COMMUNICATION APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR AGGREGATED SIGNAL - Patent application

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a communications device and a communications method for transmitting and / or receiving an aggregate signal, the communications device comprising: a circuit configured, in operation, to inform a group of associated communication devices of one or more operating channels among a plurality of operating channels to which a signal assigned to the group of associated communication devices will be transmitted, and to generate a signal assigned to the group of associated communication devices and another signal assigned to another group of associated communication devices; and a transmitter unit configured, in operation, to transmit an aggregate signal including the signal and the other signal simultaneously.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present embodiments relate generally to communication devices and methods for aggregated signals, and more particularly to methods and devices for transmitting and / or receiving aggregated Physical Layer Protocol Data Units (A-PPDUs) in the context of extremely high throughput wireless local area networks (EHT WLANs). [Background technology]

[0002] In standardizing next-generation WLANs, the IEEE 802.11be task group is studying new wireless access technologies that must be compatible with IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax technologies.

[0003] In IEEE802.11be EHT WLAN, it has been proposed to define A-PPDU consisting of multiple PPDUs to achieve good throughput gain in large bandwidth traffic with mixed STA generations. However, there has been little discussion on downlink (DL) transmission of A-PPDU, especially DL transmission of A-PPDU consisting of PPDUs of different amendments in a basic service set (BSS) where selective subchannel transmission (SST) is not supported.

[0004] To address the above-mentioned problems, a communication device and a communication method for transmitting and / or receiving an aggregate signal are required. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the background of this disclosure. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The non-limiting exemplary embodiments are directed to providing a communications apparatus and method for transmitting and / or receiving an aggregate signal.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a base communication device comprising: circuitry configured, in operation, to inform a group of associated communication devices of one or more operating channels among a plurality of operating channels to which a signal assigned to the group of associated communication devices will be transmitted, and to generate a signal assigned to the group of associated communication devices and another signal assigned to another group of associated communication devices; and a transmitter, in operation, to transmit an aggregate signal including the signal and the other signal simultaneously.

[0007] In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides an associated communications device of a group of associated communications devices, the associated communications device comprising: a receiver that, in operation, receives from a base communications device information regarding one or more operating channels among a plurality of operating channels over which signals assigned to the group of associated communications devices are to be transmitted, and an aggregate signal simultaneously including signals assigned to the group of associated communications devices and other signals assigned to other groups of associated communications devices; and a circuit configured, in operation, to decode the aggregate signal.

[0008] In a third aspect, the present disclosure provides a method of communications comprising: informing a group of associated communication devices of one or more operating channels among a plurality of operating channels over which a signal assigned to the group of associated communication devices is to be transmitted; generating the signal assigned to the group of associated communication devices and another signal assigned to another group of associated communication devices; and transmitting an aggregate signal simultaneously including the signal and the other signal.

[0009] Further benefits and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent from the specification and drawings, and these benefits and / or advantages may be obtained individually by various embodiments and features of the specification and drawings, and it is not necessary for all of the embodiments and features to be present in order to obtain one or more of such benefits and / or advantages. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] The accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements throughout the different views, and which, together with the following detailed description, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, serve to illustrate various embodiments and explain various principles and advantages in accordance with the present embodiments. [Figure 1] Frequency-time graph showing A-PPDU [Diagram 2] Diagram showing four A-PPDUs with different PPDU combinations [Diagram 3] Diagram showing four different locations of the 20 MHz primary operating channel assigned to the 80 MHz signals transmitted within the BSS [Figure 4] Frequency-time graph showing A-PPDU transmitted with (SST) operation support [Diagram 5] Frequency-time graph showing A-PPDU transmitted without SST operation support [Figure 6A] Diagram showing two Amendment PPDUs sent in sequence [Figure 6B] Diagram showing a single HE PPDU transmitted to both HE and EHT STAs [Figure 7] Table showing the allowable bandwidth allocation for non-HE (high efficiency) PPDUs in A-PPDU [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a communication device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method for A-PPDU transmission according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 10]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a flow of A-PPDU transmission according to an example of a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 shows an example of the format of an A-PPDU element carried in a beacon frame or a probe response frame. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a flow of A-PPDU transmission according to another example of the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] A diagram showing an example of the MU-RTS trigger frame format [Figure 14] A diagram showing an example of the MU-RTS trigger frame format [Figure 15] A diagram showing an example of the NRFP trigger frame format. [Figure 16A] FIG. 2 illustrates an A-PPDU transmitted to a non-AP STA according to an example of a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 16B] FIG. 13 illustrates an A-PPDU transmitted to a non-AP STA according to another example of the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operating bandwidth and the advertised second primary channel of a non-AP STA according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 18] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a process for receiving an A-PPDU by a non-AP STA according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 19] A schematic diagram showing an example of channel configuration for two different groups of non-AP STAs. [Figure 20] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a channel configuration for two different groups of non-AP STAs. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 illustrates an A-PPDU transmitted to a non-AP STA according to yet another example of the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 22] 11 is a flowchart showing a process for receiving an A-PPDU by a non-AP STA according to another example of the first embodiment of the present disclosure; [Diagram 23] Diagram showing an example of the HE MU PPDU format [Figure 24]FIG. 1 illustrates a PPDU and its preamble for an A-PPDU according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 25A] FIG. 13 illustrates an A-PPDU transmitted to a non-AP STA according to an example of a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 25B] FIG. 13 illustrates an A-PPDU transmitted to a non-AP STA according to another example of the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 26] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of channel allocation for PPDUs of different amendments according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 27] FIG. 13 illustrates an A-PPDU transmitted to a non-AP STA according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 28] FIG. 13 illustrates an A-PPDU transmitted to a non-AP STA according to another example of the third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 29] 11 is a flowchart showing a process for receiving an A-PPDU by a non-AP STA according to another example of the third embodiment of the present disclosure; [Diagram 30] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a flow of A-PPDU transmission according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure; [Diagram 31] Figure showing an example of the format of the A-PPDU control subfield [Diagram 32] A diagram showing an example of the format of an A-PPDU announcement frame [Diagram 33] FIG. 13 illustrates an A-PPDU transmitted to a non-AP STA according to an example of a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 34] 11 is a flowchart illustrating a process for receiving an A-PPDU by a non-AP STA according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure; [Diagram 35] Diagram showing an example of the EHT MU PPDU format [Diagram 36] FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a communication device (e.g., an AP) according to the present disclosure. [Figure 37] FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a communication device (e.g., a STA) according to the present disclosure.

[0011] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures, block diagrams or flow charts may be exaggerated relative to other elements in order to provide an accurate understanding of the present embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] The following detailed description is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit the embodiments, applications, and methods of use of the embodiments. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by the preceding background or any theory presented in this detailed description. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the background of this disclosure.

[0013] In IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) technology, a station, also called STA, is a communication device capable of using the 802.11 protocol. Based on the definition of IEEE 802.11-2020, a STA can be any device that includes an IEEE 802.11 compliant media access control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) interface to the wireless medium (WM).

[0014] For example, in a wireless local area network (WLAN) environment, a STA may be a laptop, a desktop personal computer (PC), a personal digital assistant (PDA), an access point, or a Wi-Fi phone. A STA may be fixed or mobile. In a WLAN environment, the terms "STA," "wireless client," "user," "user equipment," and "node" are often used interchangeably.

[0015] Similarly, an AP, which may also be called a wireless access point (WAP) in IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) technology, is a communication device that allows STAs in a WLAN to connect to a wired network. An AP typically connects to a router (through a wired network) as a standalone device, but may also be integrated with or applied within a router.

[0016] As mentioned above, a STA in a WLAN may act as an AP in different situations, and vice versa. This is because a communication device in IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) technology may include both STA hardware components and AP hardware components. In this way, the communication device can switch between STA mode and AP mode based on actual WLAN conditions and / or requirements.

[0017] In the various embodiments below, an AP may be referred to as a base communication device, and STAs associated with an AP in a basic service set (BSS) may be referred to as associated communication devices.

[0018] In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "frequency segment" may be used interchangeably with the term "channel," and an operating channel of a STA may refer to the frequency segment in which the STA is operating. In the present disclosure, a STA may be assigned one or more operating channels for transmitting and receiving signals to and from other STAs or APs in a BSS.

[0019] In various embodiments of the present disclosure, an amendment may refer to an amendment in the 802.11 standard. STAs of different amendments may refer to STAs of different generations that are compatible (or configured) to operate in the operation modes and features provided in the different 802.11 standards. Examples of STAs of different amendments include STAs of HT (High Throughput), VHT (Very High Throughput), HE (High Efficiency), and EHT (Extremely High Throughput), which can operate in the operation modes and features provided in the 802.11n / ac / ac / be standards. Also, STAs of a newer generation than EHT STAs (STAs of amendments after EHT) are referred to as EHT+ STAs in the present disclosure. In general, STAs of newer generations (e.g., EHT / EHT+ STAs) can still perform the operations of older generations as well as all the operations of their own generation (e.g., HE STAs).

[0020] Similarly, different amendment PPDUs may refer to PPDUs (e.g., HE PPDUs, EHT PPDUs, EHT+ PPDUs) configured to be transmitted and received by different generation STAs (e.g., HE STAs, EHT STAs, EHT+ STAs) to perform their own operations provided in the standard. In general, newer generation STAs (e.g., EHT / EHT+ STAs) can still utilize older generation PPDUs (e.g., HE PPDUs) as well as their own generation PPDUs (e.g., EHT / EHT+ PPDUs).

