Method and device for downlink multi-user extension in wireless local area network

Abstract

The first electronic device includes: a first transceiver; a first memory storing at least one instruction; and a first processor operably connected to the first transceiver and the first memory, the first processor being configured to execute at least one instruction to: send a non-high-efficiency (non-HE) notification frame to at least one second electronic device, and send a downlink (DL) multi-user (MU) extended (Ext) physical layer protocol (PPDU) to at least one second electronic device, wherein the DL MU Ext PPDU includes: a non-HE PPDU and a HE PPDU.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application is based on and claims the benefit of priority from Korean Provisional Patent Application No. 10-2023-0132698 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on October 5, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for downlink (DL) multi-user (MU) extension of non-high-efficiency (non-HE) physical layer protocol data units (PPDUs) in wireless communication systems, such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 wireless local area network (WLAN) systems. Background Art

[0004] The topic of medium utilization and low latency has been very actively studied in IEEE 802.11 WLAN systems. Topics include: (1) MU PPDU. A portion of the channel bandwidth or spatial diversity can be allocated to different stations (STAs) within a transmit opportunity (TXOP) (orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) and multi-user multiple input and multiple output (MU-MIMO)), and (2) attempts to frequently switch between downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) traffic, where the access point (AP) assumes the role of scheduling media access (e.g., uplink multi-user (UL MU) feature) and allows STAs to deliver UL traffic during DL TXOPs (triggered TXOP sharing) or low-latency traffic during special service periods (e.g., restricted target wake time (R-TWT)).

[0005] However, all these efforts in the above topics may be compromised, for example, when there is a large amount of (legacy) non-HE DL traffic in the basic service set (BSS). That is, many non-HE PPDUs have a high duration. For example, when the non-HT PPDU uses a low OFDM rate, the non-HT PPDU typically lasts for a few milliseconds. In addition, the useful payload of the non-HT PPDU only occupies a portion of the total bandwidth of the BSS. For example, the payload in the non-HT PPDU is delivered in the main 20 MHz channel of the BSS, so any unused channel bandwidth cannot be used for any other traffic. Therefore, when there is a large amount of (legacy) non-HT DL traffic in the BSS, there is a need to improve the efficiency and utilization of the wireless system. Summary of the invention

[0006] A method and system are provided for including non-high-efficiency (non-HE) physical layer protocol data units (PPDUs) in downlink (DL) multi-user (MU). A method and system are provided for using any channel bandwidth not used for DL ​​by non-HE PPDUs for MUs.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a first electronic device includes: a first transceiver; a first memory storing at least one instruction; and a first processor operably connected to the first transceiver and the first memory, the first processor being configured to execute at least one instruction to: send a non-high-efficiency (non-HE) announcement frame to at least one second electronic device, and send a downlink (DL) multi-user (MU) extended (Ext) physical layer protocol (PPDU) to at least one second electronic device, wherein the DL MU Ext PPDU includes: a non-HE PPDU and a HE PPDU.

[0008] The first processor is further configured to execute at least one instruction to send a DL MU Ext PPDU at a first time instance after sending a non-HE announcement frame at a second time instance, and wherein a time difference between the first time instance and the second time is a short interframe space (SIFS).

[0009] The first electronic device also includes a first fast Fourier transform (FFT) engine, a first cyclic prefix (CP) adder, and a first mixer, wherein the first processor is further configured to execute at least one instruction to convert symbols for carrying data of the HE station into an HE PPDU by utilizing the first FFT engine, the first CP adder, and the first mixer.

[0010] The first electronic device also includes a second FFT engine, a second CP adder, and a second mixer, wherein the first processor is further configured to execute at least one instruction to convert symbols for carrying data for non-HE stations into non-HE PPDUs by utilizing the second FFT engine, the second CP adder, and the second mixer.

[0011] The first electronic device also includes a combiner configured to combine the HE PPDU with the non-HE PPDU, wherein the first processor is further configured to execute at least one instruction to generate the DL MUExt PPDU by using the combiner.

[0012] The first electronic device is an access point in a wireless communication system.

[0013] The wireless communication system is an IEEE 802.11 system.

[0014] The DL MU Ext PPDU includes a primary channel including a non-HE PPDU and a secondary channel including a HE PPDU.

[0015] The first processor is also configured to execute at least one instruction to: send a non-extreme high throughput (non-EHT) announcement frame to at least one second electronic device, and send another DL MU Ext physical layer protocol (PPDU) to at least one second electronic device, wherein the another DL MU Ext PPDU includes: a non-EHT PPDU and an EHT PPDU.

