WIRELESS DEVICE, METHOD, AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIA FOR ORTHOGONAL FREQUENCY DIVISION MUNICIPALITY (OFDMA) ASSIGNMENTS BASED ON A BASE TONE RESOURCE UNIT OR AN ENTIRE SUB-CHANNEL

Abstract

A wireless device configured for high performance (HE) operation, the device comprising: memory; and processing circuitry configured to: Receiving a trigger frame in a transmission opportunity (TXOP), the trigger frame comprising an allocation of resource units for uplink data transmission in the TXOP by a plurality of HE stations (STAs) comprising the wireless device, the allocation comprising a single resource unit allocation for the wireless device, wherein the resource units allocated by the trigger framework comprise any combination of the following: 26-tone resource units with two pilot tones; 52-tone resource units with four pilot tones; or 106-tone resource units with four pilot tones, wherein the resource units are arranged in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDMA) block, and Generating, in response to the trigger frame, an uplink data unit according to the individual resource unit allocation for transmission in the OFDMA block during the TXOP.

Description

FIELD OF EXPERTISE

[0001] Embodiments relate to wireless communication in a wireless local area network (WLAN). Some embodiments relate to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDMA) tone allocation concept. Some embodiments relate to bandwidth resource allocations. Some embodiments relate to resource allocations for uplink or downlink transmission capabilities. Some embodiments relate to the 802.11ax standard of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). BACKGROUND

[0002] One problem in wireless local area networks (WLANs) is the efficient use of the wireless network. Often, many devices may exist that share the wireless medium, and it can be difficult to determine how the wireless medium should be shared. Furthermore, when OFDMA is used, the wireless medium may be used by more than one wireless device simultaneously. In addition, the wireless network may support different protocols, including legacy protocols. Therefore, there is a general need for systems and methods for efficient use of the wireless medium, and in particular, for determining how the wireless medium should be allocated for OFDMA use. Background information and exemplary approaches to solutions can be found in the following documents: WO 2014 / 172201 A1, WO 2013 / 169756 A1, US 2011 / 0235744 A1, US 2012 / 0324315 A1, US 2014 / 0128066 A1, WO 2013 / 103543A1, US 2014 / 0071996 A1. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which similar references indicate similar elements and in which: Fig. 1 illustrates a wireless local area network (WLAN) according to some embodiments; Fig. 2 illustrates a table illustrating tone assignment for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz according to some embodiments; Fig. 3 illustrates a table summarizing resource unit (RU) sizes, maximum number of allocations, unused tones, and unused tones with 2 x 498 for each operating bandwidth according to some embodiments; Fig. 4 illustrates a structure for RUs for a 20 MHz channel according to some embodiments; Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B illustrates a structure for RUs for a 40 MHz channel according to some embodiments; Fig. 6A and Fig. 6B illustrates a structure for RUs for an 80 MHz channel according to some embodiments; Fig. 7 illustrates a method for resource allocation of bandwidth according to some embodiments; Fig. 8 illustrates an exemplary resource allocation of an 80 MHz bandwidth according to some embodiments; Fig. 9 illustrates an exemplary resource allocation of an 80 MHz bandwidth according to some embodiments; and Fig. 10 illustrates a HEW device according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0004] The following description and drawings illustrate specific embodiments sufficiently to enable those skilled in the art to practice them. Other embodiments may incorporate structural, logical, electrical, procedural, or other changes. Portions and features of some embodiments may be included in, or substituted for, other embodiments. Embodiments recited in the claims include all available equivalents of those claims.

[0005] Fig. Figure 1 illustrates a wireless local area network (WLAN) according to some embodiments. The WLAN may include a basic service set (BSS) 100, which may include a main station 102, which may be an access point (AP); a plurality of high-performance WLAN (HEW) stations 104 (e.g., IEEE 802.11ax); and a plurality of legacy devices 106 (e.g., IEEE 802.11n / ac).

[0006] The main station 102 may be an AP that uses the 802.11 communication protocol to transmit and receive. The main station 102 may be a base station. The main station 102 may use other communication protocols as well as the 802.11 protocol. The 802.11 protocol may be 802.11ax. The 802.11 protocol may include the use of orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA), time-division multiple access (TDMA), and / or code-division multiple access (CDMA). The 802.11 protocol may include a multiple access method. For example, the 802.11 protocol may include space-division multiple access (SDMA) and / or multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) multi-user (MU) (MU-MIMO).

[0007] The HEW stations 104 may operate according to 802.11ax or another 802.11 standard. The legacy devices 106 may operate according to one or more of the 802.11a / g / n / ac standards or another legacy wireless communication standard. In exemplary embodiments, the HEW stations 104 may be referred to as high-performance (HE) stations. The legacy devices 106 may be stations.

[0008] The HEW stations 104 may be wireless transmit and receive devices such as mobile phones, wireless handheld devices, wireless eyeglasses, wireless watches, wireless personal devices, tablets, or other devices capable of transmitting and receiving using the 802.11 protocol such as 802.11ax or another wireless protocol.

[0009] The BSS 100 may operate on a primary channel and one or more secondary channels or subchannels. The BSS 100 may include one or more master stations 102. According to embodiments, the master station 102 may communicate with one or more of the HEW stations 104 on one or more of the secondary channels or subchannels, or on the primary channel. In example embodiments, the master station 102 communicates with the legacy devices 106 on the primary channel. In other example embodiments, the master station 102 communicates with the legacy devices 106 on secondary channels or subchannels. In example embodiments, the master station 102 may be configured to simultaneously communicate with one or more of the HEW stations 104 on one or more of the secondary channels and a legacy device 106 using only the primary channel and none of the secondary channels.In exemplary embodiments, the master station 102 may simultaneously communicate with one or more of the HEW stations 104 on one or more of the secondary channels and a legacy device 106 on a primary channel or a secondary channel.

[0010] The master station 102 may communicate with the legacy devices 106 according to legacy IEEE 802.11 communication techniques. In exemplary embodiments, the master station 102 may also be configured to communicate with the HEW stations 104 according to legacy IEEE 802.11 communication techniques. The legacy IEEE 802.11 communication techniques may refer to any IEEE 802.11 communication technique prior to IEEE 802.11ax.

