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WO-2026092744-A1 - SIGNALING DESIGNS FOR DISTRIBUTED-TONE RESOURCE UNIT WITH A DISTRIBUTION BANDWIDTH OF 60MHZ IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS

WO2026092744A1WO 2026092744 A1WO2026092744 A1WO 2026092744A1WO-2026092744-A1

Abstract

Techniques pertaining to signaling methods for distributed-tone resource units (DRUs) with a distribution bandwidth (BW) of 60MHz in wireless communications are described. An apparatus (e.g., a station (STA)) generates at least one distributed-tone resource unit (DRU) of a physical-layer protocol data unit (PPDU). The apparatus then transmits the at least one DRU over a distribution bandwidth of 60MHz with an indication of one or more aspects of transmission of the DRU over the distribution bandwidth of 60MHz.

Inventors

  • HU, SHENGQUAN
  • LIU, JIANHAN
  • PARE JR., THOMAS EDWARD

Assignees

  • MEDIATEK INC.

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20251104
Priority Date
20241104

Claims (20)

  1. A method, comprising: generating, by a processor of an apparatus, at least one distributed-tone resource unit (DRU) of a physical-layer protocol data unit (PPDU) ; and transmitting, by the processor, the at least one DRU over a distribution bandwidth of 60MHz with an indication of one or more aspects of transmission of the DRU over the distribution bandwidth of 60MHz.
  2. The method of Claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the at least one DRU over the distribution bandwidth of 60MHz comprises distributing tones of the at least one DRU over a larger tone range and a smaller tone range in an 80MHz frequency subblock with one of four 20MHz subchannels in the 80MHz frequency subblock being punctured.
  3. The method of Claim 2, wherein the larger tone range comprises a tone range of 484 tones, and wherein the smaller tone range comprises a tone range of 242 tones.
  4. The method of Claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the at least one DRU over the distribution bandwidth of 60MHz comprises distributing tones of the at least one DRU over a larger tone range and a smaller tone range in an 80MHz frequency subblock with a fourth 20MHz subchannel of four 20MHz subchannels in the 80MHz frequency subblock being punctured.
  5. The method of Claim 1, wherein the at least one DRU comprises: twelve 52-tone DRU (DRU52) that are transmitted over the distribution bandwidth of 60MHz; or six 106-tone DRU (DRU106) that are transmitted over the distribution bandwidth of 60MHz; or three 242-tone DRU (DRU242) that are transmitted over the distribution bandwidth of 60MHz.
  6. The method of Claim 1, wherein the PPDU comprises a trigger frame, and wherein the indication comprises 4 bits in a Common field of the trigger frame indicating a resource unit (RU) type with each of the 4 bits indicating a respective 80MHz frequency subblock.
  7. The method of Claim 1, wherein the PPDU comprises a trigger frame, and wherein the indication comprises 4 bits in a Common field of the trigger frame indicating a resource unit (RU) type with each of the 4 bits indicating a respective 80MHz frequency subblock.
  8. The method of Claim 1, wherein the indication comprises an existing Spatial Stream (SS) Allocation table in accordance with an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11ax or IEEE 802.11be specification being reused.
  9. The method of Claim 1, wherein the indication comprises a resource unit (RU) Allocation subfield in a User Info field of the PPDU having 8 bits, with 6 bits indicating a DRU index and 2 bits indicating a puncture pattern over the distribution bandwidth of 60MHz.
  10. The method of Claim 9, wherein the 2 bits indicating the puncture pattern comprise one of: 00 indicating a first 20MHz subchannel of four 20MHz subchannels in an 80MHz frequency subblock being punctured; 01 indicating a second 20MHz subchannel of the four 20MHz subchannels in the 80MHz frequency subblock being punctured; 10 indicating a third 20MHz subchannel of the four 20MHz subchannels in the 80MHz frequency subblock being punctured; and 11 indicating a fourth 20MHz subchannel of the four 20MHz subchannels in the 80MHz frequency subblock being punctured.
  11. The method of Claim 9, wherein the indication further comprises a spatial stream (SS) Allocation subfield in a User Info field of the PPDU with 2 bits indicating a distribution bandwidth and 1 bit indicating a number of spatial streams.
  12. The method of Claim 11, wherein the 2 bits indicating the distribution bandwidth comprise one of: 00 indicating 20MHz; 01 indicating 40MHz; 10 indicating 80MHz; and 11 indicating 60MHz.
  13. The method of Claim 11, wherein the 2 bits indicating the distribution bandwidth comprise bits B27 and B28 of the SS Allocation Subfield of the User Info field, and wherein the 1 bit indicating the number of spatial streams comprises bit B31 of the SS Allocation Subfield of the User Info field.
  14. The method of Claim 1, wherein the indication comprises a spatial stream (SS) Allocation subfield in a User Info field of the PPDU with 2 bits indicating a distribution bandwidth, 2 bits indicating a puncture pattern, and 1 bit indicating a number of spatial streams.
  15. The method of Claim 14, wherein the 2 bits indicating the distribution bandwidth comprise one of: 00 indicating 20MHz; 01 indicating 40MHz; 10 indicating 80MHz; and 11 indicating 60MHz.
  16. The method of Claim 14, wherein the 2 bits indicating the puncture pattern comprise one of: 00 indicating a first 20MHz subchannel of four 20MHz subchannels in an 80MHz frequency subblock being punctured; 01 indicating a second 20MHz subchannel of the four 20MHz subchannels in the 80MHz frequency subblock being punctured; 10 indicating a third 20MHz subchannel of the four 20MHz subchannels in the 80MHz frequency subblock being punctured; and 11 indicating a fourth 20MHz subchannel of the four 20MHz subchannels in the 80MHz frequency subblock being punctured.
  17. The method of Claim 1, wherein the indication comprises a spatial stream (SS) Allocation subfield in a User Info field of the PPDU with 3 bits indicating a distribution bandwidth and a puncture pattern, and with1 bit indicating a number of spatial streams.
  18. The method of Claim 17, wherein the 3 bits indicating the distribution bandwidth and the puncture pattern comprise one of: 000 indicating a 20MHz distribution bandwidth; 001 indicating a 40MHz distribution bandwidth; 010 indicating a first puncture pattern over a 60MHz distribution bandwidth; 011 indicating a second puncture pattern over the 60MHz distribution bandwidth; 100 indicating a third puncture pattern over the 60MHz distribution bandwidth; 101 indicating a fourth puncture pattern over the 60MHz distribution bandwidth; 110 indicating an 80MHz distribution bandwidth; and 111 indicating a 160MHz distribution bandwidth or being reserved.
  19. The method of Claim 17, wherein the 3 bits indicating the distribution bandwidth and the puncture pattern comprise one of: 000 indicating a 20MHz distribution bandwidth; 001 indicating a 40MHz distribution bandwidth; 010 indicating an 80MHz distribution bandwidth; 011 indicating a 160MHz distribution bandwidth or being reserved; 100 indicating a first puncture pattern over a 60MHz distribution bandwidth; 101 indicating a second puncture pattern over the 60MHz distribution bandwidth; 110 indicating a third puncture pattern over the 60MHz distribution bandwidth; and 111 indicating a fourth puncture pattern over the 60MHz distribution bandwidth.
  20. An apparatus implementable in a station (STA) , comprising: a transceiver configured to communicate wirelessly; and a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform operations comprising: generating at least one distributed-tone resource unit (DRU) of a physical-layer protocol data unit (PPDU) ; and transmitting, via the transceiver, the at least one DRU over a distribution bandwidth of 60MHz with an indication of one or more aspects of transmission of the DRU over the distribution bandwidth of 60MHz.

