Communication method, communication apparatus, chip, computer readable storage medium, and computer program product

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of wireless communications, and in particular to a communication method, a communication apparatus, a chip, a computer readable storage medium, and a computer program product. The present application provides multiple conditions that a pilot subcarrier in subcarrier planning corresponding to a first discrete bandwidth should meet, and the pilot design is conducive to improvement of communication performance and / or reduction of storage overhead. The present application can support IEEE protocols such as the IEEE 802.11be / WiFi 7 / EHT protocol, the IEEE 802.11bn / UHR / WiFi 8 protocol, and IEEE 802.15 / UWB protocol, the IEEE 802.11bf / sensing protocol, and the millimeter wave (MMW) protocol.

Description

Communication methods, communication devices, chips, computer-readable storage media, and computer program products

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410541307.6, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on April 26, 2024, entitled "Communication Method, Communication Device, Chip, Computer-readable Storage Medium and Computer Program Product", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to communication methods, communication devices, chips, computer-readable storage media, and computer program products. Background Technology

[0003] The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) has issued regulations for the 6 GHz spectrum, limiting the maximum transmit power to 23 dBm (decibel-milliwatts) and the maximum power spectral density to 10 dBm / MHz (decibel-milliwatts / megahertz). The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has also issued regulations for the 6 GHz spectrum, defining a low-power indoor (LPI) communication method with strict limits on maximum transmit power and maximum frequency spectral density. For access points (APs), the maximum transmit power is limited to 30 dBm and the maximum power spectral density to 5 dBm / MHz. For stations (STAs), the maximum transmit power is limited to 24 dBm and the maximum power spectral density to -1 dBm / MHz. The transmit power of devices (such as access points and sites) is limited by both maximum power and maximum power spectral density. That is, the transmit power cannot exceed the maximum power value, and the transmitted power spectral density (PSD) cannot exceed the maximum power spectral density. The maximum power spectral density limitation is more stringent than the maximum power limitation; the maximum allowable transmit power is usually more constrained by the power spectral density. For a site, the transmit power only reaches the specified maximum power limit when the bandwidth is 320MHz. When the bandwidth is less than 320MHz, due to the maximum power spectral density limitation, the site can only transmit at a lower power (meaning lower than the specified maximum power).

[0004] Based on this, the Distributed Resource Unit (DRU) technology was proposed to improve the transmission power of equipment. The basic idea of ​​DRU is to discretize the continuous subcarriers within a resource unit (RU) across the widest possible bandwidth to reduce the number of subcarriers within 1 MHz, thereby increasing the transmission power of each subcarrier and ultimately improving the total transmission power. Compared to a regular RU (rRU), a DRU occupies a larger bandwidth and has higher transmission power. For DRUs of various sizes, the number of pilot subcarriers is the same as that of an rRU. A 26-tone DRU contains 2 pilot subcarriers; a 52-tone DRU contains 4 pilot subcarriers; a 106-tone DRU contains 4 pilot subcarriers; a 242-tone DRU contains 8 pilot subcarriers; and a 484-tone DRU contains 16 pilot subcarriers.

[0005] For DRUs, the design of pilot subcarriers in their toneplan affects the device's communication performance and / or storage overhead. Therefore, how to design the pilots in the DRU's toneplan has become a pressing issue. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides communication methods, communication devices, chips, computer-readable storage media, and computer program products. By defining the conditions that pilot subcarriers in a toneplan should meet, it is beneficial to improve communication performance and / or reduce storage overhead.

[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which includes: transmitting or receiving orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols according to a subcarrier plan corresponding to a first discrete bandwidth; the pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier plan satisfy the following conditions: each DRU includes subcarriers with an index greater than 0 and subcarriers with an index less than 0; the first and last subcarriers among the subcarriers with an index greater than 0 are not used as pilot subcarriers, and the first and last subcarriers among the subcarriers with an index less than 0 are not used as pilot subcarriers, because the first and last subcarriers among the subcarriers with an index greater than 0 or less than 0 cannot obtain smoothing filtering gain, thereby avoiding the pilot subcarriers from not obtaining smoothing filtering gain; the difference in index of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is greater than or equal to 11, thereby avoiding pilot clustering and the influence of narrowband interference at the receiving end; the indices of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 and the indices that are greater than 0 are opposites of each other, or the indices of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 and the indices that are greater than 0 are opposites of each other, thereby the storage and retrieval of pilots can reuse the storage and retrieval of regular RUs (regular RUs). The RU (rRU) scheme does not require redesigning the pilot storage and retrieval scheme.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz, and the minimum index of the subcarriers in the DRU included within the first discrete bandwidth is -120, and the maximum index is 120; or, the first discrete bandwidth is 40MHz, and the minimum index of the subcarriers in the DRU included within the first discrete bandwidth is -244, and the maximum index is 244; or, the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz, and the minimum index of the subcarriers in the DRU included within the first discrete bandwidth is -499, and the maximum index is 500. The minimum and maximum indices of the subcarriers included in the first discrete bandwidth are the same as those in the existing subcarrier planning, thus ensuring that the pilot subcarriers in the existing subcarrier planning meet the above conditions, eliminating the need to redesign the subcarrier planning.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz, and the first discrete bandwidth contains DRUs with subcarrier index ranges (i.e., subcarrier index ranges) of [-120:9:-12], 6:9:114]; the first discrete bandwidth is 40MHz, and the first discrete bandwidth contains DRUs with subcarrier index ranges of [-242:18:-26], 10:18:226]; the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz, and the first discrete bandwidth contains DRUs with subcarrier index ranges of [-483:36:-51, 17:36:449] and [-467:36:-35, 33:36:465].

[0010] In one possible implementation, the difference in indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within a first discrete bandwidth is equal to 11. The first discrete bandwidth includes multiple first DRUs, each containing 26 subcarriers. The absolute value of the difference in indices of two pilot subcarriers contained in each first DRU is a first value. Thus, the index of the other pilot subcarrier contained in each first DRU can be obtained by adding the first value to the index of the pilot subcarrier with an index less than 0. This reduces storage overhead by storing only the indexes of pilot subcarriers with an index less than 0. Alternatively, the first discrete bandwidth includes multiple second DRUs, each containing 52 subcarriers. Each second DRU contains two groups of pilot subcarriers, each group containing two pilot subcarriers. Thus, the index of the other pilot subcarrier in each group of pilot subcarriers contained in each second DRU can be obtained by adding the second value to the index of the pilot subcarrier with an index less than 0. This reduces storage overhead by storing only the indexes of pilot subcarriers with an index less than 0.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz and the first value is 126; or, the first discrete bandwidth is 40MHz and the first value is 252; or, the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz and the second value is 500.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the difference in absolute indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is greater than or equal to 11; the first discrete bandwidth includes multiple first DRUs, each containing 26 subcarriers, each containing two pilot subcarriers, and the difference in relative indices of the two pilot subcarriers within each first DRU is 13 or 14. Thus, the receiver (or receiving end) only needs to store the relative pilot index of one 26-tone DRU and the offsets of the relative pilot indexes of other 26-tone DRUs relative to this 26-tone DRU to find the pilots of all 26-tone DRUs, eliminating the need to store the relative pilot indexes of each 26-tone DRU separately, thereby simplifying storage; or, the first discrete bandwidth includes multiple second DRUs, each containing 52 subcarriers, each containing two sets of pilot subcarriers with a difference in relative indices of 13 or 14, each set containing two pilot subcarriers, thereby simplifying storage by storing the offsets of the relative pilot indices.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth includes multiple first DRUs, each containing 26 subcarriers, each first DRU containing two pilot subcarriers, the sorting values ​​corresponding to the indices of the two pilot subcarriers in each first DRU being the same or differing by 1, the sorting value corresponding to the index of the first pilot subcarrier in each first DRU being the sorting value of the index of the first pilot subcarrier among the indices of all subcarriers in the first DRU with an index greater than 0, and the sorting value corresponding to the index of the second pilot subcarrier in each first DRU being the sorting value of the index of the second pilot subcarrier among the indices of all subcarriers in the first DRU with an index less than 0; thus, only half (positive half-frequency or negative half-frequency) of the relative pilot index needs to be stored, thereby simplifying storage.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU9, and DRU1 to DRU9 satisfy one or more of the following:

[0015] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU1 are indices -30 and 96;

[0016] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU2 are indices -107 and 19;

[0017] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU3 are indices -19 and 107;

[0018] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU4 are indexed as -96 and 30;

[0019] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU5 are indices -85 and 41;

[0020] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU6 are indices of -74 and 52;

[0021] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU7 are indices -52 and 74;

[0022] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU8 are indexed as -63 and 63;

[0023] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU9 are indexed as -41 and 85.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU18, where DRU1 to DRU18 satisfy one or more of the following:

[0025] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU1 are indexed as -170 and 82;

[0026] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU2 are indexed as -71 and 181;

[0027] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU3 are indexed as -148 and 104;

[0028] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU4 are indexed as -49 and 203;

[0029] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU5 are indexed as -27 and 225;

[0030] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU6 are indexed as -60 and 192;

[0031] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU7 are indexed as -159 and 93;

[0032] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU8 are indices of -38 and 214;

[0033] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU9 are indexed as -137 and 115;

[0034] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU10 are indexed as -115 and 137;

[0035] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU11 are indices of -214 and 38;

[0036] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU12 are indices -93 and 159;

[0037] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU13 are indexed as -192 and 60;

[0038] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU14 are indexed as -126 and 126;

[0039] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU15 are indexed as -203 and 49;

[0040] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU16 are indices of -104 and 148;

[0041] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU17 are indexed as -181 and 71;

[0042] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU18 are indexed as -82 and 170.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU16, where DRU1 to DRU16 satisfy one or more of the following:

[0044] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU1 are indexed as -195, -107, 305, and 393;

[0045] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU2 are indexed as -151, -63, 349, and 437;

[0046] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU3 are indexed as -371, -283, 129, and 217;

[0047] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU4 are indexed as -327, -239, 173, and 261;

[0048] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU5 are indexed as -261, -173, 239, and 327;

[0049] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU6 are indexed as -217, -129, 283, and 371;

[0050] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU7 are indexed as -393, -85, 107, and 415;

[0051] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU8 are indexed as -437, -349, 63, and 151;

[0052] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU9 are indexed as -338, -250, 162, and 250;

[0053] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU10 are indexed as -294, -206, 206, and 294;

[0054] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU11 are indexed as -426, -118, 74, and 382;

[0055] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU12 are indexed as -382, -74, 118, and 426;

[0056] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU13 are indexed as -404, -316, 96, and 184;

[0057] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU14 are indexed as -360, -272, 140, and 228;

[0058] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU15 are indexed as -228, -140, 272, and 360;

[0059] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU16 are indexed as -184, -96, 316, and 404.

[0060] In one possible implementation, the difference between the indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is 11; the first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz or 40MHz, and the indices of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 are opposites of the indices that are greater than 0; or, the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz, and the indices of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 are opposites of the indices that are greater than 0; thus, the storage and retrieval of pilots can reuse the storage and retrieval rRU scheme, without the need to redesign the storage and retrieval scheme of pilots.

[0061] In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU9, and DRU1 to DRU9 satisfy one or more of the following:

[0062] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU1 are indexed as -111 and 78;

[0063] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU2 are indexed as -89 and 100;

[0064] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU3 are indexed as -100 and 89;

[0065] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU4 are indexed as -78 and 111;

[0066] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU5 are indices -67 and 23;

[0067] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU6 are indices -56 and 34;

[0068] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU7 are indices -34 and 56;

[0069] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU8 are indexed as -45 and 45;

[0070] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU9 are indexed as -23 and 67.

[0071] In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU18, where DRU1 to DRU18 satisfy one or more of the following:

[0072] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU1 are indexed as -224 and 136;

[0073] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU2 are indices -125 and 37;

[0074] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU3 are indexed as -202 and 158;

[0075] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU4 are indices of -103 and 59;

[0076] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU5 are indexed as -81 and 81;

[0077] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU6 are indices of -114 and 48;

[0078] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU7 are indexed as -213 and 147;

[0079] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU8 are indices -92 and 70;

[0080] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU9 are indexed as -191 and 169;

[0081] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU10 are indexed as -169 and 191;

[0082] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU11 are indices -70 and 92;

[0083] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU12 are indices -147 and 213;

[0084] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU13 are indexed as -48 and 114;

[0085] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU14 are indexed as -180 and 180;

[0086] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU15 are indices -59 and 103;

[0087] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU16 are indexed as -158 and 202;

[0088] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU17 are indices -37 and 125;

[0089] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU18 are indexed as -136 and 224.

[0090] In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU16, where DRU1 to DRU16 satisfy one or more of the following:

[0091] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU1 are indexed as -447, -359, 161, and 249;

[0092] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU2 are indexed as -403, -315, 205, and 293;

[0093] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU3 are indexed as -227, -139, 73, and 381;

[0094] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU4 are indexed as -183, -95, 117, and 425;

[0095] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU5 are indexed as -425, -117, 95, and 183;

[0096] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU6 are indexed as -381, -73, 139, and 227;

[0097] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU7 are indexed as -337, -249, 271, and 359;

[0098] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU8 are indexed as -293, -205, 315, and 403;

[0099] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU9 are indexed as -194, -106, 106, and 414;

[0100] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU10 are indexed as -150, -62, 62, and 150;

[0101] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU11 are indexed as -370, -282, 238, and 326;

[0102] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU12 are indexed as -326, -238, 282, and 370;

[0103] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU13 are indexed as -260, -172, 348, and 436;

[0104] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU14 are indexed as -216, -128, 84, and 392;

[0105] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU15 are indexed as -392, -84, 128, and 216;

[0106] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU16 are indexed as -436, -348, 172, and 260.

[0107] In one possible implementation, the difference between the indices of at least one group of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is greater than 11; the first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz or 40MHz, and the indices of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 are opposites of each other; or, the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz, and the indices of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 are opposites of each other; thus, the storage and retrieval of the pilots can reuse the storage and retrieval rRU scheme, without the need to redesign the storage and retrieval scheme of the pilots.

[0108] In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz, and the distribution range of the indexes of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 is -111 to -13; or, the first discrete bandwidth is 40MHz, and the distribution range of the indexes of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 is -224 to -28; or, the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz, and the distribution range of the indexes of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 is -464 to -36.

[0109] In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU9, and DRU1 to DRU9 satisfy one or more of the following:

[0110] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU1 are indexed as -111 and 87;

[0111] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU2 are indices -62 and 37;

[0112] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU3 are indices -37 and 62;

[0113] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU4 are indexed as -87 and 111;

[0114] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU5 are indices -13 and 50;

[0115] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU6 are indices -74 and 25;

[0116] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU7 are indices -25 and 74;

[0117] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU8 are indexed as -99 and 99;

[0118] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU9 are indexed as -50 and 13.

[0119] In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU18, where DRU1 to DRU18 satisfy one or more of the following:

[0120] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU1 are indexed as -224 and 28;

[0121] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU2 are indexed as -179 and 109;

[0122] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU3 are indexed as -202 and 86;

[0123] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU4 are indexed as -121 and 167;

[0124] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU5 are indexed as -63 and 63;

[0125] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU6 are indexed as -132 and 156;

[0126] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU7 are indices -213 and 39;

[0127] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU8 are indices of -74 and 52;

[0128] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU9 are indexed as -191 and 97;

[0129] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU10 are indexed as -97 and 191;

[0130] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU11 are indices -52 and 74;

[0131] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU12 are indices -39 and 213;

[0132] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU13 are indexed as -156 and 132;

[0133] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU14 are indexed as -144 and 144;

[0134] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU15 are indexed as -167 and 121;

[0135] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU16 are indexed as -86 and 202;

[0136] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU17 are indexed as -109 and 179;

[0137] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU18 are indexed as -28 and 224.

[0138] In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU16, where DRU1 to DRU16 satisfy one or more of the following:

[0139] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU1 are indexed as -195, -71, 269, and 393;

[0140] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU2 are indexed as -331, -207, 133, and 257;

[0141] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU3 are indexed as -355, -47, 109, and 453;

[0142] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU4 are indexed as -183, -59, 281, and 405;

[0143] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU5 are indexed as -405, -281, 59, and 183;

[0144] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU6 are indexed as -453, -109, 47, and 355;

[0145] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU7 are indexed as -393, -121, 71, and 343;

[0146] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU8 are indexed as -257, -133, 207, and 331;

[0147] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU9 are indexed as -430, -158, 306, and 430;

[0148] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU10 are indexed as -294, -170, 170, and 294;

[0149] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU11 are indexed as -442, -318, 146, and 418;

[0150] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU12 are indexed as -418, -146, 318, and 442;

[0151] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU13 are indexed as -368, -244, 96, and 220;

[0152] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU14 are indexed as -380, -36, 84, and 464;

[0153] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU15 are indexed as -464, -84, 36, and 380;

[0154] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU16 are indexed as -220, -96, 244, and 368.

[0155] In one possible implementation, the index range of the subcarriers included in DRU1 is [-120:9:-12] and [6:9:114];

[0156] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU2 are [-116:9:-8] and [10:9:118];

[0157] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU3 are [-118:9:-10] and [8:9:116];

[0158] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU4 are [-114:9:-6] and [12:9:120];

[0159] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU5 are [-112:9:-4] and [5:9:113];

[0160] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU6 are [-119:9:-11] and [7:9:115];

[0161] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU7 are [-115:9:-7] and [11:9:119];

[0162] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU8 are [-117:9:-9] and [9:9:117];

[0163] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU9 is [-113:9:-5] and [4:9:112].

[0164] In one possible implementation, the index range of the subcarriers included in DRU1 is [-242:18:-26] and [10:18:226];

[0165] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU2 are [-233:18:-17] and [19:18:235];

[0166] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU3 are [-238:18:-22] and [14:18:230];

[0167] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU4 are [-229:18:-13] and [23:18:239];

[0168] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU5 are [-225:18:-9] and [27:18:243];

[0169] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU6 are [-240:18:-24] and [12:18:228];

[0170] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU7 are [-231:18:-15] and [21:18:237];

[0171] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU8 are [-236:18:-20] and [16:18:232];

[0172] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU9 are [-227:18:-11] and [25:18:241];

[0173] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU10 are [-241:18:-25] and [11:18:227];

[0174] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU11 are [-232:18:-16] and [20:18:236];

[0175] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU12 are [-237:18:-21] and [15:18:231];

[0176] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU13 are [-228:18:-12] and [24:18:240];

[0177] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU14 are [-234:18:-18] and [18:18:234];

[0178] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU15 are [-239:18:-23] and [13:18:229];

[0179] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU16 are [-230:18:-14] and [22:18:238];

[0180] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU17 are [-235:18:-19] and [17:18:233];

[0181] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU18 are [-226:18:-10] and [26:18:242].

[0182] In one possible implementation, the index range of the subcarriers included in DRU1 is [-483:36:-51,17:36:449] and [-467:36:-35,33:36:465];

[0183] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU2 are [-475:36:-43,25:36:457] and [-459:36:-27,41:36:473];

[0184] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU3 are [-479:36:-47,21:36:453] and [-463:36:-31,37:36:469];

[0185] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU4 are [-471:36:-39,29:36:461] and [-455:36:-23,45:36:477];

[0186] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU5 are [-477:36:-45,23:36:455] and [-461:36:-29,39:36:471];

[0187] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU6 are [-469:36:-37,31:36:463] and [-453:36:-21,47:36:479];

[0188] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU7 are [-481:36:-49,19:36:451] and [-465:36:-33,35:36:467];

[0189] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU8 are [-473:36:-41,27:36:459] and [-457:36:-25,43:36:475];

[0190] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU9 are [-482:36:-50,18:36:450] and [-466:36:-34,34:36:466];

[0191] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU10 are [-474:36:-42,26:36:458] and [-458:36:-26,42:36:474];

[0192] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU11 are [-478:36:-46,22:36:454] and [-462:36:-30,38:36:470];

[0193] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU12 are [-470:38:-38,30:36:462] and [-454:36:-22,46:36:478];

[0194] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU13 are [-476:36:-44,24:36:456] and [-460:36:-28,40:36:472];

[0195] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU14 are [-468:36:-36,32:36:464] and [-452:36:-20,48:36:480];

[0196] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU15 are [-480:36:-48,20:36:452] and [-464:36:-32,36:36:468];

[0197] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU16 are [-472:36:-40,28:36:460] and [-456:36:-24,44:36:476].

[0198] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide another communication method, which includes: transmitting or receiving Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols according to the subcarrier planning corresponding to a first discrete bandwidth; the pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning satisfy the following conditions: each Distributed Resource Unit (DRU) includes subcarriers with an index greater than 0 and subcarriers with an index less than 0, the first and last subcarriers among the subcarriers with an index greater than 0 are not used as pilot subcarriers, and the first and last subcarriers among the subcarriers with an index less than 0 are not used as pilot subcarriers; the difference between the indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is greater than or equal to 11; the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​among the indices of multiple pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is greater than 11*n, where n is equal to the number of multiple pilot subcarriers minus 1, thereby increasing the range of pilot distribution and facilitating pilot diversity.

[0199] In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth includes multiple first DRUs, each containing 26 subcarriers. The absolute value of the difference between the indices of two pilot subcarriers contained in each first DRU is a first value. Thus, the index of the other pilot subcarrier contained in each first DRU can be obtained by adding the first value to the index of the pilot subcarrier with an index less than 0. This reduces storage overhead by storing only the indexes of pilot subcarriers with indices less than 0. Alternatively, the first discrete bandwidth includes multiple second DRUs, each containing 52 subcarriers. Each second DRU contains two groups of pilot subcarriers, each group containing two pilot subcarriers. Thus, the index of the other pilot subcarrier in each group of pilot subcarriers contained in each second DRU can be obtained by adding the second value to the index of the pilot subcarrier with an index less than 0. This reduces storage overhead by storing only the indexes of pilot subcarriers with indices less than 0.

[0200] In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz and the first value is 126; or, the first discrete bandwidth is 40MHz and the first value is 252; or, the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz and the second value is 500.

