Access point, station, and wireless communication method

Abstract

An access point (AP), a station (STA) and a wireless communication method are disclosed. The wireless communication method comprises: determining, by the AP or the STA, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) transmission, the OFDMA PPDU transmission comprising an OFDMA PPDU. A data field of the OFDMA PPDU comprises a physical resource unit (RU) allocation mode, a logical RU allocation mode and / or a hybrid RU allocation mode. A RU allocation mode subfield associated with the OFDMA PPDU indicates to use one of the physical RU allocation mode, the logical RU allocation mode and the hybrid RU allocation mode for the OFDMA PPDU. This can solve the problems in the prior art, improve frequency diversity gain, reduce power consumption, implement extremely high throughput (EHT), provide good communication performance and / or provide high reliability.

Description

[0001] This disclosure is a divisional application of the invention patent application filed on March 11, 2022, with application number 202280093222.5 and entitled "Access Point, Site and Wireless Communication Method". Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to the field of communication systems, and more particularly to access points (APs), stations (STAs), and wireless communication methods that can provide good communication performance and / or high reliability. Background Technology

[0003] Communication systems, such as wireless communication systems, are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, and broadcasting. These communication systems can be multiple access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources, such as time, frequency, and power. Wireless networks, such as wireless local area networks (WLANs) like Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) networks, can include access points (APs) that can communicate with one or more stations (STAs) or mobile devices. WLANs enable users to wirelessly access the Internet using radio frequency technology in their homes, offices, or specific service areas using portable terminals such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptops, portable multimedia players (PMPs), and smartphones. APs can be coupled to networks such as the Internet and enable mobile devices to communicate via the network (or with other devices coupled to the AP). Wireless devices can communicate bidirectionally with network devices. For example, in a WLAN, a STA can communicate with its associated AP via downlink and uplink. A downlink can refer to the communication link from the AP to the STA, and an uplink can refer to the communication link from the STA to the AP.

[0004] IEEE 802.11 TGbe is developing a new amendment to IEEE 802.11, which defines an Extremely High Throughput (EHT) physical layer (PHY) and media access control (MAC) layer capable of supporting a maximum throughput of at least 30 Gbps. To this end, it has been proposed to increase the maximum channel bandwidth to 320 MHz and allow the allocation of Resource Units (RUs) or Multiple Resource Units (MRUs) to a single STA within the EHT PPDU. However, efficiently allocating RUs / MRUs to STAs within the EHT PPDU to maximize system throughput remains an unresolved issue.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need for an access point (AP), station (STA), and wireless communication method that can address the problems in the prior art, improve frequency diversity gain, reduce power consumption, achieve extremely high throughput (EHT), provide good communication performance, and / or provide high reliability. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this disclosure is to propose an access point (AP), a station (STA), and a wireless communication method that can solve the problems in the prior art, improve frequency diversity gain, reduce power consumption, achieve extremely high throughput (EHT), provide good communication performance, and / or provide high reliability.

[0007] In a first aspect of this disclosure, a wireless communication method for an AP includes: the AP determining an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) transmission, the OFDMA PPDU transmission including an OFDMA PPDU, wherein a data field of the OFDMA PPDU includes a physical resource unit (RU) allocation mode, a logical RU allocation mode, and / or a hybrid RU allocation mode, and an RU allocation mode subfield associated with the OFDMA PPDU indicates that one of the physical RU allocation mode, the logical RU allocation mode, and the hybrid RU allocation mode is used for the OFDMA PPDU.

[0008] In a second aspect of this disclosure, a wireless communication method for a STA includes: the STA determining an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) transmission, the OFDMA PPDU transmission including an OFDMA PPDU, wherein a data field of the OFDMA PPDU includes a physical resource unit (RU) allocation mode, a logical RU allocation mode, and / or a hybrid RU allocation mode, and an RU allocation mode subfield associated with the OFDMA PPDU indicates that one of the physical RU allocation mode, the logical RU allocation mode, and the hybrid RU allocation mode is used for the OFDMA PPDU.

[0009] In a third aspect of this disclosure, an AP includes: a determining unit for determining an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) transmission, the OFDMA PPDU transmission including an OFDMA PPDU, wherein a data field of the OFDMA PPDU includes a Physical Resource Unit (RU) allocation mode, a logical RU allocation mode, and / or a hybrid RU allocation mode, and an RU allocation mode subfield associated with the OFDMA PPDU indicates that one of the physical RU allocation mode, the logical RU allocation mode, and the hybrid RU allocation mode is used for the OFDMA PPDU.

[0010] In a fourth aspect of this disclosure, an STA includes: a determining unit for determining an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) transmission, the OFDMA PPDU transmission including an OFDMA PPDU, wherein a data field of the OFDMA PPDU includes a physical resource unit (RU) allocation mode, a logical RU allocation mode, and / or a hybrid RU allocation mode, and an RU allocation mode subfield associated with the OFDMA PPDU indicates that one of the physical RU allocation mode, the logical RU allocation mode, and the hybrid RU allocation mode is used for the OFDMA PPDU.

[0011] In a fifth aspect of this disclosure, an AP includes a memory, a transceiver, and a processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver. The AP is used to perform the methods described above.

[0012] In a sixth aspect of this disclosure, an STA includes a memory, a transceiver, and a processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver. The STA is used to perform the methods described above.

[0013] In a seventh aspect of this disclosure, a non-transient machine-readable storage medium has instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the above-described methods.

[0014] In an eighth aspect of this disclosure, a chip includes a processor for calling and running a computer program stored in a memory to cause a device on which the chip is mounted to perform the above methods.

[0015] In a ninth aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein a computer program is stored that causes a computer to perform the above methods.

[0016] In a tenth aspect of this disclosure, a computer program product includes a computer program that causes a computer to perform the above-described methods.

[0017] In the eleventh aspect of this disclosure, a computer program is provided that causes a computer to perform the above methods. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the embodiments or related technologies of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings described in the embodiments are briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings are merely some embodiments of this disclosure, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any additional cost.

[0019] Figure 1A This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example EHT MU PPDU format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 1BThis is a schematic diagram illustrating an example EHT TB PPDU format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the data field of an example 80 MHz OFMDAPPDU of an application logic RU allocation mode according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the data field of an example 80 MHz OFMDAPPDU of an application logic RU allocation mode according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the data field of an example 320 MHz OFMDA PPDU of an application logic RU allocation mode according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the data field of an example 320 MHz OFMDA PPDU of an application logic RU allocation mode according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the data field of an example 80 MHz OFMDAPPDU using a hybrid RU allocation mode according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the data field of an example 80 MHz OFMDAPPDU using a hybrid RU allocation mode according to a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 8A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the format of a trigger frame for requesting TB PPDU transmission according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 8B This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example format of an EHT variant public information field according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0029] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 12This is a block diagram of one or more stations (STAs) and access points (APs) in a wireless communication system according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating a wireless communication method performed by an AP according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 14 This is a flowchart illustrating a wireless communication method performed by an AP according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 15 This is a block diagram of an access point (AP) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 16 This is a block diagram of an access point (AP) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 17 This is a block diagram of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The embodiments of this disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, focusing on their technical content, structural features, objectives, and effects. Specifically, the terminology used in the embodiments of this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0039] Table 1: EHT PPDU comes in two formats: EHT MU PPDU and EHT TB PPDU. Figure 1A An example EHT MU PPDU format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 1B An example EHT TB PPDU format according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. If the EHT MU PPDU is not a response to a trigger frame, then Figure 1A The EHT MU PPDU format shown is used for transmission to one or more users. In the EHT MU PPDU, L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, U-SIG, and EHT-SIG are referred to as the pre-EHT modulation fields, while EHT-STF, EHT-LTF, the data field, and PE are referred to as the EHT modulation fields. Figure 1BThe EHTTB PPDU format shown is used for the following transmission: this transmission is a response to a trigger frame from the AP. In the EHT TB PPDU, L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, and U-SIG are referred to as the pre-EHT modulation fields, while EHT-STF, EHT-LTF, the data field, and PE are referred to as the EHT modulation fields. The duration of the EHT-STF in the EHT TB PPDU is twice the duration of the EHT-STF in the EHT MU PPDU. For the EHT PPDU, the GI duration of each EHT-LTF symbol is the same as that of each data symbol, which is 0.8 µs, 1.6 µs, or 3.2 µs. EHT-LTF includes three types: 1x EHT-LTF, 2x EHT-LTF, and 4x EHT-LTF. The duration of each 1x EHT-LTF, 2x EHT-LTF, or 4x EHT-LTF symbol without GI is 3.2 µs, 6.4 µs, or 12.8 µs. Each data symbol without GI is 12.8 µs.