[0021] In various embodiments of the present disclosure, a group of STAs may refer to two or more STAs in a BSS to which a signal in an aggregated signal (e.g., DL PPDU in an A-PPDU) may be assigned or addressed. In one embodiment, the groups are divided according to amendments, and a group of STAs refers to a group of STAs of a generation / amendment (e.g., a group of HE STAs, a group of EHT STAs). In another embodiment, STAs of different amendments may form groups of STAs according to characteristics or operating modes.

[0022] In various embodiments below, the L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, and RL-SIG fields in the preamble of a PPDU may be grouped together and referred to as the L part of the PPDU.

[0023] It is mentioned that 802.11be EHT defines A-PPDU consisting of multiple PPDUs. FIG. 1 shows a frequency-time graph 100 showing A-PPDU. PPDUs of different amendments (in this case, HE PPDU 102 and EHT PPDU 104) are included in A-PPDU. PPDUs composed in A-PPDU are orthogonal on a symbol-by-symbol basis in frequency domain / segment. In other words, HE PPDU 102 and EHT PPDU 104 included in A-PPDU are transmitted simultaneously in different frequency segments. A-PPDU advantageously enables highly efficient simultaneous transmission to STAs of different amendments. In 802.11ax and 11be, selective subchannel transmission (SST) is an optional feature. Under SST, non-AP STAs may listen to assigned subchannels instead of the primary channel. However, SST operation requires overhead of SST setup.

[0024] A-PPDUs can have different combinations. Figure 2 shows four A-PPDUs 200, 210, 220, 230 with different PPDU combinations. A-PPDUs can have different amended PPDU combinations in different frequency segments. For example, A-PPDU 200 includes a combination of HE PPDU and EHT PPDU, A-PPDU 210 includes a combination of EHT PPDU and EHT+ PPDU, and A-PPDU 220 includes a combination of HE PPDU, EHT PPDU and EHT+ PPDU. A-PPDUs can also have the same amended PPDU combinations in different frequency segments. For example, A-PPDU 230 includes a combination of two EHT / EHT+ PPDUs.

[0025] The primary operating channel (typically a 20 MHz channel) is a common channel of operation for all STAs that are members of the basic service set, while all other channels in the BSS are secondary channels. The location of the primary operating channel is broadcast during the association phase between the AP and the STAs of the basic service set. Figure 3 shows four different locations of the 20 MHz primary operating channel assigned in 80 MHz signals 300, 310, 320, 330 transmitted in a basic service set (BSS). For example, the 20 MHz primary operating channel may be the highest frequency, second highest frequency, second lowest frequency, and lowest frequency 20 MHz channel in the signals 300, 310, 320, 330, respectively.

[0026] The 40 / 80 / 160 MHz segment that overlaps with the primary operating channel is the primary 40 / 80 / 160 MHz, and the 40 / 80 / 160 MHz segment that does not overlap with the primary operating channel is the secondary 40 / 80 / 160 MHz.

[0027] A possible solution is to transmit A-PPDUs with SST operation. Figure 4 shows a frequency-time graph 400 illustrating A-PPDUs transmitted with (SST) operation support. In this example, HE STAs are placed on the primary 160 MHz channel and EHT STAs are placed on the secondary 160 MHz channel. The AP transmits an A-PPDU including HE PPDUs on the primary 160 MHz channel and EHT PPDUs on the secondary 160 MHz channel. In response, HE STAs and EHT STAs only receive their own amended PPDUs, i.e., HE PPDUs or EHT PPDUs.

[0028] If SST is not supported, e.g., if the AP or STA does not support SST, DL A-PPDU transmission is difficult to achieve. Figure 5 shows a frequency-time graph illustrating an A-PPDU transmitted without SST operation support. In this example, since SST is not supported, all associated HE / EHT STAs listen to the primary 160 MHz channel. Correspondingly, the EHT STAs only receive information from the preamble of the HE PPDU and therefore are unaware of the EHT PPDU transmission in the secondary 160 MHz channel.

[0029] Conventionally, to solve this problem, if the BSS does not support SST, the AP may transmit PPDUs of different amendments sequentially, or may transmit a single HE PPDU to all STAs of different amendments. Figure 6A shows two amendment PPDUs 602, 604 transmitted sequentially. The AP transmits an HE PPDU to the HE STAs on the primary 160MHz channel, and then transmits an EHT PPDU on both the primary 160MHz channel and the secondary 160MHz channel after SIFS (Short Interframe Spacing). Figure 6B shows a single HE PPDU 606 transmitted to both the HE STAs and the EHT STAs. The AP transmits a single HE PPDU 606 to the HE STAs and the EHT STAs, instead of an aggregated PPDU, when SST is not supported.

[0030] According to the present disclosure, DL A-PPDU transmission without SST may be performed by the AP informing the non-AP STA of parameters of supported DL A-PPDUs, where the A-PPDU includes two or more PPDUs, such as a primary PPDU that overlaps with the primary operating channel and a second PPDU that does not overlap with the primary operating channel. Note that there may be two or more secondary PPDUs when two or more PPDUs are included in the A-PPDU. The receiving non-AP STA that receives the parameters then determines during the preamble decoding phase whether the DL PPDU is an A-PPDU and which PPDU carries the assigned data.

[0031] There may be three types of DL A-PPDU transmission without SST, which are respectively described in the first, second and third embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0032] 1. Static A-PPDU: A-PPDUs transmitted during a transmission opportunity (TXOP) or duration shall be of the same pattern 2. Dynamic A-PPDU: A-PPDUs transmitted during a TXOP / duration can be of various patterns 3. Semi-dynamic A-PPDU: some parameters of the A-PPDU transmitted during the TXOP / duration are restricted, while others can vary

[0033] Various embodiments of the present disclosure are based on the operating assumption that the AP does not transmit the secondary PPDU (the PPDU transmitted in the secondary operating channel) in the A-PPDU to the non-AP STA that does not support SST or does not support receiving the A-PPDU without SST. In other words, the AP must allocate the primary operating channel and transmit the primary PPDU in the primary operating channel to the non-AP STA that does not support SST or does not support receiving the A-PPDU without SST.

[0034] In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the A-PPDU bandwidth rule applies to all A-PPDU transmissions, regardless of whether SST is supported. Thus, a non-AP STA may identify the lowest frequency of a received PPDU within an A-PPDU through a bandwidth notification.

[0035] According to the 802.11ax PPDU bandwidth rules, 20 / 40 / 80 / 160 MHz HE PPDUs are transmitted in the primary 20 / 40 / 80 / 160 MHz channels. Figure 7 shows a table 700 illustrating the allocation of allowed bandwidth for non-HE (high efficiency) PPDUs in an A-PPDU. Specifically, When an HE PPDU and other amendment 20 MHz PPDUs in an A-PPDU are transmitted, the other amendment 20 MHz PPDUs may be transmitted in any 20 MHz except the primary 20 MHz within a BSS bandwidth greater than 20 MHz.

[0036] When HE PPDUs and other amendment 40 MHz PPDUs in A-PPDUs are transmitted, the other amendment 40 MHz may be transmitted in either half of any 80 MHz segment except the primary 40 MHz within a BSS bandwidth greater than 40 MHz.

[0037] When HE PPDUs and other amendment 80 MHz PPDUs in A-PPDUs are transmitted, the other amendment 80 MHz may be transmitted in any 80 MHz segment except the primary 80 MHz within a BSS bandwidth larger than 80 MHz.

[0038] When the HE PPDU and other amendment 160 MHz PPDUs in the A-PPDU are transmitted, the other amendment 160 MHz may be transmitted in a secondary 160 MHz within the BSS bandwidth larger than 160 MHz.

[0039] When an A-PPDU does not contain an HE PPDU, but an other amendment 20 MHz PPDU in the A-PPDU is transmitted, the other amendment 20 MHz PPDU may be transmitted in any 20 MHz channel within a BSS bandwidth greater than 20 MHz.

[0040] · When an A-PPDU does not contain an HE PPDU, but an other amendment 40 MHz PPDU in an A-PPDU is transmitted, the other amendment 40 MHz PPDU may be transmitted in either half of any 80 MHz segment within a BSS bandwidth greater than 40 MHz.

[0041] When an A-PPDU does not contain an HE PPDU, but an 80 MHz PPDU of another amendment is transmitted in the A-PPDU, the 80 MHz PPDU of the other amendment may be transmitted in any 80 MHz segment within a BSS bandwidth greater than 80 MHz.

[0042] · When the A-PPDU does not contain a HE PPDU, but other amendment 160 MHz PPDUs in the A-PPDU are transmitted, the other amendment 160 MHz PPDUs may be transmitted in the primary / secondary 160 MHz within a BSS bandwidth larger than 160 MHz.

