Communication apparatus, communication method, and communication system

• US 7,496,076 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2005
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palmira Wireless AG
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Takagi, Masahiro, Utsunomiya, Yoriko, Nishibayashi, Yasuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Andrew
• Application Number:
  US11/029,544
• Publication Number:
  US 20050165950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,510 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/445
• US Class Current: 370/338
• 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. A communication apparatus comprising:

a receiving device configured to receive a physical frame which includes a plurality of medium access control frames;

an acquisition device configured to acquire virtual carrier sense information from at least one medium access control frame of a plurality of medium access control frames included in the physical frame received by the receiving device; and

a device configured to specify a duration in which a communication medium is virtually occupied based on the virtual carrier sense information acquired by the acquisition device, and configured to wait for transmission of a frame onto the communication medium in the duration.

2. A communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the device is configured to set a duration in which the communication medium is virtually occupied, with a start time as a receiving end time point of the last medium access control frame included in the physical frame received by the receiving device, and with an end time as a time point corresponding to an end of the duration.

3. A communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the device is configured to set a duration in which the communication medium is virtually occupied, with a start time as a receiving end time point of the physical frame received by the receiving device, and with an end time as a time point corresponding to an end of the duration.

4. A communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the device is configured to set a duration in which the communication medium is virtually occupied, with a start time as a receiving end time point of any one of the medium access control frame included in the physical frame received by the receiving device, and with an end time as a time point corresponding to an end of the duration computed from the virtual carrier sense information included in the medium access control frames.

5. A communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a power saving control device configured, in the case where the physical frame received by the receiving device is a physical frame destined to another communication apparatus, to set the communication apparatus at a power saving state in the duration.

6. A communication method comprising:

receiving a physical frame having a plurality of medium access control frames;

acquiring virtual carrier sense information from at least one medium access control frame of a plurality of medium access control frames included in the physical frame received; and

specifying a duration in which a communication medium is virtually occupied based on the virtual carrier sense information acquired, and waiting for transmission of a frame onto the communication medium in the duration.

7. A communication method according to claim 6, further comprising:

setting a duration in which the communication medium is virtually occupied, with a start time as a receiving end time point of the last medium access control frame included in the physical frame received, and with an end time as a time point corresponding to an end of the duration.

8. A communication method according to claim 6, further comprising:

setting a duration in which the communication medium is virtually occupied, with a start time as a receiving end time point of the physical frame received, and with an end time as a time point corresponding to an end of the duration.

9. A communication method according to claim 6, further comprising:

setting a duration in which the communication medium is virtually occupied, with a start time as a receiving end time point of any one of the medium access control frame included in the physical frame received, and with an end time as a time point corresponding to an end of the duration computed from the virtual carrier sense information included in the medium access control frames.

10. A communication method according to claim 6, further comprising:

setting the communication apparatus at a power saving state in the duration, in the case where the physical frame received is a physical frame destined to another communication apparatus.