Apparatus and method for non-contiguous multi-resource units in wireless network

Abstract

The present invention is an apparatus and method for discontinuous multi-resource units in a wireless network, suggesting a method of utilizing channel resources in the 802.11 be standard to extend and improve by allowing the use of multiple and discontinuous portions (RUs) of the channel. As the capability of utilizing the channel selectivity is enhanced, the MRU and the discontinuous RU are supported and are more efficient, so that the channel utilization rate is improved. To this end, a wireless network device for resource allocation is provided for defining a discontinuous MRU in a bandwidth of a channel. The channel includes a plurality of RUs, the MRU being defined based on an unpunctured RU after puncturing one or more RUs of the channel, and / or by aggregating two or more non-adjacent RUs of the channel.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application. The application number of the original application is 202080032268.7, the original application date is April 28, 2020, and the entire content of the original application is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of communications, and more particularly, to a method and a wireless network device related to discontinuous resource units (RUs) for the 802.11be standard. Specifically, the present application proposes a wireless network device for resource allocation. The wireless network device is used to define discontinuous multiple resource units (MRUs) and allocate the MRUs to wireless stations. The wireless network device can be compatible with the 802.11ax standard or the 802.11be standard, that is, it can be referred to as a Wi-Fi device. Background Art

[0003] In the current 802.11ax standard, several sizes of RUs are defined, where each RU consists of consecutive frequency subcarriers (except for a very few cases regarding small and medium-sized RUs).

[0004] Specifically, in the current 802.11ax standard, there are six different sizes of RUs. During the resource allocation process, a scheduler, such as an access point (AP), can only allocate a single RU to a given wireless station (STA) in order to send a PPDU (MU-PPDU) to multiple users. That is, each non-AP STA is restricted to being allocated only a single RU. This means that even if there are available RUs and unoccupied RUs, the AP can only allocate a single RU to each of the potentially multiple associated STAs. Especially when channel punching is to be applied and / or when the channel is relatively selective (i.e., the best RU for a given STA is not necessarily close in the frequency domain), this restriction makes the resource allocation process inefficient.

[0005] In addition, when a single-user PPDU is used to complete the transmission for a single STA (i.e., for SU-PPDU transmission), then in the 802.11ax standard, the signal must occupy the entire bandwidth (BW) of the channel, and more specifically, the entire available BW. This means that the SU-PPDU has no relation to the RU.

[0006] Therefore, a particular disadvantage in the case of MU-PPDU transmission is that if there is a selective channel, where there may be multiple and non-consecutive parts of the channel that experience a relatively high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), only one of these parts may be used. For example, as Figure 1 shown, for a given non-AP STA, its highest SNR can be achieved in RU#1, RU#3, and RU#8, but the AP can only send to the STA on one of these RUs.

[0007] Therefore, a particular disadvantage in the case of SU-PPDU transmission is that if a part of the channel is busy (i.e., that part is used by overlapping base station service (OBSS)), the transmission will be scaled down to a smaller BW. For example, as Figure 2 shown, a part of the channel (the part enclosed by the box) can be occupied by OBSS, and thus it is not available for SU-PPDU transmission. In this case, the transmission of the SU-PPDU is limited to the two leftmost idle channels. Although the right channel is also idle, it cannot be used. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Embodiments of the present invention are also based on the following considerations.

[0009] In the current 802.11ax standard, Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing Access (OFDMA) modulation was first introduced. This standard restricts each non-AP STA to using only a single RU (e.g., consisting of consecutive subcarriers) composed of consecutive frequency subcarriers. Although various different-sized RUs (26, 52, 106, 242, 484, 996 frequency subcarriers respectively) are defined in the current standard, restricting the allocation to a single RU makes it inefficient to handle selective channels.

