS >2) when sending PPDU 1230 on the second preamble code part 1232, additional non-legacy LTFs may be included.
[0148] Fig.13A An example PPDU 1300 is shown formatted according to the legacy PPDU format. Fig.13A In the example of , the legacy PPDU format is a 11ac PPDU format associated with an 80MHz+80MHz channel bandwidth. PPDU 1300 includes a PHY preamble having a first portion 1301 and a second portion 1302, followed by a data portion 1303. The first preamble portion 1301 includes an L-STF, an L-LTF, an L-SIG, and a first non-legacy signal field (SIG-A) spanning a first OFDM symbol (SIG-A1) and a second OFDM symbol (SIG-A2). The second preamble portion 1302 includes a non-legacy short training field (STF), one or more non-legacy long training fields (LTFs), and a second non-legacy signal field (SIG-B).
[0149] The IEEE 802.11ac revision of the IEEE 802.11 standard defines the non-legacy fields SIG-A1, SIG-A2, STF, LTF, and SIG-B as VHT fields VHT-SIG-A1, VHT-SIG-A2, VHT-STF, VHT-LTF, and VHT-SIG-B, respectively. According to the 11ac PPDU format, the data portion 1303 is mapped to each consecutive data subcarrier associated with a 256-subcarrier frequency modulation plan across a first 80 MHz bandwidth and each consecutive data subcarrier associated with a 256-subcarrier frequency modulation plan across a second 80 MHz bandwidth. In contrast, the first preamble portion 1301 is replicated across four 20 MHz subbands across the first 80 MHz bandwidth and another four 20 MHz subbands across the second 80 MHz bandwidth. More specifically, the L-STF is mapped to every 4th data subcarrier associated with the 64-subcarrier frequency modulation plan, while the remainder of the first preamble portion 1301 is mapped to each consecutive data subcarrier associated with the 64-subcarrier frequency modulation plan. Fig. 12A , each 80 MHz bandwidth portion of PPDU 1300 has a format similar to that of PPDU 1200 .
[0150] In some aspects, the PPDU 1300 may be upconverted to a DPHY PPDU for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz. More specifically, the PPDU 1300 may be used for wireless communications when full beamforming gain may be achieved between the transmitting device and the receiving device. In other words, the transmitting device may transmit the PPDU 1300 after performing a beamforming training operation with the receiving device. In some implementations, the PPDU 1300 may carry beam management information 1305 indicating whether the PPDU 1300 is associated with a beamforming training operation or various parameters associated with the beamforming training operation (such as reference information). Fig.9A In some implementations, the beam management information 1305 may be carried in one or more SIG fields (such as L-SIG, SIG-A1, or SIG-A2) in the first preamble portion 1301.
[0151] In some implementations, the training sequence associated with the L-STF may be replaced with a Golay sequence to simplify packet detection (such as reference Fig.11A In some aspects, the non-legacy STF may be turned off to reduce the overhead associated with the PPDU 1300 (such as reference Fig.11A In some aspects, SIG-B may also be disabled to further reduce the overhead associated with PPDU 1300 (such as with reference to Fig. 12A In some implementations, the Close field may carry padding or non-essential information. In some other implementations, the Close field may be omitted entirely from the PPDU 1300.
[0152] Fig. 13B According to some specific implementations, Fig.13A An example up-converted PPDU 1310 of a PPDU format is depicted. In some aspects, PPDU 1310 may be a DPHY PPDU that may be used for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz when full beamforming gain may be achieved between a transmitting device and a receiving device. PPDU 1310 includes a PHY preamble having a first portion 1311 and a second portion 1312, followed by a data portion 1313. In some aspects, PPDU 1310 may represent an up-converted PPDU 1300 by a factor M. In such aspects, first preamble portion 1311, second preamble portion 1312, and data portion 1313 may be, respectively. Fig.13A 1301, the second preamble portion 1302, and the data portion 1303. In some aspects, the upscaling may be performed by Figure 8 The OFDM upconversion system 800 is used to perform.
[0153] In some implementations, a PE or one or more TRNs 1314 may be added to the PPDU 1310 to support enhanced features (such as beamforming training operations) for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz. Due to upconversion, the second preamble portion 1312 and the data portion 1313 are spread over two 80*M MHz bandwidth portions, and the first preamble portion 1311 is replicated over four 20*M MHz sub-bands spanning the first 80*M MHz bandwidth and another four 20*M MHz sub-bands spanning the second 80*M MHz bandwidth. For example, given a 4x upconversion ratio (M=4), the second preamble portion 1312 and the data portion 1313 are spread over a 640 MHz bandwidth, while the first preamble portion 1311 is replicated over eight 80 MHz sub-bands spanning the 640 MHz bandwidth. Referring to, e.g. Fig. 12B , each 80 MHz bandwidth portion of PPDU 1310 is similar in format to PPDU 1210.
[0154] As reference Fig.13A As described above, the non-legacy STF and SIG-B (in the second preamble portion 1312) may be turned off to reduce the overhead associated with the PPDU 1310. Fig. 13B In the example of , the non-legacy LTF is retained in the second preamble portion 1312. In some other aspects, the non-legacy LTF may be turned off or otherwise ignored to further reduce the overhead associated with the PPDU 1310 (such as reference Fig. 11B In some implementations, the receiving device may estimate the channel associated with the data portion 1313 based on the existing L-LTF in the first preamble portion 1311 (such as by interpolating the missing data subcarriers). In some other implementations, the L-LTF may be modified or redesigned to provide a more accurate channel estimate for the data portion 1313.
[0155] Fig. 13C According to some specific implementations, Fig.13A Another example of a PPDU format depicted is an up-converted PPDU 1320. In some aspects, the PPDU 1320 may be a DPHY PPDU that may be used for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz when full beamforming gain may be achieved between a transmitting device and a receiving device. The PPDU 1320 includes a PHY preamble having a first portion 1321 and a second portion 1322, followed by a data portion 1323. In some aspects, the PPDU 1320 may represent an up-converted PPDU 1300 by a factor M. In such aspects, the first preamble portion 1321, the second preamble portion 1322, and the data portion 1323 may be, respectively. Fig.13A1301, the second preamble portion 1302, and the data portion 1303. In some aspects, the upscaling may be performed by Figure 8 The OFDM upconversion system 800 is used to perform.
[0156] In some implementations, a PE or one or more TRNs 1324 may be added to the PPDU 1320 to support enhanced features (such as beamforming training operations) for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz. Due to upconversion, the second preamble portion 1322 and the data portion 1323 are spread over two 80*M MHz bandwidth portions, and the first preamble portion 1321 is replicated over four 20*M MHz sub-bands spanning the first 80*M MHz bandwidth portion and another four 20*M MHz sub-bands spanning the second 80*M MHz bandwidth portion. For example, given a 4x upconversion ratio (M=4), the second preamble portion 1322 and the data portion 1323 are spread over a 640 MHz bandwidth, while the first preamble portion 1321 is replicated over eight 80 MHz sub-bands spanning the 640 MHz bandwidth. Referring to, e.g. Fig. 12C , each 80 MHz bandwidth portion of PPDU 1320 has a format similar to that of PPDU 1220.
[0157] As reference Fig.13A As described above, the non-legacy STF and SIG-B (in the second preamble portion 1322) may be turned off to reduce the overhead associated with the PPDU 1320. In some implementations, the non-legacy LTF (in the second preamble portion 1322) may also be turned off to further reduce the overhead associated with the PPDU 1320. Fig. 13C In the example of , L-LTFs may be padded on the same subcarriers as data portion 1323 to compensate for the absence of non-legacy LTFs. In some aspects, non-zero values (such as reference 1340) may be modulated on at least some of the guard subcarriers associated with the data subcarriers to which the L-LTFs are mapped. Fig. 11C In some implementations, only when multiple spatial streams (N SS >1), non-legacy LTFs may be included in the second preamble portion 1322. In some other implementations, the P matrix may be applied directly to the L-LTF (in the first preamble portion 1321) to produce two non-identical OFDM symbols. In such implementations, the P matrix may be applied directly to the L-LTF (in the first preamble portion 1321) only when more than two spatial streams (N SS >2) when sending PPDU 1320, non-legacy LTF may be included in the second preamble portion 1322.
