OFDMA Hybrid Transmission for Mixed Standard Stations
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless communication systems, particularly in WLANs, the existing OFDMA transmission mechanisms struggle to efficiently utilize channel bandwidth when stations support different standards, such as 802.11ax and 802.11be, leading to wasted frequency domain resources.
Innovation Solution
An orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) uplink hybrid transmission method and apparatus that allows an access point to send a trigger frame to both a first STA supporting a first standard and a second STA supporting a second standard, enabling them to send uplink data on different resource units within a shared channel bandwidth, without the need for a guard band.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the access point uses the 802.11ax OFDMA transmission mechanism to schedule stations, then compatibility with 802.11ax stations is maintained, but frequency domain resources are wasted when 802.11be stations that support wider bandwidths are present
Solution Approach 1:
The channel bandwidth is segmented into multiple resource units (RUs) of different sizes (e.g., 26-tone, 52-tone, 106-tone RUs). The access point allocates different RU sizes to different stations based on their bandwidth capabilities, allowing 802.11ax stations to use smaller RUs while 802.11be stations can utilize larger RUs or multiple RUs spanning the full channel bandwidth, thereby eliminating wasted frequency resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The resource unit allocation is dynamically adjusted based on the capabilities and requirements of each station. The access point can flexibly assign different RU configurations in different transmission opportunities, allowing the system to adapt to mixed 802.11ax and 802.11be station environments while fully utilizing available spectrum resources.
2Productivity
If the access point allocates resource units to multiple stations for OFDMA transmission, then spectral efficiency is improved, but complex resource allocation and scheduling is required to manage different bandwidth requirements
Solution Approach 1:
A universal resource allocation mechanism is implemented that can handle both 802.11ax and 802.11be stations through a common OFDMA framework. The same resource unit allocation principles and trigger frame structures are used regardless of station type, simplifying the scheduling complexity while maintaining the ability to serve diverse bandwidth requirements efficiently.
Data Source
AI summary
This application relates to the field of wireless communication, and in particular, to an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) hybrid transmission method and apparatus. The method includes: An access point may send a trigger frame, to schedule stations supporting different standards to perform OFDMA uplink transmission, where the stations supporting different standards support different bandwidth sizes. The stations receiving the trigger frame send a trigger-based physical layer protocol data unit (TB PPDU) to the access point, where the TB PPDU includes uplink data of the stations supporting different standards, and the stations of different standards may send the uplink data by using RUs located in bandwidths respectively supported by the stations. Therefore, a channel can be fully utilized to improve frequency domain resource utilization.