[0040] RUs with 242 or more tones are defined as large RUs, and RUs with fewer than 242 tones are defined as small RUs. OFDMA EHT PPDU supports small RUs including 26-tone RUs, 52-tone RUs, and 106-tone RUs, and large RUs including 242-tone RUs, 484-tone RUs, 996-tone RUs, and 2×996-tone RUs. Small RUs can only be combined with other small RUs to form small MRUs. OFDMA EHT PPDU supports small MRUs including 52+26-tone MRUs and 106+26-tone MRUs. Large RUs can only be combined with other large RUs to form large MRUs. The large-size MRUs supported by the OFDMA EHT PPDU include 484+242 tone MRUs, 996+484 tone MRUs, 2×996+484 tone MRUs, 3×996 tone MRUs, and 3×996+484 tone MRUs. Small-size RUs or MRUs, 242-tone RUs, 484-tone RUs, and 484+242-tone MRUs are suitable for 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz OFDMA EHT PPDUs. 996-tone RUs and 996+484-tone MRUs are suitable for 160 MHz or 320 MHz OFDMA EHT PPDUs, while 2×996-tone RUs, 2×996+484-tone MRUs, 3×996-tone MRUs, and 3×996+484-tone MRUs are suitable for 320 MHz OFDMA EHT PPDUs.

[0041] An OFDMA EHT PPDU is a 20 MHz EHT PPDU with RUs and / or MRUs having less than 242 tones, or a 40 MHz EHT PPDU with RUs and / or MRUs having less than 484 tones, or an 80 MHz EHT PPDU with RUs and / or MRUs having less than 996 tones, or a 160 MHz EHT PPDU with RUs and / or MRUs having less than 2 × 996 tones, or a 320 MHz EHT PPDU with RUs and / or MRUs having less than 4 × 996 tones.

[0042] RUs or MRUs can be physical or logical. Various types of physical RUs or MRUs can be generated directly from physical subcarriers according to IEEE 802.11be D1.4. Any physical small-size RU or MRU can exist in the same 20 MHz channel, and any physical 242-tone RU, 484-tone RU, 996-tone RU, or 2×996-tone RU can correspond to a 20 MHz channel, a 40 MHz channel, an 80 MHz channel, or a 160 MHz channel, respectively. Furthermore, the 484-tone RU and 242-tone RU in any physical 484+242-tone MRU can exist in the same 80 MHz channel. The 996-tone RU and 484-tone RU in any physical 996+484-tone MRU can exist in the same 160 MHz channel, and the two 996-tone RUs and 484-tone RUs in any physical 2×996+484-tone MRU can exist in three consecutive 80 MHz channels.

[0043] Logical RUs or MRUs can be generated from physical subcarriers through distributed tone mapping. The physical subcarriers of any logically small-sized RU or MRU can span a portion or the entire PPDU bandwidth, and the physical subcarriers of any logical 242-tone RU, 484-tone RU, 484+242-tone MRU, 996-tone RU, 996+484-tone MRU, 2×996-tone RU, 2×996+484-tone MRU, 3×996-tone MRU, or 3×996+484-tone MRU can also span a portion or the entire PPDU bandwidth. Compared to physical RUs / MRUs, logical RUs / MRUs can offer greater frequency diversity gain; however, they may increase implementation complexity.

[0044] OFDMA PPDU supports three RU allocation modes: physical RU allocation mode, logical RU allocation mode, and hybrid RU allocation mode. OFDMA PPDU can be OFDMA EHT PPDU, or it can be OFDMA PPDU of communication specifications and / or communication standards such as IEEE specifications and / or IEEE standards (e.g., next-generation IEEE 802.11 technology beyond IEEE 802.11be).

[0045] Physical RU allocation mode: When the physical RU allocation mode is applied to the data field of an OFDMA PPDU, non-MU-MIMO allocated physical RUs or MRUs are assigned to the STA, and MU-MIMO allocated physical RUs or MRUs are assigned to more than one STA. For downlink OFDMA EHT PPDUs (e.g., EHT MU PPDUs), the STA's RU allocation information is carried in the common field of the EHT-SIG field and the STA user field. For uplink OFDMA EHT PPDUs (e.g., EHT TB PPDUs), the STA's RU allocation information is included in the STA user information field of the request trigger frame. The STA can determine the assigned physical RU or MRU after decoding its RU allocation information.

[0046] When the physical RU allocation mode is applied to an OFDMA PPDU, the operating bandwidth (BW) of each expected STA in the OFDMA PPDU can be less than the PPDU BW. In other words, for a 40 or 80 MHz OFDMA PPDU, the expected STA could be a STA operating at 20 MHz. A STA operating at 20 MHz is a STA operating within a 20 MHz channel width, such as a STA operating at only 20 MHz or a STA whose operating channel width is reduced to 20 MHz. For a 160 MHz OFDMA PPDU, the expected STA could be a STA operating at 20 MHz or a STA operating at 80 MHz. A STA operating at 80 MHz is a STA capable of operating with a channel width of 80 MHz or lower. For a 320 MHz OFDMA PPDU, the expected STA could be a STA operating at 20 MHz, a STA operating at 80 MHz, or a STA operating at 160 MHz. A STA operating at 160 MHz is a STA capable of operating with a channel width of 160 MHz or lower.

[0047] Logical RU allocation mode: When the logical RU allocation mode is applied to the data field of an OFDMA PPDU, non-MU-MIMO allocated logical RUs or MRUs are assigned to the STA, and MU-MIMO allocated logical RUs / MRUs are assigned to more than one STA. For downlink OFDMA MU PPDUs (e.g., EHT MU PPDUs), the STA's RU allocation information is carried in the common field of the EHT-SIG field and the STA user field. For uplink OFDMA EHT PPDUs (e.g., EHT TB PPDUs), the STA's RU allocation information is included in the STA user information field of the request trigger frame. The STA can determine the assigned logical RU or MRU after decoding its RU allocation information.

[0048] The following describes various embodiments of generating a logical RU or MRU from physical subcarriers. It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited in any way to the embodiments shown in the specification and drawings, such as the first to sixth embodiments. Many variations and combinations of the embodiments are possible within the framework of this disclosure. Combinations of one or more aspects of the embodiments or combinations of different embodiments are possible within the framework of this disclosure. All similar variations should be understood to fall within the framework of this disclosure.

[0049] First embodiment: This embodiment is applicable to 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz or 320 MHz OFDMA PPDU.

[0050] A logical RU or MRU consists of multiple logical subcarriers, which can be generated from physical subcarriers by distributed tone mapping across the entire PPDU bandwidth. Figure 2 The data field of an example 80 MHz OFDMA PPDU is shown according to the application logical RU allocation mode of the first embodiment. Therefore, the physical subcarrier corresponding to any logical RU or MRU allowed in the OFDMA PPDU spans the entire PPDU bandwidth, which improves the frequency diversity gain of any RU or MRU allowed in the OFDMA PPDU.