[0043] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a communication device 800 according to the present disclosure. According to the present disclosure, the communication device 800 is implemented in an AP and a STA, and is configured to transmit or receive an aggregate signal. As shown in FIG. 8, the communication device 800 may include a circuit 814, at least one wireless transmitter 802, at least one wireless receiver 804, and at least one antenna 812 (for simplicity, only one antenna is shown in FIG. 8 for illustrative purposes). The circuit 814 may include at least one controller 806. The controller 806 is used to perform tasks that the at least one controller 806 is designed to perform with the assistance of software and hardware. The tasks include controlling communication with one or more other communication devices in a multiple input and multiple output (MIMO) wireless network. The circuit 814 may further include at least one transmit signal generator 808 and at least one receive signal processor 810. The at least one control unit 806 may control at least one transmit signal generating unit 808 for generating MAC frames (e.g., data frames, management frames, action frames) to be transmitted via the at least one wireless transmitting unit 802, and at least one receive signal processing unit 810 for processing MAC frames (e.g., data frames, management frames, action frames) received via the at least one wireless receiving unit 804 from one or more other communication devices. The at least one transmit signal generating unit 808 and the at least one receive signal processing unit 810 may be standalone modules of the communication device 800 that communicate with the at least one control unit 806 for the above-mentioned functions, as shown in FIG. 8. Alternatively, the at least one transmit signal generating unit 808 and the at least one receive signal processing unit 810 may be included in the at least one control unit 806. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the arrangement of these functional modules is flexible and may be changed according to actual needs and / or requirements. Data processing, storage, and other related control units may be provided on a suitable circuit board and / or in a chipset.In various embodiments, in operation, at least one wireless transmitter 802 , at least one wireless receiver 804 , and at least one antenna 812 may be controlled by at least one controller 806 .

[0044] The communication device 800, in operation, provides necessary functionality for transmitting or receiving an aggregate signal. For example, the communication device 800 may be an AP, and the circuit 814 (e.g., at least one transmit signal generator 808 of the circuit 814), in operation, may be configured to inform a group of associated STAs of one or more operating channels among a plurality of operating channels to which an assigned signal is to be transmitted, and generate a signal assigned to the group of associated STAs and another signal assigned to another group of associated STAs. The wireless transmitter 802, in operation, may transmit an aggregate signal including the signal and the other signal simultaneously.

[0045] In one embodiment, circuitry 814 (e.g., at least one transmit signal generator 808 of circuitry 814) may be configured to further signal a signal pattern of an aggregated signal. In another embodiment, circuitry 814 (e.g., at least one transmit signal generator 808 of circuitry 814) may be configured to further signal a plurality of allowed signal patterns of an aggregated signal. In yet another embodiment, circuitry 814 (e.g., at least one transmit signal generator 808 of circuitry 814) may be configured to generate the aggregated signal further including a signal field that signals the presence of the signal and one of the resource units allocated to the group of associated STAs.

[0046] The circuit 814 (e.g., at least one transmit signal generating unit 808 of the circuit 814) may be configured to generate a frame indicating the one or more operating channels, and the wireless transmitter unit 802 may transmit the frame prior to transmitting the aggregate signal.

[0047] In operation, the wireless receiver 804 may receive feedback signals from the group of associated STAs, and the circuit 814 (e.g., at least one transmit signal generator 808 of the circuit 814) may be configured to determine whether to generate the secondary signal based on the received feedback signals.

[0048] For example, the communication device 800 may be a STA of a group of STAs associated with an AP, and the wireless receiver 804 may, in operation, receive from the AP information regarding one or more operating channels among a plurality of operating channels on which signals assigned to the group of associated communication devices will be transmitted, and an aggregate signal including simultaneously the signals assigned to the group of STAs and other signals assigned to other groups of associated STAs. The circuitry (e.g., at least one transmit signal generator 808 of circuitry 814) may decode the aggregate signal.

[0049] In one embodiment, when the one or more operating channels, including a primary operating channel, configured for the group of STAs are different from those configured for other groups of the associated STAs, the circuit (e.g., at least one transmission signal generation unit 808 of circuit 814) is configured to decode the aggregate signal, including the signal assigned to the group of associated STAs, which is transmitted only on the primary operating channel.

[0050] In one embodiment, when the one or more operating channels include a primary operating channel that was previously notified during the association phase between the AP and the associated STAs and shared by both the group of associated STAs and the other group of associated STAs, and one or more secondary operating channels that do not overlap with the primary operating channel, the circuit (e.g., at least one transmission signal generation unit 808 of circuit 814) is configured to decode the aggregate signal simultaneously including a primary signal assigned to both the group of associated communication devices and the other group of associated communication devices on the primary operating channel, and a secondary signal assigned to the group of associated communication devices on the one or more secondary operating channels.

[0051] The radio receiver 804 may receive frames indicating the one or more operating channels, and the circuitry (e.g., at least one transmit signal generator 808 of circuitry 814) is configured to process the frames before decoding the aggregate signal.

[0052] The circuit (e.g., at least one transmission signal generating unit 808 of circuit 814) may be configured to generate a feedback signal informing the AP whether or not to generate the secondary signal before receiving the aggregated signal, and the wireless transmitting unit 802, when operational, may transmit the feedback signal to the AP.

[0053] Circuit 814 (e.g., at least one transmission signal generating unit 808 of circuit 814) is configured to determine whether the aggregate signal includes the signal assigned to the associated communication device based on a signal field of the aggregate signal that indicates the presence of the signal and the resource units assigned to the group of STAs.

[0054] Circuitry 814 (eg, at least one transmit signal generator 808 of circuitry 814) is configured to stop decoding other signals of the aggregate signal upon decoding the signal assigned to communication device 800.

[0055] 9 is a flow chart 900 illustrating a communication method for A-PPDU transmission, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In step 902, a step is performed of informing a group of associated communication devices of one or more operating channels among a plurality of operating channels on which a signal assigned to the group of associated communication devices will be transmitted. In step 904, a step is performed of generating a signal assigned to the group of associated communication devices and another signal assigned to another group of associated communication devices. In step 906, a step is performed of transmitting an aggregate signal including the signal and the other signal simultaneously.

[0056] The following paragraphs describe a first embodiment of the present disclosure for DL ​​A-PPDU transmission using static A-PPDU. In this type of DL A-PPDU transmission, only certain signal patterns are allowed within a TXOP / duration. A-PPDU information (e.g., A-PPDU parameters) about signal patterns and restrictions on A-PPDU transmission within a TXOP / duration is signaled to the intended group of non-AP STAs prior to DL A-PPDU transmission. Examples of signal patterns or restrictions include combinations of amendments, allowed bandwidths of PPDUs, and allowed positions of PPDUs. One or more second primary operating channels may also be signaled to the non-AP STAs. Such second primary operating channels do not overlap with secondary PPDUs and are listened to by the intended group of non-AP STAs similar to the primary operating channel. When there is a secondary PPDU, the second primary operating channel is not punctured. Under static A-PPDU transmission, unsignaled A-PPDU patterns are not allowed within a TXOP / duration.

[0057] A-PPDU information may be broadcast using a management frame (Media Access Control (MAC) frame) before A-PPDU transmission. Figure 10 shows a diagram 1000 illustrating a flow of A-PPDU transmission according to an example of a first embodiment of the present disclosure. An AP may transmit a management frame 1002 carrying information about a signal pattern or a restriction on A-PPDU transmission within a TXOP / duration before transmitting A-PPDUs 1004, 1006 of the same pattern within a TXOP / duration. Examples of management frames include a beacon frame, a probe response frame, a multi-user Request-To-Send (MU-RTS) trigger frame, and a Null Data Packet (NDP) Feedback Report Polling (NRFP) trigger frame.

[0058] FIG. 11 shows an example of the format of an A-PPDU element 1100 carried in a beacon frame or a probe response frame. The A-PPDU element 1100 includes an A-PPDU combination field and a second primary channel information field. The A-PPDU combination field may include information about the allowed amendment and / or maximum number of PPDUs included in the A-PPDU. The second primary channel information field may include information about the channel number of the second primary channel. Note that the beacon frame is periodically transmitted by the AP to announce information about the network, and the broadcasted information is valid throughout the beacon interval (which may be larger than the TXOP).

[0059] FIG. 12 shows a diagram 1200 illustrating a flow of A-PPDU transmission according to another example of the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The AP may transmit an MU-RTS trigger frame 1202 to the STA, which conveys a signal pattern or restriction on A-PPDU transmission within a TXOP / duration. Note that the MU-RTS trigger frame is usually transmitted at the beginning of a TXOP to set network allocation vector (NAV) protection, and the broadcasted information is valid throughout the TXOP. The STA that receives the trigger frame 1202 will return a feedback signal 1204 (e.g., a clear-to-send (CTS) signal) to the AP. Then, within the TXOP / duration, the AP transmits an A-PPDU 1206 including the signal allocated to the STA. Then, the STA that receives and decodes the signal transmits a Block ACK frame 1208 to the AP.

[0060] The MU-RTS trigger frame 1202 may be reused and modified from current standards, including a Frame Control field, a Duration field, a Receiver Address (RA) field, a Sender Address (TA) field, a Common Information field, one or more User Information fields, a Padding field, and a Frame Check Sequence (FCS) field. The Frame Control field, Duration field, RA field, and TA field may be grouped as a MAC header. The Common Information field comprises a Trigger Type subfield, a More Trigger Frame (TF) subfield, a CS Request subfield, a UL Bandwidth (BW) subfield, a Guard Interval (GI) and Long Training Field (LTF) Type subfields, an LDPC Redundant Symbol Segment, an AP Tx Power subfield, a Pre-FEC Padding Factor subfield, a Packet Extension (PE) Disambiguity subfield, an UL Spatial Reuse subfield, a Doppler subfield, and an UL HE-SIG-A2 Reserved subfield.

