Bandwidth indication method and communication device applied in wireless local area network

Abstract

To provide: a bandwidth indication method applied in a wireless local area network supporting the 802.11be standard; and a communication apparatus.SOLUTION: The method includes: an access point generating a physical layer protocol data unit PPDU, where a transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is divided into a plurality of segments, the PPDU including a universal signal U-SIG field carried on a segment, the U-SIG field including a bandwidth field, the bandwidth field indicating a channel bandwidth of a resource unit allocated to a station parked in the segment; and the access point sending the PPDU to the station. The method in this application can be used to reduce signaling overheads of PPDU transmission, and resources across segments can be allocated to the station, so that resources can be more flexibly allocated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] [CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202010366775.6, entitled "BANDWIDTH INDICATION METHOD APPLIED IN WIRELESS LOCAL AREA NETWORK AND COMMUNICATION APPARATUS," filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on April 30, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference.

[0002] [Technical field] The present invention relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a bandwidth indication method and a communications device applied in a wireless local area network. [Background technology]

[0003] WLAN standards have evolved over many generations, including 802.11a / b / g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, and the currently under discussion 802.11be (also known as Wi-Fi 7). The 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, and 802.11be standards are also referred to as HT (High Throughput), VHT (Very High Throughput), HE (High Efficient), and EHT (Extremely High Throughput), respectively.

[0004] The 802.11ax standard supports the following bandwidth configurations: 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, and 80+80 MHz. The difference between 160 MHz and 80+80 MHz is that the 160 MHz frequency band is contiguous, but the 80+80 MHz frequency band may be separated. The 802.11be standard supports 240 MHz, 320 MHz, etc.

[0005] User frequency band resources are allocated by resource units (RUs) rather than 20 MHz channels. RUs may have the following formats, such as 26-tone RUs, 52-tone RUs, 106-tone RUs, 242-tone RUs, 484-tone RUs, and 996-tone RUs, where "tone" represents a subcarrier. For example, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of subcarrier and RU distribution in an 80 MHz bandwidth. As shown in FIG. 1, the full 80 MHz bandwidth includes four resource units in the form of 242-tone RUs. In particular, there is a center 26-tone RU in the middle of the full bandwidth, which includes two 13-tone subunits. Alternatively, the full bandwidth may include one full 996-tone RU, or various combinations of 26-tone RUs, 52-tone RUs, 106-tone RUs, 242-tone RUs, and 484-tone RUs.

[0006] The 802.11ax standard provides a downlink (DL) orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) resource unit indication method and a downlink (DL) multi-user (MU) multiple input multiple output (MIMO) resource unit indication method. In the 802.11ax standard, the transmitting end transmits a physical protocol data unit (PPDU). The PPDU includes a high efficiency signal field A (high efficiency signal field-A) and a high efficiency signal field B (high efficiency signal field-B). The HE-SIG-A indicates the symbol length and modulation and coding scheme (MCS) of the HE-SIG-B, the bandwidth of the entire PPDU, etc. If the PPDU bandwidth is greater than 20 MHz, the HE-SIG-A is replicated in each 20 MHz channel for transmission. The PPDU further includes an HE-SIG-B that provides DL MU MIMO and DL OFDMA resource indication information. The HE-SIG-B is coded separately for each 20 MHz channel. The coding structure of the HE-SIG-B for each 20 MHz channel is shown in Figure 2. The entire HE-SIG-B is divided into two parts: a common field and a user-specific field. The common field includes 1 to N resource unit allocation subfields, a center 26-tone resource unit indication field included in bandwidths above 80 MHz, a cyclic redundancy code (CRC), and a tail subfield for cyclic redundancy code.The user specific field includes 1 to M user fields according to the allocation order of the resource units. Among the M user fields, two user fields form a group, followed by a CRC field and a Tail field, but not the last group. In the last group, there may be one or two user fields.

[0007] The concept of content channel (CC) is introduced in the 802.11ax standard. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the HE-SIG-B field in the 80 MHz bandwidth of the PPDU. As shown in Figure 3, in the 80 MHz bandwidth of the PPDU, the HE-SIG-B field includes two CCs, which contain a total of four channels. A structure of CC1, CC2, CC1, and CC2, arranged in ascending order based on frequency, is used to indicate resource unit allocation information in the four channels. CC1 includes resource unit allocation subfields in the 1# 242-tone RU and the 3# 242-tone RU and the corresponding user field. CC2 includes resource unit allocation subfields in the 2# 242-tone RU and the 4# 242-tone RU and the corresponding user field. Furthermore, a center 26-tone RU indication in the 80 MHz bandwidth is carried in each of the two CCs to indicate whether the resource unit is used for data transmission. Similarly, for a 160 MHz bandwidth of the PPDU, the HE-SIG-B field includes two CCs containing a total of eight channels. A structure of CC1, CC2, CC1, CC2, CC1, CC1, CC2, CC1, and CC2, arranged in ascending order based on frequency, is used to indicate resource unit allocation information for the eight channels. CC1 includes resource unit allocation subfields and corresponding user fields in 1# 242-tone RU, 3# 242-tone RU, 5# 242-tone RU, and 7# 242-tone RU. CC2 includes resource unit allocation subfields and corresponding user fields in 2# 242-tone RU, 4# 242-tone RU, 6# 242-tone RU, and 8# 242-tone RU.

[0008] In conclusion, the prior art realizes resource unit indication in a bandwidth of 20 MHz to 160 MHz, but the overhead is large. In the 802.11be standard (Wi-Fi 7) or later standards (e.g., Wi-Fi 8), the transmission bandwidth of a PPDU may be 240 MHz, 320 MHz, or even more. In this case, the resource unit indication in a PPDU increases exponentially. Therefore, how to reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission is an urgent problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The embodiments of the present invention provide a bandwidth indication method and a communication device applied in a wireless local area network to help reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission.

[0010] According to a first aspect, this application provides a bandwidth indication method applied in a wireless local area network, the method includes: an access point generates a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU), a transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is divided into a plurality of segments, the PPDU includes a universal signal (U-SIG) field carried in the segments, the U-SIG field includes a bandwidth field, the bandwidth field indicates a channel bandwidth of a resource unit allocated to a station parked in the segment, and the access point transmits the PPDU to the station.

[0011] Based on the method described in the first aspect, the bandwidth field of a segment is set to indicate the channel bandwidth of the resource units allocated to the station in the segment, so that the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field of the segment may correspond to the channel bandwidth of the resource units allocated to the station, and only resource indication information corresponding to the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is carried in the segment. This helps reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission. Furthermore, resources across segments may be further allocated to the station. Compared with a scheme in which a station is allocated resource units only in the segment in which the station is parked, this scheme provides more flexibility in resource allocation.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the PPDU further includes an EHT-SIG field carried in the segment. The EHT-SIG field includes a resource unit allocation subfield. The bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field corresponds to the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field. The resource unit allocation subfield is used to indicate the resource units allocated to the station parked in the segment. The bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field of the segment corresponds to the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field, thereby ensuring that only resource indication information corresponding to the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is carried in the segment. This helps reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission. Furthermore, resources across segments may also be allocated to the station. Compared to a scheme in which a station is allocated resource units only in the segment in which it is parked, this scheme provides more flexibility in resource allocation.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the U-SIG field further includes a compression field, and if the compression field indicates uncompressed mode, the EHT-SIG field includes a resource unit allocation subfield.

[0014] In a possible implementation scheme, if the resources of the stations parked in the segment are used for OFDMA transmission, the compression field indicates non-compressed mode. Optionally, the use of the resources of the stations parked in the segment for OFDMA transmission includes two cases: In case 1, the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is used for OFDMA transmission; In case 2, the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is used for OFDMA transmission, and the resources of the stations parked in the segment are used for OFDMA transmission. In this optional scheme, whether to compress the EHT-SIG field may be determined at the granularity of the segment. This helps reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission.

[0015] In a possible implementation, if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 40 MHz, the U-SIG field and the EHT-SIG field are transmitted with a bandwidth of 40 MHz, which helps reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission compared to a scheme in which the U-SIG field and the EHT-SIG field are transmitted in all segments.

[0016] In a possible implementation, there may be one or more of the following correspondences between the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field and the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field: If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 20 megahertz (MHz), the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 1. If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 40 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 2. If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 80 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 4. If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 160 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 8. If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 240 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 12. If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 320 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 16. Based on this possible implementation, there may be a sufficient number of resource unit allocation subfields to indicate resources within the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the EHT-SIG field includes a preamble puncturing indication field, which is used to indicate the puncturing status of the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field. The number of bits required by the preamble puncturing indication field is less than the number of bits required by the resource unit allocation subfield. Therefore, using the preamble puncturing indication field instead of the resource unit allocation subfield to indicate the resource unit allocation for a station helps reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the U-SIG field further includes a compressed field, and if the compressed field indicates a compressed mode, the EHT-SIG field includes a preamble puncturing indication field.

[0019] In a possible implementation, if the resources of the station parked in the segment are used for non-OFDMA transmission, the compression field indicates a compressed mode. In this optional scheme, the EHT-SIG field may be compressed at the granularity of the segment. This helps reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission. Optionally, the resources of the station parked in the segment are used for non-OFDMA transmission, which includes two cases: In case 1, the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is used for non-OFDMA transmission; and in case 2, the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is used for OFDMA transmission, but the resources of the station parked in the segment are used for non-OFDMA transmission.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the EHT-SIG field may include a resource unit allocation subfield in both compressed and uncompressed modes. In compressed mode, the resource unit allocation subfield is used to implement the function of the preamble puncturing indication field, i.e., to indicate the puncturing status of the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field. In uncompressed mode, the resource unit allocation subfield is used to indicate the resource unit allocation for the station.

