Bandwidth indication method applied to wireless local area network and communication device

Abstract

Provided are a bandwidth indication method and a communication device applied to a wireless local area network, which can be applied to a wireless local area network supporting 802.11 be, the method comprising: an access point generating a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU), the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU being divided into a plurality of fragments, the PPDU comprising a universal signaling U-SIG field carried on one fragment, the universal signaling U-SIG field comprising a USIG field carried on the other fragment, and the USIG field comprising a USIG field carried on the other fragment; the U-SIG field comprises a bandwidth field, and the bandwidth field indicates a channel bandwidth where a resource unit allocated to a stop site in the fragment is located; and the access point sends the PPDU to the station. Based on the method described in the application, the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission can be reduced, and cross-fragment resources can be fragmented for the station, so that the resources can be allocated for the station more flexibly.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application. The application number of the original application is 2020103667756, and the original application date is April 30, 2020. The entire content of the original application is incorporated into this application by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a bandwidth indication method and a communication device applied to a wireless local area network. Background Art

[0003] WLAN has evolved through several generations, including 802.11a / b / g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, and the currently under discussion 802.11be (also known as Wi-Fi 7). The 802.11n standard is called HT (High Throughput), the 802.11ac standard is called VHT (Very High Throughput), the 802.11ax standard is called HE (High Efficient), and the 802.11be standard is also called EHT (Extremely High Throughput).

[0004] 802.11ax currently supports the following bandwidth configurations: 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, and 80+80MHz. The difference between 160MHz and 80+80MHz is that the former is a continuous band, while the latter can have two 80MHz bands separated. 802.11be will support configurations such as 240MHz and 320MHz.

[0005] User frequency band resources are allocated not in 20MHz channels, but in resource units (RUs). RUs can be in the form of 26-tone RUs, 52-tone RUs, 106-tone RUs, 242-tone RUs, 484-tone RUs, or 996-tone RUs, where tone represents a subcarrier. For example, Figure 1 The following is a schematic diagram of the 80MHz subcarrier distribution and RU distribution. Figure 1As shown in the figure, when the bandwidth is 80MHz, the entire bandwidth is composed of four 242-tone RUs. In particular, in the middle of the entire bandwidth, there is also a middle 26-tone RU composed of two 13-tone sub-units. Alternatively, the entire bandwidth can be composed of a full 996-tone RU, or various combinations of 26-tone RUs, 52-tone RUs, 106-tone RUs, 242-tone RUs, and 484-tone RUs.

[0006] Currently, 802.11ax provides resource unit indication methods for downlink (DL) orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) and downlink (DL) multiple user (MU) multiple input multiple output (MIMO). In 802.11ax, the transmitter sends a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU), which contains high-efficiency signaling field-A (HE-signal field-A) and high-efficiency signaling field-B (HE-signal field-B). The HE-SIG-A is used to indicate the symbol length of the HE-SIG-B, the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) of the HE-SIG-B, the bandwidth of the entire PPDU, etc. If the PPDU bandwidth is greater than 20MHz, the HE-SIG-A is transmitted in duplicate over every 20MHz. The PPDU also contains the HE-SIG-B, which provides resource indication information for DL MU MIMO and DL OFDMA. HE-SIG-B is encoded separately on each 20MHz. The encoding structure of HE-SIG-B on each 20MHz is as follows: Figure 2As shown. The entire HE-SIG-B is divided into two parts, namely the common field and the user specific field. The common field contains 1 to N resource unit allocation subfields (RU allocation subfield), and the center 26-subcarrier (Center26-Tone) resource unit indication field that exists when the bandwidth is greater than or equal to 80MHz, followed by a cyclic redundancy code (CRC) for verification and a tail subfield for cyclic decoding. In the user specific field, there are 1 to M user fields (user field) in the order of resource unit allocation. The M user fields are usually grouped in two, and each two user fields are followed by a CRC and Tail field, but the last group should be excluded. In the last group, there may be 1 or 2 user fields.

[0007] In 802.11ax, the concept of content channel (CC) is introduced. Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the HE-SIG-B field when the PPDU bandwidth is 80 MHz. Figure 3 As shown, when the PPDU bandwidth is 80 MHz, the HE-SIG-B field contains two CCs, for a total of four channels. Resource unit allocation information is indicated across the four channels in a structure of CC1, CC2, CC1, CC2, from low to high frequency. CC1 contains the resource unit allocation subfields within the first and third 242-tone RUs and the corresponding user fields; CC2 contains the resource unit subfields within the second and fourth 242-tone RUs and the corresponding user fields. In addition, both CCs carry an indication of the middle 26-tone RU at 80 MHz, indicating whether the resource unit is being used for data transmission. Similarly, when the PPDU bandwidth is 160 MHz, the HE-SIG-B field contains two CCs, for a total of eight channels. Resource unit allocation information is indicated across the eight channels in a structure of CC1, CC2, CC1, CC2, CC1, CC2, CC1, CC2, CC2, CC2, CC1, CC2, CC2, CC2, CC2, CC1. CC1 contains the resource unit allocation subfields within the first, third, fifth, and seventh 242-tone RU range and the corresponding user fields; CC2 contains the resource unit subfields within the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth 242-tone RU range and the corresponding user fields.

[0008] In summary, existing technologies implement resource unit indication in the 20MHz to 160MHz range, but this comes with significant overhead. In the 802.11be standard (Wi-Fi 7) or later standards (e.g., Wi-Fi 8), the PPDU transmission bandwidth can be 240MHz, 320MHz, or even larger. Consequently, the number of resource unit indications in the PPDU will increase exponentially. Therefore, reducing the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission is an urgent issue. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The embodiments of the present application provide a bandwidth indication method and a communication device applied to a wireless local area network, which are beneficial to reducing the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission.

[0010] In a first aspect, the present application provides a bandwidth indication method applied to a wireless local area network, the method comprising: an access point generates a physical layer protocol data unit PPDU, wherein the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is divided into multiple fragments, and the PPDU includes a universal signaling U-SIG field carried on a fragment, the U-SIG field includes a bandwidth field, and the bandwidth field indicates the channel bandwidth of the resource unit allocated to the station docked in the fragment; the access point sends the PPDU to the station.

[0011] Based on the method described in the first aspect, by setting the bandwidth field of a slice to indicate the channel bandwidth to which the resource units allocated to the station within the slice are located, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field of the slice can correspond to the channel bandwidth to which the resource units allocated to the station are located. This allows the slice to carry only resource indication information corresponding to the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field, which helps reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission. Furthermore, cross-slice resources can be allocated to stations, which allows for more flexible resource allocation to stations than simply allocating resource units to the slice to which the station is docked.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the PPDU also includes an EHT-SIG field carried on a slice; the EHT-SIG field includes a resource unit allocation subfield, and the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field corresponds to the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field, and the resource unit allocation subfield is used to indicate the resource units allocated to the stations docked in the slice. By making the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field of the slice correspond to the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field, only the resource indication information corresponding to the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field can be carried on the slice, which is conducive to reducing the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission. It is also possible to allocate cross-slice resources to the station, which can be more flexible than only allocating resource units of the slice where the station is docked.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the U-SIG field further includes a compression field. If the compression field indicates a non-compression mode, the EHT-SIG field includes a resource unit allocation subfield.

[0014] In one possible implementation, if the resources of the station docked within the slice are used for OFDMA transmission, the compression field indicates a non-compressed mode. Optionally, the resources of the station docked within the slice are used for OFDMA transmission, including two cases: Case 1: the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is used for OFDMA transmission. Case 2: the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is used for OFDMA transmission, and the resources of the station docked within the slice are used for OFDMA transmission. In this optional method, whether to compress the EHT-SIG field can be determined at the slice granularity, which is beneficial to reducing the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission.

[0015] In one possible implementation, if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 40 MHz, the U-SIG field and the EHT-SIG field are transmitted over the 40 MHz bandwidth. This helps reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission compared to transmitting the U-SIG field and the EHT-SIG field over the entire fragment.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the correspondence between the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field and the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field includes one or more of the following: if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 20 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 1; if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 40 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 2; if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 80 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 4; if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 160 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 8; if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 240 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 12; or, if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 320 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 16. Based on this possible implementation, there can be a sufficient number of resource unit allocation subfields to indicate the resources in the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the EHT-SIG field includes a preamble puncturing indication field, which is used to indicate whether the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is punctured. The number of bits required for the preamble puncturing indication field is less than the number of bits required for the resource unit allocation subfield. Therefore, the preamble puncturing indication field is used instead of the resource unit allocation subfield to indicate the resource unit allocation status of the station, which helps reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the U-SIG field further includes a compression field. If the compression field indicates a compression mode, the EHT-SIG field includes a preamble puncturing indication field.