[0201] In one possible implementation, the difference in absolute indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within a first discrete bandwidth is greater than or equal to 11; the first discrete bandwidth includes a plurality of first DRUs, each containing 26 subcarriers, each containing two pilot subcarriers, and the difference in relative indices of the two pilot subcarriers contained in each first DRU is 13 or 14; or, the first discrete bandwidth includes a plurality of second DRUs, each containing 52 subcarriers, each containing two sets of pilot subcarriers with a difference in relative indices of 13 or 14, each set containing two pilot subcarriers, thereby simplifying storage by storing the offset of the relative pilot indices.

[0202] In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth includes multiple first DRUs, each containing 26 subcarriers, each first DRU containing two pilot subcarriers, the sorting values ​​corresponding to the indices of the two pilot subcarriers in each first DRU being the same or differing by 1, the sorting value corresponding to the index of the first pilot subcarrier in each first DRU being the sorting value of the index of the first pilot subcarrier among the indices of all subcarriers in the first DRU with an index greater than 0, and the sorting value corresponding to the index of the second pilot subcarrier in each first DRU being the sorting value of the index of the second pilot subcarrier among the indices of all subcarriers in the first DRU with an index less than 0; thus, only half (positive half-frequency or negative half-frequency) of the relative pilot index needs to be stored, thereby simplifying storage.

[0203] In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz, the distribution range of pilot indices less than 0 corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is -111 to -15, and the distribution range of pilot indices greater than 0 corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is 15 to 111; or, the first discrete bandwidth is 40MHz, the distribution range of pilot indices less than 0 corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is -224 to -27, and the distribution range of pilot indices greater than 0 corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is 28 to 225; or, the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz, the distribution range of pilot indices less than 0 corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is -467 to -36, and the distribution range of pilot indices greater than 0 corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is 33 to 464; thus, when the above conditions are met, the pilot distribution range is maximized, which is beneficial for pilot diversity.

[0204] In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU9; DRU1 to DRU9 satisfy one or more of the following:

[0205] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU1 are indexed as -111 and 15;

[0206] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU2 are indexed as -26 and 100;

[0207] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU3 are indexed as -100 and 26;

[0208] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU4 are indexed as -15 and 111;

[0209] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU5 are indices -76 and 50;

[0210] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU6 are indexed as -38 and 88;

[0211] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU7 are indexed as -88 and 38;

[0212] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU8 are indexed as -63 and 63;

[0213] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU9 are indexed as -50 and 76.

[0214] In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU18; DRU1 to DRU18 satisfy one or more of the following:

[0215] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU1 are indexed as -224 and 28;

[0216] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU2 are indexed as -143 and 109;

[0217] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU3 are indexed as -166 and 86;

[0218] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU4 are indexed as -85 and 167;

[0219] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU5 are indexed as -27 and 225;

[0220] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU6 are indexed as -96 and 156;

[0221] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU7 are indices -213 and 39;

[0222] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU8 are indices of -38 and 214;

[0223] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU9 are indexed as -155 and 97;

[0224] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU10 are indexed as -61 and 191;

[0225] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU11 are indexed as -178 and 74;

[0226] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU12 are indexed as -201 and 51;

[0227] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU13 are indexed as -120 and 132;

[0228] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU14 are indexed as -108 and 144;

[0229] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU15 are indexed as -131 and 121;

[0230] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU16 are indexed as -50 and 202;

[0231] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU17 are indices -73 and 179;

[0232] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU18 are indexed as -190 and 62.

[0233] In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU16; DRU1 to DRU16 satisfy one or more of the following:

[0234] The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU1 are indexed as -467, -159, 33, and 341;

[0235] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU2 are indexed as -295, -171, 205, and 329;

[0236] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU3 are indexed as -443, -319, 57, and 181;

[0237] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU4 are indexed as -455, -147, 45, and 353;

[0238] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU5 are indexed as -369, -245, 131, and 255;

[0239] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU6 are indexed as -381, -73, 119, and 427;

[0240] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU7 are indexed as -393, -85, 107, and 415;

[0241] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU8 are indexed as -221, -97, 279, and 403;

[0242] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU9 are indexed as -430, -122, 70, and 378;

[0243] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU10 are indexed as -258, -134, 242, and 366;

[0244] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU11 are indexed as -406, -282, 94, and 218;

[0245] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU12 are indexed as -418, -110, 82, and 390;

[0246] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU13 are indexed as -332, -208, 168, and 292;

[0247] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU14 are indexed as -344, -36, 156, and 464;

[0248] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU15 are indexed as -356, -48, 144, and 452;

[0249] The pilot subcarriers included in DRU16 are indexed as -184, -60, 316, and 440.

[0250] In one possible implementation, the index range of the subcarriers included in DRU1 is [-120:9:-12] and [6:9:114];

[0251] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU2 are [-116:9:-8] and [10:9:118];

[0252] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU3 are [-118:9:-10] and [8:9:116];

[0253] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU4 are [-114:9:-6] and [12:9:120];

[0254] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU5 are [-112:9:-4] and [5:9:113];

[0255] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU6 are [-119:9:-11] and [7:9:115];

[0256] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU7 are [-115:9:-7] and [11:9:119];

[0257] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU8 are [-117:9:-9] and [9:9:117];

[0258] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU9 is [-113:9:-5] and [4:9:112].

[0259] In one possible implementation, the index range of the subcarriers included in DRU1 is [-242:18:-26] and [10:18:226];

[0260] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU2 are [-233:18:-17] and [19:18:235];

[0261] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU3 are [-238:18:-22] and [14:18:230];

[0262] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU4 are [-229:18:-13] and [23:18:239];

[0263] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU5 are [-225:18:-9] and [27:18:243];

[0264] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU6 are [-240:18:-24] and [12:18:228];

[0265] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU7 are [-231:18:-15] and [21:18:237];

[0266] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU8 are [-236:18:-20] and [16:18:232];

[0267] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU9 are [-227:18:-11] and [25:18:241];

[0268] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU10 are [-241:18:-25] and [11:18:227];

[0269] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU11 are [-232:18:-16] and [20:18:236];

[0270] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU12 are [-237:18:-21] and [15:18:231];

[0271] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU13 are [-228:18:-12] and [24:18:240];

[0272] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU14 are [-234:18:-18] and [18:18:234];

[0273] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU15 are [-239:18:-23] and [13:18:229];

[0274] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU16 are [-230:18:-14] and [22:18:238];

[0275] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU17 are [-235:18:-19] and [17:18:233];

[0276] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU18 are [-226:18:-10] and [26:18:242].

[0277] In one possible implementation, the index range of the subcarriers included in DRU1 is [-483:36:-51,17:36:449] and [-467:36:-35,33:36:465];

[0278] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU2 are [-475:36:-43,25:36:457] and [-459:36:-27,41:36:473];

[0279] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU3 are [-479:36:-47,21:36:453] and [-463:36:-31,37:36:469];

[0280] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU4 are [-471:36:-39,29:36:461] and [-455:36:-23,45:36:477];

[0281] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU5 are [-477:36:-45,23:36:455] and [-461:36:-29,39:36:471];

[0282] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU6 are [-469:36:-37,31:36:463] and [-453:36:-21,47:36:479];

[0283] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU7 are [-481:36:-49,19:36:451] and [-465:36:-33,35:36:467];

[0284] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU8 are [-473:36:-41,27:36:459] and [-457:36:-25,43:36:475];

[0285] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU9 are [-482:36:-50,18:36:450] and [-466:36:-34,34:36:466];

[0286] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU10 are [-474:36:-42,26:36:458] and [-458:36:-26,42:36:474];

[0287] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU11 are [-478:36:-46,22:36:454] and [-462:36:-30,38:36:470];

[0288] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU12 are [-470:38:-38,30:36:462] and [-454:36:-22,46:36:478];

[0289] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU13 are [-476:36:-44,24:36:456] and [-460:36:-28,40:36:472];

[0290] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU14 are [-468:36:-36,32:36:464] and [-452:36:-20,48:36:480];

[0291] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU15 are [-480:36:-48,20:36:452] and [-464:36:-32,36:36:468];

[0292] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU16 are [-472:36:-40,28:36:460] and [-456:36:-24,44:36:476].

[0293] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device for executing the methods in any one of the first to second aspects or any possible implementations described above. The communication device includes modules for executing the methods in any one of the first to second aspects or any possible implementations, such as a processing module and a transceiver module.

[0294] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device including a processor for executing the methods shown in any one of the first to second aspects or any possible implementations thereof. The processor executes a program stored in a memory, and when the program is executed, the methods shown in any one of the first to second aspects or any possible implementations thereof are executed.

[0295] In one possible implementation, the memory is located outside the aforementioned communication device.

[0296] In one possible implementation, the memory is located within the aforementioned communication device.

[0297] In this embodiment, the processor and memory can also be integrated into a single device, that is, the processor and memory can be integrated together. For example, the communication device can be a chip.

[0298] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a transceiver for receiving or sending information.

[0299] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device including a logic circuit and an interface, wherein the logic circuit and the interface are coupled; the interface is used for inputting and / or outputting information, and the logic circuit is used for performing the method as described in any one of the first to second aspects or any possible implementation thereof.

[0300] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the methods shown in any of the first to second aspects or any possible implementation thereof to be executed.

[0301] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product that, when run on a computer, causes the methods shown in any of the first to second aspects or any possible implementations described above to be executed. Attached Figure Description

[0302] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0303] Figure 2a is a schematic diagram of the 20MHz subcarrier distribution and RU distribution provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0304] Figure 2b is a schematic diagram of the 40MHz subcarrier distribution and RU distribution provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0305] Figure 2c is a schematic diagram of the 80MHz subcarrier distribution and RU distribution provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0306] Figure 3a is a schematic diagram of the uplink multi-user transmission process provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0307] Figure 3b is a schematic diagram of the frame format of the EHT variant user information field provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0308] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0309] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0310] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0311] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of another structure of the communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0312] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of another structure of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0313] The terms "first" and "second," etc., used in the specification, claims, and drawings of this application are only used to distinguish different objects and not to describe a specific order. It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the processes involved in the embodiments of this application does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0314] The term "embodiment" as used herein means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this application. The appearance of this phrase in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a mutually exclusive, independent, or alternative embodiment. Those skilled in the art will understand, explicitly and implicitly, that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments. In this application, message names are used only to distinguish different messages and should not be construed as limiting. That is, any message name in this application can be replaced with other names, and this application does not impose any limitations.

[0315] The terminology used in the following embodiments of this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of this application. As used in the specification and appended claims of this application, the singular expressions “a,” “an,” “the,” “the,” “the,” and “this” are intended to include the plural expressions as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used in this application refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more of the listed items. For example, “A and / or B” can mean: the presence of only A, the presence of only B, and the presence of both A and B, where A and B can be singular or plural. The term “multiple” as used in this application refers to two or more. In the textual description of this application, the character “ / ” generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an “or” relationship.

[0316] In the embodiments of this application, "B corresponding to A" means that there is a correspondence between A and B, and B can be determined based on A. However, it should also be understood that determining (or generating) B based on (or on) A does not mean that B is determined (or generated) solely based on (or on) A; B can also be determined (or generated) based on (or on) A and / or other information.

[0317] In this application, the indication includes direct indication (also known as explicit indication) and implicit indication. Direct indication information A refers to information A being included; implicit indication information A refers to information A being indicated through the correspondence between information A and information B, and the direct indication information B. The correspondence between information A and information B can be predefined, pre-stored, pre-burned, or pre-configured.

[0318] In this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which can include direct transmission via the air interface or indirect transmission via the air interface from other units or modules. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which can include direct reception from YY via the air interface or indirect reception from YY via the air interface from other units or modules. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of a chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of a chip interface. In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between network devices and terminal devices, or within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via buses, traces, or interfaces.

[0319] This application provides the conditions that pilot subcarriers in a DRU subcarrier plan should meet, so that when a communication device transmits or receives OFDM symbols according to the DRU subcarrier plan, it can improve communication performance and / or reduce storage overhead. Alternatively, this application provides a design scheme for pilot subcarriers in a DRU subcarrier plan (i.e., designing which subcarriers to use as pilot subcarriers).

[0320] The following describes the system involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0321] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to wireless local area network (WLAN) systems, such as Wi-Fi. For example, the technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to the IEEE 802.11 series of protocols (or standards), such as the 802.11be protocol, the 802.11bn protocol (or Wi-Fi 8, also known as ultra-high reliability (UHR) or ultra-high reliability and throughput (UHRT)), or next-generation protocols of the 802.11bn protocol, or protocols supporting ambient power (AMP), etc., and will not be listed exhaustively. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to wireless personal area networks (WPANs) based on millimeter wave (MMW) and ultra-wideband (UWB) technologies. The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied to the IEEE 802.15 series protocols, such as the 802.15.4a, 802.15.4z, or 802.15.4ab protocols, or future UWB WPAN protocols, etc., and will not be listed one by one. The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application can also be applied to the Spark Link or NearLink standard protocol. The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application can also be applied to the following communication systems, such as Internet of Things (IoT) systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X, where X can represent anything), device-to-device (D2D), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, 5th generation (5G) communication systems, and new communication systems that will emerge in the future development of communication, etc. For example, V2X can include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P), or vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication.

[0322] WLAN systems can provide high-speed, low-latency transmission. As WLAN application scenarios continue to evolve, WLAN systems will be applied to more scenarios or industries, such as the Internet of Things industry, the Internet of Vehicles industry, the banking industry, enterprise offices, stadiums and exhibition halls, concert halls, hotel rooms, dormitories, hospital wards, classrooms, shopping malls, squares, streets, production workshops and warehouses, etc. Of course, devices that support WLAN communication or sensing (such as access points or sites) can be sensor nodes in smart cities (such as smart water meters, smart electricity meters, and smart air monitoring nodes), smart devices in smart homes (such as smart cameras, projectors, displays, televisions, speakers, refrigerators, and washing machines), nodes in the Internet of Things (IoT), entertainment terminals (such as wearable devices for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), smart devices in smart offices (such as printers, projectors, loudspeakers, and speakers), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) devices, infrastructure in daily life scenarios (such as vending machines, self-service navigation kiosks in supermarkets, self-service checkout machines, and self-service ordering machines), and equipment in large sports and music venues.

[0323] Although the embodiments of this application primarily use WLAN as an example, especially networks applied to the IEEE 802.11 series of standards, the various aspects involved in the embodiments of this application can be extended to other networks employing various standards or protocols. For example, Bluetooth, high-performance radio LAN (HIPERLAN) (a wireless standard similar to the IEEE 802.11 standard), and wide area networks (WANs) or other networks now known or to be developed in the future.

[0324] In one possible implementation, the method provided in this application embodiment can be implemented by a communication device in a communication system. For example, the communication device can be an access point (AP) or a station (STA).

[0325] An Access Point (AP) is a device with wireless communication capabilities that supports communication, sensing, or power transmission using WLAN protocols. It has the function of communicating or sensing with other devices in a WLAN network (such as non-access point stations (non-AP STAs) or other access points), and can also have the function of communicating, sensing, or transmitting power with other devices. Alternatively, an access point acts as a bridge connecting wired and wireless networks, primarily connecting various wireless network clients together and then connecting the wireless network to an Ethernet network. In a WLAN system, an access point can be called an Access Point Station (AP STA). This wireless communication device can be a complete device or a chip, processing system, or functional module installed within a complete device. Devices with these chips, processing systems, or functional modules can implement the methods and functions of the embodiments in this application under the control of the chips, processing systems, or functional modules. The AP in the embodiments of this application is a device that provides services to non-AP STAs and can support 802.11 series protocols or subsequent protocols. For example, an access point can be an access point for a terminal (such as a mobile phone) to enter a wired (or wireless) network, mainly deployed in homes, buildings, and parks, with a typical coverage radius of tens to hundreds of meters. Of course, it can also be deployed outdoors. Another example is that an AP can be a communication entity such as a communication server, router, switch, or bridge; APs can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations, and repeater stations. Of course, an AP can also be a chip, processing system, or module within the above-mentioned devices, thereby implementing the methods and functions of the embodiments of this application.

[0326] A Station-Style (STA) is a device with wireless communication capabilities that supports communication, sensing, or power transmission using the WLAN protocol. It has the ability to communicate, sense, or transmit power with other non-AP STAs or access points in a WLAN network. In a WLAN system, a station can be called a non-access point station (non-AP STA). For example, an STA is any user communication device that allows a user to communicate with an AP (Access Point) or sense or transmit power, and thus communicate with the WLAN. This wireless communication device can be a complete device, or it can be a chip, processing system, or functional module installed in a complete device. Devices with these chips, processing systems, or functional modules can implement the methods and functions of the embodiments of this application under the control of the chips, processing systems, or functional modules. For example, an STA can be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor, or a wireless communication terminal, and can also be referred to as a user. Furthermore, an STA can be a mobile phone supporting Wi-Fi communication, a tablet computer supporting Wi-Fi communication, a set-top box supporting Wi-Fi communication, a smart TV supporting Wi-Fi communication, a smart wearable device supporting Wi-Fi communication, an in-vehicle communication device supporting Wi-Fi communication, and a computer supporting Wi-Fi communication. Of course, STA can also be a chip, processing system, or module in the various types of devices described above, thereby implementing the methods and functions of the embodiments of this application.

[0327] For example, the communication systems to which the methods provided in this application can be applied may include access points and stations. For instance, this application can be applied to scenarios of communication or sensing between APs and STAs, between APs, or between STAs in a WLAN, and this application does not limit this. Optionally, an AP can communicate or sense with a single STA, or an AP can communicate or sense with multiple STAs simultaneously. Specifically, communication or sensing between an AP and multiple STAs can be further divided into downlink transmission where the AP simultaneously sends signals to multiple STAs, and uplink transmission where multiple STAs send signals to the AP. The communication protocols between APs and STAs, between APs, and between STAs can support WLAN communication protocols, which may include IEEE 802.11 series protocols, such as the 802.11bn protocol, and of course, protocols after 802.11bn.

[0328] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication system may include one or more APs and one or more STAs. Figure 1 shows two access points, such as AP1 and AP2, and three stations, such as STA1, STA2, and STA3. As an example, the method provided in this embodiment can be applied to data communication, sensing, or power transmission between an AP and one or more STAs, such as the communication, sensing, or power transmission between AP1 and STA1 as shown in Figure 1, and the communication, sensing, or power transmission between AP1 and STA1 / STA2 as shown in Figure 1. As another example, the method provided in this embodiment can be applied to communication between APs, such as the communication, sensing, or power transmission between AP1 and AP2 as shown in Figure 1. As yet another example, the method provided in this embodiment can be applied to communication, sensing, or power transmission between STAs, such as the communication, sensing, or power transmission between STA2 and STA3 as shown in Figure 1.

[0329] Figure 1 uses STA (Mobile Phone) and AP (Router) as an example, and does not imply a limitation on the types of APs and STAs in this application embodiment. Furthermore, the number of APs and STAs shown in Figure 1 is merely an example; in a specific implementation, the number of APs or STAs may be more or less, and this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0330] From the different perspectives of transmitting and receiving OFDM symbols, the first communication device described below can be understood as a communication device that transmits OFDM symbols, and the second communication device can be understood as a communication device that receives OFDM symbols. Alternatively, the first communication device can also be called the transmitter, and the second communication device can also be called the receiver.

[0331] From the perspective of different devices, as an example, the first communication device and the second communication device can be Wi-Fi chips, functional modules, or processing systems installed in different Wi-Fi devices. As another example, the first communication device can be an access point (AP), and the second communication device can be a non-AP STA. As yet another example, both the first and second communication devices can be non-AP STAs or both can be APs. As yet another example, the first communication device can be a non-AP STA, and the second communication device can be an AP. As yet another example, at least one of the first and second communication devices can be a multi-link device (MLD), etc., which will not be listed in detail in this application. For example, an MLD refers to a device that simultaneously has multiple sites (such as APs or non-AP STAs), each operating on different frequency bands or channels. A multi-link device includes multiple affiliated sites, which can be physical sites or logical sites, and each site can operate on a link, a frequency band, or a channel, etc. The aforementioned affiliated sites can be APs or non-AP STAs. Multilink devices (such as non-AP MLDs or AP MLDs) can be communication devices with wireless communication capabilities. This communication device can be a complete unit, or it can be a chip, processing system, or module installed within a complete unit. Devices with these chips, processing systems, or modules installed can implement the methods and functions of the embodiments of this application under the control of these chips, processing systems, or modules. Multilink devices can implement wireless communication by conforming to the 802.11 series of protocols, thereby enabling communication with other devices. Other devices shown herein may or may not be multilink devices. The operating frequency bands of multilink devices may include, but are not limited to, sub-1GHz, 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz, etc., and will not be listed here.

[0332] This application describes the method provided by the first communication device and the second communication device from both sides. However, during the transmission of signals, the first communication device and the second communication device can also forward the signals through other devices, such as forwarding the signals between the first communication device and the second communication device through a forwarding device. This application does not limit other devices besides the first communication device and the second communication device.

[0333] The following describes the terms or nouns used in the embodiments of this application.

[0334] 1. Subcarrier planning (toneplan) based on resource unit (RU)

[0335] As an example, when the bandwidth is 20MHz, the entire bandwidth (i.e., 20MHz) can consist of a single 242-tone RU, or it can consist of various combinations of 26-tone RUs, 52-tone RUs, and 106-tone RUs. Figure 2a is a schematic diagram of the subcarrier distribution and RU distribution for 20MHz provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 2a, 20MHz can include nine 26-tone RUs, or four 52-tone RUs, or two 106-tone RUs, or one 242-tone RU. Subcarrier planning can also be referred to as subcarrier distribution.

[0336] A 26-tone RU is an RU comprising 26 subcarriers, a 52-tone RU is an RU comprising 52 subcarriers, a 106-tone RU is an RU comprising 106 subcarriers, a 242-tone RU is an RU comprising 242 subcarriers, and so on. Each RU may include data subcarriers and pilot subcarriers. For example, data subcarriers may be used to carry data information, and pilot subcarriers may be used for phase offset and / or frequency offset estimation, etc. In addition to RUs, the aforementioned 20MHz bandwidth may also include at least one of the following: one or more guard subcarriers, one or more null subcarriers, and one or more direct current (DC) subcarriers. The subcarrier ranges included in each RU can be found in relevant standards or protocols and will not be detailed here. The descriptions of RUs or subcarriers here also apply to other bandwidths shown below, and will not be repeated here. The descriptions of subcarriers here also apply to the descriptions of DRUs below, and will not be repeated here.

