Patent Description:
Networks that operate according to Wi-Fi protocols, including IEEE <NUM> protocols such as IEEE <NUM>. 11ax specified in IEEE Draft P802.11ax_D8. <NUM>, allocate multiple bands of the radio frequency spectrum for use by different stations at different times.

A new protocol, IEEE <NUM>. 11be, is currently under development by IEEE <NUM> Task Group TGbe, and will be the next major IEEE <NUM> amendment to define the next generation of Wi-Fi after IEEE <NUM>. 11ax (currently IEEE Draft P802.11ax_D8. IEEE <NUM>. 11be (also called Extremely High Throughput (EHT)) is expected to support a data rate of at least <NUM> Gbps and may use a spectrum bandwidth up to <NUM> for unlicensed operations, double the <NUM> maximum bandwidth currently contemplated by IEEE <NUM>.

IEEE <NUM>. 11ax supports Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) transmission, in which data intended for different stations can be multiplexed within an OFDM symbol through the allocation of different subsets of subcarriers (tones). In IEEE <NUM>. 11ax, a Resource Unit (RU) consists of a group of contiguous subcarriers defined in the frequency domain. Different RUs can be assigned to different stations within a PPDU. Each RU is used for one OFDM symbol for one station (also referred to as a STA). <FIG> illustrates an example of station (STA) resource allocation in IEEE <NUM>.

In IEEE <NUM>. 11ax, RUs are defined based on RU sizes such as <NUM>-tone RU, <NUM>-tone RU, <NUM>-tone RU, <NUM>-tone RU, <NUM>-tone RU, <NUM>-tone RU and <NUM>×<NUM>-tone RU. Information about the RU assigned to a station in a multiuser (MU) configuration, such as the RU location and the RU size, is indicated in the HE-SIG-B field of the physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit (PPDU) in IEEE <NUM>. Information about the RU assigned to a station in a single-user (SU) configuration, such as the RU location and the RU size, is indicated in the HE-SIG-A field of the physical layer protocol (PHY) data unit (PPDU) in IEEE <NUM>. 11ax: in a single-user (SU) configuration, the RU size is uniquely determined by spanning the entire assigned operating channel, i.e., the <NUM>-, <NUM>-, <NUM>- and 2x996-tone RU sizes correspond to <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> (or <NUM>+<NUM>) MHz bandwidths, respectively.

As indicated above, IEEE <NUM>. 11be will support a wide bandwidth, up to <NUM>. The larger bandwidth introduces opportunities and issues that are not present in a narrower bandwidth system. For example, EHT enabled Wi-Fi should enable a significant growth in the volume of high throughput data transmission as well as a proliferation of an extremely large number of low data rate devices such as Internet of Things (IoT) devices. However, as a result of the anticipated deployment density, the probability of a single station having access to a large number of contiguous subcarriers within the <NUM> bandwidth at any given time can be expected to be low. In this regard, an operating feature called multiple RUs (multi-RU) has been proposed for IEEE <NUM>. 11be, in which multiple RUs that each have a respective sub-set of contiguous subcarriers can be allocated for one station in an OFDM symbol.

For the purpose of multi-RU, RUs are divided into two types: "small size" RUs include <NUM>-tone RU, <NUM>-tone RU, and <NUM>-tone RU, whereas "large size" RUs include <NUM>-tone RU, <NUM>-tone RU, <NUM>-tone RU, <NUM>×<NUM>-tone RU and 4x996-tone RU. When multiple RUs are allocated for one station, the allocation must be a set of multiple small size RUs or multiple large size RUs: current methods do not support a multi-RU allocation configuration for a station that mixes small size and large size RUs.

<FIG> show the frequency sub-bands denoting RU locations in a HE PPDUs in <NUM>. <FIG> shows a single <NUM>-tone, <NUM> bandwidth, large-size RU <NUM> and possible small-size RU combinations that can occupy the same <NUM> sub-band in place of a <NUM>-tone RU: two <NUM>-tone small-size RUs with a single <NUM>-tone RU in between them (shown as two <NUM>-tone bands) <NUM>; or four <NUM>-tone RUs with a single <NUM>-tone RU in between the second and third <NUM>-tone RU (shown as two <NUM>-tone bands) <NUM>; or eight <NUM>-tone RUs with a single additional <NUM>-tone RU in between the fourth and fifth <NUM>-tone RU (shown as two <NUM>-tone bands) <NUM>. Similarly, <FIG> shows a single <NUM>-tone, <NUM> bandwidth, large-size RU <NUM> and possible large- or small-size RU combinations that can occupy the same <NUM> band in place of a <NUM>-tone RU: two <NUM>-tone large-size RUs <NUM>, or two sets of the same small-size RU combinations shown in <FIG>. Finally, <FIG> shows a single <NUM>-tone, <NUM> bandwidth, large-size RU <NUM> and possible large- or small-size RU combinations that can occupy the same <NUM> band in place of a <NUM>-tone RU: two <NUM>-tone large-size RUs <NUM>, or two sets of the same large- or small-size RU combinations shown in <FIG>.

Allocation of small-size or large-size resource units within a portion of frequency spectrum should ideally handle a large number of combinations of RU sizes and unavailable spectrum bands, without using an overly complex bit sequence to encode the resource unit allocation configuration. However, existing proposals for allocation configuration encoding schemes are either overly complex (requiring a large number of entries in a mapping table for indexing) or omit many useful allocation configurations.

