Distributed resource unit configurations

Abstract

This invention provides methods, apparatus, and systems for configuring tones for a distributed resource element (RU) across channel bandwidth to improve frequency diversity and available transmission power. The distributed RU may include a set of tones that may be allocated across a bandwidth larger than the total number of tones. The set of tones may include a set of data tones classified into consecutive groups of one or more data tones and a set of non-consecutive pilot tones. Data tones may be mapped to useful tones on the central portion of half the bandwidth of a channel. Pilot tones may be mapped near edge tones at the edges of the channel bandwidth or near DC tones at the center of the channel bandwidth. The system bandwidth may include one or more channel bandwidths associated with the distributed RU.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This patent application claims priority to U.S. patent application No. 17 / 089,303, entitled “DISTRIBUTED RESOURCE UNIT CONFIGURATIONS,” filed by YANG et al. on November 4, 2020, which claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 62 / 932,454, entitled “DISTRIBUTED RESOURCE UNIT CONFIGURATIONS,” filed by YANG et al. on November 7, 2019, which are assigned to the assignee of this case, and each of the above applications is expressly incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The following generally relates to wireless communications, and more particularly, to distributed resource element configuration. Prior Art

[0003] A wireless local area network (WLAN) can be formed by one or more access points (APs), which provide a shared wireless communication medium for multiple client devices (also known as stations (STAs)). The fundamental building block of a WLAN, which complies with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 series of standards, is the basic service set (BSS) managed by the AP. Each BSS is identified by a basic service set identifier (BSSID) advertised by the AP. The AP periodically broadcasts beacon frames, enabling any STA within the AP's wireless range to establish or maintain a communication link with the WLAN.

[0004] Some wireless communication systems (e.g., Wi-Fi or WLAN systems) can support allocating multiple resource elements (RUs) across a channel bandwidth. These RUs can be used by devices (e.g., one or more APs or one or more STAs) to transmit data and pilot signals. However, some RU configurations (e.g., the location of data and pilot tones allocated to each RU) may not efficiently utilize the device's available transmit power (e.g., the device may reduce power when communicating via one or more RUs), and improved techniques are desired. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The systems, methods, and apparatus of the present disclosure each possess several innovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for the desirable attributes disclosed herein.

[0006] One innovative aspect of the subject matter described herein can be implemented in a method for wireless communications. The method can include distributing tones for resource elements (RUs) across a channel bandwidth to improve frequency diversity and communication power for a wireless communications device. Each distributed RU can include a set of tones having an aggregate number of tones, and the tones for each RU can be distributed across a bandwidth (e.g., a channel bandwidth) that includes a greater number of tones than the aggregate number of tones. In some examples, at least a set of data tones (e.g., all or a majority of the data tones) for the RU can be organized into distributed tone groups (e.g., groups of one or more tones). A set of pilot tones for the distributed RU can be distributed at a defined distance from each other and from the data tones. As an example, the pilot tones can be distributed such that the pilot tones are separated from each other and from the data tones by a number of tones (e.g., a minimum number of tones or a number of tones below a threshold).

[0007] In some examples, the methods and wireless communication devices may be configured such that the pilot tones may be mapped to the edge of the channel bandwidth (e.g., adjacent to the edge of the data tones and the outer edge tone set) or to the center of the channel bandwidth (e.g., adjacent to the inner edge of the data tones and the direct current (DC) tone set).

[0008] In some examples, the methods and wireless communication devices may be configured such that a distributed RU may be assigned to one or more stations (STAs) for communication with an access point (AP). In some examples, the methods and wireless communication devices may be configured such that all distributed tones, including the pilot tone and each data tone group (e.g., one or more data tones), may be within a threshold distance of other tones in the tone set. In some examples, the methods and wireless communication devices may be configured such that the system bandwidth may include one or more channel bandwidths associated with the distributed RU and channel bandwidths not associated with the distributed RU (e.g., associated with a non-distributed RU, such as a large RU or a small RU that is not restricted with respect to power spectral density).

[0009] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described herein can be implemented in a method for wireless communication. The method can include the steps of: determining a distributed resource element comprising a set of tones distributed across a channel bandwidth, the channel bandwidth comprising a greater number of tones than a total number of tones in the set of tones, the set of tones comprising a set of pilot tones and a set of data tones, the set of pilot tones comprising a plurality of pilot tones, each pilot tone spaced apart from every other pilot tone by at least one tone, the set of data tones comprising a plurality of distributed data tone groups, each data tone group comprising one or more data tones in the set of data tones, each data tone group spaced apart from every other data tone group by at least one tone; transmitting data on the set of data tones; and transmitting pilot symbols on the set of pilot tones.

[0010] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described herein can be implemented in a device for wireless communications. The wireless communications device may include: at least one modem; at least one processor; at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor; and processor-readable code stored in the memory. The code may be executable by the at least one processor in conjunction with the at least one modem to cause the wireless communications device to: determine a distributed resource element comprising a set of tones distributed across a channel bandwidth, the channel bandwidth comprising a greater number of tones than the total number of tones in the set of tones, the set of tones comprising a set of pilot tones and a set of data tones, the set of pilot tones comprising a plurality of pilot tones, each pilot tone spaced apart from every other pilot tone by at least one tone, the set of data tones comprising a plurality of distributed data tone groups, each data tone group comprising one or more data tones in the set of data tones, each data tone group spaced apart from every other data tone group by at least one tone; transmit data on the set of data tones; and transmit pilot symbols on the set of pilot tones.

[0011] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described herein can be implemented in an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus can include: means for determining a distributed resource element comprising a set of tones distributed across a channel bandwidth, the channel bandwidth comprising a greater number of tones than a total number of tones in the set of tones, the set of tones comprising a set of pilot tones and a set of data tones, the set of pilot tones comprising a plurality of pilot tones, each pilot tone spaced apart from every other pilot tone by at least one tone, the set of data tones comprising a plurality of distributed data tone groups, each data tone group comprising one or more data tones in the set of data tones, each data tone group spaced apart from every other data tone group by at least one tone; means for transmitting data on the set of data tones; and means for transmitting pilot symbols on the set of pilot tones.

[0012] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described herein can be implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to: determine a distributed resource element comprising a set of tones distributed across a channel bandwidth, the channel bandwidth comprising a greater number of tones than the total number of tones in the set of tones, the set of tones comprising a set of pilot tones and a set of data tones, the set of pilot tones comprising a plurality of pilot tones, each pilot tone spaced apart from every other pilot tone by at least one tone, the set of data tones comprising a plurality of distributed data tone groups, each data tone group comprising one or more data tones in the set of data tones, each data tone group spaced apart from every other data tone group by at least one tone; transmit data on the set of data tones; and transmit pilot symbols on the set of pilot tones.

[0013] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, devices, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, determining the distributed RU may include operations, features, means, instructions, or code for: determining which tones in the set of tones comprise the set of data tones; and determining which tones in the set of tones comprise the set of pilot tones.

[0014] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, devices, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the subset of the channel bandwidth includes one tone or two tones from the set of tones.

[0015] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, devices, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the subset of the channel bandwidth includes a channel bandwidth of one megahertz (MHz).

[0016] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, devices, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, transmitting the data may include operations, features, means, instructions, or code for transmitting on each data tone of the set of tones at maximum communication power, and transmitting the pilot symbols may include operations, features, means, instructions, or code for transmitting on each pilot tone of the set of tones at maximum communication power.

[0017] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, devices, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, determining the distributed RU may include operations, features, components, instructions, or code for determining the tone set based on one or more defined sets of tone indices associated with determining tone positions for one or more non-distributed resource elements.

[0018] In some examples of the methods, devices, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, determining the set of tones may include operations, features, components, instructions, or code for performing the following: shifting the one or more defined sets of tone indices, wherein shifting the one or more defined sets of tone indices may include shifting the tones associated with the one or more defined sets of tone indices in the frequency domain; and determining the set of data tones and the set of pilot tones based on shifting the one or more defined sets of tone indices.

[0019] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, devices, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, each data tone group can consist of a pair of consecutive tones. Simple diagram description

[0020] Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the following description. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. It should be noted that the relative dimensions of the following drawings may not be drawn to scale.

[0021] FIG1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication network.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication network.

[0023] FIG3 illustrates an exemplary channel bandwidth configuration that may be used for distributed resource element (RU) configuration.

[0024] FIG4 illustrates an exemplary tone mapping configuration that may be used for a decentralized RU configuration.

[0025] 5A , 5B and 5C illustrate examples of system bandwidth configurations that may be used for a decentralized RU configuration.

[0026] FIG6 illustrates an exemplary timing diagram illustrating an exemplary process for decentralized RU configuration.

[0027] 7 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication device for use in wireless communications according to some implementations.

[0028] 8 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication device for use in wireless communications according to some implementations.

[0029] 9 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary communication manager for use in wireless communications, according to some implementations.

[0030] 10 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication system for use in wireless communications according to some implementations.

[0031] 11 illustrates a flow chart of an example process for decentralized RU configuration, according to some implementations.

[0032] 12 illustrates a flow diagram of an example process for decentralized RU configuration, according to some implementations. Implementation Method

[0033] For the purpose of describing the innovative aspects of the present disclosure, the following description is directed to certain implementations. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the teachings herein can be applied in a variety of different ways. The described implementations can be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals in accordance with one or more of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, the IEEE 802.15 standard, the Bluetooth® standard as defined by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), or the Long Term Evolution (LTE), 3G, 4G, or 5G (New Radio (NR)) standards promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), among other standards. The described implementations may also be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving RF signals according to one or more of the following techniques or methods: code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), single-user (SU) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), and multi-user (MU) MIMO. The described implementations may also be implemented using other wireless communication protocols or RF signals suitable for use in one or more of the following: wireless personal area networks (WPANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), wireless wide area networks (WWANs), or Internet of Things (IoT) networks.

[0034] Some wireless communication systems (e.g., Wi-Fi or WLAN systems) can support allocating multiple resource elements (RUs) across a channel bandwidth. For example, an access point (AP) can allocate each of multiple RUs to one or more corresponding stations (STAs). For example, the AP can transmit downlink (DL) OFDMA communications that include multiple RUs, each addressed to a corresponding STA. Similarly, the AP can transmit scheduling information indicating RU allocations to multiple STAs. The RU allocations can indicate to each STA which RU to use for uplink (UL) OFDMA communications to the AP. Each RU includes a fixed number of tones or subcarriers. Most of the tones carry data in a data communication, while some of the tones ("pilot tones") carry pilot symbols. Pilot signals can be transmitted along with the data to improve data reception and reliability.

[0035] The configuration of some RUs (e.g., the location of allocated data and pilot tones within each RU) may not efficiently utilize the available transmit power of the transmitting device. For example, a device may reduce power when communicating via one or more RUs, such as based on power spectral density (PSD) limits for the communication bandwidth encompassing the one or more RUs. In some implementations, the channel bandwidth may have transmit power constraints (such as regulation constraints or capacity constraints) for communications in a PSD-limited manner (e.g., in a PSD-limited domain). For example, a PSD limit of 11 decibel milliwatts (dBm) per megahertz (MHz) may exist for a particular bandwidth, which could result in an overall PSD limit of 14 dBm for a RU (e.g., a small RU, such as one containing 26 tones). Consequently, communications on some RUs may reduce transmit power to remain within the PSD limit. Additionally or alternatively, channel bandwidth may be subject to constraints in the available frequency range, and improved technology is generally desirable.

