Patent Description:
Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communications content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (such as time, frequency, and power). A wireless network, for example a wireless local area network (WLAN), such as a Wi-Fi (i.e., Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) <NUM>) network may include access point (AP) that may communicate with one or more stations (STAs) or mobile devices. The AP may be coupled to a network, such as the Internet, and may enable a mobile device to communicate via the network (or communicate with other devices coupled to the access point). A wireless device may communicate with a network device bi-directionally. For example, in a WLAN, a STA may communicate with an associated AP via downlink and uplink. The downlink (or forward link) may refer to the communication link from the AP to the station, and the uplink (or reverse link) may refer to the communication link from the station to the AP.

Document <CIT> provides a downlink frame format to support multiple user-multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO) and orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA), and methods, apparatuses, etc. therefor. A method for transmitting data to a plurality of STAs by an AP in a WLAN may include generating a HE-long training field (LTF) field for the plurality of STAs, and transmitting a physical protocol data unit (PPDU) frame to the plurality of STAs, the PPDU frame including the HE-LTF field and data for the plurality of STAs. The data for the plurality of STAs may be transmitted to different STA on each of a plurality of subchannels, and a starting point of the HE-LTF field may be same across the plurality of STAs and an end point of the HE-LTF field may be same across the plurality of STAs.

The systems, methods and devices of this disclosure each have several innovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for the desirable attributes disclosed herein. Preferred embodiments of the invention are defined by the dependent claims. While several embodiments and/or examples are disclosed throughout this description, the subject matter for which protection is sought is limited to such examples and/or embodiments that are encompassed by the scope of the appended claims. Embodiments and/or examples described herein that do not fall under the scope of the appended claims are to be regarded as useful for understanding the invention.

One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure is implemented in a method for wireless communications at an access point (AP). The method includes aligning a set of first pre-modulated fields of a first preamble physical protocol data unit (PPDU) portion in time with a set of second pre-modulated fields of a second preamble PPDU portion, where the first pre-modulated fields and the second pre-modulated fields each include one or more of pre-high efficiency (HE) modulated fields or pre-extremely high throughput (EHT) modulated fields, and the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion each include one or more of an HE preamble PPDU portion or an EHT preamble PPDU portion. The method includes aligning a set of first modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion in time with a set of second modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion, where the first modulated fields and the second modulate fields each include one or more of HE modulated fields or EHT modulated fields, wherein at least the first pre-modulated fields or the second pre-modulated fields include pre-EHT modulated fields and/or wherein at least the first modulated fields or the second modulated fields include EHT modulated fields. The method includes transmitting the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion substantially simultaneously over a wireless channel, the first preamble PPDU portion occupying a different portion of a total bandwidth of the AP than the second preamble PPDU portion during the transmission, where the first preamble PPDU portion is transmitted orthogonally to the second preamble PPDU portion.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure is implemented in an apparatus for wireless communications at an AP. The apparatus includes means for aligning a set of first pre-modulated fields of a first preamble PPDU portion in time with a set of second pre-modulated fields of a second preamble PPDU portion, where the first pre-modulated fields and the second pre-modulated fields each include one or more of pre-HE modulated fields or pre-EHT modulated fields, and the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion each include one or more of an HE preamble PPDU portion or an EHT preamble PPDU portion. The apparatus includes means for aligning a set of first modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion in time with a set of second modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion, where the first modulated fields and the second modulate fields each include one or more of HE modulated fields or EHT modulated fields, wherein at least the first pre-modulated fields or the second pre-modulated fields include pre-EHT modulated fields and/or wherein at least the first modulated fields or the second modulated fields include EHT modulated fields. The apparatus includes means for transmitting the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion substantially simultaneously over a wireless channel, the first preamble PPDU portion occupying a different portion of a total bandwidth of the AP than the second preamble PPDU portion during the transmission, where the first preamble PPDU portion is transmitted orthogonally to the second preamble PPDU portion.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure is a computer program comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out a method as described above.

In some implementations, the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium may include padding a signal B (SIG-B) field of the first preamble PPDU portion or the second preamble PPDU portion such that a duration of the set of first pre-modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion may be the same as a duration of the set of second pre-modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion.

In some implementations, the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium may include aligning the set of first modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion in time with the set of second modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion further may include operations, features, means, or instructions for aligning a payload of the first preamble PPDU portion in time with a payload of the second preamble PPDU portion.

In some implementations, the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium may include aligning the payload of the first preamble PPDU portion in time with the payload of the second preamble PPDU portion includes padding one or more of the payload of the first preamble PPDU portion or the payload of the second preamble PPDU portion.

In some implementations of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion include one or more of an equal number of long training fields, a same orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol duration, or a same guard interval (GI) duration.

In some implementations of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, a number of long training fields of the first preamble PPDU portion may be different from a number of long training fields of the second preamble PPDU portion, and the long training fields of the first preamble PPDU portion or the second preamble PPDU portion use a same OFDM symbol duration and a same GI duration as a payload of the first preamble PPDU portion or the second preamble PPDU portion.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure is implemented in a method for wireless communications at an AP. The method includes transmitting a trigger frame over a bandwidth, wherein the trigger frame includes a common information field including configuration information common to each of the STAs with which the AP is to communicate and a per-user information field including configuration information specific to an individual STA, and receiving, in response to the trigger frame, a first protocol data unit and a second protocol data unit via different portions of the bandwidth, the first protocol data unit including a first preamble PPDU portion and the second protocol data unit including a second preamble PPDU portion, where the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion each include one or more of an HE preamble PPDU portion or an EHT preamble PPDU portion. The first preamble PPDU portion is received orthogonally to the second preamble PPDU portion, a set of first pre-modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion is aligned in time with a set of second pre-modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion, and a set of first modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion is aligned in time with a set of second modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion. The first pre-modulated fields and the second pre-modulated fields each include one or more of pre-HE modulated fields or pre-EHT modulated fields, and the first modulated fields and the second modulate fields each include one or more of HE modulated fields or EHT modulated fields, wherein at least the first pre-modulated fields or the second pre-modulated fields include pre-EHT modulated fields and/or wherein at least the first modulated fields or the second modulated fields include EHT modulated fields.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure is implemented in an apparatus for wireless communications at an AP. The apparatus includes means for transmitting a trigger frame over a bandwidth, wherein the trigger frame includes a common information field including configuration information common to each of the STAs with which the AP is to communicate and a per-user information field including configuration information specific to an individual STA, and receiving, in response to the trigger frame, a first protocol data unit and a second protocol data unit via different portions of the bandwidth, the first protocol data unit including a first preamble PPDU portion and a second preamble PPDU portion, the first preamble PPDU portion occupying a different portion of the total bandwidth than the second preamble PPDU portion during the transmission, where the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion each include one or more of an HE preamble PPDU portion or an EHT preamble PPDU portion. The first preamble PPDU portion is received orthogonally to the second preamble PPDU portion, a set of first pre-modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion is aligned in time with a set of second pre-modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion, and a set of first modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion is aligned in time with a set of second modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion. The first pre-modulated fields and the second pre-modulated fields each include one or more of pre-HE modulated fields or pre-EHT modulated fields, and the first modulated fields and the second modulate fields each include one or more of HE modulated fields or EHT modulated fields, wherein at least the first pre-modulated fields or the second pre-modulated fields include pre-EHT modulated fields and/or wherein at least the first modulated fields or the second modulated fields include EHT modulated fields.

In some implementations of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion include one or more of an equal number of long training fields, a same OFDM symbol duration, or a same GI duration.

In some implementations of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, a payload of the first preamble PPDU portion may be aligned in time with a payload of the second preamble PPDU portion.

In some implementations, the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium may include generating a per-user information field corresponding to each of a first STA associated with the first preamble PPDU portion and a second STA associated with the second preamble PPDU portion, where the per-user information field corresponding to the first STA may be equal in duration to the per-user information field corresponding to the second STA, and the per-user information field for each of the first STA and the second STA may be included in the trigger frame.