[0061] 13 and 14 each show an example of the format of the MU-RTS trigger frame 1202. In one embodiment, the UL Length, MU-MIMO HE-LTF Mode, Number of HE-LTF Symbols and Midamble Period, UL STBC, LDPC Redundant Symbol Segment, AP Tx Power, Pre-FEC Padding Factor, PE Disambiguity, UL Spatial Reuse, Doppler, and UL HE-SIG-A2 Reserved subfields of the common information field of the MU-RTS trigger frame are reserved, and portions of the reserved fields 1302, 1304, 1306 are reused to form the A-PPDU Information Flag subfield 1302, the A-PPDU Combination subfield 1304, and the Second Primary Channel Information field 1306, respectively. The A-PPDU Information Flag subfield 1302 signals the presence of A-PPDU information related fields. The A-PPDU Combination subfield 1304 signals the A-PPDU information. The second primary channel information field 1306 may indicate the channel number of the second primary channel.

[0062] In another embodiment, as shown in Figure 14, the UL HE-MCS, UL FEC coding type, UL DCM, SS allocation / RA-RU information, and UL target received power fields of the user information field are reserved, and parts of the reserved fields are reused to form an A-PPDU information flag subfield 1402, an A-PPDU combination subfield 1404, and a second primary channel information field 1406. Similarly, the A-PPDU information flag subfield 1402 indicates the presence of A-PPDU information related fields. The A-PPDU combination subfield 1404 indicates A-PPDU information. The second primary channel information field 1406 may indicate the channel number of the second primary channel.

[0063] The NRFP trigger frame may be reused and modified from current standards, including a frame control field, a duration field, a RA field, a TA field, a common information field, a user information field, a padding field, and an FCS field. The frame control field, the duration field, the RA field, and the TA field may be grouped as a MAC header. The user information field includes a starting AID field, a feedback type field, an uplink (UL) target received power field, a number of spatially multiplexed users field, and two reserved fields (9 bits and 7 bits). Figure 15 shows an example of the format of the NRFP trigger frame 1500. The two reserved fields in the user information field are reused to form an A-PPDU combination field and a second primary channel information field, where the A-PPDU combination subfield may signal A-PPDU information and the second primary channel information field may signal the channel number of the second primary channel. The feedback type field value "1", which is reserved in 802.11ax, is used to signal "A-PPDU support feedback request". Note that the A-PPDU information broadcast by the NFRP trigger frame is valid throughout the TXOP / duration.

[0064] Upon receiving the NFRP trigger frame 1500 by a non-AP STA, the requested non-AP STA feedbacks whether it supports the A-PPDU indicated in the TXOP / duration by reusing the RU_TONE_SET_INDEX in the FEEDBACK_STATUS bit in the NDP feedback report response.

[0065] According to the present disclosure, static A-PPDU transmission by the AP is performed with parallel decoding by non-AP STAs, which listen to and decode the primary channel and the notified second primary channel in parallel or simultaneously. Upon receiving a PPDU from the AP, the non-AP STAs determine whether the received PPDU is an A-PPDU (1) by determining whether a valid secondary PPDU signal is detected or not, and (2) through at least one of two options of the decoding result of the RU allocation in the PPDU.

[0066] An example of detecting a valid secondary PPDU signal and determining an A-PPDU is a non-AP STA detecting an HE PPDU in the primary 40 MHz channel and an EHT PPDU in a third 40 MHz channel. In this option, the receiving non-AP STAs in a group of non-AP STAs must decode up to the HE-SIG-A / U-SIG field to check the PHY version identifier (ID), bandwidth, and BSS color. The receiving non-AP STAs stop decoding on the primary PPDU when a valid secondary PPDU signal outside the bandwidth of the primary PPDU is detected. If two or more valid secondary PPDUs are detected, the receiving non-AP STAs continue to decode the higher frequency PPDUs. In this option, the AP shall not transmit data in the primary PPDU of the A-PPDU to STAs listening simultaneously to the primary channel and other sub-channels.

[0067] FIG. 16A illustrates an A-PPDU 1600 transmitted to a non-AP STA according to an example of the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The A-PPDU 1600 includes an HE PPDU 1602 transmitted in the first and second 40 MHz channels (P40 and S40) and an EHT PPDU 1604 transmitted in the third and fourth 40 MHz channels (T40 and F40). In this example, under option 1 of the first embodiment, the receiving non-AP STA may decode from the L part to the HE-SIG-A and U-SIG fields, and detect that there is a valid secondary PPDU signal assigned thereto in T40 (the third 40 MHz channel). Then, the non-AP STA stops decoding the primary PPDU and continues decoding the secondary PPDU including the EHT-SIG field 1 1653 and EHT-SIG field 2 1663 of T40. In this example, assuming that the replicated fields in the higher frequency segments are not decoded after decoding the corresponding fields in the lower frequency segments, the minimum parts required to decode the A-PPDU 1600 are the L part 1611 and HE-SIG-A field 1612 of the HE PPDU 1602 of the primary 40 MHz channel, and the L part 1651, U-SIG field 1652, EHT-SIG field 1 1653, EHT-SIG field 2 1663, and data field 1654 of the T40 EHT PPDU 1604.

[0068] For option 2, the decoding result of the RU allocation in the received PPDU may be determined when the non-AP STA decodes the RU allocation field in the HE-SIG-B / EHT-SIG field. Therefore, in this option, the non-AP STA needs to decode up to the RU allocation field in the HE-SIG-B / EHT-SIG field and stop decoding when it finds its assigned RU. In this option, the AP may send data in the primary PPDU of the A-PPDU to the non-AP STA that listens to the primary subchannel and the second primary subchannel simultaneously.

[0069] FIG. 16B shows an A-PPDU 1605 transmitted to a non-AP STA according to another example of the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The A-PPDU 1605 includes an HE PPDU 1606 transmitted in the first and second 40 MHz channels (P40 and S40) and an EHT PPDU 1608 transmitted in the third and fourth 40 MHz channels (T40 and F40). In this example, under option 2 of the first embodiment, the receiving non-AP STA may decode in parallel from the L part to the RU allocation field of the HE-SIG-B field of the HE PPDU 1606 and the EHT-SIG field of the EHT PPDU 1608, and in this case, detect the RU allocated therein in T40. Then, the non-AP STA stops decoding the preamble when it finds its assigned RU. After decoding the preamble of the A-PPDU, the non-AP STA finds its assigned data in the data field 1654 of T40. In this example, assuming that the replicated fields in the higher frequency segments are not decoded after decoding the corresponding fields in the lower frequency segments, the minimum parts required to decode the A-PPDU 1605 in this example are the L part 1616, HE-SIG-A field 1617, HE-SIG-B field 1 1618, and HE-SIG-B field 2 1628 of the P40 HE-PPDU 1606, and the L part 1651, U-SIG field 1652, EHT-SIG field 1 1653, EHT-SIG field 2 1663, and data field 1654 of the T40 EHT PPDU 1604.

[0070] If the AP reuses the beacon / probe response frame or MU-RTS trigger frame to transmit A-PPDU information and announces the second primary channel in a third 40 MHz channel before A-PPDU transmission, the AP assumes that all non-AP STAs that support parallel decoding listen to more than one channel. The STAs' capabilities, such as receiving A-PPDU without SST and the maximum number of decoders, can be known to the AP. Meanwhile, when the non-AP STA receives the frame, it determines and decides whether to listen to additional subchannels based on its operating bandwidth and capabilities.

[0071] When the AP reuses the NFRP trigger frame, the non-AP STA sends a feedback signal upon receiving the NFRP trigger frame, and the AP judges and decides whether to send a secondary PPDU of the A-PPDU to the non-AP STA based on the feedback.

[0072] FIG. 17 shows a schematic diagram 1700 illustrating the operating bandwidth of a non-AP STA and the announced second primary channel according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, the second primary channel is announced as the lower 20 MHz of the third 40 MHz channel, and the operating bandwidth of the non-AP STA is less than 80 MHZ. It is determined that the announced second primary channel is out of its operating bandwidth, and the non-AP STA listens only to the primary channel and does not listen to additional channels. The AP does not transmit PPDUs that are not the primary PPDU of the A-PPDU to the non-AP STA.

[0073] Parallel decoding has the impact that decoders equal to the number of PPDUs are required. No additional signaling is required, but at the expense of a high decoding load.

[0074] FIG. 18 shows a flowchart 1800 illustrating a process for receiving an A-PPDU by a non-AP STA according to an example of the first embodiment of the present disclosure. In step 1802, a step of receiving a frame indicating A-PPDU information is performed. In step 1804, a step of determining whether the non-AP STA can support receiving the indicated pattern of A-PPDUs in the A-PPDU information is performed. If it is determined that the non-AP STA can support, step 1806 is performed, otherwise step 1807 is performed. In step 1806, a step of listening in parallel to the primary channel and the indicated sub-primary channel (or the second primary channel) is performed. In step 1808, a step of receiving a PPDU is performed. In step 1810, a step of decoding a preamble in the primary channel and the indicated sub-primary channel is performed. In step 1812, a step of determining whether the received PPDU is an A-PPDU is performed. If it is determined that it is an A-PPDU, step 1814 is performed, otherwise step 1815 is performed. In step 1814, a step of finding a sub-PPDU (secondary PPDU) carrying the assigned data is performed and the process may end.

[0075] After it is determined in step 1807 that the non-AP STA cannot support reception of the signaled pattern of A-PPDUs, the steps of listening to and decoding the preamble of the PPDU received on the primary channel may be performed, and the process may end. After it is determined in step 1815 that the received PPDU is not an A-PPDU, the steps of treating the PPDU as a normal PPDU and stopping decoding of the sub-primary channel may be performed, and the process may end.