Arrangements have been proposed for representing subdivisions of a bandwidth using bitmaps. In <CIT> discloses a bandwidth query report in which sub-bands of <NUM> out of a total bandwith of <NUM> are represented as <NUM>-bit binary values. This BQR is a response to a query about what portions of spectrum are possibly available for communication, but is not applied to the contents of a specific PPDU in Asterjadhi, nor is it broken up into <NUM> sub-blocks; rather it reports on <NUM> all at once. In <CIT> discloses a PPDU format for multi-AP coordination in which a per-AP information field provides a separate bitmap of the entire bandwidth, per AP, indicating which portions of the bandwidth of the PPDU are allocated to the respective AP. This per-participant indicator is analogous to providing an RU allocation bitmap in a per-station field such as the HE-SIG-B user info list. Neither of these disclosures makes any recommendations on allocating multiple resource units to a single station in a PPDU. It is desirable to indicate a multi-RU PPDU's bandwidth usage, including any punctured portions, in a succinct format not requiring any collection of and operation on individual bitmaps from individual participants in the PPDU.

According to a first example aspect, a method of transmitting a physical layer protocol data unit over an operating channel in a wireless local area network is provided. A plurality of equal-size <NUM> sub-bands are identified, making up the operating channel. One or more of the plurality of sub-bands are identified as unavailable. A bit representation is generated, representing availability of <NUM> sub-bands in the operating channel for allocating resource units to a single station. The bit representation consists of a plurality of binary values. Each binary value corresponding to an unavailable <NUM> sub-band or an available <NUM> sub-band. A physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) is generated. The PPDU comprises a header. The header comprises a U-SIG field which in turn comprises the bit representation. The PPDU is transmitted to a target station.

According to a second example aspect, a method for communicating over a wireless local area network is provided. A PPDU is received over an operating channel of a wireless local area network by a single station. The PPDU comprises a header. The header comprises a U-SIG field which in turn comprises bit representations of <NUM> sub-bands of each <NUM> sub-block of the operating channel. An <NUM> sub-bands are identified in which resource units are allocated in the operating channel based on the bit representation. The bit representations consist of a pluralities of binary values. Each binary value indicates the availability or unavailability of one or more sub-bands of a plurality of equal-size <NUM> sub-bands making up the operating channel. Resource units are allocated in the identified available sub-bands. Multiple large-size (<NUM> tones or greater) resource units are allocated to the single station and used to communicate over the wireless local area network.

In any of the preceding examples, the portion of frequency spectrum being allocated is an operating channel, each sub-band has a bandwidth of <NUM>, and each binary value indicates an unavailable sub-band or an available one or more sub-bands capable of supporting a single-user large-size resource unit.

In any of the preceding examples, the operating channel consists of one to four sub-blocks of the operating channel, each sub-block of the operating channel consisting of four contiguous <NUM> sub-bands, and the bit representation consists of, for each sub-block of the operating channel, a corresponding sub-block representation, each sub-block representation consisting of one or more binary values.

In any of the preceding examples, each binary value is one bit, and each binary value corresponds to an unavailable <NUM> sub-band or an available <NUM> sub-band.

In any of the preceding examples, the header includes a universal signal field, and the bit representation is included in the universal signal field.

In any of the preceding examples, available and unavailable sub-bands are designated for each <NUM> sub-block of the operating channel separately.

According to further example aspects, a station is provided. The station is enabled for use in a wireless area local area network (WLAN), the station being configured to perform one or more of the above methods.

According to further example aspects, a processing system is provided. The processing system comprises a processing device, a wireless network interface for wireless communication with a network, and a memory. The memory has stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by the processing device, implement a communication module configured to perform one or more of the above methods using the wireless network interface.

According to further example aspects, a non-transient computer-readable medium is provided having stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by a processing device, implement a communication module configured to perform one or more of the above methods using a wireless network interface.

Reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying figures which show example embodiments of the present application, and in which:.

Like reference numerals are used throughout the Figures to denote similar elements and features. Although aspects of the invention will be described in conjunction with the illustrated embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to such embodiments.

The present disclosure teaches methods, devices, and systems for allocating spectrum in order to efficiently operate in a wireless network. Next generation wireless local area network (WLAN) systems, including for example next generation Wi-Fi systems such as the EHT system proposed under the developing IEEE <NUM>. 11be protocol, will have access to larger bandwidth. As noted above, a multi-RU feature has been proposed for IEEE <NUM>. However, also as noted above, existing proposals for allocation configuration encoding schemes are either overly complex (requiring a large number of entries in a mapping table for indexing) or omit many useful allocation configurations.

Methods, devices, and processing systems are disclosed for encoding single-user (SU), multi-resource units (multi-RU) allocations in a wireless network. The embodiments described herein pertain to three distinct multi-RU encoding methods, and to devices and processing systems for performing those methods. Each of the described embodiments may have certain advantages over existing proposals for multi-RU encoding in <NUM>. 11be or other wireless communication technologies, including low complexity (i.e. easy implementation using the bit representation of a multi-RU allocation) and/or enabling certain allocation configurations not enabled by other proposed encodings.

<FIG> illustrates a representative example of multiple RUs assigned to a single target station <NUM> according to example embodiments. In the example of <FIG>, the target station <NUM> has been assigned two non-contiguous RUs, namely RU <NUM><NUM> and RU <NUM><NUM>, in each of a plurality of OFDM symbols Sym <NUM> to Sym N-<NUM> within a PPDU.