Description

SIGNALING DESIGNS FOR DISTRIBUTED-TONE RESOURCE UNIT WITH A DISTRIBUTION BANDWIDTH OF 60MHZ IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION The present disclosure is part of a non-provisional patent application claiming the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/715,675 filed 04 November 2024, the content of which herein being incorporated by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure is generally related to wireless communications and, more particularly, to signaling methods for distributed-tone resource units (DRUs) with a distribution bandwidth (BW) of 60MHz in wireless communications. BACKGROUND Unless otherwise indicated herein, approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims listed below and are not admitted as prior art by inclusion in this section. In wireless communications, such as Wi-Fi (or WiFi) in wireless local area network (WLAN) systems in accordance with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards, the use of DRUs over distribution bandwidths 20MHz, 40MHz and 80MHz has been proposed to boost transmit power for transmissions in the 6GHz low-power indoor (LPI) channel. However, it is possible that a 20MHz subchannel in an 80MHz physical-layer protocol data unit (PPDU) may be unavailable (e.g., being punctured or used for other regular resource unit (RRU) allocation) . Consequently, transmission of DRUs only on a distribution bandwidth of 20MHz or 40MHz may result in loss in power boost gain compared to distributing tones over a 60MHz distribution bandwidth. At the time of the present disclosure, details of signaling methods to enable DRU distribution over a 60MHz bandwidth have not yet been specified. Therefore, there is a need for a solution of signaling methods for DRUs with a distribution bandwidth of 60MHz in wireless communications. SUMMARY The following summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. That is, the following summary is provided to introduce concepts, highlights, benefits and advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described herein. Select implementations are further described below in the detailed description. Thus, the following summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for use in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. An objective of the present disclosure is to provide schemes, concepts, designs, techniques, methods and apparatuses pertaining to signaling methods for DRUs with a distribution bandwidth of 60MHz in wireless communications. It is believed that implementations of various schemes proposed herein may address or otherwise alleviate the aforementioned issues. For instance, various proposed schemes in accordance with the present disclosure may be implemented in Wi-Fi 8 (or WiFi 8) , also known as Ultra-High-Reliability (UHR) , in accordance with the IEEE 802.11bn standard as well as in future generations of Wi-Fi. In one aspect, a method may involve an apparatus generating at least one DRU of a PPDU. The method may also involve the apparatus transmitting the at least one DRU over a distribution bandwidth of 60MHz with an indication of one or more aspects of transmission of the DRU over the distribution bandwidth of 60MHz. In another aspect, an apparatus may include a transceiver configured to communicate wirelessly and a processor coupled to the transceiver. The processor may generate at least one DRU of a PPDU. The processor may also transmit the at least one DRU over a distribution bandwidth of 60MHz with an indication of one or more aspects of transmission of the DRU over the distribution bandwidth of 60MHz. It is noteworthy that, although description provided herein may be in the context of certain radio access technologies, networks and network topologies such as, Wi-Fi, the proposed concepts, schemes and any variation (s) /derivative (s) thereof may be implemented in, for and by other types of radio access technologies, networks and network topologies such as, for example and without limitation, Bluetooth, ZigBee, 5th Generation (5G) /New Radio (NR) , Long-Term Evolution (LTE) , LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, Internet-of-Things (IoT) , Industrial IoT (IIoT) and narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) . Thus, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples described herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of the present disclosure. The drawings illustrate implementations of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. It is appreciable that the drawings are not necessarily in scale as some components may be shown to be out of proportion than the size in actual implementation to clearly illustrate the concept of the prese