Distributed signal field for communications within multiple user, multiple access, and/or MIMO wireless communications

• US 9,553,649 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2015
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Erceg, Vinko, Lauer, Joseph Paul, Fischer, Matthew James, Amini, Peiman, Kim, Joonsuk
• Primary Examiner(s): Choi, Eunsook
• Application Number:
  US14/813,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20150341102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/043 using best eigenmode, e.g. beam forming or beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0452 Multi-user MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0669 using different channel coding between antennas space-time coding H04L1/0618
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0684 using different training sequences per antenna
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0697 using spatial multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0003 by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0009 by adapting the channel coding H04L1/1812 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0075 Transmission of coding parameters to receiver H04L1/0023 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0079 Formats for control data H04L1/16 takes precedence; training sequences H04L25/00 and H04L27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/06 using space diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/005 of common pilots, i.e. pilots destined for multiple users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0051 of dedicated pilots, i.e. pilots destined for a single user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/065 using assembly or disassembly of packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Distributed signal field for communications within multiple user, multiple access, and/or MIMO wireless communications. In accordance with wireless communications, a signal (SIG) field employed within such packets is distributed or partitioned into at least two separate signal fields (e.g., SIG A and SIG B) that are located in different portions of the packet. A first of the SIG fields includes information that may be processed and decoded by all wireless communication devices, and a second of the SIG fields includes information that is specific to one or more particular wireless communication devices (e.g., a specific wireless communication device or a specific subset of the wireless communication devices). The precise locations of the at least first and second SIG fields within a packet may be varied, including placing a second of the SIG fields (e.g., including user-specific information) adjacent to and preceding a data field in the packet.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device comprising:

a processing circuitry configured to;

generate a packet that includes a group identification field (GroupID);

set a plurality of bits within the GroupID to a first value to indicate the packet is a single user (SU) packet or set the plurality of bits within the GroupID to a second value to indicate the packet is a multiple user (MU) packet; and

transmit the packet to at least one other wireless communication device to be processed by the at least one other wireless communication device to determine whether the packet is the SU packet or the MU packet for processing thereof.

2. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

generate another packet that includes a first signal (SIG) field, a second SIG field, and at least one other field located between the first SIG field and the second SIG field;

set another plurality of bits within another GroupID that is included within the first SIG field to the first value to indicate the another packet is another SU packet or set the another plurality of bits within the another GroupID of the first SIG field to the second value to indicate that the another packet is another MU packet; and

transmit the another packet to at least one of the at least one other wireless communication device or another wireless communication device.

3. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

generate another packet that includes a signal (SIG) field;

set another plurality of bits within another GroupID that is included within the SIG field to the first value to indicate the another packet is another SU packet or set the another plurality of bits within the another GroupID of the SIG field to the second value to indicate that the another packet is another MU packet; and

transmit the another packet to at least one of the at least one other wireless communication device or another wireless communication device.

4. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

generate the packet as the MU packet that includes a first signal (SIG) field, a second SIG field, and at least one other field located between the first SIG field and the second SIG field, wherein the first SIG field includes first information for use by both a first other wireless communication device and a second other wireless communication device to process a first other field in the MU packet, wherein the second SIG field includes second information for use by at least one of the first other wireless communication device or the second other wireless communication device to process a second other field in the MU packet.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

generate the packet to include a first signal (SIG) field, a second SIG field, and at least one other field located between the first SIG field and the second SIG field;

transmit the first SIG field using omni-directional transmission; and

transmit the second SIG field using beamforming transmission.

6. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

generate the packet to include a first short training field (STF), followed by a first long training field (LTF), followed by a first signal field (SIG) field that includes the GroupID, followed by a second STF, followed by a second LTF, followed by a second SIG field, followed by a data field.

7. The wireless communication device of claim 1 further comprising:

an access point (AP), wherein the at least one other wireless communication device includes a wireless station (STA).

8. The wireless communication device of claim 1 further comprising:

a wireless station (STA), wherein the at least one other wireless communication device includes an access point (AP).