An example of an environment in which multi-RU allocation can occur is illustrated in <FIG> illustrates a communication network <NUM> comprising a plurality of stations (STAs) that can include fixed, portable, and moving stations. The example of <FIG> illustrates a single fixed STA, access-point station (AP-STA) <NUM>, and a plurality of STAs <NUM> that may be portable or mobile. The network <NUM> may operate according to one or more communications or data standards or technologies, however in at least some examples the network <NUM> is a WLAN, and in at least some examples is a next generation Wi-Fi compliant network that operates in accordance with one or more protocols from the <NUM> family of protocols.

Each STA <NUM> may be a laptop, desktop PC, PDA, Wi-Fi phone, wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal, smartphone, mobile telephone, sensor, internet of things (IOT) device, or other wireless enabled computing or mobile device. In some embodiments, a STA <NUM> comprises a machine which has the capability to send, receive, or send and receive data in the communications network <NUM> but which performs primary functions other than communications. The AP-STA <NUM> may comprise a network access interface which functions as a wireless transmission and/or reception point for STAs <NUM> in the network <NUM>. The AP-STA <NUM> may be connected to a backhaul network <NUM> which enables data to be exchanged between the AP-STA <NUM> and other remote networks (including for example the Internet), nodes, APs, and devices (not shown). The AP-STA <NUM> may support communications through unlicensed radio frequency spectrum wireless medium <NUM> with each STA <NUM> by establishing uplink and downlink communication links or channels with each STA <NUM>, as represented by the arrows in <FIG>. In some examples, STAs <NUM> may be configured to communicate with each other. Communications in the network <NUM> may be unscheduled, scheduled by the AP-STA <NUM> or by a scheduling or management entity (not shown) in the network <NUM>, or a mix of scheduled and unscheduled communications.

In some embodiments, the AP-STA <NUM> is configured to perform one or more of the RU allocation transmission methods described herein. In some embodiments, one or more of the STAs <NUM> or the AP-STA <NUM> are configured to perform one or more of the RU allocation reception methods described herein.

In some embodiments, a processing system may be used to perform one or more steps of the methods described herein. With reference to <FIG>, an example processing system <NUM> is shown which may be used to implement methods and systems described herein, such as the STA <NUM> or the AP-STA <NUM>. Other processing systems suitable for implementing the methods and systems described in the present disclosure may be used, which may include components different from those discussed below. Although <FIG> shows a single instance of each component, there may be multiple instances of each component in the processing system <NUM>.

The processing system <NUM> may include one or more processing devices <NUM>, such as a processor, a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a dedicated logic circuitry, or combinations thereof. The processing system <NUM> may also include one or more input/output (I/O) interfaces <NUM>, which may enable interfacing with one or more appropriate input devices and/or output devices (not shown). One or more of the input devices and/or output devices may be included as a component of the processing system <NUM> or may be external to the processing system <NUM>. The processing system <NUM> may include one or more network interfaces <NUM> for wired or wireless communication with a network. In example embodiments, network interfaces <NUM> include one or more wireless interfaces such as transmitter <NUM> and receiver <NUM> that enable communications in a WLAN such as network <NUM>. The network interface(s) <NUM> may include interfaces for wired links (e.g., Ethernet cable) and/or wireless links (e.g., one or more radio frequency links) for intra-network and/or inter-network communications. The network interface(s) <NUM> may provide wireless communication via one or more transmitters or transmitting antennas, one or more receivers or receiving antennas, and various signal processing hardware and software, for example. In this regard, some network interface(s) <NUM> may include respective processing systems that are similar to processing system <NUM>. In this example, a single antenna <NUM> is shown, which may serve as both transmitting and receiving antenna. However, in other examples there may be separate antennas for transmitting and receiving. The network interface(s) <NUM> may be configured for sending and receiving data to the backhaul network <NUM> or to other STAs, user devices, access points, reception points, transmission points, network nodes, gateways or relays (not shown) in the network <NUM>.

The processing system <NUM> may also include one or more storage units <NUM>, which may include a mass storage unit such as a solid state drive, a hard disk drive, a magnetic disk drive and/or an optical disk drive. The processing system <NUM> may include one or more memories <NUM>, which may include a volatile or non-volatile memory (e.g., a flash memory, a random access memory (RAM), and/or a read-only memory (ROM)).

The non-transitory memory(ies) <NUM> may store instructions for execution by the processing device(s) <NUM>, such as to carry out the method steps and/or implement the systems of the present disclosure. These instructions, when executed by the processing device, may implement a communication module <NUM> configured to perform the methods described herein using the wireless network interface. The communication module <NUM> may use other data or instructions stored in the memory(ies) <NUM>, such as network configuration instructions and network status information (not shown).

The memory(ies) <NUM> may include other software instructions, such as for implementing an operating system and other applications/functions. In some examples, one or more data sets and/or module(s) may be provided by an external memory (e.g., an external drive in wired or wireless communication with the processing system <NUM>) or may be provided by a transitory or non-transitory computer-readable medium. Examples of non-transitory computer readable media include a RAM, a ROM, an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a flash memory, a CD-ROM, or other portable memory storage.