[0021] In a possible implementation, the U-SIG field is further used to indicate the number of EHT-SIG symbols. The preamble puncturing indication field is further used to indicate the number of MU-MIMO users. In this possible implementation, the number of EHT-SIG symbols can be directly notified to the station, thereby allowing the station to accurately determine the number of EHT-SIG symbols.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the U-SIG field is further used to indicate the number of EHT-SIG symbols. The PPDU further includes a first field carried in the segment, where the first field is used to indicate the number of multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) users. The first field is different from the preamble puncturing indication field. In this possible implementation, the number of EHT-SIG symbols can be directly notified to the station, thereby allowing the station to accurately determine the number of EHT-SIG symbols.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the PPDU further includes an EHT-SIG field carried in segments. The U-SIG field further includes a compression field. If the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is used for non-orthogonal frequency division multiple access OFDMA transmission, the compression field indicates the compression mode. When the compression field indicates the compression mode, the EHT-SIG field does not include the resource unit allocation subfield. The EHT-SIG field can be compressed with the granularity of the entire transmission bandwidth of the PPDU. This helps reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission.

[0024] In a possible implementation, if the compressed field indicates a compressed mode, the U-SIG field is further used to indicate the number of MU-MIMO users.

[0025] In a possible implementation, when the compression field indicates a compressed mode, the EHT-SIG field includes a preamble puncturing indication field, which is used to indicate the puncturing status of the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU. In this possible implementation, using the preamble puncturing indication field instead of the resource unit allocation subfield to indicate the resource unit allocation for the station helps reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the EHT-SIG field carried in multiple segments of a PPDU is the same, which can improve the reliability of EHT-SIG field transmission.

[0027] According to a second aspect, the present application provides a bandwidth indication method applied in a wireless local area network, the method includes: a station receives a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) sent by an access point, the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is divided into multiple segments, the PPDU includes a universal signal (U-SIG) field carried in the segment, the U-SIG field includes a bandwidth field, the bandwidth field indicates a channel bandwidth of a resource unit allocated to a station parked in the segment, and the station determines the channel bandwidth of the allocated resource unit based on the received U-SIG field.

[0028] For the beneficial effects and possible implementation manners of the second aspect, please refer to the description of the first aspect, and the details will not be described again here.

[0029] According to a third aspect, there is provided a communication device. The device may be an access point, a device within an access point, or a device usable with an access point. Alternatively, the communication device may be a chip system. The communication device may perform the method according to the first aspect. The functions of the communication device may be realized by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the above functions. The units may be software and / or hardware. For operations and beneficial effects performed by the communication device, please refer to the method and beneficial effects in the first aspect. To avoid repetition, the details will not be described again here.

[0030] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a communication device. The device may be a station, a device in a station, or a device usable with a station. Alternatively, the communication device may be a chip system. The communication device may perform the method according to the second aspect. The functions of the communication device may be realized by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the above functions. The units may be software and / or hardware. For operations and beneficial effects performed by the communication device, please refer to the method and beneficial effects in the second aspect. To avoid repetition, the details will not be described again here.

[0031] According to a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communications device, the communications device including at least one processor, wherein the method performed by the access point in the method according to the first aspect is executed when the processor invokes a computer program in a memory.

[0032] According to a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communications device, the communications device including at least one processor, wherein the method performed by the station in the method according to the second aspect is performed when the processor invokes a computer program in a memory.

[0033] According to a seventh aspect, the present application provides a communications device, the communications device including a processor and a memory, the memory configured to store a computer program, and the processor configured to execute the computer program stored in the memory, thereby causing the communications device to perform the method performed by the access point in the method according to the first aspect.

[0034] According to an eighth aspect, the application provides a communications device, the communications device including a processor and a memory, the memory configured to store a computer program, the processor configured to execute the computer program stored in the memory, thereby causing the communications device to perform the method performed by a station in the method according to the second aspect.

[0035] According to a ninth aspect, the present application provides a communications device, the communications device including a processor, a memory, and a transceiver. The transceiver is configured to receive or transmit signals. The memory is configured to store a computer program. The processor is configured to call the computer program from the memory and perform the method performed by the access point in the method according to the first aspect.

[0036] According to a tenth aspect, the present application provides a communications device, the communications device including a processor, a memory, and a transceiver. The transceiver is configured to receive or transmit signals. The memory is configured to store a computer program. The processor is configured to call the computer program from the memory and perform the method performed by the station in the method according to the second aspect.

[0037] According to an eleventh aspect, the present application provides a communications device, the communications device including at least one processor and a communications interface, the communications interface configured to receive a computer program and transmit the computer program to the processor, the processor executing the computer program to perform the method performed by the access point in the method according to the first aspect.

[0038] According to a twelfth aspect, the present application provides a communications device, the communications device including at least one processor and a communications interface, the processor executing a computer program to perform the method performed by the station in the method according to the second aspect.

[0039] According to a thirteenth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium configured to store instructions that, when executed, result in a method performed by an access point in a method according to the first aspect.

[0040] According to a fourteenth aspect, the application provides a computer-readable storage medium configured to store instructions that, when executed, result in the method performed by the station in the second aspect.

[0041] According to a fifteenth aspect, the application provides a computer program product including instructions that, when executed, cause a method to be performed by an access point in a method according to the first aspect.

[0042] According to a sixteenth aspect, the application provides a computer program product including instructions which, when executed, effect the method performed by the station in the second aspect. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0043] In order to more clearly describe the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly describes the accompanying drawings used to describe the embodiments or the prior art. The accompanying drawings in the following description merely illustrate some embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that those skilled in the art can derive other drawings from these accompanying drawings without creative efforts. [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of subcarrier and RU distribution in an 80 MHz bandwidth according to an embodiment of this application. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the coding structure of the HE-SIG-B field in a 20 MHz bandwidth according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3]1 is a schematic diagram of an HE-SIG-B field in an 80 MHz bandwidth of a PPDU according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram of subcarrier and RU distribution in a 20 MHz bandwidth according to an embodiment of this application. [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic diagram of subcarrier and RU distribution in a 40 MHz bandwidth according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a frame structure of an HE MU PPDU according to an embodiment of this application; [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram of an HE-SIG-B field in a 20 MHz bandwidth of an HE MU PPDU according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic diagram of an HE-SIG-B field in a 40 MHz bandwidth of an HE MU PPDU according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic diagram of an HE-SIG-B field in a 160 MHz bandwidth of an HE MU PPDU according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a frame structure of an EHT MU PPDU according to an embodiment of this application; [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 12] 1 is a schematic flowchart of a bandwidth indication method applied in a wireless local area network according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 13] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a segment according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 14] 1 is a schematic diagram of channel bandwidth and channel allocation for stations parked in segment 1 according to an embodiment of the present application; FIG. [Figure 15] 1 is a schematic diagram of channel bandwidth and channel allocation for stations parked in segment 2 according to an embodiment of the present application; FIG. [Figure 16]FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of channel bandwidth and channel allocation for stations parked in segment 3 according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of channel bandwidth and channel allocation for stations parked in segment 4 according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 18] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a frame structure of a PPDU according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating another frame structure of a PPDU according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating another frame structure of a PPDU according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 21] 1 is a schematic diagram of an EHT-SIG field 1 according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 22] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an EHT-SIG field 2 according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 23] 1 is a schematic diagram of an EHT-SIG field 3 according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 24] 1 is a schematic diagram of an EHT-SIG field 4 according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 25] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating another frame structure of a PPDU according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 26] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating another frame structure of a PPDU according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 27] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating another frame structure of a PPDU according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 28] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating another frame structure of a PPDU according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 29] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 30a] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating another structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 30b] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating yet another structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0044] In the present specification, claims, and accompanying drawings, terms such as "first," "second," "third," and "fourth" are intended to distinguish between different objects and do not indicate a particular order. Furthermore, the terms "include," "have," and any other variations thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device comprising a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally further include unlisted steps or units, or may optionally further include other inherent steps or units of the process, method, product, or device.

[0045] The term "embodiment" as referred to in this specification means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described with reference to the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Terms appearing in various places in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, and are not exclusive independent or optional embodiments of other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described in this specification may be combined with other embodiments.

[0046] "Multiple" means two or more. "And / or" describes an association relationship between related objects and indicates that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may represent the following three cases: only A is present, both A and B are present, and only B is present. The " / " character generally indicates an "or" relationship between related objects.

[0047] To facilitate understanding of the relevant content of the embodiments of this application, some background information is provided below.

[0048] 1.WLAN Bandwidth Configuration

[0049] WLAN standards have evolved over many generations, including 802.11a / b / g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, and the currently under discussion 802.11be. The 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, and 802.11be standards are also known as HT (High Throughput), VHT (Very High Throughput), HE (High Efficient), and EHT (Extremely High Throughput), respectively. The bandwidth configurations that can be supported by PPDU in the above WLAN standards are listed in Table 1. [Table 1]

[0050] 2. Resource unit (RU)

[0051] User frequency band resources are allocated by resource units (RUs) rather than 20 MHz channels, and RUs may have the following formats, such as 26-tone RU, 52-tone RU, 106-tone RU, 242-tone RU, 484-tone RU, and 996-tone RU, where tone represents a subcarrier.

