# US 10,772,099 B2 · Punctured sounding and partial bandwidth feedback > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,772,099 B2 - Document ID: US10772099B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/276,137 - Filed: 2019-02-14 - Published: 2019-08-22 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2018-02-16 - Assignees: QUALCOMM Incorporated - Applicants: QUALCOMM Incorporated - Inventors: Lochan Verma; Bin Tian; Sameer Vermani; Lin Yang; Jialing Li Chen; Youhan Kim - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10772099B2 ## CPC - H04W 72/0453: Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA - H04B 7/0617: {for beam forming} - H04B 7/0619: {using feedback from receiving side (feedback signaling for adaptive modulation/coding H04L1/0001)} - H04B 7/0632: {Channel quality parameters, e.g. channel quality indicator [CQI]} - H04L 5/0023: {Time-frequency-space} - H04L 5/0048: {Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver (allocation of control signalling H04L5/0053; use of control signalling H04L5/0091)} - H04L 5/0094: {Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated} - H04W 72/542: using measured or perceived quality - H04B 7/024: Co-operative use of antennas of several sites, e.g. in co-ordinated multipoint or co-operative multiple-input multiple-output [MIMO] systems - H04L 5/0035: {Resource allocation in a cooperative multipoint environment} - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer-readable media, for partial bandwidth feedback based on punctured sounding. Punctured sounding is used by a transmitting device that omits portions of a channel bandwidth based on a puncturing pattern. The puncturing pattern may be based on an exclusion bandwidth zone to avoid transmissions on portions of channels that may interfere with an incumbent system transmission. The puncturing pattern may be indicated in a null data packet announcement (NDPA) to inform the receiving device that a subsequent NDP will be punctured. The receiving device may determine the feedback by measuring the portions of the NDP that are not punctured. Beamforming may be enhanced by using punctured sounding between two beamforming endpoints. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of communication in a wireless network, comprising: transmitting, from a transmitting device to a receiving device, a first message that indicates a puncturing pattern that will be used to puncture a punctured sounding message via a wireless channel; transmitting, from the transmitting device to the receiving device, the punctured sounding message via the wireless channel, wherein the punctured sounding message omits portions of a signal on the wireless channel based on the puncturing pattern; receiving, from the receiving device, a feedback message that includes feedback information based on non-punctured portions of the punctured sounding message. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the puncturing pattern includes a disallowed subchannel bitmap that identifies which subchannels or resource units (RUs) are punctured. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the subchannels indicated in the puncturing pattern are identified based on 20 MHz channels in a tone map for a frequency band. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the RUs indicated in the puncturing pattern are identified based on groups of subcarriers in a tone map for a frequency band. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting a management frame that indicates a puncturing pattern for the wireless channel, wherein the management frame is a beacon frame from an access point to one or more stations. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback information includes beamforming feedback determined by the receiving device based on the punctured sounding message. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the beamforming feedback is a compressed beamforming metric that is based on an average of signal to noise measurements for the non-punctured portions of the wireless channel. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: before sending the first message with the puncturing pattern, determining that the receiving device supports puncturing sounding. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein determining that the receiving device supports puncturing sounding includes receiving a punctured sounding capability indicator from the receiving device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a beamforming parameter for a subsequent data communication from the transmitting device to the receiving device based, at least in part, on the feedback information. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first message is a null data packet announcement (NDPA) and the punctured sounding message is a null data packet (NDP). ### Claim 12 A method of communication in a wireless network, comprising: receiving, from a transmitting device by a receiving device, a first message that indicates a puncturing pattern that will be used to puncture a punctured sounding message via a wireless channel; receiving, from the transmitting device by the receiving device, the punctured sounding message via the wireless channel, wherein the punctured sounding message omits portions of a signal on the wireless channel based on the puncturing pattern; and transmitting, from the receiving device to the transmitting device, a feedback message that includes feedback information determined based on non-punctured portions of the punctured sounding message. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the puncturing pattern includes a disallowed subchannel bitmap that identifies which subchannels or resource units are punctured. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the subchannels indicated in the puncturing pattern are identified either based on 20 MHz channels in a tone map for a frequency band or based on groups of subcarriers in a tone map for a frequency band. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising: determining beamforming feedback based on the punctured sounding message; and including the beamforming feedback in the feedback information. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the feedback information includes a compressed beamforming metric that is based on an average of signal to noise measurements for the non-punctured portions of the wireless channel. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising: transmitting, from the receiving device to the transmitting device, a punctured sounding capability indicator that indicates the receiving device supports punctured sounding. ### Claim 18 A first wireless device for communication in a wireless network, comprising: a processor; memory in electronic communication with the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the first wireless device to: output for transmission a first message to a second wireless device, the first message indicating a puncturing pattern that will be used to puncture a punctured sounding message via a wireless channel; output for transmission to the second wireless device the punctured sounding message via the wireless channel, wherein the punctured sounding message omits portions of a signal on the wireless channel based on the puncturing pattern; obtain from the second wireless device a feedback message that includes feedback information based on non-punctured portions of the punctured sounding message. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The first wireless device of claim 18, wherein the puncturing pattern includes a disallowed subchannel bitmap that identifies which subchannels or resource units are punctured. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The first wireless device of claim 19, wherein the subchannels indicated in the puncturing pattern are identified either based on 20 MHz channels in a tone map for a frequency band or based on groups of subcarriers in a tone map for a frequency band. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The first wireless device of claim 18, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the first wireless device to: output for transmission a management frame that indicates a puncturing pattern for the wireless channel, wherein the management frame is a beacon frame from an access point to one or more stations. ### Claim 22 (depends on 18) The first wireless device of claim 18, wherein the feedback information includes beamforming feedback determined by the second wireless device based on the punctured sounding message. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The first wireless device of claim 22, wherein the beamforming feedback is a compressed beamforming metric that is based on an average of signal to noise measurements for the non-punctured portions of the wireless channel. ### Claim 24 (depends on 18) The first wireless device of claim 18, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the first wireless device to: determine a beamforming parameter for a subsequent data communication from the first wireless device to the second wireless device based, at least in part, on the feedback information. ### Claim 25 (depends on 18) The first wireless device of claim 18, wherein the first message is a null data packet announcement (NDPA) and the punctured sounding message is a null data packet (NDP). ### Claim 26 A first wireless device for communication in a wireless network, comprising: a processor; memory in electronic communication with the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the first wireless device to: obtain a first message from a second wireless device, wherein the first message indicates a puncturing pattern that will be used to puncture a punctured sounding message via a wireless channel; obtain from the second wireless device the punctured sounding message via the wireless channel, wherein the punctured sounding message omits portions of a signal on the wireless channel based on the puncturing pattern; and output for transmission to the second wireless device, a feedback message that includes feedback information determined based on non-punctured portions of the punctured sounding message. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The first wireless device of claim 26, wherein the puncturing pattern includes a disallowed subchannel bitmap that identifies which subchannels or resource units are punctured. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The first wireless device of claim 27, wherein the subchannels indicated in the puncturing pattern are identified either based on 20 MHz channels in a tone map for a frequency band or based on groups of subcarriers in a tone map for a frequency band. ### Claim 29 (depends on 26) The first wireless device of claim 26, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the first wireless device to: determine beamforming feedback based on the punctured sounding message; and include the beamforming feedback in the feedback information. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The first wireless device of claim 29, wherein the feedback information includes a compressed beamforming metric that is based on an average of signal to noise measurements for the non-punctured portions of the wireless channel.