[0016] The first processor is configured to execute at least one instruction to: send a non-ultra-high reliability (non-UHR) notification frame to at least one second electronic device, and send another DL MU Ext physical layer protocol (PPDU) to at least one second electronic device, wherein the another DL MU Ext PPDU includes: a non-UHR PPDU and a UHR PPDU.

[0017] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a second electronic device includes: a second transceiver; a second memory storing at least one instruction; and a second processor operably connected to the second transceiver and the second memory, the second processor being configured to execute at least one instruction to: receive a non-high-efficiency (non-HE) announcement frame from a first electronic device, and receive a downlink (DL) multi-user (MU) extended (Ext) physical layer protocol (PPDU) from the first electronic device, wherein the DL MU Ext PPDU includes: a non-HE PPDU and a HE PPDU.

[0018] The second electronic device is a station in a wireless communication system.

[0019] The wireless communication system is an IEEE 802.11 system.

[0020] The DL MU Ext PPDU includes a primary channel including a non-HE PPDU and a secondary channel including a HE PPDU.

[0021] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method performed by a first electronic device includes: sending a non-high-efficiency (non-HE) notification frame to at least one second electronic device; and sending a downlink (DL) multi-user (MU) extended (Ext) physical layer protocol (PPDU) to at least one second electronic device, wherein the DL MU Ext PPDU includes: a non-HE PPDU and a HE PPDU.

[0022] The DL MU Ext PPDU is sent at a first time instance after a non-HE announcement frame is sent at a second time instance, and wherein a time difference between the first time instance and the second time instance is a short interframe space (SIFS).

[0023] The first electronic device is an access point in a wireless communication system, and the second electronic device is a station in the wireless communication system.

[0024] The wireless communication system is an IEEE 802.11 system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of certain embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent through the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0026] Figure 1 shows the overall structure of an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 wireless LAN (WLAN) as an example of a wireless communication system;

[0027] Figure 2 A wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0028] Figure 3 A non-high-efficiency (non-HE) announcement frame and a downlink (DL) multi-user (MU) extended (Ext) physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are shown;

[0029] Figure 4 10. The waveform of the HE part of the DL MU Ext PPDU and the waveform of the non-HE part of the DL MU Ext PPDU according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are shown;

[0030] Figure 5 An implementation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0031] Figure 6 Another implementation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0032] Figure 7 An operation performed by a first electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0033] Figure 8 An operation performed by a second electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The terms used in the present disclosure are provided only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of other embodiments. Unless the context clearly stipulates otherwise, the singular form includes plural indicators. Terms and words as used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art. Terms usually defined in dictionaries may be interpreted as having the same or similar meaning as the contextual meaning of the relevant field. Unless otherwise defined, these terms should not be interpreted as ideal or overly formal meanings. Even if a term is defined in the present disclosure, the term should not be interpreted as excluding embodiments of the present disclosure in other cases.

[0035] According to one or more embodiments, the electronic device may be one of various types of electronic devices. The electronic device may include, for example, a network device, a router, an access point device, a terminal station in a wireless system, a portable communication device (e.g., a smart phone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a household appliance. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device is not limited to those described above.

[0036] Figure 1 An overall structure of an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 wireless LAN (WLAN) as an example of a wireless communication system is shown.

[0037] When describing the embodiments of the present disclosure in detail, the focus will be mainly on IEEE 802.11 WLAN, but without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the present disclosure is also applicable to other communication systems with similar technical background and channel forms with slight modifications (e.g., cellular communication systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), New Radio (NR), Wireless Broadband (WiBro), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) or short-range communication systems such as Bluetooth and Near Field Communication (NFC)). As can be determined by those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0038] exist Figure 1 In the embodiment, the wireless communication system 100 may include a first access point AP1, a second access point AP2, a first station STA1, a second station STA2, a third station STA3, and a fourth station STA4. The first access point AP1 and the second access point AP2 may access a network 102, which may include the Internet, an Internet Protocol (IP) network, a distributed network (DN), or any other network.

[0039] The first access point AP1 may provide first, second, third, and fourth stations STA1, STA2, STA3, and STA4 with access to a network 102 within a first basic service set (BSS) 104. A BSS is a basic building block of an IEEE 802.11 WLAN system.

[0040] In one embodiment, the first access point AP1 may communicate with at least one of the first station STA1 , the second station STA2 , the third station STA3 , or the fourth station STA4 based on IEEE 802.11 Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) or any other WLAN access technology.