[0076] In accordance with this disclosure, static A-PPDU transmission by the AP is performed with the current specification constraint that each non-AP STA listens to a single 20 MHz channel advertised by the AP. This is accomplished through at least one of two options: (1) assigning different primary operating channels to different groups of non-AP STAs, and (2) each group of non-AP STAs having multiple primary operating channels.

[0077] In option 1, where different groups of non-AP STAs have different primary channels, the AP advertises different operating primary channels to different groups of non-AP STAs. The advertised primary operating channels should match the advertised A-PPDU pattern. Meanwhile, each group of non-AP STAs listens only to its advertised primary channel for the life of the BSS. The AP transmits frames containing beacons and group-destined frames that overlap with the corresponding primary / secondary primary channels to each group of non-AP STAs.

[0078] FIG. 19 shows a schematic diagram 1900 illustrating an example of channel configuration for two different groups of non-AP STAs. In this example, the group is divided into non-AP HE STAs and non-AP EHT STAs by amendment. The A-PPDU pattern of HE PPDU in the primary 160 MHz channel (P160) and EHT PPDU in the secondary 160 MHz channel (S160) is announced. The AP may announce the two primary channels to non-AP HE STAs and non-AP EHT STAs in P160 and S160, respectively. As shown in FIG. 19, non-AP HE STAs listen only to primary channel 1, and non-AP EHT STAs listen only to primary channel 2.

[0079] Regarding option 2, where each group of non-AP STAs has multiple primary operating channels and the groups may be divided by amendment, the AP may inform each group of non-AP STAs (e.g., non-AP post-HE STAs) of the primary operating channel (common to all groups of STAs) and one second primary channel, so that each group of non-AP STAs knows one primary operating channel and one second primary channel. The second primary channel of each group of non-AP STAs should match the announced A-PPDU pattern. Thus, each group of post-HE non-AP STAs listens only to the announced second primary channel, but can switch to the primary channel to receive normal PPDUs, and then switch back to the second primary channel again. The AP informs the time interval (i.e., switching interval) for listening to the second primary channel together with the second primary channel information. The AP transmits A-PPDUs consisting of PPDUs that overlap with the corresponding primary / second primary channel to each group of non-AP STAs.

[0080] FIG. 20 shows a schematic diagram 2000 illustrating another example of channel configuration for two different groups of non-AP STAs. In this example, the group is divided into non-AP HE STAs and non-AP EHT STAs by amendment. The A-PPDU pattern of HE PPDUs in the primary 160 MHz channel (P160) and EHT PPDUs in the secondary 160 MHz channel (S160) is announced. The AP may announce the primary channel to non-AP HE STAs and non-AP EHT STAs in P160, while an additional second primary channel to non-AP EHT STAs. As shown in FIG. 20, non-AP HE STAs listen only to the primary channel, and non-AP EHT STAs listen only to the second primary channel. However, the EHT non-AP STAs still know the location of the primary channel and can switch to it if necessary.

[0081] FIG. 21 shows an A-PPDU 2100 transmitted to a non-AP STA according to yet another example of the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The A-PPDU includes an HE PPDU 2102 transmitted on a first and second 40 MHz channel (P40 and S40) and an EHT PPDU 2104 transmitted on a third and fourth 40 MHz channel (T40 and F40). In this example, the primary operating channel of T40 (or the second primary operating channel on which the non-AP STA mainly operates) is assigned to the non-AP STA, and therefore the non-AP STA only listens to T40. In this example, the non-AP STA may decode from the EHT PPDU transmitted on T40 and find its assigned data in the data field 2154 of T40. In this example, assuming that the duplicated fields in the higher frequency segments are not decoded after decoding the corresponding fields in the lower frequency segments, the minimum required to decode the A-PPDU 2100 in this example is the L part 2151, U-SIG field 2152, EHT-SIG field 1 2153, EHT-SIG field 2 2163, and data field 2154 of the T40 EHT PPDU 2104. This advantageously results in the same decoding load as 802.11ax.

[0082] FIG. 22 shows a flowchart 2200 illustrating a process for receiving an A-PPDU by a non-AP STA according to another example of the first embodiment of the present disclosure. In step 2202, a step of receiving a frame indicating A-PPDU information and a primary / secondary primary channel is performed. In step 2204, a step of listening to the indicated primary / secondary primary channel is performed. In step 2206, a step of receiving a PPDU is performed. In step 2208, a step of decoding a preamble of the listened primary / secondary primary channel is performed. In step 2210, a step of finding allocation data is performed.

[0083] In the following paragraphs, a second embodiment of the present disclosure related to DL A-PPDU transmission using dynamic A-PPDU is described, where the A-PPDU pattern can be dynamic. In this embodiment, the parameters of the PPDU, e.g., the combination of bandwidth / overlapping subchannel (following the A-PPDU BW rule) and amendments included in the A-PPDU, can be dynamic within the TXOP / duration. The presence of the A-PPDU during the TXOP / duration can be announced by the AP, e.g., using a beacon / probe frame or a MU-RTS trigger frame. Similar to the first embodiment, the AP decides whether to transmit a secondary PPDU of the A-PPDU to the non-AP STA based on its operating bandwidth, capability, and / or feedback, and the non-AP STA determines and decides whether to listen to any secondary channel (other than the primary channel) based on its operating bandwidth and capability.

[0084] In this embodiment, the non-AP STA listens to and decodes the primary channel and all possible lowest 40 MHz of the secondary PPDU in the A-PPDU in parallel or simultaneously. In one option (option 1), there is no signaling for A-PPDU notification included in the preamble of the A-PPDU. Upon receiving a PPDU from the AP, the non-AP STA determines whether the received PPDU is an A-PPDU or not without signaling for A-PPDU notification in the A-PPDU preamble through (i) determining whether a valid secondary PPDU signal is detected and / or (ii) the decoding result of the RU allocation in the PPDU.

[0085] When a receiving non-AP STA determines whether a valid secondary PPDU is detected to determine whether the received PPDU is an A-PPDU, the receiving non-AP STAs in the non-AP STA group must decode up to the HE-SIG-A / U-SIG field to confirm the PHY version ID, bandwidth, and BSS color. When a receiving non-AP STA detects a valid secondary PPDU signal outside the bandwidth of the primary PPDU, the receiving non-AP STA stops decoding on the primary PPDU. If two or more valid secondary PPDUs are detected, the receiving non-AP STA continues to decode the PPDUs of the higher frequency. In this option, the AP shall not transmit data in the primary PPDU of the A-PPDU to STAs listening simultaneously to the primary channel and other subchannels.

[0086] On the other hand, if the receiving non-AP STA determines whether the received PPDU is an A-PPDU based on the decoding result of the RU allocation in the PPDU, the receiving non-AP STA needs to decode up to the RU allocation field in the HE-SIG-B / EHT-SIG field. When the receiving non-AP STA finds the assigned RU, it stops decoding. In this case, the AP may send data in the primary PPDU of the A-PPDU to the non-AP STA that listens to the primary subchannel and the second primary subchannel simultaneously.

[0087] The impact of this option for determining whether a received PPDU is an A-PPDU or not without signaling for A-PPDU notification is that a number of decoding units of at least BW / 40 is required (BW is the operating bandwidth of the receiving non-AP STA).

[0088] In another option (Option 2), there is signaling for A-PPDU notification (e.g., in the L-SIG field) included in the preamble of the A-PPDU. Upon receiving a PPDU from the AP, the non-AP STA uses the fourth bit (B4) of the L-SIG field of the primary PPDU and secondary PPDU to determine whether the received PPDU is an A-PPDU.

[0089] FIG. 23 shows an example of the format of an HE MU PPDU 2300. The HE MU PPDU 2300 includes a short training field (L-STF), an L-LTF, an L-SIG field, a RL-SIG field, an HE-SIG A field, an HE-SIG B field, an HE-STF field, an HE-LTF field, and a data field. The L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, and RL-SIG fields are sometimes grouped together and referred to as the L-part. The L-SIG field includes a RATE field, a spare field, a length field, a parity field, and a tail field. B4 of the L-SIG field is reserved and set to 0 on transmission and ignored on reception. When B4 of the L-SIG field of the primary PPDU is set to 1, an A-PPDU transmission and the presence of a secondary PPDU are indicated. When B4 of the L-SIG of a subchannel is set to 0, the lowest frequency of the secondary PPDU is indicated. Thus, when the receiving non-AP STA reads the indications in the L-SIG fields of the various subchannels, it will know the possible location of the secondary PPDU and can stop decoding on other 40 MHz subchannels. The receiving non-AP STA continues to decode the primary channel until the BSS color of a possible secondary PPDU is identified. With this option, the AP must not transmit data in the primary PPDU of the A-PPDU to non-AP STAs that are listening simultaneously to the primary subchannel and the second primary subchannel.

[0090] FIG. 24 shows a PPDU and its preamble for A-PPDU 2400 according to an example of the second embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, there are four 40 MHz channels, each of which can be subdivided into two to form a total of eight 20 MHz subchannels. An 80 MHz EHT PPDU is transmitted in the third 40 MHz channel (T40), and a 40 MHz HE PPDU is transmitted in the primary 40 MHz channel (P40). Table 2410 shows the breakdown of the preamble and data field of the PPDU transmitted in each 20 MHz subchannel. The HE PPDU transmitted in P40 (primary PPDU) includes a legacy preamble followed by a HE preamble and a data field in each 20 MHz subchannel. The B4 bit of the L-SIG field of the legacy preamble of the primary PPDU is set to 1 to signal the presence of a secondary PPDU. The EHT PPDU (Secondary PPDU) transmitted at T40 includes a legacy preamble followed by an EHT preamble and a data field in each 20MHz subchannel. The B4 bit of the L-SIG field of the legacy preamble of the Secondary PPDU transmitted at T40 is set to 0 to indicate the lowest frequency of the Secondary PPDU. Therefore, the receiving non-AP STA determines that it is an A-PPDU, and the Secondary PPDU is transmitted from above T40.