[0158] Fig.13DAccording to some specific implementations, Fig.13A Another example of a PPDU format is depicted, an up-converted PPDU 1330. In some aspects, the PPDU 1330 may be a DPHY PPDU that may be used for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz when full beamforming gain may be achieved between a transmitting device and a receiving device. The PPDU 1330 includes a PHY preamble having a first portion 1331 and a second portion 1332, followed by a data portion 1333. In some aspects, the PPDU 1330 may represent an up-converted PPDU 1300 by a factor of M. However, unlike Fig.13A Compared to the PPDU 1300 of FIG. 1300 , the first preamble portion 1331 includes a non-legacy long training field (LTF) that replaces the L-LTF and is mapped to the same data subcarrier (according to the same frequency modulation plan) as the data portion 1333 . In some aspects, the up-conversion may be performed by Figure 8 The OFDM upconversion system 800 is used to perform.
[0159] In some implementations, a PE or one or more TRNs 1334 may be added to the PPDU 1330 to support enhanced features (such as beamforming training operations) for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz. Due to up-conversion, the non-legacy LTF in the first preamble portion 1331, the second preamble portion 1332, and the data portion 1333 are spread over two 80*M MHz bandwidth portions, and the first preamble portion 1331 (excluding the LTF) is replicated over four 20*M MHz sub-bands across the first 80*M MHz bandwidth portion and another four 20*M MHz sub-bands across the second 80*M MHz bandwidth portion. For example, given a 4x up-conversion ratio (M=4), the non-legacy LTF in the first preamble portion 1331, the second preamble portion 1332, and the data portion 1333 are spread over a 640 MHz bandwidth, while the first preamble portion 1331 (excluding the LTF) is replicated over eight 80 MHz sub-bands spanning the 640 MHz bandwidth. Fig.12D , each 80 MHz bandwidth portion of PPDU 1330 is similar in format to PPDU 1230.
[0160] As reference Fig.13A As described above, the non-legacy STF and SIG-B (in the second preamble portion 1332) may be turned off to reduce the overhead associated with the PPDU 1330. In some implementations, the non-legacy LTF (in the second preamble portion 1332) may also be turned off to further reduce the overhead associated with the PPDU 1330. Fig.13DIn the example of FIG. 1 , the non-legacy LTFs in the first preamble portion 1331 are padded on the same subcarriers as the data portion 1333 to compensate for the absence of the non-legacy LTFs in the second preamble portion 1332. In some implementations, the non-legacy LTFs may be optimized for the bandwidth associated with the PPDU 1330 (such as with reference to FIG. 1 ). Fig.11D In some implementations, only when multiple spatial streams (N SS >1), the additional non-legacy LTF may be included in the second preamble portion 1332. In some other implementations, the P matrix may be applied directly to the L-LTF (in the first preamble portion 1331) to produce two non-identical OFDM symbols. In such implementations, the P matrix may be applied directly to the L-LTF (in the first preamble portion 1331) to produce two non-identical OFDM symbols. SS >2) when sending PPDU 1330 on the second preamble code part 1332, additional non-legacy LTFs may be included.
[0161] Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that Fig. 10B The CPHY PPDU format and Fig. 11B The DPHY PPDU format can be implemented using the same processing and up-conversion resources. For example, the PHY preamble 1011 and the first preamble part 1111 each include an RL-SIG and have the same SCS and frequency repetition. Therefore, Fig. 10B The CPHY PPDU format and Fig. 11B The DPHY PPDU format may collectively represent a “harmonized” PPDU format. In some aspects, the coordinated PPDU format may include signaling for indicating whether the PPDU follows the CPHY PPDU format (which includes four L-STF symbols and four non-legacy SIG symbols SIG1-SIG4) or the DPHY PPDU format (which includes two L-STF symbols and two non-legacy SIG symbols SIG1 and SIG2).
[0162] In some implementations, the PPDU format (CPHY or DPHY) may be signaled by the value of the length field (L_LEN) in the L-SIG. For example, depending on whether L_LEN%3=0, the PPDU may follow the DPHY PPDU format or the CPHY PPDU format. In some other implementations, the PPDU format (CPHY or DPHY) may be signaled by a modulation scheme associated with one of the non-legacy SIG fields (or SIG symbols). For example, the second SIG symbol SIG2 may be modulated according to a BPSK modulation scheme or a quadrature BPSK (QBPSK) modulation scheme to indicate whether the PPDU follows the DPHY PPDU format or the CPHY PPDU format.
[0163] As reference 9A to 13D As described above, many existing PPDU formats (including 11ac PPDU format and 11be PPDU format) include redundant fields or signaling. Such redundancy can provide backward compatibility with legacy WLAN devices operating in frequency bands below 7 GHz. However, aspects of the present disclosure recognize that there are currently no legacy WLAN devices operating at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz. Therefore, in some aspects, the new "green field" PPDU format may be designed for carrier frequencies above 7 GHz. More specifically, the green field PPDU format may be optimized for communications on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz, for example, by reducing or eliminating redundant fields or signaling that would otherwise be included for backward compatibility with legacy WLAN devices. In some specific implementations, the PHY preamble of the green field PPDU format may have the same symbol duration as the data portion. In some other specific implementations, the PHY preamble of the green field PPDU format may have a shorter symbol duration than the data portion (to further reduce the overhead of the PPDU).
[0164] Fig.14A An example PPDU 1400 following a green field PPDU format is shown according to some implementations. In some implementations, the PPDU 1400 may be a DPHY PPDU that may be used for wireless communications on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz when full beamforming gain may be achieved between a transmitting device and a receiving device. The PPDU 1400 includes a PHY preamble 1401 followed by a data portion 1402 and a PE or one or more TRNs 1403. The PHY preamble 1401 includes a short training field (STF), a long training field (LTF), and a signal (SIG) field.
[0165] In some implementations, the PHY preamble 1401 can have the same symbol duration as the data portion 1402. Fig.14A In the example of FIG. 1 , the data portion 1402 is mapped to 256 subcarriers associated with the sub-7 GHz frequency modulation plan, and the PHY preamble 1401 is also mapped to the same 256 subcarriers. Therefore, the SCS associated with the PHY preamble 1401 is equal to the SCS associated with the data portion 1402. As shown in FIG. Figure 8 As described above, the sub-7 GHz tone plan maps subcarriers to a channel bandwidth suitable for wireless communications in the sub-7 GHz frequency band. For example, the tone plan associated with the 11ac PPDU format spreads 256 subcarriers over an 80 MHz bandwidth. Thus, the PPDU 1400 can be further upconverted to a wider bandwidth to implement an SCS suitable for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz (such as reference 11ac PPDU format). 9A to 13D In some aspects, upscaling can be performed by Figure 8The OFDM upconversion system 800 is used to perform.
[0166] In some aspects, the STF may span 2 OFDM symbols (similar to the L-STF in the existing PPDU format). In some implementations, the STF may reuse existing training sequences associated with wireless communications on carrier frequencies below 7 GHz (such as STF sequences associated with the 11ac PPDU format or the 11be PPDU format). For example, the training sequence may be mapped to every 4th, 8th, or 16th data subcarrier associated with a 256-subcarrier frequency modulation plan (similar to the periodicity of the L-STF in the existing PPDU format). In some implementations, the existing training sequence may be a trigger-based (TB) STF sequence associated with the up-converted PPDU bandwidth. For example, when the PPDU 1400 is up-converted 4 times from an 80 MHz sub-7 GHz channel bandwidth, the STF may carry a TB STF sequence associated with a 320 MHz bandwidth. In some other implementations, the STF may include a Golay sequence for simplifying packet detection (such as reference Fig.11A described above).
[0167] In some aspects, the LTF may span 2 OFDM symbols (similar to the L-LTF in the existing PPDU format). In some implementations, the LTF may reuse an existing training sequence associated with wireless communications on carrier frequencies below 7 GHz (such as an LTF sequence associated with the 11ac PPDU format or the 11be PPDU format). For example, the training sequence may be mapped to each of the (234) data subcarriers plus the (8) pilot subcarriers associated with a 256-subcarrier frequency modulation plan. In some implementations, when multiple spatial streams (N SS >1), the PHY preamble 1401 may include one or more additional LTFs (following the SIG field). In some other implementations, the P matrix may be applied directly to the first LTF (before the SIG field) to produce two non-identical OFDM symbols. In such implementations, the P matrix may be applied directly to the first LTF (before the SIG field) to produce two non-identical OFDM symbols. SS >2), the PHY preamble 1401 may include one or more additional LTFs (following the SIG field).