There may be a bus <NUM> providing communication among components of the processing system <NUM>, including the processing device(s) <NUM>, I/O interface(s) <NUM>, network interface(s) <NUM>, storage unit(s) <NUM>, and memory(ies) <NUM>. The bus <NUM> may be any suitable bus architecture including, for example, a memory bus, a peripheral bus or a video bus.

The transmitter <NUM> receives as input a serial stream of data bits to be transmitted. In example embodiments, the input includes data bits that are to be included in the physical layer protocol (PHY) payload (e.g., the PHY service data unit (PSDU) of a multi-RU physical layer protocol (PHY) data unit (PPDU)). The transmitter <NUM> generates a stream of OFDM symbols for inclusion in a PHY payload (e.g., PSDU) of a PPDU.

In example embodiments, the PSDU output is appended to a PHY header to provide a PPDU that is modulated onto a carrier frequency and transmitted through wireless medium <NUM>. In this regard, <FIG> illustrates an example frame format that may be used for an EHT PPDU according to example embodiments. As illustrated, the PHY header appended to the PSDU may include at least the following header fields: U-SIG (universal signal) <NUM> and EHT-SIG (extreme high throughput signal) <NUM>. In some embodiments, information about the RUs assigned to a STA, such as the RU location and the RU size, can be indicated in the EHT-SIG field of the PPDU. In other embodiments, information about the RUs assigned to a STA, such as the RU location and the RU size, can be indicated in the U-SIG field of the PPDU. For example, the EHT-SIG or U-SIG field may include station subfields for each STA <NUM>. Each station subfield can include further subfields that specify various parameters used in communication: STA-ID that uniquely identifies the target STA, and a bit representation of the allocation of RUs to the target STA.

At a receiving STA, PSDUs can be recovered by applying a process that is largely the inverse of that done at a transmitting STA. For example, a receiving STA <NUM> can demodulate and decode the PHY header of a received PPDU to determine what RUs have been assigned to that STA <NUM>. The STA <NUM> can then communicate using the signals on the subcarrier sets belonging to the multiple RUs assigned to that STA <NUM>.

Although the present disclosure describes methods and processes with steps in a certain order, one or more steps of the methods and processes may be omitted or altered as appropriate. One or more steps may take place in an order other than that in which they are described, as appropriate.

With reference to <FIG>, a multi-RU allocation transmission method <NUM> is provided for allocating a portion of frequency spectrum in a wireless local area network, such as an <NUM>. 11be network, in accordance with various example embodiments described herein. The method may be performed by a transmitting station or a station for allocating RUs for transmission, such as AP-STA <NUM>, or different steps of the method may be performed by different electronic devices in communication with each other by a digital data link, such as a bus or communication link. In some embodiments, a processing system such as processing system <NUM> may perform the steps of the method. Various steps of the method <NUM> may be performed in a different order from the one described, or they may be omitted in some embodiments.

The portion of frequency spectrum is a defined bandwidth of wireless spectrum, such as <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> bandwidth of unlicensed wireless spectrum used for <NUM>. 11be communication. In some examples, the portion of frequency spectrum may be a contiguous band (e.g. a single contiguous <NUM> band), whereas in other examples the portion of frequency spectrum may comprise bandwidth split into two or more bands (e.g. a <NUM> portion of frequency spectrum may consist of an <NUM> band at one frequency and a <NUM> band at another frequency).

In some embodiments, such as some embodiments used for allocating multiple large-size RUs, the portion of frequency spectrum being allocated may be an operating channel. In other embodiments, such as some embodiments used for allocating multiple small-size RUs, the portion of frequency spectrum being allocated may be a single <NUM> band.

At step <NUM>, a plurality of equal-size sub-bands making up the portion of frequency spectrum are identified. This step may be performed by the communication module <NUM> as implemented by the processing device <NUM> based on network configuration instructions stored in the memory <NUM> of the processing system <NUM>. In cases where large-size RUs are being allocated to a target station, the sub-bands are each <NUM> wide, corresponding to the bandwidth for a single <NUM>-tone RU. In cases where small-size RUs are being allocated to a target station, the sub-bands each correspond to the bandwidth for a single <NUM>-tone RU.

At step <NUM>, of the plurality of sub-bands, some are identified as available and others as unavailable. Sub-bands may be unavailable because there is interference or licensed use within those sub-bands, or because they have been allocated to another station. This step may be performed by the communication module <NUM> as implemented by the processing device <NUM> based on network status information stored in the memory <NUM> or received over a network interface <NUM> of the processing system <NUM>.

At step <NUM>, a bit representation is generated, representing an allocation of resource units within the portion of frequency spectrum being allocated for use by a target station in the network. This step may be performed by the communication module <NUM> as implemented by the processing device <NUM> of the processing system <NUM>, according to encoding instructions corresponding to the various bit encoding schemes described below with reference to the first embodiment, second embodiment, and third embodiment. The bit representation consists of a plurality of binary values, each binary value indicating the availability or unavailability of one or more bands within the portion of frequency spectrum as previously identified.

At step <NUM>, a physical layer protocol data unit (e.g. a PPDU) is generated by the transmitter <NUM>. The physical layer protocol data unit includes a header, and the header is generated to include the bit representation indicating the availability or unavailability of one or more sub-bands for the RUs allocated to the target station, as described above with reference to the Example Processing System. At step <NUM>, the transmitter <NUM> transmits the physical layer protocol data unit to the target station.