[0010] In particular, for channel BW less than 20 MHz, RUs of 26 subcarriers, 52 subcarriers, and 102 subcarriers are defined. For channel BW equal to or greater than 20 MHz, RUs of 242 subcarriers (20 MHz), 484 subcarriers (40 MHz), 996 subcarriers (80 MHz), or 2X996 subcarriers (160 MHz) are defined. In addition, RUs with more than 2X996 subcarriers, for example, RUs of 2X1992 subcarriers (for 320 MHz), are envisioned for Extreme High Throughput (EHT). Combinations of these RUs, in particular, combinations of RUs with different sizes (number of frequency subcarriers), are not possible or envisioned in the current standard.

[0011] In view of the above disadvantages and considerations, embodiments of the present invention aim to improve resource allocation in a wireless network. The aim is to allow for the definition of non - contiguous MRUs within the BW of a channel. Thus, one objective is to improve the utilization rate of the channel. Another objective is to avoid making too many changes to the current 802.11ax standard.

[0012] This objective is achieved by embodiments of the present invention as described in the appended independent claims. Advantageous implementations of the embodiments of the present invention are further defined in the dependent claims.

[0013] In particular, embodiments of the present invention allow for the allocation of MRUs to the same STA while maintaining the current standard's RUs (RU structure).

[0014] A first aspect of the present disclosure provides a wireless network device for resource allocation, specifically a Wi - Fi device, the wireless network device being configured to: define non - contiguous multi - resource units (MRUs) within the bandwidth of a channel; wherein the channel includes a plurality of resource units (RUs), and wherein the MRU is defined based on the non - punched RUs after punching one or more of the RUs of the channel, and / or is defined by aggregating two or more non - adjacent RUs of the channel; and allocate the MRU to a wireless station.

[0015] The wireless network device of the first aspect allows for the definition of MRUs based on multiple RUs. Each of these RUs can be defined as in the current 802.11ax standard, i.e., each RU can include a plurality of frequency subcarriers or subcarriers. The MRU definition also supports channel punching because the "larger RU" (e.g., the entire channel or a channel segment including multiple RUs) that has been punched can be used as an MRU. In addition, an MRU can be allocated to a wireless station (STA), i.e., the STA is no longer limited to being allocated a single RU as in the 802.11ax standard.

[0016] In addition, the wireless network device can also be used to define and allocate consecutive MRUs to the STA, where the consecutive MRUs include multiple RUs of different sizes (for example, at least two RUs of the MRU include different numbers of frequency subcarriers). In addition, the wireless network device is also used to allocate a single RU to the STA. That is, the wireless network device can be compatible with the current 802.11ax standard.

[0017] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, the RU is a sub-channel.

[0018] For example, the channel can be an 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 240 MHz, or 320 MHz channel, and the bandwidth of the sub-channel can be 20 MHz and / or 40 MHz.

[0019] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, the channel includes one, two, three, or four 80 MHz segments, and each 80 MHz segment includes four 20 MHz sub-channels.

[0020] That is, the channel can generally be divided into multiple channel segments.

[0021] In other implementation manners, the channel can also include one 80 MHz segment and one 160 MHz segment, or two 160 MHz segments respectively. This is similar to three or four 80 MHz segments, but not exactly the same, because the standard can define that there cannot be three or four independent 80 MHz segments. Therefore, if the BW is 240 MHz, then one segment can be forced to be a continuous 160 MHz segment. If the BW is 320 MHz, then two segments can be forced to be used, where each segment is 160 MHz (continuous).

[0022] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, each of the RUs includes multiple consecutive frequency subcarriers.

[0023] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, the bandwidth of each of the frequency subcarriers is 78.125 kHz.

[0024] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, each RU includes 26, 52, 106, or 242 frequency subcarriers.

[0025] Therefore, the RU can be an RU as defined in the 802.11ax standard.

[0026] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, the wireless network device is also used to aggregate two or more RUs, and the two or more RUs include different numbers of frequency subcarriers.

[0027] Thus, in the channel BW, especially in channel segmentation, RUs can be adjacent or non - adjacent. Aggregating RUs of different sizes is allowed, which is not possible in the 802.11ax standard.

[0028] In an implementation of the first aspect, the MRU includes at least two consecutive and / or non - consecutive parts, and the bandwidths of the parts are different.

