Physical layer method enabling tone-distributed resource units

Abstract

A communication method performed by a wireless transceiver unit (WTRU) in a wireless local area network includes the step of transmitting a message in a data tone group within a composite tone distributed resource unit (TD-RU), the signaling field of the preamble of a protocol data unit (PDU) indicating the data tone to be used to transmit the message, and the composite TD-RU includes a tone plan in which data tones are arranged such that first and second miniature TD-RUs are included in the composite TD-RU, the bandwidth of the composite TD-RU encompasses the combined bandwidth of the first miniature TD-RU and the combined bandwidth of the second miniature TD-RU, the arranged data tones within the composite TD-RU are organized into multiple groups consisting of one or more tones and have a bandwidth that encompasses the combined bandwidth of the TD-RU and the bandwidth of the second miniature TD-RU, the arranged data tones within the composite TD-RU are organized into multiple groups consisting of one or more tones and have a bandwidth that encompasses the combined bandwidth of the TD-RU and the bandwidth of the second miniature TD-RU, and the message is received via the data tones of the composite TD-RU.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a physical layer technique enabling tone-spread resource units.

Background Art

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 464071, filed on May 4, 2023; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 537156, filed on September 7, 2023; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 537673, filed on September 11, 2023; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 546304, filed on October 30, 2023; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 608655, filed on December 11, 2023, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0003] A more detailed understanding can be obtained from the following detailed description, which is shown exemplarily in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The figures in the drawings are illustrative as well as the detailed description. Therefore, the figures (FIGs.) and the detailed description should not be construed as limiting, and other equally effective examples are possible and can exist. Further, the same reference signs ( "ref.") in the figures indicate the same elements.

[0004] [Figure 1A] It is a system diagram showing an exemplary communication system in which one or more disclosed embodiments can be implemented. [Figure 1B] It is a system diagram showing an exemplary wireless transmit-receive unit (WTRU) that can be used within the communication system shown in FIG. 1A according to one embodiment. [Figure 1C] It is a system diagram showing an exemplary radio access network (RAN) and an exemplary core network (CN) that can be used within the communication system shown in FIG. 1A according to one embodiment. [Figure 1D] It is a system diagram showing another exemplary RAN and another exemplary CN that can be used within the communication system shown in FIG. 1A according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the EHT-SIG content channel format for OFDMA transmission when the bandwidth is 20 / 40 / 80MHz. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of an EHT-SIG content channel format for OFDMA transmission with a bandwidth of 160 MHz. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of an EHT-SIG content channel format for OFDMA transmission with a bandwidth of 320 MHz. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of an EHT-SIG content channel format for non-OFDMA transmission to multiple users. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of a TD-RU. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of the tone distribution of a 26-tone TD-RU at 20MHz. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of the tone distribution of a 26-tone TD-RU at 20 MHz with a guard subcarrier. [Figure 9A] This figure shows an exemplary tone plan for reducing IQ imbalance in TD-RU. [Figure 9A-1] This figure shows an exemplary tone plan for reducing IQ imbalance in TD-RU. [Figure 9B] This figure shows an exemplary tone plan for reducing IQ imbalance in TD-RU. [Figure 9B-1] This figure shows an exemplary tone plan for reducing IQ imbalance in TD-RU. [Figure 10] This figure shows an exemplary design of combining smaller TD-RUs to form a larger TD-RU. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of the pilot tone position in the 26-tone TD-RU. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example assignment of pilot tones adjacent to data tone groups. [Figure 13]This diagram illustrates an exemplary grouping of data tones surrounding a pilot tone. [Figure 14] This figure shows an exemplary method based on this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0005] The following detailed description includes numerous specific details to fully understand the embodiments and / or examples disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that such embodiments and examples may be implemented without some or all of the specific details described herein. Also, in other examples, well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuits are not described in detail so as not to obscure the following description. Furthermore, embodiments and examples not specifically described herein may be implemented in place of, or in combination with, embodiments and other examples provided herein by explicit, implicit, and / or essentially (collectively, “Provided”). Various embodiments of apparatus, systems, devices, etc. and / or components thereof performing operations, processes, algorithms, functions, etc. and / or parts thereof are described herein and / or described in the claims, but it should be understood that all embodiments described herein and / or described in the claims presuppose that any apparatus, system, device, etc. and / or components thereof are configured to perform any operation, process, algorithm, function, etc. and / or parts thereof.

[0006] (An example of a communication system) The methods provided herein are suitable for communications including both wired and wireless networks. Referring to Figures 1A–1D, an overview of various types of wireless devices and infrastructure is shown, and various elements of the network may utilize, operate, arrange, and / or adapt, and / or configure, in accordance with the methods, apparatus, and systems provided herein.

[0007] Figure 1A is a system diagram showing an exemplary communication system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communication system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content such as voice, data, video, messaging, and broadcast to multiple wireless users. The communication system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through the sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communication system 100 may employ one or more channel access schemes such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), Single Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), Zero Tail (ZT) Unique Word (UW) Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) Spread OFDM (ZT UW DTS-s OFDM), Unique Word OFDM (UW-OFDM), Resource Block Filtering OFDM, and Filter Bank Multicarrier (FBMC).

[0008] As shown in Figure 1A, the communication system 100 may include radio transceiver units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, radio access networks (RANs) 104 / 113, core networks (CNs) 106 / 115, public switched telephone networks (PSTNs) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112, but it will be understood that the disclosed embodiments assume any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a radio environment. For example, WTRU102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d (all sometimes referred to as “stations” and / or “STA”) are configured to transmit and / or receive radio signals and may include (or be) user equipment (UEs), mobile stations, fixed or mobile subscriber units, subscription-based units, pagers, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), smartphones, laptops, netbooks, personal computers, radio sensors, hotspots or Mi-Fi devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearables, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical equipment and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other radio equipment operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronics, and equipment operating on commercial and / or industrial radio networks. All WTRU102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d may be interchangeable in the term UE.

[0009] The communication system 100 may also include base stations 114a and / or base stations 114b. Each base station 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as CN 106 / 115, the Internet 110, and / or network 112. As an example, base stations 114a, 114b may be any of the following: base station (BTS), Node-B (NB), eNode-B (eNB), Home Node-B (HNB), Home eNode-B (HeNB), gNode-B (gNB), NR Node-B (NR NB), site controller, access point (AP), wireless router, etc. Although base stations 114a and 114b are illustrated as single elements, it will be understood that base stations 114a and 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0010] Base station 114a may be part of a radio access network (RAN) 104 / 113 and may include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), radio network controller (RNC), and relay nodes. Base station 114a and / or base station 114b may be configured to transmit and receive radio signals on one or more carrier frequencies (sometimes called cells (not shown)). These frequencies may be licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide coverage of radio services to a particular geographic area, which may be relatively fixed or change over time. A cell may be further divided into cell sectors. For example, a cell associated with base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, base station 114a may include three transceivers, one for each sector of the cell. In one embodiment, base station 114a may employ multiple input multiple output (MIOMO) technology and utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell or any sector. For example, beamforming can be used to transmit and / or receive signals in a desired spatial direction.

[0011] Base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d via an airborne interface 116, which may be any suitable radio communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The airborne interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0012] More specifically, as described above, the communication system 100 is a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access methods such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, etc. For example, the base stations 114a and WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c within RAN104 / 113 may implement radio technologies such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), and may establish an air interface 116 using Wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0013] In one embodiment, the base stations 114a and WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), and may establish an air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0014] In an embodiment, the base stations 114a and WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as NR radio access, and may establish an air interface 116 using New Radio (NR).

[0015] In one embodiment, base station 114a and WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, base station 114a and WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement both LTE radio access and NR radio access using, for example, the dual connectivity (DC) principle. Accordingly, the air interfaces utilized by WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of transmissions that are transmitted and received between multiple types of radio access technologies and / or multiple types of base stations (e.g., eNBs and gNBs).

[0016] In one embodiment, base station 114a and WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement wireless technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi)), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), etc.

[0017] The base station 114b shown in Figure 1A may be, for example, a wireless router, Home Node-B, Home eNode-B, or access point, and may utilize any suitable radio access technology (RAT) to facilitate wireless connectivity in a local area, such as a business premises, residence, vehicle, campus, industrial facility, air corridor (e.g., for drones), road, etc. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and WTRU 102c, 102d may implement radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In one embodiment, the base station 114b and WTRU 102c, 102d may implement radio technology (e.g., IEEE 802.15) to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In one embodiment, base stations 114b and WTRUs 102c, 102d may establish a small cell, picocell, or femtocell using a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR, etc.). As shown in Figure 1A, base station 114b may be directly connected to the internet 110. Therefore, base station 114b may not need to access the internet 110 via CN 106 / 115.

[0018] The Radio Access Network (RAN) 104 / 113 may communicate with the Core Network (CN) 106 / 115, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or voice over the Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more Wireless Terminal Units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d. The data may have various Quality of Service (QoS) requirements, such as different throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, and mobility requirements. The CN 106 / 115 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location services, prepaid calls, internet connectivity, video distribution, and / or perform high-level security functions such as user authentication. Although not shown in Figure 1A, it will be understood that RAN104 / 113 and / or CN106 / 115 may communicate directly or indirectly with other RANs employing the same or different radio access technologies (RATs) as RAN104 / 113. For example, in addition to being connected to RAN104 / 113 which may be utilizing NR radio technology, CN106 / 115 may also communicate with another RAN (not shown) utilizing one of the following technologies: GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or Wi-Fi radio technology.

[0019] CN106 / 115 may also function as a gateway for WTRU102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d to access PSTN108, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. PSTN108 may include a circuit-switched telephone network providing conventional telephone services (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices using common communication protocols such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and / or Internet Protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP Internet Protocol Suite. Network 112 may include wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, network 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as RAN104 / 114 or a different RAT.

[0020] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d in the communication system 100 may include multimode functionality (for example, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different radio networks via different radio links). For example, WTRU 102c shown in Figure 1A may be configured to communicate with base station 114a which may employ cellular-based radio technology and base station 114b which may employ IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0021] Figure 1B is a system diagram showing an exemplary WTRU 102. As shown in Figure 1B, the WTRU 102 may include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transceiver element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, a non-removable memory 130, a removable memory 132, a power supply 134, a Global Positioning System (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other elements / peripherals 138, etc. It will be understood that the WTRU 102 may include any partial combination of the above elements, while maintaining consistency with the embodiment.

[0022] The processor 118 could be a general-purpose processor, a dedicated processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors working in conjunction with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) circuit, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, etc. The processor 118 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or other functions that enable the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be connected to a transceiver 120 which can be connected to a transceiver element 122. Although the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 are shown as separate components in Figure 1B, it will be understood that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 can be integrated, for example, within an electronic package or chip.

