Method and system to detect packets of different formats

A method and system in accordance with the present invention presents a new packet structure and an improved method for detecting the packet. The method and system comprise adding an additional field to the packet structure to allow for a sufficient time to process a very high throughput (VHT) signal field; and enabling the detection of the VHT signal field of the packet structure. The VHT signal field is distinguishable from other signal fields and the VHT signal field allows for a backward compatibility with other devices.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to wireless data communication systems and more particularly to the detection of different types of packets.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In a wireless communication system such as a WiFi system, information is transmitted and received in orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) packets. A receiver in such a system needs to detect a packet and its format first, and then the receiver configures its hardware and software to receive and decode the data portion of the packet.

Each OFDM packet includes a plurality of pre-amble fields to assist the receiver in detecting, synchronizing, and conditioning the packet. The pre-amble fields are followed by an encoded signal field that carries information about data rate, packet length, modulation and encoding type. The signal field is decoded and then used to configure the receiver to receive and decode the data portion of the packet. In the high throughput (HT) WiFi standard IEEE draft document (802.11n), mixed mode and green field OFDM frame formats are allowed to co-exist with a low throughput legacy frame format. In this standard the mixed mode frame format allows a legacy device to handle an HT packet properly and the green field frame format allows for less overhead and therefore higher throughput in an HT only system.

Accordingly, what is desired is a system and method that allows a receiver to receive and decode data packets in an efficient fashion when the receiver can receive packets in different types of formats. The system and method should be easily implemented, cost effective and adaptable to existing communications systems. The present invention addresses such a need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method and system in accordance with the present invention presents a new packet structure and an improved method for detecting the packet. The method and system comprises adding an additional field to the packet structure to allow for a sufficient time to process a very high throughput (VHT) signal field; and enabling the detection of the VHT signal field of the packet structure. The VHT signal field is distinguishable from other signal fields and the VHT signal field allows for a backward compatibility with other devices.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A system and method in accordance with the present invention allows for a receiver to effectively detect and decode the format of a plurality of packets transmitted in a wireless network. Specifically, the system allows for a receiver which can receive packets in different formats to detect whether the IEE802.11n packets are in a very high throughput (VHT) format or a legacy OFDM format. In so doing, a receiver can operate efficiently when receiving and decoding packets.

Although an embodiment will be described based upon a WiFi system in which OFDM packets are utilized, one of ordinary skill in the art recognizes a system and method in accordance with an embodiment can be utilized in a variety of embodiments and that use would be within the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the receiver could receive Complementary Code Keying (CCK) packets, Ethernet packets and the like and their use would be within the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the types of high throughput formats may differ from mixed mode format and the green format disclosed herein but those formats would still be applicable in a system and method in accordance with the present invention. Accordingly, although the system and method in accordance with the present invention will be discussed in the context of a particular embodiment, one of ordinary skill in the art recognizes that it can be utilized in a variety of environments and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

A system that utilizes a detection procedure in accordance with the present invention can take the form of an entirely hardware implementation, an entirely software implementation, or an implementation containing both hardware and software elements. In one implementation, this detection procedure is implemented in software, which includes, but is not limited to, application software, firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.

The medium can be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus or device) or a propagation medium. Examples of a computer-readable medium include a semiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk, and an optical disk. Current examples of optical disks include DVD, compact disk-read-only memory (CD-ROM), and compact disk-read/write (CD-R/W). To describe the features of the present invention in more detail, refer now to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying Figures.

FIG. 1shows the structures of conventional packets. The portion (a) illustrates a packet structure10used in a wireless device complying with IEEE 802.11a standard (legacy mode), while the portion (b) illustrates a high throughput (HT) packet structure10used in a wireless device complying with the IEE 802.11n standard. The portion (a) shows the portion of the 11a legacy packet following the short and long training fields (SFT and LTF), which are primarily for packet detection, auto gain control (AGC) and channel training. The signal field, as defined in the specification IEEE 802.11a standard, contains the signal information pertaining to the data portion of the packet, such as data modulation, number of symbols, coding rate, and parity bit protection. A receiver that receives the packet uses this information, contained in the L-SIG symbol12and14shown in the portion (a), to set-up the subsequent decoding processing the data symbols. The IEEE 802.11a standard defines a packet data rate of up to 54 Mb/s.