[0337] As another example, when the bandwidth is 40MHz, the entire bandwidth (i.e., 40MHz) can consist of a single 484-tone RU, or various combinations of 26-tone RUs, 52-tone RUs, 106-tone RUs, and 242-tone RUs. The entire bandwidth is roughly equivalent to a replication of a 20MHz subcarrier plan. As shown in Figure 2b, 40MHz can include 18 26-tone RUs, or 8 52-tone RUs, or 4 106-tone RUs, or 2 242-tone RUs, or 1 484-tone RU.

[0338] As another example, when the bandwidth is 80MHz, the entire bandwidth (i.e., 80MHz) can consist of a single 996-tone RU, or various combinations of 26-tone RUs, 52-tone RUs, 106-tone RUs, 242-tone RUs, and 484-tone RUs. As shown in Figure 2c, 80MHz can include 36 26-tone RUs, or 16 52-tone RUs, or 8 106-tone RUs, or 4 242-tone RUs, or 2 484-tone RUs, or 1 996-tone RU. Here, 484L and 484R represent the left and right halves of the 484-tone RU, respectively, each containing 242 subcarriers, and are another representation of 484+5DC. For example, if the subcarrier range of a 484-tone RU is [-500:-12], then "484L" refers to the low-frequency portion relative to the frequency center of the 484-tone RU, i.e., [-500:-259], and "484R" refers to the high-frequency portion relative to the frequency center of the 484-tone RU, i.e., [-253:-12]. Similarly, if the subcarrier range of a 484-tone RU is [12:500], then "484L" is [12:253], and "484R" is [259:500]. These are not listed exhaustively here.

[0339] In this application, [a:b] can refer to all integers from a to b (a and b are also integers), i.e.: a, (a+1), (a+2), (a+3), ..., b; this will not be elaborated further below. For example, [259:500] represents 259, 260, 261, 262, ..., 498, 499, 500. Another example is [-500:-259], which represents -500, -499, -498, -497, ..., -260, -259.

[0340] As another example, when the bandwidth is 160MHz, the entire bandwidth can be viewed as a replica of two 80MHz subcarrier distributions. For instance, the entire bandwidth can consist of a single 2*996-tone RU, or various combinations of 26-tone RUs, 52-tone RUs, 106-tone RUs, 242-tone RUs, 484-tone RUs, and 996-tone RUs. When the bandwidth is 320MHz, the entire bandwidth can be viewed as a replica of four 80MHz subcarrier distributions. These will not be listed further here.

[0341] In the various subcarrier plans described above, using a 242-tone RU (i.e., 20MHz) as the unit, the leftmost part of Figures 2a-2c can be the lowest frequency, and the rightmost part of Figures 2a-2c can be the highest frequency. From left to right, the 242-tone RUs can be numbered: the first (1st), the second (2... nd ), ..., the sixteenth (16) th Taking a bandwidth of 320MHz as an example, the data field in a radio frame can occupy a maximum of 16 242-tone RUs. That is to say, in the data field, there can be a maximum of 16 242-tone RUs corresponding to 16 20MHz channels in ascending order of frequency.

[0342] Generally, a STA can be assigned multiple RUs, meaning multiple RUs can be combined and assigned to a single STA. Therefore, the 802.11be standard supports multiple resource units (MRUs). In other words, in addition to the types of RUs mentioned above, the 802.11be standard also includes some MRUs. For example, a 52-tone RU and a 26-tone RU form a 52+26-tone MRU. Another example is a 106-tone RU and a 26-tone RU forming a 106+26-tone MRU. Yet another example is a 996-tone RU and a 484-tone RU forming a 996+484-tone MRU. Yet another example is two 996-tone RUs and one 484-tone RU forming a 2*996+484-tone MRU. And yet another example is three 996-tone RUs forming a 3*996-tone MRU. For example, three 996-tone RUs and one 484-tone RU together form a 3*996+484-tone MRU. The symbol “*” in this application means “multiplied” or “multiplied by”.

[0343] In terms of bandwidth, when the subcarrier spacing is 78.125 kHz, a 26-tone RU corresponds to approximately 2 MHz (i.e., 26 * 78.125 kHz = 2031.25 kHz ≈ 2 MHz), a 52-tone RU corresponds to approximately 4 MHz, a 106-tone RU corresponds to approximately 8 MHz, and a 242-tone RU corresponds to approximately 20 MHz. The dimensions of other RUs can be deduced by addition or multiplication, which will not be elaborated upon in this application.

[0344] The aforementioned RU can be called a regular RU (rRU). Compared to a DRU, a regular RU has smaller bandwidth and lower transmission power. The term "lower" here is relative to a distributed RU; for example, the transmission power of a distributed RU can be further increased compared to a regular RU.

[0345] 2. Uplink multi-user transmission

[0346] Uplink multi-user transmission is an important technology. Referring to Figure 3a, which is a schematic diagram of the uplink multi-user transmission process provided in an embodiment of this application, the uplink multi-user transmission process may include: the AP sending a trigger frame to trigger uplink multi-user transmission; the trigger frame carrying identifier information and resource allocation information for one or more stations; each station, upon receiving the trigger frame, uses a trigger-based physical layer protocol data unit (TB PPDU) to send an uplink frame (e.g., an uplink data frame or control frame) on its allocated resource unit (RU), and receives a block acknowledge (BA) frame sent by the AP after a short inter-frame space (SIFS). Each station can determine its allocated resource unit based on the resource allocation information.

[0347] In one possible implementation, the trigger frame may include, but is not limited to, a common information field and a user info list field. The common information field may contain common information that all STAs scheduled by the trigger frame need to read. In 802.11be, the user info list field of the trigger frame may include, but is not limited to, one or more EHT variant user Info fields. An EHT variant user Info field may contain information that an EHT STA needs to read. Refer to Figure 3b, which is a schematic diagram of the frame format of the EHT variant user Info field provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 3b, the EHT variant user Info field includes, but is not limited to, a Resource Unit Allocation subfield and a Master-Slave 160 subfield.

[0348] Generally, the RU or MRU assigned to a STA can be indicated by the following subfields: Resource Unit Allocation subfield, Master-Slave 160 subfield, Uplink Bandwidth subfield in the Common Information field, and Uplink Bandwidth Extension subfield in the Special User Information field. In the Common Information field, B55 indicates whether a Special User Information field exists in the User Information field. For EHT TB PPDUs, the bandwidth is jointly determined by the UL BW subfield and the UL BW Extension subfield in the Special User Information field.

[0349] The B0 bit in the RU allocation subfield, bits B7 to B1 in the RU allocation subfield, the PS160 subfield, and the mapping relationship between RU and MRU are shown in Table 1 below. The bandwidth is jointly determined by the UL BW subfield and the UL BW extension subfield. Table 1 illustrates the interpretation of the RU allocation subfield and PS160 subfield in the 802.11be trigger frame.

[0350] Table 1

[0351] In one possible implementation, N in Table 1 above can be obtained by the formula N = 2 * X1 + X0. The values ​​of X1 and X0 can be found in Table 2 below, which shows a lookup table for X1 and N.

[0352] Table 2

[0353] In Table 2 above, P80 represents the primary 80MHz channel, S80 represents the secondary 80MHz channel, and S160 represents the secondary 160MHz channel.

[0354] In Table 2 above, the configuration refers to the order of P80, S80, and S160 in absolute frequencies, from left to right representing low to high frequencies. For example, [P80 S80] indicates that the primary 80MHz channel is the first 80MHz channel from low to high frequency, and the secondary 80MHz channel is the second 80MHz channel from low to high frequency; or, [P80 S80] indicates that the primary 80MHz channel is a low 80MHz channel, and the secondary 80MHz channel is a high 80MHz channel. As another example, [S80 P80 S160] indicates that the secondary 80MHz channel is a low 80MHz channel within a low 160MHz channel, the primary 80MHz channel is a high 80MHz channel within a low 160MHz channel, and the secondary 160MHz channel is a high 160MHz channel.

[0355] 3. Distributed resource unit

[0356] Recently, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued regulations regarding the 6 GHz spectrum, defining a low-power indoor (LPI) communication method with strict limits on maximum transmit power and maximum frequency spectral density. For example, for a station (STA), the maximum power is 24 dBm, and the maximum power spectral density is -1 dBm / MHz. The transmit power of a device is limited by both the maximum power and the maximum power spectral density; firstly, the transmit power cannot exceed the maximum power value, and secondly, the transmit power spectral density cannot exceed the maximum power spectral density. Compared to maximum power, the limitation on maximum power spectral density is more stringent, and the maximum transmit power is usually more constrained by the power spectral density. For a station, the maximum power limit stipulated by the regulations is only reached when the bandwidth is at its maximum of 320 MHz. Below this bandwidth, due to the limitation on maximum power spectral density, only lower power can be transmitted. On June 30, 2021, Europe also issued regulations for the 6 GHz spectrum, targeting LPI communication methods, such as a maximum power of 23 dBm and a maximum power spectral density of 10 dBm / MHz. When the bandwidth does not exceed 20MHz, the transmission power of the AP / STA is mainly limited by the power spectral density, while when the bandwidth is greater than 20MHz, the transmission power of the AP / STA is mainly limited by the maximum power.

[0357] Due to the limited power spectral density, discretizing a finite number of subcarriers (such as a 26-tone RU) across a wider bandwidth, i.e., more subcarriers (such as an odd number of subcarriers in two 26-tone RUs), can increase the transmission power. This is called a discrete RU, or distributed RU. Discrete bandwidth refers to the discrete range of subcarriers contained in the DRU, generally a portion of the bandwidth (channel bandwidth). It is commonly used in uplink multi-user transmissions, where multiple users interleave discrete RUs, increasing the transmission power of each user under a fixed bandwidth. It should be noted that the maximum power spectral density is limited in the form of a transmission power of no more than x mW per MHz. Considering a carrier spacing of 78.125 kHz, 1 MHz contains 12.8 (approximately 13) subcarriers. Since the average power of each subcarrier is the same during a single transmission, observing any consecutive 13 subcarriers, the maximum number of subcarriers carrying the signal determines the average power of each subcarrier, and thus the transmission power of the signal. For example, with a 20MHz bandwidth (242 subcarriers in total), if a maximum of 5 out of every 13 consecutive subcarriers carry signals, then the average power of each subcarrier will be x(mW) / 5. Considering there are 26 subcarriers carrying signals, the total transmission power will be x(mW) / 5*26.

[0358] The DRU in this application includes multiple subcarriers discrete in the frequency domain, or multiple subcarriers discrete indices (or index values), or multiple subcarriers with discontinuous indices. These discrete subcarriers can be partially discrete or completely discrete. For example, the discrete subcarriers may include some subcarriers that are frequency-continuous, and some subcarriers that are frequency-discontinuous. Alternatively, the discrete subcarriers may be completely frequency-discontinuous. The phrase "frequency-continuous" can also be interpreted as "the indices of the subcarriers are continuous," and "frequency-discontinuous" can also be interpreted as "the indices of the subcarriers are discontinuous." In this application, "distributed RU" and "DRU" or "discrete RU" can be used interchangeably. It should also be understood that the DRU mentioned in this application refers to an RU with discrete subcarriers in the frequency domain. That is, an RU with this characteristic is referred to as a distributed RU or discrete RU in this application, but in practice, an RU with this characteristic may have other names, which this application does not limit.

[0359] In this application, a continuous RU refers to an RU consisting of multiple consecutive subcarriers, or a continuous RU consisting of two groups of consecutive subcarriers, where each group of consecutive subcarriers includes multiple consecutive subcarriers, and the two groups of consecutive subcarriers are separated only by guard subcarriers, empty subcarriers, or DC subcarriers. Of course, a continuous RU can also have other names, such as a regular RU (rRU). "Continuous RU" and "regular RU" can be used interchangeably, and this application does not limit the name of the continuous RU.

[0360] 4. DRU subcarrier planning (tone plan)

[0361] In one possible implementation, DRU subcarrier planning is designed based on the following three principles: first, the size and number of DRUs are the same as those of rRUs; second, the hierarchical relationship between DRUs of different sizes is the same as that of rRUs; and third, existing RU indication tables can be reused. Current standard proposals provide DRU subcarrier planning for 20MHz, 40MHz, and 80MHz, as shown in Tables 3 to 5.

[0362] Table 3 20M Subcarrier Planning

[0363] Table 3 shows the indices of data subcarriers and pilot subcarriers in a distributed tone RU (DRU) in a 20MHz UHR PPDU. Table 3 shows the indices of the subcarriers (including data subcarriers and pilot subcarriers) contained in the nine 26-tone DRUs (i.e., 26-tone DRU1 to 26-tone DRU9), where [-120:9:-12, 6:9:114] represents the index of the subcarriers (including data subcarriers and pilot subcarriers) contained in DRU1, [-116:9:-8, 10:9:118] represents the index of the subcarriers contained in DRU2, ..., [-113:9:-5, 4:9:112] represents the index of the subcarriers contained in DRU9. In this application, [a:b:c] can refer to all integers from a to c with a gap of b (a, b, and c are integers), i.e., a, (a+b), (a+2b), (a+3b), ..., c; this will not be elaborated further below. For example, [-120:9:-12] is -120-111-102-93-84-75-66-57-48-39-30-21-12. Another example is [6:9:114], which is 615243342516069788796105114. In this application, [a:b:c, d:e:f] represents all integers from a to c with a gap of b (a, b, and c are integers) and all integers from d to f with a gap of e (d, e, and f are integers), i.e., d, (d+e), (d+2e), (d+3e), ..., f; this will not be elaborated further below. For example, [-120:9:-12, 6:9:114] represents -120-111-102-93-84-75-66-57-48-39-30-21-12615243342516069788796105114. Referring to Table 3, the index of the subcarriers contained in a 52-tone DRU is the union of the indices of the subcarriers contained in two 26-tone DRUs. As an example, 26-tone[DRU6, DRU7] represents the index of the subcarriers contained in 52-tone DRU1. Alternatively, the index of the subcarriers contained in 52-tone DRU1 is the union of the indices of the subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU1 and 26-tone DRU2. As another example, the index of the subcarriers contained in 52-tone DRU2 is the union of the indices of the subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU3 and 26-tone DRU4.Referring to Table 3, 26-tone[DRU1~4],[-3,3] represents the index of the subcarriers contained in 106-tone DRU1, that is, the index of the subcarriers contained in 106-tone DRU1 is the union of the index of the subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU1, the index of the subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU2, the index of the subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU3, the index of the subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU4 and [-3,3]; 26-tone[DRU6~9],[-2,2] represents the index of the subcarriers contained in 106-tone DRU2, that is, the index of the subcarriers contained in 106-tone DRU2 is the union of the index of the subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU6, the index of the subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU7, the index of the subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU8, the index of the subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU9 and [-2,2]. In this application, the DRU subcarrier planning is divided into negative half-frequency and positive half-frequency. Or, the DRU subcarrier planning includes negative half-frequency subcarrier planning and positive half-frequency subcarrier planning. For example, for a 26-tone DRU1, [-120:9:-12] represents the index of the subcarriers located in the negative half-frequency, and [6:9:114] represents the index of the subcarriers located in the positive half-frequency.

[0364] Table 4 40M Subcarrier Planning

[0365] Table 4 shows the indices of data and pilot subcarriers in distributed tone RUs (DRUs) in a 40MHz UHR PPDU. Table 4 shows the indices of subcarriers contained in 18 26-tone DRUs, 8 52-tone DRUs, 4 106-tone DRUs, and 2 242-tone DRUs. As an example, [-242:18:-26,10:18:226] represents the index of the subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU1. As another example, [-242:9:-17,10:9:235] represents the index of the subcarriers contained in 52-tone DRU1. As another example, 26-tone[DRU1~DRU4],[-8,5] represents the indices of the subcarriers included in 106-tone DRU1, i.e., the indices of the subcarriers included in 106-tone DRU1 are the union of the indices of the subcarriers included in 26-tone DRU1, 26-tone DRU2, 26-tone DRU3, 26-tone DRU4, and [-8,5]. The indices of the subcarriers included in a 52-tone DRU are the union of the indices of the subcarriers included in two 26-tone DRUs. As an example, 26-tone[DRU1,DRU2] represents the indices of the subcarriers included in 52-tone DRU1. As another example, 26-tone[DRU6,DRU7] represents the indices of the subcarriers included in 52-tone DRU3.

[0366] Table 5 80M Subcarrier Planning

[0367] Table 5 shows the indices of data and pilot subcarriers in distributed tone RUs (DRUs) in an 80MHz UHR PPDU. Table 5 shows the indices of subcarriers contained in 16 52-tone DRUs, 8 106-tone DRUs, 4 242-tone DRUs, and 2 484-tone DRUs. As an example, [-483:36:-51,17:36:449] and [-467:36:-35,33:36:465] represent the indices of the subcarriers contained in 52-tone DRU1. As another example, 52-tone[DRU1~DRU2],[-495,485] represents the index of the subcarriers contained in 106-tone DRU1.

[0368] 5. Principles for DRU pilot subcarrier design

[0369] For each size of DRU, the number of pilot subcarriers is the same as that of rRU. For example, a 26-tone DRU contains 2 pilot subcarriers; a 52-tone DRU contains 4 pilot subcarriers; a 106-tone DRU contains 4 pilot subcarriers; a 242-tone DRU contains 8 pilot subcarriers; and a 484-tone DRU contains 16 pilot subcarriers.

[0370] There is a hierarchical relationship between the pilot subcarriers of DRUs of different sizes. The four pilot subcarriers of a 52-tone DRU are composed of the pilot subcarriers of the two 26-tone DRUs it contains; the four pilot subcarriers of a 106-tone DRU are contained within the eight pilot subcarriers of the two 52-tone DRUs it contains; the eight pilot subcarriers of a 242-tone DRU are composed of the pilot subcarriers of the two 106-tone DRUs it contains; and the sixteen pilot subcarriers of a 484-tone DRU are composed of the pilot subcarriers of the two 242-tone DRUs it contains.

[0371] The following describes the method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0372] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The descriptions of the first and second communication devices involved in Figure 4 can be found above and will not be detailed here. As shown in Figure 4, the method includes:

[0373] 401. The first communication device generates OFDM symbols according to the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth.

[0374] The first discrete bandwidth is any one of 20MHz, 40MHz, or 80MHz. The first discrete bandwidth can also be 160MHz or other bandwidths. This application does not limit the first discrete bandwidth and / or the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth. As an example 1, the first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz, and the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is shown in Table 3. As another example 2, the first discrete bandwidth is 40MHz, and the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is shown in Table 4. As another example 3, the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz, and the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is shown in Table 5.

[0375] The subcarrier plan corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth can be any existing seed carrier plan, or it can be a future proposed subcarrier plan corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth. This application does not limit the division of each DRU within the first discrete bandwidth, the number of subcarriers contained in each DRU, or the subcarriers contained in each DRU. That is to say, for any subcarrier plan, the pilot design scheme provided in this application can be used to design (or determine) the index of the pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier plan. Or, the index range of the subcarriers contained in each DRU is not limited. In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz, the first discrete bandwidth includes 9 26-tone DRUs, and the minimum index of the subcarriers contained in the 26-tone DRU (or the 9 26-tone DRUs) is -120, and the maximum index is 120. As an example, the first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz, the first discrete bandwidth includes 9 26-tone DRUs, and the index range of the subcarriers contained in each 26-tone DRU is shown in Table 3. In one possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth is 40MHz, comprising 18 26-tone DRUs. The minimum index of the subcarriers contained in each 26-tone DRU (or the 18 26-tone DRUs) is -244, and the maximum index is 244. As an example, the first discrete bandwidth is 40MHz, comprising 18 26-tone DRUs, and the index range of the subcarriers contained in each 26-tone DRU is shown in Table 4. In another possible implementation, the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz, comprising 16 52-tone DRUs. The minimum index of the subcarriers contained in each 26-tone DRU (or the 16 52-tone DRUs) is -499, and the maximum index is 500. As an example, the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz, comprising 16 52-tone DRUs, and the index range of the subcarriers contained in each 52-tone DRU is shown in Table 5.

[0376] This application provides the conditions that pilot subcarriers in a DRU subcarrier plan (tone plan) should meet, so that when a communication device transmits or receives OFDM symbols according to the DRU subcarrier plan, it can improve communication performance and / or reduce storage overhead. Alternatively, this application defines the conditions that pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier plan corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth should meet. As an example, this application provides a scheme for using which indices in the subcarrier plans shown in Tables 4, 5, or 6 above as indices for pilot subcarriers (or pilot indices). Alternatively, this application provides indices for the pilot subcarriers included in each DRU in the subcarrier plans shown in Tables 4, 5, or 6.

[0377] In one possible implementation, the pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth satisfy the following condition 1: Each DRU within the first discrete bandwidth includes subcarriers with an index greater than 0 and subcarriers with an index less than 0. The first and last subcarriers among the subcarriers with an index greater than 0 are not used as pilot subcarriers, and the first and last subcarriers among the subcarriers with an index less than 0 are not used as pilot subcarriers. This is because the first and last subcarriers among the subcarriers with an index greater than 0 or less than 0 cannot obtain smoothing filtering gain, thus avoiding the pilot subcarriers from not obtaining smoothing filtering gain; the difference between the indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is greater than or equal to 11, thus avoiding pilot clustering and the impact of narrowband interference at the receiving end; the indices of the pilot subcarriers with a value less than 0 and the indices with a value greater than 0 within the first discrete bandwidth are opposites of each other, or the indices of the pilot subcarriers with a value less than 0 and the indices with a value greater than 0 within the first discrete bandwidth are opposites of each other. Thus, the storage and retrieval of pilots can reuse the storage and retrieval scheme of rRUs, without needing to redesign the storage and retrieval scheme of pilots.