The target station, or another STA receiving an allocation of RUs in accordance with the encoding schemes described herein, may carry out a process that is largely the inverse of that done at a transmitting STA. With reference to <FIG>, a multi-RU allocation reception method <NUM> is provided for communicating in a wireless local area network based on a received allocation of resource units, such as an <NUM>. 11be network, in accordance with various example embodiments described herein. The method may be performed by a station, such as a STA <NUM>, or different steps of the method may be performed by different electronic devices in communication with each other by a digital data link, such as a bus or communication link. Various steps of the method <NUM> may be performed in a different order from the one described, or they may be omitted in some embodiments.

At step <NUM>, a physical layer protocol data unit (e.g. PPDU) is received via a receiver <NUM> from an RU allocating station (such as AP-STA <NUM>) in a wireless local area network. The physical layer protocol data unit includes a header, and the header includes a bit representation indicating the availability or unavailability of one or more sub-bands or the RUs allocated to the receiving STA, as described above with reference to the Example Processing System.

At step <NUM>, an allocation of resource units within the portion of frequency spectrum can be identified based on the bit representation. The portion of frequency spectrum is a defined bandwidth of wireless spectrum, such as a <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> channel or band of unlicensed wireless spectrum used for <NUM>. 11be communication. The bit representation consists of a plurality of binary values, each binary value indicating the availability or unavailability of one or more equal-bandwidth spectrum sub-bands of the portion of frequency spectrum being allocated. Each resource unit corresponds to one or more of the identified available sub-bands. This step may be performed by the communication module <NUM> as implemented by the processing device <NUM> of the processing system <NUM>, according to decoding instructions corresponding to the various bit encoding schemes described below with reference to the first embodiment, second embodiment, and third embodiment.

At step <NUM>, the STA communicates over the wireless local area network using one or more of the allocated resource units, using its transmitter <NUM> and/or receiver <NUM>, as described above with reference to the Example Processing System.

Example bit encoding schemes will now be described for generating and decoding bit representations of RU allocations for a station in a wireless network, with reference to a first embodiment, a second embodiment, and a third embodiment.

In a first embodiment, the bit representation generated by an RU allocating STA or transmitting STA, and/or received and decoded by a receiving STA, is applicable to cases in which multiple large-size RUs (i.e. <NUM>-tone, <NUM>-tone, or <NUM>-tone RUs) are allocated to a single target STA. In this embodiment, the portion of frequency spectrum being allocated is an operating channel, each sub-band has a bandwidth of <NUM>, and each binary value in the bit representation indicates either an unavailable sub-band or one or more contiguous available sub-bands capable of supporting a single-user large-size resource unit (SU RU).

To generate the bit representation, first, a representation complexity denoting the maximum number of RUs, N, is identified. The value of representation complexity N used for the allocation encoding scheme may be set to different values in different embodiments. For example, in some embodiments a <NUM> operating channel may have N = <NUM>, a <NUM> operating channel may have N = <NUM>, a <NUM> operating channel may have N = <NUM>, and an <NUM> operating channel may have N = <NUM>.

Second, a binary value of fixed bit length n is used to identify each unavailable sub-band or each set of available sub-bands that support a RU, in this case two bits (n = <NUM>).

Concatenated together, this results in a bit representation for the RU aggregation of N×n bits in length. It will be appreciated that a high value of representation complexity N enables a larger number of potential RU allocation configurations, at the cost of requiring a longer bit representation. In various embodiments, N may be set to a value up to the number of sub-bands: i.e., a <NUM> operating channel may have N <= <NUM>.

In some embodiments, when the number of RUs allocated to the target station is less than N, bits representing available sub-bands and unavailable sub-bands are arranged in the leading positions and the rest of the bit positions are set to be zeros.

In the described first embodiment, the binary values used to indicate unavailable bands and available sub-bands are set out in the following table:.

Thus, each two-bit binary value corresponds to an unavailable <NUM> sub-band or the size of an available one or more contiguous <NUM> sub-bands. The four possible binary values correspond to: an unavailable sub-band (e.g. <NUM>); an available sub-band (e.g. <NUM>); two consecutive available sub-bands (e.g. <NUM>); and four consecutive available sub-bands (e.g. <NUM>). It will be appreciated that these binary values can be arbitrarily re-arranged or reassigned in different embodiments.

In some embodiments, two or more contiguous available sub-bands may be treated as a single portion of spectrum instead of a plurality of sub-bands: thus, a <NUM> portion of spectrum capable of supporting a <NUM>-tone RU may be treated as a single <NUM> portion instead of two sub-bands, and an <NUM> portion of spectrum capable of supporting a <NUM>-tone RU may be treated as a single <NUM> portion instead of four sub-bands. Similarly, in some embodiments a contiguous available <NUM> portion of spectrum may be treated as a single <NUM> portion instead of three sub-bands.

In <FIG>, a <NUM> operating channel is shown in various allocation configurations. In <FIG>, a <NUM> operating channel is shown in various allocation configurations. In <FIG>, a <NUM> operating channel is shown in various allocation configurations. And in <FIG>, an <NUM> operating channel is shown in various allocation configurations. In each case, the operating channel consists of one to four sub-blocks of the operating channel, each sub-block of the operating channel consisting of four consecutive <NUM> sub-bands.

The bit representations shown in each figure consists of, for each <NUM> sub-block of the operating channel, a corresponding sub-block of the operating channel representation, each sub-block of the operating channel representation consisting of one or more binary values. Thus, available and unavailable sub-bands are designated for each <NUM> sub-block of the operating channel separately.