[0041] In one embodiment, an access point (e.g., AP1) may be referred to as a router, a gateway, etc. In one embodiment, a station (e.g., STA1, STA2, STA3, and STA4) may be referred to as a mobile station, a subscriber station, a terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a user device, a user, etc. A station may be a mobile device (such as a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a wearable device, etc.) or a fixed device (such as a desktop computer, a smart TV, etc.).

[0042] The access point may allocate at least one resource unit (RU) to at least one station. The access point may send data through at least one allocated resource unit, and at least one station may receive data through at least one allocated resource unit. In 802.11ax (hereinafter referred to as HE), the access point may allocate only a single resource unit to at least one station, while in 802.11be or the next generation IEEE 802.11 standard, the access point may allocate a multiple resource unit (MRU) including two or more resource units to at least one station. For example, the first access point AP1 may allocate a resource unit to at least one of the first station STA1, the second station STA2, the third station STA3, or the fourth station STA4, and may send data through the allocated resource unit.

[0043] Figure 2 A wireless communication system 200 is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 An access point 202 (a first electronic device) and a station 204 (a second electronic device) are shown communicating with each other in a wireless communication system 200 . Figure 2 Each of the access point 202 (first electronic device) and the station 204 (second electronic device) of the wireless communication system 200 may be any device that communicates in the wireless communication system 200 and may be referred to as a device for wireless communication. In some embodiments, each of the access point 202 (first electronic device) and the station 204 (second electronic device) may be an access point in a WLAN system (e.g., Figure 1 AP1).

[0044] exist Figure 2 , the access point 202 may include a first antenna 205, a first transceiver 206, a first processor 208, and a first memory 210. Similarly, the station 204 may include a second antenna 211, a second transceiver 212, a second processor 214, and a second memory 216.

[0045] In one embodiment, the first antenna 205, the first transceiver 206, the first processor 208 and the first memory 210 may be included in one package or may be included in different packages respectively. In one embodiment, the second antenna 211, the second transceiver 212, the second processor 214 and the second memory 216 may be included in one package or may be included in different packages respectively.

[0046] In one embodiment, the first antenna 205 of the access point 202 may receive a signal from the second antenna 211 and provide the received signal to the first transceiver 206, and may transmit the signal provided from the first transceiver 206 to the second antenna 211. Similarly, the second antenna 211 may receive a signal from the first antenna 205 and provide the received signal to the second transceiver 212, and may transmit the signal provided from the second transceiver 212 to the first antenna 205.

[0047] In one embodiment, the first transceiver 206 of the access point 202 may process a signal received from the station 204 through the first antenna 205, and may provide the processed signal to the first processor 208. In one embodiment, the first transceiver 206 may process a signal provided from the first processor 208, and output the processed signal through the first antenna 205. The second transceiver 212 similarly performs the above functions performed by the first transceiver 206.

[0048] In one embodiment, the first transceiver 206 and the second transceiver 212 may include one or more circuits, such as a low noise amplifier, a cyclic prefix (CP) adder, a mixer, a filter, a power amplifier, an oscillator, and the like.

[0049] In one embodiment, the first processor 208 of the access point 202 may extract information sent by the station 204 by processing the signal received from the first transceiver 206. For example, the first processor 208 may extract the information by demodulating and / or decoding the signal received from the first transceiver 206.

[0050] In one embodiment, the first processor 208 may generate a signal including information to be transmitted to the station 204 and provide the signal to the first transceiver 206. In one embodiment, the first processor 208 may provide a signal generated by encoding and / or modulating data to be transmitted to the station 204 to the first transceiver 206. The second processor 214 similarly performs the above functions performed by the first processor 208.

[0051] In one embodiment, the first processor 208 and the second processor 214 may include programmable components such as a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), etc., may include reconfigurable components such as a field programmable gate array, and may include components providing fixed functions such as intellectual property (IP) cores.

[0052] In one embodiment, the first processor 208 may include or have access to a first memory 210 that stores data and / or a series of instructions. In one embodiment, the second processor 214 may include or have access to a second memory 216 that stores data and / or a series of instructions.

[0053] The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for including non-high-efficiency (non-HE) physical layer protocol data units (PPDUs) in downlink (DL) multi-user (MU), which are sometimes referred to as "DL MU extended PPDUs" in the present disclosure. The present disclosure relates to a method and system for using any channel bandwidth that is not used by DL non-HE PPDUs for MUs. The present disclosure can be applied to the spatial domain of subchannels other than P20 channels.

[0054] The present disclosure maintains backward compatibility for legacy STAs; non-HE PPDUs may be received by multiple implementations of IEEE 802.11 even if those implementations are not able to decode the new portion of the waveform disclosed in this disclosure (and sent by the AP).