[0011] In some embodiments, a HEW frame may be configurable to have the same bandwidth, and the bandwidth may be one of a contiguous bandwidth of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz, or a non-contiguous bandwidth of 80 + 80 MHz (160 MHz). In some embodiments, 78.125 KHz may be used for the subcarrier spacing, where 256 subcarriers or tones may be provided for a 20 MHz bandwidth. In some embodiments, bandwidths of 20 MHz (256 tones), 2.03125 MHz (26 tones), 4.0625 MHz (52 tones), 8.125 MHz (104 tones), and 18.90625 MHz (242 tones), or a combination thereof, may also be used. In some embodiments, the bandwidths may vary depending on how many tones are used. In some embodiments, different bandwidths are used, which may be less than 320 MHz.For example, only 102 data tones out of 104 tones may be used, and some of the remaining tones may be used for pilot tones; for example, 4, 5, or 6 tones may be used for pilot tones. In exemplary embodiments, the exact bandwidth would then be 102 data + 4 pilot tones = 106 x 78.125 KHz = 8.28125 MHz; 102 data + 5 pilot tones = 107 x 78.125 KHz = 8.359375 MHz; and 102 data + 6 pilot tones = 108 x 78.125 KHz = 8.4375 MHz. A HEW frame may be configured to transmit a number of spatial streams.

[0012] In other embodiments, the main station 102, the HEW stations 104 and / or the legacy devices 106 may also implement different technologies, for example, CDMA 2000, CDMA 2000 1X, CDMA 2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Long Term Evolution (LTE), the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM-EDGE (GERAN), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), BlueTooth® or other technologies.

[0013] In exemplary embodiments, when the master station 102 transmits a beacon only on a primary channel, the HEW stations 104 and the legacy devices 106 must receive the beacon on the primary channel every multiple of a beacon interval (e.g., every beacon interval, every 10th beacon interval, etc.) to maintain their synchronization with the system (e.g., master station 102).

[0014] In exemplary embodiments, the HEW stations 104 and / or the main station 102 are configured to implement the Fig. 1-8, such as creating a resource allocation for a bandwidth, transmitting the resource allocation to the HEW stations 104, receiving the resource allocation, and operating according to the resource allocation.

[0015] Some embodiments relate to high-performance wireless communications, including high-performance WLAN (HEW) communications. According to some embodiments of IEEE 802.11ax (HEW), the master station 102 may operate as a master station, which may be arranged to compete (e.g., during a contention period) for a wireless medium to achieve exclusive control of the medium for a HEW control period (i.e., a transmit opportunity (TXOP)). The master station 102 may transmit a trigger frame at the beginning of the HEW control period. The master station 102 may transmit a period of the TXOP. During the HEW control period, the HEW stations 104 may communicate with the master station 102 according to a non-contention-based multiple access method.This is different from conventional WLAN communications, in which devices communicate according to a contention-based communication method rather than a multiple access method. During the HEW control period, master station 102 may communicate with HEW stations 104 using one or more HEW frames. During the HEW control period, legacy devices 106 may not communicate. In some embodiments, the trigger frame may be referred to as a HEW control and scheduling transmission.

[0016] In some embodiments, the multiple access method applied during the HEW control period may be a desired OFDMA method, although this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, the multiple access method may be MU-MIMO. In some embodiments, the multiple access method may be a combination of OFDMA and MU-MIMO. In some embodiments, the multiple access method may be a TDMA method or an FDMA method. In some embodiments, the multiple access method may be an SDMA method.

[0017] The master station 102 may also communicate with legacy devices 106 according to legacy IEEE 802.11 communication techniques. In some embodiments, the master station 102 may also be configurable to communicate with HEW stations 104 outside of the HEW control period according to the legacy IEEE 802.11 communication techniques, although this is not a requirement.

[0018] Fig. 2 illustrates a table 200 illustrating tone assignment for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz according to some embodiments. In Fig. 2 illustrates an FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) size 202, DC and EDGE (DC+EDGE) tones 204, and usable tones 206 for subchannels of 20 MHz 208, 40 MHz 210, and 80 MHz 212. The tone allocation may be the same for both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz 214. In some embodiments, the number of tones allocated for DC+EDGE 204 may be a different number of tones.

[0019] Fig. 3 illustrates a table 300 that summarizes resource unit (RU) sizes 308, maximum number of allocations 310, unused tones 312, and unused tones with 2 x 498 314 for each operating bandwidth 322, including 20 MHz 316, 40 MHz 318, and 80 MHz 320, according to some embodiments. In Fig. 3 also illustrates FFT size 302, DC+EDGE 304 and usable tones 306 for each bandwidth 322.

[0020] The RU sizes 308 show the RU sizes 308 that can be assigned for the bandwidth 322. For 20 MHz 316, the RU sizes 308 are 26, 52, 104, and 242 tones. For 40 MHz 318, the RU sizes 308 are 26, 52, 104, 242, and 498 tones. For 80 MHz 320, the RU sizes 308 are 26, 52, 104, 242, 498, and 996 tones. The maximum number of assignments 310 shows the maximum number of HEW stations 104 that can be assigned to an RU for the bandwidth 322. The following shows how the maximum number of HEW stations 104 can be realized for the different bandwidths 322. For 20 MHz 316, 9 HEW stations 104 can be assigned 26 tones each. For 40 MHz 318, 9 HEW stations 104 can be assigned 26 tones each, and one HEW station 104 can be assigned 242 tones. For 80 MHz 320, 9 HEW stations 104 can be assigned 26 tones each, one HEW station 104 can be assigned 242 tones, and one HEW station 104 can be assigned 498 tones.

[0021] The unused tones 312 indicate the number of unused tones when 26, 52, 104, and 242 RU sizes are used. The unused tones 314 2 x 498 indicate the number of unused tones when two 498 RUs are used.

[0022] Fig. Figure 4 illustrates a structure for RUs for a 20 MHz channel 400 according to some embodiments. A tone index 402 is illustrated along the horizontal axis, and usable tones 404 and different RU structures are illustrated along the vertical axis.

