Method, apparatus, and computer readable medium for signaling high efficiency packet formats using a legacy portion of the preamble in wireless local-area networks

• US 9,806,927 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2015
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Azizi, Shahrnaz, Stacey, Robert J., Kenney, Thomas J., Perahia, Eldad
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Tri H
• Application Number:
  US14/751,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20160212247A1
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/22 Demodulator circuits; Receiver circuits
• 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 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/323 in the physical layer [OSI layer 1]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media for signaling high-efficiency packet formats using a legacy portion of the preamble in wireless local-area networks are disclosed. A high-efficiency (HE) wireless local area network (HEW) device including circuitry is disclosed. The circuitry may be configured to generate a HE packet comprising a legacy signal field (L-SIG) followed by one or more HE signal fields, and configure the L-SIG to signal to a second HEW device either a first packet format of the HE packet or a second packet format of the HE packet, where a length of the L-SIG modulo 3 is used to signal the first packet format or the second packet format. The circuitry may be configured to generate a duplicated L-SIG field with a polarity difference to indicate a third packet configuration of the HE packet or a fourth packet configuration of the HE packet.

Claims

1. An apparatus of a high-efficiency (HE) wireless device, comprising circuitry configured to:

generate a packet comprising a legacy signal field (L-SIG) followed by a repeated L-SIG, the repeated L-SIG to indicate that the packet is a HE packet, the repeated L-SIG followed by one or more HE signal fields;

generate a length field of the L-SIG to signal to a second HE device either a first packet format of the HE packet or a second packet format of the HE packet, wherein a value of the length field of the L-SIG modulo 3 is used to signal the first packet format or the second packet format; and

configure the HE wireless device to transmit the HE packet to the second HE device.

2. The apparatus of the HE device of claim 1, wherein the first packet format or the second packet format of the HE packet is at least one from the following group:

a single user format or a multiple user format; and

,

an indoor format or an outdoor format.

3. The apparatus of the HE device of claim 2, wherein the circuitry is to configure the length field of the L-SIG to be a one modulo of three (MOD 3) to indicate the first packet format and a two MOD 3 to indicate the second packet format.

4. The apparatus of the HE device of claim 2, wherein the single user format and the multiple user format indicate at least a number of HE-SIG-B symbols.

5. The apparatus of the HE device of claim 2, wherein the indoor format and the outdoor format indicate a guard interval for a HE-SIG-B and a HE-long training field (LTF) symbol size.

6. The apparatus of the HE device of claim 2, wherein the single user format does not include a SIG-B.

7. The apparatus of the HE device of claim 6, wherein a third packet configuration or a fourth packet configuration are one from the following group:

a single user configuration or a multiple user configuration; and

,

an indoor configuration or an outdoor configuration.

8. The apparatus of the HE device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to operate in accordance with orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA).

9. The apparatus of the HE device of claim 8, wherein the circuitry is configured to operate in accordance with Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) 802.11ax.

10. The apparatus of the HE device of claim 8, wherein the circuitry is further configured to transmit a trigger frame to the second HE device, the trigger frame to include a duration and frequency allocation for the second HE device for a transmit opportunity;

and

wherein the circuitry is configured to generate a second HE packet without the L-SIG field within the transmit opportunity.

11. The apparatus of the HE device of claim 1, wherein the one or more HE signal fields comprises a HE-SIG-A, and wherein a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) field of the HE-SIG-A jointly signals one or more from the following group:

a MCS and a low-density parity check (LDPC), and the MCS and a space-time block coding (STBC).

12. The apparatus of the HE device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry further comprises processing circuitry and transceiver circuitry.

13. The apparatus of the HE device of claim 1, wherein the one or more HE signal fields comprise at least one from the following group:

a clear channel assessment (CCA) margin or densification and length ambiguity.

14. The apparatus of the HE device of claim 1, further comprising memory coupled to the circuitry;

and

one or more antennas coupled to the circuitry.

15. A method to signal a packet configuration performed by a high-efficiency (HE) wireless device, the method comprising:

generating a packet comprising a legacy signal field (L-SIG) followed by a repeated L-SIG, the repeated L-SIG to indicate that the packet is a HE packet, the repeated L-SIG followed by one or more HE signal fields;

configuring a length field of the L-SIG to signal to a second HE device a packet configuration of the HE packet, wherein a length of the L-SIG modulo 3 is used to signal; and

configuring the HE wireless device to transmit the HE packet to the HEW device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first packet format or the second packet format of the HE packet is at least one from the following group:

a single user format or a multiple user format; and

,

an indoor format or an outdoor format.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining a polarity of a duplicated L-SIG field that is to indicate a third packet configuration of the HE packet or a fourth packet configuration of the HE packet, wherein the third packet configuration or the fourth packet configuration are one from the following group;

a single user configuration or a multiple user configuration; and

an indoor configuration or an outdoor configuration.

18. An apparatus of a high-efficiency (HE) station comprising circuitry configured to:

decode a packet from a second HE station, the packet to include at least a legacy signal field (L-SIG);

determine the L-SIG followed by a repeated L-SIG indicates that the packet is a HE packet; and

if the L-SIG indicates that the packet is the HE-packet, determine whether the packet is a first packet format of the HE packet or a second packet format of the HE packet, wherein a value of a length subfield of the L-SIG modulo 3 is used to signal the first packet format or the second packet format.

19. The apparatus of the HE station of claim 18, wherein the first packet format or the second packet format of the HE packet is at least one from the following group:

a single user format or a multiple user format; and

,

an indoor format or an outdoor format.

20. The apparatus of the HE station of claim 18, wherein third packet configuration or the fourth packet configuration are one from the following group:

a single user configuration or a multiple user configuration; and

,

an indoor configuration or an outdoor configuration.

21. The apparatus of the HE station of claim 18, further comprising memory coupled to the circuitry;

and,

one or more antennas coupled to the circuitry.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by one or more processors of an apparatus of a high-efficiency (HE) master station, the operations to configure the one or more processors to cause the apparatus of the HE master station to:

generate a HE packet comprising a legacy signal field (L-SIG) followed by a repeated L-SIG, the repeated L-SIG to indicate that the HE packet is configured in accordance with Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11ax, the repeated L-SIG followed by one or more HE signal fields; and

configure a length field of the L-SlG to signal to a second HE device either a first packet format of the HE packet or a second packet format of the HE packet, wherein a value of the length filed of the L-SIG modulo 3 is used to signal the first packet format or the second packet format.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the first packet format or the second packet format of the HE packet is at least one from the following group:

a single user format or a multiple user format; and

,

an indoor format or an outdoor format.