[0036] In general, various aspects relate to RU allocation, and more specifically, various aspects relate to configuring a distributed RU having a set of tones distributed across the channel bandwidth. Accordingly, when the total number of tones in the distributed RU's tone set is less than the total number of tones in the channel bandwidth, the distributed RU's tone set can be distributed across portions of the channel bandwidth, outside the normal boundaries of a conventional RU. The distributed RU's tone set can include a set of data tones and a set of pilot tones. In some examples, at least some of the data tones in the set of data tones (e.g., all or a majority of the data tones) can be arranged into distributed tone groups (e.g., groups of one or more tones). In some examples, each pilot tone in the pilot tone set can be located at a defined distance from each other and from adjacent data tones in the distributed RU's data tone set. As an example, the pilot tones can be separated from each other and from adjacent data tones by a specific number of tones (e.g., a minimum number of tones or a number of tones below a threshold).

[0037] In some examples, a distributed RU consisting of 26 tones (e.g., 24 data tones and 2 pilot tones) can be distributed across a channel bandwidth spanning 242 tones (e.g., by spreading the data tones across 216 useful tones out of a total of 242 tones). The 24 data tones can be spread and mapped into 12 groups of 2 data tones each, and the pilot tones can be mapped to other available tones. For example, the data tones can be mapped into groups of contiguous tones (e.g., one or more contiguous tones), and the pilot tones can be mapped to tones near the edge of the channel bandwidth or near direct current (DC) at the center of the bandwidth. The allocation of pilot tones can support a defined spacing between data tone groups and pilot tones (e.g., at least 11 tones or at least 15 tones). In some implementations, the tones of the RUs may be based on one or more defined sets of tone indices, and in some implementations, one or more defined sets of tone indices may be shifted and used to define the tones of the distributed RUs.

[0038] One or more channel bandwidths comprising one or more distributed RUs may be multiplexed within the system bandwidth. As an example, the system bandwidth may include channel bandwidths associated with distributed RUs (e.g., the system bandwidth may include channel bandwidths dedicated to distributed RUs). In another example, the system bandwidth may include several channel bandwidths for distributed RUs (e.g., one or two channel bandwidths), while the remainder of the system bandwidth may not be associated with distributed RUs (e.g., may be associated with large RUs or RUs not subject to PSD restrictions).

[0039] Specific implementations of the subject matter described herein can be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. In some implementations, the described techniques can be used to efficiently utilize a given channel bandwidth. For example, the tones of a RU can be distributed across the channel bandwidth to improve frequency diversity for the RU (e.g., by increasing the frequency range associated with the RU's tones). Distributing the tones across the channel bandwidth can also achieve increased available power for transmission (e.g., by satisfying a PSD limit for the channel bandwidth and increasing the transmit power based on the distributed tones).

[0040] Various aspects of the present disclosure are first described in the context of a wireless communication system. Additional aspects are described with respect to channel bandwidth configuration, system bandwidth configuration, tone mapping configuration, and timing diagrams. Various aspects of the present disclosure are further illustrated and described with reference to device diagrams, system diagrams, and flow diagrams for configurations of distributed RUs.

[0041] FIG1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary wireless communication network 100. According to some aspects, wireless communication network 100 may be an example of a wireless local area network (WLAN), such as a Wi-Fi network (and hereinafter referred to as WLAN 100). For example, WLAN 100 may be a network that implements at least one of the IEEE 802.11 family of standards (such as those defined by the IEEE 802.11-2016 specification or its amendments, including but not limited to 802.11ah, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11ax, 802.11az, 802.11ba, and 802.11be). WLAN 100 may include a large number of wireless communication devices, such as an access point (AP) 102 and multiple stations (STAs) 104. Although only one AP 102 is shown, WLAN network 100 may also include multiple APs 102.

[0042] Each of the STAs 104 may also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), a mobile device, a mobile phone, a wireless handset, an access terminal (AT), a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), or a subscriber unit, among other possibilities. STA 104 may represent a variety of devices, such as a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), other handheld devices, a small notebook computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a display device (e.g., a TV, a computer monitor, a navigation system, and other devices), a music or other audio or stereo device, a remote control device ("remote unit"), a printer, a kitchen or other home appliance, a key fob (e.g., for a passive keyless entry and start (PKES) system), and other possibilities.

[0043] A single AP 102 and the associated set of STAs 104 may be referred to as a basic service set (BSS) managed by the respective AP 102. FIG1 further illustrates an exemplary coverage area 106 of the AP 102, which may represent the basic service area (BSA) of the WLAN 100. A BSS may be identified to users via a service set identifier (SSID) and to other devices via a basic service set identifier (BSSID), which may be the media access control (MAC) address of the AP 102. The AP 102 periodically broadcasts beacon frames ("beacons") including the BSSID to enable any STA 104 within wireless range of the AP 102 to "associate" or re-associate with the AP 102 to establish or maintain a corresponding communication link 108 (hereinafter also referred to as a "Wi-Fi link") with the AP 102. For example, the beacon may include identification of the primary channel used by the corresponding AP 102 and timing synchronization functionality for establishing or maintaining timing synchronization with the AP 102. The AP 102 may provide access to external networks to the various STAs 104 in the WLAN via corresponding communication links 108.

[0044] To establish a communication link 108 with an AP 102, each of the STAs 104 is configured to perform passive or active scanning operations ("scanning") on frequency channels in one or more frequency bands (e.g., the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, or 60 GHz bands). To perform passive scanning, the STA 104 listens for beacons transmitted by the corresponding AP 102 at periodic time intervals (measured in time units (TUs), where one TU may be equal to 1024 microseconds (µs)) called target beacon transmission times (TBTTs). To perform active scanning, the STA 104 generates and sequentially transmits probe requests on each channel to be scanned and listens for probe responses from the AP 102. Each STA 104 may be configured to identify or select an AP 102 with which to associate based on the scanning information obtained through passive or active scanning, and to perform authentication and association operations to establish a communication link 108 with the selected AP 102. The AP 102 assigns an association identifier (AID) to the STA 104 at the end of the association operation, and the AP 102 uses the AID to track the STA 104.

[0045] As wireless networks become increasingly ubiquitous, a STA 104 may have the opportunity to select one of many BSSs within its range, or multiple APs 102 that together form an extended service set (ESS) comprising multiple connected BSSs. Extended network stations associated with a WLAN 100 can be connected to a wired or wireless distribution system that allows multiple APs 102 to connect within such an ESS. In this way, a STA 104 can be covered by more than one AP 102 and can associate with different APs 102 at different times for different transmissions. Furthermore, after associating with an AP 102, a STA 104 can also be configured to periodically scan its surroundings to find a more suitable AP 102 with which to associate. For example, a STA 104 that is moving relative to its associated AP 102 can perform a "roaming" scan to find another AP 102 with more desirable network characteristics, such as a higher received signal strength indicator (RSSI) or reduced traffic load.

[0046] In some implementations, STAs 104 may form a network without an AP 102 or other devices besides the STAs 104 themselves. One example of such a network is an ad hoc network (or wireless ad hoc network). An ad hoc network may alternatively be referred to as a mesh network or a peer-to-peer (P2P) network. In some implementations, an ad hoc network may be implemented within a larger wireless network, such as WLAN 100. In such an implementation, while STAs 104 may be able to communicate with each other via AP 102 using communication link 108, STAs 104 may also communicate directly with each other via direct wireless communication link 110. Furthermore, two STAs 104 may communicate via direct wireless communication link 110 regardless of whether they are associated with and served by the same AP 102. In such an ad hoc system, one or more of the STAs 104 may assume the role that AP 102 plays in a BSS. Such STA 104 may be referred to as a group owner (GO) and may coordinate transmissions within the ad hoc network. Examples of direct wireless communication links 110 include Wi-Fi direct connections, connections established using a Wi-Fi Tunneled Direct Link Setup (TDLS) link, and other P2P group connections.

[0047] AP 102 and STA 104 may operate and communicate (via corresponding communication links 108) in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 family of standards (such as those defined by the IEEE 802.11-2016 specification or its amendments, including but not limited to 802.11ah, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11ax, 802.11az, 802.11ba, and 802.11be). These standards define WLAN radio and baseband protocols for the physical (PHY) layer and the MAC layer. AP 102 and STA 104 transmit and receive wireless communications to and from each other in the form of Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) Protocol Data Units (PPDUs) (hereinafter also referred to as "Wi-Fi communications"). The AP 102 and STA 104 in the WLAN 100 can transmit PPDUs in an unlicensed spectrum, which can be a portion of the spectrum that includes frequency bands traditionally used by Wi-Fi technology, such as the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, the 60 GHz band, the 3.6 GHz band, and the 900 MHz band. Some implementations of the AP 102 and STA 104 described herein can also communicate in other frequency bands that can support both licensed and unlicensed communications, such as the 6 GHz band. The AP 102 and STA 104 can also be configured to communicate in other frequency bands, such as shared licensed bands, where multiple service providers may have authorization to operate in the same or overlapping frequency bands.

[0048] Each of the frequency bands can include multiple sub-bands or multiple frequency channels. For example, PPDUs compliant with IEEE 802.11n, 802.11ac, and 802.11ax standard amendments can be transmitted in the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency bands, each of which is divided into multiple 20 MHz channels. Accordingly, these PPDUs are transmitted on physical channels with a minimum bandwidth of 20 MHz, but larger channels can be formed through channel confinement. For example, PPDUs can be transmitted on physical channels with a bandwidth of 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz by confining multiple 20 MHz channels.

[0049] Each PPDU is a composite structure consisting of a PHY preamble and a payload in the form of a PLCP Service Data Unit (PSDU). A receiving device can use the information provided in the preamble to decode subsequent data in the PSDU. In instances where the PPDU is transmitted over a constrained channel, the preamble fields may be replicated and transmitted in each of multiple component channels. The PHY preamble may include both a legacy portion (or "legacy preamble") and a non-legacy portion (or "non-legacy preamble"). The legacy preamble may be used for packet detection, automatic gain control, and channel estimation, among other purposes. The legacy preamble may also generally be used to maintain compatibility with legacy devices. The format, encoding, and information provided in the non-legacy portion of the preamble are based on the specific IEEE 802.11 protocol used to transmit the payload.

[0050] As previously mentioned, AP 102 and STAs 104 can support multi-user (MU) communications; that is, concurrent transmissions from one device to each of multiple devices (e.g., multiple simultaneous downlink (DL) communications from AP 102 to corresponding STAs 104), or concurrent transmissions from multiple devices to a single device (e.g., multiple simultaneous uplink (UL) transmissions from corresponding STAs 104 to AP 102). To support MU transmissions, AP 102 and STAs 104 can utilize multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) and multi-user orthogonal frequency division multiple access (MU-OFDMA) technologies.

[0051] In the MU-OFDMA scheme, the available spectrum of a wireless channel can be divided into multiple RUs, each consisting of several different frequency subcarriers ("tones"). Different RUs can be allocated or assigned by the AP 102 to different STAs 104 at a given time. The size and distribution of the RUs may be referred to as RU allocation. In some implementations, RUs may be allocated at 2 MHz intervals, and accordingly, the smallest RU may include 26 tones, consisting of 24 data tones and 2 pilot tones. Therefore, in a 20 MHz channel, up to 9 RUs (such as a 2 MHz 26-tone RU) can be allocated (because some tones are reserved for other purposes). Similarly, in a 160 MHz channel, up to 74 RUs can be allocated. Larger RUs of 52, 106, 242, 484, and 996 tones may also be allocated. Consecutive RUs may be separated by a null subcarrier (such as a DC subcarrier), for example, to reduce interference between consecutive RUs, reduce receiver DC offset, and avoid transmission center frequency leakage.