In some implementations of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the per-user information field indicates spatial stream allocation information for each of the first STA and the second STA, and the spatial stream allocation information may be signaled in a combination of a spatial stream allocation subfield and one or more of an uplink forward error correction coding type subfield, an uplink dual carrier modulation subfield, or a reserved subfield.

The following description is directed to certain implementations for the purposes of describing the innovative aspects of this disclosure. However, a person having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in a multitude of different ways. The described implementations may be implemented in any device, system or network that is capable of transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals according to any of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) <NUM> standards, or any of the IEEE <NUM> standards, the Bluetooth® standard, code-division multiple access (CDMA), frequency-division multiple access (FDMA), time-division multiple access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), GSM/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA), Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA), Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO), 1xEV-DO, EV-DO Rev A, EV-DO Rev B, High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS), or other known signals that are used to communicate within a wireless, cellular or internet of things (IOT) network, such as a system utilizing <NUM>, <NUM> or <NUM>, or further implementations thereof, technology.

Techniques are disclosed for orthogonal multiplexing of high efficiency (HE) and extremely high throughput (EHT) wireless traffic. HE and EHT systems may support coverage for multiple types of mobile stations (STAs). For example, an access point (AP) in an EHT system may support coverage for HE and EHT STAs (such as HE and EHT devices). In some systems, both HE and EHT devices may coexist, and the HE and EHT devices may support orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA). In some implementations, however, the HE and EHT devices may support different system bandwidths. OFDMA may enable simultaneous transmissions to both HE and EHT devices, where OFDMA transmissions may rely on orthogonality between transmissions. The techniques disclosed in this paper enable the time alignment of analogous portions of HE and EHT transmissions such that orthogonality between the two types of transmissions may be maintained.

In some implementations, a non-duplicate preamble may be either an HE or EHT preamble. To achieve orthogonality between simultaneous OFDMA HE and EHT transmissions, pre-HE-modulated and pre-EHT-modulated fields for one or more portions of a physical protocol data unit (PPDU) bandwidth may be aligned in time, and HE-modulated and EHT-modulated fields for each PPDU portion of the PPDU bandwidth may be aligned in time. In some implementations, different fields in both HE and EHT preambles may use a same symbol duration (such as a <NUM> orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol duration). For example, a legacy short training field (L-STF), a legacy long training field (L-LTF), a legacy signal (L-SIG) field, a repeated L-SIG (RL-SIG) field, an HE signal A (SIG-A) field/EHT SIG-A, and an HE signal B (SIG-B)/EHT SIG-B may use the symbol duration. However, in some implementations, the number of HE SIG-B and EHT SIG-B symbols may differ between the different preambles (such as HE and EHT preambles). As such, there may be a possibility of that pre-HE modulated fields and pre-EHT modulated fields are misaligned based on, for example, a different number of SIG-B symbols for each preamble. To ensure time-alignment of the pre-HE and pre-EHT-modulated fields of the respective HE and EHT preambles, padding of HE SIG-B fields and EHT SIG-B fields may be used such that if a different number of SIG-B symbols are used, they appear to be the same duration.

In some implementations, the HE and EHT modulated fields may be aligned in time by ensuring that each PPDU portion contains a same number of HE and EHT long training fields (LTFs) with the same durations of LTFs and guard intervals (GIs). For example, a duration of each OFDM symbol without a GI in HE LTFs may be the same as a duration of each OFDM symbol without GI in EHT LTFs, and a GI duration of HE LTFs may be the same as a GI duration of EHT LTFs. Additionally, HE and EHT short training fields (STFs) may have the same duration. The HE and EHT modulated fields may be aligned, where each PPDU portion may contain a different number of HE and EHT LTFs. In some implementations, each HE/EHT LTF and GI may have a same duration as a payload (such as data) portion. For example, a duration of each OFDM symbol without a GI in an HE data field may be the same as a duration of each OFDM symbol without a GI in an EHT data field (such as <NUM>), and a duration of a GI in the data field may be the same as a duration of a GI in the EHT data field (such as <NUM>/<NUM>/<NUM>). Similarly, a duration of each OFDM symbol without a GI in an HE LTF may be the same as a duration of each OFDM symbol without a GI in an EHT LTF (such as <NUM>), and a duration of a GI may be the same in any of an HE LTF, an EHT LTF, and an HE/EHT data field. Additionally, or alternatively, each payload also may be aligned in the PPDU portions through padding.

For uplink OFDMA of both HE and EHT transmissions, a trigger frame may be transmitted to trigger uplink HE and EHT transmissions. In some implementations, the trigger frame may indicate to transmit an EHT preamble in addition to an HE preamble, where the HE preamble includes pre-EHT modulated fields instead of pre-HE modulated fields. Accordingly, an HE preamble PPDU portion and an EHT preamble PPDU portion may be received orthogonally. To support the orthogonality, pre-EHT modulated fields may be aligned in a trigger-based PPDU for each resource unit (RU), HE and EHT modulated fields may be aligned in the trigger-based PPDU on each RU, and payloads may be aligned in the trigger-based PPDU by padding. Additionally, the trigger frame may include a per-user field for STAs associated with each HE and EHT PPDU portion. The per-user field may allocate spatial streams for each HE and EHT device, and the per-user field may have an equal duration for each HE or EHT device (such as a client device).

Particular implementations of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to realize one or more of the following potential advantages. Specifically, the proposed techniques allow for increased potential at an AP. For example, downlink transmissions from the AP to one or more STAs may utilize different preambles (such as HE and EHT preambles) for simultaneous transmissions. Additionally, uplink transmissions from one or more STAs to the AP may be received for both HE and EHT STAs simultaneously. In some implementations, the use of higher bandwidths (such as <NUM>) may be improved based on the multiplexing of both HE and EHT devices.

<FIG> shows a wireless local area network (WLAN) <NUM> (also known as a Wi-Fi network) that supports orthogonal multiplexing of HE and EHT wireless traffic. The WLAN <NUM> may include an AP <NUM> and multiple associated STAs <NUM>, which may represent devices such as mobile stations, personal digital assistant (PDAs), other handheld devices, netbooks, notebook computers, tablet computers, laptops, display devices (such as TVs, computer monitors, etc.), printers, etc. The AP <NUM> and the associated stations <NUM> may represent a basic service set (BSS) or an extended service set (ESS). The various STAs <NUM> in the network are able to communicate with one another through the AP <NUM>. Also shown is a coverage area <NUM> of the AP <NUM>, which may represent a basic service area (BSA) of the WLAN <NUM>. An extended network station (not shown) associated with the WLAN <NUM> may be connected to a wired or wireless distribution system that may allow multiple APs <NUM> to be connected in an ESS.

Although not shown in <FIG>, a STA <NUM> may be located in the intersection of more than one coverage area <NUM> and may associate with more than one AP <NUM>. A single AP <NUM> and an associated set of STAs <NUM> may be referred to as a BSS. An ESS is a set of connected BSSs. A distribution system (not shown) may be used to connect APs <NUM> in an ESS. In some implementations, the coverage area <NUM> of an AP <NUM> may be divided into sectors (also not shown). The WLAN <NUM> may include APs <NUM> of different types (such as metropolitan area, home network, etc.), with varying and overlapping coverage areas <NUM>. Two STAs <NUM> also may communicate directly via a direct wireless link <NUM> regardless of whether both STAs <NUM> are in the same coverage area <NUM>. Examples of direct wireless links <NUM> may include Wi-Fi Direct connections, Wi-Fi Tunneled Direct Link Setup (TDLS) links, and other group connections. The STAs <NUM> and the APs <NUM> may communicate according to the WLAN radio and baseband protocol for physical and medium access control (MAC) layers from IEEE <NUM> and versions including, but not limited to, <NUM>. 11b, <NUM>, <NUM>. 11a, <NUM>. 11n, <NUM>. 11ac, <NUM>. 11ad, <NUM>. 11ah, <NUM>. 11ax, <NUM>-EHT, etc. In some other implementations, peer-to-peer connections or ad hoc networks may be implemented within the WLAN <NUM>.