[0052] For example, Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of subcarrier and RU distribution in a 20 MHz bandwidth according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4, the entire 20 MHz bandwidth may include one full 242-tone RU, or may include various combinations of 26-tone RU, 52-tone RU, and 106-tone RU. In addition to the RUs for data transmission, the bandwidth may also include some guard subcarriers, null subcarriers (subcarriers marked with 1 in the figure are null subcarriers, and 1 indicates that the number of null subcarriers is 1), or direct current (DC) subcarriers.

[0053] In another example, Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of subcarrier and RU distribution in a 40 MHz bandwidth according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 5, the subcarrier distribution of the full 40 MHz bandwidth is approximately equivalent to a duplicate of that of 20 MHz. The full bandwidth may include one full 484-tone RU, or may include various combinations of 26-tone RU, 52-tone RU, 106-tone RU, and 242-tone RU.

[0054] In another example, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of subcarrier and RU distribution in an 80 MHz bandwidth according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the full 80 MHz bandwidth includes four resource units in the form of 242-tone RUs. In particular, there is a center 26-tone RU in the middle of the full bandwidth that includes two 13-tone subunits. The full bandwidth may include one full 996-tone RU, or may include various combinations of 26-tone RU, 52-tone RU, 106-tone RU, 242-tone RU, and 484-tone RU.

[0055] The subcarrier distribution of a 160 MHz or 80+80 MHz full bandwidth may be thought of as a duplicate of two 80 MHz ones. The full bandwidth may include one full 2*996-tone RU, or may include various combinations of 26-tone RU, 52-tone RU, 106-tone RU, 242-tone RU, 484-tone RU, and 996-tone RU.

[0056] 3. Orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) and non-OFDMA transmission

[0057] OFDMA transmission is a multi-user communication mechanism applicable to data frame exchange between an access point (AP) and a non-AP type station (non-AP STA) in the 802.11ax standard and later. The total transmission bandwidth may be divided into multiple RUs that are assigned to different users. In non-OFDMA transmission, the total transmission bandwidth is used for single-user (SU) or multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO) transmission. In non-OFDMA transmission, after preamble puncturing, the unpunctured portions constitute multiple RUs that are combined as a whole. The combination of multiple RUs supported by non-OFDMA transmission is equivalent to the combination of preamble puncturing supported by non-OFDMA transmission.

[0058] 4. High Efficient Multiple User Physical Layer Protocol Data Unit (HE MU PPDU)

[0059] The HE MU PPDU is mainly used for DL ​​OFDMA and DL MU-MIMO transmission in the 802.11ax standard. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the HE MU PPDU. As shown in Figure 6, the HE MU PPDU is divided into a preamble part and a data field part. The preamble part includes two HE signal fields, namely, high efficient-signal field-A (HE-SIG-A) and high efficient-signal field-B (HE-SIG-B). For related descriptions of HE-SIG-A and HE-SIG-B, please refer to the descriptions in the background section.

[0060] The resource unit allocation subfield in HE-SIG-B has 8 bits. All possible resource unit arrangements and combinations within a 242-tone RU are indicated by using an index. Furthermore, for RUs with 106-tone RUs or more, the number of users (i.e., the number of STAs) performing SU / MU-MIMO transmission within the RU is indicated by using an index. The index of the resource unit allocation subfield is shown in Table 2. [Table 2-1] [Table 2-2] [Table 2-3]

[0061] As shown in Table 2, the first column represents an 8-bit index of the resource unit allocation subfield, and the middle columns #1 to #9 represent different resource unit allocations and combinations. Each row in Table 2 represents one RU allocation. For example, the index 00111y2y1y0 indicates that four RUs (52-tone RU, 52-tone RU, 26-tone RU, and 106-tone RU) are allocated. Furthermore, the number in the last column in Table 2 is used to indicate the number of users included in the 106-tone RU. For example, the number corresponding to 00010y2y1y0 is 8. This is because y2y1y0, in addition to indicating the resource unit allocation, is also used to indicate the number of users included in the 106-tone RU, which corresponds to 1 to 8 users (i.e., stations). Each value of y2y1y0 may be 0 or 1.

[0062] It should be noted that the order of users in the user-specific field corresponds to the order of RUs obtained by division in the corresponding resource unit allocation subfield. A user may identify whether a user field belongs to the user by reading the station identifier in the user field. Based on the appearance position of the user field and the corresponding resource unit allocation subfield, the user may learn his / her RU allocation.

[0063] In Table 2, most RU allocations are performed within 242-tone RUs, and the RUs indicated by several indices indicate 242-tone RUs, 484-tone RUs, and 996-tone RUs.

[0064] 5. Content Channel (CC)

[0065] In measuring 242-tone RUs, the frequencies on the left side of Figure 1, Figure 4, or Figure 5 may be considered the lowest frequencies, and the frequencies on the right side of Figure 1, Figure 4, or Figure 5 may be considered the highest frequencies. The 242-tone RUs may be numbered from left to right as follows: 1#, 2#, ..., and 8#.

[0066] The concept of content channel is introduced in the 802.11ax standard. For example, as shown in Figure 7, when the bandwidth of the HE MU PPDU is only 20 MHz, the HE-SIG-B field contains only one content channel, CC1. CC1 contains one resource unit allocation subfield that is used to indicate the resource unit allocation instruction within the 242-tone RU of the data part.

[0067] In another example, as shown in Figure 8, when the HE MU PPDU has a bandwidth of 40 MHz, the HE-SIG-B field includes two content channels, i.e., CC1 and CC2. CC1 includes a resource unit allocation subfield in 1#242-tone RU and a corresponding user field. CC2 includes a resource unit allocation subfield in 2#242-tone RU and a corresponding user field.

[0068] In another example, as shown in Figure 3, in the 80 MHz bandwidth of the HE MU PPDU, the HE-SIG-B field still includes two CCs, for a total of four channels. A structure of CC1, CC2, CC1, and CC2, arranged in ascending order based on frequency, is used to indicate resource unit allocation information for the four channels. CC1 includes resource unit allocation subfields in 1#242-tone RU and 3#242-tone RU and the corresponding user field. CC2 includes resource unit allocation subfields in 2#242-tone RU and 4#242-tone RU and the corresponding user field. Furthermore, a center 26-tone RU indication in the 80 MHz bandwidth is carried in each of the two CCs to indicate whether the resource unit is used for data transmission.

[0069] In another example, as shown in Figure 9, in the 160 MHz bandwidth of the HE MU PPDU, the HE-SIG-B field still includes two CCs, for a total of eight channels. A structure of CC1, CC2, CC1, CC2, CC1, CC2, CC1, and CC2, arranged in ascending order based on frequency, is used to indicate resource unit allocation information for the eight channels. CC1 includes resource unit allocation subfields in 1#242-tone RU, 3#242-tone RU, 5#242-tone RU, and 7#242-tone RU, and corresponding user fields. CC2 includes resource unit allocation subfields in 2#242-tone RU, 4#242-tone RU, 6#242-tone RU, and 8#242-tone RU, and corresponding user fields. Furthermore, a center 26-tone RU indication in the 80 MHz bandwidth is carried in each of the two CCs to indicate whether the resource unit is used for data transmission.

[0070] 6. Extremely high throughput multiple user physical layer protocol data unit (EHT MU PPDU)

[0071] The EHT MU PPDU was introduced in the 802.11be standard. The EHT MU PPDU is mainly used for DL ​​OFDMA and DL MU-MIMO transmission in the 802.11be standard. As shown in Figure 10, the existing frame structure of the EHT MU PPDU mainly includes a legacy short training field (L-STF), a legacy long training field (L-LTF), a legacy signal (L-SIG) field, a repeated legacy signal (RL-SIG) field, a universal signal (U-SIG) field, an extremely high throughput signal (EHT-SIG) field, an EHT short training field (EHT-STF), an EHT long training field (EHT-LTF), and a data field. The EHT-SIG field includes two parts: a common field and a user-specific field. The common field includes 1 to N resource unit allocation subfields, and the user-specific field includes 1 to M user fields ordered according to resource unit allocation.

[0072] As described above, resource unit indication in a bandwidth of 20 MHz to 160 MHz is implemented in the 802.11ax standard, but the overhead of resource unit indication is high. For example, as shown in FIG. 9 , in the 160 MHz transmission bandwidth of an EHT MU PPDU, each CC includes four resource unit allocation subindication fields and all user fields in four 242-tone RUs, resulting in high signaling overhead for PPDU transmission. In the 802.11be standard or later, the signaling overhead further increases with the wider transmission bandwidth of the EHT MU PPDU. To reduce the signaling overhead for PPDU transmission, embodiments of this application provide a bandwidth indication method and a communication device applicable to a wireless local area network.

[0073] To facilitate understanding of the solution described in the embodiment of this application, the following first describes the system architecture in the embodiment of this application.

[0074] It should be noted that the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application may be applied in wireless local area networks WLANs that use the 802.11be standard or later standards, or in other communication systems that support wide-bandwidth OFDM transmission.

[0075] 11 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in FIG. 11, the system architecture may include an access point (AP) station and a non-access point station (non-AP STA). For ease of explanation, a station such as an access point station is referred to as an access point (AP), and a non-access point station is referred to as a station (STA). The system architecture may include one or more access points and one or more stations. For example, there is one access point and three stations in FIG. 11.

[0076] An access point may be an access point through which a terminal device (e.g., a mobile phone) accesses a wired (or wireless) network. Access points are mainly deployed in homes, buildings, or campuses, with a typical coverage radius of tens to hundreds of meters. Obviously, access points may alternatively be deployed outdoors. An access point is configured to function as a bridge between a wired network and a wireless network, connecting various wireless network clients together and then connecting the wireless network to an Ethernet. Specifically, an access point may be a terminal device (e.g., a mobile phone) or a network device (e.g., a router) that has a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) chip. An access point may also be a device that supports the 802.11be standard. Alternatively, the access point may be a device that supports multiple wireless local area network (WLAN) standards in the 802.11 family of standards, such as 802.11be, 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11a. The access point in this application may be a high efficiency (HE) AP or an extremely high throughput (EHT) AP, or may be an access point that supports a future Wi-Fi standard.