[0023] Usable tones 404 illustrate the tones available for RUs. 26-tone RUs 406 is a tone structure in which there are nine 26-tone RUs. There are four 26-tone RUs on either side of the 0-tone index 402 and one 26-tone RU spanning the 0-tone index 402. The black lines 414 illustrate eight interleaved zero subcarriers between the eight 26-tone RUs. 52-tone RU and one 26-tone RU 408 is another tone structure in which there are four 52-tone RUs and one 26-tone RU. The black lines 416 indicate two zeros between the 52-tone RUs. 104-Tone RU and One 26-Tone RU 410 is another tone structure in which there are two 104-tone RUs and one 26-tone RU. The black lines 418 can be four zeros between the 104-tone RU and the middle 26-tone RU. 242-Tone RU 412 is another tone structure in which there is a 242-tone RU with zeros in the middle of the 0-tone index 402.Those skilled in the art will recognize that a different number of zeros may be used.

[0024] In example embodiments, a resource allocation may include one to nine RUs from the 20 MHz channel. A resource allocation may include nine RUs, all nine of which are 26-tone RUs 406. A resource allocation may include seven RUs with five 26-tone RUs 406 and two 52-tone RUs. A resource allocation may include six RUs with five 26-tone RUs and one 104-tone RU. A resource allocation may include one 242-tone RU 412. In example embodiments, the zeros may be distributed differently, and there may be fewer or more zeros.

[0025] The Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B illustrate structures for RUs for a 40 MHz channel 500, 550 according to some embodiments. A tone index 502 is illustrated along the horizontal axis, and different RU structures are illustrated along the vertical axis. In Fig. 5A illustrates a structure for RUs for a 40 MHz channel 500, which may include two 20 MHz channels 514, 516. In exemplary embodiments, one of the 20 MHz channels 514, 516 may be one of the structures of the RUs for a 20 MHz channel 400, which may be Fig. 4, and the other 20 MHz channel 514, 516 may comprise a 242-tone RU 504. The structure for RUs for the 40 MHz channel 500 may comprise a 498-tone RU 506 with zeros 510 in the middle. In exemplary embodiments, both 20 MHz channels 514, 516 may comprise the structure of RUs for a 20 MHz channel 400 described with respect to Fig. 4.

[0026] In some embodiments, the maximum RUs for a 40 MHz channel are ten, which exceeds the maximum of nine RUs for a Fig. 4 and a 242-tone RU 504, which may include zeros 508 in the middle. There may be zeros 510 between the structure of the RUs for a 20 MHz channel 400 and the 242-tone RUs 504.

[0027] In Fig. Figure 5B illustrates a structure for RUs for a 40 MHz channel 550. Usable tones 554 illustrate the tones available for RUs. 26-tone RUs 556 is a tone structure in which there are eighteen 26-tone RUs. There may be four 26-tone RUs on either side of a 26-tone center RU 564 for each of the two 20 MHz channels 514, 516. Interleaved zero subcarriers and / or pilot tones may be part of or between the eighteen 26-tone RUs 556. 52-Tone RUs and 26-Tone RUs 558 is a tone structure with two 52-tone RUs on either side of a 26-tone RU 564 for each of the two 20-MHz channels 514, 516. Interleaved zero subcarriers and / or pilot tones may be part of or between the eight 52-tone RUs and two 26-tone RUs 564. 104-Tone RUs and 26-Tone RUs 560 is a tone structure with two 104-tone RUs on either side of a 26-tone RU 564 for each of the two 20-MHz channels 514, 516.Interleaved zero subcarriers and / or pilot tones may be part of or between the four 104-tone RUs and the two 26-tone RUs 564. A 242-tone RU 562 is a tone structure with two 242-tone RUs. Interleaved zero subcarriers and / or pilot tones may be part of or between the two 242-tone RUs 562. A 498-tone RU 568 is a tone structure with one 498-tone RU 568. Interleaved zero subcarriers and / or pilot tones may be part of the 498-tone RU 564.

[0028] The Fig. 6A and Fig. 6B illustrate structures for RUs for an 80 MHz channel 600, 650 according to some embodiments. A tone index 602 is illustrated along the horizontal axis, and different RU structures are illustrated along the vertical axis. In Fig. 6A illustrates a structure for RUs for an 80 MHz channel 600, which may include two 40 MHz channels 608, 610. In exemplary embodiments, one of the 40 MHz channels 608, 610 may comprise one of the structures of RUs for a 40 MHz channel 500, 550, which is Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B, and the other 40 MHz channel 608, 610 may have a 498-tone RU 604. In exemplary embodiments, both of the 40 MHz channels 608, 610 may have structures of RUs for a 40 MHz channel 500, 550 described in the Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B. The structure for RUs for the 80 MHz channel 600 may include a 996-tone RU 606 with center zeros 612.

[0029] In exemplary embodiments, the maximum RUs for an 80 MHz channel are eleven, which exceeds the maximum of 9 RUs for a 20 MHz channel, which is Fig. 4, a 242-tone RU 504, which, in terms of Fig. 5A, and includes a 498-tone RU 604. There may be zeros 612 between the structure of RUs for a 40 MHz channel 500 and the 498-tone RUs 604.

[0030] The structure for RUs for an 80 MHz channel 600 can be easily scaled for use with 160 MHz or 80+80 MHz channel widths, where the next 80 MHz is either the entire 80 MHz channel or the entire 160 MHz channel.

[0031] In Fig. Figure 6B illustrates a structure for RUs for an 80 MHz channel 650. Usable tones 654 illustrate the tones available for RUs. 26-tone RUs 656 is a tone structure with 37 26-tone RUs. Interleaved zero subcarriers and / or pilot tones may be part of or between the 37 26-tone RUs 654. A 26-tone RU 652 may be present midway between two 40 MHz channels 664.

[0032] 52-tone RUs and 26-tone RUs 658 is a tone structure with sixteen 52-tone RUs and five 26-tone RUs with a 26-tone RU 652 in the center. Interleaved zero subcarriers and / or pilot tones can be part of or between the sixteen 52-tone RUs and five 26-tone RUs 658.

[0033] 104-tone RUs and 26-tone RUs 660 is a tone structure with eight 104-tone RUs and five 26-tone RUs with a 26-tone RU 652 in the center. Interleaved zero subcarriers and / or pilot tones can be part of or between the eight 104-tone RUs and five 26-tone RUs 660.

[0034] 242-Tone RUs and 26-Tone RU 662 is a tone structure with four 242-tone RUs and one 26-tone RU 652. Interleaved zero subcarriers and / or pilot tones can be part of or between the four 242-tone RUs 662 and the 26-tone RU 652. 498-Tone RU and 26-Tone RU 664 is a tone structure with two 498-tone RUs and one 26-tone RU 652. Interleaved zero subcarriers and / or pilot tones can be part of the two 498-tone RUs and one 26-tone RU 652. 996-Tone RU 666 is a tone structure with one 996-tone RU. Interleaved zero subcarriers and / or pilot tones may be part of the 996-tone RU 666. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the number of tones may vary depending on how many tones are used for zero subcarriers and pilot tones.