In some implementations, STAs <NUM> of WLAN <NUM> may operate under either HE or EHT conditions. As such, an AP <NUM> may support both HE and EHT communications with respective HE and EHT STAs <NUM>. However, HE and EHT transmissions may not be compatible for simultaneous transmissions. For example, HE transmissions may be longer in duration than EHT transmissions. To enable simultaneous downlink HE and EHT transmissions and receiving simultaneous uplink HE and EHT transmissions, the AP <NUM> may support OFDMA of both HE and EHT downlink/uplink transmissions. For example, pre-HE and pre-EHT-modulated fields, HE and EHT modulated fields, and payloads for both the HE and EHT transmissions may be aligned in time. In some implementations, a trigger frame may be utilized for indicating the alignments for uplink transmissions. Accordingly, the AP <NUM> may ensure OFDM orthogonality for both the HE and EHT transmissions.

<FIG> shows example portions of a PPDU bandwidth <NUM> that support orthogonal multiplexing of HE and EHT wireless traffic. The PPDU bandwidth <NUM> may include a number N portions of a non-duplicate preamble PPDU transmission. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the PPDU bandwidth <NUM> may include a first non-duplicate preamble PPDU portion <NUM> (<NUM>), a second non-duplicate preamble PPDU portion N-<NUM> (<NUM>), and a third (that is, Nth) non-duplicate preamble PPDU portion N (<NUM>).

In an illustrative example, the PPDU bandwidth <NUM> may be <NUM>. In various implementations, a bandwidth of each of the non-duplicate preamble PPDU portions may be one of <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, where the sum of the non-duplicate preamble PPDU portions may be the <NUM> of the PPDU bandwidth <NUM>. Alternatively, in some implementations, the PPDU bandwidth <NUM> may be <NUM>, and the sum of the non-duplicate preamble PPDU portions may be <NUM>.

In some implementations, non-duplicate preambles may be non-identical (for example, some or all of the preambles being different), and the bandwidth of each of the non-duplicate preamble PPDU portions may be different, that is, each portion may have non-identical bandwidths. For example, the bandwidth of each of the first non-duplicate preamble PPDU portion <NUM> (<NUM>), the second non-duplicate preamble PPDU portion N-<NUM> (<NUM>), and the third (that is, Nth) non-duplicate preamble PPDU portion N (<NUM>) may be different (for example, having bandwidths of <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, respectively).

In some implementations, a non-duplicate preamble may be either an HE or EHT preamble. To achieve orthogonality between simultaneous or substantially simultaneous HE and EHT transmissions (such as OFDMA HE and EHT transmissions), pre-HE-modulated and pre-EHT-modulated fields for each portion of the PPDU bandwidth <NUM> may be aligned in time. As described herein, the non-duplicate preamble PPDU portions are described as "non-duplicate" in that the preamble portions are not copied or duplicated from the other portions, and the pre-modulated fields (such as pre-HE-modulated and pre-EHT modulated fields) of each of the non-duplicate preamble PPDU portions may different from one another. Following the pre-HE modulated and pre-HE-modulated fields, HE-modulated and EHT-modulated fields for each PPDU portion of the PPDU bandwidth <NUM> may be aligned in time. In some implementations, a spectral mask for the PPDU bandwidth <NUM> may be met by the composite transmission of the non-duplicate preamble PPDU portions.

<FIG> show example downlink field alignments <NUM> and <NUM> for HE PPDU fields and EHT PPDU fields, respectively, that support orthogonal multiplexing of HE and EHT wireless traffic. The example downlink field alignment <NUM> shows a configuration of a number of HE PPDU fields for an HE transmission, and the example downlink field alignment <NUM> shows a configuration of a number of EHT PPDU fields for an EHT transmission. In some implementations, the downlink field alignment <NUM> and the downlink field alignment <NUM> may correspond to HE and EHT transmissions using two distinct spatial transmissions streams. In some implementations, the downlink field alignment <NUM> and the downlink field alignment <NUM> may implement aspects of the PPDU bandwidth <NUM>, for example the non-duplicate preamble PPDU portions, as described with reference to <FIG>. It is to be understood that while the techniques described herein may be described and illustrated with reference to HE transmissions and EHT transmissions on two respective spatial streams, the techniques may be implemented similarly for any combination of HE transmissions and EHT transmissions (for example, to configure HE transmission with respect to one or more additional HE transmissions, an EHT transmission with respect to one or more additional EHT transmissions, or any combination thereof).

As shown in <FIG>, the example downlink field alignment <NUM> includes a set of pre-HE modulated fields <NUM> and a set of HE modulated fields <NUM> for the HE transmission, where the HE modulated fields <NUM> may include a payload <NUM> (for example, a data payload). The pre-HE modulated fields <NUM> may include an L-STF <NUM>, an L-LTF <NUM>, an L-SIG field <NUM>, an RL-SIG field <NUM>, and an HE-SIG-A field <NUM> followed by a number of HE-SIG-B fields, shown from a first HE-SIG-B field <NUM> through a second HE-SIG-B field <NUM>. The HE modulated fields <NUM> may include an HE-STF <NUM> followed by a number of HE-LTF symbols, shown as a first HE-LTF symbol <NUM>, a second HE-LFT symbol <NUM>, through a third HE-LFT symbol <NUM>. Following the third HE-LTF symbol <NUM> (that is, the last HE-LTF symbol), the payload <NUM> in the HE modulated fields <NUM> may include a number of data symbols, shown as a first data symbol <NUM> through a second data symbol <NUM>, and a packet extension (PE) field <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the example downlink field alignment <NUM> includes a set of pre-EHT modulated fields <NUM> and a set of EHT modulated fields <NUM> for the EHT transmission, where the EHT modulated fields <NUM> may include a payload <NUM> (for example, a data payload). The pre-EHT modulated fields <NUM> may include an L-STF <NUM>, an L-LTF <NUM>, an L-SIG field <NUM>, an RL-SIG field <NUM>, and an EHT-SIG-A field <NUM> followed by a number of EHT-SIG-B fields, shown from a first EHT-SIG-B field <NUM> through a second EHT-SIG-B field <NUM>. The EHT modulated fields <NUM> may include an EHT-STF <NUM> followed by a number of EHT-LTF symbols, shown as a first EHT-LTF symbol <NUM>, a second EHT-LFT symbol <NUM>, through a third EHT-LFT symbol <NUM>. Following the third EHT-LTF symbol <NUM> (that is, the last EHT-LTF symbol), the payload <NUM> in the EHT modulated fields <NUM> may include a number of data symbols, shown as a first data symbol <NUM> through a second data symbol <NUM>, and a PE field <NUM>.

To achieve orthogonality between simultaneous or substantially simultaneous HE and EHT transmissions (using, for example, OFDMA), symbol boundaries of the PPDU fields shown by the downlink field alignments <NUM> and <NUM> may be aligned in time. In some implementations, different fields of HE preambles and EHT preambles may have a same symbol duration, and a number of HE SIG-B symbols and EHT SIG-B symbols may differ between the HE and EHT preambles. Thus, in some such implementations, the pre-HE modulated fields <NUM> and the pre-EHT modulated fields <NUM> may be misaligned based on including different numbers of SIG-B symbols in each respective preamble. To ensure time-alignment of the pre-HE modulated fields <NUM> and the pre-EHT-modulated fields <NUM> of the respective HE and EHT preambles, in some implementations, padding may be added to one or both of the HE SIG-B fields and the EHT SIG-B fields of the respective preambles such that if different numbers of HE SIG-B symbols and EHT SIG-B symbols are used, the preambles may appear to have a same duration.

In some implementations, as shown in the downlink field alignments <NUM> and <NUM>, the HE modulated fields <NUM> and the EHT modulated fields <NUM> may be aligned in time by configuring each PPDU portion to include a same number of HE-LTFs and EHT-LTFs (using timings such as 1x, 2x, 3x, or 4x LTF, etc.), where, for example, LTFs and GIs of each of the PPDU portions may be configured with a same duration (that is, identical or substantially identical). For example, the HE modulated fields <NUM> may be configured with a same number of HE-LTF symbols <NUM>-<NUM> as a number of EHT-LTF symbols <NUM>-<NUM> configured in the EHT modulated fields <NUM>. Accordingly, a duration of each symbol (such as OFDM symbols) without a GI in the HE-LTF symbols <NUM>-<NUM> may have a same duration as each of the symbols without a GI in the EHT-LTF symbols <NUM>-<NUM>. Similarly, a GI duration used for the HE-LTF symbols <NUM>-<NUM> may be the same as a GI duration used for the EHT-LTF symbols <NUM>-<NUM> (such as <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>). In some implementations, HE-SFTs and EHT-STFs may have a same duration (that is, a duration of the HE-STF <NUM> may be the same as a duration of the EHT-STF <NUM>).

