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

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.