Systems and methods for providing resource signaling within a wireless local area network (WLAN)
Embodiments described herein provide a method for resource unit signaling with reduced data bits in a wireless local area network. At a wireless transceiver, a data frame may be obtained for transmission. The data frame includes a first preamble portion and a second preamble portion compliant with a wireless local area network communication protocol. When an available resource unit for transmitting the data frame is less than an allowed bandwidth, the first preamble portion and the second preamble portion may be configured with resource unit signaling bits. When the available resource unit is greater than or equal to the allowed bandwidth, the resource unit may be virtually divided into a plurality of channels. At least one of the first preamble portion and the second preamble portion may be configured with a first number of bits representing a number of users spatially multiplexed on a channel from the plurality of channels.
1. A method for providing resource unit signaling with reduced data bits in a wireless local area network, the method comprising:
determining whether bandwidth of a resource unit for transmitting a data frame is greater than an allowed bandwidth; and
in response to determining that the bandwidth of the resource unit is greater than the allowed bandwidth:
virtually dividing the resource unit into a plurality of channels,
grouping channels in the plurality of channels into two half-portions of the plurality of channels,
for each half-portion of the plurality of channels, configuring a signal field-B (SIGB) portion of the data frame to indicate a subset of client stations spatially multiplexed on the resource unit, and
transmitting the data frame including the configured SIGB portions.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
evenly distributing a set of spatially multiplexed client stations into each half-portion of the plurality of channels.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
for each half-portion of the plurality of channels, allocating a subset of consecutively indexed client stations to the respective channel.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the allowed bandwidth is 20 MHz, and the resource unit includes 40 MHz.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the virtually dividing the resource unit into a plurality of channels comprises virtually dividing the resource unit into a first channel and a second channel; and
configuring a first channel specific common field corresponding to the first channel to indicate the resource unit,
configuring a first SIGB portion of the data frame corresponding to the first channel to indicate a first subset of client stations allocated to the first channel,
configuring a second channel specific common field corresponding to the second channel to indicate the resource unit, and
configuring a second SIGB portion of the data frame corresponding to the second channel to indicate a second subset of client stations allocated to the second channel.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
configuring a bit for all parallel SIGB portions corresponding to the plurality of channels to indicate that resource allocation signaling is skipped for each channel from the plurality of channels.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein when the resource unit is equivalent to a multiple of the allowed bandwidth, and a number of the plurality of channels is equivalent to a value of the multiple.
8. A system for providing resource unit signaling with reduced data bits in a wireless local area network, the system comprising:
processing circuitry configured to:
determine whether bandwidth of a resource unit for transmitting a data frame is greater than an allowed bandwidth;
in response to determining that the bandwidth of the resource unit is greater than the allowed bandwidth:
virtually divide the resource unit into a plurality of channels,
group channels in the plurality of channels into two half-portions of the plurality of channels,
for each half-portion of the plurality of channels, configuring a signal field-B (SIGB) portion of the data frame to indicate a subset of client stations spatially multiplexed on the resource unit, and
a wireless transceiver configured to transmit the data frame including the configured SIGB portion.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
evenly distribute a set of spatially multiplexed client stations into each half-portion of the plurality of channels.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
for each half-portion of the plurality of channels, allocate a subset of consecutively indexed client stations to the respective channel.
11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the allowed bandwidth is 20 MHz, and the resource unit includes 40 MHz.
12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
virtually divide the resource unit into a first channel and a second channel; and
configure a first channel specific common field corresponding to the first channel to indicate the resource unit,
configure a first SIGB portion of the data frame corresponding to the first channel to indicate a first subset of client stations allocated to the first channel;
configure a second channel specific common field corresponding to the second channel to indicate the resource unit, and
configure a second SIGB portion of the data frame corresponding to the second channel to indicate a second subset of client stations allocated to the second channel.
13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
configure a bit for all parallel SIGB portions corresponding to the plurality of channels to indicate that resource allocation signaling is skipped for each channel from the plurality of channels.
14. The system of claim 8 , wherein when the resource unit is equivalent to a multiple of the allowed bandwidth, and a number of the plurality of channels is equivalent to a value of the multiple.