Communication method, communication device, and computer program

• US 20050105504A1
• Filed: 02/03/2004
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sakoda, Kazuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,653,043 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/349
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0002 by adapting the transmission rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0072 Error control for data other than payload data, e.g. control data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1607 Details of the supervisory signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 with collision avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A system for performing communications within a network including a plurality of communication stations is provided, in which when an access control is performed so that communication timing of a packet can not collide with that of another station by detecting a signal which that is transmitted from another station, a header area processed not to become an error such as a physical layer header portion of a packet that is transmitted from a communication station is made to have at least information that is required for extracting information in a payload of the packet. A field is provided in the header area for controlling an access reservation of transmission of a packet that is generated as a result of transmission of another packet so that processing using the field can be performed.

Claims

1. A communication method for performing access control so that a communication timing of a packet will not collide with a communication timing of another station by detecting a signal transmitted from another station within a network including a plurality of communication stations, wherein:

each communication station transmits a packet including a header area and a payload area at a transmission rate that can be modified; and

information required for extracting information which is transmitted in the payload of said packet and a field for securing transmission of a packet that is generated as a result of transmission of said packet are in said header area.

2. The communication method according to claim 1,

wherein the header area of said packet is transmitted at a transmission rate having predetermined noise characteristics.

3. The communication method according to claim 1,

wherein the header area of said packet is defined as a physical layer header portion.

4. The communication method according to claim 1,

wherein the field for securing the transmission of a packet that is generated as a result of the transmission of said packet indicates a length of a period in which transmission processing is prohibited.

5. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein

as information transmitted in said header area a field indicating whether the packet is generated as a result of transmission of another packet is set.

6. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein

based on information set in the field for securing the transmission of a packet that is generated as a result of the transmission of said packet and for indicating whether the packet is a packet that is generated as a result of the transmission of another packet, whether it is the time when transmission is permitted or the time when transmission is not permitted, is judged.

7. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein

as the information to be transmitted in said header area a field indicating transmission power of the packet is set.

8. The communication method according to claim 7, wherein

when a communication station that has received the packet performs transmission of another packet to a communication station that has transmitted the packet, the transmission is performed with a power close to the transmission power written in the field indicating the transmission power of said packet.

9. A communication method for performing access control so that a communication timing of a packet will not collide with that a communication timing of another station by detecting a signal transmitted from another station within a network including a plurality of communication stations, wherein

information on a period of time until completing reception of a new packet generated as a result of transmission of the packet is written in a field for controlling an access reservation of the packet that is transmitted from said communication station.

10. The communication method according to claim 9, wherein

information on the period of time until completing the reception of said new packet is transmitted at a transmission rate having predetermined noise characteristics.

11. The communication method according to claim 9, wherein

information on the period of time until completing the reception of said new packet is transmitted in a physical layer header) area.

12. The communication method according to claim 9, wherein

a transmission and reception procedure is conducted, in which prior to the transmission of a data packet a communication station that attempts to transmit data transmits a request-to-send packet and

a communication station that attempts to receive the data returns a request-to-send acknowledgement response packet.

13. The communication method according to claim 12, wherein

transmission of said request-to-send acknowledgement response packet is performed at a transmission rate having predetermined noise characteristics.

14. The communication method according to claim 12, wherein

a communication station that has received the request-to-send packet:

measures a quality of the request-to-send packet that is received;

determines a transmission rate of a data packet based on the reception quality;

calculates a time length of the data packet from the determined transmission rate and from information on a number of bits of data that has been notified in the request-to-send packet;

writes said determined transmission rate in a rate specifying field in a clear-to-stand (CTS) packet to be returned; and

writes said calculated time length of the data packet in a field for controlling an access reservation in the CTS packet to be returned.

15. The communication method according to claim 14, wherein

a communication station that has received the request-to-send acknowledgement response packet transmits a data packet in accordance with the rate specified in said request-to-send acknowledgement response packet and the time length written in the field for controlling said access reservation.

16. A communication method for performing access control so that a communication timing of a packet will not collide with a communication timing of another station by detecting a signal transmitted from another station within a network including a plurality of communication stations, wherein

when a communication station judges from a destination address included in a header of a received packet that the packet is not addressed thereto, transmission processing is suspended until time indicated in an access reservation field included in the packet.