[0051] When the logical RU allocation mode is applied to the data field of an OFDMA PPDU, the operating bandwidth of each expected STA for that PPDU cannot be less than the PPDU BW. More specifically, for a 40 MHz or 80 MHz OFDMA PPDU, the expected STA cannot be a STA operating at 20 MHz. For a 160 MHz OFDMA PPDU, the expected STA cannot be either a STA operating at 20 MHz or 80 MHz. For a 320 MHz OFDMA PPDU, the expected STA cannot be any of the STAs operating at 20 MHz, 80 MHz, or 160 MHz.

[0052] Second embodiment: This embodiment is applicable to 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz OFDMA PPDUs. For 20 MHz OFDMA PPDUs, this embodiment is equivalent to the first embodiment.

[0053] A logical RU or MRU comprises multiple logical subcarriers, which can be generated from physical subcarriers by distributed tone mapping on each 20 MHz subchannel within the PPDU bandwidth. Figure 3 The data field of an example 80 MHz OFMDA PPDU with an applied logical RU allocation mode according to the second embodiment is shown. Therefore, the physical subcarrier corresponding to any logically small RU or MRU spans a 20 MHz subchannel, which will improve the frequency diversity gain of any small RU or MRU. However, the frequency diversity gain of any large RU or MRU allowed in the OFDMA PPDU may not be improved.

[0054] When the logical RU allocation mode is applied to the data field of an OFDMA PPDU, the operating bandwidth of each expected STA for the PPDU can be less than the PPDU BW. More specifically, for a 40 MHz or 80 MHz OFDMA PPDU, the expected STA can be a STA operating at 20 MHz. For a 160 MHz OFDMA PPDU, the expected STA can be a STA operating at 20 MHz or a STA operating at 80 MHz. For a 320 MHz OFDMA PPDU, the expected STA can be a STA operating at 20 MHz, a STA operating at 80 MHz, or a STA operating at 160 MHz.

[0055] Third embodiment: This embodiment is applicable to 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz OFDMA PPDUs. For 80 MHz OFDMA PPDUs, this embodiment is equivalent to the first embodiment.

[0056] A logical RU or MRU comprises multiple logical subcarriers, which can be generated from physical subcarriers by distributed tone mapping on each 80 MHz frequency subblock within the PPDU bandwidth. Figure 4 The data field of an example 320 MHz OFMDA PPDU with an applied logical RU allocation pattern according to the third embodiment is shown. Therefore, the physical subcarriers corresponding to any logical small-size RU or MRU, 242-tone RU, 484-tone RU, or 484+242-tone MRU span an 80 MHz frequency subblock, which will improve the frequency diversity gain of any small-size RU or MRU, 242-tone RU, 484-tone RU, 484+242-tone MRU, 996+484-tone MRU, 2×996+484-tone MRU, or 3×996+484-tone MRU. However, the frequency diversity gain of any other large-size RU or MRU allowed in the OFMDA PPDU may not be improved.

[0057] When the logical RU allocation mode is applied to the data field of a 160 MHz or 320 MHz OFDMA PPDU, the operating bandwidth of each expected STA for the PPDU can be less than the PPDU BW. More specifically, for a 160 MHz or 320 MHz OFDMAPPDU, the expected STA can be an 80 MHz STA, while for a 320 MHz OFDMA PPDU, the expected STA can be a 160 MHz STA. However, when the logical RU allocation mode is applied to 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz OFDMAPPDU, the expected STA cannot be a 20 MHz STA.

[0058] Fourth embodiment: This embodiment applies to 160 MHz or 320 MHz OFDMA PPDUs. For 160 MHz OFDMA PPDUs, this embodiment is equivalent to the first embodiment.

[0059] A logical RU or MRU comprises multiple logical subcarriers, which can be generated from physical subcarriers by distributed tone mapping on each 160 MHz channel in the PPDU bandwidth. Figure 5The data field of an example 320 MHz OFMDA PPDU according to the fourth embodiment of the application logical RU allocation pattern is shown. Therefore, the physical subcarriers corresponding to any logical small-size RU or MRU, 242-tone RU, 484-tone RU, 484+242-tone MRU, 996-tone RU, or 996+484-tone MRU span a 160 MHz channel, which will improve the frequency diversity gain of any small-size RU or MRU, 242-tone RU, 484-tone RU, 484+242-tone MRU, 996-tone RU, 996+484-tone MRU, 2×996+484-tone MRU, 3×996-tone MRU, or 3×996+484-tone MRU. However, the frequency diversity gain of any other large-size RU or MRU allowed in the OFDMA PPDU may not be improved.

[0060] When the logical RU allocation mode is applied to the data field of a 320 MHz OFDMA PPDU, the operating bandwidth of each expected STA of the PPDU can be less than the PPDU BW. More specifically, for a 320 MHz OFDMA PPDU, the expected STA can be a STA operating at 160 MHz. However, when the logical RU allocation mode is applied to either a 160 MHz or 320 MHz OFDMA PPDU, the expected STA of the PPDU cannot be a STA operating at 20 MHz or a STA operating at 80 MHz.

[0061] Hybrid RU allocation mode: When the hybrid RU allocation mode is applied to the data field of an OFDMA PPDU, the PPDU BW is divided into two parts: the physical RU allocation BW and the logical RU allocation BW. The physical RU allocation BW includes one or more consecutive 20 MHz sub-channels in the PPDU BW, including the edge 20 MHz sub-channels, while the logical RU allocation BW includes the remaining 20 MHz sub-channels in the PPDU BW. The hybrid RU allocation mode is not applicable to 20 MHz OFDMA PPDUs. In some embodiments, the edge 20 MHz sub-channels can be either top edge 20 MHz sub-channels or bottom edge 20 MHz sub-channels.

[0062] When the hybrid RU allocation mode is applied to the data field of an OFDMA PPDU, non-MU-MIMO allocated logical or physical RUs or MRUs are assigned to the STA, and MU-MIMO allocated logical or physical RUs or MRUs are assigned to more than one STA. For downlink OFDMA PPDUs (e.g., EHT MU PPDUs), the STA's RU allocation information is carried in the common field of the EHT-SIG field and the STA user field. For uplink OFDMA PPDUs (e.g., EHT TB PPDUs), the STA's RU allocation information is included in the STA user information field of the request trigger frame. The STA can determine the assigned physical or logical RU or MRU after decoding its RU allocation information.

[0063] Within the logical RU allocation BW, in addition to using the logical RU allocation BW instead of the PPDU bandwidth, a logical RU or MRU is generated from the physical subcarriers using a method similar to that described in the embodiments of the logical RU allocation mode above.

[0064] Various implementations can be used to divide the PPDU BW into a physical RU allocation BW and a logical RU allocation BW.

[0065] Fifth embodiment: The physical RU allocation BW is half of the PPDU BW, including the edge 20 MHz sub-channels, while the logical RU allocation BW is the other half of the PPDU BW. This embodiment is applicable to 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz OFDMA PPDUs. Figure 6 The data field of an example 80 MHz OFMDA PPDU applying a hybrid RU allocation mode according to the fifth embodiment is shown. In some embodiments, the edge 20 MHz sub-channel can be a top edge 20 MHz sub-channel or a bottom edge 20 MHz sub-channel.

[0066] When the hybrid RU allocation mode is applied to the data field of an OFDMA PPDU, the operating bandwidth of each expected STA of the EHT PPDU can be less than the PPDU BW. More specifically, for a 40 MHz OFDMA PPDU, the expected STA can be a STA operating at 20 MHz, and its allocated RU or MRU can be in the physical or logical RU allocation BW. For 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz OFDMA PPDUs, the expected STA can be a STA operating at 20 MHz, and its allocated RU or MRU can be in the physical RU allocation BW. If the logical RU or MRU is generated from physical subcarriers according to the second embodiment, the allocated RU or MRU of a STA operating at 20 MHz can also be in the logical RU allocation BW. For a 160 MHz OFDMA PPDU, the expected STA can also be a STA operating at 80 MHz, and its allocated RU or MRU can be in the physical RU allocation BW or the logical RU allocation BW. For a 320 MHz OFDMA PPDU, the STA is also expected to operate at 160 MHz, and its assigned RU or MRU can be in the physical RU allocation BW or logical RU allocation BW. The STA is also expected to operate at 80 MHz, and its assigned RU or MRU can be in the physical RU allocation BW. If the logical RU or MRU is generated from the physical subcarrier according to the second or third embodiment, the assigned RU or MRU of the 80 MHz STA can also be in the logical RU allocation BW.