[0378] In this application, for ease of subsequent reference, when referring to the conditions satisfied by the pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth, different numbers are used to distinguish the different conditions satisfied by the pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth, but this should not be construed as a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0379] In one possible implementation, the pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth satisfy the following condition 2: Each DRU includes subcarriers with an index greater than 0 and subcarriers with an index less than 0. The first and last subcarriers among the subcarriers with an index greater than 0 are not used as pilot subcarriers, and the first and last subcarriers among the subcarriers with an index less than 0 are not used as pilot subcarriers. This is because the first and last subcarriers among the subcarriers with an index greater than 0 or less than 0 cannot obtain smoothing filtering gain, thereby avoiding the pilot subcarriers from not obtaining smoothing filtering gain; the difference between the indices of any two adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is greater than or equal to 11, thereby avoiding pilot clustering and the influence of narrowband interference at the receiving end; the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of the indices of multiple pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is greater than 11*n, where n is equal to the number of the multiple pilot subcarriers minus 1, and n is an integer greater than 0. The distribution range of the pilot subcarriers (which can be referred to as pilots) is relatively large, which is beneficial for pilot diversity. In this application, the difference in indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth refers to the difference in absolute indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth, that is, the difference between the index of the pilot subcarrier with the larger index and the index of the pilot subcarrier with the smaller index among two adjacent pilot subcarriers. For example, if the indices (which can be called index values) of two adjacent pilot subcarriers are -111 and -100 respectively, the difference in indices of these two adjacent pilot subcarriers is 11.

[0380] 402. The first communication device sends OFDM symbols.

[0381] Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the OFDM symbols according to the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth.

[0382] 403. The second communication device parses the OFDM symbol.

[0383] In this embodiment, several conditions that pilot subcarriers in subcarrier planning should meet are provided. When the first and last subcarriers among those with indices greater than or less than 0 are not used as pilot subcarriers, the inability of pilot subcarriers to obtain smoothing filtering gain can be avoided. When the difference between the indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is greater than or equal to 11, pilot clustering and its impact on narrowband interference at the receiver can be avoided. When the indices of pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 and greater than 0 are opposites of each other, or when the indices of pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 and greater than 0 are opposites of each other, pilot storage and retrieval can reuse the storage and retrieval rRU scheme, eliminating the need to redesign the pilot storage and retrieval scheme. When the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​among the indices of multiple pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is greater than 11*n, the distribution range of the pilot subcarriers is larger, which is beneficial for pilot diversity.

[0384] The following describes the conditions that the pilot subcarriers (or pilot indices) in the subcarrier planning involved in the embodiments of this application must satisfy.

[0385] In one possible implementation, the pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth satisfy the above condition 1, wherein the difference in index of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is equal to 11. As an example, the design process of pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is as follows: First, the first and last subcarriers among the subcarriers with indices less than 0 in each 26-tone DRU are not used as pilot subcarriers, and the first and last subcarriers among the subcarriers with indices greater than 0 in each 26-tone DRU are also not used as pilot subcarriers; second, the spacing between adjacent subcarriers is guaranteed to be 11. For example, when the first discrete bandwidth is 20M, the index of the first pilot subcarrier can be any one of -111 to -101; for another example, when the first discrete bandwidth is 40M, the index of the first pilot subcarrier can be any one of -224 to -214; for yet another example, when the first discrete bandwidth is 80M, the index of the first pilot subcarrier can be any one of -464 to -421; third, the indices of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 and the indices of the pilot subcarriers that are greater than 0 are opposites of each other, or the indices of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 and the indices of the pilot subcarriers that are greater than 0 are opposites of each other. The subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth can be divided into a positive half-frequency and a negative half-frequency. The negative half-frequency of the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth includes all subcarriers with indices less than 0, and the positive half-frequency includes all subcarriers with indices greater than 0. The indices less than 0 and greater than 0 of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth are opposites of each other. This can be replaced by: the pilot index of the positive half-frequency being obtained by inverting the pilot index of the negative half-frequency, or vice versa. This application uses the pilot subcarriers in a 26-tone DRU as an example to illustrate the conditions satisfied by the pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth. For DRUs of other sizes, their pilot subcarriers can be obtained by merging the pilot subcarriers of the 26-tone DRU.

[0386] In one possible implementation, the pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth satisfy condition 3 and condition 1 above, where condition 1 includes the difference in indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth being equal to 11. As an example, the design process for the pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is as follows: In the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth, the design of pilot subcarriers that simultaneously satisfy condition 3 and condition 1 above is determined. Condition 3 above can include one or more sets of pilot subcarriers for each DRU where the absolute value of the difference in indices is the same. In one possible implementation, when one DRU contains two pilot indices, the absolute value of the difference in indices of the two pilot subcarriers contained in that DRU is a first value. As an example, the first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz, and the absolute value of the difference in indices of the two pilot subcarriers contained in each 26-tone DRU is 126, i.e., the first value is 126. As another example, the first discrete bandwidth is 40MHz, and the absolute value of the difference in indices of the two pilot subcarriers contained in each 26-tone DRU is 252, i.e., the first value is 252. In one possible implementation, when a DRU contains four pilot indices, the DRU contains pilot subcarriers whose absolute difference between two sets of indices is a second value, with each set containing two pilot subcarriers. As an example, the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz, and each 52-tone DRU contains pilot subcarriers whose absolute difference between two sets of indices is 500, i.e., the aforementioned second value is 500. For example, in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth, the index range of the subcarriers included in 52-toneDRU1 is [-483:36:-51,17:36:449] and [-467:36:-35,33:36:465]. The indexes of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU1 are -195, -107, 305 and 393. Among them, -195 and 305 are the indexes of pilot subcarriers whose absolute difference between the two sets of indices is 500, and -107 and 393 are the indexes of pilot subcarriers whose absolute difference between the two sets of indices is 500.

[0387] In one possible implementation, the pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth satisfy condition 4 and condition 1 above, where condition 1 includes the difference in indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth being equal to 11. As an example, the design process for the pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is as follows: In the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth, the design of pilot subcarriers that simultaneously satisfy condition 4 and condition 1 above is determined. Optionally, the pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth also satisfy condition 3 above. Condition 4 above can be that different DRUs contain one or more sets of pilot subcarriers with the same or similar relative index differences. In this application, the relative index difference of a set of pilot subcarriers (or two pilot subcarriers) contained in a DRU refers to the difference between the sorting value of the index of the pilot subcarrier with an index less than 0 in the index of each subcarrier contained in the DRU, and the sorting value of the index of the pilot subcarrier with an index greater than 0 in the index of each subcarrier contained in the DRU. For ease of understanding, the difference in relative indices of a set of pilot subcarriers (or two pilot subcarriers) included in the DRU is described below with reference to Table 6. Table 6 is an example of a pilot design for a 20M tone plan provided in an embodiment of this application. Alternatively, Table 6 shows an example of the pilot index for a 20M bandwidth 26-tone DRU. The pilot design shown in Table 6 simultaneously satisfies conditions 1, 3, and 4 above.

[0388] Table 6 Pilot Index for 20M Bandwidth 26-tone DRU

[0389] Referring to Table 6, the first nine rows represent the negative half-frequency of the 20MHz tone plan, i.e., the negative half-frequency tone plan. Each row from the first to the ninth shows the index of a subcarrier with an index less than 0 contained in one of the 26-tone DRU1 to 26-tone DRU9. For example, the first row represents the index of the subcarrier with an index less than 0 contained in 26-tone DRU1. The last nine rows (i.e., rows twelfth to twentieth) represent the positive half-frequency of the 20MHz tone plan, i.e., the positive half-frequency tone plan. Each row from the twelfth to the twentieth shows the index of a subcarrier with an index greater than 0 contained in one of the 26-tone DRU1 to 26-tone DRU9. For example, the twelfth row represents the index of the subcarrier with an index greater than 0 contained in 26-tone DRU1. In the tables of this application (including Table 6, Table 7 below, Table 8-1, etc.), the indices marked with bold and underline are pilot indices. For example, the pilot subcarriers in 26-tone DRU1 (corresponding to the first and twelfth rows) are indices of -30 and 96, and the pilot subcarriers in 26-tone DRU2 (corresponding to the fifth and sixteenth rows) are indices of -107 and 19.

[0390] It should be noted here that the index ranges of subcarriers included in each DRU shown in each table in this application are merely examples, and this application does not limit the index range of subcarriers included in each DRU. For example, Table 1 shows that the index range of subcarriers included in DRU1 is [-120:9:-12] and [6:9:114], and the indices of the pilot subcarriers in DRU1 are -30 and 96. The index range of subcarriers included in DRU1 can be other ranges, not including [-120:9:-12] and [6:9:114]. In addition, in this application, the serial numbers of each DRU (e.g., DRU1 to DRU9) are only for distinguishing DRUs containing different subcarriers; that is, the serial numbers of each DRU are merely examples. In other words, this application does not limit the subcarriers included in each DRU.

[0391] The following uses 26-tone DRU1 and 26-tone DRU2 as examples to illustrate the sorting values ​​of the pilot subcarriers with indices less than 0 and the pilot subcarriers with indices greater than 0 within the indexes of all subcarriers contained in the DRU. Referring to Table 6, the indices of the subcarriers contained in each DRU are arranged in ascending order. As an example, the index of the pilot subcarriers with indices less than 0 in 26-tone DRU1 (i.e., -30 in the first row) has a sorting value of 11 within the indexes of all subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU1; the index of the pilot subcarriers with indices greater than 0 in 26-tone DRU1 (i.e., 96 in the twelfth row) has a sorting value of 24 within the indexes of all subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU1; and the relative index difference (i.e., 24-11) of a set of pilot subcarriers (or two pilot subcarriers) contained in 26-tone DRU1 is 13. As another example, the index of the pilot subcarriers with an index less than 0 in the 26-tone DRU2 (i.e., -107 in the fifth row) has a sort value of 2 in the index of each subcarrier in the 26-tone DRU2, the index of the pilot subcarriers with an index greater than 0 in the 26-tone DRU2 (i.e., 19 in the sixteenth row) has a sort value of 15 in the index of each subcarrier in the 26-tone DRU2, and the difference in relative indices of the two pilot subcarriers in the 26-tone DRU2 (i.e., 15-2) is 13.

[0392] "Similar relative index differences" means that the difference between two relative indices is less than a certain threshold (not limited, for example, the threshold is 2). For example, with a first discrete bandwidth of 20MHz, the difference between the relative indices of the two pilot subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU1 is 13, meaning 26-tone DRU1 contains a set of pilot subcarriers with a relative index difference of 13. The difference between the relative indices of the two pilot subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU9 is 14, meaning 26-tone DRU9 contains a set of pilot subcarriers with a relative index difference of 14. Since the difference between the two relative indices (i.e., 13 and 14) is less than the threshold (e.g., 2), 26-tone DRU1 and 26-tone DRU9 contain a set of pilot subcarriers with similar relative index differences. In one possible implementation, condition 4 above could be that each DRU includes one or more sets of pilot subcarriers with a relative index difference of 13 or 14. As an example, the first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz or 40MHz, and condition 4 above states that the difference in relative indices of the two pilot subcarriers contained in each 26-tone DRU is 13 or 14. This simplifies storage by storing the offset of the relative pilot indices. As another example, the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz, and each 52-tone DRU contains 4 pilot subcarriers. Condition 4 above states that for each 52-tone DRU, there are two sets of pilot subcarriers with a difference in relative indices of 13 or 14, and each set contains two pilot subcarriers.

[0393] In one possible implementation, the pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth satisfy condition 5 and condition 1 above, where condition 1 includes the difference in indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth being equal to 11. As an example, the design process for the pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is as follows: In the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth, the design of pilot subcarriers that simultaneously satisfy condition 5 and condition 1 above is determined. Optionally, the pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth also satisfy condition 3 above and / or condition 4 above. Condition 5 can be that the relative positions of the pilot subcarriers in the positive and negative half-frequency subcarrier planning are the same or similar, thus simplifying storage by requiring only half (positive or negative half-frequency) of the relative pilot indices to be stored. Alternatively, condition 5 can be that the relative positions of the pilot indices in the positive half-frequency of the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth are the same or similar to the relative positions of the pilot indices in the negative half-frequency of the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth. The relative positions of pilot subcarriers in the positive and negative half-frequency subcarrier planning can be the same if the sorting values ​​corresponding to the indices of the two pilot subcarriers in each 26-tone DRU are the same. The relative positions of pilot subcarriers in the positive and negative half-frequency subcarrier planning can be similar if the absolute value of the difference between the sorting values ​​corresponding to the indices of the two pilot subcarriers in each 26-tone DRU is less than a certain threshold, such as 1. For example, the relative positions of pilot subcarriers in the positive and negative half-frequency subcarrier planning are similar if the sorting values ​​corresponding to the indices of the two pilot subcarriers in each 26-tone DRU differ by 1. The sorting values ​​corresponding to the indices of the two pilot subcarriers in each 26-tone DRU include: the sorting value of the index of the pilot subcarrier with an index greater than 0 in the DRU among the indices of all subcarriers with an index greater than 0 in the DRU, and the sorting value of the index of the pilot subcarrier with an index less than 0 in the DRU among the indices of all subcarriers with an index less than 0 in the DRU. Referring to Table 6, the first and twelfth rows of Table 6 show the indices of the subcarriers contained in the 26-tone DRU1, where -30 is the index of the 26-tone DRU1 containing an index less than 0, and 96 is the index of the 26-tone DRU1 containing an index greater than 0. The index of the pilot subcarrier containing the 26-tone DRU1 containing an index greater than 0 (i.e., 96) has a sorting value of 11 in the index of each subcarrier containing the 26-tone DRU1 containing an index greater than 0, and the index of the pilot subcarrier containing the 26-tone DRU1 containing an index less than 0 (i.e., -30) has a sorting value of 11 in the index of each subcarrier containing the 26-tone DRU1 containing an index less than 0.Referring to Table 6, rows 9 and 20 of Table 6 show the indices of the subcarriers contained in the 26-tone DRU5, where -85 is the index of the 26-tone DRU5 containing an index less than 0, 41 is the index of the 26-tone DRU5 containing an index greater than 0, the index of the pilot subcarrier containing an index greater than 0 (i.e., 41) has a sort value of 5 in the index of the subcarriers containing an index greater than 0 in the 26-tone DRU5, and the index of the pilot subcarrier containing an index less than 0 (i.e., -85) has a sort value of 4 in the index of the subcarriers containing an index less than 0 in the 26-tone DRU5.

[0394] The following examples, in conjunction with Tables 6 above, 7, 8-1, 8-2, 9, 10, 11-1, and 11-2 below, illustrate the pilot indices (or pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth) of the 26-tone DRU provided in this application for different bandwidths. The pilot indices of the 26-tone DRU shown in Tables 6 above, 7, 8-1, 8-2 below, 9, 10, 11-1, and 11-2 all satisfy condition 1 above. The pilot indices of the 26-tone DRU shown in Tables 6 above, 7, 8-1, and 8-2 below also satisfy one or more of conditions 3, 4, or 5 above.

[0395] Table 6 shows an example of pilot indices for a 20MHz bandwidth 26-tone DRU. The pilot design shown in Table 6 can simultaneously satisfy conditions 1, 3, 4, and 5 above. Table 6 can be designed based on one or more of conditions 1, 3, 4, and 5 above. For example, Table 6 is designed based on conditions 1 and 4 above. Another example is that Table 6 is designed based on conditions 1, 3, and 5 above. Table 6 simultaneously satisfies the following conditions: the pilot indices for the positive and negative half-frequency are opposites of each other, that is, the indices of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 are opposites of the indices that are greater than 0, and the difference between the relative indices of the two pilot subcarriers of each 26-tone DRU is the same or close. An example of the design obtained in Table 6 is as follows: The difference between the indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers is fixed at 11. When the first pilot index (i.e., the smallest index less than 0) is -107, the last pilot index (the largest index less than 0) is -19. Starting from the opposite number 19 of -19, the inverses are taken sequentially to obtain the pilot indices between 19 and 107.

[0396] Another way to describe the pilot index of the 20M bandwidth 26-tone DRU shown in Table 6 is as follows: The first discrete bandwidth (20M) includes DRU1 to DRU9, each DRU includes 26 subcarriers, and DRU1 to DRU9 satisfy:

[0397] The index range of the subcarriers contained in DRU1 is [-120:9:-12] and [6:9:114], and the index of the pilot subcarriers contained in DRU1 is -30 and 96;

[0398] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU2 is [-116:9:-8] and [10:9:118], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU2 is -107 and 19;

[0399] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU3 is [-118:9:-10] and [8:9:116], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU3 is -19 and 107;

[0400] The subcarrier index range of DRU4 is [-114:9:-6] and [12:9:120], and the pilot subcarrier index of DRU4 is -96 and 30;

[0401] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU5 is [-112:9:-4] and [5:9:113], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU5 is -85 and 41;

[0402] The subcarrier index range of DRU6 is [-119:9:-11] and [7:9:115], and the pilot subcarrier index of DRU6 is -74 and 52;

[0403] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU7 is [-115:9:-7] and [11:9:119], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU7 is -52 and 74;

[0404] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU8 is [-117:9:-9] and [9:9:117], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU8 is -63 and 63;

[0405] The DRU9 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-113:9:-5] and [4:9:112], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -41 and 85.

[0406] It should be noted that the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU from DRU1 to DRU9 mentioned above is only an example, and the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU can be other ranges.

[0407] Table 7 provides an example of a pilot design for a 40M tone plan according to an embodiment of this application. Alternatively, Table 7 shows an example of a pilot index for a 40M bandwidth 26-tone DRU. The pilot design shown in Table 7 can simultaneously satisfy conditions 1, 3, 4, and 5 described above. Table 7 can be designed based on one or more of conditions 1, 3, 4, and 5. For example, Table 7 is designed based on conditions 1 and 4. Another example is that Table 7 is designed based on conditions 1, 3, and 5.

[0408] Table 7 Pilot Index for 40MHz Bandwidth 26-tone DRU

[0409] Referring to Table 7, the first 18 rows represent the negative half-frequency of the 40M tone plan, i.e., the negative half-frequency tone plan. Each row from the first to the eighteenth shows the index of a subcarrier with an index less than 0 contained in one of the 26-tone DRU1 to 26-tone DRU18. For example, the first row shows the index of the subcarrier with an index less than 0 contained in 26-tone DRU1. The last 18 rows (i.e., rows twenty-two to thirty-nine) represent the positive half-frequency of the 40M tone plan, i.e., the positive half-frequency tone plan. Each row from the twenty-second to the thirty-ninth shows the index of a subcarrier with an index greater than 0 contained in one of the 26-tone DRU1 to 26-tone DRU18. For example, the twenty-second row shows the index of the subcarrier with an index greater than 0 contained in 26-tone DRU1. For instance, the pilot subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU1 (corresponding to rows one and twenty-two) have indices of -170 and 82, and the pilot subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU2 (corresponding to rows ten and thirty-one) have indices of -71 and 181. Table 7 simultaneously satisfies the following conditions: the pilot indices of the positive and negative half-frequency are opposites of each other (except for -27 and 225), and the relative index difference between the two pilot subcarriers of each 26-tone DRU is the same within the 26-tone DRU. An example of the design that yields Table 7 is as follows: The index difference between adjacent pilot subcarriers is fixed at 11. When the first pilot index (i.e., the smallest index less than 0) is -214, the last pilot index (the largest index less than 0) is -27. Inverting -27 to the first subcarrier of a 26-tone DRU in the positive half-frequency is detrimental to channel coefficient smoothing filtering, so 27 is discarded. Starting from 38, the opposite of -38, inverting each index sequentially yields pilot indices between 38 and 214, and finally adding 225.

[0410] Another way to describe the pilot index of the 40MHz bandwidth 26-tone DRU shown in Table 7 is as follows: The first discrete bandwidth (40MHz) includes DRU1 to DRU18, each DRU including 26 subcarriers, and DRU1 to DRU18 satisfy:

[0411] The index range of the subcarriers contained in DRU1 is [-242:18:-26] and [10:18:226], and the index of the pilot subcarriers contained in DRU1 is -170 and 82;

[0412] The subcarrier index range of DRU2 is [-233:18:-17] and [19:18:235], and the pilot subcarrier index of DRU2 is -71 and 181;

[0413] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU3 is [-238:18:-22] and [14:18:230], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU3 is -148 and 104;

[0414] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU4 is [-229:18:-13] and [23:18:239], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU4 is -49 and 203;

[0415] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU5 is [-225:18:-9] and [27:18:243], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU5 is -27 and 225;

[0416] The DRU6 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-240:18:-24] and [12:18:228], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -60 and 192.

[0417] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU7 is [-231:18:-15] and [21:18:237], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU7 is -159 and 93;

[0418] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU8 is [-236:18:-20] and [16:18:232], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU8 is -38 and 214;

[0419] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU9 is [-227:18:-11] and [25:18:241], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU9 is -137 and 115;

[0420] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU10 is [-241:18:-25] and [11:18:227], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU10 is -115 and 137;

[0421] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU11 is [-232:18:-16] and [20:18:236], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU11 is -214 and 38;

[0422] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU12 is [-237:18:-21] and [15:18:231], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU12 is -93 and 159;

[0423] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU13 is [-228:18:-12] and [24:18:240], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU13 is -192 and 60;

[0424] The index range of the subcarriers contained in DRU14 is [-234:18:-18] and [18:18:234], and the index of the pilot subcarriers contained in DRU14 is -126 and 126;

[0425] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU15 is [-239:18:-23] and [13:18:229], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU15 is -203 and 49;

[0426] The DRU16 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-230:18:-14] and [22:18:238], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -104 and 148.

[0427] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU17 is [-235:18:-19] and [17:18:233], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU17 is -181 and 71;

[0428] The DRU18 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-226:18:-10] and [26:18:242], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -82 and 170.

[0429] It should be noted that the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU from DRU1 to DRU18 is only an example, and the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU can be other ranges.