[0052] For UL MU transmissions, the AP 102 may transmit a trigger frame to initiate and synchronize UL MU-OFDMA or UL MU-MIMO transmissions from multiple STAs 104 to the AP 102. Such a trigger frame may thereby enable multiple STAs 104 to send UL traffic to the AP 102 concurrently in time. The trigger frame may address one or more STAs 104 via corresponding association identifiers (AIDs), and may assign each AID (and therefore each STA 104) one or more RUs that may be used to send UL traffic to the AP 102. The AP may also specify one or more random access (RA) RUs that unscheduled STAs 104 may contend for.

[0053] RUs within a channel bandwidth can be assigned to devices for communication. For example, AP 102 can assign one or more RUs to STA 104 for communication. STA 104 can receive downlink data on the assigned RUs or transmit uplink data on the assigned RUs. A pilot signal can be transmitted along with the data to improve data reception reliability. The wireless communication network 100 can support different RU and bandwidth sizes. For example, the wireless communication network 100 can support distributed RUs for RUs including 26 tones, 52 tones, 106 tones, and other examples, and can support channel bandwidths spanning 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, or 320 MHz, among other examples. In some implementations, smaller RUs can be used as building blocks to construct larger RUs. For example, the tones assigned to a RU including 52 tones can correspond to the physical tones used for two logical RUs each with 26 tones.

[0054] To efficiently utilize a given bandwidth, AP 102 can distribute RUs across the channel bandwidth to improve frequency diversity and available power for communication. For example, each RU can be distributed across a wider bandwidth, and most of the tones for each RU can be mapped to groups of contiguous tones distributed across the bandwidth (e.g., a group of one or more contiguous tones). In some examples, a logical RU comprising 26 tones (e.g., 24 data tones and 2 pilot tones) can be distributed across a channel bandwidth spanning 242 tones (e.g., the 24 data tones can be spread across 216 of the total 242 tones). The 24 data tones can be spread and mapped to a set of 12 data tones, and the pilot tones can be mapped to other available tones.

[0055] In some implementations, data tones can be mapped to a set of contiguous tones (e.g., a group of one or more contiguous tones), and pilot tones can be mapped to tones near the edge of the channel bandwidth or near the center of the channel bandwidth (DC). The allocation of pilot tones can support a defined spacing between the data tone group and the pilot tones (e.g., at least 11 or 15 tones). One or more channel bandwidths comprising one or more distributed RUs can also be multiplexed with other channel bandwidths within the system bandwidth (e.g., channel bandwidths not associated with distributed RUs).

[0056] FIG2 illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary wireless communication network 200. Wireless communication network 200 may be an example of wireless communication network 100 and may include AP 102-a and STA 104-a, which may be examples of corresponding devices described with reference to FIG1 . AP 102-a may provide network coverage for coverage area 106. AP 102-a and STA 104-a may communicate over communication link 205 (e.g., transmitting data or pilot signals over an uplink or downlink). AP 102-a and STA 104-a may utilize one or more distributed RUs 210 to improve frequency diversity gain and achieve power advantages for communication.

[0057] A wireless communication network 200 (e.g., a Wi-Fi system or WLAN) can use logical RUs as building blocks for distributed RUs 210. In some implementations, each logical RU can span or include 26 tones (subcarriers) and can be referred to as a logical RU 26. A transmitting device (e.g., AP 102-a or STA 104-a) can spread the tones of a logical RU across a specific bandwidth to gain a power advantage for transmission (e.g., to increase transmit power while maintaining PSD limits). In this way, although the logical RUs may correspond to narrowband frequencies, they can be spread across a wider frequency domain. For example, AP 102-a can distribute the tones for distributed RU 210 across channel bandwidth 215. In some instances, the aggregate bandwidth for the tones (e.g., in terms of the number of tones) can be less than the number of tones associated with channel bandwidth 215.

[0058] In some examples, a device (such as AP 102-a or STA 104-a) can transmit at maximum transmit power or peak power on a distributed RU 210 while still remaining below the PSD limit imposed on the network. In some examples, to transmit at peak power while remaining below the PSD limit, the device can spread the transmission across a bandwidth of approximately 20 MHz (e.g., at a peak power of 24 dBm and a PSD limit of 11 dBm per 1 MHz). The peak power, PSD limit, and bandwidth are provided as examples, and other values ​​can be used for the distributed RU 210.

[0059] In some implementations, an AP 102 (such as AP 102-a) may use or allocate to a STA 104 (such as STA 104-a) a distributed RU 210 having a size greater than a logical RU size (e.g., greater than RU26). In some implementations, the size of the distributed RU 210 may be greater than a threshold RU size (e.g., greater than RU106). Additionally or alternatively, the transmitting device may map the distributed RU 210 over a channel bandwidth 215 greater than the bandwidth supporting full power advantage (e.g., greater than 20 MHz). The distribution of tones within the distributed RU 210 may achieve frequency diversity gain and transmit power advantages. These advantages may be relatively greater for uplink transmissions (e.g., data or pilot transmissions from STA 104-a to AP 102-a) because devices transmitting on the uplink (such as STA 104-a) may experience more transmit power limitations than devices transmitting on the downlink (such as AP 102-a).

[0060] The following examples illustrate two possible distributed RU 210 designs that utilize a set of tones 220 for distribution across a channel bandwidth 215. The description focuses on RU 26, which includes 24 data tones and 2 pilot tones spread across a distributed RU 210 with 242 tones ("RU 242") (e.g., for a 20 MHz channel bandwidth 215). Other distributed RU 210, channel bandwidth 215, and distribution designs are possible and supported by the wireless communication network 200. For example, a distribution design and configuration for a distributed RU 210 with 52 or 106 tones ("RU 52" or "RU 106," respectively) is described herein with reference to FIG. Other distribution designs and configurations for distributed RUs 210 with different numbers of tones are also within the scope of this disclosure.

[0061] Distributed RU 210 may include a set of tones (tone set 220) having a total bandwidth (e.g., 26 tones) that is less than the number of tones corresponding to channel bandwidth 215 (e.g., 242 tones). Tone set 220 may be mapped to tones within channel bandwidth 215 and may include a subset of data tones that may be mapped to distributed groups of one or more contiguous tones across channel bandwidth 215. For example, channel bandwidth 215 may include groups of data tones having two tones in each group, and each distributed RU 210 may include a plurality of such groups.

[0062] Additionally, the set of tones can include a subset of pilot tones. The pilot tones can be non-contiguous or separated by at least a threshold number of tones. At least two pilot tones for the distributed RU 210 can be mapped to tones that are sufficiently far apart in the channel bandwidth 215 to improve frequency diversity for channel estimation and other procedures. In some examples, the data tone group and pilot tones of the distributed RU 210 can be separated by a number of tones (e.g., at least 11 tones or at least 15 tones, among other examples) from the other tones of the distributed RU 210 to gain power advantages and stay within PSD limits.

[0063] In a first implementation, a distributed design for distributed RU 210 may utilize a tone set 220. In some examples, tone set 220 may correspond to a tone set 220 (such as a tone index set) used for null data packet (NDP) short feedback (see Table 1). Tone Collection b=1 b=0 1 -113, -77, -41, 6, 42, 78 -112, -76, -40, 7, 43, 79 2 -111, -75, -39, 8, 44, 80 -110, -74, -38, 9, 45, 81 3 -109, -73, -37, 10, 46, 82 -108, -72, -36, 11, 47, 83 4 -107, -71, -35, 12, 48, 84 -106, -70, -34, 13, 49, 85 5 -105, -69, -33, 14, 50, 86 -104, -68, -32, 15, 51, 87 6 -103, -67, -31, 16, 52, 88 -102, -66, -30, 17, 53, 89 7 -101, -65, -29, 18, 54, 90 -100, -64, -28, 19, 55, 91 8 -99, -63, -27, 20, 56, 92 -98, -62, -26, 21, 57, 93 9 -97, -61, -25, 22, 58, 94 -96, -60, -24, 23, 59, 95 10 -95, -59, -23, 24, 60, 96 -94, -58, -22, 25, 61, 97 11 -93, -57, -21, 26, 62, 98 -92, -56, -20, 27, 63, 99 12 -91, -55, -19, 28, 64, 100 -90, -54, -18, 29, 65, 101 13 -89, -53, -17, 30, 66, 102 -88, -52, -16, 31, 67, 103 14 -87, -51, -15, 32, 68, 104 -86, -50, -14, 33, 69, 105 15 -85, -49, -13, 34, 70, 106 -84, -48, -12, 35, 71, 107 16 -83, -47, -11, 36, 72, 108 -82, -46, -10, 37, 73, 109 17 -81, -45, -9, 38, 74, 110 -80, -44, -8, 39, 75, 111 18 -79, -43, -7, 40, 76, 112 -78, -42, -6, 41, 77, 113 Table 1: Example tone sets for RU distribution

[0064] In a first implementation, the channel bandwidth 215 can span RUs 242, and a distributed RU configuration can be configured using one or more of the 18 tone sets 220. In some examples, each tone set 220 can include 12 distributed tones. The tone indices supporting data tones can include [-113:-6, 6:113], and the bandwidth spanning 242 tones can therefore include 216 useful tones, from which the data tones for distributed RUs 210 can be selected. Each tone set 220 can include 12 tones, so that two tone sets 220 can include 24 data tones for one distributed RU 210 (e.g., logical RU 26). This configuration can allow the system to support nine logical RUs 26 distributed across the channel bandwidth 215.

[0065] For example, referring to Table 1, the system may support a first RU26 including tones associated with tone sets 1 and 10, a second RU26 including tones associated with tone sets 2 and 11, and other examples up to a ninth RU26 including tones associated with tone sets 9 and 18. For example, the AP 102-a or the STA 104-a may transmit on data tones of the RU26 corresponding to tone sets 220-a and 220-b (which may be examples of the two tone sets described with reference to Table 1). In some examples, if tone set 220-a corresponds to tone set 1 of Table 1 and tone set 220-b corresponds to tone set 10 of Table 1, then AP 102-a or STA 104-a may transmit data on 24 data tones with tone indices -113, -112, -95, -94, -77, -76, -59, -58, -41, -40, -23, -22, 6, 7, 24, 25, 42, 43, 60, 61, 78, 79, 96, and 97. The 24 data tones consist of 12 groups of one or more contiguous tones over the channel bandwidth 215.

[0066] Additionally, a transmitting device (such as AP 102-a or STA 104-a) can transmit pilot signals in a plurality of pilot tones of a distributed RU 210. Pilot tones can be allocated to available tones in channel bandwidth 215 (e.g., tones not occupied by data tones in any tone set in tone set 220). Pilot tones can be mapped to the edge of channel bandwidth 215, mapped to the center of channel bandwidth 215, spaced therebetween, or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the locations used for pilot tones can be based on the number of additional edge tones or DC tones. For example, to maintain a reserve of seven DC tones (e.g., DC tones [-3:3]) for OFDMA in the center of channel bandwidth 215, pilot tones (e.g., 18 pilot tones, two for each of the nine RUs 26) can be allocated such that the pilot tone indices include [-122:-114, -5:-4, 4:5, 114:122]. This allocation can leave some unallocated tones at each edge of channel bandwidth 215, which can be used for interference cancellation. For example, channel bandwidth 215 can include six edge tones on one side of channel bandwidth 215 and five edge tones on the opposite side.