[0035] Fig. 7 illustrates a method 700 for resource allocation of a bandwidth according to some embodiments. The method 700 begins at operation 702 by generating a resource allocation for a first portion of a bandwidth, where each resource allocation is a multiple of a base resource allocation or the entire first portion. For example, a master station 102 may determine a resource allocation for an OFDMA tone allocation for multi-user operation in 802.11ax, which may be an uplink or downlink multi-user transmission capability.

[0036] The waveform can operate with a symbol duration four times (4x) longer than existing IEEE 802.11 OFDMA waveforms (VHT, HT, or non-HT) defined in existing IEEE 802.11 standards, such as legacy IEEE 802.11 a / g / n / ac. For example, the waveform can range from 13.2 microseconds (µs) to 16 µs.

[0037] The alt-symbol duration can be any of the following: for a short cyclic prefix (CP): 3.2 µs + 0.4 µs = 3.6 µs; for a regular CP: 3 µs + 0 µs = 4 µs. The four times the alt-symbol duration can be any of the following: for a short CP: (3.2) x 4 + 0.4 = 13.2 µs; and for a long CP: (3.2) x 4 + (0.8 x 4) = 16 µs.

[0038] The 1024-point Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) can be used with 4x the symbol period of 11 n / ac and can be used in both outdoor and indoor environments. In exemplary embodiments, in an outdoor environment, a four times longer symbol period enables the use of a more efficient CP to overcome the longer delay propagation, and in an indoor environment, it allows for a more relaxed demand for clock timing accuracy.

[0039] The base resource allocation can be 26 tones. The resource allocation can be one of the fabric resource allocations for RUs for a 20 MHz channel 400 ( Fig. 4). For example, the resource allocation may be nine 26-tone resource allocations, four 52-tone resource allocations, etc. The resource allocation may also be the entire bandwidth of 242 tones. The OFDMA allocations may have fixed positions, as shown in the Fig. 4, Fig. 5A, Fig. 5B, Fig. 6A and Fig. 6B is shown.

[0040] The method 700 may continue at operation 704 by determining whether more portions of the bandwidth are to be allocated. If more portions of the bandwidth are to be allocated, the method 700 continues by generating a resource allocation for a next portion of the bandwidth at operation 706. In example embodiments, the bandwidth of the next portion is at least as large as the bandwidth of all previous allocations combined. For example, the bandwidth to be allocated may be 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or another bandwidth value. The bandwidth may be 80 MHz, in which case the next portion for the next 20 MHz channel may be 516 ( Fig. 5A), which may be the 242-tone RUs 504, or the entire 40 MHz channel may be assigned to a 498-tone RU 506. The assignment of the next 20 MHz channel 516 is at least as large as any assignment in the first 20 MHz channel 514, since the 242-tone RU 504 is the smallest in the next 20 MHz channel 516, and the largest assignment in the first 20 MHz channel 514 is 242 tones.

[0041] In example embodiments, the allocation of the next portion is a multiple of a base resource allocation or the total bandwidth of the next portion. For example, the base resource allocations may be 26 tones, 52 tones, 104 tones, or 242 tones for the bandwidth equal to 20 MHz; 26 tones, 52 tones, 104 tones, 242 tones, or 498 tones for the bandwidth equal to 40 MHz; and 26 tones, 52 tones, 104 tones, 242 tones, 498 tones, or 996 tones for the bandwidth equal to 80 MHz.

[0042] The method 700 may return to operation 704 to determine whether more bandwidth is to be allocated. Another 40 MHz channel 610 may be allocated, as in Fig. 6A. The method 700 may continue with generating a resource allocation for a next portion of the bandwidth at operation 706. In example embodiments, the next portion of the bandwidth is at least as large as the bandwidth of all previous allocations combined. The resource allocations available for the second 40 MHz channel 610 are 498-tone RUs 604 or a 996-tone RU 606 for the entire 80 MHz channel, both of which are at least as large as any resource allocation for the first 40 MHz channel 608. In example embodiments, the allocation of the next portion is a multiple of a base resource allocation or the entire bandwidth of the next portion.

[0043] The method 700 may return to operation 704 with determining whether more portions of bandwidth need to be allocated. There may be no more portions of bandwidth to be allocated; in this case, the method 700 continues with transmitting the resource allocation at operation 708. For example, a master station 102 may transmit the resource allocations to one or more HEW stations 104. In example embodiments, the master station 102 may determine the size of the resource allocations based on a number of HEW stations 104 associated with the master station 102. In example embodiments, more portions of bandwidth may need to be allocated. For example, the bandwidth may be 160 MHz or 320 MHz.

[0044] Example embodiments provide a limited number of multiplex users in each bandwidth. For example, in Fig. 4 a 20 MHz BSS provides up to 9 users; in the Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B provides a 40 MHz BSS for up to 10 users; in the Fig. 6A and Fig. 6B, an 80 MHz BSS provides up to 11 users. In exemplary embodiments, a 160 MHz BSS (not shown) can provide up to 12 users, and a 320 MHz BSS (not shown) can provide up to 13 users.

[0045] Fig. 8 illustrates an exemplary resource allocation 800 of an 80 MHz bandwidth 804 according to some embodiments. In Fig. 8 illustrates the 80 MHz bandwidth 804, a 20 MHz channel 806, a 20 MHz channel 808, a 40 MHz channel 810, a tone index 802, and RU assignments 812, 814, 816, 818, 820, 822.

[0046] The RU allocation 812 may include 9 26-tone resource allocations as illustrated in the 26-tone RU 406 ( Fig. 4). The RU assignment 814 may include two 52-tone resource assignments as illustrated in the 52-tone RU 408. The RU assignment 816 may include a 26-tone assignment such as the middle 26-tone RU illustrated in Fig. 4. The RU assignment 818 may be a 104-tone assignment such as that illustrated in the 104-tone RU 410. The RU assignment 820 may be a 26-tone assignment. The RU assignment 822 may be two 242-tone assignments such as the 242-tone RU 504 ( Fig. 5A).