According to an example aspect of the first embodiment, interpretation rules may be applied to the encoding and decoding scheme to improve compatibility. An unavailable <NUM> sub-band may not cross the <NUM> or <NUM> boundaries within a given sub-block of the operating channel, or the <NUM> boundary between sub-blocks of the operating channel. An unavailable <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> of spectrum (i.e. two, three, or four contiguous <NUM> sub-bands) may not cross the <NUM> boundary between sub-blocks of the operating channel.

Various examples of bit representations for various RU allocations according to the first embodiment are shown in <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>.

<FIG> illustrates an allocation configuration of a <NUM> operating channel <NUM> including a single unavailable <NUM> sub-band <NUM>. The <NUM> operating channel <NUM> is shown as being made up of four <NUM> sub-blocks <NUM>. The bit representation for this RU allocation configuration is <NUM> bits: <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an RU allocation configuration of a <NUM> operating channel <NUM> including two unavailable <NUM> sub-bands <NUM>. The bit representation for this RU allocation configuration is <NUM> bits: <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an RU allocation configuration of a <NUM> operating channel <NUM> including one unavailable <NUM> sub-band <NUM>. The bit representation <NUM> for this RU allocation configuration is <NUM> bits: <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an allocation configuration of a <NUM> operating channel <NUM> including one unavailable <NUM> sub-band <NUM> and one unavailable <NUM> band <NUM> in accordance with the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The bit representation <NUM> for this allocation configuration is <NUM> bits: <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an RU allocation configuration of a <NUM> operating channel <NUM> including one unavailable <NUM> band <NUM>. The bit representation <NUM> for this RU allocation configuration is <NUM> bits: <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an RU allocation configuration of a <NUM> operating channel <NUM> including one unavailable <NUM> band <NUM>. The bit representation <NUM> for this allocation configuration is <NUM> bits: <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an RU allocation configuration of a <NUM> operating channel <NUM> including two unavailable <NUM> bands <NUM> in accordance with the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The bit representation <NUM> for this allocation configuration is <NUM> bits: <NUM>.

The table below summarizes the various <NUM> operating channel RU allocation configurations described above with reference to <FIG>, all of which are supported by the first embodiment:.

<FIG> illustrates an RU allocation configuration of a <NUM> operating channel <NUM> including a single unavailable <NUM> sub-band <NUM>. The bit representation <NUM> for this allocation configuration is <NUM> bits: <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an RU allocation configuration of a <NUM> operating channel <NUM> including two unavailable <NUM> sub-bands <NUM>. The bit representation <NUM> for this allocation configuration is <NUM> bits: <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an RU allocation configuration of a <NUM> operating channel <NUM> including one unavailable <NUM> sub-band <NUM>. The bit representation <NUM> for this allocation configuration is <NUM> bits: <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an RU allocation configuration of a <NUM> operating channel <NUM> including one unavailable <NUM> sub-band <NUM> and one unavailable <NUM> sub-band <NUM>. The bit representation <NUM> for this allocation configuration is <NUM> bits: <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an RU allocation configuration of a <NUM> operating channel <NUM> including two unavailable <NUM> sub-bands <NUM>. The bit representation <NUM> for this RU allocation configuration is <NUM> bits: <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an RU allocation configuration of a <NUM> operating channel <NUM> including a single unavailable <NUM> sub-band <NUM>. The bit representation <NUM> for this RU allocation configuration is <NUM> bits: <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an RU allocation configuration of a <NUM> operating channel <NUM> including one unavailable <NUM> sub-band <NUM> and one unavailable <NUM> sub-band <NUM>. The bit representation <NUM> for this RU allocation configuration is <NUM> bits: <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an RU allocation configuration of an <NUM> operating channel <NUM> including a single unavailable <NUM> sub-band <NUM>. The bit representation <NUM> for this RU allocation configuration is <NUM> bits: <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an allocation configuration of an <NUM> operating channel <NUM> including two unavailable <NUM> bands <NUM>. The bit representation <NUM> for this allocation configuration is <NUM> bits: <NUM>.

In a second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the portion of frequency spectrum being allocated is an operating channel, the bit representation is applicable to cases in which multiple large-size RUs are allocated to a single target STA, and each sub-band has a bandwidth of <NUM>. However, in the second embodiment, each binary value is one bit, and each binary value corresponds - <NUM> sub-band or an available <NUM> sub-band.

Concatenated together, this results in a bitmap bit representation for the RU aggregation of a bit length equal to the number of <NUM> sub-bands in the operating channel. Thus, for example, a <NUM> operating channel can be allocated using a bit representation of <NUM> bits in length, whereas a <NUM> operating channel can be allocated using a bit representation of <NUM> bits in length.

In the described second embodiment, a binary value of "<NUM>" indicates an unavailable <NUM> sub-band, and a binary value of "<NUM>" indicates an available <NUM> sub-band. It will be appreciated that these binary values can be arbitrarily reversed in different embodiments.

In <FIG>, a <NUM> operating channel <NUM> is shown in two RU allocation configurations. In each case, the operating channel consists of four sub-blocks of the operating channel, each sub-block of the operating channel consisting of four consecutive <NUM> sub-bands. However, it will be appreciated that the second embodiment is equally applicable to operating channels of arbitrary size, e.g. <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>.