Alternatively, in some implementations, the HE modulated fields <NUM> and the EHT modulated fields <NUM> may be aligned in time where different PPDU portions contain different numbers of HE-LTFs and EHT-LTFs (using a timing such as 4x LTFs). In some such implementations, the HE-LTFs and the EHT-LTFs, including any associated GIs, may have a same duration as a payload portion (for example, a data portion) of a corresponding HE or EHT transmission. For example, a duration of each data symbol <NUM>-<NUM> (such as OFDM symbols) without a GI of the HE modulated fields <NUM> (for example, HE data fields) may be the same as a duration of each data symbol <NUM>-<NUM> without a GI of the EHT modulated fields <NUM> (for example, EHT data fields) (such as <NUM>), and a duration of a GI in the HE data fields may be the same as a duration of a GI in the EHT data fields (such as <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>). Similarly, a duration of each symbol without a GI of the HE-LTF symbols <NUM>-<NUM> may be the same as a duration of each symbol without a GI of the EHT-LTF symbols <NUM>-<NUM> (such as <NUM>), and a duration of a GI may be the same for any of the HE-LTF symbols <NUM>-<NUM>, EHT-LTF symbols <NUM>-<NUM>, HE data symbols <NUM>-<NUM>, and EHT data symbols <NUM>-<NUM>.

Additionally, or alternatively, in some implementations, each payload may be aligned in the PPDU portions through padding. For example, an AP may align the pre-HE modulated fields <NUM> with the pre-EHT modulated fields <NUM> by padding a SIG-B field (such as one or more of the HE-SIG-B fields <NUM>-<NUM>) such that a duration of the pre-HE modulated fields <NUM> is the same as a duration of the pre-EHT modulated fields <NUM>. In some implementations, the data symbols <NUM>-<NUM> of the HE modulated fields <NUM> and the data symbols <NUM>-<NUM> of the EHT modulated fields <NUM> may each include a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) period and a GI, where the DFT periods may have a same duration (such as <NUM>) and the GIs may have same duration (such as <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>).

Example configurations for non-duplicate preamble PPDU portion transmissions are provided according to Tables <NUM> and <NUM> shown below. The configurations provided ion Tables <NUM> and <NUM> may be implemented according to the techniques described herein. It is to be understood that the configurations provided in Tables <NUM> and <NUM> are illustrative examples, and any number of other analogous configurations may be implemented similarly.

<FIG> shows an example of a trigger frame bandwidth <NUM> that supports orthogonal multiplexing of HE and EHT wireless traffic. The trigger frame bandwidth <NUM> may include a number N RUs for trigger-based PPDUs of transmissions. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the trigger frame bandwidth <NUM> may include a first trigger-based PPDU portion <NUM> on a first RU, a second trigger-based PPDU portion <NUM> on a N-1th RU, and a third (that is, Nth) trigger-based PPDU portion <NUM> on an Nth RU.

In some implementations, for communications HE and EHT, an AP may transmit a trigger frame to one or more wireless devices (such as one or more STAs) to trigger one or more uplink HE and EHT transmissions (for example, multiplexed using OFDMA). In some implementations, the trigger frame may include a common information field including configuration information common to each of the devices with which the AP is to communicate and a per-user (that is, user-specific) information field including configuration information specific to an individual STA associated with each HE and EHT PPDU portion. The common information field (for example, an HE-SIG-A Reserved field) may include common information particular for, for example, EHT. The per-user information field may allocate spatial streams for each HE and EHT device, and the per-user field may have an identical (or substantially identical) bit size for an equal (or substantially equal) duration for each HE or EHT device (such as each of one or more client devices).

In some implementations, the trigger frame may signal the transmission of an EHT preamble and an HE preamble, where the HE preamble may include pre-EHT modulated fields instead of pre-HE modulated fields. Accordingly, an HE preamble PPDU portion and an EHT preamble PPDU portion may be received orthogonally. To support the orthogonality, pre-EHT modulated fields may be aligned for the trigger-based PPDU portion for each corresponding RU, HE and EHT modulated fields may be aligned for the trigger-based PPDU portion for each corresponding RU, and payloads may be aligned in the trigger-based PPDU, for example, by padding one or more associated fields, as described herein. In some implementations, the trigger-based PPDU portion transmissions may follow a short interframe spacing (SIFS), during which the AP and STAs may process received transmissions before transmitting subsequent communications. In some implementations, a spectral mask for each of the RUs of trigger frame bandwidth <NUM> may be met by the composite transmission of the trigger-based PPDUs portions.

<FIG> show examples of uplink field alignments <NUM> and <NUM> for HE trigger-based PPDU fields and EHT trigger-based PPDU fields, respectively, that support orthogonal multiplexing of HE and EHT wireless traffic. The example uplink field alignment <NUM> shows a configuration of a number of HE trigger-based PPDU fields for an HE transmission, and the example uplink field alignment <NUM> shows a configuration of a number of EHT trigger-based PPDU fields for an EHT transmission. In some implementations, the uplink field alignment <NUM> and the uplink field alignment <NUM> may correspond to one or both of HE and EHT transmissions using two distinct spatial transmissions streams. In some implementations, the uplink field alignment <NUM> and the uplink field alignment <NUM> may implement aspects of the trigger frame bandwidth <NUM>, for example the trigger-based PPDU portions, as described with reference to <FIG>. It is to be understood that while the techniques described herein may be described and illustrated with reference to HE transmissions and EHT transmissions on two respective spatial streams, the techniques may be implemented similarly for any combination of HE transmissions and EHT transmissions (for example, to configure HE transmission with respect to one or more additional HE transmissions, an EHT transmission with respect to one or more additional EHT transmissions, or any combination thereof).

As shown in <FIG>, the example uplink field alignment <NUM> includes a set of pre-EHT modulated fields <NUM> and a set of HE modulated fields <NUM> for the HE transmission, where the HE modulated fields <NUM> may include a payload <NUM> (for example, a data payload). The pre-EHT modulated fields <NUM> may include an L-STF <NUM>, an L-LTF <NUM>, an L-SIG field <NUM>, an RL-SIG field <NUM>, and an EHT-SIG-A field <NUM>. In some implementations, the EHT-SIG-A field <NUM> may include a copy of the contents of the trigger frame (including, for example, the HE-SIG-A Reserved field), for example, as described with reference to <FIG>. The HE modulated fields <NUM> may include an HE-STF <NUM> followed by a number of HE-LTF symbols, shown as a first HE-LTF symbol <NUM>, a second HE-LFT symbol <NUM>, through a third HE-LFT symbol <NUM>. Following the third HE-LTF symbol <NUM> (that is, the last HE-LTF symbol), the payload <NUM> in the HE modulated fields <NUM> may include a number of data symbols, shown as a first data symbol <NUM> through a second data symbol <NUM>, and a PE field <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the example uplink field alignment <NUM> includes a set of pre-EHT modulated fields <NUM> and a set of EHT modulated fields <NUM> for the EHT transmission, where the EHT modulated fields <NUM> may include a payload <NUM> (for example, a data payload). The pre-EHT modulated fields <NUM> may include an L-STF <NUM>, an L-LTF <NUM>, an L-SIG field <NUM>, an RL-SIG field <NUM>, and an EHT-SIG-A field <NUM>. In some implementations, the EHT-SIG-A field <NUM> may include a copy of the contents of the trigger frame (including, for example, the HE-SIG-A Reserved field), for example, as described with reference to <FIG>. The EHT modulated fields <NUM> may include an EHT-STF <NUM> followed by a number of EHT-LTF symbols, shown as a first EHT-LTF symbol <NUM>, a second EHT-LFT symbol <NUM>, through a third EHT-LFT symbol <NUM>. Following the third EHT-LTF symbol <NUM> (that is, the last EHT-LTF symbol), the payload <NUM> in the EHT modulated fields <NUM> may include a number of data symbols, shown as a first data symbol <NUM> through a second data symbol <NUM>, and a PE field <NUM>.