[0430] Tables 8-1 and 8-2 together show an example of pilot indexes for an 80MHz bandwidth 52-tone DRU. Tables 8-1 and 8-2 can be considered as a single table. For example, each row of this table includes indices for 26 subcarriers, and the subcarrier index in the nth row of this table is the union of the subcarrier indices in the nth row of Table 8-1 and the subcarrier indices in the nth row of Table 8-2. n is an integer greater than 0. As another example, each row of this table includes indices for 52 subcarriers, and the subcarrier index in the nth row of this table is the union of the subcarrier indices contained in the nth row of Table 8-1, the subcarrier indices contained in the nth row of Table 8-2, the subcarrier indices contained in the (n+16)th row of Table 8-1, and the subcarrier indices contained in the (n+16)th row of Table 8-2.

[0431] The pilot designs shown in Tables 8-1 and 8-2 can simultaneously satisfy conditions 1, 3, 4, and 5 above. The pilot designs shown in Tables 8-1 and 8-2 can be designed based on one or more of conditions 1, 3, 4, and 5 above. For example, the pilot designs shown in Tables 8-1 and 8-2 are designed based on conditions 1 and 4 above. Another example is that the pilot designs shown in Tables 8-1 and 8-2 are designed based on conditions 1, 3, and 5 above. In some possible implementations, the 80M Tone Plan provides a minimum Tone Plan for 52-tone DRUs (see Table 5). During the pilot design process, the 52-tone DRU Tone Plan can be first split into Tone Plans based on 26-tone DRUs, and then the 26-tone DRU Tone Plans can be merged to obtain the 52-tone DRU Tone Plan.

[0432] Table 8-1

[0433] Table 8-2

[0434] The union of the subcarrier indices in row n of Table 8-1 and row n of Table 8-2 is the index of a subcarrier contained in a 26-tone DRU1. n can be any integer greater than 0 and less than 19. That is, the same row in both Table 8-1 and Table 8-2 shows the index of a subcarrier contained in a 26-tone DRU1. For example, rows 1 to 32 of Table 8-1 and rows 1 to 32 of Table 8-2 together show the indices of the subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU1 to 26-tone DRU32, respectively. In the pilot designs shown in Tables 8-1 and 8-2, merging 26-tone DRU1 to 16 with 26-tone DRU17 to 32 yields a 52-tone DRU; in reality, a 26-tone DRU does not exist. Referring to Tables 8-1 and 8-2, the union of the subcarrier indices in row n of Table 8-1, row n of Table 8-2, row (n+16) of Table 8-1, and row (n+16) of Table 8-2 constitutes an index of the subcarriers contained in a 52-tone DRU. In one possible implementation, the first and second communication devices can store a table for determining the pilot index of an 80MHz bandwidth 52-tone DRU, where the subcarrier indices in row n of this table are the union of the subcarrier indices in row n of Table 8-1, row n of Table 8-2, row (n+16) of Table 8-1, and row (n+16) of Table 8-2; that is, this table can be obtained by merging Tables 8-1 and 8-2.

[0435] Tables 8-1 and 8-2 together show the pilot indices contained in 52-tone DRU1 through 52-tone DRU16. For example, the union of the subcarrier indices contained in the first row of Table 8-1 and the first row of Table 8-2 (i.e., [-483:36:-51,17:36:449]) and the subcarrier indices contained in the seventeenth row of Table 8-1 and the seventeenth row of Table 8-2 ([-467:36:-35,33:36:465]) is the subcarrier index contained in 52-tone DRU1, which includes pilot indices of -195, -107, 305, and 393. For example, the union of the subcarrier indices contained in the ninth row of Table 8-1 and the ninth row of Table 8-2 (i.e., [-475:36:-43,25:36:457]), and the subcarrier indices contained in the twenty-fifth row of Table 8-1 and the twenty-fifth row of Table 8-2 (i.e., [-459:36:-27,41:36:473]), is the subcarrier index contained in 52-tone DRU2. The pilot indices contained in 52-tone DRU2 include -151, -63, 349, and 437. The pilot designs shown in Tables 8-1 and 8-2 simultaneously satisfy that the pilot indices of the positive and negative half-frequency are opposites of each other (except for -52 and 448), and that the difference between the relative indices of the two pilot subcarriers of each 26-tone DRU is the same. An example of the design obtained from Tables 8-1 and 8-2 is as follows: The difference between the indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers is fixed at 11. When the first pilot index (i.e., the smallest index less than 0) is -437, the last pilot index (the largest index less than 0) is -52. The inverse of -52 is the first subcarrier of a 26-tone DRU in the positive half-frequency, which is not conducive to the smooth filtering of the channel coefficient. Therefore, 52 is discarded. Starting from 63, the opposite of -63, the inverses are taken sequentially to obtain the pilot index between 63 and 437. Finally, 448 is added.

[0436] Another way to describe the pilot index of the 80MHz bandwidth 26-tone DRU shown in Tables 8-1 and 8-2 is as follows: The first discrete bandwidth (80MHz) includes DRU1 to DRU16, each DRU comprising 52 subcarriers, and DRU1 to DRU16 satisfy the following:

[0437] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU1 are [-483:36:-51,17:36:449] and [-467:36:-35,33:36:465], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU1 are -195, -107, 305 and 393;

[0438] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU2 are [-475:36:-43,25:36:457] and [-459:36:-27,41:36:473], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU2 are -151, -63, 349 and 437;

[0439] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU3 are [-479:36:-47,21:36:453] and [-463:36:-31,37:36:469], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU3 are -371, -283, 129 and 217;

[0440] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU4 are [-471:36:-39,29:36:461] and [-455:36:-23,45:36:477], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU4 are -327, -239, 173 and 261;

[0441] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU5 are [-477:36:-45,23:36:455] and [-461:36:-29,39:36:471], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU5 are -261, -173, 239 and 327.

[0442] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU6 are [-469:36:-37,31:36:463] and [-453:36:-21,47:36:479], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU6 are -217, -129, 283 and 371;

[0443] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU7 is [-481:36:-49,19:36:451] and [-465:36:-33,35:36:467]. The indexes of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU7 are -393, -85, 107 and 415.

[0444] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU8 are [-473:36:-41,27:36:459] and [-457:36:-25,43:36:475], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU8 are -437, -349, 63 and 151;

[0445] The DRU9 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-482:36:-50,18:36:450] and [-466:36:-34,34:36:466], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -338, -250, 162 and 250.

[0446] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU10 is [-474:36:-42,26:36:458] and [-458:36:-26,42:36:474]. The index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU10 is -294, -206, 206 and 294.

[0447] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU11 is [-478:36:-46,22:36:454] and [-462:36:-30,38:36:470]. The indexes of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU11 are -426, -118, 74 and 382.

[0448] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU12 is [-470:38:-38,30:36:462] and [-454:36:-22,46:36:478]. The indexes of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU12 are -382, -74, 118 and 426.

[0449] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU13 is [-476:36:-44,24:36:456] and [-460:36:-28,40:36:472]. The indexes of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU13 are -404, -316, 96 and 184.

[0450] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU14 are [-468:36:-36,32:36:464] and [-452:36:-20,48:36:480], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU14 are -360, -272, 140 and 228;

[0451] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU15 is [-480:36:-48,20:36:452] and [-464:36:-32,36:36:468]. The indexes of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU15 are -228, -140, 272 and 360.

[0452] The DRU16 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-472:36:-40,28:36:460] and [-456:36:-24,44:36:476], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -184, -96, 316 and 404.

[0453] It should be noted that the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU from DRU1 to DRU16 is only an example, and the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU can be other ranges.

[0454] Table 9 provides another example of a pilot design for a 20M tone plan according to embodiments of this application. Alternatively, Table 9 shows another example of pilot indices for a 20M bandwidth 26-tone DRU. The pilot design shown in Table 9 satisfies condition 1 above, which includes that the difference between the indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth (20M) is equal to 11, and that the indices of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 are opposites of the indices that are greater than 0.

[0455] Table 9 Pilot Index for 20M Bandwidth 26-tone DRU

[0456] Referring to Table 9, the first nine rows represent the negative half-frequency of the 20M tone plan. Each row from the first to the ninth shows the index of a subcarrier with an index less than 0 contained in one of the 26-tone DRU1 to 26-tone DRU9. For example, the first row shows the index of the subcarrier with an index less than 0 contained in 26-tone DRU1. The last nine rows (i.e., rows twelfth to twentieth) represent the positive half-frequency of the 20M tone plan. Each row from the twelfth to the twentieth shows the index of a subcarrier with an index greater than 0 contained in one of the 26-tone DRU1 to 26-tone DRU9. For example, the twelfth row shows the index of the subcarrier with an index greater than 0 contained in 26-tone DRU1. For instance, the pilot subcarrier indices in 26-tone DRU1 (corresponding to rows one and twelve) are -111 and 78, and the pilot subcarrier indices in 26-tone DRU2 (corresponding to rows five and sixteen) are -89 and 100. The pilot design shown in Table 9 simultaneously satisfies the requirement that the difference between the indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers is equal to 11, and that the pilot indices of the positive and negative half-frequency are opposites of each other. An example of the design obtained in Table 9 is as follows: The difference between the indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers is fixed at 11. When the first pilot index (i.e., the smallest index less than 0) is -111, the last pilot index (the largest index less than 0) is -23. Starting from 23, the opposite of -23, the inversions are taken sequentially to obtain pilot indices between 23 and 111.

[0457] Another way to describe the pilot index of the 20M bandwidth 26-tone DRU shown in Table 9 is as follows: The first discrete bandwidth (20M) includes DRU1 to DRU9, each DRU includes 26 subcarriers, and DRU1 to DRU9 satisfy:

[0458] The index range of the subcarriers contained in DRU1 is [-120:9:-12] and [6:9:114], and the index of the pilot subcarriers contained in DRU1 is -111 and 78;

[0459] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU2 is [-116:9:-8] and [10:9:118], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU2 is -89 and 100;

[0460] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU3 is [-118:9:-10] and [8:9:116], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU3 is -100 and 89;

[0461] The subcarrier index range of DRU4 is [-114:9:-6] and [12:9:120], and the pilot subcarrier index of DRU4 is -78 and 111;

[0462] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU5 is [-112:9:-4] and [5:9:113], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU5 is -67 and 23;

[0463] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU6 is [-119:9:-11] and [7:9:115], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU6 is -56 and 34;

[0464] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU7 is [-115:9:-7] and [11:9:119], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU7 is -34 and 56;

[0465] The subcarrier index range of DRU8 is [-117:9:-9] and [9:9:117], and the pilot subcarrier index of DRU8 is -45 and 45;

[0466] The DRU9 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-113:9:-5] and [4:9:112], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -23 and 67.

[0467] It should be noted that the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU from DRU1 to DRU9 mentioned above is only an example, and the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU can be other ranges.

[0468] Table 10 is an example of another pilot design for a 40M tone plan provided in the embodiments of this application. Alternatively, Table 10 shows another example of pilot indices for a 40M bandwidth 26-tone DRU. The pilot design shown in Table 10 satisfies condition 1 above, which includes that the difference between the indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth (20M) is equal to 11, and that the indices of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 are opposites of the indices that are greater than 0.

[0469] Table 10 Pilot Index for 40MHz Bandwidth 26-tone DRU

[0470] Referring to Table 10, the first 18 rows represent the negative half-frequency of the 40M tone plan. Each row from the first to the eighteenth shows the index of a subcarrier with an index less than 0 contained in one of the 26-tone DRU1 to 26-tone DRU18. For example, the first row represents the index of the subcarrier with an index less than 0 contained in 26-tone DRU1. The last 18 rows (i.e., rows twenty-two to thirty-nine) represent the positive half-frequency of the 40M tone plan. Each row from the twenty-second to the thirty-ninth shows the index of a subcarrier with an index greater than 0 contained in one of the 26-tone DRU1 to 26-tone DRU18. For example, the twenty-second row represents the index of the subcarrier with an index greater than 0 contained in 26-tone DRU1. For instance, the pilot subcarrier indices in 26-tone DRU1 (corresponding to rows one and twenty-two) are -224 and 136, and the pilot subcarrier indices in 26-tone DRU2 (corresponding to rows ten and thirty-one) are -125 and 37. The pilot design shown in Table 10 simultaneously satisfies the following conditions: the difference between the indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers is equal to 11, and the pilot indices of the positive and negative half-frequency are opposites of each other. An example of the design obtained in Table 10 is as follows: the difference between the indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers is fixed at 11. When the first pilot index (i.e., the smallest index less than 0) is -224, the last pilot index (the largest index less than 0) is -37. Starting from 37, the opposite of -37, the inverses are taken sequentially to obtain pilot indices between 37 and 224.

[0471] Another way to describe the pilot index of the 40MHz bandwidth 26-tone DRU shown in Table 10 is as follows: The first discrete bandwidth (40MHz) includes DRU1 to DRU18, each DRU including 26 subcarriers, and DRU1 to DRU18 satisfy:

[0472] The index range of the subcarriers contained in DRU1 is [-242:18:-26] and [10:18:226], and the index of the pilot subcarriers contained in DRU1 is -224 and 136;

[0473] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU2 is [-233:18:-17] and [19:18:235], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU2 is -125 and 37;

[0474] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU3 is [-238:18:-22] and [14:18:230], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU3 is -202 and 158;

[0475] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU4 are [-229:18:-13] and [23:18:239], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU4 are -103 and 59;

[0476] The subcarrier index range of DRU5 is [-225:18:-9] and [27:18:243], and the pilot subcarrier index of DRU5 is -81 and 81;

[0477] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU6 are [-240:18:-24] and [12:18:228], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU6 are -114 and 48;

[0478] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU7 is [-231:18:-15] and [21:18:237], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU7 is -213 and 147;

[0479] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU8 is [-236:18:-20] and [16:18:232], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU8 is -92 and 70;

[0480] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU9 is [-227:18:-11] and [25:18:241], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU9 is -191 and 169;

[0481] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU10 is [-241:18:-25] and [11:18:227], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU10 is -169 and 191;

[0482] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU11 is [-232:18:-16] and [20:18:236], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU11 is -70 and 92;

[0483] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU12 is [-237:18:-21] and [15:18:231], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU12 is -147 and 213;

[0484] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU13 is [-228:18:-12] and [24:18:240], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU13 is -48 and 114;

[0485] The subcarrier index range of DRU14 is [-234:18:-18] and [18:18:234], and the pilot subcarrier index of DRU14 is -180 and 180;

[0486] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU15 is [-239:18:-23] and [13:18:229], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU15 is -59 and 103;

[0487] The DRU16 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-230:18:-14] and [22:18:238], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -158 and 202.

[0488] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU17 is [-235:18:-19] and [17:18:233], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU17 is -37 and 125;

[0489] The DRU18 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-226:18:-10] and [26:18:242], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -136 and 224.

[0490] It should be noted that the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU from DRU1 to DRU18 is only an example, and the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU can be other ranges.

[0491] Tables 11-1 and 11-2 together illustrate an example of pilot indexes for an 80MHz bandwidth 52-tone DRU. Tables 11-1 and 11-2 can be considered as a single table. For example, each row of this table includes indices for 26 subcarriers, and the subcarrier index in the nth row of this table is the union of the subcarrier indices in the nth row of Table 11-1 and the subcarrier indices in the nth row of Table 11-2. n is an integer greater than 0. As another example, each row of this table includes indices for 52 subcarriers, and the subcarrier index in the nth row of this table is the union of the subcarrier indices contained in the nth row of Table 11-1, the subcarrier indices contained in the nth row of Table 11-2, the subcarrier indices contained in the (n+16)th row of Table 11-1, and the subcarrier indices contained in the (n+16)th row of Table 11-2. The pilot designs shown in Tables 11-1 and 11-2 satisfy condition 1 above. Condition 1 includes the difference between the indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth (20MHz) being equal to 11, and the indices of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth being the opposites of the indices of the subcarriers with values ​​less than 0. For example, the pilot designs shown in Tables 11-1 and 11-2 are designed based on condition 1 above. Among some possible implementations, the 80MHz Tone Plan provides a Tone Plan with a minimum of 52-tone DRUs, see Table 5. In the pilot design process, the 52-tone DRU Tone Plan can be first split into Tone Plans based on 26-tone DRUs, and then the 26-tone DRU Tone Plans can be merged to obtain the 52-tone DRU Tone Plan.

[0492] Table 11-1

[0493] Table 11-2

[0494] The union of the subcarrier indices in row n of Table 11-1 and row n of Table 11-2 constitutes the index of the subcarriers contained in a 26-tone DRU1. For example, rows 1 to 32 of Table 11-1 and rows 1 to 32 of Table 11-2 together show the indices of the subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU1 to 26-tone DRU32, respectively. In the pilot designs shown in Tables 11-1 and 11-2, merging 26-tone DRU1 to 16 with 26-tone DRU17 to 32 yields a 52-tone DRU; in reality, the 26-tone DRU does not exist. Referring to Tables 11-1 and 11-2, the union of the subcarrier indices contained in row n of Table 11-1, row n of Table 11-2, row (n+16) of Table 11-1, and row (n+16) of Table 11-2 constitutes an index of the subcarriers contained in a 52-tone DRU. In one possible implementation, the first and second communication devices can store a table for determining the pilot index of an 80MHz bandwidth 52-tone DRU, where the subcarrier indices contained in row n of this table are the union of the subcarrier indices contained in row n of Table 11-1, row n of Table 11-2, row (n+16) of Table 11-1, and row (n+16) of Table 11-2; that is, this table can be obtained by merging Tables 11-1 and 11-2.

[0495] Tables 11-1 and 11-2 together show the pilot indices contained in 52-tone DRU1 through 52-tone DRU16. For example, the union of the subcarrier indices contained in the first row of Table 11-1 and the first row of Table 11-2 (i.e., [-483:36:-51,17:36:449]) and the subcarrier indices contained in the seventeenth row of Table 11-1 and the seventeenth row of Table 11-2 (i.e., [-467:36:-35,33:36:465]) is the subcarrier index contained in 52-tone DRU1, which includes pilot indices of -447, -359, 161, and 249. For example, the union of the subcarrier indices contained in the ninth row of Table 11-1 and the ninth row of Table 11-2 (i.e., [-475:36:-43,25:36:457]), and the subcarrier indices contained in the twenty-fifth row of Table 11-1 and the twenty-fifth row of Table 11-2 (i.e., [-459:36:-27,41:36:473]), is the subcarrier index contained in 52-tone DRU2, which includes pilot indices of -403, -315, 205, and 293.

[0496] Another way to describe the pilot index of the 80MHz bandwidth 26-tone DRU shown in Tables 11-1 and 11-2 is as follows: The first discrete bandwidth (80MHz) includes DRU1 to DRU16, each DRU comprising 52 subcarriers, and DRU1 to DRU16 satisfy the following:

[0497] The subcarrier index range of DRU1 is [-483:36:-51,17:36:449] and [-467:36:-35,33:36:465], and the pilot subcarrier indexes of DRU1 are -447, -359, 161 and 249.

[0498] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU2 are [-475:36:-43,25:36:457] and [-459:36:-27,41:36:473], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU2 are -403, -315, 205 and 293;

[0499] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU3 are [-479:36:-47,21:36:453] and [-463:36:-31,37:36:469], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU3 are -227, -139, 73 and 381;

[0500] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU4 are [-471:36:-39,29:36:461] and [-455:36:-23,45:36:477], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU4 are -183, -95, 117 and 425;

[0501] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU5 are [-477:36:-45,23:36:455] and [-461:36:-29,39:36:471], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU5 are -425, -117, 95 and 183;

[0502] The DRU6 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-469:36:-37,31:36:463] and [-453:36:-21,47:36:479], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -381, -73, 139 and 227.

[0503] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU7 is [-481:36:-49,19:36:451] and [-465:36:-33,35:36:467]. The indexes of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU7 are -337, -249, 271 and 359.

[0504] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU8 are [-473:36:-41,27:36:459] and [-457:36:-25,43:36:475], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU8 are -293, -205, 315 and 403;

[0505] The DRU9 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-482:36:-50,18:36:450] and [-466:36:-34,34:36:466], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -194, -106, 106 and 414.

[0506] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU10 is [-474:36:-42,26:36:458] and [-458:36:-26,42:36:474]. The index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU10 is -150, -62, 62 and 150.

[0507] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU11 is [-478:36:-46,22:36:454] and [-462:36:-30,38:36:470]. The indexes of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU11 are -370, -282, 238 and 326.

[0508] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU12 is [-470:38:-38,30:36:462] and [-454:36:-22,46:36:478]. The indexes of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU12 are -326, -238, 282 and 370.

[0509] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU13 is [-476:36:-44,24:36:456] and [-460:36:-28,40:36:472]. The indexes of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU13 are -260, -172, 348 and 436.

[0510] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU14 are [-468:36:-36,32:36:464] and [-452:36:-20,48:36:480], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU14 are -216, -128, 84 and 392;

[0511] The DRU15 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-480:36:-48,20:36:452] and [-464:36:-32,36:36:468], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -392, -84, 128 and 216.

[0512] The DRU16 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-472:36:-40,28:36:460] and [-456:36:-24,44:36:476], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -436, -348, 172 and 260.

[0513] It should be noted that the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU from DRU1 to DRU16 is only an example, and the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU can be other ranges.

[0514] In one possible implementation, the pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth satisfy the above condition 1, wherein the above condition 1 includes that the difference between the indices of at least one set of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is greater than 11. The design process of pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth can be as follows: First, the first and last subcarriers in each 26-tone DRU with an index less than 0 are not used as pilot subcarriers, and the first and last subcarriers in each 26-tone DRU with an index greater than 0 are not used as pilot subcarriers; second, ensure that the indices of some or all pilot subcarriers in the positive and negative half-frequency are opposites of each other, that is, some or all pilot indices in the positive half-frequency can be obtained by taking the opposite of the pilot index in the negative half-frequency; third, determine the distribution range of pilot subcarriers based on the above two points. For example, for a 20MHz bandwidth, the distribution range of pilot subcarriers in the negative half-frequency is -111 to -13; for a 40MHz bandwidth, the distribution range is -224 to -28; for an 80MHz bandwidth, the distribution range is -464 to -36; fourth, based on the above distribution range of pilot subcarriers, in the negative half-frequency, each 26-tone... The DRU is configured with a pilot subcarrier and ensures that the index difference between adjacent pilot subcarriers is not less than 11.