[0168] The SIG field may carry any information needed to demodulate the PPDU 1400. Example demodulation information may include information about bandwidth, length, MCS, N SS, BSS color, padding, PE ambiguity or LDPC additional symbols, etc. In some specific implementations, the SIG field may also carry beam management information, which indicates whether the PPDU 1400 is associated with a beamforming training operation or various parameters associated with a beamforming training operation. Example beam management information may include PPDU type, training direction, beam tracking request, training length, countdown, sector ID, antenna ID, best antenna ID, best sector ID, the number of RX sectors or RX antennas of the transmitting device, or SNR report, etc. The information carried in the SIG field may be modulated on each of the (234) data subcarriers associated with a 256-subcarrier frequency modulation plan. Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that 234 data subcarriers can carry 117 information bits, which may be sufficient to capture demodulation information and beam management information. Therefore, in some aspects, the SIG field may span 1 OFDM symbol.
[0169] Fig. 14B Another example PPDU 1410 following the green field PPDU format is shown according to some implementations. In some implementations, the PPDU 1410 may be a DPHY PPDU that may be used for wireless communications on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz when full beamforming gain may be achieved between a transmitting device and a receiving device. The PPDU 1410 includes a PHY preamble 1411 followed by a data portion 1412 and a PE or one or more TRNs 1413. The PHY preamble 1411 includes a short training field (STF), a long training field (LTF), and a signal (SIG) field.
[0170] In some implementations, the PHY preamble 1411 can have the same symbol duration as the data portion 1412. Fig. 14B In the example of , the data portion 1412 is mapped to 256 subcarriers associated with the sub-7 GHz frequency modulation plan, and the PHY preamble 1411 is mapped to 128 subcarriers that are replicated (2 times) in the frequency domain across the bandwidth associated with the data portion 1412. Therefore, the SCS associated with the PHY preamble 1411 is equal to the SCS associated with the data portion 1412. Fig.14A Compared to the PPDU 1400 of FIG. 1400 , the PHY preamble 1411 supports frequency combining at the receiving device, which improves the reliability of the SIG field, but also requires more SIG symbols to carry the same amount of information (due to fewer data subcarriers). In some aspects, the PPDU 1410 can be upconverted to a wider bandwidth to implement SCS suitable for wireless communication on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz (such as reference 9A to 13D In some implementations, the upscaling may be performed by Figure 8 The OFDM upconversion system 800 is used to perform.
[0171] In some aspects, the STF may span 2 OFDM symbols (similar to the L-STF in the existing PPDU format). In some implementations, the STF may reuse existing training sequences associated with wireless communications on carrier frequencies below 7 GHz (such as STF sequences associated with the 11ac PPDU format or the 11be PPDU format). For example, the training sequence may be mapped to every 4th, 8th, or 16th data subcarrier associated with a 128-subcarrier frequency modulation plan (similar to the periodicity of the L-STF in the existing PPDU format). In some implementations, the existing training sequence may be a legacy STF sequence associated with a channel bandwidth below 7 GHz. For example, when the PPDU 1410 is up-converted from an 80 MHz below 7 GHz channel bandwidth, the STF may carry a legacy STF sequence associated with a 40 MHz bandwidth. In some other implementations, the STF may include a Golay sequence (such as reference 1410) for simplifying packet detection. Fig.11A described above).
[0172] In some aspects, the LTF may span 2 OFDM symbols (similar to the L-LTF in the existing PPDU format). In some implementations, the PHY preamble 1411 may include one or more additional LTFs (following the SIG field) to support channel estimation for the data portion 1412. For example, the additional LTFs may be mapped according to the same 256-subcarrier frequency modulation plan as the data portion 1412. In some other implementations, the additional LTFs may be mapped only when multiple spatial streams (N SS >1), the additional LTF may be included in the PHY preamble 1411. In some such implementations, non-zero values may be modulated on at least some of the 128 subcarriers associated with the first LTF (before the SIG field) mapped to the guard subcarriers so that the LTF is padded on the same subcarriers as the data portion 1412 (such as the reference 1414). Fig. 11C , Fig. 12C and Fig. 13C In some other such implementations, the first LTF may be directly mapped to the same data subcarrier as the data portion 1412 (such as reference Fig.11D , Fig.12D and Fig.13D In addition, in some other implementations, the P matrix may be directly applied to the first LTF to generate two non-identical OFDM symbols. In such implementations, the P matrix may be directly applied to the first LTF to generate two non-identical OFDM symbols. SS >2) The additional LTF may be included in the PHY preamble 1411 only when the PPDU 1410 is sent on.
[0173] The SIG field may carry any information needed to demodulate the PPDU 1410. Example demodulation information may include information about bandwidth, length, MCS, N SS , BSS color, padding, PE ambiguity or LDPC additional symbols, etc. In some specific implementations, the SIG field may also carry beam management information, which indicates whether the PPDU 1410 is associated with a beamforming training operation or various parameters associated with a beamforming training operation. Example beam management information may include PPDU type, training direction, beam tracking request, training length, countdown, sector ID, antenna ID, best antenna ID, best sector ID, the number of RX sectors or RX antennas of the transmitting device, or SNR report, etc. The information carried in the SIG field may be modulated on each of the (108) data subcarriers associated with the 128-subcarrier frequency modulation plan. Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that 108 data subcarriers can carry 54 information bits, which may be insufficient to capture demodulation information and beam management information. Therefore, in some aspects, the SIG field may span 2 OFDM symbols.
[0174] Fig. 14C Another example PPDU 1420 following the green field PPDU format is shown according to some implementations. In some implementations, the PPDU 1420 may be a DPHY PPDU that may be used for wireless communications on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz when full beamforming gain may be achieved between the transmitting device and the receiving device. The PPDU 1420 includes a PHY preamble 1421 followed by a data portion 1422 and a PE or one or more TRNs 1423. The PHY preamble 1421 includes a short training field (STF), a long training field (LTF), and a signal (SIG) field.
[0175] In some implementations, the PHY preamble 1421 can have the same symbol duration as the data portion 1422. Fig. 14C In the example of , the data portion 1422 is mapped to 256 subcarriers associated with the sub-7 GHz frequency modulation plan, and the PHY preamble 1421 is mapped to 64 subcarriers that are replicated (4 times) in the frequency domain across the bandwidth associated with the data portion 1422. Therefore, the SCS associated with the PHY preamble 1421 is equal to the SCS associated with the data portion 1422. Fig. 14BCompared to the PPDU 1410 of FIG. 14, the PHY preamble 1421 supports a larger frequency combination at the receiving device, which further improves the reliability of the SIG field, but requires even more SIG symbols to carry the same amount of information (due to fewer data subcarriers). In some aspects, the PPDU 1420 can be upconverted to a wider bandwidth to implement SCS suitable for wireless communication on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz (such as reference 9A to 13D In some implementations, the upscaling may be performed by Figure 8 The OFDM upconversion system 800 is used to perform.
[0176] In some aspects, the STF may span 2 OFDM symbols (similar to the L-STF in the existing PPDU format). In some implementations, the STF may reuse existing training sequences associated with wireless communications on carrier frequencies below 7 GHz (such as STF sequences associated with the 11ac PPDU format or the 11be PPDU format). For example, the training sequence may be mapped to every 4th, 8th, or 16th data subcarrier associated with a 64-subcarrier frequency modulation plan (similar to the periodicity of the L-STF in the existing PPDU format). In some implementations, the existing training sequence may be a legacy STF sequence associated with a channel bandwidth below 7 GHz. For example, when the PPDU 1420 is up-converted from an 80 MHz below 7 GHz channel bandwidth, the STF may carry a legacy STF sequence associated with a 20 MHz bandwidth. In some other implementations, the STF may include a Golay sequence (such as referenced in the example of FIG. 1420 ) for simplifying packet detection. Fig.11A described above).