[0055] This disclosure describes a new PPDU format for DL ​​MU PPDUs encapsulating non-HE PPDUs. The new PPDU format allows the use of the full basic service set (BSS) channel bandwidth when the AP sends non-HE PPDUs. The new PPDU format is announced by a new non-HE announcement frame, which allows the target HE or later STAs to receive their PPDUs.

[0056] In the related art, a DL Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) PPDU can utilize the full BSS channel bandwidth, but a DL Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) PPDU cannot be used with a non-HE STA.

[0057] The new DL MU Ext PPDU of the present disclosure can encapsulate non-HE PPDU, which can also be received by legacy STAs. The maximum portion of the channel bandwidth that was previously unutilized in the related art can be used for DL ​​MUs of STAs that are not interested in receiving non-HE PPDUs.

[0058] Embodiments of the present disclosure allow currently unused channel bandwidth to be used for user traffic, which can improve media usage efficiency and can reduce latency for DL ​​traffic. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be particularly useful for STAs in active mode that do not find beacon reception interesting and therefore may participate in DL MUs during the beacon duration of each target beacon transmission time (TBTT) (typically 102.4 ms).

[0059] Non-HE PPDUs may occupy a non-negligible portion of the BSS. Non-HE PPDUs are typically used in the following examples.

[0060] First, non-HE PPDUs can be used to carry beacons. The AP sends beacon frames approximately every TBTT. Unless a critical update is signaled, beacons are mostly of no interest to STAs in active mode. When beacons occupy the primary 20 MHz (P20) channel, these STAs can reuse the remaining bandwidth.

[0061] Second, a non-HE PPDU may be used as a probe response (e.g., for multi-link device (MLD)). Probe responses may be sent using non-HT rates. Probe responses may be longer frames than beacons because probe responses carry additional elements that are not included in beacons (e.g., for multi-link operation (MLO)). Active scanning is widely used by STAs. Probe responses may be unicast or broadcast. STAs associated (with the AP sending the frame) are typically not interested in broadcast responses (e.g., unicast probe responses), and unicast probe responses may be filtered out, for example, because the receiver address (RA) does not match the receiver's media access control (MAC) address.

[0062] Third, non-HE PPDUs can be used as unicast transmissions to non-HT legacy STAs. DL transmissions may not use most of the BSS bandwidth, which severely limits the effectiveness of channel usage. Usually, other STAs are not interested. If encryption is used for DL ​​frames, other STAs cannot even decrypt DL frames.

[0063] Fourth, the non-HE PPDU may be used as a unicast transmission to a high throughput (HT) STA or a very high throughput (VHT) STA that does not support the full BSS channel bandwidth.

[0064] The present disclosure is directed to using a larger portion of the BSS channels (excluding the primary (20 MHz) for non-HT, 40 / 80 / 160 / ... for non-HE channels) for transmission between STAs that are not interested in non-HE PPDUs by having the AP initiate DL TXOP using a non-HE (similar to a Null Data Packet (NDP)) announcement frame, which is used to signal and protect subsequent frame exchanges in the TXOP. The AP will use the non-HE announcement frame to initiate a DL TXOP according to the following operations:

[0065] First, the AP wants to send a non-HE PPDU in the primary channel.

[0066] Second, the AP is able to identify STAs that are not interested in receiving non-HE PPDUs in the primary channel.

[0067] Third, the P20 non-HE PPDU does not contain a beacon frame, which contains critical updates.

[0068] Fourth, the AP has a DL PPDU for a STA in active mode, ready to be sent (backoff counter is zero) or wants to use the remaining BSS bandwidth.

[0069] The above operation may be extended to allocate more than 20 MHz for non-HE PPDUs (eg, 40 MHz or 80 MHz VHT PPDUs).

[0070] An example of a DL MU extended (Ext) PPDU (with a non-HE announcement frame) is described here.

[0071] Figure 3 A high efficiency (HE) PPDU encapsulated in a DL MU Ext PPDU is shown. The HE PPDU may also be an extremely high throughput (EHT) (in IEEE 802.11be) PPDU or an ultra high reliability (UHR) (in IEEE 802.11bn) PPDU. In the present disclosure, the HE PPDU is a non-limiting example, and therefore, the description of the HE PPDU is applicable to the EHT PPDU or the UHR PPDU.

[0072] exist Figure 3 In the example shown, the physical service data unit sent by the AP continues until the end of the DL MU Ext PPDU, but this is not required. For example, the AP may send a trigger frame to the HE STA that can exchange PPDUs before the end of the DL MU Ext PPDU. Figure 3 In the example shown, only the P20 channel can be used for non-HE PPDUs.