[0023] The transmitting / receiving element 122 may be configured to transmit signals to a base station (e.g., base station 114a) via the radio interface 116, or to receive signals from a base station. For example, in one embodiment, the transmitting / receiving element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In one embodiment, the transmitting / receiving element 122 may be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive, for example, infrared, ultraviolet, or visible light signals. In one embodiment, the transmitting / receiving element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF signals and optical signals. It will be understood that the transmitting / receiving element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of radio signals.

[0024] In Figure 1B, the transmit / receive element 122 is shown as a single element, but the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. For example, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Therefore, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving radio signals via the radio interface 116.

[0025] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate the signal transmitted by the transmitting / receiving element 122 and demodulate the signal received by the transmitting / receiving element 122. As described above, the WTRU 102 may have multimode functionality. Therefore, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers so that the WTRU 102 can communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR or IEEE 802.11.

[0026] The processor 118 of the WTRU102 is connected to a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, and / or a display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit) and can receive user input data from them. The processor 118 can also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. Furthermore, the processor 118 can access information and store data from any suitable memory, such as non-removable memory 130 and / or removable memory 132. Non-removable memory 130 may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. Removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identification module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, etc. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information and store data from memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102 (for example, memory on a server or home computer (not shown)).

[0027] The processor 118 may be configured to receive power from the power supply 134 and to distribute and / or control power to other components within the WTRU 102. The power supply 134 may be any suitable device for supplying power to the WTRU 102. For example, the power supply 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), a solar cell, a fuel cell, etc.

[0028] The processor 118 may also be connected to a GPS chipset 136 which can be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to, or instead of, information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information from base stations (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) via the radio interface 116 and / or determine its position based on the timing of signals received from two or more neighboring base stations. It will be understood that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by any suitable positioning method while remaining consistent with this embodiment.

[0029] The processor 118 may be further connected to other elements / peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules / units that provide additional functions, performance, and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, elements / peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an electronic compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (e.g., for photos and / or videos), a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands-free headset, a Bluetooth® module, a frequency modulation (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an internet browser, a virtual reality and / or augmented reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker, and the like. Elements / peripherals 138 may include one or more sensors, which may be one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a Hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, a compass sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor, a position sensor, an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, and / or a humidity sensor.

[0030] WTRU102 may include a full-duplex radio in which some or all of all signals (e.g., those associated with specific subframes in both the uplink (transmit) and downlink (receive)) are transmitted and / or received in parallel and / or simultaneously. This full-duplex radio includes an interference management unit that reduces and / or substantially eliminates self-interference through signal processing by hardware (e.g., chokes) or a processor (e.g., a separate processing unit (not shown) or processor 118). In one embodiment, WTRU102 may include a radio in which some or all of the signals (e.g., signals associated with specific subframes in either the uplink (transmit) or downlink (receive)) are transmitted and received in half-duplex.

[0031] Figure 1C is a system diagram showing RAN104 and CN106 according to one embodiment. As described above, RAN104 may employ E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c via the air interface 116. RAN104 may also communicate with CN106.

[0032] The Radio Access Network (RAN) 104 may include eNode-B160a, 160b, and 160c, but it will be understood that RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-B while maintaining consistency with the embodiment. Each of the eNode-B160a, 160b, and 160c may include one or more transceivers for communicating with WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c via the radio interface 116. In one embodiment, the eNode-B160a, 160b, and 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, for example, the eNode-B160a may use multiple antennas to transmit radio signals to and receive radio signals from the WTRU102a.

[0033] Each eNode-B160a, 160b, and 160c may be associated with a specific cell (not shown) and configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, user scheduling on uplink (UL) and / or downlink (DL), etc. As shown in Figure 1c, eNode-B160a, 160b, and 160c may communicate with each other via the X2 interface.

[0034] The CN106 shown in Figure 1C may include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 162, a Serving Gateway (SGW) 164, and a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (PGW) 166. Although each of the above elements is shown as part of CN106, it will be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0035] The MME162 can be connected to each eNode-B160a, 160b, and 160c within RAN104 via the S1 interface and function as a control node. For example, the MME162 may be responsible for user authentication of WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c, enabling / disabling bearers, and selecting a specific serving gateway during the initial attachment of WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c. The MME162 may also provide control surface functions for switching between RAN104 and other RANs (not shown) employing other radio technologies such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0036] The SGW164 can be connected to each eNode-B160a, 160b, and 160c within RAN104 via the S1 interface. The SGW164 can generally route and forward user data packets to and from WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c. The SGW164 can also perform other functions, such as fixing the user plane during eNode-B handovers, initiating paging when DL data is available for WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c, and managing and saving the context of WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c.

[0037] SGW164 is connected to PGW166, which provides WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c with access to packet-switched networks such as the Internet 110, facilitating communication between WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0038] CN106 can facilitate communication with other networks. For example, CN106 can provide WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c with access to circuit-switched networks such as PSTN108, and facilitate communication between WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c and conventional fixed communication equipment. For example, CN106 may include, or communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that acts as an interface between CN106 and PSTN108. Furthermore, CN106 may provide WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c with access to other networks 112, including other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0039] In Figures 1A to 1D, the WTRU is described as a wireless terminal, but in certain representative embodiments, it is assumed that such a terminal uses a wired communication interface with a communication network (e.g., temporarily or permanently).

[0040] In a typical embodiment, the other network 112 may be a WALN (Wireless LAN).

[0041] A wireless LAN (WLAN) in Infrastructure Basic Service Set (BSS) mode may have access points (APs) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with those APs. APs may have access to or interfaces with distributed systems (DSs) or other types of wired / wireless networks responsible for sending and receiving traffic to and from the BSS. Traffic originating from outside the BSS destined for an STA may arrive via the APs and be delivered to the STAs. Traffic originating from an STA and destined for outside the BSS may be sent to the APs and delivered to their respective destinations. Inter-STA traffic within the BSS may be transmitted via APs, for example, by a source STA sending traffic to an AP, which then delivers the traffic to a destination STA. Inter-STA traffic within the BSS may be considered, or referred to as, peer-to-peer traffic. Peer-to-peer traffic may be transmitted between a source STA and a destination STA (e.g., directly) using a Direct Link Setup (DLS). In typical embodiments, the DLS may be an 802.11e DLS or an 802.11z Tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using Independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have access points (APs), and STAs (e.g., all STAs) within or utilizing IBSS communicate directly with each other. In this specification, the IBSS communication mode is sometimes referred to as the "ad-hoc" communication mode.

[0042] When using the 802.11ac infrastructure operating mode or a similar operating mode, an AP may transmit beacons on a fixed channel, such as the primary channel. The primary channel may be of a fixed width (e.g., 20 MHz bandwidth) or a dynamically set width via signaling. The primary channel becomes the operating channel for the BSS and can be used by an STA to establish a connection with the AP. In a typical embodiment, for example, in an 802.11 system, Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented. In CSMA / CA, STAs, including the AP (e.g., all STAs), may sense the primary channel. If a particular STA determines that it is sensing / detecting or busy on the primary channel, that STA may back off. Only one STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any time on a particular BSS.

[0043] High-throughput (HT) STAs can use a 40MHz wide channel for communication, for example, by combining a primary 20MHz channel with adjacent or non-adjacent 20MHz channels to form a 40MHz wide channel.

[0044] Ultra-high-throughput (VHT) STAs can support channels with widths of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz. 40 MHz and / or 80 MHz channels can be formed by combining consecutive 20 MHz channels. 160 MHz channels are formed by combining eight consecutive 20 MHz channels or two discontinuous 80 MHz channels, the latter sometimes referred to as an 80+80 configuration. In the 80+80 configuration, the channel-encoded data can pass through a segment parser that splits the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) and time-domain processing can be performed individually for each stream. The streams can be mapped to two 80 MHz channels, and data can be transmitted by the transmitting STA. On the receiving side of the receiving STA, the processing of the 80+80 configuration described above can be performed in reverse, and the combined data can be transmitted to the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, entities, etc.

[0045] Operating modes below 1 GHz are supported by 802.11af and 802.11ah. 802.11af and 802.11ah reduce the channel operating bandwidth and carrier compared to those used in 802.11n and 802.11ac. 802.11af supports bandwidths of 5 MHz, 10 MHz, and 20 MHz in the TV white space (TVWS) spectrum, while 802.11ah supports bandwidths of 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz using the non-TVWS spectrum. According to a typical embodiment, 802.11ah may support metered control / mechanical communications (MTC), such as MTC devices in a macro coverage area. MTC devices may have specific capabilities, including limited functionality, such as support for specific and / or limited bandwidths (e.g., only that bandwidth). MTC devices may include batteries with a battery life exceeding a threshold (e.g., to maintain a very long battery life).

[0046] A WLAN system that can support multiple channels and channel bandwidths (such as 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, and 802.11ah) may include a channel designated as the primary channel. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be equal to the maximum common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or limited by the STA that supports the minimum bandwidth operating mode among all STAs in operation within the BSS. In the 802.11ah example, even if the AP and other STAs in the BSS support 2MHz, 4MHz, 8MHz, 16MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes, the primary channel may be 1MHz wide for an STA that supports only 1MHz mode (e.g., an MTC type device). Carrier sensing and / or network allocation vector (NAV) settings may depend on the state of the primary channel. For example, if the primary channel is occupied because an STA that supports only 1MHz operating mode is transmitting to an AP, the entire available frequency band may be considered occupied, even if most of the available frequency band is available in an idle state.

[0047] In the United States, the available frequency band is 902 MHz to 928 MHz, and 802.11ah may be used. In South Korea, the available frequency band is 917.5 MHz to 923.5 MHz. In Japan, the available frequency band is 916.5 MHz to 927.5 MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11ah is 6 MHz to 26 MHz, depending on the country code.

[0048] Figure 1D is a system diagram showing RAN113 and CN115 according to one embodiment. As described above, RAN113 may employ NR radio technology to communicate with WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c via ARI116. RAN113 may also communicate with CN115.

[0049] The Radio Access Network (RAN) 113 may include gateway network branches (gNBs) 180a, 180b, and 180c, but it will be understood that the RAN 113 may include any number of gNBs without inconsistency with the embodiment. Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c may include one or more transceivers for communicating with WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c via the radio interface 116. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, the gNBs 180a and 180b may use beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c. Thus, for example, the gNB 180a may use multiple antennas to transmit radio signals to and / or receive radio signals from WTRUs 102a. In one embodiment, gNB180a, 180b, and 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, gNB180a may transmit multiple constituent carriers to WTRU102a (not shown). Some of these constituent carriers may be on the unlicensed spectrum, and the remaining constituent carriers may be on the afterlife-sensed spectrum. In one embodiment, gNB180a, 180b, and 180c may implement coordinated multipoint (CoMP) technology. For example, WTRU102a may receive coordinated transmissions from gNB180a and gNB180b (and / or gNB180c).

