Apparatus and method for minimum resource unit allocation

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method of wireless communication of an access point (AP) is provided. In response to a bandwidth of a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) being less than or equal to an operating bandwidth of a mobile station (STA), the method may include generating the PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a first set of resource units (RUs). The first number of subcarriers may be associated with un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU. In response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of the STA, the method may include generating the PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set of RUs. The second number of subcarriers may be associated with un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA. The method may include transmitting the PPDU to the STA.

Description

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MINIMUM RESOURCE UNIT ALLOCATIONCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 448,958, filed February 28, 2023, entitled “MINIMUM RESOURCE UNIT ALLOCATION,” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.BACKGROUND

[0002] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatus and method for wireless communication.

[0003] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasts. In wireless local area network (WLAN) communication (e.g., such as Wi-Fi) and in cellular communication (e.g., such as the 4th-generation (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) and the 5th-generation (5G) New Radio (NR)), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) define various operations for sounding procedures.SUMMARY

[0004] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method of wireless communication of an access point (AP) is provided. In response to a bandwidth of a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) being less than or equal to an operating bandwidth of a mobile station (STA), the method may include generating, by at least one processor, the PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a first set of resource units (RUs). The first number of subcarriers may be associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU. In response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of the STA, the method may include generating, by the at least one processor, the PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set of RUs. The second number of subcarriers may be associated with a second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA. The method may include transmitting, by the at least one processor, the PPDU to the STA.

[0005] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus for wireless communication of an AP is provided. The apparatus may include at least one processor and memory storing instructions. In response to a bandwidth of the PPDU being less than or equal to an operating bandwidth of a STA, the memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to generate the PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a first set of RUs. The first number of subcarriers may be associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU. In response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of the STA, the memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to generate the PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set of RUs. The second number of subcarriers may be associated with a second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA. The memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to transmit the PPDU to the STA.

[0006] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer- readable medium storing instructions for an AP is provided. In response to a bandwidth of a PPDU being less than or equal to an operating bandwidth of an STA, the instructions, which when executed by at least one processor of the AP, may cause the at least one processor to generate the PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a first set of RUs. The first number of subcarriers may be associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU. In response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of the STA, the instructions, which when executed by at least one processor of the AP, may cause the at least one processor to generate the PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set of RUs, the second number of subcarriers being associated with a second number of un- punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA. The instructions, which when executed by at least one processor of the AP, may cause the at least one processor to transmit the PPDU to the STA.

[0007] According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of wireless communication of an STA is provided. In response to a bandwidth of a PPDU being less than or equal to an operating bandwidth of the STA, the method may include receiving, by at least one processor, the PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a first set of RUs from an AP. The first number of subcarriers may be associated with a first number of un-puncturedsubchannels within the PPDU. In response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of the STA, the method may include receiving, by the at least one processor, the PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set of RUs from the AP. The second number of subcarriers may be associated with a second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA. The method may include processing, by the at least one processor, the PPDU based on the first set of RUs or the second set of RUs.

[0008] According to a yet a further aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus for wireless communication of a STA. The apparatus may include at least one processor and memory storing instructions. In response to a bandwidth of a PPDU being less than or equal to an operating bandwidth of the STA, the memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to receive the PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a RUs from an AP. The first number of subcarriers may be associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU. In response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of the STA, the memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to receive the PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set of RUs from the AP. The second number of subcarriers may be associated with a second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA. The memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to process the PPDU based on the first set of RUs or the second set of RUs.

[0009] According to still a further aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for a STA is provided. In response to a bandwidth of a PPDU being less than or equal to an operating bandwidth of the STA, the instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to receive the PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a RUs from an AP. The first number of subcarriers may be associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU. In response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of the STA, the instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to receive the PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set of RUs from the AP. The second number of subcarriers may be associated with a second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA. The memory storinginstructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to process the PPDU based on the first set of RUs or the second set of RUs.

[0010] These illustrative embodiments are mentioned not to limit or define the present disclosure, but to provide examples to aid understanding thereof. Additional embodiments are discussed in the Detailed Description, and further description is provided there.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to make and use the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 1A illustrates a graphical representation of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) resource unit (RU) mapping and allocation among multiple users.

[0013] FIG. IB illustrates a first example physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU).

[0014] FIG. 1C illustrates a second example PPDU.

[0015] FIG. ID illustrates a third example PPDU.

[0016] FIG. IE illustrates a fourth example PPDU.

[0017] FIG. IF illustrates a fifth example PPDU.

[0018] FIG. 1G illustrates a sixth exemplary PPDU in comparison with the operating bandwidth of an STA, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 1H illustrates a seventh exemplary PPDU in comparison with the operating bandwidth of an STA, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary wireless network, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary node, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an apparatus including a wireless receiver, a wireless network interface, and a host chip, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 5 illustrates a call flow for an exemplary PPDU procedure, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a first exemplary method for wirelesscommunication, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of a second exemplary method for wireless communication, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0026] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Although specific configurations and arrangements are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustrative purposes only. A person skilled in the pertinent art will recognize that other configurations and arrangements can be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the pertinent art that the present disclosure can also be employed in a variety of other applications.

[0028] It is noted that references in the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “certain embodiments,” etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it would be within the knowledge of a person skilled in the pertinent art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

[0029] In general, terminology may be understood at least in part from usage in context. For example, the term “one or more” as used herein, depending at least in part upon context, may be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in a singular sense or may be used to describe combinations of features, structures or characteristics in a plural sense. Similarly, terms, such as “a,” “an,” or “the,” again, may be understood to convey a singular usage or to convey a plural usage, depending at least in part upon context. In addition, the term “based on” may be understood as not necessarily intended to convey an exclusive set of factors and may, instead, allow for existence of additional factors not necessarily expressly described, again, depending at least in part on context.