To achieve orthogonality between simultaneous or substantially simultaneous HE and EHT transmissions (for example, using OFDMA), symbol boundaries of the PPDU fields shown by the uplink field alignments <NUM> and <NUM> may be aligned in time. For example, an AP may transmit a trigger frame to one or more wireless devices (such as one or more STAs) to trigger one or more uplink HE and EHT transmissions, for example, as shown in the uplink field alignment <NUM> and the uplink field alignment <NUM>, respectively. In some implementations, the trigger frame may indicate to transmit an EHT preamble in addition to an HE preamble, where the EHT preamble includes the pre-EHT modulated fields <NUM> followed by the EHT modulated fields <NUM>, and the HE preamble also includes pre-EHT modulated fields <NUM> instead of, for example, pre-HE modulated fields, followed by the HE modulated fields <NUM>. Accordingly, an HE preamble PPDU portion and an EHT preamble PPDU portion may be received orthogonally.

In some implementations, the trigger frame may include a common information field and a per-user (that is, user-specific) information field for STAs associated with each HE and EHT PPDU. The common information field (for example, an HE-SIG-A Reserved field) may include common information particular for, for example, EHT. The per-user information field may allocate spatial streams for each HE and EHT device, and the per-user field may have an identical (or substantially identical) bit size for an equal (or substantially equal) duration for each HE or EHT device (such as a client device).

In some implementations, the pre-EHT modulated fields <NUM> of the HE transmission may be aligned (for example, naturally by way of same or common configuration) in a trigger-based PPDU for each RU with the pre-EHT modulated fields <NUM> of the EHT transmission. The HE modulated fields <NUM> and the EHT modulated fields <NUM> may be aligned in the trigger-based PPDU for each RU.

In some implementations, the HE modulated fields <NUM> and the EHT modulated fields <NUM> may be aligned in time by configuring each trigger-based PPDU portion to include a same number of HE-LTFs and EHT-LTFs, where, for example, LTFs and GIs of each of the PPDU portions may be configured with a same duration (that is, identical or substantially identical). For example, the HE modulated fields <NUM> may be configured with a same number of HE-LTF symbols <NUM>-<NUM> as a number of EHT-LTF symbols <NUM>-<NUM> configured in the EHT modulated fields <NUM>. Accordingly, a duration of each symbol (such as OFDM symbols) without a GI in the HE-LTF symbols <NUM>-<NUM> may have a same duration as each of the symbols without a GI in the EHT-LTF symbols <NUM>-<NUM>. Similarly, a GI duration used for the HE-LTF symbols <NUM>-<NUM> may be the same as a GI duration used for the EHT-LTF symbols <NUM>-<NUM>. In some implementations, the common information field (for example, the HE-SIG-A Reserved field) of the trigger frame may indicate the respective numbers of HE LTFs and EHT LTFs and durations of the LTFs and GIs. In some implementations, HE-SFTs and EHT-STFs may have a same duration (that is, a duration of the HE-STF <NUM> may be the same as a duration of the EHT-STF <NUM>).

Alternatively, in some implementations, the HE modulated fields <NUM> and the EHT modulated fields <NUM> may be aligned in time where different trigger-based PPDUs contain different numbers of HE-LTFs and EHT-LTFs (using a timing such as 4x LTFs). In some such implementations, the HE-LTFs and the EHT-LTFs, including any associated GIs, may have a same duration as a payload portion (for example, a data portion) of a corresponding HE or EHT transmission. For example, a duration of each data symbol <NUM>-<NUM> (such as OFDM symbols) without a GI of the HE modulated fields <NUM> (for example, HE data fields) may be the same as a duration of each data symbol <NUM>-<NUM> without a GI of the EHT modulated fields <NUM> (for example, EHT data fields) (a duration such as <NUM>), and a duration of a GI in the HE data fields may be the same as a duration of a GI of the EHT data fields (such as <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>). Similarly, a duration of each symbol without a GI of the HE-LTF symbols <NUM>-<NUM> may be the same as a duration of each symbol without a GI in the EHT-LTF symbols <NUM>-<NUM> (such as <NUM>), and a duration of a GI may be the same for any of the HE-LTF symbols <NUM>-<NUM>, EHT-LTF symbols <NUM>-<NUM>, HE data symbols <NUM>-<NUM>, and EHT data symbols <NUM>-<NUM>.

Additionally, or alternatively, in some implementations, the payload <NUM> of the HE modulated fields <NUM> and the payload <NUM> of the EHT modulated fields <NUM> may be aligned in the trigger-based PPDU by padding one or more fields of the HE and EHT PPDU fields. Accordingly, in some implementations, the data symbols <NUM>-<NUM> of the HE modulated fields <NUM> and the data symbols <NUM>-<NUM> of the EHT modulated fields <NUM> may each include a DFT period and a GI, where the DFT periods may have a same duration (such as <NUM>) and the GIs may have same duration (such as <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>).

Example configurations for trigger-based PPDU portion transmissions for HE and EHT are provided according to Tables <NUM> and <NUM> shown below. The configurations of Tables <NUM> and <NUM> may be implemented according to the techniques described herein. It is to be understood that the configurations provided in Tables <NUM> and <NUM> are illustrative examples, and any number of other analogous configurations may be implemented similarly.

<FIG> shows an example of a trigger frame <NUM> that supports orthogonal multiplexing of HE and EHT wireless traffic. The trigger frame <NUM> shows an example configuration for a per-user information field <NUM> including per-user (that is, user-specific) configuration information for an AP to communicate EHT transmissions with one or more respective STAs (such as EHT devices), as described herein. The per-user information field <NUM> shown in the trigger frame <NUM> may include one or more subfields (or, generally, additional fields) that may be configurable to indicate various parameters. For example, each of the subfields may include one or more bits that that may be configurable to indicate a value or set of values for a corresponding parameter. In some implementations, a subfield may further include one or more additional subfields (i.e., sub-subfields) that may similarly include a set of bits configurable to indicate various parameters. It is to be understood that while the trigger frame <NUM> is described herein with reference to EHT transmissions, a similar frame may be configured for HE transmissions with the STAs (such as HE devices). In some implementations, the per-user information field <NUM> may allocate spatial streams resources for each EHT and HE device with which an AP may communicate.

As shown in <FIG>, the per-user information field <NUM> of the example trigger frame <NUM> includes nine subfields, each subfield configurable to indicate one or more parameters (such as parameters specific to a particular STA) for communicating the associated EHT PPDU portion. Each subfield may include a bit or a set of bits that indicate a value for the corresponding parameter or parameters, as may be configured for the respective subfield.

For example, a first subfield <NUM> of the per-user information field <NUM> may be configured as an association identification (AID) subfield (for example, an AID12 subfield). The first subfield <NUM> may include <NUM> bits (for example, from a B0 bit through a B11 bit). A second subfield <NUM> of the per-user information field <NUM> may be configured as an RU allocation subfield. The second subfield <NUM> may include eight bits (for example, from a B12 bit through a B19 bit). A third subfield <NUM> of the per-user information field <NUM> may be configured as a coding type subfield, for example, an uplink forward error correction (FEC) coding type subfield (for example, an UL FEC Coding Type subfield). The third subfield <NUM> may include one bit (for example, a B20 bit). A fourth subfield <NUM> of the per-user information field <NUM> may be configured as an uplink modulation and coding scheme (MCS) subfield (for example, an UL MCS subfield). The fourth subfield <NUM> may include four bits (for example, from a B21 bit through a B24 bit). A fifth subfield <NUM> of the per-user information field <NUM> may be configured as an uplink dual-carrier modulation (DCM) subfield (for example, an UL DCM subfield). The fifth subfield <NUM> may include one bit (for example, a B25 bit).

