Method and apparatus for generating a PHY data unit

• US 10,397,033 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2015
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell World Trade Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Zhang, Hongyuan, Nabar, Rohit U., Banerjea, Raja, Liu, Yong, Srinivasa, Sudhir, Kwon, Hyukjoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Bocure, Tesfaldet
• Application Number:
  US14/846,186
• Publication Number:
  US 20150381394A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,453 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/23 using convolutional codes, e.g. unit memory codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0046 Code rate detection or code type detection H04L1/0038 takes precedence; detection of the data rate H04L25/0262; for packet format H04L1/0091
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0065 Serial concatenated codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0072 Error control for data other than payload data, e.g. control data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/08 by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2602 Signal structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2603 Signal structure ensuring backward compatibility with legacy system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2613 Structure of the reference signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/26132 using repetition

Abstract

A first legacy portion of a physical layer (PHY) preamble is generated, wherein the first legacy portion of the PHY preamble is generated to include a signal field having PHY parameters arranged in subfields according to a first legacy communication protocol. A second portion of the PHY preamble is generated according to a second communication protocol, wherein the second portion of the PHY preamble is generated to include a repetition of the signal field. A PHY data unit that includes the PHY preamble is generated, the PHY data unit being for transmission via a wireless communication channel.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a physical layer (PHY) processing unit of a wireless network interface device, the PHY processing unit implemented on one or more integrated circuit devices and configured to generate PHY data units for transmission in a wireless communication network, the method comprising:

generating, at the PHY processing unit implemented on the one or more integrated circuit devices, a first legacy portion of a PHY preamble, wherein the first legacy portion of the PHY preamble is generated to include a signal field having PHY parameters arranged in subfields according to a first communication protocol, the first communication protocol being a legacy communication protocol;

generating, at the PHY processing unit implemented on the one or more integrated circuit devices, a second portion of the PHY preamble according to a second communication protocol, wherein the second portion of the PHY preamble is generated to include a repetition of the signal field to increase at least one of i) receiver sensitivity with respect to the signal field or ii) range with respect to the signal field; and

generating, at the PHY processing unit implemented on the one or more integrated circuit devices, the PHY data unit so that the PHY data unit includes the PHY preamble.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

generating the first legacy portion of the PHY preamble includes generating the signal field to span only a first single orthogonal frequency domain multiplexing (OFDM) symbol; and

generating the second portion of the PHY preamble includes generating the repetition of the signal field to span only a second single OFDM symbol.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the first single OFDM symbol is adjacent to the second single OFDM symbol.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein:

generating the repetition of the signal field includes utilizing a first modulation that is rotated in phase by 90 degrees with respect to a second modulation utilized with respect to the signal field in the first legacy portion of the PHY preamble.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

generating the signal field in the first legacy portion of the PHY preamble includes utilizing binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation; and

generating the repetition of the signal field includes utilizing BPSK modulation on a quadrature axis (Q-BPSK).

6. The method of claim 2, wherein:

generating the repetition of the signal field includes utilizing a same modulation as utilized with respect to the signal field in the first legacy portion of the PHY preamble.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

generating the signal field in the first legacy portion of the PHY preamble includes utilizing binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation; and

generating the repetition of the signal field includes utilizing BPSK modulation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the signal field is a first signal field; and

the second portion of the PHY preamble is generated to include a second signal field having PHY parameters arranged in subfields according to the second communication protocol.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the PHY preamble is a first PHY preamble;

the signal field is a first signal field;

the PHY data unit is a first PHY data unit; and

the method further comprises;

generating, at the PHY processing unit implemented on the one or more integrated circuit devices, a second PHY preamble according to the first communication protocol or a third communication protocol, wherein the second PHY preamble includes a second signal field having PHY parameters arranged in subfields according to the first communication protocol, and

generating, at the PHY processing unit implemented on the one or more integrated circuit devices, a second PHY data unit that includes the second PHY preamble, wherein the second PHY data unit is generated such that the second PHY data unit does not include a repetition of the second signal field.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the third communication protocol is a legacy communication protocol;

the second PHY preamble is generated according to the third communication protocol; and

the second PHY preamble is generated to include a third signal field having PHY parameters arranged in subfields according to the third communication protocol.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a wireless network interface device comprising;

a physical layer (PHY) processing unit implemented using one or more integrated circuits, the PHY processing unit configured to generate PHY data units for transmission in a wireless communication network, and

a medium access control (MAC) processing unit implemented using one or more integrated circuits, the MAC processing unit coupled to the PHY processing unit;

wherein the PHY processing unit is configured to;

generate a first legacy portion of a PHY preamble, wherein the first legacy portion of the PHY preamble is generated to include a signal field having PHY parameters arranged in subfields according to a first communication protocol, the first communication protocol being a legacy communication protocol,

generate a second portion of the PHY preamble according to a second communication protocol, wherein the second portion of the PHY preamble is generated to include a repetition of the signal field to increase at least one of i) receiver sensitivity with respect to the signal field or ii) range with respect to the signal field, and

generate the PHY data unit so that the PHY data unit includes the PHY preamble.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the PHY processing unit implemented using one or more integrated circuits is configured to:

generate the signal field to span only a first single orthogonal frequency domain multiplexing (OFDM) symbol; and

generate the repetition of the signal field to span only a second single OFDM symbol.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the PHY processing unit implemented using one or more integrated circuits is configured to:

generate the PHY data unit such that the first single OFDM symbol is adjacent to the second single OFDM symbol.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the PHY processing unit implemented using one or more integrated circuits configured to:

generate the repetition of the signal field utilizing a first modulation that is rotated in phase by 90 degrees with respect to a second modulation utilized with respect to generating the signal field in the first legacy portion of the PHY preamble.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the PHY processing unit implemented using one or more integrated circuits is configured to:

generate the signal field in the first legacy portion of the PHY preamble utilizing binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation; and

generate the repetition of the signal field utilizing BPSK modulation on a quadrature axis (Q-BPSK).

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the PHY processing unit implemented using one or more integrated circuits is configured to:

generate the repetition of the signal field utilizing a same modulation as utilized with respect to generating the signal field in the first legacy portion of the PHY preamble.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the PHY processing unit implemented using one or more integrated circuits is configured to:

generate the signal field in the first legacy portion of the PHY preamble utilizing binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation; and

generate the repetition of the signal field utilizing BPSK modulation.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the signal field is a first signal field; and

the PHY processing unit implemented using one or more integrated circuits is configured to generate the second portion of the PHY preamble to include a second signal field having PHY parameters arranged in subfields according to the second communication protocol.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the PHY preamble is a first PHY preamble;

the signal field is a first signal field;

the PHY data unit is a first PHY data unit; and

the PHY processing unit implemented using one or more integrated circuits is configured to;

generate a second PHY preamble according to the first communication protocol or a third communication protocol, wherein the second PHY preamble is generated to include a second signal field having PHY parameters arranged in subfields according to the first communication protocol, and

generate a second PHY data unit that includes the second PHY preamble, wherein the second PHY data unit is generated such that the second PHY data unit does not include a repetition of the second signal field.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein:

the third communication protocol is a legacy communication protocol;

the second PHY preamble is generated according to the third communication protocol; and

the PHY processing unit implemented using one or more integrated circuits is configured to generate the second PHY preamble to include a third signal field having PHY parameters arranged in subfields according to the third communication protocol.