17. The communication method according to claim 16, wherein

by judging the access reservation field of said received packet it is confirmed that the packet has not made an access reservation;

by judging a category field of said received packet it is confirmed that the packet has been generated as a result of transmission of another packet; and

an access right acquisition operation is performed when the station is not in a transmission disapproval state.

18. A communication method performed within a network including a plurality of communication stations that sets no transmission disapproval period in the plurality of communication stations and that performs access control so that communication timing of a packet will not collide with that a communication timing of another station by detecting a signal transmitted from another station, wherein

when an instruction to delay a return of a reception acknowledgement response signal is identified in a received packet and when a signal is transmitted to a transmission source of the received packet, said reception acknowledgement response signal is included in the signal.

19. The communication method according to claim 18, wherein

a timer for returning said reception acknowledgement response signal is activated based on the reception of said packet and when there is no transmission of said some signal performed before the timer counts up a predetermined period of time, only said reception acknowledgement response signal is transmitted.

20. The communication method according to claim 18, wherein

the transmission of said reception acknowledgement response signal is not performed until the transmission of said some signal is performed.

21. The communication method according to claim 20, wherein

a communication station that generates the instruction to delay return of the reception acknowledgement signal included in transmission data activates a timer for resending;

a packet of request-to-resend is transmitted when reception of the reception acknowledgement response signal is not confirmed before the timer counts up a predetermined period of time; and

a data receiving side communication station that has received said request-to-resend packet transmits a signal including reception acknowledgement response information as a signal in response thereto.

22. A communication device that performs access control so that a communication timing will not collide with a communication timing of another station by detecting a signal transmitted from another communication device within a network, comprising:

a transmission and reception unit that performs transmission and reception with other communication devices; and

a control unit that generates a packet including a header area and a payload area whose transmission rate can be modified for transmission from said transmission and reception unit; and

that sets in the header area of the packet to be transmitted information required for extracting information that is transmitted in the payload area of said packet and a field for securing transmission of a packet that is generated as a result of the transmission of said packet.

23. The communication device according to claim 22, wherein

the header area of the packet that is set by the said control unit is transmitted at a transmission rate having predetermined noise characteristics.

24. The communication device according to claim 22, wherein

the header area of the packet that is set by said control unit is defined as a physical layer header portion.

25. The communication device according to claim 22, wherein

the field for securing the transmission of a packet generated as a result of the transmission of the packet that is set by said control unit indicates a length of a period in which transmission processing is prohibited.

26. The communication device according to claim 22, wherein

as the information transmitted in the header area that is set by said control unit a field is set indicating whether the packet is a packet generated as a result of transmission of another packet.

27. The communication device according to claim 22, wherein

based on information set in the field for securing the transmission of a packet generated as a result of the transmission of said packet and information set in the field indicating whether said packet is a packet generated as a result of transmission of another packet, said control unit judges whether it is a time when transmission is permitted or a time when transmission is not permitted.

28. The communication device according to claim 22, wherein

as the information transmitted in the header area set by the control of said control unit, a field indicating transmission power of the packet is set.

29. The communication device according to claim 28, wherein

when said transmission and reception unit performs transmission of a packet to a transmission source of the packet received in said transmission and reception unit, said control unit sets a transmission power to perform the transmission with a power close to the transmission power that is written in the field indicating the transmission power of said received packet.

30. A communication device that performs access control so that a communication timing will not collide with a communication timing of another communication device by detecting a signal transmitted from another communication device within a network, comprising:

a transmission and reception unit that performs transmission and reception with another communication device and

a control unit that writes, in a field for controlling an access reservation of a packet transmitted from said transmission and reception unit, information on a period of time until completing reception of a new packet that is generated as a result of transmission of the packet being transmitted.

31. The communication device according to claim 30, wherein

information on the period of time until completing the reception of said new packet written by said control unit is transmitted using a communication method having predetermined noise characteristics.

32. The communication device according to claim 30, wherein

information on the period of time until completing the reception of said new packet written by said control unit is transmitted in a physical layer header area.

33. The communication device according to claim 30, wherein

when transmission of data is attempted, said control unit performs control of transmitting a request-to-send packet prior to transmission of a data packet so as to confirm reception of a request-to-send acknowledgement response packet that is transmitted from a communication device that attempts reception of the data.

34. The communication device according to claim 33, wherein

transmission of said request-to-send acknowledgement response packet transmitted by the control of said control unit is performed using a communication method having predetermined noise characteristics.