[0030] Various aspects of wireless communication systems will now be described with reference to various apparatus and methods. These apparatus and methods will be described in thefollowing detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, units, components, circuits, steps, operations, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as “elements”). These elements may be implemented using electronic hardware, firmware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware, firmware, or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0031] The techniques described herein may be used for various wireless communication networks, such as code division multiple access (CDMA) system, time division multiple access (TDMA) system, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) system, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) system, single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC- FDMA) system, wireless local area network (WLAN) system, a global navigation satellites system (GNSS), and other networks. The terms “network” and “system” are often used interchangeably. A CDMA network may implement a radio access technology (RAT), such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), CDMA 2000, etc. A TDMA network may implement a RAT, such as the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). An OFDMA network may implement a RAT, such as LTE or NR. A WLAN system may implement a RAT, such as Wi-Fi. The techniques described herein may be used for the wireless networks and RATs mentioned above, as well as other wireless networks and RATs.

[0032] OFDMA is one of the most significant features of modem WLANs. In a nutshell, OFDMA enables multiple users to transmit or receive from an AP at the same time by sharing the available bandwidth. The spectral efficiency of OFDMA improves transmission latency or delay in a radio frequency (RF) environment. Additionally, it also increases throughput in certain WLAN deployments due to reduction in packet-collision and contention-time.

[0033] To that end, OFDMA allows the grouping of subcarriers in a channel bandwidth into smaller portions called “Resource Units” (RUs). These individual RUs are assigned to different mobile stations (STAs), which allows the AP to serve them concurrently during uplink and downlink transmissions. These subcarriers are further split into granular components called “tones.” Simply put, this means that an RU includes a group of one or more tones.

[0034] In Wi-Fi version 6, subcarrier spacing is defined as 78.125 KHz. Based on this, a formula to calculate the number of tones for different bandwidths can be constructed. For instance, the number of tones = (BW in MHz) (0.078125 MHz). Using this formula, there are 256, 512, and 1024 tones for bandwidths 20MHz, 40MHz, and 80MHz, respectively. However, all of thesetones are not usable for data transmission. For example, the direct conversion tones and null subcarrier tones may be reserved and unusable for allocation for data transmission(s). Thus, the number of useable tones may include 26, 52, 106, 242, and / or 996 tones, which include data and pilot subcarriers. In short, a single RU may include a minimum of 26 tones and maximum of 996 tones.

[0035] FIG. 1A illustrates a graphical representation 100 of OFDMA RU mapping and allocation among multiple users. For ease of illustration and description, the number of tones per RU in FIG. 1 A includes fewer than 26 tones. Referring to FIG. 1 A, using OFDMA RU mapping and allocation, an access point (AP) may serve multiple users concurrently, e.g., in the same PPDU. For instance, in a PPDU transmitted during the time period from tO to tl, the AP may serve user 3 in a first RU that occupies subcarriers 1-2, user 2 in a second RU that occupies subcarrier 3, user 4 in a third RU that occupies subcarriers 4-5, and user 1 in a fourth RU that occupies subcarriers 6-8.

[0036] According to the features described in Wi-Fi version 802.1 lax, the minimum RU allocation for downlink (DL) OFDMA transmission may include, e.g., at least N x 4 x 26 subcarriers that are modulated by the allocated RUs within the entire PPDU, where A is the number of 20 MHz subchannels that are not preamble punctured.

[0037] Preamble puncturing is a technique that uses a portion of an available spectrum for wireless communication while preserving or restricting a portion of the spectrum (e.g., a 20 MHz portion) to avoid causing interference with legacy devices that are using that portion for legacybased communications. For example, preamble puncturing can be used to enable an 802.1 lax AP to operate at 80 MHz or 160 MHz without causing interference with legacy devices by configuring a transmission using a punctured 80 MHz channel or 160 MHz channel when a portion of the wireless channel is already in use by a legacy device.

[0038] Several modes of preamble puncturing are possible. For example, in Mode 1, a secondary 20 MHz portion of an 80 MHz channel is punctured to avoid interference from a nearby legacy device. In Mode 2, a left 20 MHz portion or a right 20 MHz portion is punctured from the secondary 40 MHz channel of an 80 MHz channel. In Mode 3, a 20 MHz portion of the secondary 20 MHz channel is punctured from a 160 MHz channel. In Mode 4, at least one 20 MHz portion of the secondary 40 MHz channel is punctured from a 160 MHz channel. Therefore, different preamble puncturing modes offer different bandwidths depending on the bandwidth of the available band and what portions of the band are punctured.

[0039] Referring again to the minimum RU allocation rule for DL OFDMA transmission from 802.1 lax, for a 20MHz PPDU, at least a 4x26-tone RU or equivalent to 2x52 tone RU or equivalent to a 106-tone RU needs to be allocated in the PPDU. For a 80MHz PPDU without puncturing, N = 4, such that at least 16x26-tone RU or equivalent other RU bandwidth is allocated in the PPDU. Similar rules can be derived for 160Mhz PPDU and 320MHz PPDU for future versions of 802.11.

[0040] Starting from 802.1 lax, an STA with smaller operating BW may still be able to operate in a larger BW PPDU. For instance, STA with a 20MHz operating bandwidth (BW) can participate in the DL OFDMA transmission with a PPDU BW of 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, or 320MHz. An STA with an operating bandwidth of 80MHz can participate in the DL OFDMA transmission with a PPDU BW of 160MHz / 320MHz. An STA with an operating bandwidth of 160Mhz can participate in the DL OFDMA transmission with a PPDU BW of 160MHz or 320MHz.

[0041] FIG. IB illustrates a diagram a first example PPDU 105. FIG. 1C illustrates a diagram of a second example PPDU 115. FIG. ID illustrates a diagram of a third example PPDU 125. FIG. IE illustrates a diagram of a fourth example PPDU 135. FIG. IF illustrates a diagram of a fifth example PPDU 145. FIG. 1G illustrates a sixth exemplary PPDU 155 in comparison with the operating bandwidth of an STA, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 1H illustrates a seventh exemplary PPDU 165 in comparison with the operating bandwidth of an STA, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIGs. 1B-1H will be described together.