[0029] The MRU defined and assigned to the STA by the wireless network device can be non - consecutive, which is contrary to the 802.11ax standard. However, the wireless network device can also define a consecutive MRU and assign it to the STA. Generally, the MRU may thus include multiple RUs. Each RU may thus be defined by the number of its frequency sub - carriers, as described above, such as 26, 52, 106, 242, etc. Thus, for example, the MRU can be defined by two RUs with 106 sub - carriers and 26 sub - carriers respectively, that is, a total of 132 frequency sub - carriers. There is no definition in the current 802.11ax standard for an RU with 132 frequency sub - carriers. The only way for an RU to have 132 sub - carriers (generally, the MRU can also be regarded as an RU including multiple sub - RUs) is to combine these two RUs. In the given example, the RU with 106 frequency sub - carriers and the RU with 26 frequency sub - carriers can be consecutive or non - consecutive.

[0030] In an implementation of the first aspect, the wireless network device is further configured to use the determined MRU to send a message to the wireless station.

[0031] In an implementation of the first aspect, the preamble of the message includes information indicating the used RU and / or the non - punctured RU and / or the punctured RU, for using the determined MRU to send the message to the wireless station.

[0032] Therefore, the STA knows the used RU, that is, also knows the definition and assignment of the MRU.

[0033] In an implementation of the first aspect, the message is a Physical Layer Convergence Procedure (PLCP) Protocol Data Unit (PPDU), and the information is included in the Universal Signaling (U - SIG) or EHT Signaling (EHT - SIG) field of the preamble of the PPDU.

[0034] The PPDU can be a MU - PPDU or a SU - PPDU.

[0035] In an implementation of the first aspect, the message is a MU-PPDU, the EHT-SIG field of the MU-PPDU includes sub-fields for each of one or more wireless stations, and the information is included in the sub-field associated with the wireless station to which the message is sent using the determined MRU.

[0036] In an implementation of the first aspect, the message is a SU-PPDU or a MU-PPDU; and the information is included as a bitmap in the U-SIG field of the SU-PPDU or the MU-PPDU.

[0037] In an implementation of the first aspect, the wireless network device is an access point of a Wi-Fi network.

[0038] That is, the wireless network device is configured according to the Wi-Fi standard, in particular, according to the 802.11ax standard or the 802.11be standard.

[0039] A second aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for resource allocation, the method including: defining non-contiguous multi-resource units MRUs in the bandwidth of a channel; where the channel includes a plurality of resource units RUs, and where the MRUs are defined based on the unpunctured RUs after puncturing one or more of the RUs of the channel, and / or are defined by aggregating two or more non-adjacent RUs of the channel; and allocating the MRUs to wireless stations.

[0040] In an implementation of the second aspect, the RU is a sub-channel.

[0041] In an implementation of the second aspect, the channel includes one, two, three, or four 80 MHz segments, and each 80 MHz segment includes four 20 MHz sub-channels.

[0042] In an implementation of the second aspect, each of the RUs includes a plurality of consecutive frequency sub-carriers.

[0043] In an implementation of the second aspect, the bandwidth of each of the frequency sub-carriers is 78.125 kHz.

[0044] In an implementation of the second aspect, each RU includes 26, 52, 106, or 242 frequency sub-carriers.

[0045] In an implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes aggregating two or more RUs, the two or more RUs including different numbers of frequency sub-carriers.

[0046] In one implementation of the second aspect, the MRU includes at least two consecutive and / or non-consecutive parts, and the bandwidths of the parts are different.

[0047] In one implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes using the determined MRU to send a message to the wireless station.

[0048] In one implementation of the second aspect, the preamble of the message includes information indicating the used RU and / or the non-punched RU and / or the punched RU, for using the determined MRU to send the message to the wireless station.

[0049] In one implementation of the second aspect, the message is a Physical Layer Conformance Procedure PLCP Protocol Data Unit PPDU, and the information is included in the Universal Signaling U-SIG or the Extremely High Throughput Signaling EHT-SIG field of the preamble of the PPDU.