[0019] In one possible implementation, if the resources of the station docked within the slice are used for non-OFDMA transmission, the compression field indicates the compression mode. In this optional method, the EHT-SIG field can be compressed with the slice as the granularity, which is beneficial to reducing the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission. Optionally, the resources of the station docked within the slice are used for non-OFDMA transmission, including two cases: Case 1: The channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is used for non-OFDMA transmission. Case 2: The channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is used for OFDMA transmission, but the resources of the station docked within the slice are used for non-OFDMA transmission.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the EHT-SIG field may include a resource unit allocation subfield in both compressed and uncompressed modes. In compressed mode, the resource unit allocation subfield implements the function of the preamble puncture indication field described above, namely, indicating whether the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is punctured. In uncompressed mode, the resource unit allocation subfield indicates the resource unit allocation status of the station.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the U-SIG field also indicates the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field, and the preamble puncture indication field also indicates the number of MU-MIMO users. This possible implementation allows stations to be directly informed of the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field, enabling them to accurately determine the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the U-SIG field is also used to indicate the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field. The PPDU also includes a first field carried in the slice, which is used to indicate the number of multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) users. This first field is different from the preamble puncturing indication field. By implementing this possible implementation, the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field can be directly notified to the station, allowing the station to accurately determine the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the PPDU also includes an EHT-SIG field carried on a slice, and the U-SIG field also includes a compression field. If the PPDU transmission bandwidth is used for non-orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) transmission, the compression field indicates the compression mode. When the compression field indicates the compression mode, the EHT-SIG field does not include the resource unit allocation subfield. The EHT-SIG field can be compressed based on the entire transmission bandwidth of the PPDU, which helps reduce the signaling overhead of the PPDU transmission.

[0024] In a possible implementation, if the compression field indicates a compression mode, the U-SIG field is also used to indicate the number of MU-MIMO users.

[0025] In one possible implementation, if the compression field indicates compression mode, the EHT-SIG field includes a preamble puncturing indication field, which is used to indicate whether the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is punctured. In this possible implementation, the preamble puncturing indication field replaces the resource unit allocation subfield to indicate the resource unit allocation status of the station, which helps reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the EHT-SIG fields carried on multiple fragments included in the PPDU are identical. Based on this possible implementation, the reliability of the EHT-SIG field transmission can be increased.

[0027] In a second aspect, the present application provides a bandwidth indication method applied to a wireless local area network, the method comprising: a station receives a physical layer protocol data unit PPDU sent by an access point, wherein the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is divided into multiple fragments, and the PPDU includes a universal signaling U-SIG field carried on a fragment, the U-SIG field includes a bandwidth field, and the bandwidth field indicates the channel bandwidth of the resource unit allocated to the station docked in the fragment; the station determines the channel bandwidth of the allocated resource unit based on the received U-SIG field.

[0028] The beneficial effects and possible implementation methods of the second aspect can be found in the description of the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0029] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided. The device may be an access point, a device in an access point, or a device capable of being used in conjunction with an access point. The communication device may also be a chip system. The communication device may execute the method described in the first aspect. The functions of the communication device may be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the above-mentioned functions. The units may be software and / or hardware. The operations and beneficial effects performed by the communication device may refer to the methods and beneficial effects described in the first aspect above, and any repetitions will not be repeated.

[0030] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided. The device may be a site, a device within a site, or a device capable of being used in conjunction with a site. The communication device may also be a system-on-a-chip. The communication device may perform the method described in the second aspect. The functions of the communication device may be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the aforementioned functions. The units may be software and / or hardware. The operations and beneficial effects performed by the communication device may refer to the methods and beneficial effects described in the second aspect above, and any repetitions will not be repeated.

[0031] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising at least one processor, wherein when the processor calls a computer program in a memory, the method performed by the access point in the method described in the first aspect is executed.

[0032] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device comprising at least one processor, wherein when the processor calls a computer program in a memory, the method executed by the site in the method described in the second aspect is executed.

[0033] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor and a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program; the processor being used to execute the computer program stored in the memory, so that the communication device performs the method performed by the access point in the method described in the first aspect.

[0034] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program; the processor is used to execute the computer program stored in the memory so that the communication device executes the method executed by the site in the method described in the second aspect.

[0035] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor, a memory, and a transceiver, wherein the transceiver is used to receive or send signals; the memory is used to store a computer program; and the processor is used to call the computer program from the memory to execute the method performed by the access point in the method described in the first aspect.

[0036] In the tenth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor, a memory and a transceiver, wherein the transceiver is used to receive or send signals; the memory is used to store a computer program; and the processor is used to call the computer program from the memory to execute the method executed by the site in the method described in the second aspect.

[0037] In the eleventh aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising at least one processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is used to receive a computer program and transmit it to the processor; the processor runs the computer program to execute the method performed by the access point in the method described in the first aspect.

[0038] In a twelfth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising at least one processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor runs a computer program to execute the method performed by the site in the method described in the second aspect.

[0039] In a thirteenth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which is used to store instructions. When the instructions are executed, the method performed by the access point in the method described in the first aspect is implemented.

[0040] In a fourteenth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing instructions, which, when executed, enables the method performed by the site in the second aspect to be implemented.

[0041] In a fifteenth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed, enables the method performed by the access point in the method described in the first aspect to be implemented.

[0042] In a sixteenth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed, enables the method performed by the site in the second aspect to be implemented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0044] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of 80MHz subcarrier distribution and RU distribution provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 2 This is a coding structure of HE-SIG-B at 20 MHz provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the HE-SIG-B field when the PPDU bandwidth is 80 MHz, provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a 20 MHz subcarrier distribution and RU distribution provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a 40 MHz subcarrier distribution and RU distribution provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Figure 6 1 is a schematic diagram of a HE MU PPDU frame structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Figure 7 FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the HE-SIG-B field when the bandwidth of the HE MU PPDU is 20 MHz, provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the HE-SIG-B field when the bandwidth of the HE MU PPDU is 40 MHz, provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the HE-SIG-B field when the bandwidth of the HE MU PPDU is 160 MHz, provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] Figure 10 1 is a schematic diagram of a frame structure of an EHT MU PPDU provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] Figure 12This is a flow chart of a bandwidth indication method applied to a wireless local area network provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of a sharding method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] Figure 14 A schematic diagram of the allocation of channels and channel bandwidth for docked stations within shard 1 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Figure 15 A schematic diagram of the allocation of channels and channel bandwidth for docked stations within shard 2 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Figure 16 A schematic diagram of the allocation of channels and channel bandwidth for docked stations within shard 3 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Figure 17 A schematic diagram of the allocation of channels and channel bandwidth for docked stations within shard 4 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figure 18 A schematic diagram of a PPDU frame structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Figure 19 A schematic diagram of another PPDU frame structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Figure 20 A schematic diagram of another PPDU frame structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Figure 21 A schematic diagram of an EHT-SIG field 1 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Figure 22 A schematic diagram of an EHT-SIG field 2 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Figure 23 A schematic diagram of an EHT-SIG field 3 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Figure 24 A schematic diagram of an EHT-SIG field 4 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] Figure 25 A schematic diagram of another PPDU frame structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] Figure 26 A schematic diagram of another PPDU frame structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] Figure 27 A schematic diagram of another PPDU frame structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] Figure 28 A schematic diagram of another PPDU frame structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] Figure 29 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] Figure 30a is a structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] Figure 30b This is a structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0075] The terms "first," "second," "third," and "fourth," etc., in the specification and claims of this application and the accompanying drawings are used to distinguish between different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including," "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus comprising a series of steps or elements is not limited to the listed steps or elements, but may optionally include steps or elements not listed, or may optionally include other steps or elements inherent to the process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0076] References herein to "embodiments" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of this phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor does it constitute an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive of other embodiments. It is understood, both explicitly and implicitly, by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0077] "Multiple" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0078] To facilitate understanding of the relevant contents of the embodiments of this application, some background knowledge is introduced below.

[0079] 1. WLAN bandwidth configuration

[0080] WLAN has evolved through several generations, including 802.11a / b / g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, and the currently under discussion 802.11be. 802.11n is known as HT (High Throughput), 802.11ac is known as VHT (Very High Throughput), 802.11ax is known as HE (High Efficient), and 802.11be is known as EHT (Extremely High Throughput). Table 1 shows the bandwidth configurations supported by PPDUs for each of these WLAN standards.

[0081] Table 1

[0082]

[0083] 2. Resource unit (RU)

[0084] User frequency resources are allocated not in 20MHz channels but in resource units (RUs). RUs can be in the form of 26-tone RUs, 52-tone RUs, 106-tone RUs, 242-tone RUs, 484-tone RUs, or 996-tone RUs, where tone represents a subcarrier.

[0085] For example, Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a 20MHz subcarrier distribution and RU distribution provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 As shown in the figure, when the bandwidth is 20MHz, the entire bandwidth can be composed of a 242-tone RU, or various combinations of 26-tone RU, 52-tone RU, and 106-tone RU. In addition to the RUs used to transmit data, the bandwidth also includes some guard subcarriers, null subcarriers (the subcarrier where 1 is located in the figure is a null subcarrier, where 1 indicates the number of null subcarriers is 1), and direct current (DC) subcarriers.

[0086] For example, Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a 40MHz subcarrier distribution and RU distribution provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 5As shown in FIG, when the bandwidth is 40 MHz, the entire bandwidth is roughly equivalent to a replication of the 20 MHz subcarrier distribution. The entire bandwidth can be composed of a whole 484-tone RU or various combinations of 26-tone RU, 52-tone RU, 106-tone RU, and 242-tone RU.

[0087] For example, Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an 80MHz subcarrier distribution and RU distribution provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 As shown in the figure, when the bandwidth is 80MHz, the entire bandwidth is composed of four 242-tone RUs. In particular, in the middle of the entire bandwidth, there is also a middle 26-tone RU composed of two 13-tone sub-units. The entire bandwidth can be composed of a full 996-tone RU or various combinations of 26-tone RUs, 52-tone RUs, 106-tone RUs, 242-tone RUs, and 484-tone RUs.