[0067] Some examples of specific pilot tone allocation rules can involve sequentially allocating one pilot tone to negative tone indices and one pilot tone to positive tone indices to form a set of two pilot tones for a distributed RU 210 (such as RU 26). For example, if the pilot tone portion of channel bandwidth 215 spans tone indices [-122:-114, -5:-4, 4:5, 114:122], the first set of two pilot tones can include pilot tone index -5 and pilot tone index 116. Using this rule, the two pilot tones for logical RU 26 can be spaced far enough apart to achieve frequency diversity for the pilot signal. Using this pilot tone allocation rule and the above-described tone set 220 allocation design, channel bandwidth 215 can support nine logical RUs 26, as defined in Table 2: Physical tone index / tone set belonging to the corresponding logical RU26 Logical RU26 index 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Data Tone (tone collection) 1, 10 2, 11 3, 12 4, 13 5, 14 6, 15 7, 16 8, 17 9, 18 Guidance tone (Tone Index) -5, 116 -4, 117 -122, 118 -121, 119 -120, 120 -119, 121 -118, 122 -117, 4 -116, 5 Table 2: Example Tone Distribution for Logical RU26 Although Table 2 shows one possible data and pilot tone allocation for RU distribution, other allocations for distributed RUs 210 are possible.

[0068] Additionally or alternatively, the distribution design for the RU can utilize a shifted tone set 220. In some examples, the shifted tone set 220 can be a shifted version of the tone index set used for NDP short feedback, as described with reference to Table 1. For example, the tone set described with reference to Table 1 can be shifted by a number of tones (e.g., two or more tones) upward in the spectrum ("right"), downward in the spectrum ("left"), or both. As an example, tones with negative indices can be shifted by two or more tones to the left, and tones with positive indices can be shifted by two or more tones to the right (see Table 3). Tone Collection b=1 b=0 1 -115, -79, -43, 8, 44, 80 -114, -78, -42, 9, 45, 81 2 -113, -77, -41, 10, 46, 82 -112, -76, -40, 11, 47, 83 3 -111, -75, -39, 12, 48, 84 -110, -74, -38, 13, 49, 85 4 -109, -73, -37, 14, 50, 86 -108, -72, -36, 15, 51, 87 5 -107, -71, -35, 16, 52, 88 -106, -70, -34, 17, 53, 89 6 -105, -69, -33, 18, 54, 90 -104, -68, -32, 19, 55, 91 7 -103, -67, -31, 20, 56, 92 -102, -66, -30, 21, 57, 93 8 -101, -65, -29, 22, 58, 94 -100, -64, -28, 23, 59, 95 9 -99, -63, -27, 24, 60, 96 -98, -62, -26, 25, 61, 97 10 -97, -61, -25, 26, 62, 98 -96, -60, -24, 27, 63, 99 11 -95, -59, -23, 28, 64, 100 -94, -58, -22, 29, 65, 101 12 -93, -57, -21, 30, 66, 102 -92, -56, -20, 31, 67, 103 13 -91, -55, -19, 32, 68, 104 -90, -54, -18, 33, 69, 105 14 -89, -53, -17, 34, 70, 106 -88, -52, -16, 35, 71, 107 15 -87, -51, -15, 36, 72, 108 -86, -50, -14, 37, 73, 109 16 -85, -49, -13, 38, 74, 110 -84, -48, -12, 39, 75, 111 17 -83, -47, -11, 40, 76, 112 -82, -46, -10, 41, 77, 113 18 -81, -45, -9, 42, 78, 114 -80, -44, -8, 43, 79, 115 Table 3: Example shifted tone sets for RU allocation

[0069] The channel bandwidth 215 across RU 242 can be configured using one or more of the 18 transposed tone sets 220. In some examples, each transposed tone set 220 can include 12 distributed tones in the same manner as described with respect to the non-transposed tone sets 220. For example, based on the transposed tone sets 220 provided in Table 3, the useful data tone indices can include [-115:-8, 8:115], and the bandwidth across 242 tones can include 216 tones for data. A device can use two transposed tone sets 220 to form 24 data tones for one distributed RU 210 (e.g., RU 26), as described with respect to the non-transposed tone sets 220. For example, if tone set 220-a corresponds to tone set 1 of Table 3, and tone set 220-b corresponds to tone set 10 of Table 3, then AP 102-a or STA 104-a can transmit data in 24 data tones with shifted tone indices -115, -114, -97, -96, -79, -78, -61, -60, -43, -42, -25, -24, 8, 9, 26, 27, 44, 45, 62, 63, 80, 81, 98 and 99.

[0070] Shifting the tone set 220 can result in a wider range of useful pilot tones. For example, according to the shifted tone set 220 provided in Table 3, useful pilot tone indices may include [-122:-116, -7:-4, 4:7, 116:122]. These shifted pilot tone indices can reserve several DC tones at the center of the channel bandwidth 215 and several unassigned edge tones at the edges of the channel bandwidth 215 (e.g., for interference cancellation). Shifting the tones can leave six edge tones along the lower edge of the channel bandwidth 215 and five edge tones along the upper edge. The wider range of shifted pilot tone indices can support a larger number of tones between pilot tones and data tone groups in the distributed RU 210. For example, at least 15 tones can separate a pilot tone from other pilot tones or from the nearest data tone group.

[0071] The pilot tone allocation rule can be applied to the shifted tone set 220 in a similar manner as described with respect to the non-shifted tone set 220. For example, the rule can involve sequentially assigning one pilot tone to negative tone indices and one pilot tone to positive tone indices to form a set of two pilot tones for a distributed RU 210 (such as RU26). For example, if the shifted pilot tone portion of the channel bandwidth 215 spans [-122:-116, -7:-4, 4:7, 116:122], the first pilot tone set can include pilot tone index -7 and pilot tone index 118. Using this rule, the two pilot tones for the logical RU26 can be spaced far enough apart to achieve frequency gain for the pilot signal. Using this pilot tone allocation rule and the shifted tone set 220 allocation design described above, the channel bandwidth 215 can support nine logical RUs 26, as defined in Table 4: Physical tone index / tone set belonging to the corresponding logical RU26 Logical RU26 index 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Data Tone (tone collection) 1, 10 2, 11 3, 12 4, 13 5, 14 6, 15 7, 16 8, 17 9, 18 Guidance tone (Tone Index) -7, 118 -6, 119 -5, 120 -4, 121 -122, 122 -121, 4 -120, 5 -119, 6 -118, 7 Table 4: Example shifted tone plan distribution for logical RU26

[0072] The table herein shows possible data and pilot tone allocations for RU26 distribution. Many other tone allocations are possible, and each tone allocation can distribute a tone set across a channel bandwidth 215 that includes a greater number of tones than the aggregate bandwidth of the tone set, where the majority of the tones in the tone set (e.g., a subset of the data tones) are allocated to a distributed group of one or more contiguous tones.

[0073] Additionally or alternatively, the distributed RU 210 may be based on other factors. For example, the type of data to be transmitted in the distributed RU 210 or the format of the data may determine the allocation of tones or data tone mapping used in the distributed RU 210. An uncompressed long training field (LTF), such as 4x LTF, may be used to transmit data in each pilot tone and in each data tone in a data tone set. A compressed LTF (e.g., an LTF with a tone grouping factor Ng greater than 1, such as 1x or 2x LTF) may transmit a single value across a set of tones. For example, a 2x LTF may transmit a single value across a set of two tones (e.g., using one tone from the set of two tones). In such cases, the transmitting device may support 2x LTF by transmitting one data tone in each group of consecutive data tones. The transmitting device may also transmit pilot signals on all distributed pilot tones. In other cases, the device may not use compressed LTF and may instead transmit uncompressed 4x LTF. In some examples, for the short training field (STF), the AP 102 and the STAs 104 in the wireless communication network 200 may implement an existing 20 MHz STF for each 20 MHz channel bandwidth 215 of OFDMA.

[0074] In some implementations, the allocated resources for the distributed RUs 210 within the channel bandwidth 215 may include resources interleaved, for example, using existing interleaving methods used for non-distributed transmissions. However, in other cases, the distribution process may provide sufficient frequency diversity for the transmission, and interleaving may not be performed. Additionally or alternatively, the logical RUs distributed within the channel bandwidth 215 may have different sizes (such as RU52 or RU106). The device may unify the tone mapping (e.g., including pilot tones) across the channel bandwidth 215 with mixed RU sizes.

[0075] One or more channel bandwidths 215 comprising one or more distributed RUs 210 may be multiplexed within the system bandwidth. As an example, the system bandwidth may be configured to include channel bandwidths 215 associated with distributed RUs 210 (e.g., the system bandwidth may include channel bandwidths 215 dedicated to distributed RUs). In another example, the system bandwidth may reserve a number of channel bandwidths 215 (e.g., one or two channel bandwidths) for distributed RUs 210, while the remainder of the system bandwidth may not be associated with distributed RUs 210 (e.g., may be associated with larger RUs or RUs that are not PSD-constrained).

[0076] FIG3 illustrates an exemplary channel bandwidth configuration 300 that can be used for a distributed RU configuration. Channel bandwidth configuration 300 can define possible tone allocations for a channel bandwidth 305, which can be an example of channel bandwidth 215 described with reference to FIG2 . Channel bandwidth configuration 300 can support the transmission of data tones 315 and pilot tones 320 distributed across channel bandwidth 305 for several distributed RUs.

[0077] Channel bandwidth 305 can include a set of useful tones (e.g., tones that carry information such as data or pilot signals) and a set of unassigned or additional tones (e.g., tones that do not carry data or pilot signals). The unassigned tones can serve as a buffer or can be used for interference cancellation. In the example shown in FIG3 , data tones 315-a and 315-b and pilot tones 320-a, 320-b, 320-c, and 320-d can be examples of useful tones, while edge tones 325-a and 325-b and DC tone 330-a can be examples of unassigned tones. In some implementations, edge tone 325-a can be referred to as a leading unassigned edge tone, and edge tone 325-b can be referred to as a trailing or trailing unassigned edge tone.

[0078] DC tone 330-a can span several tones in the center of channel bandwidth 305. In the illustrated example, channel bandwidth 305 includes two half-widths 310 (e.g., half-widths 310-a and 310-b), which in some implementations may be referred to as negative half-width 310-a and positive half-width 310-b. Each half-width 310 can include a subset of data tones 315 and a subset of pilot tones 320 adjacent to unassigned tones (e.g., edge tones 325 or a portion of DC tone 330-a). Data tones 315 and pilot tones 320 can include tones assigned to multiple distributed RUs. In some aspects, some or all (e.g., a majority) of the tones in data tones 315 can be examples of classified continuous tones. In some implementations, the data tones can be classified continuous tones, while the pilot tones may not be. An exemplary mapping of data tones and pilot tones to distributed RUs within respective subsets of data tones 315 and pilot tones 320 is described herein with reference to FIG. 4 .