[0050] In one implementation of the second aspect, the message is a multi-user PPDU; and the EHT-SIG field of the multi-user PPDU includes sub-fields for each of one or more wireless stations, and the information is included in the sub-field associated with the wireless station to which the message is sent using the determined MRU.

[0051] In one implementation of the second aspect, the message is a single-user PPDU or a multi-user PPDU; and the information is included as a bitmap in the U-SIG field of the single-user PPDU or the multi-user PPDU.

[0052] In one implementation of the second aspect, the method is performed by a wireless network device, particularly, an access point of a Wi-Fi network.

[0053] The method described in the second aspect and its implementations achieves all the advantages and effects of the wireless network device described in the first aspect and its corresponding implementations.

[0054] The third aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer program, including program code for performing the method described in the second aspect or any of its implementations when running on a computer.

[0055] The fourth aspect of the present disclosure provides a non-transitory storage medium storing executable program code, which when executed by a processor, performs the method described in the second aspect or any of its implementations.

[0056] The fifth aspect of the present disclosure provides a method, which includes, in particular, in 802.11be: defining non - contiguous resource units, where the non - contiguous resource units are an aggregation of multiple individual resource units, and each of the individual resource units includes a set of contiguous sub - carriers. For example, the RUs defined in 802.11ax, and the set of contiguous sub - carriers may be non - contiguous in the frequency domain.

[0057] In an implementation of the fifth aspect, the sizes of the multiple non - contiguous RUs may be different.

[0058] The sixth aspect of the present disclosure provides a second method, which includes: defining non - contiguous RUs by using a single punctured RU, where the un - punctured part can be regarded as multiple separate (non - contiguous) RUs.

[0059] The seventh aspect of the present disclosure provides a signal transmission, where the transmission respectively uses the methods described in the second aspect or any of its implementations, the fifth aspect or its implementations, or the sixth aspect, and uses non - contiguous RUs simultaneously.

[0060] It should be noted that all devices, elements, units, and apparatuses described in this application can be implemented in software or hardware elements or any combination thereof. All steps performed by various entities described in this application and the functions to be performed by various entities described are intended to indicate that each entity is adapted to or used to perform each step and function. Even in the description of the following specific embodiments, for the specific functions or steps fully performed by an external entity that are not reflected in the description of the specific detailed elements of the entity performing the specific step or function, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that these methods and functions can be implemented in the corresponding software or hardware. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0061] In combination with the accompanying drawings, the above aspects and implementations will be explained in the following description of specific embodiments, where:

[0062] Figure 1 Shows a selective channel with non - contiguous high signal - to - noise ratio (SNR) portions.

[0063] Figure 2 Shows an SU - PPDU when a part of the channel is busy.

[0064] Figure 3 Shows a wireless network device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0065] Figure 4 Shows the MRU defined by Figure 3 the wireless network device.

[0066] Figure 5 Shows a first alternative for defining a discontinuous MRU that can be performed by a wireless network device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0067] Figure 6 Shows a second alternative for defining a discontinuous MRU that can be performed by a wireless network device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0068] Figure 7 Shows an example of an RU allocation subfield included in the preamble of a message.

[0069] Figure 8 Shows an example of signaling a discontinuous MRU.

[0070] Figure 9 Shows an example of signaling a discontinuous MRU for an SU-PPDU and using the discontinuous MRU.

[0071] Figure 10 Shows a first example of defining a discontinuous MRU and allocating it to an aggregation for the same STA.

[0072] Figure 11 Shows a second example of defining a discontinuous MRU and allocating it to an aggregation for the same STA.

[0073] Figure 12 Shows a second example of defining a discontinuous MRU and allocating it to an aggregation for the same STA.

[0074] Figure 13 Shows an example of simultaneously using two alternatives to define a discontinuous MRU respectively.

[0075] Figure 14 Shows an example of using two alternatives to define a discontinuous MRU in a mixed format.

