Wireless preamble structure for OFDMA signaling under OBSS interference

• US 10,305,643 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2016
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Kim, Joonsuk, Li, Guoqing
• Primary Examiner(s): Haile, Awet
• Application Number:
  US15/192,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20160380731A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0003 by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0031 Multiple signaling transmission H04L1/1664, F15 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0061 Error detection codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0083 Formatting with frames or packets; Protocol or part of protocol for error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0091 Signaling for the administration of the divided path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/20 Negotiating bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A wireless access point transmits a protocol data unit (PDU) that includes data and signaling for a plurality of user devices. The PDU spans a channel in frequency and an interval in time, and includes a first signaling section, a second signaling section and a traffic action. For each of a plurality of subchannels of the channel: the first signaling section includes (within the subchannel) a corresponding redundant copy of common signaling information for the user devices associated with the access point; the second signaling section includes (within the subchannel) a corresponding set of user-specific signaling information for a corresponding group of one or more of the user devices; and the traffic section includes (within the subchannel) a corresponding set of traffic data for the corresponding group of one or more user devices. Subchannels sizes may be configurable. A signaling set CRC may be included per subchannel.

Claims

1. An access point comprising:

a transmitter; and

a processing unit coupled to the transmitter, wherein the processing unit is configured to;

generate a wireless protocol data unit (PDU),

wherein the wireless PDU spans a channel in frequency,

wherein the channel comprises a plurality of subchannels, and respective subchannels of the plurality of subchannels span respective portions of the frequency of the channel,

wherein the wireless PDU includes a first signaling section, a second signaling section, and a traffic section, the first signaling section spanning the channel in frequency and a first time interval, and the second signaling section spanning the channel in frequency and a second time interval,

wherein the first signaling section includes a plurality of redundant copies of first common signaling information for two or more user devices of N user devices, wherein respective subchannels of the plurality of subchannels comprise respective redundant copies of the plurality of redundant copies within the respective portions of the frequency and the first time interval, wherein the first signaling section comprises an HE-SIG-A and a first field of an HE-SIG-B, wherein the HE-SIG-A comprises a first portion of the first common signaling information, wherein the first field of an HE-SIG-B comprises a second portion of the first common signaling information,

wherein, for each of the plurality of subchannels of the channel, the second signaling section includes within that subchannel a corresponding set of signaling information for a corresponding group of one or more of the N user devices,

wherein the second signaling section comprises a second field of the HE-SIG-B; and

transmit, via the transmitter, the wireless PDU.

2. The access point of claim 1, wherein, for a first of the subchannels, the corresponding set of signaling information includes user-specific signaling information for each of the user devices in the corresponding group.

3. The access point of claim 1, wherein, for a first of the subchannels, the corresponding group includes two or more of the N user devices.

4. The access point of claim 1, wherein, for a first of the subchannels, the second signaling section also includes within the first subchannel a corresponding set of group-specific common signaling information for the corresponding group, wherein the set of group-specific common signaling information includes resource allocation information for the one or more user devices of the corresponding group.

5. The access point of claim 4, wherein, for each of the plurality of subchannels of the channel, the traffic section includes within that subchannel a corresponding traffic field that includes downlink user data for the one or more user devices of the corresponding group.

6. The access point of claim 4, wherein, for each of the plurality of subchannels of the channel, the corresponding set of signaling information in the second signaling section includes one or more of the following:

a modulation-and-coding scheme (MCS) indicator for each of the user devices of the corresponding group;

a number of spatial streams allocated to each of the user devices of the corresponding group.

7. The access point of claim 1, wherein the first common signaling information includes an indication of bandwidths of the subchannels.

8. The access point of claim 1, wherein, for each of the plurality of subchannels of the channel, the corresponding set of signaling information includes a corresponding Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) value.

9. The access point of claim 1, wherein, for each of the plurality of subchannels of the channel, the second signaling section also includes within that subchannel a redundant copy of second common signaling information for the N users.