[0079] Figure 4 illustrates an exemplary tone mapping configuration 400 that can be used for a distributed RU configuration. Tone mapping configuration 400 illustrates an example of mapping data tones 410 and pilot tones 415 for a distributed RU. Channel bandwidth 405 may include unassigned tones 420 (e.g., including unassigned edge tones 420-a and 420-c and unassigned DC tone 420-b) and useful tones 425 (e.g., useful tones 425-a and 425-b). Useful tones 425 may include a subset of data tones 410 and a subset of pilot tones 415. Data tones 410 and pilot tones 415 may include tones allocated to several different distributed RUs. Some data tones 410 and pilot tones 415 may be allocated to a first distributed RU. For example, a distributed RU may be RU26 and may include 24 data tones 410 and 2 pilot tones 415. The pilot tones 415 may be mapped to tones that are spaced far enough apart in the channel bandwidth 405 to provide frequency diversity for channel estimation and other procedures.

[0080] The distributed RU shown in FIG4 may be an example of the logical RU 26 at index 1 as defined in Table 2. In this example, the pilot tones 415 may be mapped to either edge of the data subset in each half-width of the channel bandwidth 405. For example, the distributed RU may include at least one pilot tone 415 in the leading pilot portion or the trailing pilot portion of the first set of useful tones 425-a, and at least one other pilot tone 415 in the leading pilot portion or the trailing pilot portion of the second set of useful tones 425-b.

[0081] The distributed RU can be configured such that the defined spacing between different groups of data tones 410, or between a group of data tones 410 and pilot tones 415, is greater than or equal to the number of tones (e.g., greater than or equal to 11 tones or 15 tones). For example, distances 430-a and 430-b can represent the tone spacing between groups of tones (including between data tones 410 and pilot tones 415). Distance 430-b can represent the defined tone spacing (e.g., between a group of data tones 410 and pilot tones 415). In some examples, distance 430-b can represent a distance of 11 or more tones. In some implementations, when employing the tone shifting method described with reference to FIG. 2 , distance 430-b can represent a distance of 15 or more tones. When distance 430-b represents a distance of 15 or more tones, a maximum of two tones can exist for each subset of 1 MHz within channel bandwidth 405.

[0082] Although mapping configuration 400 is described herein with respect to logical RU 26, as previously described, other sizes of logical RUs are supported. In some implementations, a larger RU size can be based on a smaller logical RU (such as RU 26). For example, to support a distributed RU with 52 tones, each logical RU 52 can be composed of two logical RUs 26 (e.g., logical RUs 26 can be defined according to the tone mapping configuration discussed with reference to FIG. 2). In some examples, a logical RU 52 can be formed using the physical tones for the two logical RUs 26 of Table 1 distributed according to the tone plan shown in Table 1. Table 5 illustrates such a configuration: RU52 Logical Index 1 2 3 4 Overwritten logical RU26 index 1, 6 2, 7 3, 8 4, 9 Table 5: Logical RU26 index belonging to corresponding logical RU52 In another example, a logical RU 52 may be formed using physical tones for two logical RUs 26 distributed according to the shifted tone plan shown in Table 3. This configuration may be similar to or the same as the configuration shown in Table 5. In some configurations, one or more logical RUs 26 (e.g., the logical RU 26 at index 5 defined with respect to Table 2) may be excluded from the RU 52 mapping.

[0083] To support a distributed RU with 106 tones, each logical RU 106 can be composed of four logical RUs 26. In one specific example, a logical RU 106 can be formed using the physical tones for the four logical RUs 26 distributed according to the tone plan shown in Table 1, along with two additional tones (e.g., an edge tone, a DC tone, a tone from a discarded logical RU 26 (such as the logical RU 26 at index 5)). In other examples, a logical RU 106 can be formed using tones for logical RUs 26 with odd or even indices. In some examples, each logical RU 106 can include 102 data tones and 4 pilot tones. Accordingly, four pilot tones from the eight pilot tones of the four RUs 26 that make up the RU 106 can be used as data tones to support the distribution of the RU 106. Table 6 shows an exemplary configuration of tone locations for a distributed RU 106: RU106 Logical Index 1 2 Overwritten logical RU26 index 1, 3, 6, 8 2, 4, 7, 9 Covered edge tone index -115, 114 -114, 115 Pilot tone switched to data tone -119, -117, 116, 118 -118, -116, 117, 119 Modified pilot tone -122, -5, 4, 121 -121, -4, 5, 122 Table 6: Logical RU26 index and physical tone index belonging to the corresponding logical RU106

[0084] In some examples, a logical RU 106 can be formed using physical tones for four logical RUs 26 distributed according to the shifted tone plan shown in Table 3, as well as two additional tones (e.g., an edge tone, a DC tone, a tone from a discarded logical RU 26 (such as the logical RU 26 at index 5)). As previously mentioned, the four pilot tones of the four RUs 26 can be used as data tones. Table 7 shows a possible configuration for distributed RU 106 tone positions using a shifted tone plan: RU106 Logical Index 1 2 Overwritten logical RU26 index 1, 3, 6, 8 2, 4, 7, 9 Covered edge tone index -117, 116 -116, 117 Pilot tone switched to data tone -119, 118, -5, 4 -118, 119, -4, 5 Modified pilot tone -121, -7, 6, 120 -120, -6, 7, 121 Table 7: Logical RU26 index and physical tone index belonging to the corresponding logical RU106 (shift tone plan)

[0085] Figures 5A, 5B, and 5C illustrate examples of system bandwidth configurations 500 that can be used for distributed RU configurations. As shown in Figure 5A, system bandwidth 505 can be configured to support communications on distributed RUs. Additionally or alternatively, distributed RU communications can occur within the same system bandwidth 505 as communications with RUs not associated with the distributed RU, as shown in Figures 5B and 5C. Accordingly, system bandwidth 505 can be configured to support communications on one or more distributed RUs, or on one or more distributed RUs and one or more non-distributed RUs.

[0086] Figure 5A illustrates a system bandwidth configuration 500-a that can support distributed RU communications. System bandwidth 505-a can include one or more channel bandwidths 510 (such as those described with reference to Figures 2-4). Each channel bandwidth 510 can have a bandwidth 515-a. As an example, bandwidth 515-a can be 20 MHz, as described with reference to Figure 2. Each channel bandwidth 510 can support one or more distributed RUs, as described with reference to Figures 2-4. System bandwidth 505-a can include several channel bandwidths associated with distributed RUs (e.g., channel bandwidths 510-a, 510-b, and 510-c), up to and including channel bandwidth 510-d, such that the entire system bandwidth 505-a can be associated with distributed RUs. Channel bandwidth 510 can utilize a channel bandwidth configuration similar to that described with reference to Figure 3.

[0087] FIG5B illustrates a system bandwidth configuration 500-b that can support distributed RU communications. System bandwidth 505-b can include two channel bandwidths 510-e and 510-f, each of which can include one or more distributed RUs as described with reference to FIG2-4. System bandwidth 505-b can also include a channel bandwidth 520-a that is not associated with a distributed RU (e.g., associated with a non-distributed RU, such as a large RU or a small RU without PSD constraints). Channel bandwidths 510-e and 510-f can utilize a channel bandwidth configuration similar to that described with reference to FIG3. Each channel bandwidth 510 can include several edge tones. Edge tones 325 can provide interference mitigation between channel bandwidths 510 or between channel bandwidth 510-f and channel bandwidth 520-a.

[0088] In some examples, there may be a number (e.g., five) of edge tones located at the left edge of channel bandwidth 510-e, which may provide a buffer at the edge of system bandwidth 505-b. Similarly, there may be a number (e.g., five) of edge tones located at the right edge of channel bandwidth 510-e, and a number (e.g., five) of edge tones located at the left edge of channel bandwidth 510-f, which may collectively provide a buffer between channel bandwidths 510-e and 510-f. In some implementations, the edge tones at the right edge of channel bandwidth 510-f may overlap with channel bandwidth 520-a.

[0089] In some instances, a subset of edge tones (e.g., four of the five edge tones) located at the right edge of channel bandwidth 510-f may overlap with channel bandwidth 520-a. However, because the edge tones may be unassigned tones, this overlap may not result in interference between the two channel bandwidths. In some implementations, the overlapping edge tones between adjacent channel bandwidths may be configured so that channel bandwidths 510 and 520-a fit within system bandwidth 505-b. Additionally or alternatively, the device may shift one or more channel bandwidths located at the edge of system bandwidth 505-b so that the edge of channel bandwidth 510 or channel bandwidth 520-a aligns with system bandwidth 505-b. In some examples, the system bandwidth 505 - b may be 80 MHz, and the channel bandwidths 510 - e and 510 - f may each be 20 MHz, such that the channel bandwidth 520 - a may have a bandwidth 515 - b of 40 MHz.

[0090] FIG5C illustrates a system bandwidth configuration 500-c that can support distributed RU communications. System bandwidth 505-c can include channel bandwidth 510-g and channel bandwidth 520-b. Channel bandwidth 510-g can support one or more distributed RUs as described with reference to FIG2-FIG4 , and channel bandwidth 520-b can be independent of a distributed RU (e.g., it can be associated with a large or small RU without PSD constraints). Channel bandwidth 510-g can utilize a channel bandwidth configuration similar to that described with reference to FIG3 . In some examples, the left edge of channel bandwidth 510-g can include a number (e.g., five) of edge tones, which can serve as a buffer for system bandwidth 505-c. The edge tones can also be shifted to align with the edges of channel bandwidth 510-g and system bandwidth 505-c. Channel bandwidth 510-g can also include a number (e.g., five) of edge tones located at the right edge. In some implementations, some (e.g., two) edge tones on the right edge may overlap with channel bandwidth 520-b. However, because edge tones may include unassigned tones, this overlap may not cause interference between the two channel bandwidths. In some implementations, this overlap may be configured so that channel bandwidth 510-g and channel bandwidth 520-b fit within system bandwidth 505-c. In some examples, system bandwidth 505-c may be 80 MHz, and channel bandwidth 510-g may be 20 MHz, so that channel bandwidth 520-b may have a bandwidth 515-c of 60 MHz.

[0091] Figures 5A, 5B, and 5C illustrate exemplary configurations of system bandwidth configurations 500 for supporting distributed RUs. Other system bandwidth configurations 500 are possible, and channel bandwidths 510 associated with distributed RUs may be organized within the system bandwidth 505 and may or may not be multiplexed with channel bandwidths 520 not associated with the distributed RUs. The system bandwidth 505 may include any number of channel bandwidths 510 associated with distributed RUs, which may be multiplexed with any number of channel bandwidths 520 not associated with the distributed RUs. In some implementations, the system bandwidth 505 may be configured such that at least one channel bandwidth 510 associated with a distributed RU is located at the left edge, the right edge, or both of the system bandwidth 505. In some implementations, the system bandwidth may be configured such that channel bandwidths 520 not associated with distributed RUs are not punctured or otherwise interleaved with one or more channel bandwidths 510 associated with distributed RUs (e.g., for bandwidth efficiency associated with OFDMA transmissions).

[0092] FIG6 illustrates an example timing diagram 600 of an example process for decentralized RU configuration. Timing diagram 600 may be implemented by AP 102-b and STA 104-b, which may be examples of the corresponding devices described with reference to FIG1 and FIG2 . AP 102-b and STA 104-b may communicate using decentralized RUs to increase frequency diversity and transmit power efficiency. Alternative examples of timing diagram 600 may be implemented, where some steps may be performed in a different order than described, some steps may be added, or some steps may not be performed at all. In some implementations, the steps may include additional features not described below. Although AP 102-b and STA 104-b are described as implementing timing diagram 600, any device or any number of devices may implement timing diagram 600.