A sixth subfield <NUM> of the per-user information field <NUM> may be configured for a spatial stream and resource allocation information subfield (for example, an SS Allocation/RA-RU Information subfield). The sixth subfield <NUM> may include six bits (for example, from a B26 bit through a B31 bit). In some implementations, the sixth subfield <NUM> may include two sub-subfields, for example, a first sub-subfield <NUM> indicating a starting spatial stream (including, for example, three bits from the B26 bit through a B28 bit) and a second sub-subfield <NUM> indicating a number of spatial streams (including, for example, three bits from a B29 bit through the B31 bit). A seventh subfield <NUM> of the per-user information field <NUM> may be configured as an uplink target received signal strength indicator (RSSI) field (for example, an UL Target RSSI subfield). The seventh subfield <NUM> may include seven bits (for example, from a B32 bit through a B38 bit). An eighth subfield <NUM> of the per-user information field <NUM> may be reserved for additional configurations (for example, a Reserved subfield). The eighth subfield <NUM> may include one bit (for example, a B39 bit). A ninth subfield <NUM> of the per-user information field <NUM> may be configured for trigger-dependent user information. The ninth subfield <NUM> may include a variable number of bits, for example, depending on the particular information to be configured.

In some implementations (such as for communications using a bandwidth of <NUM>), a trigger frame RU allocation table may be eight bits, for example, as may be indicated in the second subfield <NUM> configured as the RU allocation subfield. Of the eight bits, a first bit (which may be represented by B) may indicate whether the RU allocation is a primary configuration (for example, a P80 configuration for <NUM>) or a secondary configuration (for example, an S80 configuration for <NUM>). The remaining seven bits of the second subfield <NUM> may be used to indicate an RU allocation index corresponding to a particular RU allocation (for example, according a mapping, such as those provided in example Tables <NUM> and <NUM> below).

In other implementations (such as for EHT communications using a bandwidth of <NUM>), the trigger frame RU allocation table may similarly be eight bits, for example, as may be indicated in the second subfield <NUM> configured as the RU allocation subfield. Of the eight bits, a first bit (for example, represented by B) may indicate whether the RU allocation is a primary configuration (for example, a P160 configuration for <NUM>) or a secondary configuration (for example, an S160 configuration for <NUM>). The remaining seven bits of the second subfield <NUM> may be used to indicate an RU allocation index corresponding to a particular RU allocation (for example, according a mapping, such as those provided in example Tables <NUM> and <NUM> below). In some such implementations (such as for EHT communications), the mapping for the RU allocation may be reused or shared in common with other implementations (such as legacy communications protocols, such as a legacy Wi-Fi protocol).

These seven bits of the second subfield <NUM>, for example, each having a binary value, may indicate a value for the RU allocation index between <NUM> and <NUM>. This value may correspond to a particular RU allocation, for example, according to the Tables <NUM> and <NUM> shown below. That is, Tables <NUM> and <NUM> show example RU allocation mappings for bandwidths of <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, but various other like RU allocation mapping may be similarly implemented according to the techniques described herein. In some implementations, for example, as shown below in Tables <NUM> and <NUM>, a <NUM>-tone RU allocation may be used with a <NUM> bandwidth but may not be used with a <NUM> bandwidth.

Returning to the example trigger frame <NUM> shown in <FIG>, the per-user information field <NUM> may indicate a spatial stream allocation, for example, for up to <NUM> spatial streams. In some implementations (such as for EHT communications, as described herein), eight bits of the per-user information field <NUM> may be used for a spatial stream allocation subfield. That is, a spatial stream allocation subfield for EHT may have a bit width of eight bits, although these eight bits may or may not be contiguous. For example, four bits may be used to indicate a starting spatial stream, and four bits may be used to indicate a number of spatial streams.

In some implementations, one or more subfields may be repurposed for such an EHT spatial stream allocation subfield. For example, as represented by the three circled subfields in the example trigger frame <NUM> of <FIG>, two of the one-bit subfields may be repurposed for the EHT spatial stream allocation subfield. For example, the third subfield <NUM> (as may be configured as an uplink FEC coding type subfield) including the B20 bit, the fifth subfield <NUM> (as may be configured as an uplink DCM subfield) including the B25 bit, and the eighth subfield <NUM> (as may be configured as a reserved subfield) including the B39 bit may be repurposed for use as the EHT spatial stream allocation subfield. Thus, in combination with the six bits already configured for the EHT spatial stream allocation subfield, a total of nine bits of the per-user information field <NUM> may be made available for the EHT spatial stream allocation subfield. Thus, of the three one-bit subfields, any two may be combined with the six bits of the sixth subfield already configured for spatial stream allocations to indicate the EHT spatial stream allocation subfield. In some implementations, a single coding type or DCM may be assumed, for example, if the corresponding third subfield <NUM> or fifth subfield <NUM> are repurposed. According to the techniques described herein, an AP may support up to <NUM> spatial streams (such as different transmission streams using non-overlapping or orthogonal spatial resources) for trigger-based PPDU transmissions using EHT.

<FIG> shows a block diagram <NUM> of a device <NUM> that supports orthogonal multiplexing of HE and EHT wireless traffic. The device <NUM> may be an example of aspects of an AP <NUM> as described herein. The device <NUM> may include a receiver <NUM>, an AP communications manager <NUM>, and a transmitter <NUM>. The device <NUM> also may include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (such as via one or more buses).

The receiver <NUM> may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (such as control channels, data channels, and information related to orthogonal multiplexing of HE and EHT wireless traffic, etc.). Information may be passed on to other components of the device. The receiver <NUM> may be an example of aspects of the transceiver <NUM> described with reference to <FIG>. The receiver <NUM> may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

The AP communications manager <NUM> may align a set of first pre-modulated fields of a first PPDU portion in time with a set of second pre-modulated fields of a second preamble PPDU portion, where the first pre-modulated fields and the second pre-modulated fields may each include one or more of pre-HE modulated fields or pre-EHT modulated fields, and the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion may each include one or more of an HE preamble PPDU portion or an EHT preamble PPDU portion. Additionally, the AP communications manager <NUM> may align a set of first modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion in time with a set of second modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion, where the first modulated fields and the second modulate fields may each include one or more of HE modulated fields or EHT modulated fields. In some implementations, the AP communications manager <NUM> may transmit the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion substantially simultaneously over a wireless channel, the first preamble PPDU portion occupying a different portion of a total bandwidth of the AP than the second preamble PPDU portion during the transmission, where the first preamble PPDU portion may be transmitted orthogonally to the second preamble PPDU portion.

Additionally, or alternatively, the AP communications manager <NUM> may transmit a trigger frame over a total bandwidth of the AP. The AP communications manager <NUM> may receive, in response to the trigger frame, a transmission including a first preamble PPDU portion and a second preamble PPDU portion, the first preamble PPDU portion occupying a different portion of the total bandwidth than the second preamble PPDU portion during the transmission, where the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion may each include one or more of an HE preamble PPDU portion or an EHT preamble PPDU portion. In some implementations, the first preamble PPDU portion may be received orthogonally to the second preamble PPDU portion, a set of first pre-modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion may be aligned in time with a set of second pre-modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion, and a set of first modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion may be aligned in time with a set of second modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion, where the first pre-modulated fields and the second pre-modulated fields may each include one or more of pre-HE modulated fields or pre-EHT modulated fields, and the first modulated fields and the second modulate fields may each include one or more of HE modulated fields or EHT modulated fields. The AP communications manager <NUM> may be an example of aspects of the AP communications manager <NUM>.

The actions performed by the AP communications manager <NUM> as described herein may be implemented to realize one or more potential advantages discussed herein. One implementation may allow the AP to substantially simultaneously transmit HE and EHT communications with multiple STAs (such as with HE devices and EHT devices, respectively). The techniques disclosed in this paper facilitate the AP to align the analogous portions of HE and EHT transmissions in time such that orthogonality between the two types of transmissions may be maintained. In this way, the AP may conserve spectral resources due to the substantially simultaneous transmissions. As such, the techniques described herein may facilitate the coexistence of, for example, different types of STAs operating according to different protocols on different system bandwidths (such as HE devices and EHT devices). This may provide for latency improvements in the wireless communications system as the AP and STAs of the system may not wait to transmit a second type of transmission after a first transmission. Further, because of the orthogonality between transmissions facilitated by the techniques described herein, the AP may reliably communicate substantially simultaneously with multiple different types of STAs without, for example, switching between different signaling protocols or formats.

The transmitter <NUM> may transmit signals generated by other components of the device. In some implementations, the transmitter <NUM> may be collocated with a receiver <NUM> in a transceiver module.