[0047] Fig. 9 illustrates an exemplary resource allocation 900 of an 80 MHz bandwidth 922 according to some embodiments. In Fig. 9 illustrates the 80 MHz bandwidth 922, a 40 MHz channel 916, a 20 MHz channel 918, a 20 MHz channel 920, a tone index 902, and RU assignments 904, 906, 907, 908, 910, 912, and 914.

[0048] The RU assignment 904 is a 40 MHz wide RU such as that illustrated with respect to the 40 MHz channel 608 ( Fig. 6A). The RU assignment 906 may be a 26-tone RU. The RU assignment 907 includes two 26-tone RUs, such as the 26-tone RU 406 ( Fig. 4). The RU assignment 908 is a 52-tone RU such as the 52-tone RU 408. The RU assignment 910 is a 26-tone assignment such as the 26-tone RU, which is 0 in Fig. 4. The RU assignment 912 is a 104-tone RU such as the 104-tone RU 410. The RU assignment 914 is a 242-tone assignment such as the 242-tone RU 412.

[0049] The bandwidth of the 20 MHz channel 918 can then be divided as follows: two 26-tone RUs from the 26-tone RU 406, one 52-tone RU and one 26-tone RU 408, and one 104-tone RU 410.

[0050] Fig. 10 illustrates a HEW device 1000 according to some embodiments. The HEW device 1000 may be a HEW-compliant device that may be arranged to communicate with one or more other HEW devices, such as the HEW stations 104 ( Fig. 1) or the main station 102 ( Fig. 1) and to communicate with legacy devices 106 ( Fig. 1). The HEW stations 104 and legacy devices 106 may also be referred to as HEW stations (STAs) and legacy STAs, respectively. The HEW device 1000 may be configured to operate as the master station 102 ( Fig. 1) or HEW station 104 ( Fig. 1). According to embodiments, the HEW device 1000 may include, among other things, a transmit / receive element such as an antenna 1001, a transceiver 1002, a physical layer circuitry (PHY) 1004, and a medium access control layer circuitry (MAC) 1006. The PHY 1004 and MAC 1006 may be HEW-compliant layers and may also be compliant with one or more legacy IEEE 802.11 standards. The MAC 1006 may be arranged to, among other things, configure physical protocol data units (PPDUs) and transmit and receive PPDUs. The HEW device 1000 may also include other circuitry 1008 and memory 1010 configured to perform the various operations described herein. The circuit arrangement 1008 may be a circuit arrangement for hardware processing.The circuit arrangement 1008 may be coupled to the transceiver 1002, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 1001. Even if . Fig. 10 illustrates the circuitry 1008 and the transceiver 1002 as separate components, the circuitry 1008 and the transceiver 1002 may be integrated with each other in an electronic package or chip.

[0051] In some embodiments, MAC 1006 may be arranged to compete for a wireless medium during a contention period, to receive control of the medium for a HEW control period, and to configure a HEW PPDU. In some embodiments, MAC 1006 may be arranged to compete for the wireless medium based on channel contention settings, a transmit power level, and a clear channel assessment (CCA) level.

[0052] The PHY 1004 may be arranged to transmit the HEW PPDU. The PHY 1004 may include circuitry for modulation / demodulation, upconversion / downconversion, filtering, amplification, etc. In some embodiments, the circuitry 1008 may include one or more processors. The circuitry 1008 may be configured to perform functions based on instructions stored in RAM or ROM or based on special-purpose circuitry. In some embodiments, the circuitry 1008 may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein in conjunction with the Fig. 1-10 to execute.

[0053] In some embodiments, two or more antennas 1001 may be coupled to the PHY 1004 and arranged to transmit and receive signals, including transmitting HEW packets. The transceiver 1002 may transmit and receive data such as the HEW PPDUs and packets that include an indication that the HEW device 1000 should adjust the channel contention settings according to the settings included in the packet. The memory 1010 may store information for configuring the other circuitry to implement the Fig. 1-10, such as generating a resource allocation for a bandwidth, transmitting the resource allocation to the HEW stations 104, receiving the resource allocation, and operating according to the resource allocation.

[0054] In some embodiments, the HEW device 1000 may be configured to communicate over a multi-carrier communication channel using the OFDMA communication signal. In some embodiments, the HEW device 1000 may be configured to operate according to one or more specific communication standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards, including IEEE 802.11-2012, 802.11n-2009, 802.11ac-2013, 802.11ax, DensiFi, standards and / or proposed specifications for WLANs, or other standards as in connection with Fig.1, although the scope of the disclosed embodiments is not limited in this regard, as the HEW device 1000 may also be adapted to transmit and / or receive communications according to other methods and standards. In some embodiments, the HEW device 1000 may use 4x the symbol period of 802.11n or 802.11ac.

[0055] In some embodiments, the HEW device 1000 may be part of a portable wireless communication device such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop or portable computer with wireless communication capability, a web tablet, a wireless phone, a smartphone, a wireless headset, a pager, an instant messaging device, a digital camera, an access point, a television, a medical device (e.g., a heart rate monitor, a blood pressure monitor, etc.), a base station, a transmitting / receiving device for a wireless standard such as 802.11 or 802.16, or any other device capable of transmitting and / or receiving information wirelessly.In some embodiments, the portable wireless communication device may include one or more of a keyboard, a display, a non-volatile memory port, multiple antennas 1001, a graphics processor, an application processor, speakers, and other mobile device elements. The display may be an LCD display including a touchscreen.

[0056] The antennas 1001 may comprise one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, switching antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas, or other types of antennas suitable for transmitting RF signals. In some MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) embodiments, the antennas 1001 may be effectively separated to exploit the spatial diversity and different channel characteristics that may result.

[0057] Although the HEW device 1000 is illustrated as having some separate functional elements, one or more of the functional elements may be combined and implemented by combinations of software-configured elements, such as processing elements including digital signal processors (DSPs), and / or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may include one or more microprocessors, DSPs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), and combinations of various hardware and logic circuitry for performing at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, the functional elements may relate to one or more methods operating on one or more processing elements.

