Communication apparatus, communication method, and communication system

• US 10,154,436 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2017
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palmira Wireless AG
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Takagi, Masahiro, Nishibayashi, Yasuyuki, Utsunomiya, Yoriko
• Primary Examiner(s): Lopata, Robert J
• Application Number:
  US15/785,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20180041919A1
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• Field of Search: 370445
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1607 Details of the supervisory signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1614 using bitmaps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/413 with random access, e.g. carrier-sense multiple-access with collision detection [CSMA-CD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/46 Interconnection of networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0044 allocation of payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/323 in the physical layer [OSI layer 1]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/065 using assembly or disassembly of packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0203 in the radio access network or backbone network of wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 with collision avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A physical frame is constructed, the physical frame including a medium access control super-frame payload which in turn includes a plurality of medium access control frames. With respect to the constructed physical frame, virtual carrier sense information is set in the plurality of medium access control frame so that a result of carrier sense is identical to another by virtual carrier sense based on the plurality of medium access control frames in the medium access control super-frame payload. The physical frame in which the virtual carrier sense information has been set is transmitted to a destined communication apparatus.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

an antenna; and

electronic circuitry coupled to the antenna and configured to receive, via the antenna, a first physical frame comprising a first physical header, a first MAC frame length field, a first data frame, a second MAC frame length field, and a second data frame, a value of the first MAC frame length field representing a length of the first data frame, the first MAC frame comprising a first MAC header, a first frame body, and a first frame check sequence, the first MAC header comprising a first frame control field, a first address field, and a first duration field, a value of the second MAC frame length field representing a length of the second data frame, the second data frame comprising a second MAC header, a second frame body, and, a second frame check sequence, the second MAC header comprising a second frame control field, a second address field, and a second duration field, wherein a value of the first duration field and a value of the second duration field are same, and an address in the first address field and an address in the second address field are same.

2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, the same value of the first duration field and the second duration field means same NAV setting.

3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic circuitry is further configured to:

set NAV with the value of the first duration field, if the first frame check sequence does not detect an error of the first data frame and if the first address is not equal to an address of the electronic apparatus, and

set NAV with the value of the second duration field, if the second frame check sequence does not detect an error of the second data frame and if the second address is not equal to the address of the electronic apparatus.

4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic circuitry is further configured to transmit a second physical frame comprising an acknowledgement frame which is separated by a Short IFS (SIFS) from the first physical frame as a response.

5. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first physical header comprises a first signal field and a second signal field, the second signal field follows the first signal field, the first signal field comprises a first rate field and a first length field, and the second signal field comprising a second length field.

6. The electronic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first signal field is decodable according to both a first physical protocol and a second physical protocol, and the second signal field is decodable according to both the second physical protocol.

7. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic circuitry comprises at least a semiconductor integrated circuit and a CPU configured to execute a firmware.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, by an electronic apparatus, a first physical frame comprising a first physical header, a first MAC frame length field, a first data frame, a second MAC frame length field, and a second data frame via an antenna, a value of the first MAC frame length field representing a length of the first data frame, the first MAC frame comprising a first MAC header, a first frame body, and a first frame check sequence, the first MAC header comprising a first frame control field, a first address field, and a first duration field, a value of the second MAC frame length field representing a length of the second data frame, the second data frame comprising a second MAC header, a second frame body, and, a second frame check sequence, the second MAC header comprising a second frame control field, a second address field, and a second duration field, wherein a value of the first duration field and a value of the second duration field are same, and an address in the first address field and an address in the second address field are same.

9. The method according to claim 8, the same value of the first duration field and the second duration field means same NAV setting.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

setting NAV with the value of the first duration field, if the first frame check sequence does not detect an error of the first data frame and if the first address is not equal to an address of the electronic apparatus; and

setting NAV with the value of the second duration field, if the second frame check sequence does not detect an error of the second data frame and if the second address is not equal to the address of the electronic apparatus.

11. The method according to claim 8, further comprising transmitting a second physical frame comprising an acknowledgement frame which is separated by a Short IFS (SIFS) from the first physical frame as a response.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the first physical header comprises a first signal field and a second signal field, the second signal field follows the first signal field, the first signal field comprises a first rate field and a first length field, and the second signal field comprising a second length field.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the first signal field is decodable according to both a first physical protocol and a second physical protocol, and the second signal field is decodable according to both the second physical protocol.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein the method is executed by an electronic circuitry of the electronic apparatus, wherein the electronic circuitry comprises at least a semiconductor integrated circuit and a CPU configured to execute a firmware.

15. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

an antenna; and

electronic circuitry coupled to the antenna and configured to transmit, via the antenna, a first physical frame comprising a first physical header, a first MAC frame length field, a first data frame, a second MAC frame length field, and a second data frame, a value of the first MAC frame length field representing a length of the first data frame, the first MAC frame comprising a first MAC header, a first frame body, and a first frame check sequence, the first MAC header comprising a first frame control field, a first address field, and a first duration field, a value of the second MAC frame length field representing a length of the second data frame, the second data frame comprising a second MAC header, a second frame body, and, a second frame check sequence, the second MAC header comprising a second frame control field, a second address field, and a second duration field, wherein a value of the first duration field and a value of the second duration field are same, and an address in the first address field and an address in the second address field are same.

16. The electronic apparatus according to claim 15, the same value of the first duration field and the second duration field means same NAV setting.

17. The electronic apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the electronic circuitry is further configured to receive a second physical frame comprising an acknowledgement frame which is separated by a Short IFS (SIFS) from the first physical frame as a response.

18. The electronic apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the first physical header comprises a first signal field and a second signal field, the second signal field follows the first signal field, the first signal field comprises a first rate field and a first length field, and the second signal field comprising a second length field.

19. The electronic apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the first signal field is decodable according to both a first physical protocol and a second physical protocol, and the second signal field is decodable according to both the second physical protocol.

20. The electronic apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the electronic circuitry comprises at least a semiconductor integrated circuit and a CPU configured to execute a firmware.

21. A method, comprising:

transmitting, by an electronic apparatus, a first physical frame comprising a first physical header, a first MAC frame length field, a first data frame, a second MAC frame length field, and a second data frame via an antenna, a value of the first MAC frame length field representing a length of the first data frame, the first MAC frame comprising a first MAC header, a first frame body, and a first frame check sequence, the first MAC header comprising a first frame control field, a first address field, and a first duration field, a value of the second MAC frame length field representing a length of the second data frame, the second data frame comprising a second MAC header, a second frame body, and, a second frame check sequence, the second MAC header comprising a second frame control field, a second address field, and a second duration field, wherein a value of the first duration field and a value of the second duration field are same, and an address in the first address field and an address in the second address field are same.

22. The method according to claim 21, the same value of the first duration field and the second duration field means same NAV setting.

23. The method according to claim 21, further comprising receiving a second physical frame comprising an acknowledgement frame which is separated by a Short IFS (SIFS) from the first physical frame as a response.

24. The method according to claim 21, wherein the first physical header comprises a first signal field and a second signal field, the second signal field follows the first signal field, the first signal field comprises a first rate field and a first length field, and the second signal field comprising a second length field.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the first signal field is decodable according to both a first physical protocol and a second physical protocol, and the second signal field is decodable according to both the second physical protocol.

26. The method according to claim 21, wherein the method is executed by electronic circuitry of the electronic apparatus, wherein the electronic circuitry comprises at least a semiconductor integrated circuit and a CPU configured to execute a firmware.