[0076] Figure 15 Shows a method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Description

[0077] Figure 3 Shows a wireless network device 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The wireless network device 300 is suitable for resource allocation in a wireless network, such as allocating resources to a STA 303. The wireless network device 300 can be, for example, a Wi-Fi device according to the 802.11ax standard or the 802.11be standard. In particular, the wireless network device 300 can be an AP of a wireless network.

[0078] The wireless network device 300 may include a processor or processing circuitry (not shown) for performing, conducting, or initiating the various operations of the wireless network device 300 described herein. The processing circuitry may include hardware and / or the processing circuitry may be controlled by software. The hardware may include analog circuitry or digital circuitry, or both analog circuitry and digital circuitry. The digital circuitry may include components such as, for example, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), or a multi-functional processor.

[0079] The wireless network device 300 may also include a memory circuit that stores one or more instructions that can be executed by the processor or processing circuitry, particularly under the control of software. For example, the memory circuit may include a non-transitory storage medium that stores executable software code that, when executed by the processor or processing circuitry, causes the various operations of the wireless network device 300 to be performed.

[0080] In one embodiment, the processing circuitry includes one or more processors and a non-transitory memory connected to the one or more processors. The non-transitory memory may carry executable program code that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the wireless network device 300 to perform, conduct, or initiate the operations or methods described herein.

[0081] The wireless network device 300 is used to define a discontinuous MRU 400 within the bandwidth of the channel 301 and further allocate the MRU 400 to the STA 300. Figure 4 An example of such an MRU 400 defined by Figure 3 the wireless network device 300 is shown. The channel 301 includes a plurality of RUs 401, such as sub-channels. Each RU 401 may include frequency sub-carriers. Different RUs may include the same number or different numbers of frequency sub-carriers.

[0082] The wireless network device 300 may define the MRU 400 based on the unpunctured RUs 401 of the channel 301 and / or by aggregating two or more non-adjacent RUs of the channel 301 (in this case, when defining the MRU 400, the RU 401p is the unaggregated / omitted RU) after punching one or more RUs 401 of the channel 301, i.e., after obtaining one or more punctured RUs 401p.

[0083] The wireless network device 300 can also be used to send the message 302 to the STA 303 over a channel. This transmission can utilize the MRU 400. For example, in the preamble of the message 302, the MRU 400 can be defined and indicated to the STA 303 through the message 302.

[0084] It should be noted that in the present disclosure, the symbols "MRU" (e.g., in the channel 301 or a channel segment, the aggregated RU 401 or the set of punctured RUs 401) and "RU" (e.g., the smallest frequency resource that can be allocated in a channel) are used. However, other symbols can also be used. For example, "MRU" can be referred to as "larger RU", and "RU" can be referred to as "smaller RU". For example, the MRU 400 defined based on the unpunctured RU 401 after puncturing one or more RUs can also be referred to as "larger RU with some unavailable channels / subcarriers", where the "channel / subcarrier" is the RU 401. In addition, the MRU defined by "aggregating two or more non - adjacent RUs 401" can also be referred to as "aggregation of two channels", where the "channel" is the RU 401. All the symbols produce the same technical effect. Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention should not be limited by the symbols used.

[0085] In addition, the present disclosure also uses the symbol "channel" (total BW), sometimes referred to as "channel segment" (e.g., the logical separation of the channel BW), and sometimes referred to as "sub - channel" (e.g., the smallest frequency resource in a channel, i.e., the RU 401). However, other symbols can also be used. For example, "sub - channel" can also be referred to as "channel" included in a specific BW. Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention should not be limited by these symbols used.

[0086] In one example, the channel 301 can be an 80 - MHz channel and can include four 20 - MHz sub - channels 401. To define the MRU 400, the punctured 20 - MHz portion of the channel 301 can be defined, i.e., one of the sub - channels 401 of the channel 301 can be the punctured / missing sub - channel 401p.