[0050] WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c may communicate with gNB180a, 180b, and 180c using transmissions associated with scalable numerical systems. For example, OFDM symbol intervals and / or OFDM subcarrier intervals may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different parts of the radio transmission spectrum. WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c may communicate with gNB180a, 180b, and 180c using subframes or transmission time intervals (TTI) of varying or scalable lengths (e.g., containing a variable number of OFDM symbols and / or continuing absolute time of variable length).

[0051] The gNB180a, 180b, and 180c can be configured to communicate with WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c in standalone and / or non-standalone configurations. In a standalone configuration, WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c can communicate with the gNB180a, 180b, and 180c without accessing other radio access networks (e.g., eNode-B160a, 160b, and 160c). In a standalone configuration, WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c can use one or more gNB180a, 180b, and 180c as mobility anchor points. In a standalone configuration, WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c can communicate with the gNB180a, 180b, and 180c using signals in bandwidths that are not currently being used. In a non-standalone configuration, WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c can communicate with gNB180a, 180b, and 180c while also communicating with other RANs such as eNode-B160a, 160b, and 160c. For example, WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c can implement the DC principle and communicate substantially simultaneously with one or more gNB180a, 180b, and 180c and one or more eNode-B160a, 160b, and 160c. In a non-standalone configuration, eNode-B160a, 160b, and 160c can function as mobility anchors for WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c, while gNB180a, 180b, and 180c can provide additional coverage and / or throughput in servicing WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c.

[0052] Each gNB180a, 180b, and 180c is associated with a specific cell (not shown). It can be configured to perform processes such as radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, user scheduling on uplink (UL) and / or downlink (DL), support for network slicing, dual connectivity, interoperability between NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data to user plane functions (UPF) 184a, 184b, and routing of control plane information to access and mobility management functions (AMF) 182a, 182b. As shown in Figure 1D, gNB180a, 180b, and 180c can communicate with each other via the Xn interface.

[0053] The CN115 shown in Figure 1D may include at least one AMF182a, 182b, at least one UPF184a, 184b, at least one Session Management Function (SMF)183a, 183b, and at least one Data Network (DN)185a, 185b. Although each of the above elements is illustrated as part of the CN115, it should be noted that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by entities other than the CN operator.

[0054] AMF182a and 182b can be connected to one or more of gNB180a, 180b, and 180c within RAN113 via the N2 interface and function as control nodes. For example, AMF182a and 182b may be responsible for user authentication of WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c, support for network slicing (e.g., handling different protocol data unit (PDU) sessions with different requirements), selection of specific SMF183a and 183b, management of registration areas, termination of NAS signaling, and mobility management. Network slicing may be used by AMF182a and 182b, for example, to customize CN support for WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c based on the type of services utilized by WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c. For example, different network slices can be established for different use cases, such as services that rely on ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) access, services that rely on enhanced large-scale mobile broadband (eMBB) access, and services for MTC access. The AMF162 may provide control plane functions for switching between RAN113 and other RANs (not shown) employing other radio technologies such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and non-3GPP access technologies such as Wi-Fi.

[0055] SMF183a and 183b can be connected to AMF182a and 182b in CN115 via the N11 interface. SMF183a and 183b can be connected to UPF184a and 184b in CN115 via the N4 interface. SMF183a and 183b can select and control UPF184a and 184b and configure the routing of traffic passing through UPF184a and 184b. SMF183a and 183b can perform other functions such as managing and assigning user equipment (UE) IP addresses, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, and providing downlink data notifications. PDU session types can be IP-based, non-IP-based, Ethernet-based, etc.

[0056] UPF184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of gNB180a, 180b, or 180c in RAN113 via the N3 interface, thereby allowing WTRU102a, 102b, 102c to provide access to packet-switched networks such as the Internet 110, for example, to facilitate communication between WTRU102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. UPF184a, 184b may perform other functions such as packet routing and forwarding, application of user plane policies, support for multi-homed PDU sessions, processing of user plane QoS, buffering of downlink packets, and provision of mobility anchors.

[0057] CN115 can facilitate communication with other networks. For example, CN115 may include, or communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that functions as an interface between CN115 and PSTN108. Furthermore, CN115 can provide WTRU102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, WTRU102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to local data networks (DNs) 185a, 185b via an N3 interface to UPF184a, 184b and an N6 interface between UPF184a, 184b and DN185a, 185b.

[0058] Referring to Figure 1A-1D and the corresponding description, one or more, or all, of the functions described herein, including WTRU102a-d, base stations 114a-b, eNode-B160a-c, MME162, SGW164, PGW166, gNB180a-c, AMF182a-b, UPF184a-b, SMF183a-b, DN185a-b, and / or other elements / devices described herein, may be performed by one or more emulation elements / devices (not shown). An emulation device may be one or more devices configured to emulate some or all of the functions described herein. For example, an emulation device may be used to test other devices and / or to simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0059] Emulation devices may be designed to perform one or more tests against other devices in experimental and / or carrier network environments. For example, one or more emulation devices may perform one or more functions, or all of them, to test other devices in a communications network while fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communications network. One or more emulation devices may perform one or more functions, or all of them, while temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communications network. Emulation devices may be directly connected to other devices for testing purposes and / or may perform tests using wireless airborne communications.

[0060] One or more emulation devices may perform one or more functions (including all of them) when not implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, an emulation device may be used in a test scenario in a test chamber and / or undeployed (e.g., for testing) wired and / or wireless communication network to perform testing of one or more components. One or more emulation devices may be test devices. An emulation device may use direct RF coupling and / or wireless communication via RF circuitry (e.g., which may include one or more antennas) to transmit and / or receive data.

[0061] The embodiments described herein do not limit the scope of application to other wireless technologies (e.g., those using the same or different applicable principles).

[0062] As described herein, a wireless transceiver unit (WTRU) can be an example of user equipment (UE). Therefore, the terms UE and WTRU may be used interchangeably within this specification.

[0063] As described herein, a wireless LAN in Infrastructure Basic Service Set (BSS) mode (e.g., having access points (APs) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs)) is associated with APs. APs may have access to or interfaces with distribution systems (DSs) or other types of wired / wireless networks that transmit traffic inside and outside the BSS. Traffic originating from outside the BSS destined for an STA may arrive via APs and be delivered to the STAs. Traffic originating from an STA destined for an STA may be sent to APs and delivered to their respective destinations. Inter-STA traffic within the BSS may also be sent via APs, with the source STA sending traffic to the AP, and the AP delivering the traffic to the destination STA.

[0064] When using the 802.11ac infrastructure operating mode, an AP may transmit beacons on a fixed channel (usually the primary channel). This channel can be 20 MHz wide and is the operating channel for the BSS. This channel is also used by STAs to establish connections with the AP. The basic channel access scheme in 802.11 systems is Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA). In this operating mode, all STAs, including the AP, will sense the primary channel. If the channel is detected as occupied, the STA backs off. Therefore, within a given BSS, only one STA can transmit at any given time.

[0065] In 802.11n, high-throughput (HT) STAs may use 40MHz wide channels for communication. This is achieved by combining a primary 20MHz channel with an adjacent 20MHz channel to form a continuous 40MHz wide channel.

[0066] In 802.11ac, the Very High Throughput (VHT) STA can support channels with widths of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and 160 MHz. 40 MHz and 80 MHz channels are formed by combining consecutive 20 MHz channels, similar to 802.11n described above. 160 MHz channels can be formed by combining eight consecutive 20 MHz channels or two discontinuous 80 MHz channels, the latter sometimes referred to as an 80+80 configuration. In an 80+80 configuration, the channel-encoded data passes through a segment parser that splits it into two streams. Inverse Discrete Fourier Transform (IDFT) operations and time-domain processing are performed individually for each stream. The streams are then mapped to the two channels, and the data is transmitted. At the receiving end, this mechanism is performed in reverse, and the combined data is sent to the MAC layer.

[0067] To improve spectral efficiency, 802.11ac includes the concept of performing downlink multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) transmission to multiple STAs within the same symbol timeframe, such as within a downlink OFDM symbol. The availability of downlink MU-MIMO can be part of 802.11ah. Importantly, because the downlink MU-MIMO adopted in 802.11ac uses the same symbol timing for multiple STAs, interference between waveform transmissions to multiple STAs is not a problem. However, all STAs involved in MU-MIMO transmission with the AP may need to use the same channel or bandwidth, which may limit the operating bandwidth to the minimum channel bandwidth supported by the STAs included in the MU-MIMO transmission with the AP.

[0068] 802.11 Ultra High Reliability (UHR) has common goals such as improving the reliability of WLAN connections, reducing latency, improving manageability, and increasing throughput. 802.11UHR may be associated with and / or include one or more of the following features: supporting aggregate throughput of 100 Gbps or more; improving aggregate throughput by at least twice compared to 802.11be at any signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) level (e.g., measured at a MAC data service access point); defining at least one operating mode that enables improvements in delay boundary values ​​and jitter in the 99th to 99.9999th percentiles compared to 802.11be; meeting the requirements of real-time applications for high reliability in the presence of overlapping BSSs and seamless BSS transitions within ESSs; and / or enabling backward compatibility and coexistence with existing 802.11 devices operating in the unlicensed bandwidth of 1 to 7.250 GHz, and enabling coexistence with existing 802.11 devices operating in the unlicensed bandwidth of 42.5 to 71 GHz.

[0069] The High Throughput Signal (EHT-SIG) field is an example of a SIG field that provides signaling for the STA to interpret resource allocation within a Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU). The EHT-SIG field of a 20MHz EHT MU PPDU may contain one EHT-SIG content channel. In OFDMA transmission and multi-user non-OFDMA transmission, the EHT-SIG field of a 40MHz or 80MHz EHT MU PPDU may contain two EHT-SIG content channels. In OFDMA transmission and multi-user non-OFDMA transmission, the EHT-SIG field of an EHT MU PPDU with a bandwidth of 160MHz or more may contain two EHT-SIG content channels per 80MHz frequency subblock. The EHT-SIG content channels per 80MHz frequency subblock may transmit different information if the EHT MU PPDU bandwidth in OFDMA transmission is wider than 80MHz. The EHT-SIG field of an EHT SU transmission or the EHT-SIG field of an EHT sounding NDP may contain one EHT-SIG content channel, which may be replicated to each non-punctured 20 MHz subchannel if the EHT PPDU is 40 MHz or higher. Different examples of EHT-SIG content channels are shown in Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5.