[0073] Figure 3A non-HE announcement frame 302, a non-HE PPDU 304, HE PPDUs 306A, 306B, and a DL MU Ext PPDU 308 are shown transmitted in a downlink (DL) channel of the AP.

[0074] exist Figure 3 In the embodiment of the present invention, the non-HE announcement frame 302 includes a legacy short training field (L-STF) 310, a legacy long training field (L-LTF) 320, a legacy signal field (L-SIG) 340, and a payload 350. The payload 350 of the non-HE announcement frame 302 includes a flag for signaling a multicast frame when a DTIM beacon will be sent in a DL MU Ext PPDU. The DTIM beacon information needs to be replicated because the STAs (addressed to receive their respective PPDUs in non-P20 channels) will not receive the DTIM beacon information. In addition, the non-HE announcement 302 frame (e.g., MAC header or payload) includes a "signal STA ID" that should ignore the RUs reserved for the non-HE part and instead be received on the RUs or MRUs in at least one secondary channel.

[0075] The non-HE announcement frame 302 may also signal each STA (which does not listen to the non-HE portion) the RU / MRU to be used in the DL MU Ext PPDU 308. Alternatively, the RU / MRU may be signaled in the physical layer (PHY) header of the DL MU Ext PPDU 302 on the secondary 20 MHz channel. The target STA will have to know to look at the secondary 20 MHz channel.

[0076] exist Figure 3 In the DL MU Ext PPDU 308, the short interframe space (SIFS) before allows: first, the legacy STA to synchronize with the non-HE PPDU 304 sent on the primary channel, and second, the STA signaled in the PPDU configures the STA's receiver to expect a physical layer convergence protocol service data unit (PSDU) on the signaling channel (bandwidth).

[0077] The absence of a HE (or EHT or UHR or other) PHY header in the P20 channel of the subsequent DL MU Ext PPDU 308 needs to be announced. From a PHY perspective, the absence of a HE PHY header may be viewed as temporarily changing the P20 channel for receiving one of the PSDUs carried in the DL MU Ext PPDU 308.

[0078] The DL MU Ext PPDU may include a P20 channel 360 including a non-HE PPDU 304. The DL MU Ext PPDU may also include at least one secondary channel (e.g., an S20 channel 370, an S40 channel 380) including a PPDU such as a HE MU PPDU, an EHT MU PPDU, or a UHR MU PPDU, which may be used for the DL MU Ext PPDU of OFDMA. The scheme may be extended to allocate more than 20 MHz for the non-HE PPDU 304 and more than 20 / 40 MHz for the HE / EHT / UHR PPDU.

[0079] When the DL MU Ext PPDU 308 is transmitted, the AP cannot receive any UL frames. Therefore, it is necessary to use a suitable acknowledgement strategy in the PSDU included in the DL MU Ext PPDU 308 transmitted by the AP.

[0080] A suitable acknowledgement (ACK) strategy to be used may include the following options. First, no ACK. Second, block ACK. The AP may then initiate an UL OFDMA TXOP requesting a BlockAck frame from the receiving STA. Third, implicit BAR. The PPDU must be padded (or using packet extension) to the end of the DL MU Ext PPDU 308. Obviously, only one PSDU (including the STA on the P20 channel if unicast transmission is performed on the P20 channel) can request an immediate acknowledgement. Alternatively, the AP may include a trigger frame in the PSDU to allow each STA to send an acknowledgement (this may be in the same RU for simplicity). Alternatively, the non-HE primary announcement frame may optionally be a non-HE primary announcement and trigger frame, i.e., in addition to announcing the DL MU Ext PPDU, it will also specify that a TB PPDU will be sent immediately after the DL MU Ext PPDU (usually by a STA addressed in the non-primary channel) (again, possibly in the same RU for simplicity). The Duration / ID field would have to be protected to the end of these TBPPDUs so that legacy STAs do not attempt to transmit in the primary channel.

[0081] The time domain waveform will be a composite of two types of signals, Figure 4 , where 0.8 / 3.2μs is the guard interval. HE waveform, EHT waveform or UHR waveform occupies the non-primary 20MHz sub-channel, while non-HE waveform occupies the primary 20MHz sub-channel. Figure 4 , the HE waveform 400 occupies three (3) sub-channels 404 of the non-primary 20 MHz, while the non-HE waveform 402 occupies one (1) sub-channel 406 of the primary 20 MHz.