[0087] The remaining 60 MHz of the MRU 400 in channel 301 (three non-punctured RUs / sub-channels 401) can be considered as a "larger RU" (MRU 400) with some unavailable / punctured sub-channels / channels / sub-carriers (Alternative 1), or as an aggregation of two RUs / sub-channels / channels (e.g., 20 MHz + 40 MHz) to form a "larger RU" (MRU 400) (Alternative 2). Neither Alternative 1 nor Alternative 2 is supported in the current 802.11ax standard. To allocate the MRU 400 in channel 301 to a single user (e.g., either as part of a MU-PPDU transmitted on a larger BW or as an 80 MHz SU-PPDU), both of the above alternatives can be considered.

[0088] Below, Alternative 1 is described in more detail, that is, an embodiment of the wireless network device 300 is described, in which the wireless network device 300 can define the MRU 400 in the BW of channel 301 using at least Alternative 1.

[0089] As Figure 5 shown, the MRU 400 can be a punctured "larger RU". In particular, Figure 5 the case of a MU-PPDU is shown, in which the MRU 400 can be defined by multiple RUs 401 in the BW of channel 301, where some of the RUs 401p in the BW of channel 301 are punctured. It is noted that channel 301 can include multiple channel segments 500. Further, in the channel BW, for example, in different channel segments 500, different MRUs 400 can be defined for different STAs ( Figure 5 STA 1 and STA 2 in). For example, in Figure 5 , STA 1 obtains the entire punctured first channel segment 500, where STA 2 cannot use any of the RUs 401 in the first channel segment 500 (left side). Further, STA 2 obtains the entire punctured second channel segment 500, where STA 1 cannot use any of the RUs 401 in the second channel segment 500 (right side). All RUs 401 can exemplarily include the same number, e.g., 242 frequency sub-carriers.

[0090] Defining the MRU 400 in this way may mean that, similar to the 802.11ax standard, a single-user field for each STA (here STA 1 and STA 2) in the SIG-B field or U-SIG field of the preamble of the transmitted packet 302 (e.g., MU-PPDU) may be required. However, the RU granularity may be limited, i.e., in non-MU-MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) allocations, multiple STAs 303 may not be able to coexist in the same MRU 400.

[0091] As Figure 6 shown, Alternative 1 can also be used for SU-PPDU and supports puncturing. Here, Alternative 1 significantly improves the channel utilization. It should be noted that the current 802.11ax standard does not support SU-PPDU with puncturing, but it is assumed that it has been added to the 802.11be standard.

[0092] To make this type of discontinuous MRU 400 part of the 802.11be standard, the RU allocation subfield of SIG-B or U-SIG should be modified / designed to support:

[0093] 1. 1992-RU and 3984-RU (i.e., MRU 400).

[0094] 2. 16SS for any RU >= 106 (i.e., MRU 400).

[0095] 3. Empty 242-RU as part of a larger RU (i.e., MRU 400).

[0096] In the 802.11ax standard, there is not enough space in the RU allocation subfield in the preamble of the packet 302 to support the above (1) and (2), but in the 802.11be standard, it can be modified / designed to solve this problem. In the present disclosure, the above (3) addresses this problem.

[0097] New entries can be added to the RU allocation subfield (SIG-B or U-SIG) to indicate the punctured 242-MRU that is part of the channel 301 or channel segment 500 (which can be referred to as the "larger RU" or "wider RU"). As Figure 7 shown, for example, the field content 011101x1x0 can be used to indicate an empty 242-subcarrier MRU that is part of a 996 / 1992 / 3984 RU. For example:

[0098] a. 01110100 - An empty 242-subcarrier RU that is part of a 996-RU;

[0099] b, 01110101 - Empty 242 - subcarrier RU as part of 1992 - RU;

[0100] c, 01110110 - Empty 242 - subcarrier RU as part of 3984 - RU;

[0101] d, 01110111 - Reserved.

[0102] Figure 8 The signal of the discontinuous MRU 400 is shown. In particular, an example of the signal of the discontinuous MRU 400 with a size of 160 MHz (1992 - RU) is sent using the above - mentioned procedure.