10. A user device comprising:

a receiver; and

a processing unit coupled to the receiver, wherein the processing unit is configured to;

receive, via the receiver, at least a portion of a wireless protocol data unit (PDU), wherein the wireless PDU spans a channel in frequency, wherein the wireless PDU includes a first signaling section, a second signaling section and a traffic section, the first signaling section spanning the channel in frequency and a first time interval, and the second signaling section spanning the channel in frequency and a second time interval,

wherein the first signaling section includes a plurality of redundant copies of first common signaling information for two or more user devices of N user devices, wherein respective subchannels of the plurality of subchannels comprise respective redundant copies of the plurality of redundant copies within the respective portions of the frequency and the first time interval, wherein the first signaling section comprises an HE-SIG-A and a first field of an HE-SIG-B, wherein the HE-SIG-A comprises a first portion of the first common signaling information, wherein the first field of an HE-SIG-B comprises a second portion of the first common signaling information,

wherein, for each of the plurality of subchannels of the channel, the second signaling section includes within that subchannel a corresponding set of signaling information for a corresponding group of one or more of the N user devices, wherein said user device is included in a first of the groups, corresponding to a first of the subchannels, wherein the second signaling section comprises a second field of the HE-SIG-B.

11. The user device of claim 10, wherein the set of signaling information corresponding to the first subchannel includes user-specific signaling information for each of the one or more user devices in the first group, wherein said receiving includes decoding from the first subchannel the user-specific signaling information corresponding to said user device.

12. The user device of claim 10, wherein, within the first subchannel, the second signaling section also includes a first set of group-specific common signaling information for the first group, wherein the first set of group-specific common signaling information includes resource allocation information for the one or more user devices of the first group.

13. The user device of claim 12, wherein, within the first subchannel, the traffic section includes a first traffic field that includes downlink user data for the one or more user devices of the first group.

14. The user device of claim 12, wherein the set of signaling information corresponding to the first subchannel includes one or more of the following:

a modulation-and-coding scheme (MCS) indicator for said user device;

a number of spatial streams allocated to said user device.

15. The user device of claim 10, wherein the first common signaling information includes an indication of bandwidths of the subchannels.

16. The user device of claim 10, wherein, for each of the plurality of subchannels of the channel, the corresponding set of signaling information includes a corresponding Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) value.

17. The user device of claim 10, wherein, for each of the plurality of subchannels of the channel, the second signaling section also includes within that subchannel a redundant copy of second common signaling information for the N users.

18. The user device of claim 10, wherein the processing unit is configured so that, at least during a time interval corresponding to the second signaling section, a reception band of the receiver is set to capture the first subchannel but not other subchannels of said plurality of subchannels.

19. The user device of claim 18, wherein the processing unit is configured so that, at least during a time interval corresponding to the first signaling section, the reception band of the receiver is set to capture the channel.

20. A non-transitory memory medium for operating a user device, the memory medium storing program instructions, wherein the program instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to implement:

receiving at least a portion of a wireless protocol data unit (PDU), wherein the wireless PDU spans a channel in frequency, wherein the channel comprises a plurality of subchannels, and respective subchannels of the plurality of subchannels span respective portions of the frequency of the channel,

wherein the wireless PDU includes a first signaling section, a second signaling section and a traffic section, the first signaling section spanning the channel in frequency and a first time interval, and the second signaling section spanning the channel in frequency and a second time interval,

wherein the first signaling section includes a plurality of redundant copies of first common signaling information for two or more user devices of N user devices, wherein respective subchannels of the plurality of subchannels comprise respective redundant copies of the plurality of redundant copies within the respective portions of the frequency and the first time interval, wherein the first signaling section comprises an HE-SIG-A and a first field of an HE-SIG-B, wherein the HE-SIG-A comprises a first portion of the first common signaling information, wherein the first field of an HE-SIG-B comprises a second portion of the first common signaling information,

wherein, for each of the plurality of subchannels of the channel, the second signaling section includes within that subchannel a corresponding set of signaling information for a corresponding group of one or more of the N user devices, wherein said user device is included in a first of the groups, corresponding to a first of the subchannels, wherein the second signaling section comprises a second field of the HE-SIG-B.