[0042] Referring to FIG. IB, an AP may transmit a 160MHz PPDU with a 996-tone RU allocated in the secondary 80MHz channel (S80) for a first STA and a narrowband (nB) RU with 52 tones in the primary 80MHz channel (P80) for a second STA. This meets the minimum RU allocation RU defined by 802.1 lax for STAs with an 80MHz operating bandwidth. However, for the second STA operating in P80, only one 52-tone RU (e.g., equivalent to 2x26 tone RU) is allocated in the whole 80MHz operating bandwidth. This may saturate the frequency-domain quantization if a limited number of bits are used for quantization, because after Fast-Fourier Transformation (FFT), the frequency domain energy will be concentrated on the nB RU and pertone energy will be large due to the limited number of bits used to quantize the energy in each tone.

[0043] Although the problem was illustrated with 80MHz operating device, it is also applicable to STAs with an operating bandwidth of 20MHz and STAs with an operating bandwidthof 160MHz, which participates in larger BW PPDU reception, as shown in FIGs. 1C and ID. Still further, although the problem was illustrated with smaller operating devices in the primary channel (P20, P80), it is also applicable to STAs with smaller operating bandwidths, which operate in the non-primary channel (e.g., the secondary channel), as shown in FIGs. IE and IF.

[0044] While rule(s) for an STA with a larger operating bandwidth to participate in a smaller bandwidth PPDU operation is defined in 802.1 lax and 802.11be (see FIG. 6A), an STA with a smaller operating BW that participates in a larger BW PPDU operation is optional in 802.1 lax but is mandatory in 802.11be. Unfortunately, the rule defined in 802.1 lax, which has been reused in 802.11be, fails to take into consideration STAs with smaller operating bandwidth (see FIG. 6B) that can operate in larger bandwidth PPDU. One example of this problem is depicted in FIG. 1H.

[0045] To overcome these and other challenges, the present disclosure provides an exemplary PPDU generation technique that is based on the bandwidth of the recipient instead of the PPDU bandwidth. To that end, the present disclosure provides various to change the rule on the minimum RU allocation.

[0046] For example, in some embodiments, a PPDU (e.g., an extremely high-throughput (EHT) multi-user (MU) PPDU or a high-efficiency (HE) MU PPDU, etc.) may be generated with a sufficient number of RUs allocated such that at least Ax 4 x 26 subcarriers are modulated by the allocated RUs within the STA’s operating bandwidth, where A may be the number of 20MHz subchannels that are not preamble punctured within the PPDU. The PPDU may be generated in this way when the bandwidth of the PPDU is less than or equal to the STA’s operating bandwidth.

[0047] In some other embodiments, a PPDU may be generated with a sufficient number of RUs allocated such that at least AT x 4 x 26 subcarriers are modulated by the allocated RUs within the STA’s operating bandwidth, where AT may be the number of 20MHz subchannels that are not preamble punctured within the operating bandwidth of the STA. The PPDU may be generated in this way when the bandwidth of the PPDU is greater than the STA’s operating bandwidth.

[0048] Still further, in some embodiments, a PPDU may be generated such that at least 4 x 26 subcarriers are modulated by the allocated RUs within every un-punctured 20MHz subchannel in the PPDU.

[0049] Using the exemplary PPDU generation techniques mentioned above and described in further detail below in connection with FIGs. 2-7, the problem of saturating frequency-domain quantization may be reduced or eliminated.

[0050] FIG. 2 shows a simplified architecture of a wireless communication system 200 in accordance with certain embodiments presented herein. System 200 may include non-access point (AP) stations (STAs) such as user equipments (UEs) 220-1 through 220-w (collectively referred to as UEs 220), and AP STAs such as APs 240-1 through 240-4 (collectively referred to as APs 240), which may communicate over a wireless communication network 230. Examples of UEs 220 may include, e.g., smartphones, vehicles, wearable devices, laptops, or any other device that can provide a navigation function to a user. In some embodiments, wireless communication network 230 may take the form of and / or may include one or more wireless local area networks (WLANs) or the Internet. In some embodiments, UEs 220 and / or APs 240 may communicate with server 250 via wireless communication network 230. While system 200 illustrates some UEs 220 and APs 240, the number of UEs 220 and APs 240 in a wireless communication network (e.g., a WLAN) may be varied in accordance with various system parameters. In general, system 200 may include a smaller or larger number of UEs 220 and / or APs 240.

[0051] In some embodiments, one or more UEs 220 and / or APs 240 in system 200 may comprise multiple antennas and may support multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) and / or multiuser MIMO (MU-MIMO). UE 220 may receive and measure signals from APs 240, which may be used for position determination. In some embodiments, APs 240 may form part of a wireless communication network 230, such as a WLAN. For example, a WLAN may be an IEEE 802.1 lx network (e.g., such as IEEE 802.1 lax, 802.1 lay, or a later version). Further, system 200 may comprise or take the form of an Extended Service Set (ESS) network, which may comprise a plurality of appropriately configured basic service set (BSS) networks, an Independent Basic Service Set (IBSS) network, an ad-hoc network, or a peer-to-peer (P2P) network (e.g., operating according to Wi-Fi Direct or similar protocols).

[0052] In some embodiments, one or more UEs 220 and APs 240 may communicate over wireless communication network 230, which may be based on IEEE 802.11 or compatible standards. In some embodiments, UEs 220 and APs 240 may communicate using variants of the IEEE 802.11 standards. For example, UEs 220 and APs 240 may communicate using 802.1 lac on the 5 GHz bands, which may support multiple spatial streams including MIMO and MU-MIMO. In some embodiments, UEs 220 and APs 240 may communicate using some of the above standards, which may further support one or more of Very High Throughput (VHT) (as described in the above standards) and High-Efficiency WLAN (HEW), and / or beamforming with standardized sounding and feedback mechanisms. In some embodiments, UEs 220 and orAPs 240 may additionally support legacy standards for communication with legacy devices.