[0103] In the MU - PPDU, the content of B7 - B0 of the RU allocation sub - field (SIG - B or U - SIG) for each content channel, together with the STA - ID field (the identification of STA 303) in the user - specific field, determines the punctured 1992 MRU structure and the STA 303 that obtains it. In the SU - PPDU, the discontinuous MRU400 structure can be enabled by using the puncturing method to be defined in the 802.11be standard.

[0104] For example, as Figure 9 shown, according to the availability of various RU - 242, the puncturing method can adopt the bitmap B0…B5, which determines which parts of the channel 301 are actually used in the SU - PPDU. This puncturing method is only an example.

[0105] Hereinafter, Alternative 2 is described in more detail, that is, an embodiment of the wireless network device 300 is described, in which the wireless network device 300 can use at least Alternative 2 to define the MRU 400 in the BW of the channel 301.

[0106] In Alternative 2, it is allowed to allocate multiple RUs 401 to the same STA 303, which is contrary to the current 802.11ax standard that limits the number of RUs for each STA 303 to one. Allowing multiple RUs 401 for each STA 303 means that the limit is increased to more than one, that is, a specific limit can be defined. Defining multiple RUs 401 to the same STA 303 means that the allocation process is more flexible and also improves frequency diversity, thus solving the Figure 1 problem shown.

[0107] Figure 10 An example is given on how to aggregate multiple RUs 401 into an MRU 400, in particular, aggregating multiple MRUs 400 to multiple STAs 303. In particular, as Figure 11As shown, alternative 2 allows aggregation of RU401s of any size, i.e., RU 401s with any number of frequency subcarriers. In this example, the MRU 400 for one STA 303 is an aggregation of an RU 401 with 106 frequency subcarriers (the leftmost RU 401 in the figure) and an RU 401 with 26 frequency subcarriers (the rightmost RU 401 in the figure).

[0108] To enable this aggregation of RU 401s of any size, the following parameters can be defined in the 802.11ax standard:

[0109]

[0110] N RU,u is the number of RU 401s assigned to a user (STA) represented as u).

[0111] The subcarrier mapping distance (DTM) parameter can be reserved for each RU 401 separately. For example, consider Figure 12 the leftmost and rightmost RU 401s, which are assigned to the same STA 303 (e.g., u = 1, N RU,u = 2, MCS3). Here, for example:

[0112] N SD,1 = N SD,u,1 + N SD,u,2 = 102 + 24 = 126

[0113] N CBPS,1 = N CBPS,u,1 + N CBPS,u,2 = 408 + 96 = 504

[0114] N DBPS,1 = N DBPS,u,1 + N DBPS,u,2 = 204 + 48 = 252

[0115] It is also possible for alternative 1 and alternative 2 to coexist, i.e., the wireless network device 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be used to define the MRU 400 according to two alternatives (simultaneously). In particular, alternative 1 and alternative 2 can coexist either separately or in combination (i.e., can be used simultaneously). "Separately" means that a given STA uses non - contiguous MRU 400s defined by adopting alternative 1 above in the first part of channel 301, while a second STA uses non - contiguous MRU 400s defined by alternative 2 in a second separate part of channel 301, as Figure 13 shown. "In combination" means that a given STA can have an allocation of MRU 400s defined by using alternative 1 and 2 simultaneously, as Figure 14As shown. In this example, the same STA can use (i.e., be assigned) the MRU 400 defined by the (hybrid) alternative 1 and alternative 2, while all other STAs use, for example, alternative 2.

[0116] Figure 15 Method 1500 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Method 1500 is for resource allocation and can be executed by the wireless network device 300. Method 1500 includes step 1501 of defining non - contiguous MRUs 400 in the bandwidth of channel 301. Channel 301 includes a plurality of RUs 401. Further, the MRU 400 is defined based on the non - punched RUs 401, i.e., by obtaining one or more punched RUs 401p of channel 301 after punching one or more RUs of channel 301, and / or is defined by aggregating two or more non - adjacent RUs 401 of channel 301. Additionally, method 1500 includes step 1502 of allocating the MRU 400 to the wireless station 303 (STA).