[0058] The following examples relate to further embodiments. Example 1 is a master station of a high-performance wireless local area network (HEW). The HEW master station may include circuitry configured to generate one or more resource allocations of a bandwidth for one or more HEW stations, wherein each resource allocation for a first portion of the bandwidth is a multiple of a base resource allocation or the entire first portion of the bandwidth, and to transmit the one or more resource allocations and a time duration to the one or more HEW stations. The one or more resource allocations may be for one of the following group: an uplink transmission opportunity and a downlink data transmission from the HEW master station for a time based on the time duration.The circuitry may be further configured to operate according to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDMA) and according to the one or more resource allocations.

[0059] In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1 can optionally include each of the one or more resource allocations being from the following group: 26 tones, 52 tones, 104 tones, and 242 tones for the bandwidth equal to 20 MHz; 26 tones, 52 tones, 104 tones, 242 tones, and 498 tones for the bandwidth equal to 40 MHz; and 26 tones, 52 tones, 104 tones, 242 tones, 498 tones, and 996 tones for the bandwidth equal to 80 MHz.

[0060] In Example 3, the subject matter of Examples 1 or 2 can optionally include wherein the one or more resource allocations comprise one or more resource allocations for one or more subsequent portions of the bandwidth, and wherein each of the one or more resource allocations for the one or more subsequent portions of the bandwidth is a multiple of the base resource allocation or an entire bandwidth of the subsequent portion of the bandwidth.

[0061] In Example 4, the subject matter of any of Examples 1-3 can optionally include the one or more resource allocations comprising at most one resource allocation for a second portion of the bandwidth that is at least as large as the first portion of the bandwidth.

[0062] In Example 5, the subject matter of Example 4 can optionally include the base resource allocation being 26 tones, the first portion of the bandwidth being 20 MHz, and the second portion of the bandwidth being 20 MHz.

[0063] In Example 6, the subject matter of Example 1 can optionally include that there is only one resource allocation for a third portion of the bandwidth that is at least as large as a bandwidth of the first portion and the second portion of the bandwidth combined, and that the third portion of the bandwidth is 40 MHz.

[0064] In Example 7, the subject matter of Example 1 can optionally include that there is only one resource allocation for a fourth portion of the bandwidth that is at least as large as a bandwidth of the first portion, the second portion, and the third portion of the bandwidth combined, and that the fourth portion of the bandwidth is 80 MHz.

[0065] In Example 8, the subject matter of Example 5 can optionally include each of the one or more resource allocations for the one or more HEW stations for the first portion of the bandwidth comprising one of the following group: nine 26-tone allocations; four 26-tone allocations on a first side of the first portion, one 26-tone allocation spanning a zero, and two 52-tone allocations on a second side of the first portion; four 26-tone allocations on the first side of the first portion, one 26-tone allocation to span the zero, and one 104-tone allocation on the second side of the first portion; one 26-tone allocation to span the zero, and four 52-tone allocations; a 26-tone assignment to span the zero, two 52-tone assignments on the first side of the first part, and a 104-tone assignment on the second side of the first part;a 26-tone assignment to span zero, and two 104-tone assignments, and a 242-tone assignment.;

[0066] In Example 9, the subject matter of Example 8 can optionally include wherein each of the one or more resource allocations for the one or more HEW stations for the first portion of the bandwidth and the second portion of the bandwidth comprises one of the following group: a resource allocation for 20 MHz in the first portion of the bandwidth and a 242-tone allocation in the second portion of the bandwidth; and a single resource allocation of 498 tones spanning both the first portion of the bandwidth and the second portion of the bandwidth.

[0067] In Example 10, the subject matter of Example 1 can optionally include wherein each of the one or more resource allocations for the one or more HEW stations for the first portion of the bandwidth and the second portion of the bandwidth comprises one of the following group: a resource allocation for 20 MHz in the first portion of the bandwidth and a 242-tone allocation in the second portion of the bandwidth; and a single resource allocation of 484 tones spanning both the first portion of the bandwidth and the second portion of the bandwidth; and wherein each of the one or more resource allocations for the first portion, the second portion, and a third portion of 40 MHz comprises one of the following group: a resource allocation for the first portion and the second portion and a 498-tone allocation; and a single resource allocation of 996 tones.

[0068] In Example 11, the subject matter of any of Examples 1-10 can optionally include the bandwidth being part of a 2.4 GHz range or part of a 5 GHz range.

[0069] In Example 12, the subject matter of any of Examples 1-11 can optionally include the circuitry being further configured to transmit a symbol duration 4x longer than a legacy symbol duration of 4 microseconds (µs).

[0070] In Example 13, the subject matter of any of Examples 1-12 can optionally include memory coupled to the circuitry.

[0071] In Example 14, the subject matter of any of Examples 1-13 can optionally include one or more antennas coupled to the circuitry.

[0072] Example 15 is a method performed on a master station of a high-performance wireless local area network (HEW). The method may include generating one or more resource allocations of bandwidth for one or more HEW stations, wherein each resource allocation for a first portion of the bandwidth is a multiple of a base resource allocation or the entire first portion of the bandwidth, and transmitting the one or more resource allocations and a time duration to the one or more HEW stations. The method may further include transmitting to or receiving from the one or more HEW stations, respectively, according to an uplink transmission opportunity or a downlink data transmission from the master HEW station for a time based on the time duration.The transmitting to or receiving from may be performed according to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDMA) and according to the one or more resource allocations.

[0073] In Example 16, the subject matter of Example 15 can optionally include each of the one or more resource allocations being one of the following group: 26 tones, 52 tones, 104 tones, 242 tones for the bandwidth equal to 20 MHz; 26 tones, 52 tones, 104 tones, 242 tones, and 498 tones for the bandwidth equal to 40 MHz; and 26 tones, 52 tones, 104 tones, 242 tones, 498 tones, and 996 tones for the bandwidth equal to 80 MHz.

[0074] In Example 17, the subject matter of Examples 15 or 16 can optionally include where the one or more resource allocations include one or more resource allocations for one or more subsequent portions of the bandwidth, and where each of the one or more resource allocations for the one or more subsequent portions of the bandwidth is a multiple of the base resource allocation or an entire bandwidth of the subsequent portion of the bandwidth.

[0075] In Example 18, the subject matter of any of Examples 15-17 can optionally include the one or more resource allocations comprising at most one resource allocation for a second portion of the bandwidth that is at least as large as the first portion of the bandwidth.

[0076] In Example 19, the subject matter of Example 18 can optionally include the base resource allocation being 26 tones, the first portion of the bandwidth being 20 MHz, and the second portion of the bandwidth being 20 MHz.