[0077] The station may be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor, a wireless communication terminal, etc. The station may also be referred to as a user. For example, the station may be a device supporting Wi-Fi communication functions, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a set-top box, a smart TV, a smart wearable device, an in-vehicle communication device, or a computer. Optionally, the station may support the 802.11be standard. The station may also support multiple wireless local area network (WLAN) standards of the 802.11 standard family, such as 802.11be, 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11a.

[0078] For example, the access points and stations may be devices used in the Internet of Vehicles, nodes or sensors in the Internet of Things (IoT), smart cameras, smart remote controls, or smart water meters in a smart home, sensors in a smart city, etc.

[0079] The technical solution of this application is applicable to data communication between an access point and one or more stations, between an access point and multiple access points, and between a station and multiple stations. In the following, an example of data communication between an access point and multiple stations is used to describe the technical solution of this application.

[0080] 12 is a schematic flowchart of a bandwidth indication method applied in a wireless local area network according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in FIG. 12, the bandwidth indication method applied in a wireless local area network includes the following steps 1201 to 1203. The method shown in FIG. 12 may be performed by an access point and a station. Alternatively, the method shown in FIG. 12 may be performed by a chip in an access point and a chip in a station. An example in which the access point and the station are the executing entities is used in the description in FIG. 12.

[0081] 1201: An access point generates a PPDU, the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is divided into multiple segments, the PPDU includes a U-SIG field carried in the segment, the U-SIG field includes a bandwidth field, and the bandwidth field indicates a channel bandwidth of a resource unit allocated to a station parked in the segment.

[0082] In this embodiment of the present application, the PPDU may be an EHT MU PPDU or a PPDU in other 802.11 standards, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. The transmission bandwidth of the PPDU may be 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz / 80+80 MHz, 240 MHz, 320 MHz, etc.

[0083] The names of various fields in this embodiment of this application may alternatively be called differently. For example, the U-SIG field and the Bandwidth field in the 802.11be standard may be called differently in standards later than the 802.11be standard. A "field" as described herein may also be called a "domain," "information," etc. A "subfield" may also be called a "subdomain," "information," etc.

[0084] In the following, two concepts of resource units allocated to a station are explained: segment and channel bandwidth.

[0085] 1. Segment

[0086] In an embodiment of this application, the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is divided into multiple segments. The segments may be 80 MHz. Alternatively, the segments may be 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 160 MHz, etc. One or more stations may be parked on some or all of the multiple segments.

[0087] For example, the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is 320 MHz, and each segment is 80 MHz. As shown in FIG. 13, the 320 MHz bandwidth may include 16 channels, and one channel corresponds to 20 MHz. The transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is divided into segments 1 to 4, and each segment is 80 MHz. Stations 1 to 5 are parked in segment 1, stations 6 and 7 are parked in segment 2, station 8 is parked in segment 3, and station 9 is parked in segment 4.

[0088] Optionally, the bandwidth of different segments may be different, for example, the 320 MHz transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is divided into Segment 1 to Segment 3, where Segment 1 is 80 MHz, Segment 2 is 80 MHz, and Segment 3 is 160 MHz.

[0089] 2. Channel bandwidth in resource units allocated to stations

[0090] The channels and channel bandwidths of stations parked in different segments may be predefined.

[0091] For example, Figure 14 shows the channel bandwidth and channel allocation for stations parked in segment 1. As shown in Figure 14, the predefined channels for stations parked in segment 1 include a primary 20 MHz (abbreviated as primary channel, Primary 20 MHz, P20) channel, a secondary 20 MHz (Secondary 20 MHz, S20) channel, a secondary 40 MHz (Secondary 40 MHz, S40) channel, a secondary 80 MHz (Secondary 80 MHz, S80) channel, and a secondary 160 MHz (Secondary 160 MHz, S40) channel. Channel 13 corresponds to the primary 20 MHz channel. Channel 14 corresponds to the secondary 20 MHz channel. Channels 15 and 16 are combined into the secondary 40 MHz channel. Channels 9 to 12 are combined into the secondary 80 MHz channel. Channels 1 to 8 are combined into the secondary 160 MHz channel.

[0092] The predefined channel bandwidth of a station parked in segment 1 may include one or more of the following: 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 240 MHz, and 320 MHz. If the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is greater than 320 MHz, the predefined channel bandwidth may be greater than 320 MHz. For example, the predefined channel bandwidth of a station parked in segment 1 includes 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 240 MHz, and 320 MHz in FIG. 14. As shown in FIG. 14, if the resource unit assigned to a station parked in segment 1 is in segment 1 but not in segments 2 to 4, the channel bandwidth of the resource unit assigned to the station parked in segment 1 is 80 MHz. If the resource unit assigned to a station parked in segment 1 is in segment 2 but not in segments 3 or 4, the channel bandwidth of the resource unit assigned to the station parked in segment 1 is 160 MHz. If the resource units assigned to stations parked in segment 1 are in segment 3 but not in segment 4, the channel bandwidth of the resource units assigned to stations parked in segment 1 is 240 MHz. If the resource units assigned to stations parked in segment 1 are in segment 4, the channel bandwidth of the resource units assigned to stations parked in segment 1 is 320 MHz.

[0093] Figure 15 shows the channel bandwidth and channel allocation for stations parked in segment 2. Figure 16 shows the channel bandwidth and channel allocation for stations parked in segment 3. Figure 17 shows the channel bandwidth and channel allocation for stations parked in segment 4. The principle for determining the channel bandwidth of resource units allocated to stations parked in segment 2, segment 3 or segment 4 is the same as that for segment 1. The details will not be described again here.

[0094] In an embodiment of this application, the PPDU further includes a data portion of a station parked in the segment. The resource units assigned to the station are used to carry the data portion to be received by the station, and the station may receive the station's data in the assigned resource units. Therefore, the channel bandwidth of the resource units assigned to the station parked in the segment, indicated by the bandwidth field, may be equal to the channel bandwidth of the data portion of the station parked in the segment, indicated by the bandwidth field.

[0095] The following describes the frame structure of the PPDU in this embodiment of this application by using a concrete example.

[0096] For example, as shown in Figure 18, the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is 320 MHz, and the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is divided into four segments, each of which has a bandwidth of 80 MHz and includes four channels. The predefined channel bandwidths for segments 1 to 4 are shown in Figures 14 to 17.

[0097] The PPDU includes a U-SIG field 1 carried in segment 1, and the U-SIG field 1 includes a bandwidth field 1. The PPDU may further include an EHT-SIG field 1 carried in segment 1 to indicate resource units allocated to stations parked in segment 1. The PPDU further includes a data portion 1 transmitted to stations 1 to 5. The channel bandwidth of the data portion 1 is 80 MHz (specifically, the channel bandwidth of the resource units allocated to stations 1 to 5 is 80 MHz). Therefore, the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field 1 is 80 MHz.

[0098] The PPDU further includes a U-SIG field 2 carried in segment 2, which includes a bandwidth field 2. The PPDU may further include an EHT-SIG field 2 carried in segment 2 to indicate resource units allocated to stations parked in segment 2. The PPDU further includes a data portion 2 transmitted to station 6 and a data portion 3 transmitted to station 7. The channel bandwidth of data portion 2 and data portion 3 is 80 MHz (specifically, the channel bandwidth of the resource units allocated to stations 6 and 7 is 80 MHz). Therefore, the channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 2 is 80 MHz.

[0099] The PPDU further includes a U-SIG field carried in segment 3, and U-SIG field 3 includes bandwidth field 3. The PPDU may further include an EHT-SIG field 3 carried in segment 3 to indicate the resource units allocated to the station parked in segment 3. The PPDU further includes data portion 4 to be transmitted to station 8. Data portion 4 is present in both segment 3 and segment 4. Therefore, the channel bandwidth of data portion 4 is 160 MHz (specifically, the channel bandwidth of the resource units allocated to station 8 is 160 MHz). Therefore, the channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 3 is 160 MHz.

[0100] The PPDU further includes a U-SIG field 4 carried in segment 4, which includes a bandwidth field 4. The PPDU may further include an EHT-SIG field 4 carried in segment 4 to indicate the resource units allocated to the station parked in segment 4. The PPDU further includes a data portion 5 to be transmitted to station 9. The channel bandwidth of data portion 5 is 80 MHz (specifically, the channel bandwidth of the resource units allocated to station 9 is 80 MHz). Therefore, the channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 4 is 80 MHz.

[0101] In a possible implementation, the PPDU may alternatively include only the U-SIG and EHT-SIG fields in some segments.

[0102] For example, if station 9 parked in segment 4 is not assigned a resource unit, the PPDU may not include U-SIG field 4 and EHT-SIG field 4 carried in segment 4. Specifically, the access point does not need to transmit U-SIG field 4 and EHT-SIG field 4 in segment 4. This helps reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission. Obviously, the PPDU may alternatively include U-SIG and EHT-SIG fields in all segments.

[0103] In a possible implementation, the U-SIG field and the EHT-SIG field may be transmitted on several channels of a segment in the following three cases:

[0104] Case 1: If the channel bandwidth indicated by the segment's bandwidth field is greater than or equal to the size of the segment, but the channel of the segment is punctured, the U-SIG and EHT-SIG fields carried in the segment are transmitted on these channels.