[0177] In some aspects, the LTF may span 2 OFDM symbols (similar to the L-LTF in the existing PPDU format). In some implementations, the PHY preamble 1421 may include one or more additional LTFs (following the SIG field) to support channel estimation for the data portion 1422. For example, the additional LTFs may be mapped according to the same 256-subcarrier frequency modulation plan as the data portion 1422. In some other implementations, the additional LTFs may be mapped only when multiple spatial streams (N SS >1), the additional LTF may be included in the PHY preamble 1421. In some such implementations, non-zero values may be modulated on at least some of the guard subcarriers associated with the 64 subcarriers to which the first LTF (before the SIG field) is mapped, so that the LTF is padded on the same subcarrier as the data portion 1422 (such as the reference 1424). Fig. 11C , Fig. 12C and Fig. 13CIn some other such implementations, the first LTF may be directly mapped to the same data subcarrier as the data portion 1422 (such as reference Fig.11D , Fig.12D and Fig.13D In addition, in some other implementations, the P matrix may be directly applied to the first LTF to generate two non-identical OFDM symbols. In such implementations, the P matrix may be directly applied to the first LTF to generate two non-identical OFDM symbols. SS >2) when sending PPDU 1420, the additional LTF may be included in the PHY preamble 1421.
[0178] The SIG field may carry any information needed to demodulate the PPDU 1420. Example demodulation information may include information about bandwidth, length, MCS, N SS , BSS color, padding, PE ambiguity or LDPC additional symbols, etc. In some specific implementations, the SIG field may also carry beam management information, which indicates whether the PPDU 1420 is associated with a beamforming training operation or various parameters associated with a beamforming training operation. Example beam management information may include PPDU type, training direction, beam tracking request, training length, countdown, sector ID, antenna ID, best antenna ID, best sector ID, the number of RX sectors or RX antennas of the transmitting device, or SNR report, etc. The information carried in the SIG field may be modulated on each of the (48) data subcarriers associated with the 64-subcarrier frequency modulation plan. Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that 48 data subcarriers can carry 24 information bits, which may be insufficient to capture demodulation information and beam management information. Therefore, in some aspects, the SIG field may span 3 or 4 OFDM symbols.
[0179] Fig.15A An example PPDU 1500 following a green field PPDU format is shown according to some implementations. In some implementations, the PPDU 1500 may be a DPHY PPDU that may be used for wireless communications on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz when full beamforming gain may be achieved between a transmitting device and a receiving device. The PPDU 1500 includes a PHY preamble 1501, followed by a data portion 1502 and a PE or one or more TRNs 1503. The PHY preamble 1501 includes a short training field (STF), a long training field (LTF), and a signal (SIG) field.
[0180] In some implementations, the PHY preamble 1501 can have a shorter symbol duration than the data portion 1502. Fig.15AIn the example of , the data portion 1502 is mapped to 256 subcarriers associated with the sub-7 GHz frequency modulation plan, while the PHY preamble 1501 is mapped to 64 subcarriers spanning the bandwidth associated with the data portion 1502. Therefore, the SCS associated with the PHY preamble 1501 is 4 times larger than the SCS associated with the data portion 1502 (resulting in a 4 times shorter symbol duration). Fig.14A Compared to the PPDU 1400 of FIG. 1400 , the PHY preamble 1501 may be shorter than the PHY preamble 1401, but may also require more SIG symbols to carry the same amount of information (due to fewer data subcarriers). In some aspects, the PPDU 1500 may be upconverted to a wider bandwidth to implement an SCS suitable for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz (such as reference 1400). 9A to 13D In some implementations, the upscaling may be performed by Figure 8 The OFDM upconversion system 800 is used to perform.
[0181] In some aspects, the STF may span 2 OFDM symbols (similar to the L-STF in the existing PPDU format) or longer to allow for AGC gain stabilization. In some implementations, the STF may reuse existing training sequences associated with wireless communications on carrier frequencies below 7 GHz (such as STF sequences associated with the 11ac PPDU format or the 11be PPDU format). For example, the training sequence may be mapped to every 4th, 8th, or 16th data subcarrier associated with a 64-subcarrier frequency modulation plan (similar to the periodicity of the L-STF in the existing PPDU format). In some implementations, the existing training sequence may be a TB STF sequence associated with the up-converted PPDU bandwidth. For example, when the PPDU 1500 is up-converted 16 times from a 20 MHz sub-7 GHz channel bandwidth, the STF may carry a TB STF sequence associated with a 320 MHz bandwidth. In some other implementations, the STF may include a Golay sequence (such as referenced in the example of FIG. 15) for simplifying packet detection. Fig.11A described above).
[0182] In some aspects, the LTF may span 2 OFDM symbols (similar to the L-LTF in the existing PPDU format). In some implementations, the PHY preamble 1501 may include one or more additional LTFs (following the SIG field) to support channel estimation for the data portion 1502. For example, the additional LTFs may be mapped according to the same 256-subcarrier frequency modulation plan as the data portion 1502. In some other implementations, the additional LTFs may be mapped only when multiple spatial streams (N SS>1), the additional LTF may be included in the PHY preamble 1501. In such implementations, the first LTF (before the SIG field) may be mapped to the same data subcarriers (according to the same 256-subcarrier frequency modulation plan) as the data portion 1502 (such as reference Fig.11D , Fig.12D and Fig.13D In addition, in some implementations, the P matrix may be applied directly to the first LTF to generate two non-identical OFDM symbols. In such implementations, the P matrix may be applied directly to the first LTF to generate two non-identical OFDM symbols. SS >2) The additional LTF may be included in the PHY preamble 1501 only when the PPDU 1500 is sent on.
[0183] The SIG field may carry any information needed to demodulate the PPDU 1500. Example demodulation information may include information about bandwidth, length, MCS, N SS , BSS color, padding, PE ambiguity or LDPC additional symbols, etc. In some specific implementations, the SIG field may also carry beam management information, which indicates whether the PPDU 1500 is associated with a beamforming training operation or various parameters associated with a beamforming training operation. Example beam management information may include PPDU type, training direction, beam tracking request, training length, countdown, sector ID, antenna ID, best antenna ID, best sector ID, the number of RX sectors or RX antennas of the transmitting device, or SNR report, etc. The information carried in the SIG field may be modulated on each of the (48) data subcarriers associated with the 64-subcarrier frequency modulation plan. Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that 48 data subcarriers can carry 24 information bits, which may be insufficient to capture demodulation information and beam management information. Therefore, in some aspects, the SIG field may span 3 or 4 OFDM symbols.
[0184] Fig. 15B Another example PPDU 1510 following the green field PPDU format is shown according to some implementations. In some implementations, the PPDU 1510 may be a DPHY PPDU that may be used for wireless communications on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz when full beamforming gain may be achieved between a transmitting device and a receiving device. The PPDU 1510 includes a PHY preamble 1511 followed by a data portion 1512 and a PE or one or more TRNs 1513. The PHY preamble 1511 includes a short training field (STF), a long training field (LTF), and a signal (SIG) field.
[0185] In some implementations, the PHY preamble 1511 can have a shorter symbol duration than the data portion 1512. Fig. 15B In the example of , the data portion 1512 is mapped to 256 subcarriers associated with the sub-7 GHz frequency modulation plan, while the PHY preamble 1511 is mapped to 128 subcarriers spanning the bandwidth associated with the data portion 1512. Therefore, the SCS associated with the PHY preamble 1511 is 2 times larger than the SCS associated with the data portion 1512 (resulting in a 2 times shorter symbol duration). Fig.15A Compared to the PPDU 1500 of FIG. 1500 , the PHY preamble 1511 may be longer than the PHY preamble 1501 but shorter than the data portion, and may also require fewer SIG symbols than the PHY preamble 1501 to carry the same amount of information (due to more data subcarriers). In some aspects, the PPDU 1510 may be up-converted to a wider bandwidth to implement an SCS suitable for wireless communications at carrier frequencies above 7 GHz (such as reference 1500 ). 9A to 13D In some implementations, the upscaling may be performed by Figure 8 The OFDM upconversion system 800 is used to perform.