With the release of the draft IEEE 802.11 standard, a new preamble of the packet is defined to a packet data rate of 600 Mb/s. The new preamble requires an extensive set of signal parameters that necessitates the expansion of the signal field into two symbols, such as the HT-SIG118aand HT-SIG218bshown in the portion (b), immediately following the L-SIG12field. To ensure co-existence with the 11a devices, the HT-SIG fields18aand18bare modulated with a 90-degree rotation. Compared with a conventional BPSK symbol with real components, the HT-SIG fields18aand18bare signaled on the imaginary (Q) axis, as shown inFIG. 2. This makes the detection of the packet easy, after processing the symbol through signal processing modules, such as the FFT and FEQ modules26shown in portion (b). As depicted in portion (b), the approximate time duration that an 11n device will require to detect an HT packet by HT detector23is approximately 1 symbol time (or about 4 microseconds). That is, the signal processing time, such as the FFT/FEQ/HT-DETECT28process shown in the portion (b), begins from the last HT-SIG118asample transmitted by the transmitter, and will be completed before the HT-STF20is transmitted over the air, or received by a receiver. Thus, upon detection, an 11n receiver has enough time to properly process the HT-STF field20. During this field, the analog and digital MIMO-AGC30functions are performed, using the HT-STF signal that is specially designed for this purpose; for example, the 802.11a/n STF field20has a low peak-to-average power ratio, which ensures that the signal can tolerate large power increases, without saturating the receiver analog-to-digital converters.

MIMO-AGC30is important for performance prior to the reception of the HT-LTF22(long training fields). Significant gain changes can occur at the start of the HT-STF20for several reasons. For example, CSD changes (from 200 up to 600 microseconds on the transmitted spatial streams) can drastically change the effective wireless channel. Transmit beamforming can also result in 6 to 10 dB of received signal gain increase, and transmit antenna diversity schemes starting at the HT-STF20(according to the 11n standard) and spatial expansion (also an 802.11n feature, whereby the transmitter activates additional transmitters) can further modify the channel. These abrupt changes need to be compensated by the MIMO-AGC30to prevent effects such as analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) saturation (clipping).

Moreover, with a very high throughput (VHT) standard, which offers even higher data rates, a preamble field must be designed to allow a VHT device to coexist with both 11a and 11n devices. The signal field will preferably be as efficient as the HT-SIG field18aand18b, immediately following the L-SIG field12as shown inFIG. 1, and allow the VHT preamble to be uniquely distinguishable from the previous two preambles, and finally, and equally important, the VHT detection is required to be timely, so that the VHT detection occurs before the start of the HT-STF symbol20so that a full symbol time (i.e., four microseconds) is available for MIMO-AGC30.

An approach known to solve the current problem is shown inFIG. 3. In this embodiment 90-degree rotation is used on the HT-SIG2field18bfor VHT detection. HT and VHT detection is done sequentially, with the VHT28and30detection logic searching for the 90-degree shift on either the first signal field18a(indicating the 11n HTpacket) or the second signal field18b(indicating the VHT packet is present).

The approach for example, can be taken to generalize the 90-degree rotation so that the new VHT-SIG can be easily recognized. That is, it can be distinguished from both an HT-SIG field and a legacy DATA field simultaneously. One embodiment of the design utilizes 90-degree BPSK symbols on alternating subcarriers, odd and even, as shown inFIG. 4.FIG. 4shows the constellation diagrams of the odd subcarriers82and the even subcarriers84. Using a detection scheme, this preamble will accomplish the VHT coexistence requirement.