[0105] For example, as shown in FIG. 19, although bandwidth field 1 indicates 80 MHz, the resource units allocated to stations 1 to 5 are in channels 15 and 16 of segment 1. In other words, 40 MHz of the channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 1 is punctured. Therefore, U-SIG field 1 may be transmitted only in channels 15 and 16 of segment 1. Similarly, although bandwidth field 4 indicates 80 MHz, the resource units allocated to station 9 are in channels 3 and 4 of segment 4. In other words, 40 MHz of the channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 4 is punctured. Therefore, U-SIG field 4 may be transmitted only in channels 3 and 4 of segment 4. Obviously, as shown in FIG. 18, when the channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 1 is punctured, U-SIG field 1 and EHT-SIG field 1 may alternatively be transmitted on all channels of segment 1. When the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field 4 is punctured, the U-SIG field 4 and the EHT-SIG field 4 may be transmitted on all channels of the segment 4. In this way, the reliability of the transmission of the U-SIG field and the EHT-SIG field can be improved.

[0106] Case 2: If the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field of the segment is 40 MHz, the U-SIG field and EHT-SIG field carried in the segment are transmitted in a bandwidth of 40 MHz.

[0107] For example, as shown in FIG. 20 , the channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 1 is 40 MHz. Therefore, U-SIG field 1 and EHT-SIG field 1 may be transmitted only on channel 13 and channel 14 of segment 1. Similarly, the channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 4 is 40 MHz. Therefore, U-SIG field 4 and EHT-SIG field 4 may be transmitted only on channel 1 and channel 2 of segment 4. Obviously, U-SIG field 1 and EHT-SIG field 1 may alternatively be transmitted on all channels of segment 1. U-SIG field 4 and EHT-SIG field 4 may alternatively be transmitted on all channels of segment 4. This can improve the reliability of transmission of the U-SIG and EHT-SIG fields.

[0108] Case 3: When the channel bandwidth indicated by the segment bandwidth field is 20 MHz, the U-SIG field and the EHT-SIG field carried in the segment are transmitted with a bandwidth of 20 MHz. The implementation principle in Case 3 is the same as that when the channel bandwidth indicated by the segment bandwidth field is 40 MHz. The details will not be described again here.

[0109] 1202: The access point transmits a PPDU to the station.

[0110] In this embodiment of the application, after generating the PPDU, the access point transmits the PPDU to the station.

[0111] 1203: The station determines the channel bandwidth of the allocated resource unit based on the received U-SIG field.

[0112] In this embodiment of the present application, a station receives a PPDU on a segment where the station is parked. After receiving the U-SIG field, the station determines the channel bandwidth of the allocated resource unit based on the U-SIG field. The station may then determine the resource unit allocated to the station within the channel bandwidth and receive the data portion in the PPDU that was transmitted to the station within the resource unit.

[0113] For example, in FIG. 18, stations 1 to 5 receive U-SIG field 1 in segment 1 and determine that the channel bandwidth of the resource units allocated to stations 1 to 5 is 80 MHz based on U-SIG field 1. After determining the resource units allocated to stations 1 to 5 based on EHT-SIG field 1 at 80 MHz, stations 1 to 5 receive data portion 1 in the PPDU in the resource units. The same applies to stations in other segments, and the details will not be described again here.

[0114] In the 802.11ax standard, the bandwidth field of the HE-SIG-A field transmitted in each channel is used to indicate the total transmission bandwidth of the PPDU. For example, if the total transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is 320 MHz, the HE-SIG-B field in the PPDU includes CC1 and CC2. CC1 and CC2 each include eight resource unit allocation subfields. CC1 and CC2 are transmitted separately in eight channels, i.e., eight resource unit allocation subfields are transmitted in each channel. As a result, the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission is very high. By implementing the method shown in FIG. 12, the total transmission bandwidth of the PPDU may be divided into segments, and the bandwidth field of each segment may be set to indicate the channel bandwidth of the resource units allocated to the station in the segment. Therefore, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field of each segment may correspond to the channel bandwidth of the resource units allocated to the station, and only resource indication information corresponding to the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is carried in the segment. This helps reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission. Furthermore, resources across segments may also be allocated to a station, which is more flexible in resource allocation than a scheme in which a station is allocated resource units only in the segment in which the station is parked.

[0115] Below we describe possible implementations of the EHT-SIG field.

[0116] (1) The EHT-SIG field includes (or exists in) a resource unit allocation subfield. The bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field corresponds to the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field. The bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field of a segment corresponds to the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field, thereby ensuring that only resource indication information corresponding to the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is carried in the segment. This helps reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission. Furthermore, resources across segments may be further allocated to a station. Compared with a scheme in which a station is allocated resource units only in the segment in which the station is parked, this scheme provides more flexibility in resource allocation.

[0117] Optionally, one or more of the following correspondences may exist between the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field and the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field: If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 20 megahertz (MHz), the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 1. If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 40 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 2. If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 80 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 4. If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 160 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 8. If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 240 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 12. If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 320 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 16.

[0118] Below, by using a concrete example, the correspondence between the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field and the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field will be described.

[0119] For example, as shown in FIG. 18, a PPDU includes U-SIG field 1 and EHT-SIG field 1 carried in segment 1, and U-SIG field 1 includes bandwidth field 1. The channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 1 is 80 MHz. Each 20 MHz bandwidth corresponds to one resource unit allocation subfield, and therefore EHT-SIG field 1 includes four resource unit allocation subfields. As shown in FIG. 18, EHT-SIG field 1 may include CC11 and CC12. Based on the structure of CC11, CC12, CC11, and CC12, transmission is performed on four channels in segment 1. As shown in FIG. 21, CC11 in segment 1 includes resource unit allocation subfield 1 in 1#242-tone RU, resource unit allocation subfield 3 in 3#242-tone RU, and corresponding user-specific fields. CC12 in segment 1 includes resource unit allocation subfield 2 in 2#242-tone RU, resource unit allocation subfield 4 in 4#242-tone RU, and corresponding user-specific fields.

[0120] The PPDU further includes a U-SIG field 2 and an EHT-SIG field 2 carried in segment 2, and the U-SIG field 2 includes a bandwidth field 2. The channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field 2 is 80 MHz. Therefore, the EHT-SIG field 2 includes four resource unit allocation subfields. As shown in FIG. 18, the EHT-SIG field 2 may include CC21 and CC22. Based on the structures of CC21, CC22, CC21, and CC22, transmission is performed on four channels in segment 2. As shown in FIG. 22, CC21 in segment 2 includes resource unit allocation subfield 5 in #242-tone RU 5, resource unit allocation subfield 7 in #242-tone RU 7, and corresponding user-specific fields. CC22 in segment 2 includes resource unit allocation subfield 6 in #242-tone RU 6, resource unit allocation subfield 8 in #242-tone RU 8, and corresponding user-specific fields.

[0121] The PPDU further includes a U-SIG field 3 and an EHT-SIG field 3 carried in segment 3, and the U-SIG field 3 includes a bandwidth field 3. The channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field 3 is 160 MHz. Therefore, the EHT-SIG field 3 includes eight resource unit allocation subfields. As shown in FIG. 18, the EHT-SIG field 3 may include CC31 and CC32. Based on the structure of CC31, CC32, CC31, and CC32, transmission is performed on four channels in segment 3. As shown in FIG. 23, CC31 in segment 3 includes a resource unit allocation subfield 9 in 9#242-tone RU, a resource unit allocation subfield 11 in 11#242-tone RU, a resource unit allocation subfield 13 in 13#242-tone RU, and a resource unit allocation subfield 15 in 15#242-tone RU, and corresponding user-specific fields. CC32 in segment 3 includes resource unit allocation subfield 10 in 10#242-tone RU, resource unit allocation subfield 12 in 12#242-tone RU, resource unit allocation subfield 14 in 14#242-tone RU, resource unit allocation subfield 16 in 16#242-tone RU, and corresponding user-specific fields.

[0122] The PPDU further includes a U-SIG field 4 and an EHT-SIG field 4 carried in segment 4, and the U-SIG field 4 includes a bandwidth field 4. The channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field 4 is 80 MHz. Therefore, the EHT-SIG field 4 includes four resource unit allocation subfields. As shown in FIG. 18, the EHT-SIG field 4 may include CC41 and CC42. Based on the structure of CC41, CC42, CC41, and CC42, transmission is performed on four channels in segment 4. As shown in FIG. 24, the CC in segment 4 includes a resource unit allocation subfield 17 in the 13#242-tone RU, a resource unit allocation subfield 19 in the 15#242-tone RU, and corresponding user-specific fields. The CC42 in segment 4 includes a resource unit allocation subfield 18 in the 14#242-tone RU, a resource unit allocation subfield 20 in the 16#242-tone RU, and corresponding user-specific fields.

[0123] It should be noted that the above ranges of 1#242-tone RU to 16#242-tone RU are for the entire bandwidth of the PPDU. Alternatively, each of the above CCs may not include a center 26-tone RU indication field. Resource unit allocation subfields 13 to 16 may be the same as or different from resource unit allocation subfields 17 to 20.

[0124] 18 and 21 to 24, it can be seen that the CCs transmitted on channels 1 to 4 and the CCs transmitted on channels 9 to 16 each include only two resource unit allocation subfields and corresponding user-specific fields. The CCs transmitted on channels 5 to 8 each include only four resource unit allocation subfields and corresponding user-specific fields. In the 802.11ax standard, when the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is 320 MHz, the CCs transmitted on the 16 channels each include eight resource unit allocation subfields and corresponding user-specific fields. The bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field corresponds to the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field. This reduces the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the CCs transmitted on the channels, helping to reduce overhead.