[0067] Sixth embodiment: The physical RU allocation BW is one-quarter of the PPDU BW, including the edge 20 MHz sub-channels, while the logical RU allocation BW is the remaining three-quarters of the PPDU BW; and vice versa. That is, in some other embodiments, the physical RU allocation BW is three-quarters of the PPDU BW, including the edge 20 MHz sub-channels, while the logical RU allocation BW is the remaining one-quarter of the PPDU BW. This embodiment is applicable to 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz OFDMA PPDUs. Figure 7 The data field of an example 80 MHz OFMDA PPDU applying a hybrid RU allocation mode according to the sixth embodiment is shown. In some embodiments, the edge 20 MHz sub-channel can be a top edge 20 MHz sub-channel or a bottom edge 20 MHz sub-channel.

[0068] When the hybrid RU allocation mode is applied to the data field of an OFDMA PPDU, the operating bandwidth of each expected STA of the EHT PPDU can be less than the PPDU BW. More specifically, for 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz OFDMA PPDUs, the expected STA can be a STA operating at 20 MHz, and its allocated RU or MRU can be in the physical RU allocation BW. If the logical RU or MRU is generated from physical subcarriers according to the second embodiment, the allocated RU or MRU of the STA operating at 20 MHz can also be in the logical RU allocation BW. For a 160 MHz OFDMA PPDU, the expected STA can also be a STA operating at 80 MHz, and if the physical RU allocation BW is greater than the logical RU allocation BW, the allocated RU or MRU of the expected STA can be in the physical RU allocation BW. If the physical RU allocation BW is less than the logical RU allocation BW, and the logical RU or MRU is generated from physical subcarriers according to the third embodiment, the allocated RU or MRU of the STA operating at 80 MHz can also be in the logical RU allocation BW. For a 320 MHz OFDMA PPDU, the STA is also expected to operate at 80 MHz, and its allocated RU or MRU can be within the physical RU allocation BW. If the logical RU or MRU is generated from physical subcarriers according to the second or third embodiment, the allocated RU or MRU of the STA operating at 80 MHz can also be within the logical RU allocation BW. For a 320 MHz OFDMA PPDU, the STA is also expected to operate at 160 MHz. If the physical RU allocation BW is greater than the logical RU allocation BW, the allocated RU or MRU of the expected STA can be within the physical RU allocation BW. If the physical RU allocation BW is less than the logical RU allocation BW and the logical RU or MRU is generated from physical subcarriers according to the second, third, or fourth embodiment, the allocated RU or MRU of the STA operating at 160 MHz can also be within the logical RU allocation BW.

[0069] Signaling support: dot11EHTBaseLineFeaturesImplementedOnly is one of the MIB (Management Information Base) variables maintained by the SME (System Management Entity) of the STA (or AP). An STA (or AP) where dot11EHTBaseLineFeaturesImplementedOnly is true refers to the following STA (or AP): that supports one or more EHT baseline features already defined in IEEE 802.11be D1.4, such as MRU and multi-link operation, but does not support any EHT advanced features such as logical RU defined in communication specifications and / or communication standards such as IEEE specifications and / or IEEE standards (e.g., subsequent IEEE 802.11be drafts, such as IEEE 802.11be D3.0, or next-generation IEEE 802.11 standards beyond IEEE 802.11be). A dot11EHTBaseLineFeaturesImplementedOnly STA (or AP) equal to false refers to the following STA (or AP): that supports not only one or more EHT baseline features such as MRU and multi-link operation, but also one or more EHT advanced features such as RU interleaving, and one or more features to be defined in the next generation of IEEE 802.11 standards beyond IEEE 802.11be.

[0070] Uplink OFDMA: Figure 8A The format of a trigger frame used to request a TB PPDU transmission is shown. The trigger frame may include an EHT variant common information field, a user information list field, and a padding field. The user information list field may include one or more user information fields. The format of the EHT variant common information field and the user information field depends on the type of trigger frame. Figure 8B An example format for the public information field of the EHT variant is shown.

[0071] The EHT variant public information field may include a first subfield, such as the RU allocation mode subfield, to indicate which of the physical RU allocation mode, logical RU allocation mode, and hybrid RU allocation mode should be used for the requested TB PPDU. The bit positions of the RU allocation mode subfield can be any two of B56 to B62 (e.g., B56 and B57) of the EHT variant public information field, where B56 to B62 are reserved and set to all 1s for transmitting APs where dot11EHTBaseLineFeaturesImplementedOnly equals true. In this case, for transmitting APs where dot11EHTBaseLineFeaturesImplementedOnly equals false, the RU allocation mode subfield can be set to 3 (i.e., all 1s) to indicate that the physical RU allocation mode is used for the requested TB PPDU, set to 0 to indicate that the logical RU allocation mode is used for the requested TB PPDU, and set to 1 to indicate that the hybrid RU allocation mode is used for the requested TB PPDU. Therefore, when a STA with `dot11EHTBaseLineFeaturesImplementedOnly` equal to true receives a trigger frame with the RU allocation mode subfield of the EHT variant common information field set to a value other than 3, the STA can stop receiving trigger frames, thereby reducing the STA's power consumption. In some other cases, for a transmitting AP with `dot11EHTBaseLineFeaturesImplementedOnly` equal to false, the RU allocation mode subfield can be set to 3 (i.e., the RU allocation mode subfield is set to all 1s) to indicate that the physical RU allocation mode is used for the requested TB PPDU, set to 1 to indicate that the logical RU allocation mode is used for the requested TB PPDU, and set to 0 to indicate that the hybrid RU allocation mode is used for the requested TB PPDU.

[0072] The EHT variant public information field may include a second subfield, such as a hybrid RU allocation pattern field, to indicate how the PPDU bandwidth is divided into physical RU allocation BW and logical RU allocation BW. The bit positions of the hybrid RU allocation pattern field can be any three of B56 to B62 of the EHT variant public information field (e.g., B58 to B60), where B56 to B62 are reserved and set to all 1s for the transmitting AP that is true for dot11EHTBaseLineFeaturesImplementedOnly. In this scenario, for a transmit AP where `dot11EHTBaseLineFeaturesImplementedOnly` equals false, the Hybrid RU Allocation Pattern field is set to 0 to indicate that the Physical RU Allocation BW is half of the PPDU bandwidth including the lowest 20 MHz sub-channels and the Logical RU Allocation BW is the other half of the PPDU bandwidth; set to 1 to indicate that the Physical RU Allocation BW is half of the PPDU bandwidth including the highest 20 MHz sub-channels and the Logical RU Allocation BW is the other half of the PPDU bandwidth; set to 2 to indicate that the Physical RU Allocation BW is one-quarter of the PPDU bandwidth including the lowest 20 MHz sub-channels and the Logical RU Allocation BW is the remaining three-quarters of the PPDU bandwidth; and set to 3 to indicate that the Physical RU Allocation BW is one-quarter of the PPDU bandwidth including the highest 20 MHz sub-channels and the Logical RU Allocation BW is the remaining three-quarters of the PPDU bandwidth; and set to 4 to indicate that the Logical RU Allocation BW is one-quarter of the PPDU bandwidth including the lowest 20 MHz sub-channels. The logical RU allocation pattern field is set to 5, indicating that the logical RU allocation BW is one-quarter of the PPDU bandwidth, including the highest 20MHz sub-channels, and the physical RU allocation BW is three-quarters of the PPDU bandwidth. Therefore, when a STA with dot11EHTBaseLineFeaturesImplementedOnly equal to true receives a trigger frame with the mixed RU allocation pattern field of the EHT variant common information field set to a value other than 7, the STA can terminate receiving the trigger frame, thereby reducing the STA's power consumption.