[0515] As an example, the first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz. Within the first discrete bandwidth, the indices of the pilot subcarriers that are less than 0 are opposites of the indices that are greater than 0; that is, the indices of all pilot subcarriers in the positive and negative half-frequency ranges are opposites of each other. In this example, the distribution range of the pilot subcarriers in the negative half-frequency range can be -111 to -13.

[0516] As another example, the first discrete bandwidth is 40MHz, and the indices of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 are the opposites of the indices that are greater than 0. In this example, the distribution range of the pilot subcarriers at the negative half-frequency can be -224 to -28.

[0517] As another example, the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz. Within the first discrete bandwidth, the indices of the pilot subcarriers with values ​​less than 0 are opposites of each other; that is, the indices of the pilot subcarriers in the positive and negative half-frequency ranges are opposites of each other. In this example, the distribution range of the pilot subcarriers in the negative half-frequency range can be -464 to -36.

[0518] The following examples, in conjunction with Tables 12, 13, 14-1, and 14-2, illustrate the pilot indices (or pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth) of the 26-tone DRU provided in this application under different bandwidths. The pilot indices of the 26-tone DRU shown in Tables 12, 13, 14-1, and 14-2 all satisfy condition 1 above. Table 12 is an example of another 20M tone plan pilot design provided in the embodiments of this application. The pilot design shown in Table 12 satisfies condition 1 above, which includes that the difference between the indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth (20M) is greater than or equal to 11, the difference between the indices of at least one group of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is greater than 11, and the indices of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 and the indices that are greater than 0 are opposites of each other.

[0519] Table 12 Pilot Index for 20MHz Bandwidth 26-tone DRU

[0520] Referring to Table 12, the first nine rows represent the negative half-frequency of the 20M tone plan. Each row from the first to the ninth shows the index of a subcarrier with an index less than 0 contained in one of the 26-tone DRU1 to 26-tone DRU9. For example, the first row represents the index of the subcarrier with an index less than 0 contained in 26-tone DRU1. The last nine rows (i.e., rows twelfth to twentieth) represent the positive half-frequency of the 20M tone plan. Each row from the twelfth to the twentieth shows the index of a subcarrier with an index greater than 0 contained in one of the 26-tone DRU1 to 26-tone DRU9. For example, the twelfth row represents the index of the subcarrier with an index greater than 0 contained in 26-tone DRU1. Referring to Table 12, the indices of the pilot subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU1 (corresponding to rows one and twelve) are -111 and 87, and the indices of the pilot subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU2 (corresponding to rows five and sixteen) are -62 and 37.

[0521] Another way to describe the pilot index of the 20M bandwidth 26-tone DRU shown in Table 12 is as follows: The first discrete bandwidth (20M) includes DRU1 to DRU9, each DRU includes 26 subcarriers, and DRU1 to DRU9 satisfy:

[0522] The index range of the subcarriers contained in DRU1 is [-120:9:-12] and [6:9:114], and the index of the pilot subcarriers contained in DRU1 is -111 and 87;

[0523] The subcarrier index range of DRU2 is [-116:9:-8] and [10:9:118], and the pilot subcarrier index of DRU2 is -62 and 37;

[0524] The subcarrier index range of DRU3 is [-118:9:-10] and [8:9:116], and the pilot subcarrier index of DRU3 is -37 and 62;

[0525] The subcarrier index range of DRU4 is [-114:9:-6] and [12:9:120], and the pilot subcarrier index of DRU4 is -87 and 111;

[0526] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU5 is [-112:9:-4] and [5:9:113], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU5 is -13 and 50;

[0527] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU6 is [-119:9:-11] and [7:9:115], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU6 is -74 and 25;

[0528] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU7 is [-115:9:-7] and [11:9:119], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU7 is -25 and 74;

[0529] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU8 is [-117:9:-9] and [9:9:117], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU8 is -99 and 99;

[0530] The DRU9 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-113:9:-5] and [4:9:112], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -50 and 13.

[0531] It should be noted that the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU from DRU1 to DRU9 mentioned above is only an example, and the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU can be other ranges.

[0532] Table 13 provides another example of a pilot design for a 40M tone plan according to an embodiment of this application. Alternatively, Table 13 shows another example of pilot indices for a 40M bandwidth 26-tone DRU. The pilot design shown in Table 13 satisfies condition 1 above, which includes that the difference between the indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth (20M) is greater than or equal to 11, the difference between the indices of at least one set of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is greater than 11, and the indices of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 are opposites of the indices that are greater than 0.

[0533] Table 13 Pilot Index for 40MHz Bandwidth 26-tone DRU

[0534] Referring to Table 13, the first 18 rows represent the negative half-frequency of the 40M tone plan. Each row from the first to the eighteenth shows the index of a subcarrier with an index less than 0 contained in one of the 26-tone DRU1 to 26-tone DRU18. For example, the first row shows the index of the subcarrier with an index less than 0 contained in 26-tone DRU1. The last 18 rows (i.e., rows twenty-two to thirty-nine) represent the positive half-frequency of the 40M tone plan. Each row from the twenty-second to the thirty-ninth shows the index of a subcarrier with an index greater than 0 contained in one of the 26-tone DRU1 to 26-tone DRU18. For example, the twenty-second row shows the index of the subcarrier with an index greater than 0 contained in 26-tone DRU1. For instance, the pilot subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU1 (corresponding to rows one and twenty-two) have indices of -224 and 28, and the pilot subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU2 (corresponding to rows ten and thirty-one) have indices of -179 and 109.

[0535] Another way to describe the pilot index of the 40MHz bandwidth 26-tone DRU shown in Table 13 is as follows: The first discrete bandwidth (40MHz) includes DRU1 to DRU18, each DRU including 26 subcarriers, and DRU1 to DRU18 satisfy:

[0536] The index range of the subcarriers contained in DRU1 is [-242:18:-26] and [10:18:226], and the index of the pilot subcarriers contained in DRU1 is -224 and 28;

[0537] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU2 is [-233:18:-17] and [19:18:235], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU2 is -179 and 109;

[0538] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU3 is [-238:18:-22] and [14:18:230], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU3 is -202 and 86;

[0539] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU4 is [-229:18:-13] and [23:18:239], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU4 is -121 and 167;

[0540] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU5 is [-225:18:-9] and [27:18:243], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU5 is -63 and 63;

[0541] The DRU6 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-240:18:-24] and [12:18:228], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -132 and 156.

[0542] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU7 is [-231:18:-15] and [21:18:237], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU7 is -213 and 39;

[0543] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU8 are [-236:18:-20] and [16:18:232], and the pilot subcarrier indexes included in DRU8 are -74 and 52;

[0544] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU9 is [-227:18:-11] and [25:18:241], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU9 is -191 and 97;

[0545] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU10 is [-241:18:-25] and [11:18:227], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU10 is -97 and 191;

[0546] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU11 is [-232:18:-16] and [20:18:236], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU11 is -52 and 74;

[0547] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU12 is [-237:18:-21] and [15:18:231], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU12 is -39 and 213;

[0548] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU13 is [-228:18:-12] and [24:18:240], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU13 is -156 and 132;

[0549] The index range of the subcarriers contained in DRU14 is [-234:18:-18] and [18:18:234], and the index of the pilot subcarriers contained in DRU14 is -144 and 144;

[0550] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU15 is [-239:18:-23] and [13:18:229], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU15 is -167 and 121;

[0551] The DRU16 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-230:18:-14] and [22:18:238], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -86 and 202.

[0552] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU17 is [-235:18:-19] and [17:18:233], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU17 is -109 and 179;

[0553] The DRU18 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-226:18:-10] and [26:18:242], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -28 and 224.

[0554] It should be noted that the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU from DRU1 to DRU18 is only an example, and the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU can be other ranges.

[0555] Tables 14-1 and 14-2 together show an example of pilot indexes for an 80MHz bandwidth 52-tone DRU. Tables 14-1 and 14-2 can be considered as a single table. For example, each row of this table includes indices for 26 subcarriers, and the subcarrier index in the nth row of this table is the union of the subcarrier indices in the nth row of Table 14-1 and the subcarrier indices in the nth row of Table 14-2. n is an integer greater than 0. As another example, each row of this table includes indices for 52 subcarriers, and the subcarrier index in the nth row of this table is the union of the subcarrier indices contained in the nth row of Table 14-1, the subcarrier indices contained in the nth row of Table 14-2, the subcarrier indices contained in the (n+16)th row of Table 14-1, and the subcarrier indices contained in the (n+16)th row of Table 14-2. The pilot designs shown in Tables 14-1 and 14-2 satisfy condition 1 above. Condition 1 includes that the difference between the indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth (20MHz) is greater than or equal to 11, the difference between the indices of at least one set of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is greater than 11, and the indices of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 and the indices that are greater than 0 are opposites of each other. For example, the pilot designs shown in Tables 14-1 and 14-2 are designed based on condition 1 above.

[0556] Table 14-1

[0557] Table 14-2

[0558] The union of the subcarrier indices in row n of Table 14-1 and row n of Table 14-2 constitutes the index of the subcarriers contained in a 26-tone DRU1. For example, rows 1 to 32 of Table 14-1 and rows 1 to 32 of Table 14-2 together show the indices of the subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU1 to 26-tone DRU32, respectively. In the pilot designs shown in Tables 14-1 and 14-2, merging 26-tone DRU1 to 16 with 26-tone DRU17 to 32 yields a 52-tone DRU; in reality, the 26-tone DRU does not exist. Referring to Tables 14-1 and 14-2, the union of the subcarrier indices contained in row n of Table 14-1, row n of Table 14-2, row (n+16) of Table 14-1, and row (n+16) of Table 14-2 constitutes an index of the subcarriers contained in a 52-tone DRU. In one possible implementation, the first and second communication devices can store a table for determining the pilot index of an 80MHz bandwidth 52-tone DRU, where the subcarrier indices contained in row n of this table are the union of the subcarrier indices contained in row n of Table 14-1, row n of Table 14-2, row (n+16) of Table 14-1, and row (n+16) of Table 14-2; that is, this table can be obtained by merging Tables 14-1 and 14-2.

[0559] Tables 14-1 and 14-2 together show the pilot indices contained in 52-tone DRU1 through 52-tone DRU16. For example, the union of the subcarrier indices contained in the first row of Table 14-1 and the first row of Table 14-2 (i.e., [-483:36:-51,17:36:449]) and the subcarrier indices contained in the seventeenth row of Table 14-1 and the seventeenth row of Table 14-2 (i.e., [-467:36:-35,33:36:465]) is the subcarrier index contained in 52-tone DRU1, which includes pilot indices of -195, -71, 269, and 393. For example, the union of the subcarrier indices contained in the ninth row of Table 14-1 and the ninth row of Table 14-2 (i.e., [-475:36:-43,25:36:457]), and the subcarrier indices contained in the twenty-fifth row of Table 14-1 and the twenty-fifth row of Table 14-2 (i.e., [-459:36:-27,41:36:473]), is the subcarrier index contained in 52-tone DRU2, which includes pilot indices of -331, -207, 133, and 257.

[0560] Another way to describe the pilot index of the 80MHz bandwidth 26-tone DRU shown in Tables 14-1 and 14-2 is as follows: The first discrete bandwidth (80MHz) includes DRU1 to DRU16, each DRU comprising 52 subcarriers, and DRU1 to DRU16 satisfy the following:

[0561] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU1 are [-483:36:-51,17:36:449] and [-467:36:-35,33:36:465], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU1 are -195, -71, 269 and 393;

[0562] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU2 are [-475:36:-43,25:36:457] and [-459:36:-27,41:36:473], and the pilot subcarrier indexes included in DRU2 are -331, -207, 133 and 257;

[0563] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU3 is [-479:36:-47,21:36:453] and [-463:36:-31,37:36:469]. The indexes of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU3 are -355, -47, 109 and 453.

[0564] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU4 are [-471:36:-39,29:36:461] and [-455:36:-23,45:36:477], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU4 are -183, -59, 281 and 405;

[0565] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU5 are [-477:36:-45,23:36:455] and [-461:36:-29,39:36:471], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU5 are -405, -281, 59 and 183;

[0566] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU6 are [-469:36:-37,31:36:463] and [-453:36:-21,47:36:479], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU6 are -453, -109, 47 and 355;

[0567] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU7 is [-481:36:-49,19:36:451] and [-465:36:-33,35:36:467]. The indexes of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU7 are -393, -121, 71 and 343.

[0568] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU8 are [-473:36:-41,27:36:459] and [-457:36:-25,43:36:475], and the pilot subcarrier indexes included in DRU8 are -257, -133, 207 and 331;

[0569] The DRU9 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-482:36:-50,18:36:450] and [-466:36:-34,34:36:466], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -430, -158, 306 and 430.

[0570] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU10 is [-474:36:-42,26:36:458] and [-458:36:-26,42:36:474]. The index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU10 is -294, -170, 170 and 294.

[0571] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU11 is [-478:36:-46,22:36:454] and [-462:36:-30,38:36:470]. The indexes of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU11 are -442, -318, 146 and 418.

[0572] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU12 is [-470:38:-38,30:36:462] and [-454:36:-22,46:36:478]. The indexes of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU12 are -418, -146, 318 and 442.

[0573] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU13 is [-476:36:-44,24:36:456] and [-460:36:-28,40:36:472]. The indexes of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU13 are -368, -244, 96 and 220.

[0574] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU14 is [-468:36:-36,32:36:464] and [-452:36:-20,48:36:480]. The indexes of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU14 are -380, -36, 84 and 464.

[0575] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU15 is [-480:36:-48,20:36:452] and [-464:36:-32,36:36:468]. The index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU15 is -464, -84, 36 and 380.

[0576] The DRU16 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-472:36:-40,28:36:460] and [-456:36:-24,44:36:476], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -220, -96, 244 and 368.

[0577] It should be noted that the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU from DRU1 to DRU16 is only an example, and the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU can be other ranges.

[0578] In one possible implementation, the pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth satisfy condition 2 above, and one or more of conditions 3, 4, or 5 above. The descriptions of conditions 2, 3, 4, and 5 above can be found in the preceding descriptions and will not be repeated here. As an example, the design process of the pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is as follows: First, for both positive and negative half-frequency bands, the first and last subcarriers of each 26-tone DRU are not used as pilot subcarriers; that is, the first and last subcarriers among subcarriers with an index greater than 0 are not used as pilot subcarriers, and the first and last subcarriers among subcarriers with an index less than 0 are not used as pilot subcarriers. Second, the pilot subcarriers are guaranteed to be in tone at both positive and negative half-frequency bands. The relative positions in the plan are the same / close; third, the range of pilot distribution is determined based on the above two points. For example, for a 20M bandwidth, the distribution range of pilot subcarriers in the negative half-frequency is -111 to -15, and in the positive half-frequency it is 15 to 111. For another example, for a 40M bandwidth, the distribution range of pilot subcarriers in the negative half-frequency is -224 to -27, and in the positive half-frequency it is 28 to 225. For another example, for an 80M bandwidth, the distribution range of pilot subcarriers in the negative half-frequency is -467 to -36, and in the positive half-frequency it is 33 to 464. Fourth, based on the above ranges, each 26-tone DRU is configured with one pilot subcarrier in the positive and negative half-frequency, and the spacing between adjacent pilot subcarriers is not less than 11.

[0579] As an example, the first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz, the distribution range of pilot indices less than 0 corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is -111 to -15, and the distribution range of pilot indices greater than 0 corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is 15 to 111.

[0580] As another example, the first discrete bandwidth is 40MHz, the distribution range of pilot indices less than 0 corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is -224 to -27, and the distribution range of pilot indices greater than 0 corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is 28 to 225.

[0581] As another example, the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz, the distribution range of pilot indices less than 0 corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is -467 to -36, and the distribution range of pilot indices greater than 0 corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is 33 to 464.

[0582] The following examples, in conjunction with Tables 15, 16, 17-1, and 17-2, illustrate the pilot indices (or pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth) of the 26-tone DRU provided in this application for different bandwidths. The pilot indices of the 26-tone DRU shown in Tables 15, 16, 17-1, and 17-2 all satisfy condition 2 above, and one or more of conditions 3, 4, or 5 above. Table 15 provides another example of a 20M tone plan pilot design provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0583] Table 15 Pilot Index for 20MHz Bandwidth 26-tone DRU

[0584] Referring to Table 15, the first nine rows represent the negative half-frequency of the 20M tone plan. Each row from the first to the ninth shows the index of a subcarrier with an index less than 0 contained in one of the 26-tone DRU1 to 26-tone DRU9. For example, the first row represents the index of the subcarrier with an index less than 0 contained in 26-tone DRU1. The last nine rows (i.e., rows twelfth to twentieth) represent the positive half-frequency of the 20M tone plan. Each row from the twelfth to the twentieth shows the index of a subcarrier with an index greater than 0 contained in one of the 26-tone DRU1 to 26-tone DRU9. For example, the twelfth row represents the index of the subcarrier with an index greater than 0 contained in 26-tone DRU1. Referring to Table 15, the indices of the pilot subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU1 (corresponding to rows one and twelve) are -111 and 15, and the indices of the pilot subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU2 (corresponding to rows five and sixteen) are -26 and 100.

[0585] Another way to describe the pilot index of the 20M bandwidth 26-tone DRU shown in Table 15 is as follows: The first discrete bandwidth (20M) includes DRU1 to DRU9, each DRU includes 26 subcarriers, and DRU1 to DRU9 satisfy:

[0586] The index range of the subcarriers contained in DRU1 is [-120:9:-12] and [6:9:114], and the index of the pilot subcarriers contained in DRU1 is -111 and 15;

[0587] The subcarrier index range of DRU2 is [-116:9:-8] and [10:9:118], and the pilot subcarrier index of DRU2 is -26 and 100;

[0588] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU3 is [-118:9:-10] and [8:9:116], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU3 is -100 and 26;

[0589] The subcarrier index range of DRU4 is [-114:9:-6] and [12:9:120], and the pilot subcarrier index of DRU4 is -15 and 111;

[0590] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU5 is [-112:9:-4] and [5:9:113], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU5 is -76 and 50;

[0591] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU6 is [-119:9:-11] and [7:9:115], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU6 is -38 and 88;

[0592] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU7 is [-115:9:-7] and [11:9:119], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU7 is -88 and 38;

[0593] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU8 is [-117:9:-9] and [9:9:117], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU8 is -63 and 63;

[0594] The DRU9 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-113:9:-5] and [4:9:112], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -50 and 76.

[0595] It should be noted that the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU from DRU1 to DRU9 mentioned above is only an example, and the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU can be other ranges.

[0596] Table 16 is an example of another pilot design for a 40M tone plan provided in the embodiments of this application. Alternatively, Table 16 shows another example of the pilot index for a 40M bandwidth 26-tone DRU.

[0597] Table 16 Pilot Index for 40MHz Bandwidth 26-tone DRU

[0598] Referring to Table 16, the first 18 rows represent the negative half-frequency of the 40M tone plan. Each row from the first to the eighteenth shows the index of a subcarrier with an index less than 0 contained in one of the 26-tone DRU1 to 26-tone DRU18. For example, the first row represents the index of subcarriers with an index less than 0 contained in 26-tone DRU1. The last 18 rows (i.e., rows twenty-two to thirty-nine) represent the positive half-frequency of the 40M tone plan. Each row from the twenty-second to the thirty-ninth shows the index of a subcarrier with an index greater than 0 contained in one of the 26-tone DRU1 to 26-tone DRU18. For example, the twenty-second row represents the index of subcarriers with an index greater than 0 contained in 26-tone DRU1. For instance, the pilot subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU1 (corresponding to rows one and twenty-two) have indices of -224 and 28, and the pilot subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU2 (corresponding to rows ten and thirty-one) have indices of -143 and 109.

[0599] Another way to describe the pilot index of the 40MHz bandwidth 26-tone DRU shown in Table 16 is as follows: The first discrete bandwidth (40MHz) includes DRU1 to DRU18, each DRU including 26 subcarriers, and DRU1 to DRU18 satisfy:

[0600] The index range of the subcarriers contained in DRU1 is [-242:18:-26] and [10:18:226], and the index of the pilot subcarriers contained in DRU1 is -224 and 28;

[0601] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU2 is [-233:18:-17] and [19:18:235], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU2 is -143 and 109;

[0602] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU3 is [-238:18:-22] and [14:18:230], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU3 is -166 and 86;

[0603] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU4 are [-229:18:-13] and [23:18:239], and the pilot subcarrier indexes included in DRU4 are -85 and 167;

[0604] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU5 is [-225:18:-9] and [27:18:243], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU5 is -27 and 225;

[0605] The DRU6 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-240:18:-24] and [12:18:228], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -96 and 156.

[0606] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU7 is [-231:18:-15] and [21:18:237], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU7 is -213 and 39;

[0607] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU8 is [-236:18:-20] and [16:18:232], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU8 is -38 and 214;

[0608] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU9 is [-227:18:-11] and [25:18:241], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU9 is -155 and 97.

[0609] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU10 is [-241:18:-25] and [11:18:227], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU10 is -61 and 191;

[0610] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU11 is [-232:18:-16] and [20:18:236], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU11 is -178 and 74;

[0611] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU12 is [-237:18:-21] and [15:18:231], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU12 is -201 and 51;

[0612] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU13 is [-228:18:-12] and [24:18:240], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU13 is -120 and 132;

[0613] The subcarrier index range of DRU14 is [-234:18:-18] and [18:18:234], and the pilot subcarrier index of DRU14 is -108 and 144;

[0614] The index range of the subcarriers contained in DRU15 is [-239:18:-23] and [13:18:229], and the index of the pilot subcarriers contained in DRU15 is -131 and 121;

[0615] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU16 is [-230:18:-14] and [22:18:238], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU16 is -50 and 202;

[0616] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU17 is [-235:18:-19] and [17:18:233], and the index of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU17 is -73 and 179;

[0617] The DRU18 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-226:18:-10] and [26:18:242], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -190 and 62.