35. The communication device according to claim 33, wherein

said control unit:

measures a reception quality of said request-to-send packet received in said transmission and reception unit;

determines a transmission rate of the data packet based on the measured reception quality;

calculates a time length of the data packet from the determined transmission rate and from information on a number of bits of the data that has been notified in the request-to-send packet;

writes said determined transmission rate in a rate specifying field in the request-to-send acknowledgement response packet to be returned; and

writes said calculated time length of the data packet in a field for controlling an access reservation in the request-to-send acknowledgement response packet to be returned.

36. The communication device according to claim 35, wherein

said control unit transmits the data packet in accordance with the rate specified in said request-to-send acknowledgement response packet that is received in said transmission and reception unit and the length of time that is written in said field for controlling the access reservation.

37. A communication device that performs access control so that a communication timing of a packet will not collide with a communication timing of another communication device by detecting a signal that is transmitted from another communication device within a network, comprising:

a transmission and reception unit that performs transmission and reception with another communication device; and

a control unit that, when it is judged from a destination address included in a header of a packet received by said transmission and reception unit that the packet is not addressed thereto, suspends transmission processing until a time indicated in an access reservation field included in the packet.

38. The communication device according to claim 37, wherein

said control unit:

confirms by judging the access reservation field of said received packet that the packet has not made an access reservation;

confirms by judging a category field of said received packet that the packet has been generated as a result of transmission of another packet; and

performs an access right acquisition operation when the device is not in a transmission disapproval state.

39. A communication device within a network including a plurality of communication devices in which no transmission disapproval period is set in the communication stations and in which an access control is performed so that a communication timing of a packet will not collide with a communication timing of another communication device by detecting a signal that is transmitted from another station, comprising:

a transmission and reception unit that performs transmission and reception with another communication device; and

a control unit that, in the case where an instruction to delay a return of a reception acknowledgement response signal is identified in a packet received in said transmission and reception unit and when a signal is transmitted to a transmission source of the received packet, performs control to cause said reception acknowledgement response signal to be included in the signal.

40. The communication device according to claim 39, wherein

said control unit activates a timer for returning said reception acknowledgement signal based on the reception of said packet in said transmission and reception unit and makes only said reception acknowledgement response signal transmitted when there is no transmission of said some signal performed before the timer counts up a predetermined period of time.

41. The communication device according to claim 39, wherein

said control unit prevents transmission of said reception acknowledgement response signal until there is transmission of said signal.

42. The communication device according to claim 41, wherein

said control unit activates a timer for resending when the instruction to delay the return of the reception acknowledgement response signal is included, in transmission data;

performs control to make a request-to-send packet for requesting to resend the signal transmitted when reception of the reception acknowledgement response signal is not confirmed before the timer counts up the predetermined period of time; and

performs, when said, request-to-send packet is received, control for making a signal including the reception acknowledgement response information transmitted as the signal for responding to the packet.

43. A computer program written in a computer readable form to execute on a computer system processing for performing access control so that a communication timing of a packet will not collide with that a communication timing of another station by

detecting a signal transmitted from another station within a network including a plurality of communication stations, comprising the steps of:

transmitting a packet that includes a header area and a payload area whose transmission rate can be modified; and

setting in said header area information required for extracting information that is transmitted in a payload of said packet and a field for securing transmission of a packet that is generated as a result of transmission of said packet.

44. A computer program written in a computer readable form to execute on a computer system processing for performing access control so that a communication timing of a packet will not collide with a communication timing of another station by detecting a signal transmitted from another station within a network including a plurality of communication stations, comprising the step of:

writing, in a field for controlling an access reservation of a packet that is transmitted from said communication station, information on a period of time until completing reception of a new packet that is generated as a result of transmission of the packet.

45. A computer program written in a computer readable form to execute on a computer system processing for performing access control so that a communication timing of a packet will not collide with a communication timing of another station by detecting a signal transmitted from another station within a network including a plurality of communication stations, comprising the step of:

suspending, when it is judged from a destination address included in a header of a received packet that the packet is not addressed thereto, transmission processing until a time indicated in an access reservation field that is included in the packet.

46. A computer program written in a computer readable form to execute on a computer system processing for performing access control so that a communication timing of a packet can not collide with a communication timing of another station by detecting a signal transmitted from another station within a network including a plurality of communication stations, comprising the steps of:

identifying an instruction to delay a return of a reception acknowledgement response signal i identified in a received packet and when a signal is transmitted to the transmission source of the received packet, performing processing to make said reception acknowledgement response signal included in the signal.