[0186] In some aspects, the STF may span 2 OFDM symbols (similar to the L-STF in the existing PPDU format) or longer to allow for AGC gain stabilization. In some implementations, the STF may reuse existing training sequences associated with wireless communications on carrier frequencies below 7 GHz (such as STF sequences associated with the 11ac PPDU format or the 11be PPDU format). For example, the training sequence may be mapped to every 4th, 8th, or 16th data subcarrier associated with a 128-subcarrier frequency modulation plan (similar to the periodicity of the L-STF in the existing PPDU format). In some implementations, the existing training sequence may be a TB STF sequence associated with the up-converted PPDU bandwidth. For example, when the PPDU 1510 is up-converted 16 times from a 20 MHz sub-7 GHz channel bandwidth, the STF may carry a TB STF sequence associated with a 320 MHz bandwidth. In some other implementations, the STF may include a Golay sequence (such as referenced in the example of FIG. 15A ) for simplifying packet detection. Fig.11A described above).
[0187] In some aspects, the LTF may span 2 OFDM symbols (similar to the L-LTF in the existing PPDU format). In some implementations, the PHY preamble 1511 may include one or more additional LTFs (following the SIG field) to support channel estimation for the data portion 1512. For example, the additional LTFs may be mapped according to the same 256-subcarrier frequency modulation plan as the data portion 1512. In some other implementations, the additional LTFs may be mapped only when multiple spatial streams (N SS>1), the additional LTF may be included in the PHY preamble 1511. In such implementations, the first LTF (before the SIG field) may be mapped to the same data subcarriers (according to the same 256-subcarrier frequency modulation plan) as the data portion 1512 (such as reference Fig.11D , Fig.12D and Fig.13D In addition, in some implementations, the P matrix may be applied directly to the first LTF to generate two non-identical OFDM symbols. In such implementations, the P matrix may be applied directly to the first LTF to generate two non-identical OFDM symbols. SS >2) The additional LTF may be included in the PHY preamble 1511 only when the PPDU 1510 is sent on.
[0188] The SIG field may carry any information needed to demodulate the PPDU 1510. Example demodulation information may include information about bandwidth, length, MCS, N SS , BSS color, padding, PE ambiguity or LDPC additional symbols, etc. In some specific implementations, the SIG field may also carry beam management information, which indicates whether the PPDU 1510 is associated with a beamforming training operation or various parameters associated with a beamforming training operation. Example beam management information may include PPDU type, training direction, beam tracking request, training length, countdown, sector ID, antenna ID, best antenna ID, best sector ID, the number of RX sectors or RX antennas of the transmitting device, or SNR report, etc. The information carried in the SIG field may be modulated on each of the (108) data subcarriers associated with the 128-subcarrier frequency modulation plan. Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that 108 data subcarriers can carry 54 information bits, which may be insufficient to capture demodulation information and beam management information. Therefore, in some aspects, the SIG field may span 2 OFDM symbols.
[0189] Fig. 15C Another example PPDU 1520 following the green field PPDU format is shown according to some implementations. In some implementations, the PPDU 1520 may be a DPHY PPDU that may be used for wireless communications on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz when full beamforming gain may be achieved between the transmitting device and the receiving device. The PPDU 1520 includes a PHY preamble 1521 followed by a data portion 1522 and a PE or one or more TRNs 1523. The PHY preamble 1521 includes a short training field (STF), a long training field (LTF), and a signal (SIG) field.
[0190] In some implementations, the PHY preamble 1521 can have a shorter symbol duration than the data portion 1522. Fig. 15B In the example of , the data portion 1522 is mapped to 256 subcarriers associated with the sub-7 GHz frequency modulation plan, while the PHY preamble 1521 is mapped to 64 subcarriers that are replicated (2 times) in the frequency domain across the bandwidth associated with the data portion 1522. Therefore, the SCS associated with the PHY preamble 1521 is 2 times larger than the SCS associated with the data portion 1522 (and has a 2 times shorter symbol duration). Fig. 15B Compared to the PPDU 1510 of FIG. 1 , the PHY preamble 1521 supports a larger frequency combination at the receiving device, which further improves the reliability of the SIG field, but requires even more SIG symbols to carry the same amount of information (due to fewer data subcarriers). In some aspects, the PPDU 1520 may be upconverted to a wider bandwidth to implement SCS suitable for wireless communication on carrier frequencies above 7 GHz (such as reference 9A to 13D In some implementations, the upscaling may be performed by Figure 8 The OFDM upconversion system 800 is used to perform.
[0191] In some aspects, the STF may span 2 OFDM symbols (similar to the L-STF in the existing PPDU format) or longer to allow for AGC gain stabilization. In some implementations, the STF may reuse existing training sequences associated with wireless communications on carrier frequencies below 7 GHz (such as STF sequences associated with the 11ac PPDU format or the 11be PPDU format). For example, the training sequence may be mapped to every 4th, 8th, or 16th data subcarrier associated with a 64-subcarrier frequency modulation plan (similar to the periodicity of the L-STF in the existing PPDU format). In some implementations, the existing training sequence may be a legacy STF sequence associated with a channel bandwidth below 7 GHz. For example, when the PPDU 1420 is upconverted from a 20 MHz 7 GHz channel bandwidth, the STF may carry a legacy STF sequence associated with a 20 MHz bandwidth. In some other implementations, the STF may include a Golay sequence (such as referenced in the example of FIG. 1420 ) for simplifying packet detection. Fig.11A described above).
[0192] In some aspects, the LTF may span 2 OFDM symbols (similar to the L-LTF in the existing PPDU format). In some implementations, the PHY preamble 1521 may include one or more additional LTFs (following the SIG field) to support channel estimation for the data portion 1522. For example, the additional LTFs may be mapped according to the same 256-subcarrier frequency modulation plan as the data portion 1522. In some other implementations, the additional LTFs may be mapped only when multiple spatial streams (N SS>1), the additional LTF may be included in the PHY preamble 1521. In such implementations, the first LTF (before the SIG field) may be mapped to the same data subcarriers (according to the same 256-subcarrier frequency modulation plan) as the data portion 1522 (such as reference Fig.11D , Fig.12D and Fig.13D In addition, in some implementations, the P matrix may be applied directly to the first LTF to generate two non-identical OFDM symbols. In such implementations, the P matrix may be applied directly to the first LTF to generate two non-identical OFDM symbols. SS >2) The additional LTF may be included in the PHY preamble 1521 only when the PPDU 1520 is sent on.
[0193] The SIG field may carry any information needed to demodulate the PPDU 1520. Example demodulation information may include information about bandwidth, length, MCS, N SS , BSS color, padding, PE ambiguity or LDPC additional symbols, etc. In some specific implementations, the SIG field may also carry beam management information, which indicates whether the PPDU 1520 is associated with a beamforming training operation or various parameters associated with a beamforming training operation. Example beam management information may include PPDU type, training direction, beam tracking request, training length, countdown, sector ID, antenna ID, best antenna ID, best sector ID, the number of RX sectors or RX antennas of the transmitting device, or SNR report, etc. The information carried in the SIG field may be modulated on each of the (48) data subcarriers associated with the 64-subcarrier frequency modulation plan. Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that 48 data subcarriers can carry 24 information bits, which may be insufficient to capture demodulation information and beam management information. Therefore, in some aspects, the SIG field may span 3 or 4 OFDM symbols.
[0194] Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that Fig. 9B The CPHY PPDU format and Fig. 14C The DPHY PPDU format can be implemented using the same processing and up-conversion resources. For example, PHY preambles 911 and 1421 each include a single SIG field and have the same SCS and frequency repetition. Therefore, Fig. 9B The CPHY PPDU format and Fig. 14C The DPHY PPDU formats of the PHY preamble 1421 may collectively represent a coordinated green field PPDU format. In some implementations, the SIG field of the PHY preamble 1421 may be repeated in the time domain or include additional OFDM symbols (such as reference Fig. 9C and Fig.9DIn some aspects, the coordinated PPDU format may include signaling to indicate whether the PPDU complies with the CPHY PPDU format or the DPHY PPDU format.
[0195] In some implementations, the PPDU format (CPHY or DPHY) may be signaled by the value of the length field (L_LEN) in the SIG field (or L-SIG). For example, depending on whether L_LEN%3=0, the PPDU may follow the DPHY PPDU format or the CPHY PPDU format. In some other implementations, the PPDU format (CPHY or DPHY) may be signaled by a modulation scheme associated with one of the SIG fields in the SIG field (or SIG symbol). For example, the second OFDM symbol of the SIG field may be modulated according to a BPSK modulation scheme or a QBPSK modulation scheme to indicate whether the PPDU follows the DPHY PPDU format or the CPHY PPDU format.