[0125] In a possible implementation, the U-SIG field further includes a compression field. If the compression field indicates uncompressed mode, the EHT-SIG field includes (or is present in) a resource unit allocation subfield. If the compression field indicates compressed mode, the EHT-SIG field does not include (or is not present in) the resource unit allocation subfield. Alternatively, the U-SIG field may not include a compression field, and the EHT-SIG field always includes a resource unit allocation subfield.

[0126] Optionally, the compressed field may contain one bit. For example, as shown in Figure 25, the value of the compressed field is 1, indicating compressed mode. In compressed mode, the EHT-SIG field does not include the resource unit allocation subfield. As shown in Figure 26, the value of the compressed field is 0, indicating uncompressed mode. In uncompressed mode, the EHT-SIG field includes the resource unit allocation subfield. Obviously, the value of the compressed field may alternatively be 1 to indicate uncompressed mode, and the value of the compressed field is 0 to indicate compressed mode.

[0127] In a possible implementation, if the resources of a station parked in a segment are used for OFDMA transmission, the compression field indicates uncompressed mode. If the resources of a station parked in a segment are used for non-OFDMA transmission, the compression field indicates compressed mode. In this optional scheme, whether to compress the EHT-SIG field may be determined at the granularity of a segment. This helps reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission.

[0128] The use of resources of a station parked in a segment for OFDMA transmission may include the following two cases.

[0129] Case 1: The channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is used for OFDMA transmission, and the resources of the stations parked in the segment are used for OFDMA transmission. For example, as shown in Figure 27, the channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 3 is used for OFDMA transmission (specifically, a 160 MHz channel is allocated to stations 8 to 10 for OFDMA transmission), and the resources of the stations in segment 3 (i.e., the resource units in which data portion 4 and data portion 5 are located) are used for OFDMA transmission (specifically, the resources of the stations in segment 3 are allocated to stations 8 and 9 for OFDMA transmission). Therefore, the compression field in U-SIG field 3 indicates uncompressed mode.

[0130] Case 2: The channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is used for OFDMA transmission. For example, in Figure 27, the channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 2 is used for OFDMA transmission (specifically, an 80 MHz channel is allocated to stations 6 and 7 for OFDMA transmission). Therefore, the compressed field in U-SIG field 2 may indicate uncompressed mode.

[0131] The use of resources of a station parked in a segment for non-OFDMA transmission may include the following two cases:

[0132] Case 1: The channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is used for OFDMA transmission, but the resources of stations parked in the segment are used for non-OFDMA transmission. For example, as shown in Figure 18, the channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 3 is used for OFDMA transmission (specifically, a 160 MHz channel is allocated to stations 8 and 9 for OFDMA transmission), but the resources of stations in segment 3 (i.e., the resource unit in which data portion 4 is located) are used for non-OFDMA transmission (specifically, the resources of stations in segment 3 are allocated only to station 8 for non-OFDMA transmission). Therefore, the compressed field in U-SIG field 3 indicates compressed mode.

[0133] Case 2: The channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is used for non-OFDMA transmission. For example, in Figure 18, the channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 1 is used for non-OFDMA transmission. Therefore, the compressed field in U-SIG field 1 may indicate compressed mode.

[0134] In a possible implementation, if the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is used for OFDMA transmission, the compression field indicates uncompressed mode. For example, in Figure 18, the channel bandwidths indicated by bandwidth field 2 to bandwidth field 4 are all used for OFDMA transmission. Therefore, the compression fields in U-SIG field 2 to U-SIG field 4 may indicate uncompressed mode.

[0135] In a possible implementation, the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field may be used for non-OFDMA transmission, but may be punctured, and the compressed field may indicate uncompressed mode. Because there may be multiple individual resource units after puncturing, the resource unit allocation subfield may be used to indicate resource allocation for the station. For example, in FIG. 18, the channel bandwidth indicated by bandwidth field 1 is used for non-OFDMA transmission, but may be punctured. Therefore, the compressed field in U-SIG field 1 may indicate uncompressed mode.

[0136] (2) The EHT-SIG field includes a preamble puncturing indication field. The preamble puncturing indication field is used to indicate the puncturing status of the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field or the puncturing status of the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU. The term "preamble puncturing indication field" may alternatively be named differently, for example, a channel puncturing field or a puncturing field.

[0137] In this implementation, when the compressed field indicates the compressed mode, the EHT-SIG field may include a preamble puncturing indication field. For when the compressed field indicates the compressed mode, refer to the above description. Details will not be described again here. Alternatively, the U-SIG field may not include the compressed field, and the EHT-SIG field always includes a preamble puncturing indication field. The number of bits required by the preamble puncturing indication field is less than the number of bits required by the resource unit allocation subfield. Therefore, using the preamble puncturing indication field instead of the resource unit allocation subfield to indicate the resource unit allocation for a station helps reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission.

[0138] Optionally, the preamble puncturing indication field may be presented at the same position as the start of the resource unit allocation subfield.

[0139] The preamble puncturing indication field may indicate the puncturing state by carrying an index. The mapping relationship between the index and the puncturing pattern may be predefined. For example, the mapping relationship between the index and the puncturing pattern may be as shown in Table 3 below. When the index carried in the preamble puncturing indication field is 0, this indicates that the puncturing pattern is X111. When the index carried in the preamble puncturing indication field is 1, this indicates that the puncturing pattern is 1X11. The same applies when the preamble puncturing indication field carries other indices. Details will not be described again here. Each bit of the puncturing pattern represents 20 MHz. X indicates the puncturing position. For example, if the puncturing pattern is X111, this indicates that the first 20 MHz within 80 MHz is punctured. The RU size column in Table 3 indicates the size of the RU obtained by puncturing. For example, "484+242" indicates that a 484-tone RU and a 242-tone RU are combined. "-+996+996" indicates that two 996-tone RUs are combined, and "-" indicates null. In Table 3, the RU size column is optional. It should be noted that the mapping relationship shown in Table 3 may be used to indicate the puncturing status of the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU or the puncturing status of the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field. [Table 3-1] [Table 3-2]

[0140] Table 4 lists other mapping relationships between indexes and puncturing patterns according to an embodiment of this application. The mapping relationships shown in Table 4 may be used to indicate the puncturing status of the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field. For example, if the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 80 MHz, the mapping relationship corresponding to 80 MHz in Table 4 may be used to indicate the puncturing status of the channel bandwidth. If the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 160 MHz, the mapping relationship corresponding to 160 MHz in Table 4 may be used to indicate the puncturing status of the channel bandwidth. If the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 240 MHz, the mapping relationship corresponding to 240 MHz in Table 4 may be used to indicate the puncturing status of the channel bandwidth. If the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 320 MHz, the mapping relationship corresponding to 320 MHz in Table 4 may be used to indicate the puncturing status of the channel bandwidth. It should be noted that Table 4 may alternatively be divided into four tables, each representing a puncturing status corresponding to one of the bandwidths. [Table 4-1] [Table 4-2]

[0141] In a possible implementation, the EHT-SIG field may include a resource unit allocation subfield in both compressed and uncompressed modes. In compressed mode, the resource unit allocation subfield is used to implement the function of the preamble puncturing indication field, i.e., to indicate the puncturing status of the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field. In uncompressed mode, the resource unit allocation subfield is used to indicate the resource unit allocation for the station.

[0142] In a possible implementation, the U-SIG field is further used to indicate the number of EHT-SIG symbols, and the preamble puncturing indication field is further used to indicate the number of MU-MIMO users. In other words, the PPDU indicates both the number of EHT-SIG symbols and the number of MU-MIMO users. In this possible implementation, the number of EHT-SIG symbols can be directly notified to the station, thereby allowing the station to accurately determine the number of EHT-SIG symbols.

[0143] For example, as listed in Table 5 below, a mapping relationship between indexes, puncturing patterns, and the number of MU-MIMO users may be predefined. When the index carried in the preamble puncturing indication field is 0, this indicates that the puncturing pattern is X111 and the number of MU-MIMO users is 1. When the index carried in the preamble puncturing indication field is 1, this indicates that the puncturing mode is X111 and the number of MU-MIMO users is 2. The same applies when the preamble puncturing indication field carries other indexes. Details will not be described again here. It should be noted that the numbers of MU-MIMO users corresponding to index numbers 16 to 31 are 1, 2, 3, ..., and 16 in ascending order in Table 5. Similarly, the numbers of MU-MIMO users corresponding to index numbers 32 to 47 are 1, 2, 3, ..., and 16 in ascending order, respectively. The numbers of users corresponding to indexes after 32 to 47 are similar and will not be described here. [Table 5-1] [Table 5-2]

[0144] In the 802.11ax standard, in uncompressed mode, the HE-SIG-A field is used to indicate the number of symbols in the HE-SIG-B field. In compressed mode, the HE-SIG-A field is used to indicate the number of MU-MIMO users. In compressed mode, the number of symbols in the HE-SIG-B field is calculated based on the number of MU-MIMO users. However, in this embodiment of the present application, since there are multiple segments, the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field within each segment must be the same. For example, the transmission bandwidth of a PPDU is divided into four segments. The numbers of symbols in EHT-SIG field 1 in segment 1 to EHT-SIG field 4 in segment 4 must be the same. If the access point calculates that the number of EHT-SIG symbols 1 is 7 based on the number of MU-MIMO users in segment 1, the access point calculates that the number of EHT-SIG symbols 2 is 5 based on the number of MU-MIMO users in segment 2, the access point calculates that the number of EHT-SIG symbols 3 is 4 based on the number of MU-MIMO users in segment 3, and the access point calculates that the number of EHT-SIG symbols 4 is 4 based on the number of MU-MIMO users in segment 4. In this case, when the access point generates a PPDU, padding needs to be performed on the number of symbols in EHT-SIG fields 2 to 4 to obtain 7 symbols in order to align the number of symbols in EHT-SIG fields 1 to 4 in segment 4. After receiving EHT-SIG field 2, the station in segment 2 calculates that the number of EHT-SIG symbols 2 is 5 based on the number of MU-MIMO users. In reality, the number of EHT-SIG symbols 2 is 7. However, stations in segment 2 incorrectly consider the number of EHT-SIG symbols 2 to be 5. Stations in segments 3 and 4 also incorrectly determine the number of symbols in the EHT-SIG field.Therefore, in this embodiment of this application, the number of EHT-SIG symbols is carried in the U-SIG field, and the number of EHT-SIG symbols can be directly notified to the station, thereby allowing the station to accurately determine the number of EHT-SIG symbols.