[0618] It should be noted that the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU from DRU1 to DRU18 is only an example, and the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU can be other ranges.

[0619] Tables 17-1 and 17-2 together illustrate an example of pilot indexes for an 80MHz bandwidth 52-tone DRU. Tables 17-1 and 17-2 can be considered as a single table. For example, each row of this table includes indices for 26 subcarriers, and the subcarrier index in the nth row of this table is the union of the subcarrier indices in the nth row of Table 17-1 and the subcarrier indices in the nth row of Table 17-2. n is an integer greater than 0. As another example, each row of this table includes indices for 52 subcarriers, and the subcarrier index in the nth row of this table is the union of the subcarrier indices contained in the nth row of Table 17-1, the subcarrier indices contained in the nth row of Table 17-2, the subcarrier indices contained in the (n+16)th row of Table 17-1, and the subcarrier indices contained in the (n+16)th row of Table 17-2. The pilot designs shown in Tables 17-1 and 17-2 satisfy condition 2 above, as well as one or more of conditions 3, 4, or 5 above.

[0620] Table 17-1

[0621] Table 17-2

[0622] The union of the subcarrier indices in row n of Table 17-1 and row n of Table 17-2 constitutes the index of the subcarriers contained in a 26-tone DRU1. For example, rows 1 through 32 of Table 17-1 and rows 1 through 32 of Table 17-2 together show the indices of the subcarriers contained in 26-tone DRU1 through 26-tone DRU32, respectively. In the pilot designs shown in Tables 17-1 and 17-2, merging 26-tone DRU1 through 16 with 26-tone DRU17 through 32 yields a 52-tone DRU; in reality, the 26-tone DRU does not exist. Referring to Tables 17-1 and 17-2, the union of the subcarrier indices contained in row n of Table 17-1, row n of Table 17-2, row (n+16) of Table 17-1, and row (n+16) of Table 17-2 constitutes an index of the subcarriers contained in a 52-tone DRU. In one possible implementation, the first and second communication devices can store a table for determining the pilot index of an 80MHz bandwidth 52-tone DRU, where the subcarrier indices contained in row n of this table are the union of the subcarrier indices contained in row n of Table 17-1, row n of Table 17-2, row (n+16) of Table 17-1, and row (n+16) of Table 17-2; that is, this table can be obtained by merging Tables 17-1 and 17-2.

[0623] Tables 17-1 and 17-2 together show the pilot indices contained in 52-tone DRU1 through 52-tone DRU16. For example, the union of the subcarrier indices contained in the first row of Table 17-1 and the first row of Table 17-2 (i.e., [-483:36:-51,17:36:449]) and the subcarrier indices contained in the seventeenth row of Table 17-1 and the seventeenth row of Table 17-2 (i.e., [-467:36:-35,33:36:465]) is the subcarrier index contained in 52-tone DRU1, which includes pilot indices of -467, -159, 33, and 341. For example, the union of the subcarrier indices contained in the ninth row of Table 17-1 and the ninth row of Table 17-2 (i.e., [-475:36:-43,25:36:457]), and the subcarrier indices contained in the twenty-fifth row of Table 17-1 and the twenty-fifth row of Table 17-2 (i.e., [-459:36:-27,41:36:473]), is the subcarrier index contained in 52-tone DRU2, which includes pilot indices of -295, -171, 205, and 329.

[0624] Another way to describe the pilot index of the 80MHz bandwidth 26-tone DRU shown in Tables 17-1 and 17-2 is as follows: The first discrete bandwidth (80MHz) includes DRU1 to DRU16, each DRU comprising 52 subcarriers, and DRU1 to DRU16 satisfying:

[0625] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU1 are [-483:36:-51,17:36:449] and [-467:36:-35,33:36:465], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU1 are -467, -159, 33 and 341;

[0626] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU2 are [-475:36:-43,25:36:457] and [-459:36:-27,41:36:473], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU2 are -295, -171, 205 and 329;

[0627] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU3 are [-479:36:-47,21:36:453] and [-463:36:-31,37:36:469], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU3 are -443, -319, 57 and 181;

[0628] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU4 are [-471:36:-39,29:36:461] and [-455:36:-23,45:36:477], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU4 are -455, -147, 45 and 353;

[0629] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU5 are [-477:36:-45,23:36:455] and [-461:36:-29,39:36:471], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU5 are -369, -245, 131 and 255;

[0630] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU6 are [-469:36:-37,31:36:463] and [-453:36:-21,47:36:479], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU6 are -381, -73, 119 and 427;

[0631] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU7 is [-481:36:-49,19:36:451] and [-465:36:-33,35:36:467]. The indexes of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU7 are -393, -85, 107 and 415.

[0632] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU8 are [-473:36:-41,27:36:459] and [-457:36:-25,43:36:475], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU8 are -221, -97, 279 and 403;

[0633] The DRU9 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-482:36:-50,18:36:450] and [-466:36:-34,34:36:466], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -430, -122, 70 and 378.

[0634] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU10 is [-474:36:-42,26:36:458] and [-458:36:-26,42:36:474]. The indexes of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU10 are -258, -134, 242 and 366.

[0635] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU11 is [-478:36:-46,22:36:454] and [-462:36:-30,38:36:470]. The indexes of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU11 are -406, -282, 94 and 218.

[0636] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU12 is [-470:38:-38,30:36:462] and [-454:36:-22,46:36:478]. The indexes of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU12 are -418, -110, 82 and 390.

[0637] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU13 are [-476:36:-44,24:36:456] and [-460:36:-28,40:36:472], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU13 are -332, -208, 168 and 292;

[0638] The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU14 are [-468:36:-36,32:36:464] and [-452:36:-20,48:36:480], and the pilot subcarrier indices included in DRU14 are -344, -36, 156 and 464;

[0639] The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU15 is [-480:36:-48,20:36:452] and [-464:36:-32,36:36:468]. The indexes of the pilot subcarriers included in DRU15 are 356, -48, 144 and 452.

[0640] The DRU16 contains subcarriers with index ranges of [-472:36:-40,28:36:460] and [-456:36:-24,44:36:476], and pilot subcarriers with indices of -184, -60, 316 and 440.

[0641] It should be noted that the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU from DRU1 to DRU16 is only an example, and the index range of subcarriers contained in each DRU can be other ranges.

[0642] The foregoing embodiments use the pilot subcarriers in a 26-tone DRU as an example to illustrate the conditions that the pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth must satisfy. For DRUs of other sizes, their pilot subcarriers can be obtained by merging the pilot subcarriers of the 26-tone DRU.

[0643] In one possible implementation, when the first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz or 40MHz, the pilot subcarrier in a 52-tone DRU can be obtained by merging the pilot subcarriers in two 26-tone DRUs; that is, the four pilot subcarriers of a 52-tone DRU are composed of the pilot subcarriers of the two 26-tone DRUs it contains. As an example, referring to Table 3, the pilot subcarrier in 52-tone DRU1 can be obtained by merging the pilot subcarriers in 26-tone DRU1 and 26-tone DRU2. As another example, referring to Table 3, the pilot subcarrier in 52-tone DRU3 can be obtained by merging the pilot subcarriers in 26-tone DRU5 and 26-tone DRU6. As yet another example, referring to Table 4, the pilot subcarrier in 52-tone DRU1 can be obtained by merging the pilot subcarriers in 26-tone DRU1 and 26-tone DRU2. As another example, referring to Table 4, the pilot subcarrier in 52-tone DRU2 can be obtained by merging the pilot subcarriers in 26-tone DRU3 and 26-tone DRU4. As another example, referring to Table 4, the pilot subcarrier in 52-tone DRU3 can be obtained by merging the pilot subcarriers in 26-tone DRU6 and 26-tone DRU7.

[0644] In one possible implementation, when the first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz, 40MHz, or 80MHz, the four pilot subcarriers of a 106-tone DRU are included in the eight pilot subcarriers of the two 52-tone DRUs it contains. Another possible implementation is to sort the eight pilot subcarriers of the two 52-tone DRUs included in the 106-tone DRU in ascending or descending order, selecting the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th subcarriers as pilot subcarriers of the 106-tone DRU, or selecting the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th subcarriers as pilot subcarriers of the 106-tone DRU.

[0645] One possible implementation is that the protocol (or standard) supported by the first and second communication devices specifies the method for determining four pilot subcarriers of the 106-tone DRU from the eight pilot subcarriers of the two 52-tone DRUs contained within the 106-tone DRU. This allows the first and second communication devices to determine the four pilot subcarriers of the 106-tone DRU from the eight pilot subcarriers of the two 52-tone DRUs in the same manner, thus ensuring that the four pilot subcarriers determined by both are identical. Another possible implementation is that the first and second communication devices are configured or instructed to determine the four pilot subcarriers of the 106-tone DRU from the eight pilot subcarriers of the two 52-tone DRUs contained within the 106-tone DRU. As an example, the first communication device sends configuration information to the second communication device, which configures the second communication device to determine the four pilot subcarriers of the 106-tone DRU from the eight pilot subcarriers of the two 52-tone DRUs contained within the 106-tone DRU. As another example, the first communication device sends an instruction to the second communication device, which instructs the second communication device to determine the four pilot subcarriers of the 106-tone DRU from the eight pilot subcarriers of the two 52-tone DRUs contained within the 106-tone DRU.

[0646] One possible way to determine the four pilot subcarriers of a 106-tone DRU from the eight pilot subcarriers of the two 52-tone DRUs contained within it is as follows: Select the four pilot subcarriers of the 52-tone DRU with the larger index from the two 52-tone DRUs contained within it. Another possible way to determine the four pilot subcarriers of a 106-tone DRU from the eight pilot subcarriers of the two 52-tone DRUs contained within it is as follows: Select the four pilot subcarriers of the 52-tone DRU2 with the smaller index from the two 52-tone DRUs contained within it (i.e., 52-tone DRU1 and 52-tone DRU2). Another possible way to determine the four pilot subcarriers in the 106-tone DRU from the eight pilot subcarriers of the two 52-tone DRUs included in the 106-tone DRU is as follows: select the pilot subcarrier with the largest and smallest pilot index among the four pilot subcarriers with indices less than 0, and the pilot subcarrier with the largest and smallest pilot index among the four pilot subcarriers with indices greater than 0. The first and second communication devices can also determine the four pilot subcarriers in the 106-tone DRU from the eight pilot subcarriers of the two 52-tone DRUs included in the 106-tone DRU in other ways, which are not limited in this application.

[0647] In one possible implementation, when the first discrete bandwidth is 40MHz or 80MHz, the eight pilot subcarriers of a 242-tone DRU consist of the pilot subcarriers of the two 106-tone DRUs it contains. As an example, with a first discrete bandwidth of 40MHz (referring to Table 4), the eight pilot subcarriers of 242-tone DRU1 consist of four pilot subcarriers of 106-tone DRU1 and four pilot subcarriers of 106-tone DRU2. As an example, with a first discrete bandwidth of 80MHz (referring to Table 5), the eight pilot subcarriers of 242-tone DRU1 consist of four pilot subcarriers of 106-tone DRU1 and four pilot subcarriers of 106-tone DRU2.

[0648] In one possible implementation, when the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz, the 16 pilot subcarriers of a 484-tone DRU are composed of the pilot subcarriers of the two 242-tone DRUs it contains. As an example, with the first discrete bandwidth of 80MHz, referring to Table 5, the 8 pilot subcarriers of 484-tone DRU1 are composed of 4 pilot subcarriers of 242-tone DRU1 and 4 pilot subcarriers of 242-tone DRU2.

[0649] The pilot design schemes for the subcarriers shown in Tables 3, 4, and 5 have been described above. It should be understood that the pilot design schemes provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied to any existing seed carrier planning, as well as to future subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth, and this application does not impose any limitations.

[0650] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The descriptions of the first and second communication devices involved in Figure 5 can be found above and will not be detailed here. The method flowchart in Figure 5 is an example of the method described in Figure 4. In Figure 5, the second communication device (e.g., a station) transmits OFDM symbols according to the resource allocation information in the trigger frame and the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth, which can improve communication performance and / or reduce storage overhead. As shown in Figure 5, the method includes:

[0651] 501. The second communication device sends a trigger frame to the first communication device.

[0652] Accordingly, the first communication device receives a trigger frame from the second communication device. This trigger frame is used to trigger uplink multi-user transmission. The trigger frame carries identifier information and resource allocation information for one or more stations (including the first communication device). The first communication device can determine its allocated resource unit based on the resource allocation information.

[0653] 502. The first communication device determines the resource unit to which it is allocated based on the trigger frame.

[0654] As described above, the RU or MRU assigned to the STA can be indicated by the following subfields: Resource Unit Allocation Subfield, Master-Slave 160 Subfield (PS160 subfield), Uplink Bandwidth Subfield (UL BW subfield) in the Common Information Field, and Uplink Bandwidth Extension Subfield (UL BW extensionsubfield) in the Special User Information Field. The method by which the first communication device determines its assigned resource unit based on the resource allocation information will not be elaborated here.

[0655] 503. The first communication device generates OFDM symbols according to the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth.

[0656] 504. The first communication device uses a TB PPDU to send uplink frames on its allocated resource unit.

[0657] The second communication device receives an uplink frame from the first communication device. This uplink frame includes one or more OFDM symbols, i.e., the OFDM symbols generated in step 503. As an example, the first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz, and the resource unit allocated to the first communication device includes a 26-tone DRU1. The first communication device determines each subcarrier and pilot subcarrier in the 26-tone DRU1 according to the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth, and transmits the uplink frame on its allocated resource unit using a TB PPDU. As another example, the first discrete bandwidth is 40MHz, and the resource unit allocated to the first communication device includes a 52-tone DRU1. The first communication device determines each subcarrier and pilot subcarrier in the 52-tone DRU1 according to the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth, and transmits the uplink frame on its allocated resource unit using a TB PPDU.

[0658] 505. The second communication device sends an acknowledgment frame to the first communication device.

[0659] Accordingly, the first communication device receives an acknowledgment frame from the second communication device. For example, after sending an uplink frame, the first communication device receives an acknowledgment frame sent by the AP after one SIFS.

[0660] In this embodiment of the application, the pilot subcarrier in the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth satisfies the above condition 1 or the above condition 2, which can provide communication performance and / or reduce storage overhead.

[0661] The following describes the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0662] This application divides the communication device into functional modules according to the above-described method embodiments. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated modules can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules. It should be noted that the module division in this application is illustrative and represents only one logical functional division; in actual implementation, other division methods may be used. The communication device of this application embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 6 to 8.

[0663] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 6, the communication device includes a processing module 601 and a transceiver module 602. The transceiver module 602 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing module 601 is used to implement corresponding processing functions. For example, the transceiver module 602 can also be called an interface, a communication interface, or a communication module, etc.

[0664] In some embodiments of this application, the communication device can be used to perform the actions performed by the first communication device in the above method embodiments. In this case, the first communication device can be the Wi-Fi device itself or a chip or functional module configurable in the device. The transceiver module 602 is used to perform the transmission and reception related operations of the first communication device in the above method embodiments, and the processing module 601 is used to perform the processing related operations of the first communication device in the above method embodiments.

[0665] Processing module 601 can be used to generate OFDM symbols; transceiver module 602 can be used to transmit or output the OFDM symbols on a first discrete bandwidth. The subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is described above.

[0666] For example, processing module 601 may include at least one of the following modules: constellation mapping module, stream cyclic shifting module, space-frequency mapping module, IDFT module, cyclic prefix insertion and windowing module. For example, transceiver module 602 may include radio frequency module, antenna module, etc. For example, transceiver module 602 may include pin module, etc.

[0667] Reusing Figure 6, in some other embodiments of this application, the communication device can be used to perform the actions performed by the second communication device in the above method embodiments. In this case, the communication device can be the Wi-Fi device itself or a chip or functional module configurable in the device. The transceiver module 602 is used to perform the transceiver-related operations of the second communication device in the above method embodiments, and the processing module 601 is used to perform the processing-related operations of the second communication device in the above method embodiments.

[0668] The transceiver module 602 can be used to receive or input OFDM symbols; the processing module 601 can be used to parse the OFDM symbols.

[0669] For example, processing module 601 may include at least one of the following components: a cyclic prefix removal module, a DFT module, a deinterleaving module, a deconstellation module, and a descrambling module. For example, transceiver module 602 may include an RF module, an antenna module, etc. For example, transceiver module 602 may include a pin module, etc.

[0670] Optionally, in the above embodiments, the communication device may further include a storage module, which can be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing module 601 can read the instructions and / or data from the storage module to enable the communication device to implement the aforementioned method embodiments. For example, the storage module may store subcarrier planning, etc., as shown above.

[0671] For details regarding the specific explanations of each term, noun, or step in the above embodiments, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments; they will not be detailed here.

[0672] The specific descriptions of the transceiver module and processing module shown in the above embodiments are merely examples. For the specific functions or execution steps of the transceiver module and processing module, please refer to the above method embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0673] The communication device of this application embodiment has been described above. The following describes possible product forms of the communication device. Any product possessing the functions of the communication device described in FIG. 6 above falls within the protection scope of this application embodiment. The following description is merely illustrative and does not limit the product form of the communication device of this application embodiment to this.

[0674] In one possible implementation, in the communication device shown in FIG6, the processing module 601 can be one or more processors, and the transceiver module 602 can be a transceiver, or the transceiver module 602 can also be a transmitting module and a receiving module. The transmitting module can be a transmitter, and the receiving module can be a receiver. The transmitting module and the receiving module are integrated into one device, such as a transceiver. In the embodiments of this application, the processor and the transceiver can be coupled, etc., and the connection method of the processor and the transceiver is not limited in the embodiments of this application. In the process of executing the above method, the process of sending information in the above method can be the process of the processor outputting the above information. When outputting the above information, the processor outputs the above information to the transceiver so that the transceiver can transmit it. After the above information is output by the processor, it may need to undergo other processing before reaching the transceiver. Similarly, the process of receiving information in the above method can be the process of the processor receiving the input above information. When the processor receives the input information, the transceiver receives the above information and inputs it into the processor. Furthermore, after the transceiver receives the above information, the above information may need to undergo other processing before being input into the processor.

[0675] As shown in Figure 7, the communication device 70 includes one or more processors 720 and transceivers 710.

[0676] In some embodiments of this application, the communication device can be used to execute the steps, methods, or functions performed by the first communication device described above. For example, the processor 720 can be used to execute the functions or steps implemented by the processing module 601 shown in FIG. 6, and the transceiver 710 can be used to execute the functions or steps implemented by the transceiver module 602 shown in FIG. 6. Detailed descriptions of the processor 720 and the transceiver 710 can be found in FIG. 6 or the method embodiments shown above, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0677] In other embodiments of this application, the communication device is used to execute the steps, methods, or functions executed by the second communication device described above. For example, the processor 720 can be used to execute the functions or steps implemented by the processing module 601 shown in FIG. 6, and the transceiver 710 can be used to execute the functions or steps implemented by the transceiver module 602 shown in FIG. 6. Detailed descriptions of the processor 720 and the transceiver 710 can be found in FIG. 6 or the method embodiments shown above, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0678] In various implementations of the communication device shown in Figure 7, the transceiver may include a receiver for performing a receiving function (or operation) and a transmitter for performing a transmitting function (or operation). The transceiver is also used to communicate with other devices / appliances via a transmission medium.

[0679] Optionally, the communication device 70 may further include one or more memories 730 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 730 is coupled to the processor 720. The coupling in this embodiment is an indirect coupling or communication connection between communication devices, units, or modules, and can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, used for information exchange between the communication devices, units, or modules. The processor 720 may operate in conjunction with the memory 730. The processor 720 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 730. Optionally, at least one of the above-mentioned memories may be included in the processor.

[0680] This application embodiment does not limit the specific connection medium between the transceiver 710, processor 720, and memory 730. In Figure 7, the memory 730, processor 720, and transceiver 710 are connected via a bus 740, which is represented by a thick line. The connection methods between other components are only illustrative and not intended to be limiting. The bus can be classified as an address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 7, but this does not indicate that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0681] In the embodiments of this application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc., and can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware processor, or being executed by a combination of hardware and software modules within the processor.

[0682] In this application embodiment, the memory may include, but is not limited to, non-volatile memory such as hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD), random access memory (RAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), read-only memory (ROM), or compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), etc. Memory is any storage medium capable of carrying or storing program code having instruction or data structure forms, and capable of being read and / or written by a computer (such as the communication device shown in this application), but is not limited to this. The memory in this application embodiment may also be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing storage functions, used to store program instructions and / or data.

[0683] The processor 720 is primarily used for processing communication protocols and data, controlling the entire communication device, executing software programs, and processing software program data. The memory 730 is primarily used for storing software programs and data. The transceiver 710 may include control circuitry and an antenna. The control circuitry is primarily used for converting baseband signals to radio frequency signals and processing radio frequency signals. The antenna is primarily used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as touchscreens, displays, and keyboards, are primarily used for receiving user input data and outputting data to the user.

[0684] When the communication device is powered on, the processor 720 can read the software program in the memory 730, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 720 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit then performs RF processing on the baseband signal and transmits the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 720. The processor 720 converts the baseband signal back into data and processes the data.

[0685] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be set up independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be arranged remotely, independent of the communication device.

[0686] The communication device shown in this application embodiment may also have more components than those in Figure 7, and this application embodiment does not limit this. The methods executed by the processor and transceiver shown above are only examples, and the specific steps executed by the processor and transceiver can be referred to the methods described above.

[0687] In another possible implementation, in the communication device shown in Figure 6, the processing module 601 can be one or more logic circuits, and the transceiver module 602 can be an input / output interface, or a communication interface, or an interface circuit, or an interface, etc. Alternatively, the transceiver module 602 can also be a transmitting module and a receiving module. The transmitting module can be an output interface, and the receiving module can be an input interface. The transmitting module and the receiving module are integrated into one module, such as an input / output interface. As shown in Figure 8, the communication device shown in Figure 8 includes a logic circuit 801 and an interface 802. That is, the above-mentioned processing module 601 can be implemented using the logic circuit 801, and the transceiver module 602 can be implemented using the interface 802. Among them, the logic circuit 801 can be a chip, a processing circuit, an integrated circuit, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip, etc., and the interface 802 can be a communication interface, an input / output interface, pins, etc. For example, Figure 8 uses the above-mentioned communication device as a chip, which includes the logic circuit 801 and the interface 802.