[0088] When the bandwidth is 160 MHz or 80+80 MHz, the entire bandwidth can be viewed as a replication of two 80 MHz subcarrier distributions. The entire bandwidth can consist of a 2*996-tone RU or various combinations of 26-tone RU, 52-tone RU, 106-tone RU, 242-tone RU, 484-tone RU, and 996-tone RU.

[0089] 3. Orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) transmission and non-OFDMA transmission

[0090] OFDMA transmission is a multi-user communication mechanism that is applicable to the data frame exchange between access points (APs) and non-AP STAs in the 802.11ax standard and beyond. The entire transmission bandwidth can be divided into multiple RUs, which are allocated to different users. In non-OFDMA transmission, the entire transmission bandwidth is used as a whole for single user (SU) or multiple user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO) transmission. For non-OFDMA transmission, after the preamble is punctured, the remaining unpunctured parts will form multiple RUs, and the multiple RUs will be combined as a whole. The multi-RU merging combination supported by non-OFDMA transmission is equivalent to the preamble puncturing combination supported by non-OFDMA transmission.

[0091] 4. Highly efficient multiple user physical layer protocol data unit (HE MU PPDU)

[0092] HE MU PPDU is mainly used for DL OFDMA and DL MU-MIMO transmission in 802.11ax. Figure 6 Figure 1 is a structural diagram of HE MU PPDU. Figure 6 As shown, the HE MU PPDU is divided into a preamble and a data field. The preamble portion includes two HE signaling fields: high-efficiency signaling field-A (HE-SIG-A) and high-efficiency signaling field-B (HE-SIG-A). For a description of HE-SIG-A and HE-SIG-B, please refer to the description in the background technology.

[0093] The resource unit allocation subfield in the HE-SIG-B is 8 bits, which indicates all possible resource unit permutations and combinations within a 242-tone RU by index. In addition, for RUs with a size greater than or equal to 106-tone, the number of users (i.e., the number of STAs) performing SU / MU-MIMO transmission in the RU is also indicated by the index. The index of the resource unit allocation subfield is shown in Table 2:

[0094] Table 2

[0095]

[0096]

[0097] As shown in Table 2, the first column represents the 8-bit index of the resource unit allocation subfield, and the middle columns #1 to #9 represent the permutations and combinations of different resource units. Each row in Table 2 represents an RU allocation situation. For example, the index 00111y2y1y0 indicates that 4 RUs, namely 52-tone RU, 52-tone RU, 26-tone RU, and 106-tone RU, are allocated. In addition, the numbers in Table 2 are used to indicate the number of users included in the 106-tone RU. For example: the number corresponding to 00010y2y1y0 is 8, because while indicating the resource unit allocation, y2y1y0 is also used to indicate the number of users included in the 106-tone RU, corresponding to 1 to 8 users (i.e., sites). Among them, each value of y2y1y0 can be 0 or 1.

[0098] It should be noted that the order in which users appear in the user-specific field is consistent with the order of RUs divided in the corresponding resource unit allocation subfield. Users can identify whether the user field belongs to themselves by reading the site identifier in the user field. Combining the position of the user field with the corresponding resource unit allocation subfield, users can know their RU allocation status.

[0099] Most of the RU allocations in Table 2 are within the 242-tone range, and a small number of RUs are indexed as 242-tone RUs, 484-tone RUs, and 996-tone RUs.

[0100] 5. Content Channel (CC)

[0101] In units of 242-tone RU, Figure 1 、 Figure 4 or Figure 5 The left side of the graph can be considered the lowest frequency, and the right side can be considered the highest frequency. From left to right, the 242-tone RUs can be numbered: 1#, 2#, ..., 8#.

[0102] 802.11ax introduces the concept of content channels. For example, Figure 7 As shown, when the bandwidth of the HE MU PPDU is only 20 MHz, the HE-SIG-B field contains only one content channel CC1, and the CC1 contains one resource unit allocation subfield for indicating the resource unit allocation indication within the range of 242-toneRU in the data part.

[0103] For example, Figure 8 As shown in Figure 1, when the HE MU PPDU bandwidth is 40 MHz, the HE-SIG-B field includes two content channels, CC1 and CC2. CC1 contains the resource unit allocation subfield within the first 242-tone RU range and the corresponding user field; CC2 contains the resource unit allocation subfield within the second 242-tone RU range and the corresponding user field.

[0104] For example, Figure 3 As shown, when the HE MU PPDU bandwidth is 80MHz, the HE-SIG-B field still includes 2 CCs, a total of 4 channels. Therefore, the resource unit allocation information is indicated on 4 channels according to the structure of CC1, CC2, CC1, CC2 from low to high frequency. Among them, CC1 contains the resource unit allocation subfields within the first and third 242-tone RU ranges and the corresponding user fields within their ranges; CC2 contains the resource unit subfields within the second and fourth 242-tone RU ranges and the corresponding user fields within their ranges. In addition, on both CCs, the middle 26-tone RU indication of 80MHz is carried to indicate whether the resource unit is used to transmit data.

[0105] For example, Figure 9 As shown, when the HE MU PPDU bandwidth is 160MHz, the HE-SIG-B field still includes 2 CCs, a total of 8 channels. Therefore, the overall resource unit allocation information is indicated on 8 channels according to the structure of CC1, CC2, CC1, CC2, CC1, CC2, CC1, CC2 from low to high frequency. Among them, CC1 contains the resource unit allocation subfields within the first, third, fifth and seventh 242-tone RU ranges and the corresponding user fields within their ranges; CC2 contains the resource unit subfields within the second, fourth, sixth and eighth 242-tone RU ranges and the corresponding user fields within their ranges. In addition, on both CCs, an 80MHz middle 26-tone RU indication is carried to indicate whether the resource unit is used to transmit data.

[0106] 6. Extremely high throughput multiple user physical layer protocol data unit (EHT MU PPDU)

[0107] EHT MU PPDU is introduced in 802.11be. EHT MU PPDU is mainly used for DL OFDMA and DL MU-MIMO transmission in 802.11be. Figure 10 As shown in the figure, the currently proposed EHT MU PPDU frame structure mainly includes the legacy short training sequence (L-STF) field, the legacy long training sequence (L-LTF) field, the legacy signaling (L-SIG) field, the repeated legacy signaling (RL-SIG) field, the universal signaling (U-SIG) field, the extremely high throughput-signaling (EHT-SIG) field, the EHT short training sequence (EHT-STF) field, the EHT long training sequence (EHT-LTF) field, and the data field. The EHT-SIG field can be composed of two parts: the first part is the common field, which contains 1 to N resource unit allocation subfields; the second part is the user specific field, which contains 1 to M user fields according to the order of resource unit allocation.

[0108] As mentioned above, 802.11ax implements resource unit indication in the case of 20M~160MHz, but its overhead is large, for example, Figure 9 As shown, when the HE MU PPDU transmission bandwidth is 160 MHz, each CC contains four resource unit allocation sub-indication fields and all user fields within four 242-tone RUs, resulting in a high signaling overhead for PPDU transmission. In 802.11be and later standards, when the EHT MU PPDU transmission bandwidth is even larger, the signaling overhead increases further. To reduce the signaling overhead for PPDU transmission, embodiments of the present application provide a bandwidth indication method and communication device for use in a wireless local area network.

[0109] To facilitate understanding of the solution described in the embodiment of the present application, the system architecture of the embodiment of the present application is first described below:

[0110] It should be noted that the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to wireless local area networks (WLANs) that adopt 802.11be or standards after 802.11be, and can also be applied to other communication systems that support large-bandwidth OFDM transmission.

[0111] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of the system architecture provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown as follows: Figure 11 As shown, the system architecture may include access point (AP) stations and non-AP STAs. For ease of description, this document refers to access point stations as access points (APs) and non-AP stations as stations (STAs). The system architecture may include one or more access points and one or more stations. Figure 11 Take one access point and three stations as an example.

[0112] Among them, the access point can be an access point for terminal devices (such as mobile phones) to enter the wired (or wireless) network. It is mainly deployed in homes, buildings and campuses, with a typical coverage radius of tens to hundreds of meters. Of course, it can also be deployed outdoors. The access point is equivalent to a bridge connecting the wired network and the wireless network. Its main function is to connect various wireless network clients together and then connect the wireless network to the Ethernet. Specifically, the access point can be a terminal device (such as a mobile phone) or a network device (such as a router) with a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) chip. The access point can be a device that supports the 802.11be standard. The access point can also be a device that supports various wireless local area network (WLAN) standards of the 802.11 family, such as 802.11be, 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b and 802.11a. The access point in this application may be a high efficiency (HE) AP or an extramely high throughput (EHT) AP, or may be an access point applicable to a future generation of WiFi standards.

[0113] A station can be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor, or a wireless communication terminal, and can also be referred to as a user. For example, a station can be a mobile phone that supports WiFi communication, a tablet that supports WiFi communication, a set-top box that supports WiFi communication, a smart TV that supports WiFi communication, a smart wearable device that supports WiFi communication, an in-vehicle communication device that supports WiFi communication, or a computer that supports WiFi communication, etc. Optionally, the station can support the 802.11be standard. The station can also support various wireless local area network (WLAN) standards in the 802.11 family, such as 802.11be, 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11a.

[0114] For example, access points and sites can be devices used in the Internet of Vehicles, IoT nodes and sensors in the Internet of Things (IoT), smart cameras and remote controls in smart homes, smart water and electricity meters, and sensors in smart cities.