[0091] FIG. 25A shows an A-PPDU 2500 transmitted to a non-AP STA according to an example of the second embodiment of the present disclosure. The A-PPDU includes an HE PPDU 2502 transmitted at P40 and S40, and an EHT PPDU 2504 transmitted at T40 and F40. In this example, under option 1 of the second embodiment in which the non-AP STA determines whether a PPDU is an A-PPDU without a signaling for A-PPDU notification included in the preamble of the A-PPDU, the non-AP STA listens and decodes P40 and all possible lowest 40 MHz (S40, T40, F40 in this case) of the secondary PPDU simultaneously. Specifically, the non-AP STA may decode in parallel from the L part to the HE-SIG-B / EHT SIG field in all subchannels of the HE PPDU 2502 and EHT PPDU 2504, in which case the non-AP STA detects the RU assigned to it at T40. And when the non-AP STA finds its assigned RU, it stops decoding the preamble.After decoding the A-PPDU preamble, the non-AP STA finds its assigned data in the data field 2554 of the T40. In this example, the minimum parts required to decode the A-PPDU 2500 are the L part 2511, HE-SIG-A field 2512, HE-SIG-B field 1 2513, and HE-SIG-B field 2 2523 of the HE PPDU 2502 of P40, the duplicated L parts 2531, 2541, and the duplicated HE-SIG-A fields 2532, 2542 of the HE PPDU 2502 of S40, the L part 2551, the U-SIG field 2552, the EHT-SIG field 1 2553, the EHT-SIG field 2 2563, and the data field 2554 of the EHT PPDU 2504 of T40, and the duplicated L parts 2571, 2581, and the duplicated U-SIG fields 2572, 2582 of the EHT PPDU 2504 of F40.

[0092] FIG. 25B shows an A-PPDU 2505 transmitted to a non-AP STA according to another example of the second embodiment of the present disclosure. The A-PPDU includes an HE PPDU 2506 transmitted at P40 and S40, and an EHT PPDU 2508 transmitted at T40 and F40. In this example, under option 2 of the second embodiment in which the non-AP STA determines whether a PPDU is an A-PPDU with a signaling for A-PPDU notification included in the preamble of the A-PPDU, the non-AP STA simultaneously listens to and decodes P40 and all possible lowest 40 MHz (S40, T40, F40 in this case) of the secondary PPDU. Specifically, the non-AP STA may decode the L part 2516 and the HE-SIG-A field 2517 of the P40. The receiving non-AP STA may detect that B4 of the L-SIG field of the L part 2516 is set to 1 to indicate the presence of a secondary PPDU. The receiving non-AP STA may then check the L-SIG fields of the L part at S40, T40 and F40 to determine the location of the Secondary PPDU. The non-AP STA may detect that B4 of the L-SIG field in L part 2556 of T40 is set to 0, indicating the lowest frequency and location of the Secondary PPDU, continue decoding the Secondary PPDU, and find its assigned data in data field 2559 of T40. In this example, the minimum required parts for decoding the A-PPDU 1605 are the L part 2516, HE-SIG-A field 2517, HE-SIG-B field 1 2518, and HE-SIG-B2 2528 of the HE PPDU 2506 for P40, parts of the L parts 2536, 2546 of the HE PPDU 2506 for S40, the L part 2556, U-SIG field 2557, EHT-SIG field 1 2558, EHT-SIG field 2 2568, and data field 2559 of the EHT PPDU 2504 for T40, and parts of the L parts 2576, 2586 of the EHT PPDU 2506 for F40.

[0093] In the following paragraphs, a third embodiment of the present disclosure is described regarding DL A-PPDU transmission using semi-dynamic A-PPDU, in which some parameters of PPDUs in the A-PPDU (e.g., bandwidth / overlapping subchannels) may be dynamic but still follow the A-PPDU BW rules.

[0094] In this embodiment, in order to reduce the number of parallel decoding subchannels and thus the number of decoders, some constraints on the A-PPDUs are applied and broadcast before DL A-PPDU transmission, examples of constraints include a minimum distance in frequency between different PPDUs and a maximum number of PPDUs contained in the A-PPDU.

[0095] The AP may use a beacon / probe response frame or a MU-RTS trigger frame to announce the A-PPDU information and constraints. Similar to the first and second embodiments, the AP determines whether to transmit a secondary PPDU of the A-PPDU to the non-AP STA based on its operating bandwidth, capability, and / or feedback, and the non-AP STA determines and decides whether to listen to any secondary channel (other than the primary channel) based on its operating bandwidth and capability.

[0096] 26 shows a flow diagram 2600 illustrating channel allocation for PPDUs of different amendments according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, if a minimum distance of 80 MHz between different PPDUs is signaled and the HE PPDU of the A-PPDU is transmitted in the primary 40 MHz channel (P40), the lowest possible frequency for the EHT PPDU of the A-PPDU should be the third or fourth 40 MHz channel (T40 or F40).

[0097] In this embodiment, the non-AP STA listens to and decodes the primary channel of the secondary PPDU in the A-PPDU and all other lowest 40 MHz (determined based on the signaled parameters) in parallel or simultaneously. In one option (option 1), there is no signaling for A-PPDU notification included in the preamble of the A-PPDU. Note that the non-AP STA needs to determine up to 40 MHz preamble to obtain all information required to decode the data. Upon receiving a PPDU from the AP, the non-AP STA determines whether the received PPDU is an A-PPDU or not without signaling for A-PPDU notification in the A-PPDU preamble through (i) determining whether a valid secondary PPDU signal is detected and / or (ii) the decoding result of the RU allocation in the PPDU.

[0098] When a receiving non-AP STA determines whether a valid secondary PPDU is detected to determine whether the received PPDU is an A-PPDU, the receiving non-AP STAs in the non-AP STA group must decode up to the HE-SIG-A / U-SIG field to confirm the PHY version ID, bandwidth, and BSS color. When a receiving non-AP STA detects a valid secondary PPDU signal outside the bandwidth of the primary PPDU, the receiving non-AP STA stops decoding on the primary PPDU. If two or more valid secondary PPDUs are detected, the receiving non-AP STA continues to decode the PPDUs of the higher frequency. In this option, the AP shall not transmit data in the primary PPDU of the A-PPDU to STAs listening simultaneously to the primary channel and other subchannels.

[0099] On the other hand, if the receiving non-AP STA determines whether the received PPDU is an A-PPDU based on the decoding result of the RU allocation in the PPDU, the receiving non-AP STA needs to decode up to the RU allocation field in the HE-SIG-B / EHT-SIG field. When the receiving non-AP STA finds the assigned RU, it stops decoding. In this case, the AP may send data in the primary PPDU of the A-PPDU to the non-AP STA that listens to the primary subchannel and the second primary subchannel simultaneously.

[0100] FIG. 27 shows an A-PPDU 2700 transmitted to a non-AP STA according to an example of the third embodiment of the present disclosure. The A-PPDU includes an HE PPDU 2702 transmitted at P40 and S40, and an EHT PPDU 2704 transmitted at T40 and F40. In this example, under option 1 of the third embodiment in which the non-AP STA determines whether a PPDU is an A-PPDU without a signaling for A-PPDU notification included in the preamble of the A-PPDU, the non-AP STA listens and decodes P40 and all other lowest 40 MHz (T40 and F40 in this case) of the secondary PPDU simultaneously. Specifically, the non-AP STA may decode the L part of the HE PPDU 2702 and the EHT PPDU 2704 to the HE-SIG-B / EHT SIG field in parallel, in which the non-AP STA detects the RU assigned to it at T40. And when the non-AP STA finds its assigned RU, it stops decoding the preamble.After decoding the A-PPDU preamble, the non-AP STA finds its assigned data in the T40 data field 2754. In this example, assuming that the replicated fields in the higher frequency segments are not decoded after decoding the corresponding fields in the lower frequency segments, the minimum parts required to decode the A-PPDU 2700 in this example are the L part 2711, HE-SIG-A field 2712, HE-SIG-B field 1 2713, and HE-SIG-B2 2723 of the HE PPDU 2702 in P40, the L part 2751, U-SIG field 2752, EHT-SIG field 1 2753, EHT-SIG field 2 2763, and data field 2754 of the EHT PPDU 2704 in T40, and the replicated L part 2771 and replicated U-SIG field 2772 of the EHT PPDU 2704 in F40.

[0101] In another option (Option 2), there is signaling for A-PPDU notification (e.g., in the L-SIG field) included in the preamble of the A-PPDU. Upon receiving a PPDU from the AP, the non-AP STA uses the fourth bit (B4) of the L-SIG field of the primary PPDU and secondary PPDU to determine whether the received PPDU is an A-PPDU.