[0070] Figure 2 shows an example of an EHT-SIG content channel format for OFDMA transmission with a bandwidth of 20 / 40 / 80 MHz, Figure 3 shows an example of an EHT-SIG content channel format for OFDMA transmission with a bandwidth of 160 MHz, Figure 4 shows an example of an EHT-SIG content channel format for OFDMA transmission with a bandwidth of 320 MHz, and Figure 5 shows an example of an EHT-SIG content channel format for non-OFDMA transmission to multiple users.

[0071] In the context of wireless LANs (WLANs), extending the communication range refers to methods and techniques that enable Wi-Fi service to be provided further away from APs, such as repeated transmissions (in the frequency or time domain), the operation of multiple access points (APs), and / or relay transmissions. Another way to extend the range is to increase transmit power, but this may not be as effective as other techniques due to the strict power spectral density (PSD) limitations in Wi-Fi. Since the PSD limit is defined in MHz per transmit STA, distributing the tones (subcarriers) of a normal resource unit (RU) over a wider bandwidth allows for higher transmit power per individual tone (subcarrier), thereby circumventing the PSD limit. This new broadband resource unit may be referred to as a tone-distributed resource unit (TD-RU). This specification further discusses the practical design of tone planning, preambles, and signaling for TD-RU resource allocation.

[0072] Typically, a tone-dispersed resource unit (TD-RU) refers to a resource unit (RU) in which subcarriers are distributed over a wider bandwidth (e.g., compared to conventional techniques using standard RUs) compared to a standard RU where subcarriers are continuous, as shown in Figure 6. This can be called the TD-RU bandwidth. Similarly, TD-MRU refers to a tone-dispersed multiple resource unit. Therefore, the transmitted power can be amplified by a power amplification gain (e.g., compared to a standard RU), which can be calculated as follows:

[0073]

number

[0074] Here, N r This is the number of tones per MHz for a standard RU, and N d This is the maximum number of tones per MHz for TD-RU.

[0075] Figure 6 shows an example of a standard RU having 26 tones in a 2 MHz bandwidth, which can be used to generate a small TD-RU with 26 tones distributed over a 20 MHz bandwidth. The TD-RU thus generated can be called a small TD-RU because it represents the tone distribution from the standard RU, whereas the standard RU has a continuous cluster of individual tones within a 2 MHz bandwidth. Therefore, according to one aspect of this disclosure, individual small TD-RUs can be generated by configuring a standard RU, such as a 26-tone 2 MHz bandwidth standard RU, to distribute the tones over wider bandwidths such as 20 MHz or 40 MHz.

[0076] In some cases, one or more tone plans (tone arrangements) may exist in relation to a distributed tone configuration / plan that combines individual small TD-RUs into a large composite TDRU.

[0077] In some cases, a TD-RU tone plan may be designed to minimize the number of tones per MHz and maximize power amplification gain. Alternatively, a TD-RU tone plan may be designed to minimize the TD-RU bandwidth over which the RU's tones can be dispersed, preventing any further power amplification gain. Furthermore, a TD-RU tone plan may be designed to minimize inter-carrier interference (ICI) between different users. Different examples of tone plans designed to achieve these goals are described below and in part above.

[0078] In some cases, the bandwidth over which the TD-RU is distributed (referred to as the TD-RU bandwidth) may be limited by the BSS operating bandwidth, which is indicated in the Bandwidth field of the SIG field. For example, the TD-RU bandwidth of a 26-tone RU transmitted in a PPDU where the SIG field in the preamble indicates an 80 MHz bandwidth could be 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 60 MHz, or 80 MHz.

[0079] In some cases, TD-RUs of 26, 52, and 106 tones may be defined, and the tones of the TD-RU may be distributed across a TD-RU bandwidth such as 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or higher.

[0080] In some cases, TD-MRUs of 52+26 tones and 106+26 tones may be defined, and the tones of the TD-MRU may be distributed across a TD-RU bandwidth such as 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or higher.

[0081] In some cases, TD-RUs of 242 tones, 484 tones, and 996 tones may be defined, and the tones of the TD-RU may be distributed across a TD-RU bandwidth such as 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or higher.

[0082] In some cases, TD-MRUs of 484+242 tones and 996+484 tones may be defined, and the tones of the TD-MRU may be distributed across a TD-RU bandwidth such as 160 MHz, 320 MHz, or higher.

[0083] In some cases, the tone plan for a TD-RU will be symmetrical within the TD-RU bandwidth to avoid I / Q imbalance. For example, the tone plan for a 26-tone TD-RU may have 13 tones placed in the lower 10 MHz band in an arbitrary distribution (see the tone plan proposed in the embodiments below), and the remaining 13 tones placed in the upper 10 MHz band using subcarrier indices symmetric to those of the 13 tones in the lower 10 MHz band.

[0084] In some cases, a 26-tone TD-RU tone scheme may be used.

[0085] In some cases, the tone plan for a 26-tone RU may be designed to maximize power amplification gain, minimize TD-RU bandwidth, and / or minimize ICI between different STAs. The maximum achievable power amplification gain for a 26-tone TD-RU in a 20 MHz TD-RU bandwidth is 10log(13 / 2) = 8.13 dB, since a standard RU has 13 tones per MHz and the minimum number of tones per MHz for a 26-tone TD-RU is 2. The maximum achievable power amplification gain for a 26-tone TD-RU in a TD-RU bandwidth of 40 MHz or more may be 10log(13 / 1) = 11.14 dB.

[0086] In one case, the subcarriers of a 26-tone TD-RU in a 20MHz bandwidth may be arranged to include one tone per 1MHz, with the surplus tones (e.g., 6 subcarriers) distributed in any combination across the entire 20MHz bandwidth so that the maximum number of tones per 1MHz does not exceed 2 to achieve the maximum power amplification gain.

[0087] In one case, the subcarriers of a 26-tone TD-RU in a 20MHz bandwidth can be grouped into 13 groups of two subcarriers each, with each group mapped to 1MHz of the 20MHz TD-RU bandwidth in any combination. This plan achieves a power amplification gain of 8.13dB while using only 13MHz of the 20MHz TD-RU bandwidth, thus increasing the room to allocate other 26-tone TD-RUs within the same TD-RU bandwidth and minimizing inter-TD-RU interference (ICI).

[0088] In one case, the subcarriers of a 26-tone TD-RU in a 20MHz bandwidth can be arranged so that the 26 subcarriers are grouped into nine groups: eight groups of three subcarriers and one group of two subcarriers. Each group is mapped in any combination to 1MHz of the 20MHz TD-RU bandwidth. This plan achieves a power amplification gain of 6.37dB while using only 9MHz of the 20MHz TD-RU bandwidth, thus increasing the room to allocate other 26-tone TD-RUs within the same TD-RU bandwidth and minimizing inter-channel interference (ICI) between different TD-RUs.

[0089] In one case, the subcarriers of a 26-tone TD-RU in a 20MHz bandwidth can be arranged so that the 26 subcarriers are grouped into seven groups: six groups of four subcarriers and one group of two subcarriers. Each group is mapped in any combination to 1MHz of the 20MHz TD-RU bandwidth. This plan achieves a power amplification gain of 5.12dB while using only 7MHz of the 20MHz TD-RU bandwidth, thus leaving more room to allocate other 26-tone TD-RUs within the same TD-RU bandwidth and minimizing inter-channel interference (ICI) between different TD-RUs.

[0090] In one case, the subcarriers of a 26-tone TD-RU in a 20MHz bandwidth can be arranged so that the 26 subcarriers are grouped into six groups: five groups of five subcarriers and one group of one subcarrier. Each group is mapped to 1MHz of the 20MHz TD-RU bandwidth in any combination. This plan achieves a power amplification gain of 4.15dB while using only 6MHz of the 20MHz TD-RU bandwidth, thus leaving more room to allocate other 26-tone TD-RUs within the same TD-RU bandwidth and minimizing inter-TD-RU interference (ICI).

[0091] In some cases, the lower limit for grouping the 26 subcarriers of a 26-tone TD-RU in a 20 MHz bandwidth is two groups of 13 subcarriers each, resulting in a power amplification gain of 0 dB, making it unsuitable for extending communication distance. A standard RU falls into this scenario where two groups of 13 subcarriers are adjacent. Table 1 shows exemplary combinations of 26-tone TD-RUs in a 20 MHz bandwidth.

[0092] [Table 1]

[0093] In some cases, the subcarriers of a 26-tone TD-RU in a 40 MHz bandwidth may be arranged such that a combination effective for a 20 MHz bandwidth TD-RU bandwidth is also effective for a 40 MHz bandwidth TD-RU bandwidth.

[0094] In one case, the subcarriers of a 26-tone TD-RU in a 40MHz bandwidth can be arranged so that the 26 subcarriers are grouped into 21 groups: 16 groups of one subcarrier each and 5 groups of two subcarriers each. Each group is mapped to 1MHz of the 40MHz TD-RU bandwidth in any combination. This plan achieves a power amplification gain of 8.13dB while using only 21MHz of the 40MHz TD-RU bandwidth, thus increasing the room to allocate other 26-tone TD-RUs within the same TD-RU bandwidth and minimizing inter-TD-RU interference (ICI).

[0095] In one case, the subcarriers of a 26-tone TD-RU in a 40 MHz bandwidth may be arranged so that the 26 subcarriers are grouped into 22 groups: 18 groups of one subcarrier each and 4 groups of two subcarriers each. Each group is mapped to 1 MHz of the 40 MHz TD-RU bandwidth in any combination. This plan achieves a power amplification gain of 8.13 dB while using only 21 MHz of the 40 MHz TD-RU bandwidth, thus increasing the room to allocate other 26-tone TD-RUs within the same TD-RU bandwidth and minimizing inter-TD-RU interference (ICI). Exemplary combinations of 26-tone TD-RUs in a 40 MHz bandwidth are shown in Table 2.

[0096] [Table 2]

[0097] In some cases, a TD-RU tone plan with 52 tones may exist.