[0196] Fig.16 1600 for wireless communication supporting a 60 GHz PPDU format. In some implementations, the process 1600 may be performed by an AP (such as those described above, respectively). Figure 1 and Figure 5A In some other implementations, the process 1600 may be performed by a wireless communication device operating as a STA (such as the wireless communication device described above). Figure 1 and Figure 5B The method may be performed by any one of the STAs 104 or 504) or a wireless communication device operating within the STA.
[0197] In some implementations, process 1600 begins at block 1602, where a first portion of a PPDU is mapped to a number (N) of subcarriers, where the first portion of the PPDU represents at least a portion of a PHY preamble, the at least a portion of the PHY preamble including an STF, an LTF, and one or more SIG fields immediately following the LTF and carrying information for interpreting the PPDU. At block 1604, process 1600 continues by performing the following operations: sampling at a sampling rate (f ) associated with a first SCS greater than 1.2 MHz. S ) transforms the N subcarriers into a first time-varying signal, wherein the first SCS represents the separation amount between adjacent subcarriers of the N subcarriers in the frequency domain. In block 1606, process 1600 continues with the following operations: S A first time-varying signal is transmitted on a wireless channel of an associated bandwidth (BW).
[0198] In some aspects, the PPDU may follow a PPDU format associated with wireless communications on a carrier frequency below 7 GHz. In some implementations, one or more SIG fields may include an L-SIG and a non-legacy SIG field immediately following the L-SIG. In some other implementations, one or more SIG fields may include an L-SIG, an RL-SIG immediately following the L-SIG, and a non-legacy SIG field immediately following the RL-SIG. In some implementations, the STF and non-legacy SIG fields may each consist of two OFDM symbols. In some other implementations, the STF may consist of two OFDM symbols repeated in time, and the non-legacy SIG field may consist of four OFDM symbols.
[0199] In some aspects, the PPDU may consist of only the first portion. In some other aspects, the process 1600 may also include: mapping the second portion of the PPDU including at least a data field, a packet extension, or one or more TRNs to a number (M) of subcarriers; sampling at the sampling rate f s The M subcarriers are transformed into a second time-varying signal; and the second time-varying signal is sent on the wireless channel immediately after the first time-varying signal. In some implementations, the one or more SIG fields may consist of a single SIG field, which is followed by a data field, a packet extension, or one or more TRNs. In some implementations, the second part of the PPDU may also include one or more additional LTFs. In some implementations, the one or more SIG fields may consist of a single SIG field, which is followed by one or more additional LTFs.
[0200] In some implementations, M may be equal to N, and BW may be equal to f s In some other implementations, M may be equal to N, and the PPDU may be replicated for transmission on a number (m) of subbands, each subband spanning a respective portion of the bandwidth equal to BW / m, where BW is equal to m*f s In addition, in some implementations, M may be greater than N. In some implementations, the first portion of the PPDU may be replicated for transmission on a number (n) of sub-bands, each sub-band spanning a respective portion of bandwidth equal to BW / n, where BW is equal to f s In some implementations, the transformation of the M subcarriers to the second time-varying signal may generate a second SCS equal to the first SCS, wherein the second SCS represents the amount of separation in the frequency domain between adjacent subcarriers of the M subcarriers. In some other implementations, the transformation of the M subcarriers to the second time-varying signal may generate a second SCS different from the first SCS, wherein the second SCS represents the amount of separation in the frequency domain between adjacent subcarriers of the M subcarriers.
[0201] In some implementations, since the first part of the PPDU is replicated for transmission on n subbands, the LTF may be sent on the same subcarrier as the second part of the PPDU. In some implementations, the LTF may include a first OFDM symbol and a second OFDM symbol that is the same as the first OFDM symbol. In some other implementations, the LTF may include a first OFDM symbol and a second OFDM symbol, wherein process 1600 further includes: applying a P matrix to the LTF so that the first OFDM symbol is different from the second OFDM symbol. In some implementations, the STF may include a Golay sequence. In some implementations, the information carried in one or more SIG fields may include an indication of whether the PPDU is associated with a beamforming training operation.
[0202] Fig.17 1700 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for wireless communication supporting a 60 GHz PPDU format. In some implementations, process 1700 may be performed by an AP (such as those described above, respectively). Figure 1 and Figure 5A The process 1700 may be performed by a wireless communication device operating in an AP (such as any of the APs 102 or 502 described above) or in an AP. In some other specific implementations, the process 1700 may be performed by a wireless communication device operating as a STA (such as the wireless communication device described above). Figure 1 and Figure 5B The method may be performed by any one of the STAs 104 or 504) or a wireless communication device operating within the STA.
[0203] In some implementations, process 1700 begins at block 1702, where a first portion of a PPDU is mapped to a number (N) of subcarriers, where the first portion of the PPDU represents at least a portion of a PHY preamble, where the at least a portion of the PHY preamble includes an STF and one or more SIG fields carrying information for deciphering the PPDU. At block 1704, process 1700 continues with mapping an LTF of the PHY preamble to a number (M) of subcarriers, where the LTF follows the STF and precedes the one or more SIG fields in the PHY preamble, where M>N. At block 1706, process 1700 continues with transforming the N subcarriers and the M subcarriers into a time-varying signal. At block 1708, process 1700 continues with transmitting the time-varying signal over a wireless channel.
[0204] In some implementations, process 1700 may further include mapping a second portion of the PPDU including at least a data field, a packet extension, or one or more TRNs to M subcarriers. In some implementations, the N subcarriers and the M subcarriers may have a sampling rate (f ) associated with an SCS greater than 1.2 MHz. s) into the time-varying signal, wherein the SCS represents the amount of separation in the frequency domain between adjacent subcarriers of the N subcarriers. In some implementations, the first portion of the PPDU may be replicated for transmission on a number (n) of subbands, each subband spanning a corresponding bandwidth portion equal to BW / n.
[0205] Fig.18 1 shows a block diagram of an example wireless communication device 1800 according to some implementations. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1800 is configured to perform a reference Fig.16 The wireless communication device 1800 may be the process 1600 described above. Figure 4 The example implementation of the wireless communication device 400 is described. For example, the wireless communication device 1800 may be a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device including at least one processor and at least one modem (e.g., a Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) modem or a cellular modem).
[0206] The wireless communication device 1800 includes a receiving component 1810, a communication manager 1820, and a transmitting component 1830. The communication manager 1820 also includes a PPDU mapping component 1822 and a time domain conversion component 1824. Portions of one or more of the components 1822 and 1824 may be implemented at least in part in hardware or firmware. In some implementations, at least some of the components 1822 or 1824 are at least partially implemented as software stored in a memory (such as memory 408). For example, portions of one or more of the components 1822 and 1824 may be implemented as non-transitory instructions (or "code") that can be executed by a processor (such as processor 406) to perform the functions or operations of the corresponding components.
[0207] The receiving component 1810 is configured to receive an RX signal from one or more other wireless communication devices on a wireless channel. The communication manager 1820 is configured to control or manage communications with one or more other wireless communication devices. In some specific implementations, the PPDU mapping component 1822 may map a first portion of the PPDU to a number (N) of subcarriers, wherein the first portion of the PPDU represents at least a portion of a PHY preamble, the at least a portion of the PHY preamble including a short training field (STF), a long training field (LTF), and one or more signal (SIG) fields immediately following the LTF and carrying information for interpreting the PPDU; and the time domain conversion component 1824 may be associated with a sampling rate (f) associated with a subcarrier spacing (SCS) greater than 1.2 MHz. s) transforms the N subcarriers into a time-varying signal, where SCS represents the separation amount in the frequency domain between adjacent subcarriers of the N subcarriers. The transmitting component 1830 is configured to transmit the TX signal to one or more other wireless communication devices on the wireless channel. In some specific implementations, the transmitting component 1930 may be configured to transmit the TX signal to one or more other wireless communication devices on the wireless channel at a sampling rate equal to the sampling rate f. s A first time-varying signal is transmitted on a wireless channel of an associated bandwidth (BW).
[0208] Fig.19 1 shows a block diagram of an example wireless communication device 1900 according to some implementations. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1900 is configured to perform a reference Fig.17 The wireless communication device 1900 may be the process 1700 described above. Figure 4 Example implementations of the wireless communication device 400. 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).
