Wireless Punctured Transmission With Fine-Grained Subchannel Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing IEEE 802.11-based wireless communication networks face challenges in efficiently handling interference across large bandwidths due to conventional puncturing schemes that reduce effective bandwidth and performance, particularly when dealing with non-contiguous 20 MHz subchannels affected by interference.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves enhancing the puncturing schemes by expanding the partial BW info subfield in NDPA frames to include additional resolution bits and feedback bitmaps, allowing for more granular feedback and feedback bitmaps in CBFR frames, enabling precise feedback on subchannel usage and reducing unnecessary bandwidth reduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional puncturing schemes are used to handle interference in large bandwidths, then interference is managed by excluding affected subchannels, but effective bandwidth is reduced and network performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the bandwidth into finer granularity subchannels (e.g., 10 MHz or 5 MHz) instead of using coarse 20 MHz blocks. This allows selective puncturing of only the specific interfered subchannels while maintaining transmission on adjacent non-interfered subchannels, thereby preserving more effective bandwidth while still handling interference reliably.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the puncturing granularity parameter from 20 MHz to smaller subchannel sizes (10 MHz or 5 MHz). This parameter change enables more precise control over which frequency resources are affected by interference, allowing the system to maintain higher bandwidth utilization while reliably excluding only the necessary interfered portions.
2Reliability
If 20 MHz subchannels are excluded due to interference detection, then interference is avoided, but unnecessary bandwidth is lost when only parts of the subchannel are affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides 20 MHz subchannels into smaller segments (10 MHz or 5 MHz subchannels) and applies puncturing at this finer granularity. This segmentation allows the system to exclude only the specific 5 MHz or 10 MHz portions affected by interference rather than excluding the entire 20 MHz subchannel, thereby reducing unnecessary bandwidth loss while maintaining reliable interference avoidance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different transmission qualities to different frequency portions by puncturing only the locally affected subchannels. Instead of applying a uniform exclusion policy across entire 20 MHz subchannels, the system identifies and excludes only the specific local regions (5 MHz or 10 MHz subchannels) experiencing interference, preserving the quality and usability of adjacent non-interfered portions.
3Device complexity
If feedback bitmap resolution is limited to 20 MHz granularity, then feedback overhead is reduced, but precision in identifying affected subchannels is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the feedback bitmap resolution parameter from 20 MHz granularity to finer granularity (10 MHz or 5 MHz subchannels). This parameter change increases the precision of subchannel identification in the feedback mechanism, allowing the access point to accurately identify and report which specific smaller subchannels are affected by interference, thereby enabling more precise puncturing decisions.
4Device complexity
If coarse 20 MHz puncturing granularity is used, then implementation complexity is reduced, but bandwidth utilization efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the frequency spectrum into finer subchannels (10 MHz or 5 MHz) and implements puncturing at this segmented level. While this increases implementation complexity compared to coarse 20 MHz puncturing, it dramatically improves bandwidth utilization efficiency by allowing selective exclusion of only the necessary interfered portions rather than excluding entire 20 MHz blocks, thereby achieving better productivity.
Data Source
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AI summary
An access point, AP (110), configured to perform a sounding procedure with one or more associated non-AP stations (120) in a wireless local area network (100) is provided. The AP (110) comprises a processing circuitry (111) configured to generate a null data PPDU announcement, NDPA, frame, wherein the NDPA frame comprises for each of the one or more associated non-AP stations (120) a station info field. The station info field comprises a partial BW info subfield, including a feedback bitmap and an indication of a resolution and/or a range of the feedback bitmap with a 20 MHz or 40 MHz subchannel resolution for a Sounding NDP with a bandwidth of up to 320 MHz. The AP (110) further comprises a communication interface (113) configured to transmit the NDPA frame to the one or more associated non-AP stations (120). Moreover, a corresponding non-AP station (120) is disclosed.