[0098] In one embodiment, the tone plan for a 52-tone RU may be designed to maximize power amplification gain, minimize TD-RU bandwidth, and minimize ICI between different STAs. The maximum achievable power amplification gain for a 52-tone TD-RU in a 20 MHz TD-RU bandwidth is 10log(13 / 3) = 6.37 dB, since the minimum number of tones per MHz for a 52-tone TD-RU is 3, compared to 13 for a standard RU. The maximum achievable power amplification gain for a 52-tone TD-RU in a 40 MHz TD-RU bandwidth is 10log(13 / 2) = 8.13 dB, and the maximum achievable power amplification gain for a 52-tone TD-RU in a TD-RU bandwidth of 80 MHz or more is 10log(13 / 1) = 11.14 dB. Table 3 shows exemplary combinations of 52-tone TD-RU at 20 MHz, Table 4 shows exemplary combinations of 52-tone TD-RU at 40 MHz, and Table 5 shows exemplary combinations of 52-tone TD-RU at 80 MHz.

[0099] [Table 3]

[0100] [Table 4]

[0101] [Table 5]

[0102] In some cases, a TD-RU tone plan with 106 tones may exist.

[0103] In some cases, the tone plan for a 106-tone RU may be designed to maximize power amplification gain, minimize TD-RU bandwidth, and minimize ICI between different STAs. The maximum achievable power amplification gain for a 106-tone TD-RU in a 20 MHz TD-RU bandwidth is 10log(13 / 6) = 3.36 dB, since the minimum number of tones per MHz for a 106-tone TD-RU is 6, compared to 13 for a standard RU. The maximum achievable power amplification gain for a 106-tone TD-RU in a 40 MHz TD-RU bandwidth is 10log(13 / 3) = 6.37 dB, and the maximum achievable power amplification gain for a 106-tone TD-RU in a TD-RU bandwidth of 80 MHz or more is 10log(13 / 2) = 8.13 dB. Table 6 shows exemplary combinations of 106-tone TD-RUs at 20 MHz, Table 7 shows exemplary combinations of 106-tone TD-RUs at 40 MHz, and Table 8 shows exemplary combinations of 106-tone TD-RUs at 80 MHz.

[0104] In some cases, the subcarriers of a 106-tone TD-RU can be arranged such that the same combination for a 20 MHz TD-RU bandwidth is a valid combination for a 40 MHz or 80 MHz TD-RU bandwidth, and the same combination for 40 MHz is a valid combination for an 80 MHz TD-RU bandwidth.

[0105] [Table 6]

[0106] [Table 7]

[0107] [Table 8]

[0108] Figure 7 shows an example of the tone distribution of a 26-tone mini TD-RU at 20 MHz. In this example, several standard RUs are shown, each having 26 consecutive or clustered tones within a 2 MHz bandwidth. For example, there is a standard RU for STA1 with 26 tones, simply labeled as "A" tones. Another standard RU for STA2 has 26 tones within a 2 MHz bandwidth and is simply labeled as "B" tones. Another standard RU for STA3 has 26 tones within a 2 MHz bandwidth and is simply labeled as "C" tones. Tones A, B, and C can each be distributed as mini TD-RUs within a wider 20 MHz bandwidth. In general, combinations of mini TD-RUs within a 20 MHz bandwidth may be referred to as composite TD-RUs. In this specification, the term mini TD-RU may be used interchangeably with TD-RU. Configurations / plans / organizations that combine multiple mini TD-RUs into a larger TD-RU are referred to herein as combined TD-RUs. Please note that TD-RU typically refers to RUs where subcarriers are distributed across a wider bandwidth.

[0109] In some cases, the tones of the small TD-RUs may be distributed such that the tone of the small TD-RU assigned to STA1 is adjacent to the tone of the small TD-RU assigned to STA2, and the tone of the small TD-RU assigned to STA2 is adjacent to the tone of the small TD-RU assigned to STA3, as shown in Figure 7. In Figure 7, the tone of STA1 may be shown as the "A" tone, the tone of STA2 as the "B" tone, and the tone of STA3 as the "C" tone. This tone assignment (tones A, B, C) can maximize bandwidth utilization because all subcarriers within the composite TD-RU are assigned to the STAs. However, the signal transmitted from STA1 via the tone of TD-RU1 ("A" tone) may, under certain circumstances, cause interference with the signal transmitted from STA2 via the tone of TD-RU2 ("B" tone) due to the lack of complete synchronization and power control between STA1 and STA2.

[0110] Figure 8 shows an example of the tone distribution of a 26-tone TD-RU at 20 MHz using a guard subcarrier preamble design.

[0111] In some cases, the TD-RU tones may be distributed such that one or more subcarriers are left empty as guard subcarriers between the TD-RU tone assigned to STA1 and the TD-RU tone assigned to STA2, as shown in Figure 8. In Figure 8, the invalid guard subcarriers are shown as dots between tone A and tone B. This tone arrangement can reduce intercarrier interference (ICI) between the TD-RU1 and TD-RU2 tones, but the number of TD-RUs per 20 MHz may be less than the standard number of RUs because there are subcarriers that are not used as guard tones.

[0112] In some cases, a modified or specific preamble design may be required to integrate a small TD-RU into a composite TD-RU. A TD-RU is defined by four parameters: F (the subcarrier index of the TD-RU's first tone), T (the number of tones in each tone group containing the TD-RU), G (the spacing between each tone group (measured by the number of subcarriers)), and P (the set of pilot tones for the TD-RU).

[0113] In one example of a tone plan, nine 26-tone mini TD-RUs can be configured by assigning tones to a 20 MHz subchannel, i.e., the first tone is assigned to the first mini TD-RU, the second to the second mini TD-RU, and so on, until the ninth tone is assigned to the ninth mini TD-RU. Next, the tenth tone is assigned to the first mini TD-RU, the eleventh to the second mini TD-RU, and so on. Typically, the next nine tones are assigned sequentially to the nine mini TD-RUs, continuing until each mini TD-RU consists of 26 distributed tones in the 20 MHz subchannel configuration of the integrated TD-RU. Figure 7 shows an example of the tone distribution of a 26-tone TD-RU in a 20 MHz bandwidth. For simplification, the example in Figure 7 shows three of the nine standard RUs described above (i.e., STA1, STA2, and STA3, each a 26-tone RU). The four parameters of each TD-RU are characterized as shown in Table 9.

[0114] [Table 9]

[0115] Figure 10 shows an exemplary design in which two small TD-RUs are combined to form a larger TD-RU.

[0116] In some cases, the tone plan of a small TD-RU may be designed so that a large TD-RU (i.e., a composite TD-RU) is composed of small TD-RUs. As an example, as shown in Figure 10, a single 52-tone composite TD-RU can be constructed by combining two 26-tone small TD-RUs. In Figure 10, the 26-tone standard RUs of STA1 and STA2 are arranged in the 52-tone composite TD-RU within groups A and B across the entire 52-tone bandwidth. As another example, a 106-tone composite TD-RU can be constructed by combining two 52-tone composite TD-RUs. Alternatively or additionally, a 106-tone composite TD-RU can be constructed by combining four 26-tone small TD-RUs.

[0117] In some cases, the pilot tone of a larger composite TD-RU may be identical to the pilot tone of a combination of smaller TD-RUs used to construct that larger composite TD-RU. For example, a combination of a 26-tone pilot tone from a smaller TD-RU and another 26-tone pilot tone from a smaller TD-RU may be used as the pilot tone for a 52-tone composite TD-RU.

[0118] In one embodiment, two or more discontinuous small TD-RUs can be combined to form a larger composite TD-RU, thereby arranging the pilot tones of the larger composite TD-RU (a combination of the pilot tones of the small TD-RUs) to be spaced apart from each other within the bandwidth of the composite TD-RU. For example, as shown in Method 2 of Table 10, TD-RU26#1 can be combined with TD-RU26#6 to form TD-RU52#1, TD-RU26#2 can be combined with TD-RU26#7 to form TD-RU52#2, and so on. In another example, TD-RU52#1 can be combined with TD-RU52#3 to form TD-RU106#1, and TD-RU52#2 can be combined with TD-RU52#3 to form TD-RU106#4.

[0119] In another embodiment, the tones of consecutive TD-RU26#1 and TD-RU26#2 can be selected to be spaced apart from each other, and when they are combined, they form a larger TD-RU, with the pilots of the larger TD-RU spaced apart from each other, as shown in Method 1 of Table 10.

[0120] In one embodiment, the tone plan for a TD-RU (also known as a dRU) may be selected to reduce IQ imbalance by assigning symmetrical tones around the DC tone to the same TD-RU, as shown in Figure 9A. In one example, in Figure 9A, TD-RU1 is assigned to tones (-39, -40) (left portion of Table (a)), instead of (-39, -40) (left portion of Table (b)) which are assigned around the DC tone (see Figure 9B), (39, 40) (right portion of Table (a)), and (23, 24) (right portion of Table (b)), as shown in Figure 9B, which may contribute to reducing IQ imbalance. In another example, in Figure 9A, TD-RU1 is assigned to tone (-21, -22) (left side of Table (a)), instead of the assigned tone (-21, -22) (left side of Table (b)), and (5, 6) (right side of Table (b)) as shown in Figure 9B.

[0121] In some cases, a larger TD-RU distributed over a wider bandwidth may be composed of two or more smaller TD-RUs, each distributed over a narrower bandwidth. For example, a small 26-tone TD-RU distributed over a 20MHz channel may be combined with another 26-tone small TD-RU distributed over another 20MHz channel to form a composite 52-tone TD-RU distributed over a 40MHz channel.

[0122] [Table 10]

[0123] In some cases, the tone plan of a TD-RU may be designed so that different tones are grouped for different modulation coding schemes (MCS). For example, a 26-tone TD-RU may be grouped into 12 groups of 2 tones each, plus two pilot tones, for MCS ranges 0 through 4, and into 8 groups of 3 tones each, plus two pilot tones, for MCS ranges 5 through 8. In this case, the current grouping of tones within the TD-RU may be communicated via the SIG field.

[0124] In some cases, users / STAs assigned a TD-RU may be grouped based on their MCS, so that groups of users assigned the same MCS or the same range of MCS may be assigned the same grouping for their TD-RU and assigned to the same channel (e.g., the same 20MHz channel).

[0125] In some cases, to minimize interference between different STAs, different STAs may use different grouped combinations of TD-RUs as described in Tables 1, 2, 3, 4, and / or 5 disclosed herein, thereby allowing existing pilot tones of standard RUs to be used by all STAs. As an example, for a 20 MHz bandwidth, nine 26-tone TD-RUs are characterized by Table 11.

[0126] [Table 11]

[0127] In some cases, integrating a small TD-RU into a composite TD-RU may require a modified or specific preamble design.

[0128] In some cases, one or more preamble designs based on one or more of the technologies described herein may be applicable to one or more examples / embodiments described herein. In some cases, legacy fields of a preamble such as L-STF (Short Training Field), L-LTF (Long Training Field), L-SIG, RL-SIG may follow the same design as the legacy preamble, thereby enabling the legacy STA to decode the legacy portion of the preamble.