[0115] The technical solution of this application can be applied to data communication between an access point and one or more stations, as well as to communication between an access point and multiple access points, and also to communication between a station and multiple stations. The technical solution of this application is described below using data communication between an access point and multiple stations as an example.

[0116] See Figure 12 , Figure 12 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a bandwidth indication method for a wireless local area network provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 12 As shown, the bandwidth indication method applied to a wireless local area network includes the following steps 1201 to 1203: Figure 12 The execution subject of the method shown can be an access point and a station. Alternatively, Figure 12 The method shown may be executed by a chip in an access point or a chip in a station. Figure 12 The access point and the station are used as the execution entities for explanation.

[0117] 1201. The access point generates a PPDU, wherein the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is divided into multiple fragments. The PPDU includes a U-SIG field carried on one fragment. The U-SIG field includes a bandwidth field, which indicates the channel bandwidth of the resource unit allocated to the station docked in the fragment.

[0118] In this embodiment of the present application, the PPDU may be an EHT MU PPDU, or the PPDU may be a PPDU in another 802.11 standard, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. The transmission bandwidth of the PPDU may be 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz / 80+80 MHz, 240 MHz, or 320 MHz.

[0119] The names of the various fields throughout the embodiments of this application may also be other names. For example, in 802.11be, they may be called U-SIG fields and bandwidth fields, but they may also be called other field names in standards after 802.11be. The "field" mentioned herein may also be called "domain," "information," etc., and the "subfield" may be called "subdomain," "information," etc.

[0120] The following describes the concepts of sharding and the channel bandwidth to which the resource units assigned to a site are allocated.

[0121] 1. Sharding

[0122] In the embodiment of the present application, the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is divided into multiple slices. A slice can be 80 MHz. Alternatively, a slice can be 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 160 MHz, etc. One or more stations are docked in some or all of the multiple slices.

[0123] For example, the transmission bandwidth of PPDU is 320MHz and one slice is 80MHz. Figure 13 As shown, 320 MHz includes 16 channels, with one channel equivalent to 20 MHz. The PPDU transmission bandwidth is divided into slices 1 through 4, each 80 MHz. Slice 1 hosts stations 1 through 5, slice 2 hosts stations 6 and 7, slice 3 hosts station 8, and slice 4 hosts station 9.

[0124] Optionally, the bandwidths of different fragments may be different. For example, the 320 MHz transmission bandwidth of a PPDU is divided into fragments 1 to 3, where fragment 1 is 80 MHz, fragment 2 is 80 MHz, and fragment 3 is 160 MHz.

[0125] 2. The channel bandwidth of the resource unit to which the station is allocated

[0126] For the docked sites in different shards, the channels and channel bandwidths of the docked sites in each shard can be predefined.

[0127] For example, Figure 14 The distribution of channels and channel bandwidth for the docked stations in shard 1. Figure 14As shown, the predefined channels for sites docked within Slice 1 include: the primary 20 MHz channel (or simply the primary channel, Primary 20 MHz, P20), the secondary 20 MHz channel (Secondary 20 MHz, S20), the secondary 40 MHz channel (Secondary 40 MHz, S40), the secondary 80 MHz channel (Secondary 80 MHz, S80), and the secondary 160 MHz channel (Secondary 160 MHz, S40). Channel 13 corresponds to the primary 20 MHz channel. Channel 14 corresponds to the secondary 20 MHz channel. Channels 15 and 16 are combined into the secondary 40 MHz channel. Channels 9 through 12 are combined into the secondary 80 MHz channel. Channels 1 through 8 are combined into the secondary 160 MHz channel.

[0128] The predefined channel bandwidth of the station docked in Slice 1 may include one or more of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 240 MHz, and 320 MHz. If the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is greater than 320 MHz, the predefined channel bandwidth may also be greater than 320 MHz. Figure 14 For example, the channel bandwidths of the stations docked in the predefined slice 1 include 80MHz, 160MHz, 240MHz and 320MHz. Figure 14 As shown, if the resource unit allocated to the station docked in slice 1 is in slice 1 and not in slices 2 to 4, the channel bandwidth of the resource unit allocated to the station docked in slice 1 is 80MHz. If the resource unit allocated to the station docked in slice 1 is in slice 2 and not in slices 3 and 4, the channel bandwidth of the resource unit allocated to the station docked in slice 1 is 160MHz. If the resource unit allocated to the station docked in slice 1 is in slice 3 and not in slice 4, the channel bandwidth of the resource unit allocated to the station docked in slice 1 is 240MHz. If the resource unit allocated to the station docked in slice 1 is in slice 4, the channel bandwidth of the resource unit allocated to the station docked in slice 1 is 320MHz.

[0129] The distribution of channels and channel bandwidth for the docked stations in shard 2 is as follows: Figure 15 As shown in the figure. The distribution of channels and channel bandwidth of the docked stations in shard 3 is shown in the figure. Figure 16 As shown, the distribution of channels and channel bandwidth of the docked stations in shard 4 is as follows Figure 17 The principle of determining the channel bandwidth of the resource unit allocated to the station docked in slice 2, slice 3 or slice 4 is the same as that of slice 1 and will not be repeated here.

[0130] In this embodiment of the present application, the PPDU also includes the data portion of the station docked within the slice. The resource unit allocated to the station is used to carry the data portion received by the station, and the station can receive its own data on the allocated resource unit. Therefore, the bandwidth field indicates the channel bandwidth of the resource unit allocated to the station docked within the slice, which can also be equivalent to: the bandwidth field indicates the channel bandwidth of the data portion of the station docked within the slice.

[0131] The following describes the frame structure of the PPDU in the embodiment of the present application using a specific example:

[0132] For example, if Figure 18 As shown in Figure 1, the transmission bandwidth of PPDU is 320MHz. The transmission bandwidth of PPDU is divided into 4 slices, each slice is 80MHz in size, and each slice includes 4 channels. The channel bandwidths pre-defined for slices 1 to 4 are as follows: Figures 14 to 17 shown.

[0133] The PPDU includes U-SIG field 1 carried on Segment 1, which includes Bandwidth field 1. The PPDU may also include EHT-SIG field 1 carried on Segment 1, which indicates the resource units allocated to the stations docked in Segment 1. The PPDU also includes Data portion 1 for transmission to Stations 1 through 5. The channel bandwidth of Data portion 1 is 80 MHz (i.e., the channel bandwidth of the resource units allocated to Stations 1 through 5 is 80 MHz). Therefore, the channel bandwidth indicated by Bandwidth field 1 is 80 MHz.

[0134] The PPDU also includes U-SIG field 2 carried on fragment 2, which includes bandwidth field 2. The PPDU may also include EHT-SIG field 2 carried on fragment 2, which indicates the resource units allocated to the stations docked in fragment 2. The PPDU also includes data part 2 for station 6 and data part 3 for station 7. The channel bandwidth of data part 2 and data part 3 is 80 MHz (i.e., the channel bandwidth of the resource units allocated to stations 6 and 7 is 80 MHz). Therefore, the channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 2 is 80 MHz.

[0135] The PPDU also includes a U-SIG field 3 carried on fragment 3, which includes a bandwidth field 3. The PPDU may also include an EHT-SIG field 3 carried on fragment 3, which indicates the resource units allocated to the station docked in fragment 3. The PPDU also includes a data portion 4 for transmission to station 8. This data portion 4 exists in both fragments 3 and 4. Therefore, the channel bandwidth of this data portion 4 is 160 MHz (i.e., the channel bandwidth of the resource units allocated to station 8 is 160 MHz). Therefore, the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field 3 is 160 MHz.

[0136] The PPDU also includes a U-SIG field 4 carried on fragment 4, which includes a bandwidth field 4. The PPDU may also include an EHT-SIG field 4 carried on fragment 4, which indicates the resource units allocated to the station docked in fragment 4. The PPDU also includes a data portion 5 for transmission to station 9. The channel bandwidth of this data portion 5 is 80 MHz (i.e., the channel bandwidth of the resource units allocated to station 9 is 80 MHz). Therefore, the channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 4 is 80 MHz.

[0137] In a possible implementation, the PPDU may include only the U-SIG field and the EHT-SIG field on some slices.

[0138] For example, if station 9 docked in slice 4 is not allocated a resource unit, the PPDU may not include U-SIG field 4 and EHT-SIG field 4 carried on slice 4, that is, the access point does not need to send U-SIG field 4 and EHT-SIG field 4 in slice 4, which helps save the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission. Of course, the PPDU may also include the U-SIG field and EHT-SIG field on all slices.

[0139] In a possible implementation, in the following three cases, the U-SIG field and the EHT-SIG field may be transmitted on some channels of the slice.

[0140] Case 1: If the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field of the slice is greater than or equal to the size of the slice, but the channel of the slice is punctured, the U-SIG field and EHT-SIG field carried by the slice are transmitted on this part of the channel.

[0141] For example, Figure 19As shown, although the bandwidth field 1 indicates 80MHz, the resource units allocated to sites 1 to 5 are on channels 15 and 16 of slice 1, that is, 40MHz of the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field 1 is punctured. Therefore, the U-SIG field 1 can only be transmitted on channels 15 and 16 of slice 1. Similarly, although the bandwidth field 4 indicates 80MHz, the resource units allocated to site 9 are on channels 3 and 4 of slice 4, which is equivalent to 40MHz of the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field 4 being punctured. Therefore, the U-SIG field 4 can only be transmitted on channels 3 to 4 of slice 4. Of course, as Figure 18 As shown, when the channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 1 is punctured, U-SIG field 1 and EHT-SIG field 1 may also be sent on all channels of slice 1. When the channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 4 is punctured, U-SIG field 4 and EHT-SIG field 4 may also be sent on all channels of slice 4. This can increase the reliability of transmission of the U-SIG field and the EHT-SIG field.