[0093] At 605, AP 102-b may determine a distributed RU comprising a set of tones distributed across a channel bandwidth that is greater than the aggregate bandwidth of the set of tones. In some examples, the set of tones may include a subset of data tones and a subset of pilot tones. A majority of the tones (e.g., approximately 90%) may be an example of a distributed group of one or more contiguous data tones. The pilot tones may be non-contiguous within the channel bandwidth. For example, at least two pilot tones may be sufficiently far apart within the channel bandwidth to provide frequency diversity for channel estimation.

[0094] In some implementations, the channel bandwidth may include a portion of leading unassigned edge tones, a first continuous portion of useful tones, a center portion of unassigned DC tones, a second continuous portion of useful tones, and a subsequent portion of unassigned edge tones. The useful tones in each portion may include data tones (e.g., used to transmit data) and pilot tones (e.g., used to transmit pilot signals for channel estimation or interference mitigation). In some implementations, the AP 102-b may remap which tones in the set of tones are assigned as data tones and which tones are assigned as pilot tones (e.g., via one or more shift operations).

[0095] At 610, AP 102-b may transmit an indication of a distributed RU to STA 104-b. For example, AP 102-b may assign a distributed RU to STA 104-b so that STA 104-b can receive information on the downlink, or may assign a distributed RU to STA 104-b so that STA 104-b can transmit information on the uplink. AP 102-b may also assign other RUs distributed across the channel bandwidth to STA 104-b or other STAs 104 for communication. For example, in a 20 MHz channel bandwidth where an RU includes 26 tones, AP 102-b may assign up to nine distributed RUs to one or more STAs 104 for communication. In some implementations, a distributed RU may include more than 26 tones. In this case, a distributed RU including more than 26 tones may be formed using multiple logical RUs, each including 26 tones. For example, RU52 can be formed using two RU26, and RU106 can be formed using four RU26 and additional edge tones, among other examples. Additionally or alternatively, wider channel bandwidths (e.g., 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz) can support a larger number of distributed RUs.

[0096] At 615, STA 104-b may also determine a distributed RU and a set of tones, the set of tones including a subset of data tones and a subset of pilot tones. In some implementations, STA 104-b may determine the distributed RU based on instructions from AP 102-b (e.g., including which of the tones are data tones and which are pilot tones).

[0097] At 620, AP 102-b and STA 104-b may communicate using the tone sets of the distributed RU. In a first example, AP 102-b may transmit data to STA 104-b on the downlink using a subset of data tones. AP 102-b may also transmit one or more pilot signals to STA 104-b on a set of pilot tones from the identified tone set. In a second example, STA 104-b may transmit data to AP 102-b on the uplink using a subset of data tones. STA 104-b may also transmit one or more pilot signals to AP 102-b on a set of pilot tones. In some implementations, if the data includes instances of compressed 2x LTF, the transmitting device may transmit the LTF on one data tone in each set of consecutive data tones. In some implementations, if the material includes compressed 2x LTF instances, the transmitting device may transmit the pilot signal on all pilot tones.

[0098] FIG7 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication device 700 for use in wireless communications, according to some implementations. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 700 is configured to perform one or more of the processes 1100 and 1200 described above with reference to FIG11 and FIG12 , respectively. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 700 may be an exemplary implementation of the AP 102 or STA 104 described herein with reference to FIG1 , FIG2 , and FIG6 . For example, the wireless communication device 700 may be a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device that includes at least one processor and at least one modem (e.g., a Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) modem or a cellular modem).

[0099] In some such implementations, the wireless communication device 700 may be a device for use in an AP (such as one of the APs 102 described above with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 6). In some other implementations, the wireless communication device 700 may be an AP that includes such a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device, as well as at least one transmitter, at least one receiver, and at least one antenna. In some such implementations, the wireless communication device 700 may additionally or alternatively be a device for use in a STA (such as one of the STAs 104 described above with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 6). In some other implementations, the wireless communication device 700 may be a STA that includes such a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device, as well as at least one transmitter, at least one receiver, and at least one antenna.

[0100] Wireless communication device 700 may include a receiver 702, a communication manager 704, and a transmitter 706. Portions of one or more of modules 702, 704, and 706 may be implemented at least partially in hardware or firmware. For example, communication manager 704 may be implemented at least partially by a modem. In some implementations, at least some of modules 702, 704, and 706 may be implemented at least partially as software stored in memory. For example, portions of one or more of modules 702, 704, and 706 may be implemented as non-transitory instructions (or "code") executable by a processor to perform the functions or operations of the corresponding module.

[0101] Receiver 702 is configured to receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to distributed RU configuration). This information can be passed to other components of the device. Receiver 702 can be an example of various aspects of transceiver 1008 described with reference to FIG. Receiver 702 can utilize a single antenna or a group of antennas.

[0102] The communication manager 704 is configured to: determine a distributed RU comprising a set of tones distributed across a channel bandwidth, the channel bandwidth comprising a greater number of tones than the total number of tones in the set of tones; transmit data on the set of data tones; and transmit one or more pilot signals on the set of pilot tones. In some examples, the set of tones comprises a set of data tones and a set of pilot tones. In some examples, the set of data tones comprises a plurality of distributed data tone groups, each data tone group comprising one or more data tones in the set of data tones, each data tone group being separated from every other data tone group by at least one tone. In some examples, the set of pilot tones comprises a plurality of pilot tones, each pilot tone being separated from every other pilot tone by at least one tone.

[0103] Transmitter 706 is configured to transmit signals generated by other components of the device. In some instances, transmitter 706 may be co-located with receiver 702 in a transceiver module. For example, transmitter 706 may be an embodiment of various aspects of transceiver 1008 described with reference to FIG. 10 . Transmitter 706 may utilize a single antenna or a group of antennas.

[0104] The actions performed by the communication manager 704 can be implemented to achieve one or more potential benefits. For example, the communication manager 704 can increase communication reliability and reduce communication latency at a STA or AP by using distributed RUs for communication, which can improve communication quality and other benefits. Similarly, the communication manager 704 can conserve power at a STA or AP by strategically improving communication quality.

[0105] FIG8 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication device 800 for use in wireless communications, according to some implementations. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 800 is configured to perform one or more of the processes 1100 and 1200 described above with reference to FIG11 and FIG12 , respectively. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 800 may be the exemplary implementation of the wireless communication device 700 described herein with reference to FIG7 . For example, the wireless communication device 800 may be a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device that includes at least one processor and at least one modem (e.g., a Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) modem or a cellular modem).

[0106] In some such implementations, the wireless communication device 800 may be a device for use in an AP (such as one of the APs 102 described above with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 6). In some other implementations, the wireless communication device 800 may be an AP that includes such a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device, as well as at least one transmitter, at least one receiver, and at least one antenna. In some such implementations, the wireless communication device 800 may additionally or alternatively be a device for use in a STA (such as one of the STAs 104 described above with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 6). In some other implementations, the wireless communication device 800 may be a STA that includes such a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device, as well as at least one transmitter, at least one receiver, and at least one antenna.

[0107] Wireless communication device 800 includes a receiver 802, a communication manager 804, a distributed RU component 806, a data transmission component 808, a pilot signal transmission component 810, and a transmitter 812. Portions of one or more of modules 802, 804, 806, 808, 810, and 812 may be implemented at least partially in hardware or firmware. For example, communication manager 804, distributed RU components 806, data transmission component 808, and pilot signal transmission component 810 may be implemented at least partially by a modem. In some implementations, at least some of modules 802, 804, 806, 808, 810, and 812 may be implemented at least partially as software stored in memory. For example, portions of one or more of modules 802, 804, 806, 808, 810, and 812 may be implemented as non-transitory instructions (or "code") executable by a processor to perform the functions or operations of the corresponding module.

[0108] Receiver 802 is configured to receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to distributed RU configuration). This information can be passed to other components of the device. Receiver 802 can be an example of various aspects of transceiver 1008 described with reference to FIG. Receiver 802 can utilize a single antenna or a group of antennas.

[0109] The communication manager 804 may be an instance of various aspects of the communication manager 704. The communication manager 804 is configured to include a distributed RU component 806, a data transmission component 808, and a pilot signal transmission component 810.

[0110] Distributed RU element 806 is configured to: determine a distributed RU comprising a set of tones distributed across a channel bandwidth, the channel bandwidth comprising a greater number of tones than the total number of tones in the set of tones; transmit data on a set of data tones; and transmit one or more pilot signals on a set of pilot tones. In some examples, the set of tones comprises a set of data tones and a set of pilot tones. In some examples, the set of data tones comprises a plurality of distributed data tone groups, each data tone group comprising one or more data tones in the set of data tones, each data tone group being separated from every other data tone group by at least one tone. In some examples, the set of pilot tones comprises a plurality of pilot tones, each pilot tone being separated from every other pilot tone by at least one tone.

[0111] The data transmission element 808 is configured to transmit data on a set of data tones.

[0112] The pilot signal transmission element 810 is configured to transmit one or more pilot signals on a set of pilot tones.

[0113] Transmitter 812 is configured to transmit signals generated by other components of the device. In some instances, transmitter 812 may be co-located with receiver 802 in a transceiver module. For example, transmitter 812 may be an embodiment of various aspects of transceiver 1008 described with reference to FIG. 10 . Transmitter 812 may utilize a single antenna or a group of antennas.

[0114] The processor of the wireless communication device 800 (e.g., controlling the receiver 802 or the transmitter 812) can increase communication reliability and accuracy, as well as communication quality, by enabling the wireless communication device 800 to communicate using distributed RUs (e.g., via the implementation of the system components described with reference to FIG9 ). Furthermore, the processor of the wireless communication device 800 can identify one or more aspects of the distributed RUs to perform the processes described herein. The processor of the wireless communication device 800 can use the distributed RUs, thereby increasing communication quality and reliability, and saving power at the wireless communication device 800 (e.g., by strategically utilizing distributed ROs for wireless communications).

[0115] FIG9 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary communication manager 900 for use in wireless communications, according to some implementations. Communication manager 900 may be an example of various aspects of communication manager 704, communication manager 804, or communication manager 1004 described herein. Communication manager 900 may include a distributed RU component 902, a data transmission component 904, a pilot signal transmission component 906, and a channel bandwidth component 908. Each of these modules may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0116] Communications manager 900 includes a distributed RU component 902, a data transfer component 904, a pilot signal transfer component 906, and a channel bandwidth component 908. Portions of one or more of modules 900, 902, 904, 906, and 908 may be implemented at least partially in hardware or firmware. For example, communications manager 900, distributed RU component 902, data transfer component 904, pilot signal transfer component 906, and channel bandwidth component 908 may be implemented at least partially in a modem. In some implementations, at least some of modules 900, 902, 904, 906, and 908 may be implemented at least partially as software stored in memory. For example, portions of one or more of modules 900, 902, 904, 906, and 908 may be implemented as non-transitory instructions (or "code") executable by a processor to perform the functions or operations of the corresponding module.

[0117] Distributed RU element 902 is configured to determine a distributed RU comprising a set of tones distributed across a channel bandwidth, the channel bandwidth comprising a greater number of tones than the total number of tones in the tone set. In some examples, the tone set comprises a set of data tones and a set of pilot tones. In some examples, the data tone set comprises a plurality of distributed data tone groups, each data tone group comprising one or more data tones from the data tone set, each data tone group being separated from each other data tone group by at least one tone. In some examples, the pilot tone set comprises a plurality of pilot tones, each pilot tone being separated from each other pilot tone by at least one tone. In some examples, each data tone group comprises a pair of consecutive data tones. In some examples, each data tone group comprises a group of consecutive data tones.