9. A wireless communication device comprising:

a processing circuitry configured to;

receive a packet from another wireless communication device;

interpret a group identification field (GroupID) of the packet to determine whether the packet is a single user (SU) packet or a multiple user (MU) packet including to determine that the packet is the SU packet when a plurality of bits within the GroupID is set to a first value and to determine that the packet is the MU packet when the plurality of bits within the GroupID is set to a second value;

process the packet as the SU packet when the packet is determined to be the SU packet based on interpretation of the GroupID of the packet; and

process the packet as the MU packet when the packet is determined to be the SU packet based on the interpretation of the GroupID of the packet.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

receive another packet from the another wireless communication device;

process the another packet to identify a first signal (SIG) field that includes another GroupID, a second SIG field, and at least one other field located between the first SIG field and the second SIG field within the another packet; and

interpret the another GroupID to determine whether the another packet is another SU packet or another MU packet including to determine that the another packet is the another SU packet when another plurality of bits within the another GroupID is set to the first value and to determine that the another packet is the another MU packet when the another plurality of bits within the another GroupID is set to the second value.

11. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

receive a first signal (SIG) field of the packet via omni-directional transmission; and

receive a second SIG field of the packet via beamforming transmission, wherein the packet includes the first SIG field, the second SIG field, and at least one other field located between the first SIG field and the second SIG field.

12. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

process the packet to identify a first short training field (STF), followed by a first long training field (LTF), followed by a first signal field (SIG) field that includes the GroupID, followed by a second STF, followed by a second LTF, followed by a second SIG field, followed by a data field within the packet.

13. The wireless communication device of claim 9 further comprising:

a wireless station (STA), wherein the another wireless communication device includes an access point (AP).

14. A method for execution by a wireless communication device, the method comprising:

generating a packet that includes a group identification field (GroupID);

setting a plurality of bits within the GroupID to a first value to indicate the packet is a single user (SU) packet or setting the plurality of bits within the GroupID to a second value to indicate the packet is a multiple user (MU) packet; and

transmitting, via a communication interface of the wireless communication device, the packet to at least one other wireless communication device to be processed by the at least one other wireless communication device to determine whether the packet is the SU packet or the MU packet for processing thereof.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

generating another packet that includes a first signal (SIG) field, a second SIG field, and at least one other field located between the first SIG field and the second SIG field;

setting another plurality of bits within another GroupID that is included within the first SIG field to the first value to indicate the another packet is another SU packet or setting the another plurality of bits within the another GroupID of the first SIG field to the second value to indicate that the another packet is another MU packet; and

transmitting, via the communication interface of the wireless communication device, the another packet to at least one of the at least one other wireless communication device or another wireless communication device.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

generating another packet that includes a signal (SIG) field;

setting another plurality of bits within another GroupID that is included within the SIG field to the first value to indicate the another packet is another SU packet or setting the another plurality of bits within the another GroupID of the SIG field to the second value to indicate that the another packet is another MU packet; and

transmitting, via the communication interface of the wireless communication device, the another packet to at least one of the at least one other wireless communication device or another wireless communication device.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

generating the packet as the MU packet that includes a first signal (SIG) field, a second SIG field, and at least one other field located between the first SIG field and the second SIG field, wherein the first SIG field includes first information for use by both a first other wireless communication device and a second other wireless communication device to process a first other field in the MU packet, wherein the second SIG field includes second information for use by at least one of the first other wireless communication device or the second other wireless communication device to process a second other field in the MU packet.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

generating the packet to include a first signal (SIG) field, a second SIG field, and at least one other field located between the first SIG field and the second SIG field;

transmitting, via the communication interface of the wireless communication device, the first SIG field using omni-directional transmission; and

transmitting, via the communication interface of the wireless communication device, the second SIG field using beamforming transmission.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

generating the packet to include a first short training field (STF), followed by a first long training field (LTF), followed by a first signal field (SIG) field that includes the GroupID, followed by a second STF, followed by a second LTF, followed by a second SIG field, followed by a data field.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the wireless communication device is an access point (AP), and the at least one other wireless communication device includes a wireless station (STA).