[0209] The wireless communication device 1900 includes a receiving component 1910, a communication manager 1920, and a transmitting component 1930. The communication manager 1920 also includes a PPDU mapping component 1922, an LTF mapping component 1924, and a time domain conversion component 1926. Portions of one or more of the components 1922, 1924, and 1926 may be implemented at least in part in hardware or firmware. In some specific implementations, at least some of the components 1922, 1924, or 1926 are at least partially implemented as software stored in a memory (such as memory 408). For example, portions of one or more of the components 1922, 1924, and 1926 may be implemented as non-transitory instructions (or "code") that can be executed by a processor (such as processor 406) to perform the functions or operations of the corresponding components.
[0210] The receiving component 1910 is configured to receive RX signals from one or more other wireless communication devices on a wireless channel. The communication manager 1920 is configured to control or manage communications with one or more other wireless communication devices. In some specific implementations, the PPDU mapping component 1922 may map the first part of the PPDU to a number (N) of subcarriers, wherein the first part of the PPDU represents at least a portion of a PHY preamble, and the at least a portion of the PHY preamble includes a short training field (STF) and one or more signal (SIG) fields carrying information for interpreting the PPDU; the LTF mapping component 1924 may map the long training field (LTF) of the PHY preamble to a number (M) of subcarriers, wherein the LTF follows the STF in the PHY preamble and precedes the one or more SIG fields, wherein M>N; and the time domain conversion component 1924 may transform the N subcarriers and the M subcarriers into time-varying signals. The transmitting component 1930 is configured to transmit a TX signal to one or more other wireless communication devices on a wireless channel. In some implementations, transmitting component 1930 can transmit a time-varying signal over a wireless channel.
[0211] Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:
[0212] 1. A method for wireless communication by a wireless communication device, comprising:
[0213] mapping a first portion of a physical layer (PHY) convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) to a number (N) of subcarriers, the first portion of the PPDU representing at least a portion of a PHY preamble, the at least a portion of the PHY preamble comprising a short training field (STF), a long training field (LTF), and one or more signal (SIG) fields immediately following the LTF and carrying information for interpreting the PPDU;
[0214] At a sampling rate (f) associated with a first subcarrier spacing (SCS) greater than 1.2 MHz s ) transforming the N subcarriers into a first time-varying signal, wherein the first SCS represents the separation amount between adjacent subcarriers of the N subcarriers in the frequency domain; and
[0215] In the case of a sample rate (f s ) is used to send the first time-varying signal on a wireless channel with a bandwidth (BW) associated with the wireless channel.
[0216] 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the first time-varying signal is transmitted at a carrier frequency above 7 GHz.
[0217] 3. A method according to any of clauses 1 or 2, wherein the PPDU complies with a PPDU format associated with wireless communications on a carrier frequency below 7 GHz.
[0218] 4. A method as described in any of clauses 1 to 3, wherein the one or more SIG fields include a legacy SIG field (L-SIG) and a non-legacy SIG field immediately following the L-SIG.
[0219] 5. A method according to any of clauses 1 to 3, wherein the one or more SIG fields include an L-SIG, a repetition of the L-SIG immediately following the L-SIG (RL-SIG), and a non-legacy SIG field immediately following the RL-SIG.
[0220] 6. A method as described in any of clauses 1 to 3 or 5, wherein the STF and the non-legacy SIG field each consist of two orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols.
[0221] 7. A method according to any of clauses 1 to 3 or 5, wherein the STF consists of two OFDM symbols repeated in time and the non-legacy SIG field consists of four OFDM symbols.
[0222] 8. A method according to any of clauses 1 to 7, wherein the PPDU consists only of the first part.
[0223] 9. The method according to any one of clauses 1 to 7, further comprising:
[0224] Mapping a second portion of the PPDU including at least a data field, a packet extension, or one or more training fields (TRNs) to a number (M) of subcarriers;
[0225] At the sampling rate f s transforming the M subcarriers into a second time-varying signal; and sending the second time-varying signal on the wireless channel immediately after the first time-varying signal.
[0226] 10. A method according to any of clauses 1 to 7 or 9, wherein the one or more SIG fields consist of a single SIG field followed immediately by the data field, the packet extension or the one or more TRNs.
[0227] 11. A method according to any of clauses 1 to 7 or 9, wherein the second part of the PPDU further comprises one or more additional LTFs.
[0228] 12. A method according to any of clauses 1 to 7, 9 or 10, wherein the one or more SIG fields consist of a single SIG field followed immediately by the one or more additional LTFs.
[0229] 13. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 7 or 9 to 12, wherein M=N, and BW=f s .
[0230] 14. A method according to any of clauses 1 to 7, 9 or 10, wherein M=N, and the PPDU is replicated for transmission on a number (m) of sub-bands, each sub-band spanning a respective portion of bandwidth equal to BW / m, wherein BW=m*f s .
[0231] 15. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 7 or 9 to 12, wherein M>N.
[0232] 16. A method according to any of clauses 1 to 7, 9 to 12 or 15, wherein the first part of the PPDU is replicated for transmission on a number (n) of sub-bands, each sub-band spanning a respective portion of bandwidth equal to BW / n, where BW=f s .
[0233] 17. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 7, 9 to 12, 15 or 16, wherein the transformation of the M subcarriers into the second time-varying signal produces a second SCS equal to the first SCS, and the second SCS represents the amount of separation in the frequency domain between adjacent subcarriers of the M subcarriers.
[0234] 18. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 7, 9 to 12, 15 or 16, wherein the transformation of the M subcarriers into the second time-varying signal produces a second SCS different from the first SCS, and the second SCS represents the amount of separation in the frequency domain between adjacent subcarriers of the M subcarriers.
[0235] 19. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 7, 9 to 12 or 15 to 18, wherein due to duplicating the first part of the PPDU for transmission on the n sub-bands, the LTF is transmitted on the same sub-carrier as the second part of the PPDU.
[0236] 20. A method according to any of clauses 1 to 19, wherein the LTF comprises a first OFDM symbol and a second OFDM symbol that is identical to the first OFDM symbol.
[0237] 21. A method according to any of clauses 1 to 19, wherein the LTF comprises a first OFDM symbol and a second OFDM symbol, the method further comprising:
[0238] A P matrix is applied to the LTF such that the first OFDM symbol is different from the second OFDM symbol.
[0239] 22. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 21, wherein the STF comprises a Golay sequence.
[0240] 23. A method according to any of clauses 1 to 22, wherein the information carried in the one or more SIG fields comprises an indication of whether the PPDU is associated with a beamforming training operation.
[0241] 24. A wireless communication device, comprising:
[0242] at least one memory; and
[0243] At least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one memory, the at least one processor being configured to cause the wireless communication device to perform the method according to any one or more of clauses 1 to 23.
[0244] 25. A method for wireless communication by a wireless communication device, comprising:
[0245] mapping a first portion of a physical layer (PHY) convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) to a number (N) of subcarriers, the first portion of the PPDU representing at least a portion of a PHY preamble, the at least a portion of the PHY preamble comprising a short training field (STF) and one or more signal (SIG) fields carrying information for interpreting the PPDU;
[0246] mapping a long training field (LTF) of the PHY preamble to a number (M) of subcarriers, the LTF following the STF and preceding the one or more SIG fields in the PHY preamble, where M>N;
[0247] transforming the N subcarriers and the M subcarriers into time-varying signals; and
[0248] The time-varying signal is transmitted over a wireless channel.
[0249] 26. The method of clause 25, wherein the wireless channel is associated with a carrier frequency above 7 GHz.
[0250] 27. The method according to any one of clauses 25 or 26, further comprising:
[0251] A second portion of the PPDU including at least a data field, a packet extension, or one or more training fields (TRNs) is mapped to the M subcarriers.
[0252] 28. A method according to any of clauses 25 to 27, wherein the N subcarriers and the M subcarriers are sampled at a sampling rate (f ) associated with a subcarrier spacing (SCS) greater than 1.2 MHz. s ) is transformed into the time-varying signal, and the SCS represents the separation amount between adjacent subcarriers of the N subcarriers in the frequency domain.