[0053] In some embodiments, UEs 220 and / or APs 240 may be coupled to one or more additional networks, such as a cellular carrier network, a satellite positioning network (shown in FIG. 2), wireless personal area network (WPAN) access points, and the like (not shown in FIG. 2). In some embodiments, UEs 220 and / or APs 240 may be coupled to a wireless wide area network (WWAN) (not shown in FIG. 2), A WWAN may be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) network, a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) network, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) network, a Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) network, Long Term Evolution (LTE), 5G new radio (NR), WiMax, and so on.

[0054] An AP 240 and UE 220 in any of the above-described communication networks may be configured to perform the exemplary PPDU generation technique described below in connection with FIGs. 3-7.

[0055] Each element in FIG. 2 may be considered a node of wireless communication system 200. More detail regarding the possible implementation of a node is provided by way of example in the description of a node 300 in FIG. 3. Node 300 may be configured as UE 220, AP 240, or server 250 in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, node 300 may include a processor 302, a memory 304, and a transceiver 306. These components are shown as connected to one another by a bus, but other connection types are also permitted. When node 300 is UE 220, additional components may also be included, such as a user interface (UI), sensors, and the like. Similarly, node 300 may be implemented as a blade in a server system when node 300 is configured as server 250. Other implementations are also possible.

[0056] Transceiver 306 may include any suitable device for sending and / or receiving data. Node 300 may include one or more transceivers, although only one transceiver 306 is shown for simplicity of illustration. An antenna 308 is shown as a possible communication mechanism for node 300. Multiple antennas and / or arrays of antennas may be utilized for receiving multiple spatially multiplex data streams. Additionally, examples of node 300 may communicate using wired techniques rather than (or in addition to) wireless techniques. For example, AP 240 may communicate wirelessly to UE 220 and may communicate by a wired connection (for example, by optical or coaxial cable) to server 250. Other communication hardware, such as a network interface card (NIC), may be included as well.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 3, node 300 may include processor 302. Although only oneprocessor is shown, it is understood that multiple processors can be included. Processor 302 may include microprocessors, microcontroller units (MCUs), digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functions described throughout the present disclosure. Processor 302 may be a hardware device having one or more processing cores. Processor 302 may execute software. Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. Software can include computer instructions written in an interpreted language, a compiled language, or machine code. Other techniques for instructing hardware are also permitted under the broad category of software.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 3, node 300 may also include memory 304. Although only one memory is shown, it is understood that multiple memories can be included. Memory 304 can broadly include both memory and storage. For example, memory 304 may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), ferroelectric RAM (FRAM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, hard disk drive (HDD), such as magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, Flash drive, solid-state drive (SSD), or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions that can be accessed and executed by processor 302. Broadly, memory 304 may be embodied by any computer-readable medium, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0059] Processor 302, memory 304, and transceiver 306 may be implemented in various forms in node 300 for performing wireless communication functions. In some embodiments, processor 302, memory 304, and transceiver 306 of node 300 are implemented (e.g., integrated) on one or more system-on-chips (SoCs). In one example, processor 302 and memory 304 may be integrated on an application processor (AP) SoC (sometimes known as a “host,” referred to herein as a “host chip”) that handles application processing in an operating system (OS) environment, including generating raw data to be transmitted. In another example, processor 302 and memory 304 may be integrated on a baseband processor (BP) SoC (sometimes known as a “modem,” referred to herein as a “radio”) that converts the raw data, e.g., from the host chip, to signals thatcan be used to modulate the carrier frequency for transmission, and vice versa, which can run a real-time operating system (RTOS). In still another example, processor 302 and transceiver 306 (and memory 304 in some cases) may be integrated on a radio frequency (RF) SoC (sometimes known as a “transceiver,” referred to herein as a “wireless network interface”) that transmits and receives RF signals with antenna 308. It is understood that in some examples, some or all of the host chip, radio, and wireless network interface may be integrated as a single SoC. For example, a radio and a wireless network interface may be integrated into a single SoC that manages all the radio functions for GNSS communication, WLAN communication, WPAN communication, and / or cellular communication.

[0060] FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an apparatus 400 including a wireless receiver 402, a wireless network interface 404, and a host chip 406, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Apparatus 400 may be implemented as UE 220 or AP 240 of wireless communication system 200 in FIG. 2. In some embodiments, wireless receiver 402 is implemented by processor 302 and memory 304, and wireless network interface 404 is implemented by processor 302, memory 304, and transceiver 306, as described above with respect to FIG. 3.

[0061] Besides the on-chip memory 418 (also known as “internal memory,” e.g., registers, buffers, or caches) on wireless receiver 402, wireless network interface 404, or host chip 406, apparatus 400 may further include an external memory 408 (e.g., the system memory or main memory) that can be shared by wireless receiver 402, wireless network interface 404, or host chip 406 through the system / main bus. Although wireless receiver 402 is illustrated as a standalone SoC in FIG. 4, it is understood that in one example, wireless receiver 402 and wireless network interface 404 may be integrated as one SoC; in another example, wireless receiver 402 and host chip 406 may be integrated as one SoC; in still another example, wireless receiver 402, wireless network interface 404, and host chip 406 may be integrated as one SoC, as described above.

[0062] In the uplink when apparatus 400 is a non-AP STA and in the downlink when apparatus 400 is an AP, host chip 406 may generate raw data and send it to wireless receiver 402 for encoding, modulation, and mapping. Interface 414 of wireless receiver 402 may receive the data from host chip 406. Wireless receiver 402 may also access the raw data generated by host chip 406 and stored in external memory 408, for example, using the direct memory access (DMA). Wireless receiver 402 may first encode (e.g., by source coding and / or channel coding) the raw data and modulate the coded data using any suitable modulation techniques, such as multi-phase shift keying (MPSK) modulation or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). Wireless receiver 402may perform any other functions, such as symbol or layer mapping, to convert the raw data into a signal that can be used to modulate the carrier frequency for transmission. In the uplink, wireless receiver 402 may send the modulated signal to wireless network interface 404 via interface 414. Wireless network interface 404, through a transmitter (TX) 450, may convert the modulated signal in the digital form into analog signals, i.e., RF signals, and perform any suitable front-end RF functions, such as filtering, digital pre-distortion, up-conversion, or sample-rate conversion. Antenna array 410 may transmit the RF signals provided by TX 450 of wireless network interface 404.