According to an example aspect of the second embodiment, interpretation rules may be applied to the encoding and decoding scheme to improve compatibility. An unavailable <NUM> sub-band may not cross the <NUM> or <NUM> boundaries within a given sub-block of the operating channel, or the <NUM> boundary between sub-blocks of the operating channel. An unavailable <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> portion of spectrum (i.e. two, three, or four contiguous <NUM> sub-bands) may not cross the <NUM> boundary between sub-blocks of the operating channel. Furthermore, two contiguous available <NUM> sub-bands (i.e. a <NUM> portion of spectrum that can support a <NUM>-tone RU) may not cross the <NUM> boundary within a given sub-block of the operating channel.

Two examples of bit representations for RU allocations according to the second embodiment are shown in <FIG>. It will be appreciated that the bitmap bit representation of the second embodiment may be used to encode arbitrary RU allocation configurations of arbitrarily sized operating channels.

11ax, RU allocation for small-size RUs (<NUM>-, <NUM>- and <NUM>-tone) is specified per <NUM> band. Thus, multi-RU aggregation of small-size RUs can also be indicated per <NUM> band, i.e., a multi-RU allocation scheme for <NUM>. 11be may operate with the constraint that multiple RUs cannot be combined across <NUM> band boundaries. Therefore, multi-RU aggregation for any operating channel with bandwidth larger than <NUM> can be defined as a concatenation of a separate RU aggregation configuration for each individual <NUM> band in the larger operating channel.

In a third embodiment, the bit representation is applicable to cases in which multiple small-size RUs are allocated to a single target STA, and the portion of frequency spectrum being allocated is a <NUM> band. As in the second embodiment, each binary value is one bit, and each binary value corresponds to an unavailable sub-band or an available sub-band. However, in the third embodiment, each one-bit binary value corresponds to a sub-band with the bandwidth for a <NUM>-tone RU, with nine such sub-bands making up the <NUM> band.

With reference to the drawings, <FIG> illustrates several example RU sizes and corresponding allocation bit representations <NUM> for small-size resource units of a <NUM> band <NUM> in accordance with a first aspect of the third embodiment. Nine sub-bands are shown, with three example RU sets of RUs: at the top <NUM>, a <NUM>-tone RU is shown in each sub-band; in the middle <NUM>, a <NUM>-tone RU is shown in the middle (fifth) sub-band, flanked on the left and right by two pairs of <NUM>-tone RUs; and at the bottom <NUM>, a <NUM>-tone RU is shown in the fifth sub-band, flanked on the left and right by two <NUM>-tone RUs.

Thus, in the first aspect of the third embodiment shown in <FIG>, the <NUM> band is allocated using a bitmap bit representation of <NUM> bits (b0,. , b8) to indicate the RU allocation configuration. A binary value of <NUM> for a given bit (e.g. b0) indicates that the corresponding sub-band (e.g. the first sub-band on the left) is unavailable. A binary value of <NUM> for a given bit (e.g. b1) indicates that the corresponding sub-band (e.g. the second sub-band from the left) is available. It will be appreciated that these bit values could be reversed in some embodiments.

Interpretation rules may be applied to the encoding and decoding scheme of the third embodiment to improve compatibilityand resolve ambiguities. Reading from the left, if four adjacent bits (e.g. b0 through b3) are encountered that are all coded as available (b0b1b2b3 = <NUM>), this indicates a <NUM>-tone RU spanning those four sub-bands. Similarly, if two adjacent bits (e.g. b1 and b2) are encountered that are both coded as available (blb2 = <NUM>), this indicates a <NUM>-tone RU spanning those two sub-bands.

In some embodiments, to increase compatibility, the fifth sub-band cannot be used by a <NUM>- or <NUM>-tone RU: the fifth bit (b4) therefore either indicates an unavailable sub-band (b4=<NUM>) or a single available sub-band supporting a <NUM>-tone RU (b4=<NUM>). In some embodiments, the encoding and decoding of the allocation bit representation will resolve ambiguities by assuming allocation of the largest available RU as bits or sub-bands are analyzed, starting from the left. Combining these two features, a bit representation of <NUM> would be coded as a <NUM>-tone RU (<NUM>), followed by a <NUM>-tone RU (<NUM>) using the fifth sub-band, followed by a <NUM>-tone RU (<NUM>), followed by an unavailable sub-band (<NUM>), followed by a <NUM>-tone RU (<NUM>). It will be appreciated that these rules could be altered in some embodiments: the rule could be applied starting from the right side, or with some other priority or sequencing of the bit or band analysis, or different assumptions could be made about the conditions under which <NUM>-, <NUM>-, or <NUM>-tone RUs are allocated to which sub-bands.

<FIG> show example allocations of multiple small-size RUs within a <NUM> band <NUM> according to the first aspect of the third embodiment described above.