[0077] Example 20 is a station of a high-performance wireless local area network (HEW). The HEW station may include circuitry configured to receive one or more resource allocations of a bandwidth and a time duration. Each resource allocation for a first portion of the bandwidth may be a multiple of a base resource allocation or the entire first portion of the bandwidth. The circuitry may be further configured to transmit to or receive from a HEW main station according to an uplink transmission capability or a downlink data transmission from the HEW main station for a time based on the time duration, wherein the transmitting to or receiving is according to orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) and according to the one or more resource allocations.

[0078] In Example 21, the subject matter of Example 20 can optionally include each of the one or more resource allocations being one of the following group: 26 tones, 52 tones, 104 tones, 242 tones for a bandwidth equal to 20 MHz; 26 tones, 52 tones, 104 tones, 242 tones, and 498 tones for the bandwidth equal to 40 MHz; and 26 tones, 52 tones, 104 tones, 242 tones, 498 tones, and 996 tones for the bandwidth equal to 80 MHz.

[0079] In Example 22, the subject matter of Examples 20 or 21 can optionally include the one or more resource allocations comprising at most one resource allocation for a second portion of the bandwidth that is at least as large as the first portion of the bandwidth.

[0080] In Example 23, the subject matter of any of Examples 20-22 can optionally include memory coupled to the circuitry and one or more antennas coupled to the circuitry.

[0081] Example 24 is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for execution by one or more processors of a high-performance (HE) wireless local area network (WLAN) (HEW) device. The instructions may be to configure the one or more processors to cause the HEW device to generate one or more resource allocations of bandwidth for one or more HEW stations, wherein each resource allocation for a first portion of the bandwidth is a multiple of a base resource allocation or the entire first portion of the bandwidth, and wherein there is only one resource allocation for a second portion of the bandwidth that is at least as large as the first portion of the bandwidth.

[0082] In Example 25, the subject matter of Example 24 can optionally include the base resource allocation being 26 tones, the first portion of the bandwidth being 20 MHz, and the second portion of the bandwidth being 20 MHz.

[0083] The abstract is provided to comply with CFR 37, Section 1.72(b), which requires an abstract to enable the reader to determine the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it does not limit or construe the scope or meaning of the claims. The following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim individually standing for a separate embodiment.