[0129] In some cases, the STF of a PPDU containing a TD-RU may follow the same tone plan as the TD-RU, thereby allowing the STA transmitting the PPDU to use the same STF sequence as used for a standard RU, with STF coefficients mapped to the new tone in the TD-RU's tone plan. The STA transmitting the PPDU may set the coefficients corresponding to unmodulated subcarriers in the data field of the PPDU containing a TD-RU to zero. Such unmodulated subcarriers in the data field point to subcarriers of another TD-RU that may be assigned to another STA.

[0130] In some cases, the LTF of a PPDU containing a TD-RU may follow the same tone scheme as the TD-RU, allowing the STA transmitting the PPDU to use the same LTF sequence as used for a standard RU, with LTF coefficients mapped to new tones in the TD-RU's tone scheme. The STA transmitting the PPDU may set coefficients corresponding to unmodulated subcarriers in the data field of the PPDU containing a TD-RU to zero. Unmodulated subcarriers in the data field refer to subcarriers of another TD-RU that may be assigned to another STA.

[0131] In some cases, a PPDU may be used to transmit only standard RUs, only TD-RUs, or to transmit both standard RUs and TD-RUs using different subchannels within the same PPDU. For example, an 80MHz bandwidth PPDU (containing four subchannels, each with a 20MHz bandwidth) may be used to transmit TD-RUs on the main 20MHz subchannel or any other 20MHz subchannel within the 80MHz bandwidth of the PPDU, while the remaining three 20MHz subchannels may be used to transmit standard RUs. In another example, a 40MHz subchannel of the 80MHz channel may be used for standard RUs, while the other 40MHz subchannels may be used for TD-RUs.

[0132] In some cases, the U-SIG field may include a PPDU type field to indicate the type of PPDU, which may be set to a value (e.g., 0) indicating that the PPDU contains standard RUs, a value (e.g., 1) indicating that the PPDU contains TD-RUs, or a value (e.g., 2) indicating that the PPDU contains both standard RUs and TD-RUs. The receiving STA of the PPDU may then follow the preamble, tone plan, and pilot design of the specified type of RU that this PPDU transmits.

[0133] In some cases, the U-SIG field may include a bandwidth field indicating the bandwidth of the PPDU. The bandwidth field may indicate the bandwidth over which the TD-RU tones within the PPDU are distributed. In another embodiment, the bandwidth field may indicate the bandwidth of the entire PPDU, and another field in the U-SIG (sometimes called the TD-RU bandwidth) may be used to indicate the bandwidth over which the TD-RU tones within the PPDU are distributed. In one example, the bandwidth field may indicate 80 MHz as the PPDU bandwidth, and the TD-RU bandwidth field may indicate a 20 MHz bandwidth, thereby informing the receiver of the PPDU that the TD-RUs are distributed over a 20 MHz bandwidth.

[0134] In some cases, signaling may be used for resource allocation.

[0135] In some cases, an access point (AP) may transmit a trigger frame in a trigger-based (TB)-PPDU that assigns one or more TD-RUs to one or more stations (STAs), and the STAs may transmit a TB-PPDU such that the preamble and data are mapped to the tones of the corresponding TD-RUs, as indicated in the trigger frame.

[0136] In some cases, a U-SIG, UHR-SIG, or other SIG field may be used in each subchannel of the PPDU to indicate whether standard RU or TD-RU is used. For example, each 20MHz band may have an indicator indicating whether that 20MHz band is for standard RU or TD-RU. A field named RU type may be set to a value (e.g., 0) to indicate that a particular 20MHz contains standard RU, and to a different value (e.g., 1) to indicate that a particular 20MHz contains TD-RU. In another example, a bitmap may be used for every 80MHz of the PPDU to indicate whether the subchannel corresponding to each 20MHz subchannel contains standard RU or TD-RU. In one example, the RU type may be set to bitmap 1000 to indicate that the first 20MHz subchannel of an 80MHz subblock is for TD-RU, and the second, third, and fourth 20MHz subchannels are for standard RU.

[0137] In some cases, the TD-RU allocation display may reuse the RU allocation index of the standard RU, taking into account tone plans where larger RUs can be contained within smaller RUs.

[0138] In some cases, in a tone planning design where a single subchannel contains either a standard RU or a TD-RU, the RU assignment index for the TD-RU may differ. The RU assignment index may indicate the TD-RU combination in addition to the tone group size used in the corresponding assignment shown in Table 12.

[0139] [Table 12-1]

[0140] [Table 12-2]

[0141] In some cases, a transmitter in a PPDU containing a TD-RU may indicate the resource allocation of the TD-RU used in the SIG field for single-user (SU) or multi-user (MU) PPDUs, and may map the STF, LTF, pilot, and data subcarrier to the corresponding TD-RU tone specified in the tone plan. In other cases, a transmitter in a PPDU containing a TD-RU may use the resource allocation of the TD-RU used indicated in the trigger frame for trigger-based (TB) PPDUs, and may map the STF, LTF, pilot, and data subcarrier to the corresponding TD-RU tone specified in the tone plan.

[0142] In some cases, a receiver of a PPDU containing a TD-RU may, in a single-user (SU) or multi-user (MU) PPDU, utilize the resource allocation instructions for the TD-RU used in the SIG field and use the STF, LTF, pilot, and data subcarriers corresponding to the tones of the corresponding TD-RU tones specified in the tone plan.

[0143] In standard RUs, pilot subcarriers may be used to enhance the robustness of coherent detection against frequency offset and phase noise. The pilot subcarriers are positioned within the subcarrier range of each RU, and all subcarriers of a given RU are contiguous. In TD-RUs, the RU's subcarriers are distributed over a much wider bandwidth, rendering the pilot subcarriers of standard RUs ineffective. Therefore, this specification further discusses the practical design of pilot subcarriers for TD-RUs.

[0144] Figure 11 shows an example of the pilot tone position in a 26-tone TD-RU.

[0145] In some cases, the pilot tone of a standard RU is mapped to the corresponding tone in a TD-RU. For example, a 26-tone standard RU includes two pilot tones, which may be mapped to two corresponding tones across the TD-RU bandwidth (e.g., 20 MHz), as shown in Figure 11. Similarly, the pilot tones of 52-tone, 106-tone, 242-tone, 484-tone, or 996-tone RUs may be mapped to corresponding tones within the TD-RU over wider TD-RU bandwidths (e.g., 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz).

[0146] In some cases, due to the dispersion characteristics of TD-RUs, the number of pilot tones per TD-RU may be increased compared to a standard RU to maintain robust phase tracking accuracy in the receiver.

[0147] In some cases, the pilot tones of a 242-tone RU (eight pilot tones in 802.11ax and 802.11be) may be used by smaller TD-RUs (such as 26-tone, 52-tone, and 106-tone TD-RUs) in addition to the pilot tones of each TD-RU. For example, a 26-tone TD-RU may use two pilot tones of the corresponding 26-tone standard RU in addition to one or more tones of the 242-tone standard RU located within the same 20 MHz bandwidth.

[0148] In some cases, the pilot tone of a 484-tone RU (16 tones in the 802.11ax and 802.11be specifications) may be used by smaller TD-RUs (such as 26-tone, 52-tone, and 106-tone TD-RUs) in addition to the pilot tone of each TD-RU. For example, a 26-tone TD-RU may use two pilot tones of the corresponding 26-tone standard RU in addition to one or more tones of the 484-tone standard RU located within the same 40 MHz bandwidth.

[0149] In some cases, the pilot tones of a 996-tone RU (32 pilot tones in the 802.11ax and 802.11be specifications) may be used by smaller TD-RUs (such as 26-tone, 52-tone, and 106-tone TD-RUs) in addition to the pilot tones of each TD-RU. For example, a 26-tone TD-RU may use two pilot tones of the corresponding 26-tone standard RU in addition to one or more tones of a 996-tone standard RU located within the same 80 MHz bandwidth.

[0150] In some cases, conventional pilot tones of standard RUs (as defined in 802.11ax and / or 802.11be) may be reused for TD-RUs, so that each TD-RU is assigned pilot tones that maximize or sufficiently large the distance between pilot tones (e.g., measured in subcarrier count). For example, a 26-tone TD-RU may be assigned two of the 18 conventional pilot tones used by nine 26-tone standard RUs in a 20MHz channel, so that the distance between pilot tones (e.g., measured in subcarrier count) is maximized or sufficiently large for the nine TD-RUs. An example of pilot tone assignment is shown in Table 13.

[0151] [Table 13]

[0152] In some cases, the pilot tone of the TD-RU may be assigned in the tone plan to a position close to the data tone group, in case the TD-RU tones are grouped together.

[0153] In some cases, a 26-tone TD-RU may be assigned two or more pilot tones. For example, a 26-tone TD-RU may be assigned an additional pilot tone in addition to the two conventional pilot tones. Nine 26-tone TD-RUs in a 20MHz channel may use four null subcarriers {-122, -69, 69, 122}, four DC subcarriers (i.e., {-4, -3, 3, 4}), and one left guard subcarrier as additional pilot tones. In this case, the 26-tone TD-RU is renamed a (26+1)-tone TD-RU.

[0154] In some cases, a 52-tone TD-RU may be assigned four or more pilot tones. For example, a 52-tone TD-RU may be assigned two additional pilot tones in addition to the four conventional pilot tones. Four 52-tone TD-RUs in a 20MHz channel may use four null subcarriers {-122, -69, 69, 122} and four DC subcarriers (i.e., {-4, -3, 3, 4}) as additional pilot tones. In this case, the 52-tone TD-RU is renamed a (52+2)-tone TD-RU.

[0155] In some cases, a 106-tone TD-RU may be assigned four or more pilot tones. For example, a 106-tone TD-RU may be assigned two or more additional pilot tones in addition to four conventional pilot tones. Two 106-tone TD-RUs in a 20MHz channel may use four null subcarriers {-122, -69, 69, 122} and / or four DC subcarriers (i.e., {-4, -3, 3, 4}) as additional pilot tones. In this case, the 106-tone TD-RU is renamed a (106+2)-tone TD-RU or a (106+3)-tone TD-RU.

[0156] In one embodiment, if the number of data tone groups is greater than the number of pilot tones, the pilot tones may be assigned closer to the data tone groups. In one example, a 26-tone TD-RU has two pilot tones and 24 data tones, which can be grouped into 12 groups, each consisting of two data tones. In this example, the two pilot tones are assigned closer to two of the 12 data tone groups, and are selected to be positioned to the right, left, or center of the data tone groups, as shown in Figure 12. In Figure 12, the exemplary STA tone is labeled "A" and the pilot tone is labeled "P". The placement patterns are shown with different positions of the pilot tones relative to the "A" tone.