[0063] In the downlink when apparatus 400 is a non-AP STA and in the uplink when apparatus 400 is an AP, antenna array 410 may receive / transmit a PPDU from / to the AP or the non-AP STA, respectively. The PPDU may be passed to a receiver (RX) 440 of wireless network interface 404. Wireless network interface 404 may perform any suitable front-end RF functions, such as filtering, IQ imbalance compensation, down-paging conversion, or sample-rate conversion, and convert the RF signals (e.g., transmission) into low-frequency digital signals (baseband signals) that can be processed by wireless receiver 402.

[0064] As seen in FIG. 4, wireless receiver 402 may include PPDU component 420. When apparatus 400 is implemented as an AP, PPDU component 420 may be configured to perform an exemplary PPDU generation technique based on the bandwidth of the recipient instead of the PPDU bandwidth. To that end, the present disclosure provides various embodiments to change the rule on the minimum RU allocation. When apparatus 400 is configured as an STA, PPDU component 420 may be configured to process a PPDU that is generated by an AP using the exemplary PPDU processing technique.

[0065] FIG. 5 illustrates a call flow 500 for a PPDU generating technique, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 5, AP 504 may generate an MU or a single-user (SU) PPDU that is transmitted to one or more STA(s). Although one STA 502 is depicted in FIG. 5, the PPDU may be generated for and sent to more than one STA without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0066] Still referring to FIG. 5, STA 502 may send (at 501) an indication of its operating bandwidth to AP 504. The operating bandwidth of STA 502 may include, e.g., a 20MHz operating bandwidth, a 40MHz operating bandwidth, an 80MHz operating bandwidth, a 160MHz operating bandwidth, a 320MHz operating bandwidth, etc. AP 504 may identify (at 503) the operating bandwidth of STA 502 based on the transmitted indication or based on information provided bythe network.

[0067] Based on the operating bandwidth of STA 502, AP 504 may generate a PPDU (e.g., an EHT MU PPDU, a high-efficiency (HE) MU PPDU, etc.) with a sufficient number of RUs allocated to one or more STAs such that at least I x 4 x 26 subcarriers are modulated by the allocated RUs within the recipient’s operating bandwidth, where X is the number of 20 MHz subchannels that are not preamble punctured in the PPDU. As described below, X may be equal to N or AT, depending on the appropriate operations.

[0068] For example, in some embodiments, based on the operating bandwidth of STA 502, AP 504 may determine (at 505) whether the bandwidth of a PPDU intended for STA 502 is less than or equal to the identified operating bandwidth. This determination may be made based on a comparison of the bandwidth of the PPDU with the operating bandwidth of STA 502. In response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being less than or equal to the operating bandwidth of STA 502, the operations performed by AP 504 may move to 507a; otherwise, in response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of STA 502, the operations performed by AP 504 may move to 507b.

[0069] For instance, in response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being less than or equal to the operating bandwidth of STA 502, AP 504 may generate (at 507a) a PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a first number of subcarriers modulated by a first set of RUs. Here, the first number of subcarriers may be associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU. For example, for each non-AP STA, at least N x 4 x 26 subcarriers may be modulated by the allocated RUs within the entire PPDU if the PPDU bandwidth is smaller than or equal to the operating bandwidth of the non-AP STA, where N is the number of 20 MHz subchannels that are not preamble punctured in the PPDU. By way of example and not limitation, when the bandwidth of the PPDU is 160MHz, and the operating bandwidth of STA 502 is 320MHz, AP 504 may generate the PPDU according to operation 507a.

[0070] On the other hand, in response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of STA 502, AP 504 may generate (at 507b) a PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set of RUs. Here, the second number of subcarriers is associated with a second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of STA 502. For example, for each non-AP STA, at least M x 4 x 26 subcarriers are modulated by the allocated RUs within the operating bandwidth of the non-AP STA if the PPDU bandwidth is greater than the operating bandwidth of the non-AP STA, where M is the number of 20 MHzsubchannels that are not preamble punctured within the operating bandwidth of the non-AP STA. By way of example and not limitation, when the bandwidth of the PPDU is 160MHz, and the operating bandwidth of STA 502 is 80MHz, AP 504 may generate the PPDU according to operation 507b.

[0071] In either case, once generated, AP 504 may transmit (at 509) the PPDU to STA 502. STA 502 may process (at 511) the PPDU based on the first set of RUs or the second set of RUs, depending on whether the bandwidth of the PPDU is less than or equal to, or greater than the operating bandwidth of STA 502.

[0072] FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a first exemplary method 600 of wireless communication, according to embodiments of the disclosure. First method 600 may be performed by a wireless device, e.g., such as AP 240, node 300, apparatus 400, or AP 504, just to name a few. First method 600 may include steps 602-610 as described below. It is to be appreciated that some of the steps may be optional, and some of the steps may be performed simultaneously, or in a different order than shown in FIG. 6.

[0073] Referring to FIG. 6, at 602, the wireless device may identify an operating bandwidth of an STA. For example, referring to FIG. 5, AP 504 may identify (at 503) the operating bandwidth of STA 502 based on the transmitted indication or based on information provided by the network.

[0074] At 604, the wireless device may determine whether a bandwidth of the PPDU is less than or equal to the operating bandwidth of the STA. For example, referring to FIG. 5, this determination may be made based on a comparison of the bandwidth of the PPDU with the operating bandwidth of STA 502. If “YES” at 604, the operations may move to 606; otherwise, if “NO” at 604, the operations may move to 608.