[0117] In summary, it is proposed to extend and improve the method of utilizing channel resources in the 802.11be standard by allowing the use of multiple and non - contiguous portions (RUs 401) of channel 301 to define the MRU 400. Since the ability to utilize channel selectivity is enhanced, it is supported to allocate the MRU 400 and non - contiguous RUs 401 to the same STA 303 and by making it more efficient, thereby improving channel utilization. Improving the utilization of channel 301 can improve the throughput and performance of the entire system.

[0118] In particular, the 802.11ax RU definition is far from optimal. Specifically, the inability to aggregate MRUs for the same STA makes the channel utilization sub - optimal especially in two common scenarios: when channel punching exists and when the channel is selective.

[0119] The present disclosure proposes two alternatives, namely alternative 1 and alternative 2, to apply the MRU 400 to each STA without adding overhead to the MU - PPDU and by adding only a small amount of overhead to the SU - PPDU. By allowing punching in the SU - PPDU and allowing the use of non - contiguous RUs, the channel utilization of the SU - PPDU can be significantly improved.

[0120] The present invention has been described in connection with different embodiments and implementations taken as examples. However, based on the study of the drawings, the present disclosure, and the independent claims, those skilled in the art can understand and implement other variants and practice the claimed invention. In the claims as well as in the specification, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite articles "a" and "an" do not exclude a plurality. A single element or other unit may fulfill the functions of several entities or items recited in the claims. The fact that certain means are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not mean that a combination of these means cannot be used in an advantageous implementation.

Claims

1. A wireless station, comprising: a memory circuit for storing one or more program instructions; and a processor for executing the one or more program instructions such that the wireless station performs the following operations: receiving a message, a preamble of the message including information indicating a multi-resource unit (MRU) used for transmitting the message, the MRU being an MRU defined in a bandwidth of a channel and allocated to the wireless station, the MRU being defined by aggregating two or more consecutive resource units (RUs) of different sizes in the channel, or the MRU being defined by aggregating two or more non-consecutive RUs of different sizes in the channel, the message being a physical layer convergence procedure (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU), and the information being included in an extremely high throughput signaling (EHT-SIG) field of the preamble of the PPDU; obtaining the information of the MRU.

2. The wireless station according to claim 1, wherein: each of the RUs includes a plurality of consecutive frequency subcarriers.

3. The wireless station according to claim 2, wherein: a bandwidth of each of the frequency subcarriers is 78.125 kHz.

4. The wireless station according to claim 1, wherein: the MRU includes a 26-frequency-subcarrier RU and a 52-frequency-subcarrier RU; or the MRU includes a 26-frequency-subcarrier RU and a 106-frequency-subcarrier RU; or the MRU includes a 242-frequency-subcarrier RU and a 484-frequency-subcarrier RU.

5. The wireless station according to claim 1, wherein: the message is a multi-user PPDU.

6. A method for resource allocation, the method comprising: receiving a message, a preamble of the message including information indicating a multi-resource unit (MRU) used for transmitting the message, the MRU being an MRU defined in a bandwidth of a channel and allocated to a wireless station, the MRU being defined by aggregating two or more consecutive resource units (RUs) of different sizes in the channel, or the MRU being defined by aggregating two or more non-consecutive RUs of different sizes in the channel, the message being a physical layer convergence procedure (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU), and the information being included in an extremely high throughput signaling (EHT-SIG) field of the preamble of the PPDU; obtaining the information of the MRU.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: each of the RUs includes a plurality of consecutive frequency subcarriers.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: a bandwidth of each of the frequency subcarriers is 78.125 kHz.

9. The method according to claim 6, the method comprising: the MRU includes a 26-frequency-subcarrier RU and a 52-frequency-subcarrier RU; or the MRU includes a 26-frequency-subcarrier RU and a 106-frequency-subcarrier RU; or the MRU includes a 242-frequency-subcarrier RU and a 484-frequency-subcarrier RU.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein: the message is a multi-user PPDU.

11. A non-transitory computer storage medium, when the stored program code is executed by a processor, implements the method according to any one of claims 6 to 10.

Images