[0082] In an embodiment, to generate those waveforms described above, there may be two independent Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) engines of different sizes; and the two outputs may be frequency shifted and combined.

[0083] Figure 5 The system 500 is shown having a first FFT engine 502 (e.g., 3×256 FFT), followed by a first cyclic prefix (CP) adder 506 (which adds CP according to the HE subcarrier spacing), and a second FFT engine 504 (e.g., 1×64 FFT), followed by a second CP adder 508. Figure 5 , the first input 516 (to the first FFT engine 502) corresponds to symbols carrying data for HE users (HESTA), and the second input 518 (to the second FFT engine 504) corresponds to symbols carrying data for non-HE users (non-HESTA).

[0084] The output of the first FFT engine 502 is sent to a first CP adder 506, and the output of the second FFT engine 508 is sent to a second CP adder 508. The first CP adder 506 and the second CP adder 508 are configured to add CP to the outputs of the first FFT engine 502 and the second FFT engine 504, respectively. CP addition is a technique used in conjunction with FFT to combat inter-symbol interference (ISI) in digital communication systems.

[0085] The outputs of the first CP adder 506 and the second CP adder 508 are sent to the first mixer 510 and the second mixer 512, respectively. The mixers 510, 512 are configured to shift the frequency of the outputs of the first CP adder 506 and the second CP adder 508, respectively. The outputs of the first mixer 510 and the second mixer 512 are combined by the combiner 514. The output 520 of the system 400 is the combined signal of the above two paths.

[0086] The above-mentioned functional blocks (circuits) 502, 504, 506, 508, 510, 512 and 514 may be implemented by software codes or hardware components included in the system 500, and the system 500 may correspond to Figure 1 The AP shown.

[0087] Figure 6 Shown is the method used to generate Figure 4 Another system 600 of the time domain waveforms shown. Another system 600 may use a third FFT engine 602 (eg, a normal 4x256 FFT engine) with the P20 channel input set to zero.

[0088] exist Figure 6, the third input 616 to the third FFT engine 602 is a symbol carrying data of a HE user (HE STA), and the second input 518 to the second FFT engine 504 is a symbol carrying data of a non-HE user (non-HE STA). In addition, the output 618 of the other system 600 (the output of the combiner 614) is a combined signal from the above two paths.

[0089] The normal 4×256 FFT engine 602 is essentially the same FFT as that required for the 80 MHz HE PPDU. The output of the normal 4×256 FFT engine 602 will fall at the correct location in the frequency band, and therefore, no mixing operation (such as performed by the first CP adder 506) will be required after CP addition (such as performed by the first CP adder 506). Figure 5 That is, the output of the CP adder 606 is directly sent to the combiner 614. The 1×64 FFT engine 504 will maintain the Figure 5 As shown, a second CP adder 508 and a second mixer 512 are included.

[0090] As an example, Figure 4 The embodiment shown in has an 80 MHz (20 MHz×4) channel bandwidth. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, the channel bandwidth may be extended to any other channel bandwidth, such as a bandwidth wider than the 20 MHz channel bandwidth. In those embodiments, more than 20 MHz of channel bandwidth may be allocated for non-HE waveforms.

[0091] Figure 7 The operations of method 700 performed by a first electronic device (eg, access point 202) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are shown.

[0092] In operation 702, a first electronic device transmits a non-HE announcement frame to at least one second electronic device (eg, station 204).

[0093] In operation 704, the first electronic device transmits a DL MU extended PPDU to at least one second electronic device, where the DL MU extended PPDU includes: a non-HE PPDU and a HE PPDU.

[0094] In an embodiment, the first electronic device includes a first transceiver, a first memory storing at least one instruction, and a first processor operably connected to the first transceiver and the first memory. The first processor is configured to execute at least one instruction to perform the above operations 702 and 704.

[0095] In an embodiment, the first electronic device further includes a first FFT engine 502 and a second FFT engine 504 ; a first CP adder 506 and a second adder 508 ; a first mixer 510 and a second mixer 512 ; and a combiner 514 .

[0096] The first electronic device uses the first FFT engine 502, the first CP adder 506 and the first mixer 510 to convert the symbols for carrying the data of the HE user (HE STA) into the HE PPDU, such as Figure 5 As shown and described above.

[0097] In addition, the first electronic device converts the symbol for carrying data of the non-HE user (non-HE STA) into a non-HE PPDU using the second FFT engine 504, the second adder 508, and the second mixer 512. In addition, the first electronic device generates a DL MU PPDU by combining the non-HE PPDU and the HE PPDU using the combiner 514.