[0102] Similar to the second embodiment, B4 in the L-SIG field can be used as signaling of the A-PPDU notification included in the A-PPDU preamble. B4 in the L-SIG field is reserved and set to 0 on transmission and ignored on reception. If B4 in the L-SIG field of the primary PPDU is set to 1, the A-PPDU transmission and the presence of a secondary PPDU are signaled. If B4 in the L-SIG of a subchannel is set to 0, the lowest frequency of the secondary PPDU is signaled. Thus, when the receiving non-AP STA reads the notification in the L-SIG field of the various subchannels, it will know the possible location of the secondary PPDU and can stop decoding on the other 40 MHz subchannels. The receiving non-AP STA continues to decode the primary channel until the BSS color of a possible secondary PPDU is confirmed. In this option, the AP must not transmit data in the primary PPDU of the A-PPDU to non-AP STAs that listen simultaneously to the primary subchannel and the second primary subchannel.

[0103] FIG. 28 illustrates an A-PPDU 2800 transmitted to a non-AP STA according to another example of the third embodiment of the present disclosure. The A-PPDU includes an HE PPDU 2802 transmitted at P40 and S40, and an EHT PPDU 2804 transmitted at T40 and F40. In this example, under option 2 of the third embodiment in which the non-AP STA determines whether a PPDU is an A-PPDU with a signaling for A-PPDU notification included in the preamble of the A-PPDU, the non-AP STA simultaneously listens to and decodes the primary 40 MHz channel (P40) and all other lowest 40 MHz (T40 and F40 in this case) of the secondary PPDU. Specifically, the non-AP STA may decode the L part 2816 and the HE-SIG-A field 2817 of the P40. The receiving non-AP STA may detect that B4 of the L-SIG field of the L part 2816 is set to 1 to indicate the presence of a secondary PPDU. The receiving non-AP STA may then check the L-SIG fields in the L parts 2856, 2876 of the other 40 MHz channels to determine the location of the secondary PPDU. The receiving non-AP STA may detect that B4 in the L-SIG field in the L part 2856 of the T40 is set to 0 to indicate the lowest frequency and location of the secondary PPDU. The non-AP STA may decode in parallel up to the HE-SIG-B / EHT SIG fields of the HE PPDU 2802 and EHT PPDU 2804, where the non-AP STA detects the RU assigned to it in the T40. And the non-AP STA stops decoding the preamble when it finds its assigned RU. After decoding the preamble of the A-PPDU, the non-AP STA finds its assigned data in the data field 2859 of the T40.In this example, assuming that the replicated fields in the higher frequency segments are not decoded after decoding the corresponding fields in the lower frequency segments, the minimum parts required to decode the A-PPDU 2800 in this example are the L part 2816, HE-SIG-A field 2817, HE-SIG-B field 1 2818, and HE-SIG-B field 2 2828 of the HE PPDU 2802 in P40, the L part 2856, U-SIG field 2857, EHT-SIG field 1 2858, EHT-SIG field 2 2868, and data field 2859 of the EHT PPDU 2704 in T40, and a portion of the replicated L part 2876 of the EHT PPDU 2804 in F40.

[0104] This option of semi-dynamic A-PPDU has the impact that it provides flexibility in the A-PPDU pattern and has a lower decoding load than a fully dynamic A-PPDU, but requires more decoders compared to a static A-PPDU.

[0105] FIG. 29 shows a flow chart 2900 illustrating a process for receiving an A-PPDU by a non-AP STA according to another example of the third embodiment of the present disclosure. In step 2902, a frame indicating A-PPDU information is received. In step 2904, a determination is made as to whether the non-AP STA can support receiving the indicated pattern of the A-PPDU. If it is determined that the non-AP STA can support, step 2906 is performed; otherwise, step 2907 is performed. In step 2906, a listening step is made in parallel on the primary channel and the lowest possible other frequency of the secondary PPDU. In step 2908, a receiving step is performed on the PPDU. In step 2910, a preamble of the primary channel and the lowest possible other frequency of the secondary sub-PPDU is decoded in parallel. In step 2912, a determination is made as to whether the PPDU is an A-PPDU. If it is determined that the PPDU is an A-PPDU, step 2914 is performed; otherwise, step 2915 is performed. In step 2914, a step of finding the PPDU that carried the allocation data is performed and the process may end.

[0106] After it is determined in step 2907 that the non-AP STA cannot support reception of the advertised pattern of A-PPDUs, the steps of listening to and decoding the preamble of the PPDU received on the primary channel may be performed, and the process may end. After it is determined in step 2915 that the PPDU is not an A-PPDU, the steps of treating the PPDU as a normal PPDU and stopping decoding the secondary PPDU at the lowest other possible frequency may be performed, and the process may end.

[0107] In the following paragraphs, a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure is presented for DL ​​A-PPDU transmission with prior notification, using a previously transmitted signal (e.g., a MAC frame, a frame carrying an A-Control field) to notify A-PPDU information for a subsequent PPDU transmission.

[0108] FIG. 30 shows a diagram 3000 illustrating a flow of A-PPDU transmission according to an example of the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. The AP may transmit a non-HT / HE PPDU 3002 including A-PPDU information for a subsequent A-PPDU transmission. The A-PPDU information may include the AID of a group of non-AP STAs (e.g., intended receiving STAs) of the secondary PPDU and the lowest frequency or second primary channel number of the secondary PPDU. For example, the AP may inform the non-AP STAs to listen and decode the preamble only on the third 40 MHz channel (T40). After a SIFS, the AP may receive a Block Ack frame 3004 from the group of STAs acknowledging receipt of the PPDU 3002. Then, after another SIFS, the AP can transmit an A-PPDU. In this example, the AP transmits an A-PPDU including HE PPDUs 3008 for P40 and S40 and EHT PPDUs 3006 for T40 and F40. The group of non-AP STAs listens to and decodes the EHT PPDU 3006 on the lowest frequency and / or second primary channel only (i.e., T40) as signaled in the preceding PPDU 3002. Note that the AP may add an additional packet extension pad to the preceding PPDU 3002 to allow the intended non-AP STAs to switch channels.

[0109] FIG. 31 illustrates an example of the format of the A-PPDU control subfield 3100 of a frame carried by a PPDU. The A-PPDU control subfield of the frame can be used to signal a subsequent A-PPDU transmission and may include a control ID field and a control information field, where the control information field includes a second primary channel field, a time setting field, and an AID list. The second primary channel field indicates the channel number of the second primary channel that the intended STA listens to after receiving the PPDU carrying the frame. The time setting field may signal the time that the intended STA should listen to the second primary channel. The AID list includes the AID of the intended STA. In an alternative implementation, the target recipient of the frame carrying the A-PPDU control subfield is the intended STA. In another alternative implementation, the intended amendment is signaled such that all STAs of the signaled amendment are the intended STAs.

[0110] FIG. 32 illustrates an example of the format of an A-PPDU announcement frame 3200. The A-PPDU announcement frame 3200 may be used to announce a subsequent A-PPDU transmission and may include a Frame Control field, a Duration field, an RA field, a TA field, an A-PPDU Parameter field, an AID List field, and an FCS field. The RA field is set as a broadcast address. The A-PPDU Parameter field includes a Second Primary Channel field indicating the channel number of the second primary channel that the intended STA will listen to after receiving the PPDU carrying the frame, and a Time Setting field indicating the time that the intended STA should listen to the second primary channel. The AID List field includes the AID of the intended STA.

[0111] 33 illustrates an A-PPDU 3300 transmitted to a non-AP STA according to an example of the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, the non-AP STA may have decoded a previous PPDU informing of the second primary channel at T40, and therefore may only listen to T40 in the subsequent A-PPDU transmission. When the non-AP STA receives the A-PPDU 3300 including the HE PPDU 3302 of P40 and S40 and the EHT PPDU 3304 of T40 and F40, it listens only to T40, decodes the EHT PPDU 3304 of T40, and finds its allocation data in the data field 3354 of T40. In this example, assuming that the replicated fields in the higher frequency segments are not decoded after decoding the corresponding fields in the lower frequency segments, the minimum parts required to decode the A-PPDU 3300 in this example are the L part 3351, U-SIG field 3352, EHT-SIG field 1 3353, EHT-SIG field 2 3363, and data field 3354 of the T40 EHT PPDU 3304.

[0112] This embodiment of using preceding signals to signal A-PPDUs has the impact of being flexible in A-PPDU patterns and having the same decoding load and number of decoders as 802.11ax.

[0113] 34 shows a flowchart 3400 illustrating a process for receiving an A-PPDU by a non-AP STA according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. In step 3402, a step of receiving a frame indicating information of a subsequent A-PPDU transmission is performed. In step 3404, a step of listening to the indicated second primary channel is performed. In step 3406, a step of receiving a PPDU is performed. In step 3408, a step of decoding a preamble in the second primary channel and finding allocation data in the second primary channel is performed, and the process may end.

[0114] According to the present disclosure, when EHT+ devices enter the market, the EHT PPDU can become the primary PPDU of the A-PPDU, in which case the bits of the Disregard subfield of the U-SIG field of the EHT PPDU can be reused to signal the A-PPDU transmission and the presence of a secondary PPDU.

[0115] 35 shows an example of the format of an EHT MU PPDU 3500. The EHT MU PPDU 3500 includes an L-STF, an L-LTF, an L-SIG field, an RL-SIG field, a U-SIG field, an EHT-SIG field, an EHT-STF field, an EHT-LTF field, and a Data field. The U-SIG field further includes a PHY version ID field, a BW field, a UL / DL field, a BSS color field, a TXOP field, a Disregard field, and a Validate field. The Disregard field of the U-SIG field of the EHT MU PPDU 3500 can be reused to signal an A-PPDU transmission and the presence of a secondary PPDU (e.g., assigned to an EHT+ STA) when the EHT PPDU becomes the primary PPDU.