[0073] Downlink OFDMA: Table 1 below shows an example format of the U-SIG field in a MU PPDU. The U-SIG field is designed to provide forward compatibility for the preamble by introducing version-independent fields. These fields are those that will be consistent in location and interpretation across multiple IEEE 802.11 PHY versions. Version-independent content aims to achieve better coexistence between IEEE 802.11 PHY versions defined for the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz spectrums, starting with EHT PHY. Furthermore, the U-SIG field may have some version-dependent fields, which are specific to the IEEE 802.11 PHY version. The U-SIG field includes version-independent bits followed by version-dependent bits. Additionally, the U-SIG field includes one or more authentication fields and / or ignore fields. The authentication field value is used to indicate whether to continue receiving the MUPPDU at the STA. If the STA encounters a MU PPDU and at least one field in the MU PPDU's preamble that the STA is marked as validating for is not set to its specified value, the STA may postpone the duration of the MU PPDU, report information from version-independent fields within the RXVECTOR, and terminate reception of the MU PPDU. If the STA sees any field marked as disregarded for the STA set to a value different from its specified value, the STA may ignore these field values, and they will not affect the STA's continued reception of PPDUs (i.e., the STA's reception can continue as normal).

[0074] As shown in Table 1, the U-SIG field may include a first subfield, such as the RU allocation mode subfield, to indicate which of the physical RU allocation mode, logical RU allocation mode, and hybrid RU allocation mode is used for the MU PPDU. The bit positions of the RU allocation mode subfield can be two of U-SIG-1's B20 to B25, U-SIG-2's B2, and U-SIG-2's B8 (e.g., B20 and B21). For dot11EHTBaseLineFeaturesImplementedOnly, a transmission AP that is true is considered validated or disregarded and set to all 1s. For example, the first subfield can be set to 3 (i.e., each bit of the first subfield is set to 1) to indicate that the physical RU allocation mode is used for the MU PPDU, set to 0 to indicate that the logical RU allocation mode is used for the MU PPDU, and set to 1 to indicate that the hybrid RU allocation mode is used for the MU PPDU. Therefore, when a STA with `dot11EHTBaseLineFeaturesImplementedOnly` equal to true receives a MU PPDU with the RU allocation mode subfield of the U-SIG field set to a value other than 3, the STA can terminate receiving MU PPDUs, thereby reducing the STA's power consumption. In some other embodiments, for example, the first subfield can be set to 3 (i.e., each bit of the first subfield is set to 1) to indicate that the physical RU allocation mode is used for the MU PPDU, set to 1 to indicate that the logical RU allocation mode is used for the MU PPDU, and set to 0 to indicate that the hybrid RU allocation mode is used for the MU PPDU.

[0075] The U-SIG field may include a second subfield, such as a hybrid RU allocation pattern field, to indicate how the PPDU bandwidth is divided into physical RU allocation BW and logical RU allocation BW. The bit positions of the hybrid RU allocation pattern field can be three of the following: B20 to B25 of U-SIG-1 (e.g., B22 to B24), B2 of U-SIG-2, and B8 of U-SIG-2. For dot11EHTBaseLineFeaturesImplementedOnly, a sending AP that is true is considered verified or ignored and set to all 1s. For a transmit AP where dot11EHTBaseLineFeaturesImplementedOnly equals false, the second subfield can be set to 0 to indicate that the physical RU allocated BW is half of the PPDU bandwidth including the lowest 20 MHz subchannels and the logical RU allocated BW is the other half of the PPDU bandwidth; set to 1 to indicate that the physical RU allocated BW is half of the PPDU bandwidth including the highest 20 MHz subchannels and the logical RU allocated BW is the other half of the PPDU bandwidth; set to 2 to indicate that the physical RU allocated BW is one-quarter of the PPDU bandwidth including the lowest 20 MHz subchannels and the logical RU allocated BW is the remaining three-quarters of the PPDU bandwidth; and set to 3 to indicate that the physical RU allocated BW is one-quarter of the PPDU bandwidth including the highest 20 MHz subchannels and the logical RU allocated BW is the remaining three-quarters of the PPDU bandwidth; and set to 4 to indicate that the logical RU allocated BW is half of the PPDU bandwidth including the lowest 20 MHz subchannels. The logical RU allocation BW is one-quarter of the PPDU bandwidth, including the highest 20 MHz sub-channel, and the physical RU allocation BW is the remaining three-quarters of the PPDU bandwidth; and it is set to 5 to indicate that the logical RU allocation BW is one-quarter of the PPDU bandwidth, including the highest 20 MHz sub-channel, and the physical RU allocation BW is the remaining three-quarters of the PPDU bandwidth. Therefore, when a STA receiving a MU PPDU with the RU allocation mode sub-field of the U-SIG field set to a value other than 7, the STA can terminate the reception of the MU PPDU, thereby reducing the STA's power consumption.

[0076] Table 1 Figure 9An example of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The wireless communication system may be an example of a WLAN 100 (also referred to as a Wi-Fi network) configured according to various aspects of the present disclosure (e.g., Next Generation, Next Big Event (NBT), Ultra High Throughput (UHT), or EHT Wi-Fi network). As described herein, the terms Next Generation, NBT, UHT, and EHT can be considered synonyms, and each can correspond to a Wi-Fi network supporting a large number of spatiotemporal streams. The WLAN 100 may include an AP 10 and multiple associated STAs 20, which may represent devices such as mobile stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), other handheld devices, netbooks, laptops, tablets, display devices (e.g., televisions, computer monitors, etc.), printers, etc. The AP 10 and associated STAs 20 may represent a Basic Service Set (BSS) or an Extended Service Set (ESS). The various STAs 20 in the network can communicate with each other via the AP 10. A coverage area 110 of the AP 10 is also shown in the figure, which may represent the Basic Service Area (BSA) of the WLAN 100. An extended network site (not shown) associated with WLAN 100 can be connected to a wired or wireless distribution system that allows multiple AP 10s to be connected to an ESS or VBSS.

[0077] In some embodiments, STA 20 may be located at the intersection of more than one coverage area 110 and may be associated with more than one AP 10. A single AP 10 and the associated group of STA 20 may be referred to as a BSS. An ESS or VBSS is a grouped BSS. A distribution system (not shown) may be used to connect AP 10s in an ESS or VBSS. In some cases, the coverage area 110 of an AP 10 may be divided into sectors (also not shown). WLAN 100 may include different types of AP 10s (e.g., metropolitan area networks, home networks, etc.) that have different and overlapping coverage areas 110. Two STA 20s may also communicate directly via a direct wireless link 125, regardless of whether the two STA 20s are in the same coverage area 110. Examples of direct wireless links 125 may include Wi-Fi direct connections, Wi-Fi Tunneled Direct Link Setup (TDLS) links, and other group connections. STA20 and AP 10 can communicate using WLAN radio and baseband protocols at the physical and media access control (MAC) layers according to IEEE 802.11 and versions including but not limited to 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11a, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ad, 802.11ah, 802.11ax, and 802.11ay. In some other implementations, peer-to-peer connections or ad hoc networks can be implemented within WLAN 100.

[0078] Figure 10 An example of a wireless communication system according to another embodiment of this disclosure is shown. The wireless communication system 200 may be an example of a next-generation or EHT Wi-Fi system and may include AP 10-a and STA 20-a and 20-b, and a coverage area 110-a, which may be related to… Figure 10 Examples of the components described. AP 10-a may send a DL PPDU 210 (e.g., EHT MU PPDU) to STA 20 on downlink 205, including RU allocation table indication 215.