[0098] Figure 8 The operations of method 800 performed by a second electronic device (eg, station 204 ) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0099] In operation 802, the second electronic device receives a non-HE announcement frame from the first electronic device (eg, the access point 202).

[0100] In operation 804, the second electronic device receives a DL MU extended PPDU from the first electronic device, where the DL MU extended PPDU includes a non-HE PPDU and a HE PPDU.

[0101] In an embodiment, the second electronic device includes a second transceiver, a second memory storing at least one instruction, and a second processor operably connected to the second transceiver and the second memory. The second processor is configured to execute at least one instruction to perform the above operations 802 and 804.

[0102] The present disclosure is not limited to frequency reuse situations, where non-HE type data and HE type data can be frequency multiplexed into one WiFi packet, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown (with P20 channel and auxiliary channel). In some embodiments, the present disclosure can be extended to the spatial domain case.

[0103] In some embodiments, the first mixer 510 and the second mixer 512 may be replaced by a spatial mapping block. That is, in the spatial domain, two data are located in the same frequency but in different spatial streams.

[0104] For example, an access point may have a sufficiently large antenna array (the number of antenna elements is greater than the number of devices the AP is serving), e.g., 8 antenna elements serving 4 associated devices. Among these 4 devices, when there are three non-HE devices (stations) and 1 HE device, the access point will form an omnidirectional null spatial stream (beam) 1 (nulling instead of beamforming) towards the HE device; spatial stream 1 is intended for the 3 non-HE devices; and another directional spatial stream (beam) 2 is formed towards the HE device. This example assumes that the access point knows the angle information of the HE device using a sounding process, and assumes that the non-HE devices are not known. However, based on the transmission from the non-HE devices and channel reciprocity, the access point can be well informed of the non-HE device direction and a directional beam (rather than an omnidirectional null beam) is formed targeting multiple non-HE devices.

[0105] In some embodiments, spatial multiplexing (with or without nulls) may depend on the spatial locations of those devices.

[0106] The present disclosure and the terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features set forth herein to specific embodiments, and include various changes, equivalents or replacements of the corresponding embodiments. With respect to the description of the accompanying drawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar or related elements. Unless otherwise clearly stated in the relevant context, the singular form of the noun corresponding to the project may include one or more things. As used herein, each of the phrases such as "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B or C", "at least one of A, B and C" and "at least one of A, B or C" may include any one or all possible combinations of the items listed together in a corresponding phrase. As used herein, terms such as "1st" and "2nd" or "first" and "second" may be used to simply distinguish a corresponding component from another component, and do not limit the component in other aspects (e.g., importance or order). It should be understood that if an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to as being “coupled with another element (e.g., a second element)”, “coupled to another element”, “connected to another element” or “connected to another element” with or without the term “operably” or “communicatively”, it means that the element can be coupled to the other element directly (e.g., via a wire), wirelessly or via a third element.

[0107] As used in conjunction with the present disclosure, the term "module" may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with other terms (e.g., logic, logic block, component, or circuit). A module may be a single integrated component or its smallest unit or portion suitable for performing one or more functions. For example, according to an embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0108] One or more embodiments described herein may be implemented as software including one or more instructions stored in a machine-readable storage medium. For example, a processor of a machine may call at least one of the one or more instructions stored in a storage medium and execute it with or without one or more other components under the control of the processor. This allows the machine to be operated to perform at least one function according to at least one instruction called. One or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Among them, the term "non-transitory" simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not include signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves), but the term does not distinguish between where data is semi-permanently stored in the storage medium and where data is temporarily stored in the storage medium.

[0109] According to an embodiment, the method according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be included and provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between a seller and a buyer as a product. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)), or via an application store (e.g., PlayStore). TM ) online distribution (e.g., download or upload), or directly distribution (e.g., download or upload) between two user devices (e.g., smart phones). If distributed online, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily generated or at least temporarily stored in a machine-readable storage medium, such as a memory of a manufacturer's server, a server of an application store, or a relay server.

[0110] According to one or more embodiments, each of the above-mentioned components (e.g., a module or a program) may include a single entity or multiple entities. According to one or more embodiments, one or more of the above-mentioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components may be added. Alternatively or additionally, multiple components (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, according to one or more embodiments, the integrated component may still perform one or more functions of each of the multiple components in the same or similar manner as performed by the corresponding components in the multiple components before integration. According to one or more embodiments, the operations performed by a module, a program or another component may be performed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be performed or omitted in a different order, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0111] According to one or more embodiments, in a non-volatile storage medium storing instructions, the instructions may be configured to cause the at least one processor to perform at least one operation when executed by at least one processor. The at least one operation may include: displaying an application screen of a running application on a display, identifying a data input field included in the application screen, identifying a data type corresponding to the data input field, displaying at least one external electronic device capable of providing data corresponding to the identified data type around the electronic device, receiving data corresponding to the identified data type from an external electronic device selected from at least one external electronic device through a communication module, and inputting the received data into the data input field.