[0142] Case 2: If the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field of the slice is 40 MHz, the U-SIG field and the EHT-SIG field carried by the slice are transmitted on the 40 MHz.

[0143] For example, Figure 20 As shown, the channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 1 is 40 MHz. Therefore, U-SIG field 1 and EHT-SIG field 1 can be transmitted only on channel 13 and channel 14 of slice 1. Similarly, the channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 4 is 40 MHz. Therefore, U-SIG field 4 and EHT-SIG field 4 can be transmitted only on channels 1 to 2 of slice 4. Of course, U-SIG field 1 and EHT-SIG field 1 can also be transmitted on all channels of slice 1, and U-SIG field 4 and EHT-SIG field 4 can also be transmitted on all channels of slice 4, which can increase the reliability of the transmission of U-SIG field and EHT-SIG field.

[0144] Case 3: If the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field of the fragment is 20 MHz, the U-SIG field and EHT-SIG field carried by the fragment are transmitted on the 20 MHz band. The implementation principle of Case 3 is the same as when the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field of the fragment is 40 MHz, and is not further described here.

[0145] 1202. The access point sends a PPDU to the station.

[0146] In the embodiment of the present application, after the access point generates the PPDU, it sends the PPDU to the station.

[0147] 1203. The station determines the channel bandwidth of the allocated resource unit according to the received U-SIG field.

[0148] In this embodiment of the present application, a station receives a PPDU on the segment it is docked at. After receiving the U-SIG field, the station determines the channel bandwidth of the allocated resource unit based on the U-SIG field. The station then determines the resource unit allocated to it within the channel bandwidth and receives the data portion of the PPDU intended for it on that resource unit.

[0149] For example, in Figure 18 In the example, stations 1 through 5 receive U-SIG field 1 on slice 1 and determine, based on U-SIG field 1, that the channel bandwidth of their allocated resource units is 80 MHz. After determining the resource units allocated to them within the 80 MHz channel based on EHT-SIG field 1, stations 1 through 5 receive data portion 1 of the PPDU on these resource units. The same process applies to stations in other slices and is not detailed here.

[0150] In 802.11ax, the bandwidth field of the HE-SIG-A field transmitted on each channel is used to indicate the total transmission bandwidth of the PPDU. For example, if the total transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is 320MHz. The HE-SIG-B field in the PPDU includes CC1 and CC2, and CC1 and CC2 each include 8 resource unit allocation subfields. CC1 and CC2 are sent on 8 channels respectively, that is, 8 resource unit allocation subfields are sent on each channel. This way, the signaling overhead of the PPDU transmission is very large. By implementing Figure 12 The described method can fragment the entire transmission bandwidth of a PPDU and set the bandwidth field of the fragment to indicate the channel bandwidth to which the resource units allocated to the stations within the fragment are located. Thus, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field of the fragment can correspond to the channel bandwidth to which the resource units allocated to the stations are located. This allows the fragment to carry only the resource indication information corresponding to the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field, which helps reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission. Furthermore, cross-fragment resources can be allocated to stations, which allows for more flexible resource allocation to stations than simply allocating resource units to the fragment to which the station is docked.

[0151] The following describes possible implementations of the EHT-SIG field:

[0152] (1) The EHT-SIG field includes (or contains) a resource unit allocation subfield, and the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field corresponds to the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field. By making the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field of the slice correspond to the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field, only the resource indication information corresponding to the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field can be carried on the slice, which is beneficial to reducing the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission. It is also possible to allocate cross-slice resources to the site, which is more flexible than only allocating resource units of the slice where the site is docked.

[0153] Optionally, the correspondence between the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field and the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field includes one or more of the following: if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 20 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 1; if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 40 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 2; if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 80 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 4; if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 160 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 8; if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 240 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 12; or, if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 320 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 16.

[0154] The following describes the correspondence between the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field and the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field through a specific example:

[0155] For example, if Figure 18 As shown, the PPDU includes U-SIG field 1 and EHT-SIG field 1 carried on fragment 1, and the U-SIG field 1 includes bandwidth field 1. The channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 1 is 80MHz. Since each 20MHz bandwidth corresponds to a resource unit allocation subfield, the EHT-SIG field 1 includes 4 resource unit allocation subfields. Figure 18 As shown, EHT-SIG field 1 may include CC11 and CC12. Transmission is performed on the four channels of slice 1 according to the structure of CC11, CC12, CC11, CC12. Figure 21As shown, CC11 on slice 1 includes resource unit allocation subfield 1 within the first 242-tone RU range, resource unit allocation subfield 3 within the third 242-tone RU range, and the corresponding user-specific field. CC12 on slice 1 includes resource unit allocation subfield 2 within the second 242-tone RU range, resource unit allocation subfield 4 within the fourth 242-tone RU range, and the corresponding user-specific field.

[0156] The PPDU also includes U-SIG field 2 and EHT-SIG field 2 carried on fragment 2, and the U-SIG field 2 includes bandwidth field 2. The channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 2 is 80 MHz. Therefore, the EHT-SIG field 2 includes 4 resource unit allocation subfields. Figure 18 As shown, EHT-SIG field 2 may include CC21 and CC22. Transmission is performed on the four channels of slice 2 according to the structure of CC21, CC22, CC21, CC22. Figure 22 As shown, CC21 on slice 2 includes the fifth 242-tone RU range resource unit allocation subfield 5, the seventh 242-tone RU range resource unit allocation subfield 7, and the corresponding user-specific field. CC22 on slice 2 includes the sixth 242-tone RU range resource unit allocation subfield 6, the eighth 242-tone RU range resource unit allocation subfield 8, and the corresponding user-specific field.

[0157] The PPDU also includes U-SIG field 3 and EHT-SIG field 3 carried on fragment 3, and the U-SIG field 3 includes bandwidth field 3. The channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 3 is 160MHz. Therefore, the EHT-SIG field 3 includes 8 resource unit allocation subfields. Figure 18 As shown, EHT-SIG field 3 may include CC31 and CC32, and is transmitted on the four channels of slice 3 according to the structure of CC31, CC32, CC31, CC32. Figure 23As shown, CC31 on slice 3 includes the ninth resource unit allocation subfield 9 within the 242-tone RU range, the eleventh resource unit allocation subfield 11 within the 242-tone RU range, the thirteenth resource unit allocation subfield 13 within the 242-tone RU range, the fifteenth resource unit allocation subfield 15 within the 242-tone RU range, and the corresponding user-specific fields. CC32 on slice 3 includes the tenth resource unit allocation subfield 10 within the 242-tone RU range, the twelfth resource unit allocation subfield 12 within the 242-tone RU range, the fourteenth resource unit allocation subfield 14 within the 242-tone RU range, the sixteenth resource unit allocation subfield 16 within the 242-tone RU range, and the corresponding user-specific fields.

[0158] The PPDU also includes a U-SIG field 4 and an EHT-SIG field 4 carried on fragment 4. The U-SIG field 4 includes a bandwidth field 4. The channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field 4 is 80 MHz. Therefore, the EHT-SIG field 4 includes 4 resource unit allocation subfields. Figure 18 As shown, EHT-SIG field 4 may include CC41 and CC42. Transmission is performed on the four channels of slice 4 according to the structure of CC41, CC42, CC41, CC42. Figure 24 As shown, CC41 on slice 4 includes the thirteenth 242-tone RU range resource unit allocation subfield 17, the fifteenth 242-tone RU range resource unit allocation subfield 19, and the corresponding user-specific field. CC42 on slice 4 includes the fourteenth 242-tone RU range resource unit allocation subfield 18, the sixteenth 242-tone RU range resource unit allocation subfield 20, and the corresponding user-specific field.

[0159] It should be noted that the range from the first to the sixteenth 242-tone RUs described above refers to the entire PPDU bandwidth. The intermediate 26-tone RU indication field may not be included in each CC. Resource unit allocation subfields 13 through 16 may be the same as or different from resource unit allocation subfields 17 through 20.

[0160] Combine Figure 18 、 Figures 21 to 24It can be found that the CCs sent on channels 1 to 4 and channels 9 to 16 only include 2 resource unit allocation subfields and corresponding user-specific fields. The CCs sent on channels 5 to 8 only include 4 resource unit allocation subfields and corresponding user-specific fields. Compared with 802.11ax, when the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is 320MHz, the CCs sent by 802.11ax on 16 channels include 8 resource unit allocation subfields and corresponding user-specific fields. Therefore, by making the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field correspond to the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field, it is beneficial to reduce the number of CCs sent on the channel including resource unit allocation subfields, which helps to save overhead.

[0161] In one possible implementation, the U-SIG field also includes a compression field. When the compression field indicates non-compressed mode, the EHT-SIG field includes (or exists) a resource unit allocation subfield. When the compression field indicates compressed mode, the EHT-SIG field does not include (or does not exist) a resource unit allocation subfield. Alternatively, the U-SIG field may not include the compression field, and the EHT-SIG field always includes the resource unit allocation subfield.