[0116] FIG. 36 illustrates a configuration of a communication device (e.g., AP) according to the present disclosure. Similar to the schematic example of the communication device 800 illustrated in FIG. 8, the communication device 3600 may include a circuit 3602, at least one wireless transmitter 3610, at least one wireless receiver 3612, and at least one antenna 3614 (for simplicity, only one antenna is illustrated in FIG. 36). The circuit 3602 may include at least one controller 3608, which is used to perform tasks designed to perform communication for aggregated signals with the assistance of software and hardware. The circuit 3602 may further include a transmission signal generator 3604 and a reception signal processor 3606. The at least one controller 3608 may control the transmission signal generator 3604 and the reception signal processor 3606. The transmission signal generator 3604 may include a frame generator 3622, a control signal generator 3624, and a PPDU generator 3626. The frame generator 3622 may generate MAC frames (e.g., A-PPDU announce frames, beacon frames, probe response frames, MU-RTS trigger frames, NFRP trigger frames). The control signal generator 3624 may generate control signaling fields of the generated PPDUs (e.g., HE-SIG-A and HE-SIG-B fields of the HE PPDU, and U-SIG and EHT-SIG fields of the EHT PPDU). The PPDU generator 3626 may generate PPDUs (e.g., HE / EHT / EHT+PPDU).

[0117] The received signal processing unit 3606 may include a data demodulation / decoding unit 3634 that can demodulate and decode a data portion of the received signal (e.g., a data field of the HE / EHT / EHT+PPDU). The received signal processing unit 3606 may further include a control demodulation / decoding unit 3634 that can demodulate and decode a control signaling portion of the received signal (e.g., HE-SIG-A and HE-SIG-B of the HE PPDU, the U-SIG field and the EHT-SIG field of the EHT PPDU). The at least one controller 3608 may include a control signal parser 3642 and a scheduler 3644. The scheduler 3644 may determine RU information and user-specific allocation information for allocation of downlink transmissions and trigger information for allocation of uplink transmissions. The control signal parser 3642 may analyze the control signaling portion of the received signal and trigger information for allocation of uplink MU transmissions shared by the scheduler 3644, and assist the data demodulation / decoding unit 3632 in demodulating and decoding the data portion of the received signal.

[0118] FIG. 37 illustrates a configuration of a communication device (e.g., a STA) according to the present disclosure. Similar to the schematic example of the communication device 800 illustrated in FIG. 8, the communication device 3700 may include a circuit 3702, at least one wireless transmitter 3710, at least one wireless receiver 3712, and at least one antenna 3714 (for simplicity, only one antenna is illustrated in FIG. 37). The circuit 3702 may include at least one controller 3708, which is used to perform tasks designed to perform communication for aggregated signals with the assistance of software and hardware. The circuit 3702 may further include a received signal processor 3704 and a transmitted signal generator 3706. The at least one controller 3708 may control the received signal processor 3704 and the transmitted signal generator 3706. The received signal processor 3704 may include a data demodulator / decoder 3732 and a control demodulator / decoder 3734. The control demodulator / decoder 3734 may demodulate and decode the control signaling portion of the received signal (e.g., the U-SIG field and the EHT-SIG field of the EHT MU PPDU). The data demodulator / decoder 3732 may demodulate and decode the data portion of the received signal (e.g., the data field of the EHT MU PPDU) according to the RU information and the user-specific allocation information of its allocation.

[0119] At least one controller 3708 may include a control signal parser 3742, a scheduler 3744, and a trigger information parser 3746. The control signal parser 3742 may analyze a control signaling portion of a received signal (e.g., a U-SIG field and an EHT-SIG field of an EHT MU PPDU) and assist the data demodulator / decoder 3732 in demodulating and decoding a data portion of the received signal (e.g., a data field of an EHT MU PPDU). The trigger information parser 3748 may analyze trigger information for its uplink allocation from a received trigger frame included in the data portion of the received signal. The transmit signal generator 3704 may include a control signaling generator 3724 that may generate control signaling fields of a generated PPDU (e.g., an HE-SIG-A field and an HE-SIG-B field of an HE PPDU, and an U-SIG field and an EHT-SIG field of an EHT PPDU). The transmission signal generator 3704 may further include a PPDU generator 3726 that generates a PPDU (e.g., an HE / EHT / EHT+PPDU). The transmission signal generator 3704 may further include a frame generator 3722 that can generate a MAC frame (e.g., an A-PPDU announcement frame, a beacon frame, a probe response frame, a MU-RTS trigger frame, and a NFRP trigger frame).

[0120] As described above, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method and a communication device for transmitting and receiving A-PPDU without support for SST.

[0121] The present disclosure can be realized by software, hardware, or software in cooperation with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of the above embodiment can be realized partially or entirely as an LSI, which is an integrated circuit, and each process described in the above embodiment can be controlled partially or entirely by one LSI or a combination of LSIs. The LSI can be configured from individual chips, and can be configured from one chip to include some or all of the functional blocks. The LSI may have input and output of data. Depending on the degree of integration, the LSI may be called an IC, a system LSI, a super LSI, or an ultra LSI. The method of integration is not limited to LSI, and may be realized by a dedicated circuit, a general-purpose processor, or a dedicated processor. In addition, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) that can be programmed after LSI manufacture, or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connection and settings of the circuit cells inside the LSI may be used. The present disclosure can be realized as digital processing or analog processing. Furthermore, if a new integrated circuit technology that can replace LSI appears due to the progress of semiconductor technology or a derivative technology, it is possible to integrate the functional blocks using that technology. The application of biotechnology is also a possibility.

[0122] The present disclosure may be implemented in any type of apparatus, device, or system having a communication capability (collectively referred to as communication apparatus).

[0123] Non-limiting examples of communication devices include telephones (e.g., cell phones, smartphones, etc.), tablets, personal computers (PCs) (e.g., laptops, desktops, notebooks, etc.), cameras (e.g., digital still / video cameras), digital players (e.g., digital audio / video players), wearable devices (e.g., wearable cameras, smart watches, tracking devices, etc.), game consoles, digital book readers, telehealth and telemedicine devices, communication-enabled vehicles or mobile conveyances (e.g., cars, airplanes, boats, etc.), and combinations of the above devices.

[0124] Communications Equipment is not limited to portable or mobile, but also includes non-portable or fixed equipment, devices and systems of any kind, such as smart home devices (appliances, lighting, smart meters or metering devices, control panels, etc.), vending machines and any other "Things" that may be present on an Internet of Things (IoT) network.

[0125] Communications include data communications via cellular systems, wireless LAN systems, communications satellite systems, etc., as well as data communications via combinations of these.

[0126] A communications apparatus also includes devices, such as controllers and sensors, connected or coupled to a communications device that performs the communications functions described in this disclosure, such as controllers and sensors that generate control and data signals used by the communications device to perform the communications functions of the communications apparatus.

[0127] The communication apparatus also includes infrastructure facilities, such as base stations, access points, and any other apparatus, device, or system that communicates with or controls the various apparatuses listed above, but are not limited to these.

[0128] Although exemplary embodiments have been described in the detailed description of the examples above, it should be understood that there are numerous variations. It should also be understood that the exemplary embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, operation, or configuration of the present disclosure in any manner. Rather, the detailed description above provides those skilled in the art with a road map useful for implementing the exemplary embodiments, and it should be understood that various changes can be made in the functions, procedure arrangements, and methods of operation described in the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A non-access point station (non-AP STA), a receiving unit that receives, from an access point (AP), a frame including information for allocating frequency resources outside the operating bandwidth of the non-AP STA to the non-AP STA; a circuit that processes the frame; A non-AP STA comprising the above.

2. The receiving unit receives, from the AP, a part of a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) in the frequency resources based on the frame after receiving the frame. The non-AP STA according to Claim 1.

3. The operating bandwidth of the non-AP STA is narrower than the basic service set (BSS) bandwidth of the AP. The non-AP STA according to Claim 1.

4. The frequency resources are allocated for each transmission opportunity (TXOP). The non-AP STA according to Claim 1.

5. The frame is transmitted as a non-HT duplicate PPDU. The non-AP STA according to Claim 1.

6. The frame includes the AID of the non-AP STA. The non-AP STA according to Claim 1.

7. The PPDU includes a plurality of data fields in different frequency segments for a plurality of non-AP STAs including the non-AP STA. The plurality of non-AP STAs receive the frame and receive the PPDU based on the frame. The non-AP STA according to Claim 2.

8. The PPDU including the frame includes padding for ensuring that the non-AP STA switches from the operating bandwidth to the frequency resources. The non-AP STA according to Claim 1.

9. Further comprising a transmitting unit that transmits a response frame in response to receiving the frame, The receiving unit receives, from the AP, the part of the PPDU after the AP receives the response frame. The non-AP STA according to Claim 2.

10. The frame is a trigger frame. The non-AP STA according to Claim 1.

11. The non-AP STA switches between the operating bandwidth and the frequency resources based on the frame. The non-AP STA according to Claim 1.

12. A process of receiving, from an access point (AP), a frame including information for allocating a frequency resource outside the operating bandwidth of a non-access point station (non-AP STA) to the non-AP STA, A process of processing the frame, An integrated circuit for controlling the above. **Claim 13** A non-access point station (non-AP STA) receives, from an access point (AP), a frame including information for allocating a frequency resource outside the operating bandwidth of the non-AP STA to the non-AP STA, processes the frame, A communication method.

Images