An approach to distinguishing the 11n HT-SIG field is shown inFIG. 5. Here the 11n HT-SIG field is distinguished by summing the difference in power between the real (I component) and imaginary (Q component) BPSK symbols, across all of the rotated subcarriers. This is shown as element92as is written as:

11⁢n⁢:⁢∑i=1Nsc⁢(Ii2-Qi2)
In particular, if the packet is an 11n packet with the 90-degree shifted BPSK OFDM symbol, all the energy will line up on the imaginary axis, making the Q components large. The output will be a large negative number received by 11n detection mechanism94. It will be distinguishable from an 11a packet, because the 11a packet will have a data symbol in that corresponding time slot. In general, the data symbol in QAM, and contains equal energy on both I and Q components, so that if the packet is 11a, the output of the 11n detector will read zero. Thus, by comparing the summed output to a preset negative threshold, the 11n and 11a can be uniquely identified.

Using the alternating 90-degree BPSK OFDM to signal the VHT-SIG field, the corresponding form of the detector96takes the modified form:

11⁢a⁢⁢c⁢:⁢∑i,evenNsc⁢(Ii2-Qi2)-∑k,oddNsc⁢(Ik2-Qk2),
where the summations are over even and odd subcarriers. The output will be a large negative value received by VHT detection mechanism98when the VHT-SIG field is present. Summarizing the detection outputs, where S is the largest possible value of the detectors, as shown in Table 1, we see the this the new VHT signal detection scheme is equally effective as that for the current 11n system, where both will output a value of −S with the respective signal field inputs, and 0 if they encounter a data symbol. Similarly, each will output a zero value when the respective input the other type of signal field.

Although this method operates effectively in, any environments, it does not operate as well when the MIMO-AGC30is pushed out until the very end of the VHT-STF field20as shown inFIG. 3, and into the VHT-LTF field22, where channel training is supposed to occur in the receiver. During the channel training, it is almost not possible to adjust the analog RF gain circuits without corrupting the training signal, and causing a packet error. Thus, there is a need to correct the disadvantage in the delayed-90 degree sequential VHT packet detention.

Referring nowFIG. 6andFIG. 7, packet structures are provided for addressing the MIMI-AGC processing problem when used with delayed-90 degree VHT detection. The solution is to add an additional field to allow a sufficient time enough to process the VHT-SIG2field through a signal processing unit, such as the FFT20/HT Detection logic, so that the MIMO-AGC process has a full VHT-STF (at least, or near 4 microseconds) and may properly settle the analog circuits prior to the start of the VHT-LTF fields (channel training).

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a communication method for transmitting packets comprises the step of transmitting a packet of the structure shown inFIG. 6. The packet100is designed to contain two short training fields (STF)130and120or a double width VHT-STF section, and therefore allows adequate time for detecting the packet by HT detection logic128and for processing by MIMO-AGC131.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a communication method for transmitting packets comprises the step of transmitting a packet of the structure shown inFIG. 7. The packet200shown inFIG. 7has a third signal field VHT-SIG3230added prior to the start of the VHT-STF signal field220. This additional signal field can be designed to contain additional user specific information, such as user MAC address indicating the intended client for the incoming packet. This would allow unintended users to ignore the incoming packet, and enter into a power-save mode.

Moreover, source address information can also be added to the third signal field230. This would allow a particular client to discriminate between certain packets. For example, a hand-held device that is only interested in data email traffic might want to ignore a high bandwidth 11ac packet that contains HD video streaming data from a wireless BD player, that is intended for a large wall-mounted screen HD video display. By allowing the client to ignore this traffic would allow it to extend its battery life, and free up its processor for other activities. Source information contained in the VHT-SIG3230can help to achieve this goal.

Accordingly, a method and system in accordance with the present invention presents a new packet structure and an improved method for detecting the packet. In such a system or method by adding an additional field to the packet structure to allow for a sufficient time to process a very high throughput (VHT) signal field; and enabling the detection of the VHT signal field of the packet structure and ensuring MIMO AGC processing has sufficient time to process the VHT-STF field. Therefore, the VHT signal field is distinguishable from other signal fields and the VHT signal field allows for a backward compatibility with other devices.