[0118] In some examples, the distributed RU element 902 is configured to determine which tones in the set of tones comprise a set of data tones. In some examples, the distributed RU element 902 is configured to determine which tones in the set of tones comprise a set of pilot tones. In some examples, the distributed RU element 902 is configured to transmit on each tone in the set of tones at maximum communication power. In some examples, the distributed RU element 902 is configured to determine the set of tones based on one or more defined sets of tone indices, the one or more defined sets of tone indices being associated with determining tone locations for one or more non-distributed resource elements.

[0119] In some examples, the distributed RU element 902 is configured to shift one or more defined sets of tone indices, wherein shifting the one or more defined sets of tone indices includes shifting the tones associated with the one or more defined sets of tone indices in the frequency domain. In some examples, the distributed RU element 902 is configured to determine a set of data tones and a set of pilot tones based on shifting the one or more defined sets of tone indices. In some examples, the distributed RU element 902 is configured to allocate channel bandwidth for a set of logical distributed RUs, wherein each logical distributed RU includes a respective set of pilot tones comprising two or more pilot tones separated by one or more tones and a respective set of data tones comprising a group of distributed data tones, each group of data tones being separated from each other group of data tones by at least one tone. In some examples, the pilot tones for the logical distributed RU set form a contiguous portion of the pilot tones.

[0120] In some examples, the distributed RU element 902 is configured to interleave the set of tones for the distributed RU within the channel bandwidth. In some implementations, the subset of the channel bandwidth includes one or two tones from the set of tones. In some implementations, the subset includes a 1 MHz channel bandwidth.

[0121] In some implementations, the channel bandwidth includes one or more leading unassigned edge tones, a first set of contiguous useful tones, one or more unassigned DC tones, a second set of contiguous useful tones, and one or more subsequent unassigned edge tones. In some implementations, the tone set includes tones from the first set of contiguous useful tones and the second set of contiguous useful tones. In some implementations, the first set of contiguous useful tones includes a first set of contiguous pilot tones, a first set of contiguous data tones, and a second set of contiguous pilot tones. In some implementations, the second set of contiguous useful tones includes a third set of contiguous pilot tones, a second set of contiguous data tones, and a fourth set of contiguous pilot tones. In some implementations, the data tone set includes tones from the first set of contiguous data tones and the second set of contiguous data tones. In some implementations, the pilot tone set includes tones from one or more of the first set of contiguous pilot tones, the second set of contiguous pilot tones, the third set of contiguous pilot tones, or the fourth set of contiguous pilot tones.

[0122] In some implementations, the distributed RU comprises a single logical distributed RU of the set of logical distributed RUs. In some implementations, the first set of contiguous pilot tones and the fourth set of contiguous pilot tones each comprise at least nine tones. In some instances, the second set of contiguous pilot tones and the third set of contiguous pilot tones each comprise fewer than three tones. In some implementations, the first set of contiguous pilot tones and the fourth set of contiguous pilot tones each comprise fewer than eight tones. In some instances, the second set of contiguous pilot tones and the third set of contiguous pilot tones each comprise at least four tones.

[0123] In some implementations, the data tone set includes at least 90% of the tones in the tone set. In some implementations, a distributed RU includes 26 tones, 52 tones, or 106 tones. In some implementations, the channel bandwidth includes 20 MHz. In some implementations, a distributed RU includes 52 tones or 106 tones. In some examples, the data tone set includes all data tones of multiple distributed RUs, each of which includes 26 tones. In some implementations, the pilot tone set includes all pilot tones of at least two distributed RUs, each of which includes 26 tones.

[0124] In some implementations, each pilot tone or group of scattered data tones is separated from other tones in the set of tones by at least 11 tones. In some implementations, one or more tones in the set of tones have a lower power level than a second one or more tones in the set of tones. In some implementations, each pilot tone or group of scattered data tones is separated from other tones in the set of tones by at least 15 tones.

[0125] The data transmission element 904 is configured to transmit data on a set of data tones. In some examples, the data transmission element 904 is configured to transmit or receive data on one data tone in each of the distributed data tone groups. In some implementations, the data includes a 20 MHz STF.

[0126] The pilot signal transmission element 906 is configured to transmit a pilot symbol on a set of pilot tones. In some examples, the pilot signal transmission element 906 is configured to transmit or receive all pilot symbols.

[0127] The channel bandwidth component 908 can configure the system bandwidth to include one or more dedicated channel bandwidths associated with a distributed RU, each of which includes the channel bandwidth and channel bandwidth not associated with the distributed RU. In some implementations, the one or more dedicated channel bandwidths and the channel bandwidth not associated with the distributed RU are non-alternating. In some implementations, a first channel bandwidth of the one or more dedicated channel bandwidths is located at the edge of the system bandwidth. In some implementations, the system bandwidth includes multiple dedicated channel bandwidths associated with the distributed RU, each of which includes the channel bandwidth.

[0128] FIG10 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication system 1000 for use in wireless communications, according to some implementations. A wireless communication device 1002 can be configured to perform one or more of the processes 1100 and 1200 described above with reference to FIG11 and FIG12 , respectively. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1002 can be the exemplary implementation of the wireless communication device described herein with reference to FIG7 and FIG8 . For example, the wireless communication device 1002 can be a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device that includes at least one processor and at least one modem (e.g., a Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) modem or a cellular modem).

[0129] In some such implementations, the wireless communication device 1002 may be a device for use in an AP (such as one of the APs 102 described above with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 6). In some other implementations, the wireless communication device 1002 may be an AP that includes such a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device, as well as at least one transmitter, at least one receiver, and at least one antenna. In some such implementations, the wireless communication device 1002 may additionally or alternatively be a device for use in a STA (such as one of the STAs 104 described above with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 6). In some other implementations, the wireless communication device 1002 may be a STA that includes such a chip, SoC, chipset, package, or device, as well as at least one transmitter, at least one receiver, and at least one antenna.

[0130] Wireless communication device 1002 includes a communication manager 1004, a communication manager 1006, a transceiver 1008, one or more antennas 1010, a memory 1012, a processor 1014, and an inter-station communication manager 1016. Portions of one or more of modules 1004, 1006, 1008, 1010, 1012, 1014, and 1016 may be implemented at least in part in hardware or firmware. For example, communication manager 1006 may be implemented at least in part by a modem. In some implementations, at least some of modules 1004, 1006, 1008, 1010, 1012, 1014, and 1016 are implemented at least in part as software stored in memory. For example, portions of one or more of modules 1004, 1006, 1008, 1010, 1012, 1014, and 1016 may be implemented as non-transitory instructions (or "code") executable by a processor to perform the functions or operations of the corresponding module.

[0131] The communications manager 1004 is configured to: determine a distributed RU comprising a set of tones distributed across a channel bandwidth, the channel bandwidth comprising a greater number of tones than the total number of tones in the set of tones; transmit data on the set of data tones; and transmit one or more pilot signals on the set of pilot tones. In some examples, the set of tones comprises a set of data tones and a set of pilot tones. In some examples, the set of data tones comprises a plurality of distributed data tone groups, each data tone group comprising one or more data tones in the set of data tones, each data tone group being separated from every other data tone group by at least one tone. In some examples, the set of pilot tones comprises a plurality of pilot tones, each pilot tone being separated from every other pilot tone by at least one tone.

[0132] The network communication manager 1006 is configured to manage communications with the core network (eg, via one or more wired backhaul links). For example, the network communication manager 1006 is configured to manage the transmission of data communications for client devices such as one or more STAs 104.

[0133] Transceiver 1008 is configured to communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired, or wireless links, as described above. For example, transceiver 1008 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. Transceiver 1008 may also include a modem for modulating packets and providing the modulated packets to an antenna for transmission, as well as demodulating packets received from an antenna.

[0134] In some implementations, a wireless device may include a single antenna 1010. However, in some implementations, the device may have more than one antenna 1010, which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions.

[0135] Memory 1012 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). Memory 1012 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 1035, which includes instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the various functions described herein. In some implementations, memory 1012 may also include a basic input / output system (BIOS), which controls basic hardware and software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0136] Processor 1014 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a CPU, a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device, individual gate or transistor logic elements, individual hardware elements, or any combination thereof). In some implementations, processor 1014 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 1014. Processor 1014 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting distributed RU configurations).

[0137] The inter-station communication manager 1016 is configured to manage communications with other wireless communication devices (e.g., AP 102 or STA 104) and may include a controller or scheduler for controlling communications. For example, the inter-station communication manager 1016 may coordinate the scheduling of transmissions for various interference mitigation techniques such as beamforming or joint transmissions.

[0138] FIG11 illustrates a flow chart of an example process 1100 for decentralized RU configuration, according to some implementations. Process 1100 can be performed by a wireless communication device (such as the wireless communication device described above with reference to FIG7-FIG9 ). In some implementations, process 1100 can be performed by a wireless communication device operating as an AP or STA (such as AP 102 or STA 104 described above with reference to FIG1 , FIG2 , and FIG6 ), or operating within an AP or STA. In some implementations, process 1100 begins at block 1102 with the following operation: Determining decentralized RUs. At block 1104, process 1100 continues with transmitting data. At block 1106, process 1100 continues with transmitting one or more pilot signals.

[0139] In some implementations, determining a distributed RU in block 1102 includes determining a distributed RU that includes a set of tones distributed across a channel bandwidth, the channel bandwidth including a greater number of tones than the total number of tones in the tone set. In some examples, the tone set includes a set of data tones and a set of pilot tones. In some examples, the data tone set includes a plurality of distributed data tone groups, each data tone group including one or more data tones from the data tone set, each data tone group being separated from each other data tone group by at least one tone. In some examples, the pilot tone set includes a plurality of pilot tones, each pilot tone being separated from each other pilot tone by at least one tone. The operations in block 1102 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, various aspects of the operations in block 1102 may be performed by distributed RU components as described with reference to FIG. 7-FIG . 10.

[0140] In some implementations, transmitting data in block 1104 includes transmitting data on a set of data tones. The operations in block 1104 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, various aspects of the operations in block 1104 may be performed by a data transmission component as described with reference to FIG. 7-10 .

[0141] In some implementations, transmitting one or more pilot signals in block 1106 includes transmitting the one or more pilot signals on a set of pilot tones. The operations in block 1106 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, various aspects of the operations in block 1106 may be performed by a pilot signal transmitting component as described with reference to FIG. 7-10 .

[0142] FIG12 illustrates a flow chart of an example process 1200 for decentralized RU configuration, according to some implementations. Process 1200 can be performed by a wireless communication device, such as the wireless communication device described above with reference to FIG7-FIG9 . In some implementations, process 1200 can be performed by a wireless communication device operating as an AP or STA, such as AP 102 or STA 104 described above with reference to FIG1 , FIG2 , and FIG6 , or operating within an AP or STA. In some implementations, process 1200 begins at block 1202 with the following operations: determining decentralized RUs. At block 1204, process 1200 continues with determining a tone set. At block 1206, process 1200 continues with shifting the tone set. At block 1208, process 1200 continues with determining a data tone set and a pilot tone set. At block 1210, process 1200 continues with transmitting data. At block 1212, process 1200 continues by transmitting one or more pilot signals.