A processing system of the wireless communication device <NUM> may perform various functions such as functions or tasks supporting ranging protocol improvements for antenna switching. A processing system may generally refer to a system or series of machines or components that receives inputs and processes the inputs to produce a set of outputs (which may be passed to other systems or components of, for example, the wireless communication device <NUM>). For example, a processing system of the wireless communication device <NUM> may refer to a system including the AP communications manager <NUM> and, in some cases, various other components or subcomponents of the wireless communication device <NUM>. The processing system may receive, process, and output information (such as information related to ranging protocol improvements for antenna switching).

The processing system of the wireless communication device <NUM> may interface with other components of the wireless communication device <NUM>, and may process information received from other components (such as inputs or signals), output information to other components, etc. For example, a chip or modem of the wireless communication device <NUM> may include a processing system, a first interface to output information, and a second interface to receive information. In some cases, the first interface may refer to an interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and the transmitter <NUM>, such that the wireless communication device <NUM> may transmit information output from the chip or modem. In some cases, the second interface may refer to an interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and the receiver <NUM>, such that the wireless communication device <NUM> may receive information or signal inputs, and the information may be passed to the processing system.

<FIG> shows a block diagram <NUM> of a device <NUM> that supports orthogonal multiplexing of HE and EHT wireless traffic. The device <NUM> may be an example of aspects of a device <NUM> or an AP <NUM> as described herein. The device <NUM> may include a receiver <NUM>, an AP communications manager <NUM>, and a transmitter <NUM>. The device <NUM> also may include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (such as via one or more buses).

The AP communications manager <NUM> may be an example of aspects of the AP communications manager <NUM> as described herein. The AP communications manager <NUM> may include a pre-modulated field alignment component <NUM>, a preamble alignment component <NUM>, a downlink aligned PPDU component <NUM>, a trigger frame component <NUM>, and an uplink aligned PPDU component <NUM>. The AP communications manager <NUM> may be an example of aspects of the AP communications manager <NUM> described herein.

The pre-modulated field alignment component <NUM> may align a set of first pre-modulated fields of a first PPDU portion in time with a set of second pre-modulated fields of a second preamble PPDU portion, where the first pre-modulated fields and the second pre-modulated fields may each include one or more of pre-HE modulated fields or pre-EHT modulated fields, and the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion may each include one or more of an HE preamble PPDU portion or an EHT preamble PPDU portion.

The preamble alignment component <NUM> may align a set of first modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion in time with a set of second modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion, where the first modulated fields and the second modulate fields may each include one or more of HE modulated fields or EHT modulated fields.

The downlink aligned PPDU component <NUM> may transmit the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion substantially simultaneously over a wireless channel, the first preamble PPDU portion occupying a different portion of a total bandwidth of the AP than the second preamble PPDU portion during the transmission, where the first preamble PPDU portion may be transmitted orthogonally to the second preamble PPDU portion.

In some implementations, the actions performed by the downlink aligned PPDU component <NUM>, included in the AP communications manager <NUM>, as described herein may facilitate the processor <NUM>, as described with reference to <FIG>, to more efficiently cause the device <NUM> to perform various functions. For example, the device <NUM> may substantially simultaneously transmit HE and EHT communications with multiple STAs (such as with HE devices and EHT devices, respectively) with which the device <NUM> is communicating. Accordingly, the device <NUM> may conserve spectral resources, and may relatively reduce power consumption due to a relatively lower amount of time that the device <NUM> is transmitting, as compared to, for example, consecutively transmitting different types of communications to the different types of receiving devices. This may reduce processing complexity for the processor of the device <NUM>, and may allow the device <NUM> to consume less power for a period of time that the device <NUM> may not need to communicate due to the simultaneous transmission, thus reducing processing power consumption for the processor of the device <NUM>.

The trigger frame component <NUM> may transmit a trigger frame over a total bandwidth of the AP.

The uplink aligned PPDU component <NUM> may receive, in response to the trigger frame, a transmission including a first PPDU portion and a second preamble PPDU portion, the first preamble PPDU portion occupying a different portion of the total bandwidth than the second preamble PPDU portion during the transmission, where the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion may each include one or more of HE preamble PPDU portion or an EHT preamble PPDU portion. In some implementations, the first preamble PPDU portion may be received orthogonally to the second preamble PPDU portion, a set of first pre-modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion may be aligned in time with a set of second pre-modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion, and a set of first modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion may be aligned in time with a set of second modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion, and where the first pre-modulated fields and the second pre-modulated fields may each include one or more of pre-HE modulated fields or pre-EHT modulated fields, and the first modulated fields and the second modulate fields may each include one or more of HE modulated fields or EHT modulated fields.

<FIG> shows a block diagram <NUM> of an AP communications manager <NUM> that supports orthogonal multiplexing of HE and EHT wireless traffic. The AP communications manager <NUM> may be an example of aspects of an AP communications manager <NUM>, an AP communications manager <NUM>, or an AP communications manager <NUM> described herein. The AP communications manager <NUM> may include a pre-modulated field alignment component <NUM>, a preamble alignment component <NUM>, a downlink aligned PPDU component <NUM>, a padding component <NUM>, a payload alignment component <NUM>, a trigger frame component <NUM>, an uplink aligned PPDU component <NUM>, and a per-user field component <NUM>. Each of these modules may communicate, directly or indirectly, with one another (such as via one or more buses).

The preamble alignment component <NUM> may align a set of first modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion in time with a set of second modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion, where the first modulated fields and the second modulate fields may each include one or more of HE modulated fields or EHT modulated fields. In some implementations, the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion may include one or more of an equal number of long training fields, a same OFDM symbol duration, or a same GI duration. Additionally, a number of long training fields of the first preamble PPDU portion may be different from a number of long training fields of the second preamble PPDU portion, and the long training fields of the first preamble PPDU portion or the second preamble PPDU portion may use a same OFDM symbol duration and a same GI duration as a payload of the first preamble PPDU portion or the second preamble PPDU portion.

Additionally, the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion include one or more of an equal number of long training fields, a same OFDM symbol duration, or a same GI duration. In some implementations, a number of long training fields of the first preamble PPDU portion may be different from a number of long training fields of the second preamble PPDU portion, and the long training fields of the first preamble PPDU portion or the second preamble PPDU portion may use a same OFDM symbol duration and a same GI duration as a payload of the first preamble PPDU portion or the second preamble PPDU portion. Additionally, a payload of the first preamble PPDU portion may be aligned in time with a payload of the second preamble PPDU portion.

The padding component <NUM> may pad a SIG-B field of the first preamble PPDU portion or the second preamble PPDU portion such that a duration of the set of first pre-modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion may be the same as a duration of the set of second pre-modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion.

The payload alignment component <NUM> may align a payload of the first preamble PPDU portion in time with a payload of the second preamble PPDU portion. In some implementations, aligning the payload of the first preamble PPDU portion in time with the payload of the second preamble PPDU portion may include padding one or more of the payload of the first preamble PPDU portion or the payload of the second preamble PPDU portion.

The per-user field component <NUM> may generate a per-user information field corresponding to each of a first wireless station associated with the first preamble PPDU portion and a second wireless station associated with the second preamble PPDU portion, where the per-user information field corresponding to the first wireless station may be equal in duration to the per-user information field corresponding to the second wireless station, and the per-user information field for each of the first wireless station and the second wireless station may be included in the trigger frame. In some implementations, the per-user information field may indicate spatial stream allocation information for each of the first wireless station and the second wireless station, and the spatial stream allocation information may be signaled in a combination of a spatial stream allocation subfield and one or more of an uplink forward error correction coding type subfield, an uplink dual carrier modulation subfield, or a reserved subfield.

<FIG> shows a diagram of a system <NUM> including a device <NUM> that supports orthogonal multiplexing of HE and EHT wireless traffic. The device <NUM> may be an example of or include the components of device <NUM>, device <NUM>, or an AP <NUM> as described herein. The device <NUM> may include components for bi-directional voice and data communications including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including an AP communications manager <NUM>, a network communications manager <NUM>, a transceiver <NUM>, an antenna <NUM>, memory <NUM>, a processor <NUM>, and an inter-station communications manager <NUM>. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses (such as bus <NUM>).