[0079] In some implementations, the wireless communication system 200 can be a next-generation Wi-Fi system (e.g., an EHT system). In some implementations, the wireless communication system 200 can also support multiple communication systems. For example, the wireless communication system 200 can support both EHT and HE communication. In some implementations, STA 20-a and STA 20-b can be different types of STAs. For example, STA 20-a can be an example of an EHT STA, while STA 20-b can be an example of an HE STA. STA 20-b can be referred to as a conventional STA.

[0080] In some cases, EHT communication can support greater bandwidth than conventional communication. For example, EHT communication can operate on a 320 MHz available bandwidth, while conventional communication can operate on a 160 MHz available bandwidth. Furthermore, EHT communication can support higher modulation levels than conventional communication. For example, EHT communication can support 4K quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), while conventional communication can support 1024 QAM. EHT communication can support more spatial streams than conventional systems. In a non-limiting illustrative example, EHT communication can support 16 spatial streams, while conventional communication can support 8. In some cases, EHT communication can operate on 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz channels in unlicensed spectrum.

[0081] Figure 11 An example of a wireless communication system according to another embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Wireless communication system 300 may be an example of a post-EHT Wi-Fi system and may include AP 10-b. AP 10-b may be an example of a post-EHT AP 10. Wireless communication system 300 may include HE STA 20-c, EHT STA 20-d, and post-EHT STA 20-e, as well as coverage area 110-b, which may be related to... Figure 4 and Figure 5 Examples of the components described. AP 10-b can send a DL PPDU 310, including an RU allocation table indication 315, to STA 20 on downlink 305. In some implementations, STA 20 may be referred to as a client.

[0082] Figure 12 One or more STA20, AP 10 and AP 30 communicating in a wireless communication system 700 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are shown. Figure 12A wireless communication system 700 is illustrated, including an access point (AP) 10, an access point (AP) 30, and one or more stand-alone stations (STAs) 20. AP 10 may include a memory 12, a transceiver 13, and a processor 11 coupled to the memory 12 and transceiver 13. AP 30 may include a memory 32, a transceiver 33, and a processor 31 coupled to the memory 32 and transceiver 33. One or more STAs 20 may include a memory 22, a transceiver 23, and a processor 21 coupled to the memory 22 and transceiver 23. Processors 11, 21, or 31 may be configured to implement the functions, procedures, and / or methods described herein. Layers of the radio interface protocol may be implemented in processors 11, 21, or 31. Memory 12, 22, or 32 is operatively coupled to processors 11, 21, or 31 and stores various information used to operate processors 11, 21, or 31. Transceiver 13, 23, or 33 is operatively coupled to processor 11, 21, or 31, and transceiver 13, 23, or 33 transmits and / or receives radio signals.

[0083] Processors 11, 21, or 31 may include application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), other chipsets, logic circuits, and / or data processing devices. Memory 12, 22, or 32 may include read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, memory cards, storage media, and / or other storage devices. Transceivers 13, 23, or 33 may include baseband circuitry for processing radio frequency signals. When embodiments are implemented in software, the techniques described herein can be implemented using modules (e.g., programs, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described herein. Modules may be stored in memory 12, 22, or 32 and executed by processor 11, 21, or 31. Memory 12, 22, or 32 may be implemented within processor 11, 21, or 31, or external to processor 11, 21, or 31, in which case memory 12, 22, or 32 may be communicatively coupled to processor 11, 21, or 31 in various ways known in the art.

[0084] In some embodiments, processor 11 or 31 is configured to determine an OFDMA PPDU transmission including an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU), wherein the data field of the OFDMA PPDU includes a Physical Resource Unit (RU) allocation mode, a Logical RU allocation mode, and / or a Hybrid RU allocation mode, and an RU allocation mode subfield associated with the OFDMA PPDU indicates that one of the Physical RU allocation mode, Logical RU allocation mode, and Hybrid RU allocation mode is used for the OFDMA PPDU. This can solve problems in the prior art, improve frequency diversity gain, reduce power consumption, achieve extremely high throughput (EHT), provide good communication performance, and / or provide high reliability.

[0085] In some embodiments, the processor 21 is configured to determine an OFDMA PPDU transmission including an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU), wherein the data field of the OFDMA PPDU includes a Physical Resource Unit (RU) allocation mode, a logical RU allocation mode, and / or a hybrid RU allocation mode, and the RU allocation mode subfield associated with the OFDMA PPDU indicates that one of the physical RU allocation mode, logical RU allocation mode, and hybrid RU allocation mode is used for the OFDMA PPDU. This can solve problems in the prior art, improve frequency diversity gain, reduce power consumption, achieve extremely high throughput (EHT), provide good communication performance, and / or provide high reliability.

[0086] Figure 13 A wireless communication method 800 performed by an AP according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. In some embodiments, method 800 includes: block 802, where the AP determines an OFDMA PPDU transmission including an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU), wherein the data field of the OFDMA PPDU includes a physical resource unit (RU) allocation mode, a logical RU allocation mode, and / or a hybrid RU allocation mode, and an RU allocation mode subfield associated with the OFDMA PPDU indicates that one of the physical RU allocation mode, logical RU allocation mode, and hybrid RU allocation mode is used for the OFDMA PPDU. This can solve problems in the prior art, improve frequency diversity gain, reduce power consumption, achieve extremely high throughput (EHT), provide good communication performance, and / or provide high reliability.

[0087] Figure 14 A wireless communication method 900 performed by an AP according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. In some embodiments, method 900 includes: block 902, where an STA determines an OFDMA PPDU transmission including an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU), wherein the data field of the OFDMA PPDU includes a physical resource unit (RU) allocation mode, a logical RU allocation mode, and / or a hybrid RU allocation mode, and an RU allocation mode subfield associated with the OFDMA PPDU indicates that one of the physical RU allocation mode, logical RU allocation mode, and hybrid RU allocation mode is used for the OFDMA PPDU. This can solve problems in the prior art, improve frequency diversity gain, reduce power consumption, achieve extremely high throughput (EHT), provide good communication performance, and / or provide high reliability.

[0088] Figure 15This is a block diagram of an access point (AP) 1400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The AP 1400 includes a determining unit 1402, and a determining unit 1420 configured to determine an OFDMA PPDU transmission including an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU), wherein the data field of the OFDMA PPDU includes a Physical Resource Unit (RU) allocation mode, a logical RU allocation mode, and / or a hybrid RU allocation mode, and an RU allocation mode subfield associated with the OFDMA PPDU indicates that one of the physical RU allocation mode, logical RU allocation mode, and hybrid RU allocation mode is used for the OFDMA PPDU. This can solve problems in the prior art, improve frequency diversity gain, reduce power consumption, achieve extremely high throughput (EHT), provide good communication performance, and / or provide high reliability.

[0089] Figure 16 This is a block diagram of an STA 1500 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The AP 1500 includes a determining unit 1502 configured to determine an OFDMA APPDU transmission including an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU), wherein the data field of the OFDMA PPDU includes a Physical Resource Unit (RU) allocation mode, a logical RU allocation mode, and / or a hybrid RU allocation mode, and an RU allocation mode subfield associated with the OFDMA PPDU indicates that one of the physical RU allocation mode, logical RU allocation mode, and hybrid RU allocation mode is used for the OFDMA PPDU. This can solve problems in the prior art, improve frequency diversity gain, reduce power consumption, achieve extremely high throughput (EHT), provide good communication performance, and / or provide high reliability.