[0143] In some implementations, determining a distributed RU in block 1202 includes determining a distributed RU that includes a set of tones distributed across a channel bandwidth, the channel bandwidth including a greater number of tones than the total number of tones in the tone set. In some examples, the tone set includes a set of data tones and a set of pilot tones. In some examples, the data tone set includes a plurality of distributed data tone groups, each data tone group including one or more data tones from the data tone set, each data tone group being separated from each other data tone group by at least one tone. In some examples, the pilot tone set includes a plurality of pilot tones, each pilot tone being separated from each other pilot tone by at least one tone. The operations in block 1202 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, various aspects of the operations in block 1202 may be performed by distributed RU components as described with reference to FIG. 7-FIG . 10.

[0144] In some implementations, determining the tone set in block 1204 includes determining the tone set based on one or more defined sets of tone indices. The operations in block 1204 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, various aspects of the operations in block 1204 may be performed by a distributed RU element as described with reference to FIG. 7-10 .

[0145] In some implementations, shifting the set of tones in block 1206 includes shifting one or more defined sets of tone indices. The operations in block 1206 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, various aspects of the operations in block 1206 may be performed by distributed RU elements as described with reference to FIG. 7-10 .

[0146] In some implementations, determining the data tone set and the pilot tone set in block 1208 includes determining the data tone set and the pilot tone set based on shifting one or more defined sets of tone indices. The operations in block 1208 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, various aspects of the operations in block 1208 may be performed by distributed RU elements as described with reference to FIG. 7-10 .

[0147] In some implementations, transmitting data in block 1210 includes transmitting data on a set of data tones. The operations of block 1210 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, various aspects of the operations of block 1210 may be performed by a data transmission component as described with reference to FIG. 7-10 .

[0148] In some implementations, transmitting one or more pilot signals in block 1212 includes transmitting the one or more pilot signals on a set of pilot tones. The operations in block 1212 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, various aspects of the operations in block 1212 may be performed by a pilot signal transmitting component as described with reference to FIG. 7-10 .

[0149] As used herein, phrases referring to "at least one of" or "one or more of" a list of items represent any combination of those items, including individual members. For example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover the following possibilities: only a, only b, only c, a combination of a and b, a combination of a and c, a combination of b and c, and a combination of a, b, and c.

[0150] The various illustrative components, logic, logic blocks, modules, circuits, operations, and algorithmic processes described in conjunction with the implementations disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, firmware, software, or a combination of hardware, firmware, or software, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents. The interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software has been generally described and illustrated in the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and processes described above with respect to functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented in hardware, firmware, or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0151] Various modifications to the implementations described in this application may be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations without departing from the spirit or scope of this application. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein, but are to be accorded the widest scope consistent with this application, the principles, and the novel features disclosed herein.

[0152] Additionally, various features described in this specification in the context of separate implementations may also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single implementation may also be implemented separately in multiple implementations or in any suitable subcombination. As such, although features may be described above as acting in a particular combination and even initially claimed as such, in some implementations, one or more features from a claimed combination may be removed from that combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to subcombinations or variations of subcombinations.

[0153] Similarly, although operations are illustrated in a particular order in the figures, this should not be construed as requiring that they be performed in the particular order illustrated, or in a sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed to achieve a desired result. Furthermore, the figures may schematically illustrate one or more exemplary processes in the form of flow charts or flowcharts. However, other operations not illustrated may be incorporated into the schematically illustrated exemplary processes. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, concurrently with, or between any of the illustrated operations. In certain circumstances, multiplexing and parallel processing may be advantageous. Furthermore, the partitioning of various system elements in the described implementations should not be construed as requiring such partitioning in all implementations, and it should be understood that the described program elements and systems may generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products.

[0154] 100: Wireless communication network 102:AP 102-a:AP 102-b:AP 104:STA 104-a:STA 104-b:STA 106: Coverage Area 108: Communication link 110: Direct wireless communication link 200: Wireless communication network 205: Communication link 210: Distributed RU 215: Channel bandwidth 220-a: Tone Collection 220-b: Tone Collection 300: Channel bandwidth configuration 305: Channel bandwidth 310-a: Half bandwidth 310-b: half bandwidth 315: Data Tone 315-a: Data Tone 315-b: Data Tone 320: Guidance frequency tone 320-a: Guidance frequency tone 320-b: Guidance frequency tone 320-c: Guidance frequency tone 320-d: Guidance frequency tone 325: Edge Tone 325-a: Edge Tone 325-b: Edge Tone 330:DC tone 330-a: DC tone 400: Tone Mapping Configuration 405: Channel bandwidth 410: Data Tone 415: Guidance frequency tone 420-a: Unassigned edge tone 420-b: Unassigned DC tone 420-c: Unassigned edge tone 425-a: Useful Tone 425-b: Useful Tone 430-a: Distance 430-b: Distance 500-a: System bandwidth configuration 500-b: System bandwidth configuration 500-c: System bandwidth configuration 505-a: System bandwidth 505-b: System bandwidth 505-c: System bandwidth 510-a: Channel bandwidth 510-b: Channel bandwidth 510-c: Channel bandwidth 510-d: Channel bandwidth 510-e: Channel bandwidth 510-f: Channel bandwidth 510-g: Channel bandwidth 515-a: Bandwidth 515-b: Bandwidth 515-c: Bandwidth 520-a: Channel bandwidth 520-b: Channel bandwidth 600: Timing diagram 605: Component symbol 610: Component symbol 615: Component symbol 620: Component symbol 700: Wireless communication equipment 702: Receiver 704: Communication Manager 706: Transmitter 800: Wireless communication equipment 802: Receiver 804: Communication Manager 806: Distributed RU components 808: Data transmission component 810: pilot frequency signal transmission element 812: Transmitter 900: Communication Manager 902: Distributed RU components 904: Data transmission component 906: pilot signal transmission element 908: Channel bandwidth component 1000: Wireless Communication System 1002: Wireless communication equipment 1004:Communication Manager 1006: Communication Manager 1008: transceiver 1010: Antenna 1012: Memory 1014: Processor 1016:Inter-station communication manager 1100: Process 1102: Block 1104: Block 1106: Block 1200: Process 1202: Block 1204: Block 1206: Block 1208: Block 1210: Block 1212: Block

[0155] Domestic storage information (please note the order of storage institution, date, and number) none Overseas deposit information (please note the order of deposit country, institution, date, and number) none

Claims

1. A wireless communication device, comprising: At least one data center; At least one processor; The system includes at least one memory, communicatively coupled to and storing processor-readable code, which, when executed by the at least one processor in conjunction with at least one modem, is configured to: determine a distributed resource element comprising a tone set associated with a first resource element size, the tone set being distributed across an entire channel bandwidth associated with a second resource element size larger than the first resource element size, the tone set comprising a pilot tone set and a data tone set, the data tone set comprising a plurality of distributed data tone groups, each data tone group comprising two or more data tones from the data tone set, each data tone group being spaced apart from each other data tone group by at least one tone within the channel bandwidth; transmit data through the data tone set; and transmit pilot symbols through the pilot tone set.

2. The wireless communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor-readable code is executable by the at least one processor to cause the wireless communication device to perform the following steps: first transmitting a corresponding 4x-length training field in each data tone set; and transmitting a second corresponding 4x-length training field in each pilot tone set.

3. The wireless communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor-readable code is executable by the at least one processor to cause the wireless communication device to perform the following steps: transmitting a 20 MHz short training field through the data tone set.

4. The wireless communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor-readable code is executable by the at least one processor to cause the wireless communication device to perform the following steps: transmitting a corresponding 20 MHz short training field for each 20 MHz bandwidth of the distributed resource element.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor-readable code for transmitting the data through the data tone set is executable by the at least one processor to cause the wireless communication device to perform the following steps: transmitting the data through the data tone set without interleaving the data tone set with a second data tone set of a second distributed resource element, wherein the second data tone set is distributed across the entire channel bandwidth.

6. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor-readable code that determines the distributed resource element is executable by the at least one processor to cause the wireless communication device to perform the following steps: determining which tones in the tone set constitute the data tone set; and determining which tones in the tone set constitute the pilot tone set.

7. The wireless communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a subset of the channel bandwidth includes one or two tones from the set of tones.

8. The wireless communication device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the subset of the channel bandwidth includes one MHz of the channel bandwidth.

9. The wireless communication device as described in claim 7, wherein: The processor-readable code for transmitting the data can be executed by the at least one processor to enable the wireless communication device to communicate at a maximum communication power on each data tone of the tone set, and the processor-readable code for transmitting the pilot frequency symbol can be executed by the at least one processor to enable the wireless communication device to communicate at the maximum communication power on each pilot frequency tone of the tone set.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor-readable code that determines the distributed resource element is executable by the at least one processor to cause the wireless communication device to perform the following steps: determining the tone set at least in part based on one or more defined tone index sets, the one or more defined tone index sets being associated with the step of determining the tone position of one or more non-distributed resource elements.

11. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein processor-readable code for determining the tone set is executable by the at least one processor to cause the wireless communication device to perform the following steps: shifting the one or more defined tone index sets, wherein shifting the one or more defined tone index sets includes shifting a tone associated with the one or more defined tone index sets in a frequency domain; and determining the data tone set and the pilot tone set based at least in part on shifting the one or more defined tone index sets.

12. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein processor-readable code for transmitting the data is executable by the at least one processor to cause the wireless communication device to perform the following steps: transmitting or receiving the data via a data tone in each of the plurality of distributed data tone groups.

13. The wireless communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein: The channel bandwidth includes: one or more leading unassigned edge tones; a first set of consecutive useful tones; one or more unassigned DC tones; a second set of consecutive useful tones; one or more subsequent unassigned edge tones; and the tones set includes tones from the first set of consecutive useful tones and the second set of consecutive useful tones.

14. The wireless communication device as claimed in claim 13, wherein: The first continuous useful tone set includes: a first continuous pilot tone set; a first continuous data tone set; and a second continuous pilot tone set; the second continuous useful tone set includes: a third continuous pilot tone set; a second continuous data tone set; and a fourth continuous pilot tone set; the data tone set includes tones from the first continuous data tone set and the second continuous data tone set; and the pilot tone set includes tones from one or more of the first continuous pilot tone set, the second continuous pilot tone set, the third continuous pilot tone set, or the fourth continuous pilot tone set.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the processor-readable code is executable by the at least one processor to cause the wireless communication device to perform the following steps: allocating the channel bandwidth to a plurality of logically distributed resource elements, each logically distributed resource element including the pilot tone set and the data tone set, wherein the pilot tones of the plurality of logically distributed resource elements form a continuous portion of the pilot tone.

16. The wireless communication device as claimed in claim 15, wherein, The distributed resource element includes a single logical distributed resource element among the plurality of logical distributed resource elements.

17. The wireless communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a system bandwidth includes a plurality of dedicated channel bandwidths associated with distributed resource elements, the plurality of dedicated channel bandwidths including the channel bandwidth.

18. The wireless communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each pilot tone or distributed data tone group is at least 11 tones away from other tones in the tone set.

19. The wireless communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each data tone group consists of a pair of consecutive data tones.

20. A method for wireless communication by a wireless communication device, comprising: The system determines a distributed resource element comprising a tone set associated with a first resource element size, the tone set being distributed across an entire channel bandwidth associated with a second resource element size larger than the first resource element size. The tone set includes a pilot tone set and a data tone set. The data tone set includes multiple distributed data tone groups, each data tone group comprising two or more data tones from the data tone set. Each data tone group is spaced apart from each other data tone group by at least one tone within the channel bandwidth. Data is transmitted through the data tone set. Pilot symbols are transmitted through the pilot tone set.

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