[0162] Optionally, the compression field may include 1 bit. Figure 25 As shown, the value of the compression field is 1, indicating compression mode. In compression mode, the resource unit allocation subfield is not included in the EHT-SIG field. Figure 26 As shown, the value of the compression field is 0, indicating non-compressed mode. In non-compressed mode, the EHT-SIG field includes the resource unit allocation subfield. Of course, the value of the compression field can also be 1 to indicate non-compressed mode, and the value of the compression field can be 0 to indicate compressed mode.

[0163] In one possible implementation, the resources of the station docked within a slice are used for OFDMA transmission, and the compression field indicates non-compressed mode. Conversely, the resources of the station docked within a slice are used for non-OFDMA transmission, and the compression field indicates compressed mode. In this optional approach, whether to compress the EHT-SIG field can be determined at the slice granularity, which is more conducive to reducing the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission.

[0164] The use of resources of the docked stations in the slice for OFDMA transmission may include the following two situations:

[0165] Case 1: The channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is used for OFDMA transmission, and the resources of the stations parked in the slice are used for OFDMA transmission. Figure 27As shown, the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field 3 is used for OFDMA transmission (that is, the 160MHz channel is allocated to sites 8, 9 and 10 for OFDMA transmission), and the resources of the sites within slice 3 (that is, the resource units where data part 4 and data part 5 are located) are used for OFDMA transmission (that is, the resources of the sites within slice 3 are allocated to sites 8 and 9 for OFDMA transmission), so the compression field in the U-SIG field 3 indicates the non-compressed mode.

[0166] Case 2: The channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is used for OFDMA transmission. For example, Figure 27 In the U-SIG field, the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field 2 is used for OFDMA transmission (ie, the 80 MHz channel is allocated to stations 6 and 7 for OFDMA transmission). Therefore, the compression field in the U-SIG field 2 may indicate the non-compressed mode.

[0167] The use of resources of the station docked in the slice for non-OFDMA transmission may include the following two situations:

[0168] Case 1: The channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is used for OFDMA transmission, but the resources of the stations parked in the slice are used for non-OFDMA transmission. Figure 18 As shown, although the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field 3 is used for OFDMA transmission (that is, the 160MHz channel is allocated to sites 8 and 9 for OFDMA transmission), the resources of the sites within slice 3 (that is, the resource unit where the data part 4 is located) are used for non-OFDMA transmission (that is, the resources of the sites in slice 3 are only allocated to site 8 for non-OFDMA transmission), so the compression field in the U-SIG field 3 can indicate the compression mode.

[0169] Case 2: The channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is used for non-OFDMA transmission. For example, Figure 18 In the U-SIG field, the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field 1 is used for non-OFDMA transmission, so the compression field in the U-SIG field 1 can indicate the compression mode.

[0170] In one possible implementation, the compression field indicates non-compressed mode as long as the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is used for OFDMA transmission. Figure 18 In the U-SIG field, the channel bandwidths indicated by bandwidth field 2 to bandwidth field 4 are all used for OFDMA transmission. Therefore, the compression field in U-SIG field 2 to U-SIG field 4 can indicate the non-compressed mode.

[0171] In one possible implementation, the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is used for non-OFDMA transmission, but the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is punctured, and the compression field may indicate non-compressed mode. Since there may be multiple discrete resource units after puncturing, the resource unit allocation subfield may be used to indicate the resource allocation of the station. For example, Figure 18 In the U-SIG field, although the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field 1 is used for non-OFDMA transmission, the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field 1 is punctured. Therefore, the compression field in the U-SIG field 1 can indicate the non-compressed mode.

[0172] (2) The EHT-SIG field includes a preamble puncturing indication field, which is used to indicate whether the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is punctured, or to indicate whether the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is punctured. The name of the preamble puncturing indication field may also be replaced by "channel puncturing field," "puncturing field," or other names.

[0173] In this embodiment, the EHT-SIG field may also include a preamble puncturing indication field when the compression field indicates the compression mode. For when the compression field indicates the compression mode, please refer to the above description and will not be repeated here. Alternatively, the U-SIG field may not include the compression field, and the EHT-SIG field always includes the preamble puncturing indication field. The number of bits required for the preamble puncturing indication field is less than the number of bits required for the resource unit allocation subfield. Therefore, the preamble puncturing indication field is used instead of the resource unit allocation subfield to indicate the resource unit allocation status of the site, which is beneficial to reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission.

[0174] Optionally, the position where the preamble puncture indication field appears may be the same as the starting point of the resource unit allocation subfield.

[0175] The preamble puncturing indication field can indicate the puncturing status by carrying an index. The mapping relationship between the index and the puncturing pattern can be predefined. For example, the mapping relationship between an index and a puncturing pattern can be shown in Table 3 below. When the preamble puncturing indication field carries an index of 0, it indicates that the puncturing pattern is X111. When the preamble puncturing indication field carries an index of 1, it indicates that the puncturing pattern is 1X11. The same applies to the preamble puncturing indication field carrying other indexes, which are not described here. Each bit in the puncturing pattern represents 20MHz. X indicates the position of the puncturing. For example, if the puncturing pattern is X111, it means that the first 20MHz in the 80MHz is punctured. The RU size column in Table 3 indicates the size of the RU after puncturing. For example, "484+242" indicates that a 484-tone RU is merged with a 242-tone RU. "-+996+996" indicates that two 996-tone RUs are merged. "-" indicates that there is no column in Table 3. The RU size column may or may not exist. It is worth mentioning that the mapping relationship shown in Table 3 can be applied to the case where the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is punctured, and can also be applied to the case where the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is punctured.

[0176] Table 3

[0177]

[0178]

[0179] Table 4 is a mapping relationship between another index and a puncturing pattern provided in an embodiment of the present application. The mapping relationship shown in Table 4 can be used to indicate a situation where the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is punctured. For example, if the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 80MHz, the mapping relationship corresponding to 80MHz in Table 4 can be used to indicate the channel bandwidth puncturing situation. If the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 160MHz, the mapping relationship corresponding to 160MHz in Table 4 can be used to indicate the channel bandwidth puncturing situation. If the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 240MHz, the mapping relationship corresponding to 240MHz in Table 4 can be used to indicate the channel bandwidth puncturing situation. If the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 320MHz, the mapping relationship corresponding to 320MHz in Table 4 can be used to indicate the channel bandwidth puncturing situation. It should be noted that Table 4 can also be split into 4 tables, each table expressing the puncturing situation under a bandwidth.

[0180] Table 4

[0181]

[0182]

[0183] In one possible implementation, the EHT-SIG field may include a resource unit allocation subfield in both compressed and uncompressed modes. In compressed mode, the resource unit allocation subfield implements the function of the preamble puncture indication field described above, namely, indicating whether the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is punctured. In uncompressed mode, the resource unit allocation subfield indicates the resource unit allocation status of the station.

[0184] In one possible implementation, the U-SIG field also indicates the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field, and the preamble puncturing indication field also indicates the number of MU-MIMO users. In other words, the PPDU indicates both the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field and the number of MU-MIMO users. This possible implementation allows stations to be directly informed of the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field, enabling them to accurately determine the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field.

[0185] For example, as shown in Table 5 below, the mapping relationship between the index, puncturing mode and the number of MU-MIMO users can be predefined. When the index carried by the preamble puncturing indication field is 0, it indicates that the puncturing mode is X111 and the number of MU-MIMO users is 1. When the index carried by the preamble puncturing indication field is 1, it indicates that the puncturing mode is X111 and the number of MU-MIMO users is 2. The same applies to when the preamble puncturing indication field carries other indexes, which will not be repeated here. It should be noted that in Table 5, the corresponding numbers of MU-MIMO users for indexes 16-31 are 1, 2, 3, ..., 16 in ascending order of index number. Similarly, the corresponding numbers of MU-MIMO users for indexes 32-47 are 1, 2, 3, ..., 16 in ascending order of index number. The numbers of users corresponding to the indexes after 32-47 are similar and will not be repeated here.

[0186] Table 5

[0187] index RU size Specific mode Number of MU-MIMO users 0 484+242 X111 1 1 484+242 X111 2 2 484+242 X111 3 3 484+242 X111 4 4 484+242 X111 5 5 484+242 X111 6 … … … 15 484+242 X111 16 16-31 484+242 1X11 1-16 32-47 484+242 11X1 1-16 48-63 484+242 111X 1-16 64-79 484+996 XX11 1111 1-16 80-95 484+996 11XX 1111 1-16 96-111 484+996 1111 XX11 1-16 112-127 484+996 1111 11XX 1-16 128-143 484+242+996 X111 1111 1-16 144-159 484+242+996 1X11 1111 1-16 160-175 484+242+996 11X1 1111 1-16 176-191 484+242+996 111X 1111 1-16 192-207 484+242+996 1111 X111 1-16 208-223 484+242+996 1111 1X11 1-16 224-239 484+242+996 1111 11X1 1-16 240-255 484+242+996 1111 111X 1-16 256-271 484+996+996 XX11 1111 1111 1-16 272-287 484+996+996 11XX 1111 1111 1-16 288-303 484+996+996 1111 XX11 1111 1-16 304-319 484+996+996 1111 11XX 1111 1-16 320-335 484+996+996 1111 1111 XX11 1-16 336-351 484+996+996 1111 1111 11XX 1-16 352-367 -+996+996 XXXX 1111 1111 1-16 368-383 -+996+996 1111 XXXX 1111 1-16 384-399 -+996+996 XXXX 1111 1111 1-16 400-415 484+996+996+996 XX11 1111 1111 1111 1-16 416-431 484+996+996+996 11XX 1111 1111 1111 1-16 432-447 484+996+996+996 1111 XX11 1111 1111 1-16 448-463 484+996+996+996 1111 11XX 1111 1111 1-16 464-479 484+996+996+996 1111 1111 XX11 1111 1-16 480-495 484+996+996+996 1111 1111 11XX 1111 1-16 496-511 484+996+996+996 1111 1111 1111 XX11 1-16 512-527 484+996+996+996 1111 1111 1111 11XX 1-16 528-543 -+996+996+996 XXXX 1111 1111 1111 1-16 544-559 -+996+996+996 1111 XXXX 1111 1111 1-16 560-575 -+996+996+996 XXXX 1111 1111 1111 1-16 576-591 -+996+996+996 1111 1111 1111 XXXX 1-16