[0157] In one embodiment, to improve phase tracking performance, some data tones may be grouped around a pilot tone, while the remaining data tones may be left ungrouped. In one example, as shown in Figure 13, the tones of a 26-tone TD-RU may be planned such that each pilot tone is grouped with two (or more) data tones, as shown in Figure 12. The pilot tones are selected to be positioned to the right, left, or in the center of the data tone group. The remaining data tones may then be left ungrouped and evenly distributed across the channel bandwidth to improve frequency diversity gain.

[0158] In one embodiment, data tone grouping may be performed around all or some of the pilot tones. For example, a 26-tone TD-RU may have two pilot tones, one of which is assigned to a position close to the data tone group, while the other pilot tone and the remaining data tones are left ungrouped.

[0159] In OFDM modulation, when the BSS bandwidth is allocated to multiple STAs, repetitive sequences of pilot tones in small standard RUs or tone-dispersed RUs (TD-RUs) can increase the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) and degrade performance. Applying different phase rotations to different RUs can reduce PAPR and improve performance. Signal transmission of phase rotations per RU is an unresolved issue and will be addressed below.

[0160] In one embodiment, a set of phase rotation sequences for pilot tones may be designed, where each standard RU / MRU or TD-RU is assigned a different phase rotation sequence that is a function of the RU / MRU or TD-RU index. This allows a given receiver to identify the phase rotation sequence or sequence index from the assigned standard RU / MRU or TD-RU index.

[0161] In one embodiment, the phase rotation sequence for each RU (rRU, rMRU, or TD-RU) may be selected from pre-designed sequences shown in Table 14. In one method, phase rotations for each RU may be applied to each 20 MHz channel based on the following list, with the phase rotation at index 1 applied to the first (rRU, rMRU, or TD-RU), the phase rotation at index 2 applied to the second (rRU, rMRU, or TD-RU), and so on. In one example, nine 26-tone rRUs or TD-RUs may be assigned, and each phase rotation in the following list may be applied to any of the nine rRUs or TD-RUs. In another example, four 52-tone and one 26-tone rRU or TD-RU may be assigned, and the first five phase rotations may be applied to the five rRUs or TD-RUs in order from the lowest frequency to the highest frequency.

[0162] Alternatively, the phase rotation applied to each (rRU, rMRU, or TD-RU) may be communicated in a user field within the content channel of the SIG field corresponding to the RU assignment field. For example, one bit (named "Phase Rotation") may be used to indicate that a phase rotation of -1 is applied by setting it to (e.g., 0), and another value (e.g., 1) may be set to indicate that a phase rotation of 1 is applied.

[0163] [Table 14]

[0164] In one embodiment, the receiver of the PPDU may decode the SIG field to identify the resource allocation corresponding to the user field and to determine the phase rotation applied to the pilot tone of the corresponding resource (e.g., rRU, rMRU, or TD-RU).

[0165] Figure 14 shows an exemplary method 1400 based on this disclosure. In 1405, a device such as a WTRU transmits a message using one or more tones (subcarriers) in a data tone group within a composite TD-RU. In this transmission, the signaling field of the preamble of the protocol data unit (PDU) indicates that a particular data tone is to be used to transmit the message. The TD-RU consists of a tone plan.

[0166] In 1410, the tone plan description includes the arrangement of data tones in the composite TD-RU, where the first small TD-RU and the second small TD-RU are included in the wider bandwidth composite TD-RU.

[0167] In 1415, the tone plan may further include the feature of a composite TD-RU having a bandwidth that encompasses both the first and second small TD-RUs.

[0168] In 1420, the tone plan may further include the feature that the data tones placed within the composite TD-RU are organized into multiple tone groups.

[0169] In 1425, the method includes the step of the device receiving a message via one or more data tones of a composite TD-RU.

[0170] Other features of tone placement in the tone plan may include the condition that each tone group includes at least one data tone from a first small TD-RU and at least one data tone from a second small TD-RU, with multiple groups distributed across the entire bandwidth of the composite TD-RU.

[0171] Another feature may include adding pilot tones from the first and second miniature TD-RUs and distributing them along with multiple tone groups. Here, the pilot tones may be positioned before, within, or after the data tone groups. In another possible feature, the pilot tones from the first and second miniature TD-RUs may be distributed so that they are more frequency-far apart from each other within the composite TD-RU. The arrangement of data tones in the composite TD-RU may further include additional pilot tones for the composite TD-RU, each additional pilot tone may be positioned so as to be associated with a corresponding group of tones within the composite TD-RU. In another feature, data tones not associated with pilot tones are not grouped within the composite TD-RU.

[0172] As an example, a composite TD-RU includes at least 26 tones distributed over at least 20 MHz (or 40 MHz) of the composite TD-RU. Instructions for multiple tone groups within the composite TD-RU may be transmitted in the signal field of the PDU's preamble.

[0173] In another example, a composite TD-RU is a 20MHz resource used by both the first WTRU and the second WTRU.

[0174] In one feature, the PDU preamble may include a phase rotation instruction applied to the composite TD-RU in the user field of the content channel within the signal field. The preamble may further include a field indicating single-user or multi-user.

[0175] While the features and components described above are provided in specific combinations, those skilled in the art will understand that each feature or component may be used individually or in any combination with other features and components. This disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described in this application, which are intended to illustrate various aspects. As those skilled in the art will understand, many modifications and variations are possible without departing from its spirit and scope. Elements, actions, or instructions used in the specification should not be construed as important or essential to the invention unless expressly provided so. In addition to those described herein, functionally equivalent methods and apparatus within the scope of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the preceding description. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included in the scope of the appended claims. This disclosure is limited only by the content of the appended claims and the full scope of equivalents that such claims have. It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to any particular method or system.

[0176] For simplicity, the embodiments described above have been explained in terms of the terminology and structure of infrared-compatible devices, i.e., infrared light-emitting and light-receiving elements. However, the embodiments described are not limited to these systems and are applicable to other systems using other forms of electromagnetic waves or non-electromagnetic waves such as sound waves.

[0177] Furthermore, it should be understood that the terms used herein are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to be limiting. In this specification, the terms “video” or “image” may mean a snapshot, a single image, and / or multiple images displayed on a timeline. As another example, the terms “user equipment” and its abbreviation “UE,” “remote,” and / or “head-mounted display” or its abbreviation “HMD” as referred to herein mean or may include: (i) a wireless transceiver unit (WTRU); (ii) any of the various embodiments of a WTRU; (iii) a wireless and / or wired (e.g., tetherable) device including some or all of the structure and functions of a WTRU; (iii) a wireless and / or wired device not including all of the structure and functions of a WTRU; or (iv) something similar. With respect to Figure 1A-1D, details of an exemplary WTRU that may represent any WTRU described herein are provided. As another example, the various embodiments disclosed above and below herein are described as utilizing a head-mounted display. Those skilled in the art will recognize that devices other than head-mounted displays can be used, and that some or all of the disclosed content and various disclosed embodiments can be modified accordingly without excessive experimentation. Examples of such other devices include drones or other configured devices.

[0178] Furthermore, the methods provided herein may be implemented as computer programs, software, or firmware embedded in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable mediums include electronic signals (transmitted via wired or wireless connections) and computer-readable storage media. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), registers, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROMs and digital versatile discs (DVDs). Processors in conjunction with software are used to implement radio frequency transceivers used in WTRUs, UEs, terminals, base stations, RNCs, or any host computer.

[0179] Modifications of the methods, apparatus, and systems provided above are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. Given the wide range of applicable embodiments, the illustrated embodiments are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the following claims. For example, the embodiments described herein include portable devices equipped with a suitable voltage source (such as a battery) or usable in conjunction with a suitable voltage source that supplies a suitable voltage.

[0180] Furthermore, the embodiments described above include processing platforms including processors, computing systems, controllers, and other devices. These devices may include at least one central processing unit ("CPU") and memory. In accordance with the practice of those skilled in the art in the field of computer programming, references to acts and symbolic representations of operations or instructions performed by various CPUs and memory may be made. Such acts and operations or instructions may be expressed as "executed," "executed by the computer," or "executed by the CPU."

[0181] Those skilled in the art will understand that actions and symbolically represented operations or instructions involve the manipulation of electrical signals by the CPU. The electrical system represents data bits that can result in transformation or reduction of electrical signals, and by maintaining the data bits in memory locations within the memory system, the CPU's operation is reconfigured or otherwise modified, as well as other processing of the signals. The memory locations where the data bits are held are physical locations having specific electrical, magnetic, optical, or organic properties corresponding to or representing the data bits. It should be understood that this embodiment is not limited to the above-described platform or CPU, and other platforms and CPUs may support the provided methods.

[0182] The data bits may also be held on computer-readable media, including magnetic disks, optical disks, and other volatile (e.g., random access memory (RAM)) or non-volatile (e.g., read-only memory (ROM)) mass storage systems readable by the CPU. The computer-readable media may include interconnected or linked computer-readable media that reside exclusively on a processing system or are distributed among multiple interconnected processing systems that are local or remote to the processing system. It should be understood that this embodiment is not limited to the memory described above and may support other platforms and methods of providing memory.

[0183] In descriptive embodiments, any operations, processes, etc. described herein may be implemented as computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. Such computer-readable instructions may be executed by a processor in a mobile unit, network element, and / or any other computing device.

[0184] There is now little distinction between implementing each aspect of a system in hardware and in software. The use of hardware or software is generally (though not always, and in certain situations the choice between hardware and software may be important) a design choice representing a trade-off between cost and efficiency. The processes and / or systems and / or other technologies described herein can be implemented by various means (e.g., hardware, software, and / or firmware). Furthermore, the preferred means may differ depending on the context in which the processes and / or systems and / or other technologies are deployed. For example, if the implementer determines that speed and accuracy are the top priorities, they may choose primarily hardware and / or firmware-based means. If flexibility is the top priority, the implementer may choose primarily software implementation. Alternatively, the implementer may choose some combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0185] The detailed description above presents various embodiments of the apparatus and / or process using block diagrams, flowcharts, and / or examples. To the extent that such block diagrams, flowcharts, and / or examples include one or more functions and / or operations, those skilled in the art will understand that each function and / or operation in such block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented individually and / or collectively by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or substantially any combination thereof. In one embodiment, several parts of the subject matter described herein may be implemented via application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), and / or other integrated forms. However, those skilled in the art will understand that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein can be similarly implemented, in whole or in part, as integrated circuits, as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors), as firmware, or in substantially arbitrary combinations thereof, and that, in light of this disclosure, the design of circuits and / or the coding of software and / or firmware are within the scope of the art of those skilled in the art. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein can be distributed as various forms of program products, and that the exemplary embodiments of the subject matter described herein apply regardless of the specific type of signal medium used to actually carry out the distribution. Examples of signal mediums include, but are not limited to, recording media such as floppy disks, hard disk drives, CDs, DVDs, digital tapes, and computer memory, and transmission media such as digital and / or analog communication media such as fiber optic cables, waveguides, wired communication links, and wireless communication links.