Claims

[1] A wireless device configured for high performance (HE) operation, the device comprising: memory; and processing circuitry configured to: Receiving a trigger frame in a transmission opportunity (TXOP), the trigger frame comprising an allocation of resource units for uplink data transmission in the TXOP by a plurality of HE stations (STAs) comprising the wireless device, the allocation comprising a single resource unit allocation for the wireless device, wherein the resource units allocated by the trigger framework comprise any combination of the following: 26-tone resource units with two pilot tones; 52-tone resource units with four pilot tones; or 106-tone resource units with four pilot tones, wherein the resource units are arranged in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDMA) block, and Generating, in response to the trigger frame, an uplink data unit according to the individual resource unit allocation for transmission in the OFDMA block during the TXOP. [2] The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the resource units are allocated in a 20 MHz OFDMA block, the resource units comprise: up to nine 26-tone resource units with two pilot tones; up to four 52-tone resource units with four pilot tones; and up to two 106-tone resource units with four pilot tones, wherein the trigger frame comprises signaling to assign a single resource unit to each HE STA of the plurality of HE STAs. [3] The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the resource units allocated in the OFDMA block comprise any combination of two or more of the following: 26-tone resource units with two pilot tones; 52-tone resource units with four pilot tones; or 106-tone resource units with four pilot tones. [4] The apparatus of claim 2, wherein, when the resource units are allocated in a 40 MHz OFDMA block, the resource units comprise: up to 18 26-tone resource units with two pilot tones up to eight 52-tone resource units with four pilot tones, up to four 106-tone resource units with four pilot tones; and up to two 242-tone resource units with eight pilot tones, wherein the trigger frame comprises signaling to assign a single resource unit to each HE STA of the plurality of HE STAs. [5] The apparatus of claim 2, wherein, when the resource units are allocated in an 80 MHz OFDMA block, the resource units comprise: up to 37 26-tone resource units with two pilot tones; up to 16 52-tone resource units with four pilot tones; up to eight 106-tone resource units with four pilot tones; up to four 242-tone resource units with eight pilot tones; and up to two 484-tone resource units with 16 pilot tones, wherein the trigger frame comprises signaling to assign a single resource unit to each HE STA of the plurality of HE STAs. [6] The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the trigger frame is to trigger a response comprising the transmission of the uplink data unit. [7] The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to generate the uplink data unit for transmission as part of one or more multi-user uplink data units according to a multi-user (MU) multiple input multiple output (MIMO) (MU-MIMO) or an OFDMA method in the TXOP. [8] The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a HE STA and further comprises receive circuitry configured to: Receiving the trigger frame; and Transmitting the uplink data unit according to the individual resource unit allocation for the wireless device, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to decode the trigger frame to determine a tone configuration for the individual resource unit allocation for transmission of the uplink data unit. [9] The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising one or more antennas coupled to the receiving circuitry. [10] A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for execution by one or more processors of a wireless device configured for high-performance (HE) operation, the instructions to configure the wireless device to perform operations for: Receiving a trigger frame in a transmission opportunity (TXOP), the trigger frame comprising an allocation of resource units for uplink data transmission in the TXOP by a plurality of HE stations (STAs) comprising the wireless device, the allocation comprising a single resource unit allocation for the wireless device, wherein the resource units allocated by the trigger framework comprise any combination of the following: 26-tone resource units with two pilot tones; 52-tone resource units with four pilot tones; 106-tone resource units with four pilot tones; or a 242-tone resource unit with eight pilot tones, wherein the resource units are arranged in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDMA) block, and Generating, in response to the trigger frame, an uplink data unit according to the individual resource unit allocation for transmission in the OFDMA block during the TXOP. [11] The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein, when the resource units are allocated in a 20 MHz OFDMA block, the resource units comprise: up to nine 26-tone resource units with two pilot tones; up to four 52-tone resource units with four pilot tones; and up to two 106-tone resource units with four pilot tones, wherein the trigger frame comprises signaling to assign a single resource unit to each HE STA of the plurality of HE STAs. [12] The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein, when the resource units are allocated in a 40 MHz OFDMA block, the resource units comprise: up to 18 26-tone resource units with two pilot tones; up to eight 52-tone resource units with four pilot tones; up to four 106-tone resource units with four pilot tones; and up to two 242-tone resource units with eight pilot tones, wherein the trigger frame comprises signaling to assign a single resource unit to each HE STA of the plurality of HE STAs. [13] A method performed by a wireless device configured for high performance (HE) operation, the method comprising: Receiving a trigger frame in a transmission opportunity (TXOP), the trigger frame comprising an allocation of resource units for uplink data transmission in the TXOP by a plurality of HE stations (STAs) comprising the wireless device, the allocation comprising a single resource unit allocation for the wireless device, wherein the resource units allocated by the trigger framework comprise any combination of the following: 26-tone resource units with two pilot tones; 52-tone resource units with four pilot tones; 106-tone resource units with four pilot tones; or a 242-tone resource unit with eight pilot tones, wherein the resource units are arranged in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDMA) block, and Generating, in response to the trigger frame, an uplink data unit according to the individual resource unit allocation for transmission in the OFDMA block during the TXOP. [14] The method of claim 13, wherein: when the resource units are allocated in a 20 MHz OFDMA block, the resource units include: up to nine 26-tone resource units with two pilot tones; up to four 52-tone resource units with four pilot tones; and up to two 106-tone resource units with four pilot tones, when the resource units are allocated in a 40 MHz OFDMA block, the resource units include: up to 18 26-tone resource units with two pilot tones; up to eight 52-tone resource units with four pilot tones; up to four 106-tone resource units with four pilot tones; and up to two 242-tone resource units with eight pilot tones, wherein the trigger frame comprises signaling to assign a single resource unit to each HE STA of the plurality of HE STAs. [15] An access point device configured for high performance (HE) operation as a main station (STA), the device comprising: memory; and processing circuitry configured to: Configuring a resource unit allocation trigger frame comprising an allocation of a resource unit to each of the plurality of HE stations (HE STAs) for an uplink data transmission, wherein the allocated resource units comprise any combination of the following: 26-tone resource units with two pilot tones; 52-tone resource units with four pilot tones; or 106-tone resource units with four pilot tones, wherein the allocated resource units are arranged in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDMA) block, each STA being allocated a single resource unit, and Processing one or more uplink data units received by at least some of the HE STAs in the OFDMA block, wherein the uplink data units received in response to the trigger frame are received in a transmission opportunity (TXOP) from the main station. [16] The apparatus of claim 15, wherein, when the allocated resource units are in a 20 MHz OFDMA block, the resource units comprise: up to nine 26-tone resource units with two pilot tones; up to four 52-tone resource units with four pilot tones; and up to two 106-tone resource units with four pilot tones. [17] The apparatus of claim 15, wherein, when the allocated resource units are in a 40 MHz OFDMA block, the resource units comprise: up to 18 26-tone resource units with two pilot tones; up to eight 52-tone resource units with four pilot tones; up to four 106-tone resource units with four pilot tones; and up to two 242-tone resource units with eight pilot tones. [18] The apparatus of claim 15, wherein, when the allocated resource units are in an 80 MHz OFDMA block, the resource units comprise: up to 37 26-tone resource units with two pilot tones; up to 16 52-tone resource units with four pilot tones; up to eight 106-tone resource units with four pilot tones; up to four 242-tone resource units with eight pilot tones; and up to two 484-tone resource units with 16 pilot tones. [19] The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to generate the trigger frame for transmission to the HE STAs, the trigger frame to include signaling to allocate a plurality of the resource units in the OFDMA block, wherein a single one of the resource units is allocated to each of the plurality of HE STAs. [20] The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the trigger frame is configured for transmission in the TXOP, the trigger frame is to trigger a response comprising the transmissions of the uplink data units by the HE STAs. [21] The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the uplink data units comprise multi-user uplink data units received from the HE STAs in the TXOP, and wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to process one or more of the multi-user uplink data units from at least some of the HE STAs according to a multi-user (MU) MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) (MU-MIMO) or OFDMA method in the TXOP. [22] The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising processing circuitry configured to: Transmitting the trigger frame, which includes signaling for the allocation of the resource units; and Receiving the uplink data units. [23] The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising two or more antennas coupled to the receiving circuitry. [24] A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for execution by one or more processors of an access point device configured for high-performance (HE) operation as a main station (STA), the instructions to configure the device to perform operations for: Configuring a trigger frame for assigning a resource unit to each of a plurality of HE stations (HE STAs) for uplink data transmission, wherein the assigned resource units comprise any combination of the following: 26-tone resource units with two pilot tones; 52-tone resource units with four pilot tones; or 106-tone resource units with four pilot tones, wherein the allocated resource units are arranged in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDMA) block, each STA being allocated a single resource unit, and Processing one or more uplink data units received by at least some of the HE STAs in the OFDMA block, wherein the uplink data units received in response to the trigger frame are received in a transmission opportunity (TXOP) from the main station. [25] The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein the instructions further configure the device to generate the trigger frame for transmission to the HE STAs, the trigger frame to include signaling to assign a single one of the resource units to each of the plurality of HE STAs. [26] An access point device configured for high performance (HE) operation as a main station (STA), the device comprising: memory; and processing circuitry configured to: Assigning a resource unit to each of a plurality of HE stations (HE STAs) for downlink data reception, wherein the assigned resource units comprise any combination of the following: 26-tone resource units with two pilot tones; 52-tone resource units with four pilot tones; or 106-tone resource units with four pilot tones, wherein the allocated resource units are in an OFDMA block and each of the HE STAs is allocated to a single one of the resource units, and Generating one or more downlink data units for transmitting at least some of the HE STAs in the OFDMA block, wherein the downlink data units are generated according to the resource allocation. [27] The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the downlink data units comprise multi-user downlink data units, and wherein the multi-user data units are configured for transmission according to a multi-user (MU) multiple input multiple output (MIMO) (MU-MIMO) or an OFDMA method to at least some of the HE STAs. [28] The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to generate a trigger frame for transmission to the HE STAs, the trigger frame to comprise the allocation of resource units to the HE STAs for downlink data reception, and wherein, when the resource units are allocated for a 20 MHz OFDMA block, the resource units comprise: up to nine 26-tone resource units with two pilot tones; up to four 52-tone resource units with four pilot tones; and up to two 106-tone resource units with four pilot tones.

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