[0188] In 802.11ax, in non-compressed mode, the HE-SIG-A field is used to indicate the number of symbols in the HE-SIG-B field. In compressed mode, the HE-SIG-A field is used to indicate the number of MU-MIMO users. In compressed mode, the number of symbols in the HE-SIG-B field is calculated based on the number of MU-MIMO users. However, in the embodiment of the present application, due to the presence of multiple slices, the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field on each slice needs to be aligned. For example, the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is divided into 4 slices. The number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field 1 on slice 1 to the EHT-SIG field 4 on slice 4 must be consistent. If the access point calculates the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field 1 as 7 based on the number of MU-MIMO users in slice 1. The access point calculates the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field 2 as 5 based on the number of MU-MIMO users in slice 2. The access point calculates the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field 3 as 4 based on the number of MU-MIMO users in slice 3. The access point calculates the number of symbols in EHT-SIG field 4 as 4 based on the number of MU-MIMO users in slice 4. Therefore, when the access point generates a PPDU, in order to align the number of symbols in EHT-SIG field 1 through EHT-SIG field 4 in slice 4, it needs to pad the number of symbols in EHT-SIG field 2 through EHT-SIG field 4 to 7 symbols. After receiving EHT-SIG field 2, the station in slice 2 calculates the number of symbols in EHT-SIG field 2 as 5 based on the number of MU-MIMO users. In reality, the number of symbols in EHT-SIG field 2 is 7, but the station in slice 2 will mistakenly believe that the number of symbols in EHT-SIG field 2 is 5. Stations in slices 3 and 4 will also incorrectly determine the number of symbols in their EHT-SIG fields. Therefore, in this embodiment of the present application, by carrying the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field in the U-SIG field, the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field can be directly notified to the station, allowing the station to accurately determine the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field.

[0189] In one possible implementation, the U-SIG field is also used to indicate the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field. The PPDU also includes a first field carried in the fragment, which is used to indicate the number of MU-MIMO users. The first field is different from the preamble puncture indication field. In this possible implementation, the number of MU-MIMO users can also be indicated by a field in the PPDU that is different from the preamble puncture indication field. By implementing this possible implementation, the access point can directly inform the station of the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field, allowing the station to accurately determine the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field.

[0190] The above describes how to compress the EHT-SIG field based on the fragment granularity. The following describes how to compress the EHT-SIG field based on the entire transmission bandwidth of the PPDU:

[0191] In one possible implementation, if the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is used for non-OFDMA transmission, the compression field indicates the compression mode. That is, the compression field indicates the compression mode only when the entire transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is used for non-orthogonal frequency division multiple access OFDMA transmission. This helps to save the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission. For example, Figure 28 As shown, the 320 MHz transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is allocated as a whole to sites 1 to 5 for MU-MIMO transmission. The compression fields in slices 1 to 4 all indicate the compression mode, and the EHT-SIG field 1 in slice 1 to the EHT-SIG field 4 in slice 4 do not include the resource unit allocation subfield.

[0192] In one possible implementation, the EHT-SIG fields carried on multiple fragments included in the PPDU are the same. For example, Figure 28 The EHT-SIG fields 1 to 4 shown are the same. Based on this possible implementation, stations 1 to 5 can also receive the EHT-SIG field on other slices, which can increase the reliability of EHT-SIG field transmission.

[0193] In one possible implementation, the EHT-SIG field of the same slice is the same in different channels of the slice. Figure 28 As shown, the content of EHT-SIG field 1 is the same on channels 13 to 16. The content of EHT-SIG field 2 is the same on channels 9 to 12. The content of EHT-SIG field 3 is the same on channels 5 to 8. The content of EHT-SIG field 4 is the same on channels 1 to 4. Based on this possible implementation, the reliability of EHT-SIG field transmission can be increased.

[0194] In one possible implementation, the compression field indicates the compression mode, and the U-SIG field is also used to indicate the number of MU-MIMO users. In this possible implementation, the U-SIG field of each slice indicates the number of MU-MIMO users. By implementing this possible implementation, the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field can be accurately determined based on the number of MU-MIMO users, eliminating the need for additional signaling to indicate the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0195] In one possible implementation, the compression field indicates the compression mode, and the EHT-SIG field includes a preamble puncturing indication field, which is used to indicate whether the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is punctured. The mapping relationship in Table 3 above can be used to indicate whether the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is punctured. In this possible implementation, the preamble puncturing indication field replaces the resource unit allocation subfield to indicate the resource unit allocation status of the station, which helps reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission.

[0196] See Figure 29 , Figure 29 A schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. Figure 29 The communication device shown can be used to perform the above Figure 12 The method embodiments described herein may include some or all of the functions of an access point. The device may be an access point, a device within an access point, or a device capable of being used in conjunction with an access point. The communication device may also be a chip system. Figure 29 The communication device shown may include a communication unit 2901 and a processing unit 2902. The communication unit may also be called a transceiver unit, or the communication unit may include a receiving unit and a sending unit. The processing unit 2902 is configured to perform data processing.

[0197] The processing unit 2902 is used to generate a physical layer protocol data unit PPDU, wherein the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is divided into multiple fragments, and the PPDU includes a universal signaling U-SIG field carried on a fragment, and the U-SIG field includes a bandwidth field, which indicates the channel bandwidth of the resource unit allocated to the station docked in the fragment; the communication unit 2901 is used to send the PPDU to the station.

[0198] In one possible implementation, the PPDU also includes an EHT-SIG field carried on a fragment; the EHT-SIG field includes a resource unit allocation subfield, the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field corresponds to the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field, and the resource unit allocation subfield is used to indicate the resource units allocated to the station docked in the fragment.

[0199] In a possible implementation, if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 40 MHz, the U-SIG field and the EHT-SIG field are transmitted in the 40 MHz bandwidth.

[0200] In a possible implementation, the correspondence between the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field and the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field includes one or more of the following: if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 20 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 1; if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 40 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 2; if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 80 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 4; if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 160 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 8; if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 240 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 12; or, if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 320 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 16.

[0201] In a possible implementation, the EHT-SIG field includes a preamble puncturing indication field, where the preamble puncturing indication field is used to indicate that the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is punctured.

[0202] In a possible implementation, the U-SIG field further includes a compression field. When the compression field indicates a compression mode, the EHT-SIG field includes the preamble puncturing indication field.

[0203] In a possible implementation, when resources of the docked stations in a slice are used for non-OFDMA transmission, the compression field indicates a compression mode.

[0204] In a possible implementation, the U-SIG field is further used to indicate the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field, and the preamble puncturing indication field is further used to indicate the number of multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) users.

[0205] In one possible implementation, the U-SIG field is also used to indicate the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field. The PPDU also includes a first field carried in the fragment, and the first field is used to indicate the number of users of multi-user multiple input multiple output MU-MIMO. The first field is different from the preamble code puncturing indication field.

[0206] In one possible implementation, the PPDU further includes an EHT-SIG field carried on a fragment, and the U-SIG field further includes a compression field. If the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is used for non-OFDMA transmission, the compression field indicates a compression mode.

[0207] In a possible implementation, if the compression field indicates a compression mode, the U-SIG field is also used to indicate the number of users of Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO).

[0208] In a possible implementation, if the compression field indicates the compression mode, the EHT-SIG field includes a preamble puncturing indication field, where the preamble puncturing indication field is used to indicate a situation in which the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is punctured.

[0209] In a possible implementation, the EHT-SIG fields carried on multiple fragments included in the PPDU are the same.

[0210] See Figure 29 , Figure 29 A schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. Figure 29 The communication device shown can be used to perform the above Figure 12 The method embodiment described herein can implement some or all of the functions of a station. The device can be a station, a device within a station, or a device that can be used in conjunction with a station. The communication device can also be a chip system. Figure 29 The communication device shown may include a communication unit 2901 and a processing unit 2902. The communication unit may also be called a transceiver unit, or the communication unit may include a receiving unit and a sending unit. The processing unit 2902 is configured to perform data processing.

[0211] The communication unit 2901 is used to receive a physical layer protocol data unit PPDU sent by an access point, wherein the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is divided into multiple fragments, and the PPDU includes a universal signaling U-SIG field carried on a fragment, and the U-SIG field includes a bandwidth field, which indicates the channel bandwidth of the resource unit allocated to the station docked in the fragment; the processing unit 2902 is used to determine the channel bandwidth of the allocated resource unit based on the received U-SIG field.

[0212] In one possible implementation, the PPDU also includes an EHT-SIG field carried on a fragment; the EHT-SIG field includes a resource unit allocation subfield, the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field corresponds to the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field, and the resource unit allocation subfield is used to indicate the resource units allocated to the station docked in the fragment.

[0213] In a possible implementation, if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 40 MHz, the U-SIG field and the EHT-SIG field are transmitted in the 40 MHz bandwidth.