[0688] In this embodiment, the logic circuit and the interface can also be coupled to each other. The specific connection method of the logic circuit and the interface is not limited in this embodiment. For example, the logic circuit 801 can be used to execute the functions or steps implemented by the processing module 601 shown in FIG. 6, and the interface 802 can be used to execute the functions or steps implemented by the transceiver module 602 shown in FIG. 6. For a detailed description of the logic circuit 801 and the interface 802, please refer to FIG. 6 or the method embodiment shown above, which will not be detailed here.

[0689] The communication device shown in the embodiments of this application can implement the method provided in the embodiments of this application in hardware form, or it can implement the method provided in the embodiments of this application in software form, etc., and the embodiments of this application do not limit it in this way.

[0690] Furthermore, embodiments of this application also provide a communication system, which includes a first communication device and a second communication device, the first communication device and the second communication device being able to perform the methods in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0691] This application also provides a computer program for implementing the operations and / or processes performed by various communication devices in the methods provided in this application.

[0692] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer code that, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the operations and / or processes performed by various communication devices in the methods provided in this application.

[0693] This application also provides a computer program product comprising computer code or a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the operations and / or processes performed by various entities in the method provided in this application to be executed.

[0694] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, communication devices, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the communication device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of modules is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, communication devices, or modules, or it may be an electrical, mechanical, or other form of connection.

[0695] The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the technical effects of the solutions provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0696] Furthermore, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing module, or each module can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into one module. The integrated modules described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules.

[0697] If the integrated module is implemented as a software functional module and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a readable storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned readable storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0698] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Based on the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth, transmit or receive orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; The pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning satisfy the following conditions: each distributed resource unit (DRU) includes subcarriers with an index greater than 0 and subcarriers with an index less than 0. The first and last subcarriers among the subcarriers with an index greater than 0 are not used as pilot subcarriers, and the first and last subcarriers among the subcarriers with an index less than 0 are not used as pilot subcarriers. The difference between the indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is greater than or equal to 11; the indices of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 and the indices that are greater than 0 are opposites of each other, or the indices of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 and the indices that are greater than 0 are opposites of each other.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz, and the minimum index of the subcarriers in the DRU included in the first discrete bandwidth is -120 and the maximum index is 120; or, the first discrete bandwidth is 40MHz, and the minimum index of the subcarriers in the DRU included in the first discrete bandwidth is -244 and the maximum index is 244; or, the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz, and the minimum index of the subcarriers in the DRU included in the first discrete bandwidth is -499 and the maximum index is 500.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz, and the first discrete bandwidth includes DRUs with subcarrier index ranges of [-120:9:-12,6:9:114]; the first discrete bandwidth is 40MHz, and the first discrete bandwidth includes DRUs with subcarrier index ranges of [-242:18:-26,10:18:226]; the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz, and the first discrete bandwidth includes DRUs with subcarrier index ranges of [-483:36:-51,17:36:449] and [-467:36:-35,33:36:465].

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The difference in indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is equal to 11; The first discrete bandwidth includes a plurality of first DRUs, each first DRU containing 26 subcarriers, and the absolute value of the difference between the indices of two pilot subcarriers contained in each first DRU is a first value; Alternatively, the first discrete bandwidth includes a plurality of second DRUs, each second DRU containing 52 subcarriers, each second DRU containing pilot subcarriers whose absolute value is the difference between two sets of indices is a second value, each set containing two pilot subcarriers.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz, and the first value is 126; Alternatively, the first discrete bandwidth is 40MHz, and the first value is 252; Alternatively, the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz, and the second value is 500.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The difference in absolute indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is greater than or equal to 11; The first discrete bandwidth includes a plurality of first DRUs, each first DRU containing 26 subcarriers, each first DRU containing two pilot subcarriers, and the difference in relative indexes between the two pilot subcarriers contained in each first DRU is 13 or 14. Alternatively, the first discrete bandwidth includes a plurality of second DRUs, each second DRU containing 52 subcarriers, each second DRU containing two sets of pilot subcarriers with a relative index difference of 13 or 14, each set containing two pilot subcarriers.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The first discrete bandwidth includes multiple first DRUs, each first DRU contains 26 subcarriers, each first DRU contains two pilot subcarriers, the sorting values ​​corresponding to the indices of the two pilot subcarriers in each first DRU are the same or differ by 1, the sorting value corresponding to the index of the first pilot subcarrier in each first DRU is the sorting value of the index of the first pilot subcarrier among the indices of all subcarriers in the first DRU whose index is greater than 0, and the sorting value corresponding to the index of the second pilot subcarrier in each first DRU is the sorting value of the index of the second pilot subcarrier among the indices of all subcarriers in the first DRU whose index is less than 0.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU9, wherein DRU1 to DRU9 satisfy one or more of the following: The pilot subcarriers included in DRU1 are indexed as -30 and 96; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU2 are indices -107 and 19; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU3 are indices -19 and 107; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU4 are indexed as -96 and 30; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU5 are indices -85 and 41; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU6 are indices of -74 and 52; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU7 are indices -52 and 74; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU8 are indexed as -63 and 63; The pilot subcarriers included in the DRU9 are indexed as -41 and 85.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU18, wherein DRU1 to DRU18 satisfy one or more of the following: The pilot subcarriers included in the DRU1 are indexed as -170 and 82; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU2 are indexed as -71 and 181; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU3 are indexed as -148 and 104; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU4 are indexed as -49 and 203; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU5 are indexed as -27 and 225; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU6 are indexed as -60 and 192; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU7 are indexed as -159 and 93; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU8 are indices of -38 and 214; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU9 are indexed as -137 and 115; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU10 are indexed as -115 and 137; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU11 are indices of -214 and 38; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU12 are indices -93 and 159; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU13 are indexed as -192 and 60; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU14 are indexed as -126 and 126; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU15 are indexed as -203 and 49; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU16 are indices of -104 and 148; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU17 are indexed as -181 and 71; The pilot subcarriers included in the DRU18 are indexed as -82 and 170.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU16, wherein DRU1 to DRU16 satisfy one or more of the following: The pilot subcarriers included in the DRU1 are indexed as -195, -107, 305, and 393; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU2 are indexed as -151, -63, 349, and 437; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU3 are indexed as -371, -283, 129, and 217; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU4 are indexed as -327, -239, 173, and 261; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU5 are indexed as -261, -173, 239, and 327; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU6 are indexed as -217, -129, 283, and 371; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU7 are indexed as -393, -85, 107, and 415; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU8 are indexed as -437, -349, 63, and 151; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU9 are indexed as -338, -250, 162, and 250; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU10 are indexed as -294, -206, 206, and 294; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU11 are indexed as -426, -118, 74, and 382; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU12 are indexed as -382, -74, 118, and 426; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU13 are indexed as -404, -316, 96, and 184; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU14 are indexed as -360, -272, 140, and 228; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU15 are indexed as -228, -140, 272, and 360; The pilot subcarriers included in the DRU16 are indexed as -184, -96, 316, and 404.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The difference in indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is 11; The first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz or 40MHz, and the indices of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 are opposites of the indices that are greater than 0. Alternatively, the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz, and the indices of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 are opposites of the indices of the pilot subcarriers that are greater than 0.

12. The method according to claims 1, 2, 3, and 11, characterized in that, The first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU9, wherein DRU1 to DRU9 satisfy one or more of the following: The pilot subcarriers contained in the DRU1 are indexed as -111 and 78; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU2 are indexed as -89 and 100; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU3 are indexed as -100 and 89; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU4 are indexed as -78 and 111; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU5 are indices -67 and 23; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU6 are indices -56 and 34; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU7 are indices -34 and 56; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU8 are indexed as -45 and 45; The pilot subcarriers included in the DRU9 are indexed as -23 and 67.

13. The method according to claims 1, 2, 3, and 11, characterized in that, The first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU18, wherein DRU1 to DRU18 satisfy one or more of the following: The pilot subcarriers contained in the DRU1 are indexed as -224 and 136; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU2 are indices -125 and 37; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU3 are indexed as -202 and 158; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU4 are indices of -103 and 59; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU5 are indexed as -81 and 81; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU6 are indices of -114 and 48; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU7 are indexed as -213 and 147; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU8 are indices -92 and 70; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU9 are indexed as -191 and 169; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU10 are indexed as -169 and 191; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU11 are indices -70 and 92; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU12 are indices -147 and 213; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU13 are indexed as -48 and 114; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU14 are indexed as -180 and 180; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU15 are indices -59 and 103; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU16 are indexed as -158 and 202; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU17 are indices -37 and 125; The pilot subcarriers contained in the DRU18 are indexed as -136 and 224.

14. The method according to claims 1, 2, 3, and 11, characterized in that, The first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU16, wherein DRU1 to DRU16 satisfy one or more of the following: The pilot subcarriers included in the DRU1 are indexed as -447, -359, 161, and 249; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU2 are indexed as -403, -315, 205, and 293; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU3 are indexed as -227, -139, 73, and 381; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU4 are indexed as -183, -95, 117, and 425; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU5 are indexed as -425, -117, 95, and 183; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU6 are indexed as -381, -73, 139, and 227; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU7 are indexed as -337, -249, 271, and 359; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU8 are indexed as -293, -205, 315, and 403; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU9 are indexed as -194, -106, 106, and 414; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU10 are indexed as -150, -62, 62, and 150; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU11 are indexed as -370, -282, 238, and 326; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU12 are indexed as -326, -238, 282, and 370; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU13 are indexed as -260, -172, 348, and 436; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU14 are indexed as -216, -128, 84, and 392; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU15 are indexed as -392, -84, 128, and 216; The pilot subcarriers included in the DRU16 are indexed as -436, -348, 172, and 260.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The difference between the indices of at least one set of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is greater than 11; The first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz or 40MHz, and the indices of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 are opposites of the indices that are greater than 0. Alternatively, the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz, and the indices of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 are opposites of the indices of the pilot subcarriers that are greater than 0.

16. The method according to claims 1, 2, 3 and 15, characterized in that, The first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz, and the distribution range of the index of the pilot subcarrier within the first discrete bandwidth that is less than 0 is -111 to -13. Alternatively, the first discrete bandwidth is 40MHz, and the distribution range of the indexes of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 is -224 to -28. Alternatively, the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz, and the distribution range of the indexes of the pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth that are less than 0 is -464 to -36.

17. The method according to claims 1, 2, 3, 15, and 16, characterized in that, The first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU9, wherein DRU1 to DRU9 satisfy one or more of the following: The pilot subcarriers contained in the DRU1 are indexed as -111 and 87; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU2 are indices -62 and 37; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU3 are indices -37 and 62; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU4 are indexed as -87 and 111; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU5 are indices -13 and 50; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU6 are indices -74 and 25; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU7 are indices -25 and 74; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU8 are indexed as -99 and 99; The pilot subcarriers included in the DRU9 are indexed as -50 and 13.

18. The method according to claims 1, 2, 3, 15, and 16, characterized in that, The first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU18, wherein DRU1 to DRU18 satisfy one or more of the following: The pilot subcarriers included in DRU1 have indices of -224 and 28; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU2 are indexed as -179 and 109; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU3 are indexed as -202 and 86; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU4 are indexed as -121 and 167; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU5 are indexed as -63 and 63; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU6 are indexed as -132 and 156; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU7 are indices -213 and 39; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU8 are indices of -74 and 52; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU9 are indexed as -191 and 97; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU10 are indexed as -97 and 191; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU11 are indices -52 and 74; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU12 are indices -39 and 213; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU13 are indexed as -156 and 132; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU14 are indexed as -144 and 144; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU15 are indexed as -167 and 121; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU16 are indexed as -86 and 202; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU17 are indexed as -109 and 179; The pilot subcarriers contained in the DRU18 are indexed as -28 and 224.

19. The method according to claims 1, 2, 3, 15, and 16, characterized in that, The first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU16, and DRU1 to DRU16 satisfy one or more of the following: The pilot subcarriers included in DRU1 are indexed as -195, -71, 269, and 393; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU2 are indexed as -331, -207, 133, and 257; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU3 are indexed as -355, -47, 109, and 453; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU4 are indexed as -183, -59, 281, and 405; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU5 are indexed as -405, -281, 59, and 183; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU6 are indexed as -453, -109, 47, and 355; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU7 are indexed as -393, -121, 71, and 343; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU8 are indexed as -257, -133, 207, and 331; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU9 are indexed as -430, -158, 306, and 430; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU10 are indexed as -294, -170, 170, and 294; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU11 are indexed as -442, -318, 146, and 418; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU12 are indexed as -418, -146, 318, and 442; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU13 are indexed as -368, -244, 96, and 220; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU14 are indexed as -380, -36, 84, and 464; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU15 are indexed as -464, -84, 36, and 380; The pilot subcarriers included in the DRU16 are indexed as -220, -96, 244, and 368.

20. The method according to claims 8, 12, and 17, characterized in that, The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU1 is [-120:9:-12] and [6:9:114]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU2 are [-116:9:-8] and [10:9:118]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU3 are [-118:9:-10] and [8:9:116]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU4 are [-114:9:-6] and [12:9:120]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU5 are [-112:9:-4] and [5:9:113]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU6 are [-119:9:-11] and [7:9:115]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU7 are [-115:9:-7] and [11:9:119]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU8 are [-117:9:-9] and [9:9:117]; The index range of the subcarriers included in the DRU9 is [-113:9:-5] and [4:9:112].

21. The method according to claims 9, 13, and 18, characterized in that, The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU1 is [-242:18:-26] and [10:18:226]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU2 are [-233:18:-17] and [19:18:235]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU3 are [-238:18:-22] and [14:18:230]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU4 are [-229:18:-13] and [23:18:239]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU5 are [-225:18:-9] and [27:18:243]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU6 are [-240:18:-24] and [12:18:228]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU7 are [-231:18:-15] and [21:18:237]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU8 are [-236:18:-20] and [16:18:232]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU9 are [-227:18:-11] and [25:18:241]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU10 are [-241:18:-25] and [11:18:227]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU11 are [-232:18:-16] and [20:18:236]; The index range of the subcarriers included in DRU12 is [-237:18:-21] and [15:18:231]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU13 are [-228:18:-12] and [24:18:240]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU14 are [-234:18:-18] and [18:18:234]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU15 are [-239:18:-23] and [13:18:229]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU16 are [-230:18:-14] and [22:18:238]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU17 are [-235:18:-19] and [17:18:233]; The index range of the subcarriers included in the DRU18 is [-226:18:-10] and [26:18:242].

22. The method according to claims 10, 14, and 19, characterized in that, The index range of the subcarriers included in the DRU1 is [-483:36:-51,17:36:449] and [-467:36:-35,33:36:465]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU2 are [-475:36:-43,25:36:457] and [-459:36:-27,41:36:473]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU3 are [-479:36:-47,21:36:453] and [-463:36:-31,37:36:469]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU4 are [-471:36:-39,29:36:461] and [-455:36:-23,45:36:477]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU5 are [-477:36:-45,23:36:455] and [-461:36:-29,39:36:471]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU6 are [-469:36:-37,31:36:463] and [-453:36:-21,47:36:479]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU7 are [-481:36:-49,19:36:451] and [-465:36:-33,35:36:467]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU8 are [-473:36:-41,27:36:459] and [-457:36:-25,43:36:475]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU9 are [-482:36:-50,18:36:450] and [-466:36:-34,34:36:466]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU10 are [-474:36:-42,26:36:458] and [-458:36:-26,42:36:474]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU11 are [-478:36:-46,22:36:454] and [-462:36:-30,38:36:470]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU12 are [-470:38:-38,30:36:462] and [-454:36:-22,46:36:478]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU13 are [-476:36:-44,24:36:456] and [-460:36:-28,40:36:472]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU14 are [-468:36:-36,32:36:464] and [-452:36:-20,48:36:480]; The subcarrier index ranges included in DRU15 are [-480:36:-48,20:36:452] and [-464:36:-32,36:36:468]; The index range of the subcarriers included in the DRU16 is [-472:36:-40,28:36:460] and [-456:36:-24,44:36:476].

23. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Based on the subcarrier planning corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth, transmit or receive orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; The pilot subcarriers in the subcarrier planning satisfy the following conditions: each Distributed Resource Unit (DRU) includes subcarriers with an index greater than 0 and subcarriers with an index less than 0. The first and last subcarriers with an index greater than 0 are not used as pilot subcarriers, and the first and last subcarriers with an index less than 0 are not used as pilot subcarriers. The difference between the indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is greater than or equal to 11. The difference between the maximum and minimum indices of multiple pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is greater than 11*n, where n is equal to the number of multiple pilot subcarriers minus 1.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The first discrete bandwidth includes a plurality of first DRUs, each first DRU containing 26 subcarriers, and the absolute value of the difference between the indices of two pilot subcarriers contained in each first DRU is a first value; Alternatively, the first discrete bandwidth includes a plurality of second DRUs, each second DRU containing 52 subcarriers, each second DRU containing pilot subcarriers whose absolute value is the difference between two sets of indices is a second value, each set containing two pilot subcarriers.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that, The first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz, and the first value is 126; Alternatively, the first discrete bandwidth is 40MHz, and the first value is 252; Alternatively, the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz, and the second value is 500.

26. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 25, characterized in that, The difference in absolute indices of adjacent pilot subcarriers within the first discrete bandwidth is greater than or equal to 11; The first discrete bandwidth includes a plurality of first DRUs, each first DRU containing 26 subcarriers, each first DRU containing two pilot subcarriers, and the difference in relative indexes of the two pilot subcarriers contained in each DRU is 13 or 14. Alternatively, the first discrete bandwidth includes a plurality of second DRUs, each second DRU containing 52 subcarriers, each second DRU containing two sets of pilot subcarriers with a relative index difference of 13 or 14, each set containing two pilot subcarriers.

27. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 26, characterized in that, The first discrete bandwidth includes multiple first DRUs, each first DRU contains 26 subcarriers, each first DRU contains two pilot subcarriers, the sorting values ​​corresponding to the indices of the two pilot subcarriers in each first DRU are the same or differ by 1, the sorting value corresponding to the index of the first pilot subcarrier in each first DRU is the sorting value of the index of the first pilot subcarrier among the indices of all subcarriers in the first DRU whose index is greater than 0, and the sorting value corresponding to the index of the second pilot subcarrier in each first DRU is the sorting value of the index of the second pilot subcarrier among the indices of all subcarriers in the first DRU whose index is less than 0.

28. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 27, characterized in that, The first discrete bandwidth is 20MHz, the distribution range of pilot indices less than 0 corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is -111 to -15, and the distribution range of pilot indices greater than 0 corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is 15 to 111. Alternatively, the first discrete bandwidth is 40MHz, the distribution range of pilot indices less than 0 corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is -224 to -27, and the distribution range of pilot indices greater than 0 corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is 28 to 225. Alternatively, the first discrete bandwidth is 80MHz, the distribution range of pilot indices less than 0 corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is -467 to -36, and the distribution range of pilot indices greater than 0 corresponding to the first discrete bandwidth is 33 to 464.

29. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 28, characterized in that, The first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU9; DRU1 to DRU9 satisfy one or more of the following: The pilot subcarriers included in DRU1 are indexed as -111 and 15; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU2 are indexed as -26 and 100; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU3 are indexed as -100 and 26; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU4 are indexed as -15 and 111; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU5 are indices -76 and 50; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU6 are indexed as -38 and 88; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU7 are indexed as -88 and 38; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU8 are indexed as -63 and 63; The pilot subcarriers included in the DRU9 are indexed as -50 and 76.

30. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 28, characterized in that, The first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU18; DRU1 to DRU18 satisfy one or more of the following: The pilot subcarriers included in DRU1 have indices of -224 and 28; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU2 are indexed as -143 and 109; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU3 are indexed as -166 and 86; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU4 are indexed as -85 and 167; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU5 are indexed as -27 and 225; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU6 are indexed as -96 and 156; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU7 are indices -213 and 39; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU8 are indices of -38 and 214; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU9 are indexed as -155 and 97; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU10 are indexed as -61 and 191; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU11 are indexed as -178 and 74; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU12 are indexed as -201 and 51; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU13 are indexed as -120 and 132; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU14 are indexed as -108 and 144; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU15 are indexed as -131 and 121; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU16 are indexed as -50 and 202; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU17 are indices -73 and 179; The pilot subcarriers contained in DRU18 are indexed as -190 and 62.

31. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 28, characterized in that, The first discrete bandwidth includes DRU1 to DRU16; DRU1 to DRU16 satisfy one or more of the following: The pilot subcarriers included in the DRU1 are indexed as -467, -159, 33, and 341; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU2 are indexed as -295, -171, 205, and 329; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU3 are indexed as -443, -319, 57, and 181; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU4 are indexed as -455, -147, 45, and 353; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU5 are indexed as -369, -245, 131, and 255; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU6 are indexed as -381, -73, 119, and 427; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU7 are indexed as -393, -85, 107, and 415; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU8 are indexed as -221, -97, 279, and 403; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU9 are indexed as -430, -122, 70, and 378; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU10 are indexed as -258, -134, 242, and 366; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU11 are indexed as -406, -282, 94, and 218; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU12 are indexed as -418, -110, 82, and 390; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU13 are indexed as -332, -208, 168, and 292; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU14 are indexed as -344, -36, 156, and 464; The pilot subcarriers included in DRU15 are indexed as -356, -48, 144, and 452; The pilot subcarriers included in the DRU16 are indexed as -184, -60, 316, and 440.

32. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a module for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 31.

33. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a processor for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1-31.

34. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes logic circuits and interfaces, wherein the logic circuits and interfaces are coupled; The interface is used for inputting and / or outputting information, and the logic circuit is used for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1-31.

35. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium is used to store a computer program, which, when executed, performs the method as described in any one of claims 1-31.

36. A computer program product, characterized in that, When the computer program product is executed, the method as described in any one of claims 1-31 is performed.

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