[0075] At 606, the wireless device may generate the PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a first set of RUs. In some aspects, the first number of subcarriers may be associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU. For example, referring to FIG. 5, in response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being less than or equal to the operating bandwidth of STA 502, AP 504 may generate (at 507a) a PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a first number of subcarriers modulated by a first set of RUs. Here, the first number of subcarriers may be associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU. For example, for each non-AP STA, at least N x 4 x 26 subcarriers may be modulated by the allocated RUs within the entire PPDU if the PPDU bandwidth is smaller than or equal to the operating bandwidth of the non-AP STA, where N is the number of 20 MHzsubchannels that are not preamble punctured in the PPDU. By way of example and not limitation, when the bandwidth of the PPDU is 160MHz, and the operating bandwidth of STA 502 is 320MHz, AP 504 may generate the PPDU according to operation 507a.

[0076] At 608, the wireless device may generate the PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set of RUs, the second number of subcarriers being associated with a second number of un-punctures subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA. For example, referring to FIG. 5, in response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of STA 502, AP 504 may generate (at 507b) a PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set of RUs. Here, the second number of subcarriers is associated with a second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of STA 502. For example, for each non-AP STA, at least M x 4 x 26 subcarriers are modulated by the allocated RUs within the operating bandwidth of the non-AP STA if the PPDU bandwidth is greater than the operating bandwidth of the non-AP STA, where M is the number of 20 MHz subchannels that are not preamble punctured within the operating bandwidth of the non-AP STA. By way of example and not limitation, when the bandwidth of the PPDU is 160MHz, and the operating bandwidth of STA 502 is 80MHz, AP 504 may generate the PPDU according to operation 507b.

[0077] At 610, the wireless device may transmit the PPDU to the STA. For example, referring to FIG. 5, once generated, AP 504 may transmit (at 509) the PPDU to STA 502.

[0078] FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of a second exemplary method 700 of wireless communication, according to embodiments of the disclosure. Second method 700 may be performed by a wireless device, e.g., such as UE 220, node 300, apparatus 400, or STA 502, just to name a few. Second method 700 may include steps 702-708 as described below. It is to be appreciated that some of the steps may be optional, and some of the steps may be performed simultaneously, or in a different order than shown in FIG. 7.

[0079] Referring to FIG. 7, at 702, the wireless device may transmit an indication of an operating bandwidth to an AP. For example, referring to FIG. 5, STA 502 may send (at 501) an indication of the STA’s operating bandwidth to AP 504. The operating bandwidth of STA 502 may include, e.g., a 20MHz operating bandwidth, a 40MHz operating bandwidth, an 80MHz operating bandwidth, a 160MHz operating bandwidth, a 320MHz operating bandwidth, etc.

[0080] At 704, the wireless device may, in response to the bandwidth of a PPDU being less than or equal to the operating bandwidth of the STA, receive the PPDU with a first number ofsubcarriers associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels in the PPDU and modulated by a first set of RUs. For example, referring to FIG. 5, in response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being less than or equal to operating bandwidth of STA 502, AP 504 may generate (at 507a) a PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a first number of subcarriers modulated by a first set of RUs. Here, the first number of subcarriers may be associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU. For example, for each non-AP STA, at least N x 4 x 26 subcarriers may be modulated by the allocated RUs within the entire PPDU if the PPDU bandwidth is smaller than or equal to the operating bandwidth of the non-AP STA, where N is the number of 20 MHz subchannels that are not preamble punctured in the PPDU. By way of example and not limitation, when the bandwidth of the PPDU is 160MHz, and the operating bandwidth of STA 502 is 320MHz, AP 504 may generate the PPDU according to operation 507a. The PPDU may be received (at 509) from AP 504.

[0081] At 706, the wireless device may, in response to the bandwidth of a PPDU greater than the operating bandwidth of the STA, receive the PPDU with a second number of subcarriers associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels in the STA’s operating bandwidth and modulated by a second set of RUs. For example, referring to FIG. 5, in response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of STA 502, AP 504 may generate (at 507b) a PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set of RUs. Here, the second number of subcarriers is associated with a second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of STA 502. For example, for each non-AP STA, at least M x 4 x 26 subcarriers are modulated by the allocated RUs within the operating bandwidth of the non-AP STA if the PPDU bandwidth is greater than the operating bandwidth of the non-AP STA, where AT is the number of 20 MHz subchannels that are not preamble punctured within the operating bandwidth of the non-AP STA. By way of example and not limitation, when the bandwidth of the PPDU is 160MHz, and the operating bandwidth of STA 502 is 80MHz, AP 504 may generate the PPDU according to operation 507b. The PPDU may be received (at 509) from AP 504.

[0082] At 708, the wireless device may process the PPDU based on the first or second number of RUs. For example, referring to FIG. 5, STA 502 may process (at 511) the PPDU based on the first set of RUs or the second set of RUs, depending on whether the bandwidth of the PPDU is less than or equal to, or greater than the operating bandwidth of STA 502.

[0083] Using the exemplary PPDU generation techniques described in connection with FIGs. 2-7, the problem of saturating frequency-domain quantization may be reduced or eliminated.

[0084] In various aspects of the present disclosure, the functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or encoded as instructions or code on a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes computer storage media. Storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computing device, such as node 300 in FIG. 3. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, HDD, such as magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, Flash drive, SSD, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a processing system, such as a mobile device or a computer. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital video disc (DVD), and floppy disk where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0085] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method of wireless communication of an AP is provided. The method may include, in response to a bandwidth of a PPDU being less than or equal to an operating bandwidth of an STA, generating, by at least one processor, the PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a first set of RUs. The first number of subcarriers may be associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU. The method may include, in response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of the STA, generating, by the at least one processor, the PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set of RUs. The second number of subcarriers may be associated with a second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA. The method may include transmitting, by the at least one processor, the PPDU to the STA.

[0086] In some embodiments, the method may include identifying, by the at least one processor, the operating bandwidth of the STA.