[0145] In a possible implementation, the U-SIG field is further used to indicate the number of EHT-SIG symbols. The PPDU further includes a first field carried in the segment, where the first field is used to indicate the number of MU-MIMO users. The first field is different from the preamble puncturing indication field. In this possible implementation, a field different from the preamble puncturing indication field in the PPDU may be used to indicate the number of MU-MIMO users. In this possible implementation, the access point can directly notify the station of the number of EHT-SIG symbols, thereby allowing the station to accurately determine the number of EHT-SIG symbols.

[0146] The above describes that the EHT-SIG field may be compressed at the granularity of a segment. The following describes the related content of compressing the EHT-SIG field at the granularity of the entire transmission bandwidth of the PPDU.

[0147] In a possible implementation, the compression field indicates the compressed mode if the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is used for non-OFDMA transmission. In other words, the compression field indicates the compressed mode only when the entire transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is used for non-orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) transmission. In this way, the signaling overhead of the PPDU transmission is reduced. For example, as shown in FIG. 28, the 320 MHz transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is allocated to stations 1 to 5 as a whole for MU-MIMO transmission. The compression fields in segments 1 to 4 all indicate the compressed mode, and none of EHT-SIG field 1 in segment 1 to EHT-SIG field 4 in segment 4 includes a resource unit allocation subfield.

[0148] In a possible implementation, the EHT-SIG field carried in multiple segments of a PPDU is the same. For example, EHT-SIG field 1 to EHT-SIG field 4 shown in FIG. 28 are the same. Based on this possible implementation, stations 1 to 5 may alternatively receive the EHT-SIG field in other segments. This can improve the reliability of the transmission of the EHT-SIG field.

[0149] In a possible implementation, the EHT-SIG fields of the same segment are the same across different channels of the segment. For example, as shown in Figure 28, the content of EHT-SIG field 1 on channels 13 to 16 is the same. The content of EHT-SIG field 2 on channels 9 to 12 is the same. The content of EHT-SIG field 3 on channels 5 to 8 is the same. The content of EHT-SIG field 4 on channels 1 to 4 is the same. This possible implementation can improve the reliability of EHT-SIG field transmission.

[0150] In a possible implementation, the compressed field indicates a compressed mode, and the U-SIG field is further used to indicate the number of MU-MIMO users. In this possible implementation, the U-SIG field of each segment indicates the number of MU-MIMO users. In this possible implementation, the number of EHT-SIG symbols can be accurately determined based on the number of MU-MIMO users without any additional signaling being carried, which helps reduce signaling overhead.

[0151] In a possible implementation, the compression field indicates the compression mode, the EHT-SIG field includes a preamble puncturing indication field, and the preamble puncturing indication field is used to indicate the puncturing status of the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU. The mapping relationship listed in Table 3 may be used to indicate the puncturing status of the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU. In this possible implementation, using the preamble puncturing indication field instead of the resource unit allocation subfield to indicate the resource unit allocation for the station helps reduce the signaling overhead of PPDU transmission.

[0152] FIG. 29 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application. The communication device illustrated in FIG. 29 may be configured to perform some or all of the functions of an access point in an embodiment of the method described in FIG. 12. The device may be an access point, a device within an access point, or a device usable together with an access point. The communication device may alternatively be a chip system. The communication device illustrated in FIG. 29 may include a communication unit 2901 and a processing unit 2902. The communication unit may alternatively be called a transceiver unit, or the communication unit includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The processing unit 2902 is configured to perform data processing.

[0153] The processing unit 2902 is configured to generate a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU), where the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is divided into multiple segments. The PPDU includes a universal signal (U-SIG) field carried in the segment. The U-SIG field includes a bandwidth field. The bandwidth field indicates a channel bandwidth of resource units allocated to stations parked in the segment. The communication unit 2901 transmits the PPDU to the stations.

[0154] In a possible implementation, the PPDU further includes an EHT-SIG field carried in the segment. The EHT-SIG field includes resource unit allocation subfields. The bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field corresponds to the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field. The resource unit allocation subfields are used to indicate the resource units allocated to stations parked in the segment.

[0155] In a possible implementation, if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 40 MHz, the U-SIG field and the EHT-SIG field are transmitted in a bandwidth of 40 MHz.

[0156] In a possible implementation, one or more of the following correspondence relationships may exist between the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field and the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field: If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 20 megahertz (MHz), the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 1. If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 40 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 2. If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 80 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 4. If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 160 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 8. If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 240 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 12. If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 320 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 16.

[0157] In a possible implementation, the EHT-SIG field includes a preamble puncturing indication field, which is used to indicate the puncturing status of the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field.

[0158] In a possible implementation, the U-SIG field further includes a compressed field, and when the compressed field indicates a compressed mode, the EHT-SIG field includes a preamble puncturing indication field.

[0159] In a possible implementation, the compressed field indicates compressed mode when the resources of a station parked in a segment are used for non-OFDMA transmission.

[0160] In a possible implementation, the U-SIG field is further used to indicate the number of EHT-SIG symbols, and the preamble puncturing indication field is further used to indicate the number of multi-user multiple input multiple output MU-MIMO users.

[0161] In a possible implementation, the U-SIG field is further used to indicate the number of EHT-SIG symbols. The PPDU further includes a first field carried in the segment, where the first field is used to indicate the number of multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) users. The first field is different from the preamble puncturing indication field.

[0162] In a possible implementation, the PPDU further includes an EHT-SIG field carried in the segment, and the U-SIG field further includes a compression field, which indicates the compression mode if the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is used for non-OFDMA transmission.

[0163] In a possible implementation, if the compressed field indicates a compressed mode, the U-SIG field is further used to indicate the number of multi-user multiple input multiple output MU-MIMO users.

[0164] In a possible implementation, when the compression field indicates a compressed mode, the EHT-SIG field includes a preamble puncturing indication field, which is used to indicate the puncturing status of the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU.

[0165] In a possible implementation, the EHT-SIG field carried in multiple segments of a PPDU is the same.

[0166] FIG. 29 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application. The communication device illustrated in FIG. 29 may be configured to perform some or all of the functions of an access point in an embodiment of the method described in FIG. 12. The device may be a station, a device within a station, or a device usable with a station. The communication device may alternatively be a chip system. The communication device illustrated in FIG. 29 may include a communication unit 2901 and a processing unit 2902. The communication unit may alternatively be called a transceiver unit, or the communication unit includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The processing unit 2902 is configured to perform data processing.

[0167] The communication unit 2901 receives a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) transmitted by an access point, and the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is divided into multiple segments. The PPDU includes a universal signal (U-SIG) field carried in the segment. The U-SIG field includes a bandwidth field, which indicates the channel bandwidth of the resource unit allocated to the station parked in the segment. The processing unit 2902 determines the channel bandwidth of the allocated resource unit based on the received U-SIG field.

[0168] In a possible implementation, the PPDU further includes an EHT-SIG field carried in the segment. The EHT-SIG field includes resource unit allocation subfields. The bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field corresponds to the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field. The resource unit allocation subfields are used to indicate the resource units allocated to stations parked in the segment.

[0169] In a possible implementation, if the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 40 MHz, the U-SIG field and the EHT-SIG field are transmitted in a bandwidth of 40 MHz.

[0170] In a possible implementation, one or more of the following correspondence relationships may exist between the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field and the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field: If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 20 megahertz (MHz), the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 1. If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 40 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 2. If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 80 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 4. If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 160 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 8. If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 240 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 12. If the bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field is 320 MHz, the number of resource unit allocation subfields included in the EHT-SIG field is 16.

[0171] In a possible implementation, the EHT-SIG field includes a preamble puncturing indication field, which is used to indicate the puncturing status of the channel bandwidth indicated by the bandwidth field.

[0172] In a possible implementation, the U-SIG field further includes a compressed field, and when the compressed field indicates a compressed mode, the EHT-SIG field includes a preamble puncturing indication field.

[0173] In a possible implementation, the compressed field indicates compressed mode when the resources of a station parked in a segment are used for non-OFDMA transmission.

[0174] In a possible implementation, the U-SIG field is further used to indicate the number of EHT-SIG symbols, and the preamble puncturing indication field is further used to indicate the number of multi-user multiple input multiple output MU-MIMO users.

[0175] In a possible implementation, the U-SIG field is further used to indicate the number of EHT-SIG symbols. The PPDU further includes a first field carried in the segment, where the first field is used to indicate the number of multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) users. The first field is different from the preamble puncturing indication field.