<FIG> illustrates an allocation configuration for small-size resource units of a <NUM> band <NUM> including two available sub-bands capable of supporting <NUM>-tone resource units <NUM>. The bit representation <NUM> for this allocation configuration is <NUM> bits: <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an allocation configuration for small-size resource units of a <NUM> band <NUM> including five available sub-bands capable of supporting <NUM>-tone resource units <NUM>. The bit representation <NUM> for this allocation configuration is <NUM> bits: <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an allocation configuration for small-size resource units of a <NUM> band <NUM> including two available sub-bands capable of supporting <NUM>-tone resource units <NUM> and two pairs of available sub-bands capable of supporting <NUM>-tone resource units <NUM>. The bit representation <NUM> for this allocation configuration is <NUM> bits: <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an allocation configuration for small-size resource units of a <NUM> band <NUM> including one available sub-bands capable of supporting <NUM>-tone resource representation <NUM><NUM> and one set of four sub-bands capable of supporting an available <NUM>-tone resource unit <NUM>. The bit representation for this allocation configuration is <NUM> bits: <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an allocation configuration for small-size resource units of a <NUM> band <NUM> including four available sub-bands capable of supporting <NUM>-tone resource units <NUM> and four pairs of available sub-bands capable of supporting <NUM>-tone resource units <NUM>. The bit representation <NUM> for this allocation configuration is <NUM> bits: <NUM>;<NUM> (representing a band spanning two <NUM> spectrum bands).

In a second aspect, the third embodiment may use an encoding scheme wherein the fifth sub-band in order by frequency is not available for allocation. According to this aspect, the bit representation has eight bits instead of nine, as the availability or unavailability of the fifth sub-band does not need to be represented in the bit representation. The binary values and constraints imposed in the second aspect of the third embodiment may be identical to those described for the first aspect of the third embodiments above.

<FIG> illustrates several example RU sizes and corresponding allocation bit representations <NUM> for small-size resource units of a <NUM> band <NUM> in accordance with a second aspect of the third embodiment. Eight sub-bands are shown in addition to the immutably unavailable fifth sub-band <NUM>. Three example RU allocations are shown: at the top <NUM>, a <NUM>-tone RU is allocated to each sub-band; in the middle <NUM>, two pairs of <NUM>-tone RUs are allocated; and at the bottom <NUM>, two <NUM>-tone RUs are allocated.

The example allocation configurations of <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG> are supported by the second aspect of the third embodiment. The bit representation for the allocation configuration of <FIG> is <NUM> bits: <NUM>. The bit representation for the allocation configuration of <FIG> is <NUM> bits: <NUM>. The bit representation for the allocation configuration of <FIG> is <NUM> bits: <NUM>;<NUM>.

In some embodiments, the bit representation may be included in a header of the physical layer protocol (PHY) data unit (PPDU). <FIG> illustrates an example physical layer protocol data unit format for exchanging information through a wireless medium of the communication network of <FIG>. The header includes a universal signal (U-SIG) field <NUM> and an extreme high throughput signal (EHT-SIG) field <NUM>. In some embodiments, the bit representation for availability of sub-bands in each separated <NUM> sub-block of the operating channel or RU allocation is included in the universal signal field <NUM>. In some embodiments, the bit representation for availability of sub-bands in each separated <NUM> sub-block of the operating channel or RU allocation is included in the extreme high throughput signal field <NUM>. Generating, transmitting, receiving, and decoding the PPDU and its header are described in the Example Processing System section above.

The present disclosure provides certain example algorithms and calculations for implementing examples of the disclosed methods and systems. However, the present disclosure is not bound by any particular algorithm or calculation. Although the present disclosure describes methods and processes with steps in a certain order, one or more steps of the methods and processes may be omitted or altered as appropriate. One or more steps may take place in an order other than that in which they are described, as appropriate.

Through the descriptions of the preceding embodiments, the present invention may be implemented by using hardware only, or by using software and a necessary universal hardware platform, or by a combination of hardware and software. Based on such understandings, the technical solution of the present invention may be embodied in the form of a software product. The software product may be stored in a non-volatile or non-transitory storage medium, which can be a compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), USB flash drive, or a hard disk. The software product includes a number of instructions that enable a computer device (personal computer, server, or network device) to execute the methods provided in the embodiments of the present invention.

Claim 1:
A method of transmitting a physical layer protocol data unit, PPDU, over an operating channel (<NUM>) in a wireless local area network, WLAN (<NUM>), comprising:
identifying (<NUM>) a plurality of <NUM> sub-bands making up the operating channel;
identifying (<NUM>) which of the plurality of sub-bands are unavailable (<NUM>);
generating (<NUM>) a bit representation (<NUM>) of availability of <NUM> sub-bands in the operating channel for allocating resource units, RUs, to a single station, the bit representation consisting of a plurality of binary values, each binary value corresponding to an unavailable (<NUM>) <NUM> sub-band or an available <NUM> sub-band;
generating (<NUM>) a physical layer protocol data unit, the physical layer protocol data unit comprising a header, the header comprising a U-SIG field (<NUM>); and
transmitting (<NUM>) the physical layer protocol data unit to a target station;
characterized in that:
the operating channel (<NUM>) comprises one or more <NUM> sub-blocks;
available and unavailable sub-bands are designated for each <NUM> sub-block of the operating channel separately ;
each bit representation (<NUM>) for each respective separated <NUM> sub-block consists of four one-bit binary values, each one-bit binary value corresponding to an unavailable <NUM> sub-band (<NUM>) or an available <NUM> sub-band within the <NUM> sub-block;
the U-SIG field (<NUM>) comprises the bit representations (<NUM>) for each separated <NUM> sub-block of the operating channel;
the PPDU is a multi-RU PPDU, wherein the allocation of RUs to a single station (<NUM>) comprises allocating multiple <NUM>-tone or greater RUs (<NUM>, <NUM>) in the available <NUM> sub-bands to the single station (<NUM>).