[0214] In a possible implementation, the correspondence between the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field and the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field includes one or more of the following: if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 20 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 1; if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 40 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 2; if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 80 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 4; if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 160 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 8; if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 240 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 12; or, if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 320 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 16.

[0215] In a possible implementation, the EHT-SIG field includes a preamble puncturing indication field, where the preamble puncturing indication field is used to indicate that the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is punctured.

[0216] In a possible implementation, the U-SIG field further includes a compression field. When the compression field indicates a compression mode, the EHT-SIG field includes the preamble puncturing indication field.

[0217] In a possible implementation, when resources of the docked stations in a slice are used for non-OFDMA transmission, the compression field indicates a compression mode.

[0218] In a possible implementation, the U-SIG field is further used to indicate the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field, and the preamble puncturing indication field is further used to indicate the number of multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) users.

[0219] In one possible implementation, the U-SIG field is also used to indicate the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field. The PPDU also includes a first field carried in the fragment, and the first field is used to indicate the number of users of multi-user multiple input multiple output MU-MIMO. The first field is different from the preamble code puncturing indication field.

[0220] In one possible implementation, the PPDU further includes an EHT-SIG field carried on a fragment, and the U-SIG field further includes a compression field. If the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is used for non-OFDMA transmission, the compression field indicates a compression mode.

[0221] In a possible implementation, if the compression field indicates a compression mode, the U-SIG field is also used to indicate the number of users of Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO).

[0222] In a possible implementation, if the compression field indicates the compression mode, the EHT-SIG field includes a preamble puncturing indication field, where the preamble puncturing indication field is used to indicate a situation in which the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is punctured.

[0223] In a possible implementation, the EHT-SIG fields carried on multiple fragments included in the PPDU are the same.

[0224] like Figure 30a The figure shows a communication device 300 provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is used to implement the above Figure 12 In the described method embodiments, the apparatus may function as a station or access point; the apparatus may be a station or access point, or the apparatus may be a device for a station or a device for an access point. The apparatus for a station may be a system-on-chip (SoC) or chip within a station. The apparatus for an access point may be a system-on-chip (SoC) or chip within an access point. The SoC may consist of a chip alone or may include a chip and other discrete components.

[0225] The communication device 300 includes at least one processor 3020, which is used to implement the data processing function of the station or access point in the bandwidth indication method applied to the wireless local area network mentioned above in the present application.

[0226] The apparatus 300 may further include a communication interface 3010 for implementing the sending and receiving operations of the station or access point in the bandwidth indication method applied to the wireless local area network described above.

[0227] In the embodiments of the present application, a communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface, configured to communicate with other devices via a transmission medium. For example, communication interface 3010 is used to enable the device in apparatus 300 to communicate with other devices. Processor 3020 utilizes communication interface 3010 to send and receive data and implement the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0228] The device 300 may also include at least one memory 3030 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 3030 is coupled to the processor 3020. Coupling in the embodiments of the present application refers to an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, and is used for information exchange between the devices, units, or modules. The processor 3020 may operate in conjunction with the memory 3030. The processor 3020 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 3030. At least one of the at least one memory may be included in the processor.

[0229] The specific connection medium between the communication interface 3010, the processor 3020 and the memory 3030 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 30a The memory 3030, the processor 3020 and the communication interface 3010 are connected via a bus 3040. Figure 30a The connections between the other components are shown in bold lines, which are only for illustration and are not intended to be limiting. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, Figure 30a Only one thick line is used in the diagram, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0230] When the device 300 is specifically a device for a site or access point, for example, when the device 300 is specifically a chip or a chip system, the communication interface 3010 may output or receive a baseband signal. When the device 300 is specifically a site or access point, the communication interface 3010 may output or receive a radio frequency signal. In the embodiments of the present application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component, and may implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application may be directly implemented as being executed by a hardware processor, or may be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0231] As an example, Figure 30b This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another site 3000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 12 The operations performed by the site in the.

[0232] For ease of explanation, Figure 30b Only the main parts of the site are shown. Figure 30b As shown, the station 3000 includes a processor, a memory, a radio frequency circuit, an antenna, and an input / output device. The processor is mainly used to process the communication protocol and communication data, and to control the entire station, execute software programs, and process the data of software programs, such as to support the station to execute Figure 12 The operations performed by the station in the described process. Memory is primarily used to store software programs and data. RF circuits are primarily used to convert baseband signals into RF signals and process RF signals. Antennas are primarily used to transmit and receive RF signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Station 3000 may also include input and output devices, such as a touch screen, display, and keyboard, primarily for receiving user input and outputting data to the user. It should be noted that some types of stations may not have input and output devices.

[0233] When the station is powered on, the processor reads the software program stored in the storage unit, interprets and executes the program, and processes the data in the program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the RF circuit. The RF circuit then performs RF processing on the baseband signal and transmits it via the antenna as electromagnetic waves. When data is sent to the station, the RF circuit receives the RF signal via the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor, which converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0234] Those skilled in the art will understand that for ease of explanation, Figure 30b Only one memory and processor are shown. In an actual site, multiple processors and memories may exist. The memory may also be referred to as a storage medium or storage device, etc., which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0235] As an optional implementation, the processor may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit (CPU), wherein the baseband processor is mainly used to process the communication protocol and communication data, and the CPU is mainly used to control the entire site, execute software programs, and process software program data. Optionally, the processor may also be a network processor (NP) or a combination of a CPU and an NP. The processor may further include a hardware chip. The above-mentioned hardware chip may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The above-mentioned PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof. The memory may include volatile memory, such as random-access memory (RAM); the memory may also include non-volatile memory, such as flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD); the memory may also include a combination of the above types of memory.

[0236] For example, in the embodiments of the present application, Figure 30b As shown, the antenna and radio frequency circuit with transceiver functions can be regarded as the communication unit 3001 of the station 3000, and the processor with processing function can be regarded as the processing unit 3002 of the station 3000.

[0237] The communication unit 3001 may also be referred to as a transceiver, transceiver, transceiver device, transceiver unit, etc., and is used to implement transceiver functions. Optionally, the device in the communication unit 3001 that implements the receiving function may be considered a receiving unit, and the device in the communication unit 3001 that implements the transmitting function may be considered a transmitting unit, that is, the communication unit 3001 includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. For example, the receiving unit may also be referred to as a receiver, a receiver, a receiving circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit may be referred to as a transmitter, a transmitter, or a transmitting circuit, etc.

[0238] In some embodiments, the communication unit 3001 and the processing unit 3002 may be integrated into one device or separated into different devices. In addition, the processor and the memory may also be integrated into one device or separated into different devices.

[0239] The communication unit 3001 may be used to perform the sending and receiving operations of the station in the above method embodiment. The processing unit 3002 may be used to perform the data processing operations of the station in the above method embodiment.

[0240] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores instructions. When the computer-readable storage medium is run on a processor, it is used to execute the method executed by the site in the above method embodiment.

[0241] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, which, when executed on a processor, are used to execute the method executed by the access point in the above method embodiment.

[0242] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which, when run on a processor, is used to execute the method executed by the site in the above method embodiment.

[0243] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which, when executed on a processor, is used to execute the method executed by the access point in the above method embodiment.

[0244] Based on the same inventive concept, the principles of solving the problems provided by the various devices in the embodiments of the present application are similar to those in the method embodiments of the present application. Therefore, the implementation of each device can refer to the implementation of the method. For the sake of concise description, they will not be repeated here.

[0245] It should be noted that for the aforementioned method embodiments, for the sake of simplicity, they are all expressed as a series of action combinations, but those skilled in the art should be aware that this application is not limited by the order of the actions described, because according to this application, certain steps can be performed in other orders or simultaneously. Secondly, those skilled in the art should also be aware that the embodiments described in the specification are all preferred embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily required by this application.

[0246] The descriptions of the various embodiments provided in this application can refer to each other. The descriptions of each embodiment have their own focus. For parts not described in detail in a particular embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments. For the convenience and brevity of description, for example, the functions and execution steps of the various devices and equipment provided in the embodiments of this application can refer to the relevant descriptions of the method embodiments of this application. The various method embodiments and the various device embodiments can also refer to, be combined with, or quote each other.

[0247] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some or all of the technical features therein. These modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The station receives a physical layer protocol data unit PPDU from an access point, wherein the PPDU includes a universal signaling U-SIG field and an ultra-high throughput signaling EHT-SIG field, the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is used for non-orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) transmission, the U-SIG field is used to indicate the number of symbols of the EHT-SIG field, and the EHT-SIG field includes a field for indicating the number of users of multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO).

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is divided into multiple fragments, and the EHT-SIG fields included in the PPDU and carried on the multiple fragments are the same.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that Each of the slices is 80 MHz.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is divided into multiple slices, and the EHT-SIG field of the same slice is the same in different channels of the slice.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that Each channel of the slice is 20 MHz.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The EHT-SIG field does not include a resource unit allocation subfield.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The station receives the PPDU sent by the access point, including: The station receives the PPDU sent by the access point in compressed mode.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The field used to indicate the number of MU-MIMO users is a preamble puncturing indication field.

9. A communication device, characterized in that: include: Memory for storing computer programs; A processor, configured to execute the computer program stored in the memory, so as to enable the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, configured to store instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by a processor, a communication device including the processor executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

11. A chip system comprising: Memory for storing computer programs; A processor is configured to execute the computer program stored in the memory so as to enable the communication device including the chip system to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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