[0186] Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is common practice among those skilled in the art to describe apparatus and / or processes in the manner described herein and then use technical practice to integrate such described apparatus and / or processes into a data processing system. That is, at least some of the apparatus and / or processes described herein can be integrated into a data processing system through a reasonable amount of experimentation. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a typical data processing system generally includes a system unit housing, an image display device, memory such as volatile or non-volatile memory, a processor such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor, an operating system, drivers, a graphical user interface, an application program, one or more interaction devices such as a touchpad or touchscreen, and a control system including feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback for sensing position and / or velocity, control motors for moving and / or adjusting components and / or quantities). A typical data processing system can be implemented using suitable commercially available components, as is commonly found in data computing / communication and / or network computing / communication systems.

[0187] The subject matter described herein may sometimes show different components contained within or connected to other different components. Such illustrated architectures are merely examples, and it should be understood that many other architectures can be implemented to achieve the same functionality. Conceptually, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is substantially “related” so that the desired functionality is achieved. Therefore, any two components combined herein to achieve a particular functionality, regardless of architecture or intermediate components, can be considered “related” to each other so that the desired functionality is achieved. Similarly, any two such related components can be considered “operably connected” or “operably coupled” to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components that can be related in this way can be considered “operably coupled” to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably coupled components include, but are not limited to, physically matable and / or physically interacting components, and / or wirelessly interactable and / or wirelessly interacting components, and / or logically interactable and / or logically interacting components.

[0188] Any plural and / or singular forms used substantially herein can be appropriately interpreted, depending on the context and / or application, from plural to singular and / or singular to plural. For clarity, various singular / plural combinations may be explicitly described herein.

[0189] Those skilled in the art will generally understand that the terms used in this specification, and in particular in the appended claims (e.g., the claim bodies of the appended claims), are generally intended to be “open” terms (for example, the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but not limited to,” the term “has” should be interpreted as “has at least,” and the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but not limited to,” etc.). Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that if a particular number of items is intended, that intention is explicitly stated in the claim, and if no such statement is made, no such intention exists. For example, if only a single item is intended, the expression “single” or similar may be used. To aid understanding, the following appended claims and / or this specification may contain the use of introductory phrases such as “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce the claim description. However, the use of such expressions should not be interpreted as meaning that the introduction of a claim description by the indefinite article “a” or “an” limits a particular claim containing the introduced claim description to embodiments containing only one such description. The same applies even if the same claim includes both the introductory expression "one or more" or "at least one" and an indefinite article such as "a" or "an." (For example, "a" and / or "an" should be interpreted as meaning "at least one" or "one or more.") The same applies to definite articles used to introduce claim descriptions. Furthermore, even if the specific number of introduced claim descriptions is explicitly stated, a person skilled in the art would recognize that such a statement should be interpreted as meaning at least the stated number (for example, the mere statement "two descriptions" means at least two descriptions, or two or more descriptions, even without other modifiers).Furthermore, when a convention similar to "at least one of A, B, C, etc." is used, such interpretation is generally intended in the sense that a person skilled in the art would understand the convention (for example, "a system having at least one of A, B, C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, a combination of A and B, a combination of A and C, a combination of B and C, and / or a combination of A, B, and C). When a convention similar to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is used, such interpretation is generally intended in the sense that a person skilled in the art would understand the convention (for example, "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, a combination of A and B, a combination of A and C, a combination of B and C, and / or a combination of A, B, and C). Furthermore, a person skilled in the art should understand that almost any alternative phrase and / or expression indicating two or more alternative terms in a description, claim, or drawing assumes the possibility of including either one of the terms, either of the terms, or both. For example, the expression "A or B" is understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B". Furthermore, the enumeration of multiple items and / or categories of multiple items following the term "any of" as used herein is intended to include "any," "any combination," "any multiple," and / or "any combination of multiple" items and / or categories of items, either alone or in combination with other items and / or categories of other items. Also, the term "set" in this specification is intended to include any number of items, including zero. Furthermore, the term "number" in this specification is intended to include any number, including zero. And the term "multiple" in this specification is intended to be synonymous with "multiple items".

[0190] Furthermore, where any feature or aspect of this specification is described using the Markush group, a person skilled in the art will recognize that the specification is similarly described for individual members or subgroups of members of the Markush group.

[0191] As those skilled in the art will understand, for all purposes, including providing written explanations, all scopes disclosed herein include all possible sub-scopes and combinations of sub-scopes. It is readily apparent that the described scopes adequately describe and make feasible the same scopes that can be divided into at least equal halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, tenths, etc. As a non-limiting example, each scope discussed herein can readily be divided into lower thirds, middle thirds, upper thirds, etc. Furthermore, as those skilled in the art will understand, expressions such as “up to,” “at least,” “greater than,” and “less than” refer to scopes that include the stated numerical value and can subsequently be divided into sub-scopes as described above. Finally, as those skilled in the art will understand, scopes include individual components. For example, a group having 1 to 3 cells refers to a group having 1, 2, or 3 cells. Similarly, a group having 1 to 5 cells refers to a group having 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 cells.

[0192] Furthermore, claims should not be construed as being limited to the order or elements provided unless expressly stated to the effect of such limitation. In addition, any use of the term “means” in any claim is intended to invoke 35 § 112 § 6 or the means-plus-function claim format, and any claim that does not include the term “means” is not intended to do so.

Claims

1. A method for communication performed by a wireless transceiver unit (WTRU) in a wireless local area network, The transmission of a message in a data tone group within a composite tone distributed resource unit (TD-RU), wherein the signal field of the preamble of a protocol data unit (PDU) indicates the data tone to be used for the transmission of the message, the composite TD-RU is composed of a tone plan, the tone plan comprises the arrangement of data tones within the composite TD-RU, the composite TD-RU includes a first miniature TD-RU and a second miniature TD-RU, the composite TD-RU has a bandwidth encompassing the composite bandwidth of the first TD-RU and the bandwidth of the second TD-RU, and the data tones arranged within the composite TD-RU are organized into a plurality of tone groups. Receiving a message using the data tone of the composite TD-RU, A method that includes [a certain feature].

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein each tone group comprises at least one data tone from the first miniature TD-RU and at least one data tone from the second miniature TD-RU, and the plurality of groups are distributed across the bandwidth of the composite TD-RU.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein pilot tones from each of the first miniature TD-RU and the second miniature TD-RU are distributed together with the plurality of tone groups.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the pilot tone is placed before the group of data tones, within the group of data tones, or after the group of data tones.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the pilot tones of the first TD-RU and the second TD-RU are distributed to the combined TD-RU such that the distributed pilot tones occur more frequency-separated from each other in the combined TD-RU.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the arrangement of data tones in the composite TD-RU further comprises a plurality of additional pilot tones for the composite TD-RU.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein each of the additional pilot tones is arranged to be associated with a corresponding tone group in the composite TD-RU.

8. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein data tones not associated with a pilot tone are not grouped with each other within the composite TD-RU.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the compact TD-RU includes at least 26 tones dispersed at at least 20 MHz.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the instructions for the plurality of tone groups in the composite TD-RU are transmitted in the signal field of the preamble of the PDU.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the preamble of the PDU comprises a phase rotation instruction applied to the TD-RU in the user field of the content channel in the signal field.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the preamble further includes a field indicating a single user or multiple users.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, performed by a non-access point WTRU.

14. A non-temporary computer-readable medium that, when executed by a processor, performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

15. A wireless transceiver unit (WTRU) comprising a transmitter, receiver, processor, and memory, in a wireless local area network, A message is transmitted in a data tone group within a composite tone distributed resource unit (TD-RU), the signal field of the preamble of a protocol data unit (PDU) indicates the data tone used for the transmission of the message, the composite TD-RU is composed of a tone plan, the tone plan comprises the arrangement of data tones within the composite TD-RU, the composite TD-RU includes a first miniature TD-RU and a second miniature TD-RU, the composite TD-RU has a bandwidth encompassing the composite bandwidth of the first TD-RU and the bandwidth of the second TD-RU, and the data tones arranged within the composite TD-RU are organized into multiple tone groups. The data tone of the composite TDRU is used to receive a message. WTRU is configured in such a way.

16. The WTRU according to claim 15, wherein each tone group comprises at least one data tone from the first miniature TD-RU and at least one data tone from the second miniature TD-RU, and the plurality of groups are distributed across the bandwidth of the composite TD-RU.

17. The WTRU according to claim 15 or 16, wherein pilot tones from each of the first miniature TD-RU and the second miniature TD-RU are distributed together with the plurality of tone groups.

18. The WTRU according to claim 17, wherein the pilot tone is positioned before the group of data tones, within the group of data tones, or after the group of data tones.

19. The WTRU according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the pilot tones of the first TD-RU and the second TD-RU are distributed to the composite TD-RU such that the distributed pilot tones occur more frequency-wise apart from each other in the composite TD-RU.

20. The WTRU according to any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein the arrangement of data tones in the composite TD-RU further comprises a plurality of additional pilot tones for the composite TD-RU.

21. The WTRU according to claim 20, wherein each of the additional pilot tones is arranged to be associated with a corresponding tone group in the composite TD-RU.

22. The WTRU according to any one of claims 17 to 21, wherein data tones not associated with a pilot tone are not grouped with each other within the composite TD-RU.

23. The compact TD-RU is the WTRU according to any one of claims 15 to 21, comprising at least 26 tones dispersed at at least 20 MHz.

24. The WTRU according to any one of claims 15 to 23, wherein the instructions for the plurality of tone groups in the composite TD-RU are transmitted in the signal field of the preamble of the PDU.

25. The WTRU according to claim 15, wherein the preamble of the PDU comprises a phase rotation instruction applied to the TD-RU in the user field of the content channel in the signal field.

26. The WTRU according to claim 15, wherein the preamble further includes a field indicating single user or multi-user.

27. A WTRU according to any one of claims 15 to 26, which is performed by a non-access point WTRU.

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