[0087] In some embodiments, the method may include determining, by the at least one processor, whether the bandwidth of the PPDU is less than or equal to the operating bandwidth of the STA by comparing the bandwidth of the PPDU with the operating bandwidth of the STA.

[0088] In some embodiments, the first number of subcarriers may include N x 4 x 26 subcarriers. In some embodiments, N may be equal to the first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU.

[0089] In some embodiments, the first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU may include a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

[0090] In some embodiments, the second number of subcarriers may include M x 4 x 26 subcarriers. In some embodiments, M may be equal to the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA.

[0091] In some embodiments, the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA may include a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

[0092] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus for wireless communication of an AP is provided. The apparatus may include at least one processor and memory storing instructions. In response to a bandwidth of the PPDU being less than or equal to an operating bandwidth of a STA, the memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to generate the PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a first set of RUs. The first number of subcarriers may be associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU. In response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of the STA, the memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to generate the PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set of RUs. The second number of subcarriers may be associated with a second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA. The memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to transmit the PPDU to the STA.

[0093] In some embodiments, the memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to identify the operating bandwidth of the STA.

[0094] In some embodiments, the memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to determine whether the bandwidth of the PPDU is less than or equal to the operating bandwidth of the STA by comparing the bandwidth of the PPDU with the operating bandwidth of the STA.

[0095] In some embodiments, the first number of subcarriers may include N x 4 x 26 subcarriers. In some embodiments, N may be equal to the first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU.

[0096] In some embodiments, the first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU may include a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

[0097] In some embodiments, the second number of subcarriers may include M x 4 x 26 subcarriers. In some embodiments, M may be equal to the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA.

[0098] In some embodiments, the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA may include a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

[0099] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer- readable medium storing instructions for an AP is provided. In response to a bandwidth of a PPDU being less than or equal to an operating bandwidth of a STA, the instructions, which when executed by at least one processor of the AP, may cause the at least one processor to generate the PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a first set of RUs. The first number of subcarriers may be associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU. In response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of the STA, the instructions, which when executed by at least one processor of the AP, may cause the at least one processor to generate the PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set of RUs, the second number of subcarriers being associated with a second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA. The instructions, which when executed by at least one processor of the AP, may cause the at least one processor to transmit the PPDU to the STA.

[0100] In some embodiments, the instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to identify the operating bandwidth of the STA.

[0101] In some embodiments, the instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to determine whether the bandwidth of the PPDU is less than or equal to the operating bandwidth of the STA by comparing the bandwidth of the PPDU with the operating bandwidth of the STA.

[0102] In some embodiments, the first number of subcarriers may include N x 4 x 26 subcarriers. In some embodiments, N may be equal to the first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU.

[0103] In some embodiments, the first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU may include a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

[0104] In some embodiments, the second number of subcarriers may include AT x 4 x 26 subcarriers. In some embodiments, M may be equal to the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA.

[0105] In some embodiments, the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA may include a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

[0106] According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of wireless communication of an STA is provided. In response to a bandwidth of a PPDU being less than or equal to an operating bandwidth of the STA, the method may include receiving, by at least one processor, the PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a first set of RUs from an AP. The first number of subcarriers may be associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU. In response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of the STA, the method may include receiving, by the at least one processor, the PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set of RUs from the AP. The second number of subcarriers may be associated with a second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA. The method may include processing, by the at least one processor, the PPDU based on the first set of RUs or the second set of RUs.

[0107] In some embodiments, the method may include transmitting, by the at least one processor, an indication of the operating bandwidth of the STA to the AP.

[0108] In some embodiments, the first number of subcarriers may include N x 4 x 26 subcarriers. In some embodiments, N may be equal to the first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU.

[0109] In some embodiments, the first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU may include a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

[0110] In some embodiments, the second number of subcarriers may include M x 4 x 26 subcarriers. In some embodiments, M may be equal to the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA.[OHl] In some embodiments, the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA may include a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

[0112] According to a yet a further aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus for wireless communication of a STA. The apparatus may include at least one processor and memory storing instructions. In response to a bandwidth of a PPDU being less than or equal to an operating bandwidth of the STA, the memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least oneprocessor, may cause the at least one processor to receive the PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a RUs from an AP. The first number of subcarriers may be associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU. In response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of the STA, the memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to receive the PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set of RUs from the AP. The second number of subcarriers may be associated with a second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA. The memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to process the PPDU based on the first set of RUs or the second set of RUs.

[0113] In some embodiments, the memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to transmit an indication of the operating bandwidth of the STA to the AP.

[0114] In some embodiments, the first number of subcarriers may include N x 4 x 26 subcarriers. In some embodiments, N may be equal to the first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU.

[0115] In some embodiments, the first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU may include a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

[0116] In some embodiments, the second number of subcarriers may include M x 4 x 26 subcarriers. In some embodiments, M may be equal to the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA.

[0117] In some embodiments, the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA may include a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

[0118] According to still a further aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for an STA is provided. In response to a bandwidth of a PPDU being less than or equal to an operating bandwidth of the STA, the instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to receive the PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a RUs from an AP. The first number of subcarriers may be associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU. In response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of the STA, the instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to receive the PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set ofRUs from the AP. The second number of subcarriers may be associated with a second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA. The memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to process the PPDU based on the first set of RUs or the second set of RUs.

[0119] In some embodiments, the instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to transmit an indication of the operating bandwidth of the STA to the AP.

[0120] In some embodiments, the first number of subcarriers may include N x 4 x 26 subcarriers. In some embodiments, N may be equal to the first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU.

[0121] In some embodiments, the first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU may include a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

[0122] In some embodiments, the second number of subcarriers may include M x 4 x 26 subcarriers. In some embodiments, M may be equal to the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA.

[0123] In some embodiments, the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA may include a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

[0124] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so reveal the general nature of the present disclosure that others can, by applying knowledge within the skill of the art, readily modify and / or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments, without undue experimentation, without departing from the general concept of the present disclosure. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications are intended to be within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments, based on the teaching and guidance presented herein. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, such that the terminology or phraseology of the present specification is to be interpreted by the skilled artisan in light of the teachings and guidance.