The AP communications manager <NUM> may align a set of first pre-modulated fields of a first PPDU portion in time with a set of second pre-modulated fields of a second preamble PPDU portion, where the first pre-modulated fields and the second pre-modulated fields may each include one or more of pre-HE modulated fields or pre-EHT modulated fields, and the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion may each include one or more of an HE preamble PPDU portion or an EHT preamble PPDU portion. Additionally, the AP communications manager <NUM> may align a set of first modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion in time with a set of second modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion, where the first modulated fields and the second modulate fields may each include one or more of HE modulated fields or EHT modulated fields. The AP communications manager <NUM> may transmit the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion substantially simultaneously over a wireless channel, the first preamble PPDU portion occupying a different portion of a total bandwidth of the AP than the second preamble PPDU portion during the transmission, where the first preamble PPDU portion may be transmitted orthogonally to the second preamble PPDU portion.

Additionally, or alternatively, the AP communications manager <NUM> may transmit a trigger frame over a total bandwidth of the AP. The AP communications manager <NUM> may receive, in response to the trigger frame, a transmission including a first PPDU portion and a second preamble PPDU portion, the first preamble PPDU portion occupying a different portion of the total bandwidth than the second preamble PPDU portion during the transmission, where the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion may each include one or more of HE preamble PPDU portion or an EHT preamble PPDU portion. In some implementations, the first preamble PPDU portion may be received orthogonally to the second preamble PPDU portion, a set of first pre-modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion may be aligned in time with a set of second pre-modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion, and a set of first modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion may be aligned in time with a set of second modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion, and where the first pre-modulated fields and the second pre-modulated fields may each include one or more of pre-HE modulated fields or pre-EHT modulated fields, and the first modulated fields and the second modulate fields may each include one or more of HE modulated fields or EHT modulated fields.

The network communications manager <NUM> may manage communications with the core network (such as via one or more wired backhaul links). For example, the network communications manager <NUM> may manage the transfer of data communications for client devices, such as one or more STAs <NUM>.

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

The memory <NUM> may store computer-readable, computer-executable code <NUM><NUM> including instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform various functions described herein. In some implementations, the memory <NUM> may contain, among other things, a basic input/output system (BIOS) which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.

The processor <NUM> may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory to perform various functions (such as functions or tasks supporting orthogonal multiplexing of HE and EHT wireless traffic).

The inter-station communications manager <NUM> may manage communications with other APs <NUM> and may include a controller or scheduler for controlling communications with STAs <NUM> in cooperation with other APs <NUM>. For example, the inter-station communications manager <NUM> may coordinate scheduling for transmissions to STAs <NUM> for various interference mitigation techniques such as beamforming or joint transmission. In some implementations, the inter-station communications manager <NUM> may provide an X2 interface within an LTE/LTE-A wireless communications network technology to provide communication between APs <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a flowchart illustrating a method <NUM> that supports orthogonal multiplexing of HE and EHT wireless traffic. The operations of method <NUM> may be implemented by an AP <NUM> or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of method <NUM> may be performed by an AP communications manager as described with reference to <FIG>. In some implementations, an AP may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the AP to perform the functions described below. Additionally, or alternatively, an AP may perform aspects of the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At <NUM>, the AP aligns a set of first pre-modulated fields of a first preamble PPDU portion in time with a set of second pre-modulated fields of a second preamble PPDU portion, where the first pre-modulated fields and the second pre-modulated fields each include one or more of pre-HE modulated fields or pre-EHT modulated fields, and the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion each include one or more of an HE preamble PPDU portion or an EHT preamble PPDU portion. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a pre-modulated field alignment component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, the AP aligns a set of first modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion in time with a set of second modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion, where the first modulated fields and the second modulate fields each include one or more of HE modulated fields or EHT modulated fields, wherein at least the first pre-modulated fields or the second pre-modulated fields include pre-EHT modulated fields and/or wherein at least the first modulated fields or the second modulated fields include EHT modulated fields. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a preamble alignment component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, the AP transmits the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion substantially simultaneously over a wireless channel, the first preamble PPDU portion occupying a different portion of a total bandwidth of the AP than the second preamble PPDU portion during the transmission, where the first preamble PPDU portion is transmitted orthogonally to the second preamble PPDU portion. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a downlink aligned PPDU component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, the AP may align a payload of the first preamble PPDU portion in time with a payload of the second preamble PPDU portion. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a payload alignment component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, the AP transmits a trigger frame over a bandwidth, wherein the trigger frame includes a common information field including configuration information common to each of the STAs with which the AP is to communicate and a per-user information field including configuration information specific to an individual STA. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a trigger frame component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, the AP receives, in response to the trigger frame, a first protocol data unit and a second protocol data unit via different portions of the bandwidth, the first protocol data unit including a first preamble PPDU portion and the second protocol data unit including a second preamble PPDU portion, where the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion each include one or more of an HE preamble PPDU portion or an EHT preamble PPDU portion. In some implementations, the first preamble PPDU portion may be received orthogonally to the second preamble PPDU portion, a set of first pre-modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion is aligned in time with a set of second pre-modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion, and a set of first modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion is aligned in time with a set of second modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion, and where the first pre-modulated fields and the second pre-modulated fields each include one or more of pre-HE modulated fields or pre-EHT modulated fields, and the first modulated fields and the second modulate fields each include one or more of HE modulated fields or EHT modulated fields, wherein at least the first pre-modulated fields or the second pre-modulated fields include pre-EHT modulated fields and/or wherein at least the first modulated fields or the second modulated fields include EHT modulated fields. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by an uplink aligned PPDU component as described with reference to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, the AP may generate a per-user information field corresponding to each of a first wireless station associated with the first preamble PPDU portion and a second wireless station associated with the second preamble PPDU portion, where the per-user information field corresponding to the first wireless station is equal in duration to the per-user information field corresponding to the second wireless station, and the per-user information field for each of the first wireless station and the second wireless station is included in the trigger frame. The operations of <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of <NUM> may be performed by a per-user field component as described with reference to <FIG>.

The hardware and data processing apparatus used to implement the various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose single- or multichip processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or, any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor also may be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In some implementations, particular processes and methods may be performed by circuitry that is specific to a given function.

In one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, digital electronic circuitry, computer software, firmware, including the structures disclosed in this specification, or in any combination thereof. Implementations of the subject matter described in this specification also can be implemented as one or more computer programs, such as one or more modules of computer program instructions, encoded on a computer storage media for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus.

Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communications media including any medium that can be enabled to transfer a computer program from one place to another. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), compact disc ROM (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a computer.

Additionally, a person having ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate, the terms "upper" and "lower" are sometimes used for ease of describing the Figures, and indicate relative positions corresponding to the orientation of the Figure on a properly oriented page, and may not reflect the proper orientation of any device as implemented.

Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate implementations also can be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single implementation also can be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some implementations be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Claim 1:
A method for wireless communications at an access point, AP, comprising:
aligning (<NUM>, <NUM>) a set of first pre-modulated fields of a first preamble physical protocol data unit, PPDU, portion in time with a set of second pre-modulated fields of a second preamble PPDU portion, wherein the first pre-modulated fields and the second pre-modulated fields each include one or more of pre-high efficiency, HE, modulated fields or pre-extremely high throughput, EHT, modulated fields, and the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion each include one or more of an HE preamble PPDU portion or an EHT preamble PPDU portion;
aligning (<NUM>, <NUM>) a set of first modulated fields of the first preamble PPDU portion in time with a set of second modulated fields of the second preamble PPDU portion, wherein the first modulated fields and the second modulated fields each include one or more of HE modulated fields or EHT modulated fields;
wherein at least the first pre-modulated fields or the second pre-modulated fields include pre-EHT modulated fields and/or wherein at least the first modulated fields or the second modulated fields include EHT modulated fields; and
transmitting (<NUM>, <NUM>) the first preamble PPDU portion and the second preamble PPDU portion substantially simultaneously over a wireless channel, the first preamble PPDU portion occupying a different portion of a total bandwidth of the AP than the second preamble PPDU portion during the transmission, wherein the first preamble PPDU portion is transmitted orthogonally to the second preamble PPDU portion.