[0112] The embodiments of the present disclosure described in this specification and the accompanying drawings are presented only as specific examples to easily explain the technical content according to the embodiments of the present disclosure and help understand the embodiments of the present disclosure, but are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure should be interpreted as covering all changes or modifications derived from the technical spirit of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A first electronic device, comprising: a first transceiver; A first memory storing at least one instruction; as well as A first processor is operably connected to the first transceiver and the first memory, the first processor being configured to execute the at least one instruction to: sending a non-high-efficiency non-HE announcement frame to at least one second electronic device, and Sending a downlink DL multi-user MU extended Ext physical layer protocol PPDU to the at least one second electronic device, The DL MU Ext PPDU includes: non-HE PPDU and HE PPDU.

2. The first electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The first processor is further configured to execute the at least one instruction to send the DL MUExt PPDU at a first time instance after sending the non-HE announcement frame at a second time instance, and The time difference between the first time instance and the second time instance is a short interframe space SIFS.

3. The first electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a first Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) engine, a first Cyclic Prefix (CP) adder and a first mixer, in, The first processor is further configured to execute the at least one instruction to convert symbols for carrying data for a HE station into the HEPPDU by utilizing the first FFT engine, the first CP adder, and the first mixer.

4. The first electronic device according to claim 3, further comprising a second FFT engine, a second CP adder and a second mixer, in, The first processor is further configured to execute the at least one instruction to convert symbols for carrying data for non-HE stations into the non-HE PPDU by utilizing the second FFT engine, the second CP adder, and the second mixer.

5. The first electronic device according to claim 4, further comprising a combiner configured to combine the HE PPDU with the non-HE PPDU, in, The first processor is further configured to execute the at least one instruction to generate the DL MU Ext PPDU by using the combiner.

6. The first electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The first electronic device is an access point in a wireless communication system.

7. The first electronic device according to claim 6, wherein: The wireless communication system is an IEEE 802.11 system.

8. The first electronic device according to claim 7, wherein: The DL MU Ext PPDU includes a primary channel including the non-HE PPDU and a secondary channel including the HE PPDU.

9. The first electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The first processor is further configured to execute the at least one instruction to: sending a non-extreme high throughput non-EHT advertisement frame to the at least one second electronic device, and sending another DL MU Ext physical layer protocol PPDU to the at least one second electronic device, The another DL MU Ext PPDU includes: a non-EHT PPDU and an EHT PPDU.

10. The first electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The first processor is further configured to execute the at least one instruction to: sending a non-ultra-high reliability non-UHR notification frame to the at least one second electronic device, and sending another DL MU Ext physical layer protocol PPDU to the at least one second electronic device, The another DL MU Ext PPDU includes: a non-UHR PPDU and a UHR PPDU.

11. A second electronic device, comprising: a second transceiver; A second memory storing at least one instruction; as well as A second processor operably connected to the second transceiver and the second memory, the second processor configured to execute the at least one instruction to: receiving a non-high-efficiency non-HE advertising frame from a first electronic device, and receiving a downlink (DL) multi-user MU extended Ext physical layer protocol PPDU from the first electronic device, The DL MU Ext PPDU includes: non-HE PPDU and HE PPDU.

12. The second electronic device according to claim 11, wherein: The second electronic device is a station in a wireless communication system.

13. The second electronic device according to claim 12, wherein: The wireless communication system is an IEEE 802.11 system.

14. The second electronic device according to claim 13, wherein: The DL MU Ext PPDU includes a primary channel including the non-HE PPDU and a secondary channel including the HE PPDU.

15. A method performed by a first electronic device, the method comprising: transmitting a non-high-efficiency non-HE announcement frame to at least one second electronic device; as well as Sending a downlink DL multi-user MU extended Ext physical layer protocol PPDU to the at least one second electronic device, The DL MU Ext PPDU includes: non-HE PPDU and HE PPDU.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The DL MU Ext PPDU is sent at a first time instance after the non-HE announcement frame is sent at a second time instance, and The time difference between the first time instance and the second time instance is a short interframe space SIFS.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The first electronic device is an access point in a wireless communication system, and the second electronic device is a station in the wireless communication system.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein: The wireless communication system is an IEEE 802.11 system.

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