[0125] The Summary and Abstract sections may set forth one or more but not all exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure as contemplated by the inventor(s), and thus, are not intended to limit the present disclosure and the appended claims in any way.

[0126] Various functional blocks, modules, and steps are disclosed above. The particular arrangements provided are illustrative and without limitation. Accordingly, the functional blocks, modules, and steps may be re-ordered or combined in different ways than in the examples providedabove. Likewise, certain embodiments include only a subset of the functional blocks, modules, and steps, and any such subset is permitted.

[0127] The breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method of wireless communication of an access point (AP), comprising: in response to a bandwidth of a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) being less than or equal to an operating bandwidth of a mobile station (STA), generating, by at least one processor, the PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a first set of resource units (RUs), the first number of subcarriers being associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU; in response to the bandwith of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of the STA, generating, by the at least one processor, the PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set of RUs, the second number of subcarriers being associated with a second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA; and transmitting, by the at least one processor, the PPDU to the STA.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying, by the at least one processor, the operating bandwidth of the STA.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: determining, by the at least one processor, whether the bandwidth of the PPDU is less than or equal to the operating bandwidth of the STA by comparing the bandwidth of the PPDU with the operating bandwidth of the STA.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein: the first number of subcarriers includes Ax 4 x 26 subcarriers, andA is equal to the first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU includes a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein: the second number of subcarriers includes x 4 x 26 subcarriers, andM is equal to the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwith of the STA includes a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

8. An apparatus for wireless communication of an access point (AP), comprising: at least one processor; and memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: in response to a bandwidth of a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) being less than or equal to an operating bandwidth of a mobile station (STA), generate the PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a first set of resource units (RUs), the first number of subcarriers being associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU; in response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of the STA, generate the PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set of RUs, the second number of subcarriers being associated with a second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA; and transmit the PPDU to the STA.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: identify the operating bandwidth of the STA.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: determine whether the bandwidth of the PPDU is less than or equal to the operating bandwidth of the STA by comparing the bandwidth of the PPDU with the operating bandwidth of the STA.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein: the first number of subcarriers includes Ax 4 x 26 subcarriers, andA is equal to the first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU includes a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein: the second number of subcarriers includes AT x 4 x 26 subcarriers, andM is equal to the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA includes a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, which when executed by at least one processor of an access point (AP), cause the at least one processor to: in response to a bandwidth of a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) being less than or equal to an operating bandwidth of a mobile station (STA), generate the PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a first set of resource units (RUs), the first number of subcarriers being associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU; in response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of the STA, generate the PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set of RUs, the second number of subcarriers being associated with a second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA; and transmit the PPDU to the STA.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: identify the operating bandwidth of the STA.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:determine whether the bandwidth of the PPDU is less than or equal to the operating bandwidth of the STA by comparing the bandwidth of the PPDU with the operating bandwidth of the STA.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein: the first number of subcarriers includes Ax 4 x 26 subcarriers, andA is equal to the first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the first number of unpunctured subchannels within the PPDU includes a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein: the second number of subcarriers includes AT x 4 x 26 subcarriers,M is equal to the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA, and the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA includes a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

21. A method of wireless communication of a mobile station (STA), comprising: in response to a bandwidth of a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) being less than or equal to an operating bandwidth of the STA, receiving, by at least one processor, the PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a first set of resource units (RUs) from an access point (AP), the first number of subcarriers being associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU; in response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of the STA, receiving, by the at least one processor, the PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set of RUs from the AP, the second number of subcarriers being associated with a second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA; and processing, by the at least one processor, the PPDU based on the first set of RUs or the second set of RUs.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising: transmitting, by the at least one processor, an indication of the operating bandwidth of the STA to the AP.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein: the first number of subcarriers includes Ax 4 x 26 subcarriers, andA is equal to the first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU includes a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein: the second number of subcarriers includes AT x 4 x 26 subcarriers, andM is equal to the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA includes a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

27. An apparatus for wireless communication of a mobile station (STA), comprising: at least one processor; and memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: in response to a bandwidth of a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) being less than or equal to an operating bandwidth of the STA, receive the PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a first set of resource units (RUs) from an access point (AP), the first number of subcarriers being associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU; in response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of the STA, receive the PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set of RUs from the AP, the second number of subcarriers being associatedwith a second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of theSTA; and process the PPDU based on the first set of RUs or the second set of RUs.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: transmit an indication of the operating bandwidth of the STA to the AP.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein: the first number of subcarriers includes Ax 4 x 26 subcarriers, andA is equal to the first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU includes a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein: the second number of subcarriers includes AT x 4 x 26 subcarriers, andM is equal to the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA includes a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

33. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, which when executed by at least one processor of a mobile station (STA), cause the at least one processor to: in response to a bandwidth of a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) being less than or equal to an operating bandwidth of the STA, receive the PPDU with a first number of subcarriers modulated by a first set of resource units (RUs) from an access point (AP), the first number of subcarriers being associated with a first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU; in response to the bandwidth of the PPDU being greater than the operating bandwidth of the STA, receive the PPDU with a second number of subcarriers modulated by a second set of RUsfrom the AP, the second number of subcarriers being associated with a second number of unpunctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA; and process the PPDU based on the first set of RUs or the second set of RUs.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: transmit an indication of the operating bandwidth of the STA to the AP.

35. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein: the first number of subcarriers includes Nx 4 x 26 subcarriers, andN is equal to the first number of un-punctured subchannels within the PPDU.

36. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the first number of unpunctured subchannels within the PPDU includes a set of un-preamble punctured subchannels.

37. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein: the second number of subcarriers includes Mx 4 x 26 subcarriers, andM is equal to the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA.

38. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the second number of un-punctured subchannels within the operating bandwidth of the STA includes a set of unpreamble punctured subchannels.

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