[0176] In a possible implementation, the PPDU further includes an EHT-SIG field carried in the segment, and the U-SIG field further includes a compression field, which indicates the compression mode if the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is used for non-OFDMA transmission.

[0177] In a possible implementation, if the compressed field indicates a compressed mode, the U-SIG field is further used to indicate the number of multi-user multiple input multiple output MU-MIMO users.

[0178] In a possible implementation, when the compression field indicates a compressed mode, the EHT-SIG field includes a preamble puncturing indication field, which is used to indicate the puncturing status of the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU.

[0179] In a possible implementation, the EHT-SIG field carried in multiple segments of a PPDU is the same.

[0180] Fig. 30a shows a communication device 300 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device is configured to implement the functions of a station or an access point in the embodiment of the method shown in Fig. 12. The device may be a station or an access point, or the device may be a device used in a station or a device used in an access point. The device used in a station may be a chip system in the station or a chip in the station. The device used in an access point may be a chip system in the access point or a chip in the access point. The chip system may include a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete components.

[0181] The communication device 300 includes at least one processor 3020 configured to implement the data processing functions of a station or access point in the above-described bandwidth indication scheme applied in a wireless local area network in this application.

[0182] The apparatus 300 may further include a communication interface 3010 configured to realize a transceiver operation of a station or an access point in the above-described bandwidth indication method applied in a wireless local area network in this application.

[0183] In the embodiments of this application, the communication interface may be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, or other types of communication interface. The communication interface is configured to communicate with other devices via a transmission medium. For example, the communication interface 3010 is used by a device in the apparatus 300 to communicate with other devices. The processor 3020 is configured to receive and transmit data via the communication interface 3010 and implement the method in the above method embodiments.

[0184] The device 300 may further include at least one memory 3030 configured to store program instructions and / or data. The memory 3030 is coupled to the processor 3020. The coupling described in this embodiment of the application may be an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules in an electrical, mechanical, or other form. The coupling is used for information exchange between the devices, units, or modules. The processor 3020 may cooperate together with the memory 3030. The processor 3020 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 3030. At least one of the at least one memory may be included in the processor.

[0185] In this embodiment of the present application, the specific connection medium between the communication interface 3010, the processor 3020, and the memory 3030 is not limited. In this embodiment of the present application, in FIG. 30a, the memory 3030, the processor 3020, and the communication interface 3010 are connected by a bus 3040, and the bus is represented by a thick line in FIG. 30a. The manner of connection between other components is described schematically and is not limited thereto. The bus is classified into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used to represent the bus in FIG. 30a, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0186] When the device 300 is specifically a device used in a station or an access point, for example, when the device 300 is specifically a chip or chip system, the communication interface 3010 may output or receive a baseband signal. When the device 300 is specifically a station or an access point, the communication interface 3010 may output or receive a radio frequency signal. In the embodiments of this application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component, and may implement or perform the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed with reference to the embodiments of this application may be performed directly by a hardware processor, or may be performed by using a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0187] For example, Figure 30b is a schematic diagram showing the structure of another station 3000 according to an embodiment of the present application. The station may perform the operations performed by the station in Figure 12.

[0188] For ease of explanation, FIG. 30b shows only the main components of the station. As shown in FIG. 30b, the station 3000 includes a processor, memory, radio frequency circuitry, an antenna, and input / output devices. The processor is primarily configured to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire station, execute software programs, and process data from the software programs. For example, the processor supports the station to perform the operations performed by the station in the procedure described in FIG. 12. The memory is primarily configured to store software programs and data. The radio frequency circuitry is primarily configured for converting between baseband signals and radio frequency signals and for processing radio frequency signals. The antenna is primarily configured to receive and transmit radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. The station 3000 may further include input / output devices, such as a touchscreen, a display screen, or a keyboard, for receiving data input by a user and outputting data to the user. It should be noted that some types of stations may not include input / output devices.

[0189] After the station is powered on, the processor may read the software program in the storage unit, parse and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and then outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit transmits the radio frequency signal obtained by performing radio frequency processing on the baseband signal in the form of electromagnetic waves through an antenna. When data is transmitted to the station, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor. The processor converts the baseband signal into data for processing.

[0190] Those skilled in the art will understand that for ease of explanation, Figure 30b shows only one memory and one processor. An actual station may include multiple processors and memories. A memory may also be referred to as a storage medium, a storage device, etc. This is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0191] In an optional implementation, the processor may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor is configured mainly to process communication protocols and communication data. The CPU is configured mainly to control the entire station, execute software programs, and process data of the software programs. Optionally, the processor may alternatively be a network processor (NP) or a combination of a CPU and an NP. The processor may further include a hardware chip. The hardware chip may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof. The memory may include a volatile memory such as a random-access memory (RAM). The memory may alternatively include non-volatile memory such as flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), or alternatively, a combination of the above types of memory.

[0192] For example, in this embodiment of the application, as shown in FIG. 30b, the antenna and radio frequency circuitry having transceiver functionality may be considered as the communication unit 3001 of the station 3000, and the processor having processing functionality may be considered as the processing unit 3002 of the station 3000.

[0193] The communication unit 3001 may alternatively be referred to as a transceiver, a transceiver device, a transceiver unit, etc., and is configured to realize a transceiver function. Optionally, a component of the communication unit 3001 for realizing a receiving function may be considered as a receiving unit, and a component of the communication unit 3001 for realizing a transmitting function may be considered as a transmitting unit. In other words, the communication unit 3001 includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. For example, the receiving unit may also be referred to as a receiving device, a receiver, a receiving circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit may be referred to as a transmitting device, a transmitter, a transmitting circuit, etc.

[0194] In some embodiments, the communication unit 3001 and the processing unit 3002 may be integrated into one device or may be separate devices. Furthermore, the processor and memory may be integrated into one device or may be separate devices.

[0195] The communication unit 3001 may be configured to perform the transceiver operations of the station in the above method embodiments, and the processing unit 3002 may be configured to perform the data processing operations of the station in the above method embodiments.

[0196] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores instructions that, when executed on a computer, are configured to perform the method performed by the station in the method embodiment described above.

[0197] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores instructions, which when executed on a computer, are configured to perform a method performed by an access point in the method embodiment described above.

[0198] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which, when run on a processor, is configured to perform the method performed by the station in the method embodiments described above.

[0199] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which, when run on a processor, is configured to perform the method performed by the access point in the method embodiments described above.

[0200] Based on the same inventive concept, the problem-solving principle of the device provided in this embodiment of this application is similar to that of the method embodiment of this application. Therefore, the implementation manner of the device will be referred to the implementation manner of the method. For ease of explanation, the details will not be described again here.

[0201] It should be noted that for the sake of simplicity, the above method embodiments are represented as a combination of a series of operations. However, those skilled in the art should recognize that this application is not limited to the order of operations described, since some steps may be performed in other orders or simultaneously according to this application. It should further be recognized by those skilled in the art that related operations and modules are not necessarily required in this application.

[0202] The descriptions of the embodiments provided in this application may cross-reference each other, and the descriptions of the embodiments have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in the embodiments, reference is made to the relevant descriptions in other embodiments. For ease and conciseness of description, the functions and steps performed of the apparatuses and devices provided in the embodiments of this application will be referred to the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments of this application. Cross-reference, combination or reference may be made between the method embodiments and between the apparatus embodiments.

[0203] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are merely intended to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, rather than limiting this application. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that, without departing from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, they may still make changes to the technical solutions described in the above embodiments, or make equivalent substitutions to some or all of the technical features thereof.

Claims

1. A communication device, a processing unit configured to generate a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU), the PPDU including a universal signal (U-SIG) field and an ultra-high throughput signal (EHT-SIG) field, a transmission bandwidth of the PPDU being used for non-orthogonal frequency division multiple access (non-OFDMA) transmission, the U-SIG field indicating a number of EHT-SIG symbols, and the EHT-SIG field including a field indicating a number of multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO) users; a communication unit configured to transmit said PPDU to a station; An apparatus comprising:

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the EHT-SIG field does not include a resource unit allocation subfield.

3. An apparatus as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is divided into a plurality of segments, and the U-SIG field and the EHT-SIG field are carried in at least one of the plurality of segments.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the EHT-SIG fields carried in different segments in the PPDU are the same.

5. 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the EHT-SIG fields carried in different channels within the same segment in the PPDU are the same, and each of the different channels is 20 MHz.

6. 6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one segment of the plurality of segments is 80 MHz.

7. A communication device, 1. A communication unit configured to receive a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU), the PPDU including a universal signal (U-SIG) field and an ultra-high throughput signal (EHT-SIG) field, a transmission bandwidth of the PPDU being used for non-orthogonal frequency division multiple access (non-OFDMA) transmission, the U-SIG field indicating a number of EHT-SIG symbols, and the EHT-SIG field including a field indicating a number of multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO) users. An apparatus comprising:

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising: a processing unit configured to determine the number of EHT-SIG symbols and the number of MU-MIMO users based on the U-SIG field and the EHT-SIG field, respectively.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 or 8, wherein the EHT-SIG field does not include a resource unit allocation subfield.

10. An apparatus described in any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the transmission bandwidth of the PPDU is divided into a plurality of segments, and the U-SIG field and the EHT-SIG field are carried in at least one of the plurality of segments.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the EHT-SIG fields carried in different segments in the PPDU are the same.

12. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the EHT-SIG fields carried in different channels within the same segment in the PPDU are the same, and each of the different channels is 20 MHz.

13. 13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one segment of the plurality of segments is 80 MHz.

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