[0253] 29. A method according to any of clauses 25 to 28, wherein the first part of the PPDU is replicated for transmission on a number (n) of sub-bands, each sub-band spanning a respective portion of bandwidth equal to BW / n.
[0254] 30. A wireless communication device, comprising:
[0255] at least one memory; and
[0256] At least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one memory, the at least one processor being configured to cause the wireless communication device to perform the method according to any one or more of clauses 25 to 29.
[0257] As used herein, a phrase referring to "at least one of" 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. As used herein, "based on" is intended to be interpreted in an inclusive sense, unless otherwise expressly indicated. For example, "based on" can be used interchangeably with "based at least in part on," unless otherwise expressly indicated. Specifically, unless the phrase in the context refers to "based only on 'one'" or an equivalent, whether it is "based on 'one'" or "based at least in part on 'one'" can be based on "one" alone or on a combination of "one" and one or more other factors, conditions, or information.
[0258] The various illustrative components, logic, logic blocks, modules, circuits, operations, and algorithmic processes described in conjunction with the specific 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 exemplified 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.
[0259] Various modifications to the specific implementations described in this disclosure will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other specific implementations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the specific implementations shown herein, but are to be consistent with the broadest scope consistent with the disclosure, the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
[0260] Additionally, various features described in this specification in the context of separate implementations may also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, individual features described in the context of a single implementation may also be implemented in multiple implementations individually or in any suitable subcombination. Thus, although 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 deleted from the combination, and a claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variations of a subcombination.
[0261] Similarly, although operations are depicted in a specific order in the figure, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the specific order shown or in a sequential order, or to perform all 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 not depicted can be incorporated into the example processes schematically illustrated. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, simultaneously or between any operations in the illustrated operations. In some environments, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. In addition, the separation of each system component in the specific implementation described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all specific implementations, but it should be understood as described program components and systems can usually be integrated together in a single software product, or be packaged in multiple software products.
Claims
1. A method for wireless communication performed by a wireless communication device, the method comprising: mapping a first portion of a physical layer (PHY) convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) to a number (N) of subcarriers, the first portion of the PPDU representing at least a portion of a PHY preamble, the at least a portion of the PHY preamble comprising a short training field (STF), a long training field (LTF), and one or more signal (SIG) fields immediately following the LTF and carrying information for interpreting the PPDU; At a sampling rate (f) associated with a first subcarrier spacing (SCS) greater than 1.2 MHz s ) transforming the N subcarriers into a first time-varying signal, wherein the first SCS represents a separation amount between adjacent subcarriers of the N subcarriers in the frequency domain; as well as In the case of a sample rate (f s ) is used to send the first time-varying signal on a wireless channel with a bandwidth (BW) associated with the wireless channel. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first time-varying signal is transmitted at a carrier frequency above 7 GHz.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the PPDU complies with a PPDU format associated with wireless communications on a carrier frequency below 7 GHz. 4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the one or more SIG fields include a legacy SIG field (L-SIG) and a non-legacy SIG field immediately following the L-SIG.
5. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more SIG fields include an L-SIG, a repetition of the L-SIG (RL-SIG) immediately following the L-SIG, and a non-legacy SIG field immediately following the RL-SIG.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the STF and the non-legacy SIG field each consist of two orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols.
7. The method of claim 5, wherein the STF consists of two OFDM symbols repeated in time, and the non-legacy SIG field consists of four OFDM symbols. The method of claim 1 , wherein the PPDU consists of only the first portion.
9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Mapping a second portion of the PPDU including at least a data field, a packet extension, or one or more training fields (TRNs) to a number (M) of subcarriers; At the sampling rate f s Transforming the M subcarriers into a second time-varying signal; as well as The second time-varying signal is sent on the wireless channel immediately after the first time-varying signal.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more SIG fields consist of a single SIG field followed immediately by the data field, the packet extension, or the one or more TRNs.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein the second part of the PPDU further comprises one or more additional LTFs.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more SIG fields consist of a single SIG field followed by the one or more additional LTFs.
13. The method of claim 9, wherein M=N, and BW=f s .
14. The method of claim 9, wherein M=N, and the PPDU is replicated for transmission on a number (m) of sub-bands, each sub-band spanning a respective portion of bandwidth equal to BW / m, wherein BW=m*f s .
15. The method of claim 9, wherein M>N.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first portion of the PPDU is replicated for transmission on a number (n) of sub-bands, each sub-band spanning a respective portion of bandwidth equal to BW / n, where BW=f s .
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the transformation of the M subcarriers into the second time-varying signal produces a second SCS equal to the first SCS, the second SCS representing an amount of separation in the frequency domain between adjacent subcarriers of the M subcarriers.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the transformation of the M subcarriers into the second time-varying signal produces a second SCS different from the first SCS, the second SCS representing an amount of separation in the frequency domain between adjacent subcarriers of the M subcarriers.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein the LTF is transmitted on the same subcarrier as the second part of the PPDU due to duplication of the first part of the PPDU for transmission on the n subbands.
20. The method of claim 1, wherein the LTF comprises a first OFDM symbol and a second OFDM symbol that is the same as the first OFDM symbol.
21. The method of claim 1, wherein the LTF comprises a first OFDM symbol and a second OFDM symbol, the method further comprising: A P matrix is applied to the LTF such that the first OFDM symbol is different from the second OFDM symbol.
22. The method of claim 1, wherein the STF comprises a Golay sequence.
23. The method of claim 1, wherein the information carried in the one or more SIG fields includes an indication of whether the PPDU is associated with a beamforming training operation.
24. A wireless communication device, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one memory, the at least one processor configured to cause the wireless communication device to: mapping a first portion of a physical layer (PHY) convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) to a number (N) of subcarriers, the first portion of the PPDU representing at least a portion of a PHY preamble, the at least a portion of the PHY preamble comprising a short training field (STF), a long training field (LTF), and one or more signal (SIG) fields immediately following the LTF and carrying information for interpreting the PPDU; At a sampling rate (f) associated with a first subcarrier spacing (SCS) greater than 1.2 MHz s ) transforming the N subcarriers into a first time-varying signal, wherein the first SCS represents a separation amount between adjacent subcarriers of the N subcarriers in the frequency domain; as well as In the case of a sample rate (f s ) is used to send the first time-varying signal on a wireless channel with a bandwidth (BW) associated with the wireless channel.
25. A method of wireless communication performed by a wireless communication device, the method comprising: mapping a first portion of a physical layer (PHY) convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) to a number (N) of subcarriers, the first portion of the PPDU representing at least a portion of a PHY preamble, the at least a portion of the PHY preamble comprising a short training field (STF) and one or more signal (SIG) fields carrying information for interpreting the PPDU; mapping a long training field (LTF) of the PHY preamble to a number (M) of subcarriers, the LTF following the STF and preceding the one or more SIG fields in the PHY preamble, where M>N; transforming the N subcarriers and the M subcarriers into time-varying signals; and The time-varying signal is transmitted over a wireless channel.
26. The method of claim 25, wherein the wireless channel is associated with a carrier frequency above 7 GHz.
27. The method according to claim 25, further comprising: A second portion of the PPDU including at least a data field, a packet extension, or one or more training fields (TRNs) is mapped to the M subcarriers.
28. The method of claim 25, wherein the N subcarriers and the M subcarriers are sampled at a sampling rate (f ) associated with a subcarrier spacing (SCS) greater than 1.2 MHz. s ) is transformed into the time-varying signal, and the SCS represents the separation amount between adjacent subcarriers of the N subcarriers in the frequency domain.
29. The method of claim 28, wherein the first portion of the PPDU is replicated for transmission on a number (n) of sub-bands, each sub-band spanning a respective portion of bandwidth equal to BW / n.
30. A wireless communication device, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one memory, the at least one processor configured to cause the wireless communication device to: mapping a first portion of a physical layer (PHY) convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) to a number (N) of subcarriers, the first portion of the PPDU representing at least a portion of a PHY preamble, the at least a portion of the PHY preamble comprising a short training field (STF) and one or more signal (SIG) fields carrying information for interpreting the PPDU; Mapping a long training field (LTF) of the PHY preamble to a number (M) of subcarriers, the LTF following the STF and preceding the one or more SIG fields, where M>N; transforming the N subcarriers and the M subcarriers into time-varying signals; and The time-varying signal is transmitted over a wireless channel.