[0090] In some embodiments, the OFDMA PPDU includes an OFDMA Extremely High Throughput (EHT) PPDU or an OFDMA PPDU for next-generation IEEE 802.11 technology exceeding IEEE 802.11be. In some embodiments, the wireless communication method further includes: the AP determining whether the OFDMA PPDU is for downlink or uplink transmission. In some embodiments, when the AP determines that the OFDMA PPDU is for downlink transmission including a multi-user (MU) PPDU, the common signaling field (U-SIG) of the MU PPDU includes an RU allocation mode subfield. In some embodiments, the bit positions of the RU allocation mode subfield include two of B20, B21, B22, B23, B24, and B25 of U-SIG-1, B2 of U-SIG-2, and B8 of U-SIG-2. In some embodiments, when the AP determines that the OFDMA PPDU is for uplink transmission, the common information field of the trigger frame requesting OFDMA PPDU transmission sent by the AP includes the RU allocation mode subfield. In some embodiments, the bit positions of the RU allocation mode subfield include two of B56, B57, B58, B59, B60, B61, and B62 of the public information field.

[0091] In some embodiments, when a logical RU allocation mode is applied to the data field of an OFDMA PPDU, the logical RU or multiple resource unit (MRU) of the OFDMA PPDU comprises multiple logical subcarriers generated from physical subcarriers through distributed tone mapping across the entire OFDMA PPDU bandwidth. In some embodiments, the operating bandwidth of each intended site (STA) of the OFDMA PPDU is not less than the OFDMA PPDU bandwidth. In some embodiments, the logical RU or MRU of the OFDMA PPDU comprises multiple logical subcarriers generated from physical subcarriers through distributed tone mapping on each 20 MHz subchannel within the OFDMA PPDU bandwidth. In some embodiments, the operating bandwidth of each intended STA of the OFDMA PPDU is less than or equal to the OFDMA PPDU bandwidth. In some embodiments, the logical RU or MRU of the OFDMA PPDU comprises multiple logical subcarriers generated from physical subcarriers through distributed tone mapping on each 80 MHz frequency subblock within the OFDMA PPDU bandwidth. In some embodiments, the intended STA of the OFDMA PPDU is not an STA operating at 20 MHz.

[0092] In some embodiments, the logical RU or MRU of the OFDMA PPDU comprises multiple logical subcarriers generated from physical subcarriers by distributed tone mapping on each 160 MHz frequency subblock within the OFDMA PPDU bandwidth. In some embodiments, the intended STA of the OFDMA PPDU is neither a STA operating at 20 MHz nor a STA operating at 80 MHz. In some embodiments, when a hybrid RU allocation mode is applied to the data field of the OFDMA PPDU, the OFDMA PPDU bandwidth is divided into a physical RU allocation bandwidth and a logical RU allocation bandwidth. In some embodiments, the physical RU allocation bandwidth comprises one or more consecutive 20 MHz subchannels within the OFDMA PPDU bandwidth, including edge 20 MHz subchannels, while the logical RU allocation bandwidth comprises one or more remaining 20 MHz subchannels within the OFDMA PPDU bandwidth. In some embodiments, the physical RU allocation bandwidth is half of the OFDMA PPDU bandwidth, including the edge 20 MHz subchannels, while the logical RU allocation bandwidth is the other half of the OFDMA PPDU bandwidth. In some embodiments, the physical RU allocated bandwidth is one-quarter of the OFDMA PPDU bandwidth, including the edge 20 MHz sub-channels, while the logical RU allocated bandwidth is the remaining three-quarters of the OFDMA PPDU bandwidth; or conversely, the physical RU allocated bandwidth is three-quarters of the OFDMA PPDU bandwidth, including the edge 20 MHz sub-channels, while the logical RU allocated bandwidth is the remaining one-quarter of the OFDMA PPDU bandwidth.

[0093] In some embodiments, the wireless communication method further includes: the AP or STA determining whether the OFDMA PPDU is used for downlink transmission or uplink transmission. In some embodiments, when the AP determines that the OFDMA PPDU is used for downlink transmission including the MU PPDU, the U-SIG of the MU PPDU includes a hybrid RU allocation pattern field. In some embodiments, the hybrid RU allocation pattern subfield indicates information related to the OFDMA PPDU bandwidth, which is divided into physical RU allocation bandwidth and logical RU allocation bandwidth. In some embodiments, the bit positions of the hybrid RU allocation pattern field include three of the following: B20, B21, B22, B23, B24, and B25 of U-SIG-1, B2 of U-SIG-2, and B8 of U-SIG-2. In some embodiments, when the AP or STA determines a trigger frame and the OFDMA PPDU is used for uplink transmission, the common information field of the trigger frame requesting OFDMA PPDU transmission sent by the AP includes the hybrid RU allocation pattern field. In some embodiments, the hybrid RU allocation pattern field indicates information related to the OFDMA PPDU bandwidth, which is divided into physical RU allocation bandwidth and logical RU allocation bandwidth. In some embodiments, the bit positions of the hybrid RU allocation pattern field include three of the following common information fields: B56, B57, B58, B59, B60, B61, and B62.

[0094] Some embodiments of this disclosure may be employed in peer-to-peer (PTP) communication. As used herein, the phrase "PTP communication" can refer to device-to-device communication between devices via a wireless link ("peer link"). PTP communication may include, for example, Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) communication, such as WFD P2P communication, wireless communication within a Quality of Service (QoS) Basic Service Set (BSS) via a direct link, Tunneled Direct Link Setup (TDLS) links, STA-to-STA communication in an Independent Basic Service Set (IBSS), etc. Some exemplary embodiments are described herein with respect to Wi-Fi communication. However, other embodiments may be implemented for any other communication scheme, network, standard, and / or protocol.

[0095] Some embodiments offer the following commercial benefits: 1. Solving problems in the prior art. 2. Improving frequency diversity gain. 3. Reducing power consumption. 4. Achieving extremely high throughput. 5. Providing good communication performance. 6. Providing high reliability. Some embodiments of this disclosure are intended for use by chipset vendors, communication system development vendors, automotive manufacturers (including cars, trains, trucks, buses, bicycles, motorcycles, helmets, etc.), drones (unmanned aerial vehicles), smartphone manufacturers, communication equipment for public safety purposes, and AR / VR device manufacturers (e.g., for gaming, conferences / seminars, educational purposes). Some embodiments of this disclosure are combinations of "technologies / processes" that can be employed in communication specifications and / or communication standards (e.g., IEEE specifications and / or IEEE standards) to create a final product. Some embodiments of this disclosure propose technical mechanisms.

[0096] Figure 17 This is a block diagram of an example system 700 for wireless communication according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented into the system using any suitably configured hardware and / or software. Figure 17 System 700 is shown, comprising at least, as shown, mutually coupled radio frequency (RF) circuitry 710, baseband circuitry 720, application circuitry 730, memory / storage device 740, display 750, camera 760, sensor 770, and input / output (I / O) interface 780. Application circuitry 730 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor may include any combination of general-purpose and special-purpose processors, such as a graphics processor or application processor. The processor may be coupled to the memory / storage device and configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications and / or operating systems to run on the system.

[0097] The baseband circuit 720 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor may include a baseband processor. The baseband circuitry can handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via RF circuitry. Radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation, encoding, decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry can provide communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry may support communication with the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) and / or other Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMAN), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), and Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN). Embodiments of the baseband circuitry configured to support radio communication using more than one radio protocol may be referred to as multimode baseband circuitry.

[0098] In various embodiments, baseband circuitry 720 may include circuitry for processing signals that are not strictly considered to be in the baseband frequency range. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry may include circuitry for processing signals having an intermediate frequency, wherein the intermediate frequency is between the baseband frequency and the radio frequency (RF). RF circuitry 710 may use modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid-state medium to enable communication with a wireless network. In various embodiments, RF circuitry may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc., to facilitate communication with a wireless network. In various embodiments, RF circuitry 710 may include circuitry for processing signals that are not strictly considered to be in the RF range. For example, in some embodiments, RF circuitry may include circuitry for processing signals having an intermediate frequency, wherein the intermediate frequency is between the baseband frequency and the RF frequency.

[0099] In various embodiments, the transmitter circuitry, control circuitry, or receiver circuitry discussed above with respect to AP or STA may be wholly or partially embodied in one or more of the RF circuitry, baseband circuitry, and / or application circuitry. As used herein, “circuit” may refer to, be part of, or include the following components: application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) executing one or more software or firmware programs, electronic circuitry, processors (shared, dedicated, or grouped) and / or memories (shared, dedicated, or grouped), combinational logic circuitry, and / or other suitable hardware components providing said functionality. In some embodiments, electronic device circuitry may be implemented as one or more software or firmware modules, or the functionality associated with the circuitry may be implemented by one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, some or all of the components of the baseband circuitry, application circuitry, and / or memory / storage device may be implemented together on a system-on-a-chip (SOC). Memory / storage device 740 may be used, for example, to load and store data and / or instructions for the system. The memory / storage device of one embodiment may include any combination of suitable volatile memory (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM)) and / or non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory).

[0100] In various embodiments, I / O interface 780 may include one or more user interfaces and / or peripheral component interfaces, the user interface being designed to enable a user to interact with the system, and the peripheral component interfaces being designed to enable peripheral components to interact with the system. The user interface may include, but is not limited to, a physical keyboard or keypad, a touchpad, a speaker, a microphone, etc. The peripheral component interfaces may include, but are not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a universal serial bus (USB) port, an audio jack, and a power interface. In various embodiments, sensor 770 may include one or more sensing devices for determining environmental conditions and / or location information relevant to the system. In some embodiments, the sensor may include, but is not limited to, a gyroscope sensor, an accelerometer, a proximity sensor, an ambient light sensor, and a positioning unit. The positioning unit may also be part of or interact with baseband circuitry and / or RF circuitry to communicate with components of a positioning network, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites.

[0101] In various embodiments, display 750 may include displays such as liquid crystal displays and touchscreen displays. In various embodiments, system 700 may be a mobile computing device, such as, but not limited to, laptop computers, tablet computers, netbooks, ultrabooks, smartphones, AR / VR glasses, etc. In various embodiments, the system may have more or fewer components and / or different architectures. Where appropriate, the methods described herein can be implemented as computer programs. Computer programs may be stored on storage media such as non-transitory storage media.

[0102] Those skilled in the art will understand that each of the units, algorithms, and steps described and disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure is implemented using electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions operate in hardware or software depends on the application and the design requirements of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can implement these functions in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation should not exceed the scope of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the working processes of the above-described systems, devices, and units are substantially the same, and therefore the working processes of the systems, devices, and units in the above embodiments can be referred to. For the sake of convenience and brevity, these working processes will not be described in detail.

[0103] It is understood that the systems, devices, and methods disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in other ways. The above embodiments are merely exemplary. The division of units is based solely on logical function, and other divisions may exist in implementation. Multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system. Certain features may also be omitted or skipped. On the other hand, the mutual coupling, direct coupling, or communication coupling shown or discussed operates through some ports, devices, or units, whether indirectly or communicatively, in an electrical, mechanical, or other manner. Units used for illustration as separate components may or may not be physically separate. Units used for illustration may or may not be physical units, i.e., located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all units are used according to the purpose of the embodiments. In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments may be integrated into one processing unit, or they may be physically independent units, or they may be integrated into one processing unit with two or more units.

[0104] If software functional units are implemented as products and used and sold as such, they can be stored in a readable storage medium within a computer. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure can be implemented, in whole or in part, as software products. Alternatively, a portion of a technical solution beneficial to conventional technology can be implemented as a software product. Software products in a computer are stored in storage media and include multiple commands for a computing device (e.g., a personal computer, server, or network device) to execute all or part of the steps disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure. Storage media include USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), floppy disks, or other types of media capable of storing program code.

[0105] Although this disclosure has been described in conjunction with what are considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but is intended to cover various arrangements made without departing from the broadest interpretation of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method for an access point (AP), characterized in that, include: The AP sends a trigger frame requesting uplink TB PPDU transmission, and the common information field of the trigger frame includes the RU allocation mode subfield; When the RU allocation mode subfield is at positions B56 and B57 of the common information field of the trigger frame, the RU allocation mode subfield is used to indicate which of the physical RU allocation mode, logical RU allocation mode, and hybrid RU allocation mode should be used for the requested TB PPDU.

2. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the RU allocation mode subfield is set to 3, i.e., B56 and B57 are both set to 1, the RU allocation mode subfield is used to indicate that the physical RU allocation mode is used for the requested TB PPDU; and / or When the RU allocation mode subfield is set to 0, that is, when B56 and B57 are all 0, the RU allocation mode subfield is used to indicate that the logical RU allocation mode is used for the requested TB PPDU.

3. The wireless communication method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, When the RU allocation mode subfield is set to 1, the RU allocation mode subfield is used to indicate that the hybrid RU allocation mode is used for the requested TB PPDU.

4. The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The TB PPDU is a TB PPDU for the next generation of IEEE 802.11 technology, which surpasses the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11be.

5. The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, When the logical RU allocation mode is applied to the data field of the TB PPDU, the logical RU of the TB PPDU includes multiple logical subcarriers, which are generated from physical subcarriers by distributed tone mapping across the entire OFDMA PPDU bandwidth.

6. The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The logical RU of the TB PPDU includes multiple logical subcarriers, which are generated from physical subcarriers by distributed tone mapping on each 80 MHz frequency sub-block in the TB PPDU bandwidth.

7. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The physical RU allocated bandwidth is half of the TBPPDU bandwidth, including the edge 20 MHz sub-channel, while the logical RU allocated bandwidth is the other half of the TBPPDU bandwidth.

8. A wireless communication method for a station (STA), characterized in that, include: The STA receives a trigger frame requesting uplink TB PPDU transmission, wherein the common information field of the trigger frame includes the RU allocation mode subfield; When the RU allocation mode subfield is at positions B56 and B57 of the common information field of the trigger frame, the RU allocation mode subfield is used to indicate which of the physical RU allocation mode, logical RU allocation mode, and hybrid RU allocation mode is used for the requested TB PPDU. The STA sends an uplink TB PPDU based on the trigger frame for the requested uplink TB PPDU transmission.

9. The wireless communication method according to claim 8, characterized in that, When the RU allocation mode subfield is set to 3, i.e., B56 and B57 are both set to 1, the RU allocation mode subfield is used to indicate that the physical RU allocation mode is used for the requested TB PPDU; and / or When the RU allocation mode subfield is set to 0, that is, when B56 and B57 are all 0, the RU allocation mode subfield is used to indicate that the logical RU allocation mode is used for the requested TB PPDU.

10. The wireless communication method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, When the RU allocation mode subfield is set to 1, the RU allocation mode subfield is used to indicate that the hybrid RU allocation mode is used for the requested TB PPDU.

11. The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that, The TB PPDU is a TB PPDU for the next generation of IEEE 802.11 technology, which surpasses the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11be.

12. The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that, When the logical RU allocation mode is applied to the data field of the TB PPDU, the logical RU of the TB PPDU includes multiple logical subcarriers, which are generated from physical subcarriers by distributed tone mapping across the entire OFDMA PPDU bandwidth.

13. The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, characterized in that, The logical RU of the TB PPDU includes multiple logical subcarriers, which are generated from physical subcarriers by distributed tone mapping on each 80 MHz frequency sub-block in the TB PPDU bandwidth.

14. The wireless communication method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The physical RU allocated bandwidth is half of the TBPPDU bandwidth, including the edge 20 MHz sub-channel, while the logical RU allocated bandwidth is the other half of the TBPPDU bandwidth.

15. An access point (AP), characterized in that, include: Memory; transceiver; as well as The processor is coupled to the memory and the transceiver; The AP is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

16. A station (STA), characterized in that, include: Memory; transceiver; as well as The processor is coupled to the memory and the transceiver; The STA is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

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