Apparatus and methods for block acknowledgment compression

• US 9,301,196 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2012
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Asterjadhi, Alfred, Merlin, Simone, Wentink, Maarten Menzo, Abraham, Santosh Paul, Quan, Zhi
• Primary Examiner(s): CRUTCHFIELD, CHRISTOPHER M
• Application Number:
  US13/705,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20130223213A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/003 Adaptive formatting arrangements particular to signalling, e.g. variable amount of bits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/009 arrangements specific to transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1614 using bitmaps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1671 the supervisory signal being transmitted together with control information
• 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 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices for compressing block acknowledgment (ACK) frames/packets are described herein. In some aspects, a method of communicating in a wireless network includes a compressed block acknowledgment frame including a bitmap, the bitmap indicating receipt of a plurality of fragments of a single data unit. The method further includes transmitting the compressed block acknowledgment frame.

Claims

1. A method of communicating in a wireless network, the method comprising:

determining that a data frame comprises both an indication that block acknowledgment is requested and a fragment number that is greater than zero;

generating, based on the determining, a block acknowledgment frame comprising a bitmap, the bitmap indicating receipt of a plurality of fragments of the data frame and a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from at least a portion of a scrambler seed of the data frame; and

transmitting the block acknowledgment frame.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the block acknowledgment frame comprises including one or more fields of the block acknowledgment frame in a physical layer header.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises an acknowledgement mode field indicating the block acknowledgement frame is of a compressed block acknowledgement frame type.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a starting sequence number of the block acknowledgement.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the starting sequence number of the block acknowledgement is a sequence number of the data frame.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the starting sequence number of the block acknowledgement is a group of least significant bits of a sequence number of the data frame.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that includes a group of most significant bits of a sequence number of the data frame.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from a scrambler seed of a first fragment of the data frame.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from a first packet of a block for which the block acknowledgment frame is being sent.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from a block acknowledgement request frame.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from a scrambler seed field of a first packet of a block for which the block acknowledgment frame is being sent.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from a scrambler seed of an aggregated packet for which the block acknowledgment frame is being sent.

13. A wireless device, comprising:

a processor configured to;

determine that a data frame comprises both an indication that block acknowledgment is requested and a fragment number that is greater than zero; and

generate, based on the determination, a block acknowledgment frame comprising a bitmap, the bitmap indicating receipt of a plurality of fragments of the data frame and a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from at least a portion of a scrambler seed of the data frame; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the block acknowledgment frame.

14. The wireless device of claim 13, wherein generating the block acknowledgment frame comprises including one or more fields of the block acknowledgment frame in a physical layer header.

15. The wireless device of claim 13, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises an acknowledgement mode field indicating the block acknowledgement frame is of a compressed block acknowledgement frame type.

16. The wireless device of claim 13, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a starting sequence number of the block acknowledgement.

17. The wireless device of claim 16, wherein the starting sequence number of the block acknowledgement is a sequence number of the data frame.

18. The wireless device of claim 16, wherein the starting sequence number of the block acknowledgement is a group of least significant bits of a sequence number of the data frame.

19. The wireless device of claim 13, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that includes a group of most significant bits of a sequence number of the data frame.

20. The wireless device of claim 13, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from a scrambler seed of a first fragment of the data frame.

21. The wireless device of claim 13, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from a first packet of a block for which the block acknowledgment frame is being sent.

22. The wireless device of claim 13, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from a block acknowledgement request frame.

23. The wireless device of claim 13, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from a scrambler seed field of a first packet of a block for which the block acknowledgment frame is being sent.

24. The wireless device of claim 13, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from a scrambler seed of an aggregated packet for which the block acknowledgment frame is being sent.

25. A wireless device, comprising:

means for determining that a data frame comprises both an indication that block acknowledgment is requested and a fragment number that is greater than zero;

means for generating, based on the determination, a block acknowledgment frame comprising a bitmap, the bitmap indicating receipt of a plurality of fragments of the data frame and a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from at least a portion of a scrambler seed of the data frame; and

means for transmitting the block acknowledgment frame.

26. The wireless device of claim 25, wherein generating the block acknowledgment frame comprises including one or more fields of the block acknowledgment frame in a physical layer header.

27. The wireless device of claim 25, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises an acknowledgement mode field indicating the block acknowledgement frame is of a compressed block acknowledgement frame type.

28. The wireless device of claim 25, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a starting sequence number of the block acknowledgement.

29. The wireless device of claim 28, wherein the starting sequence number of the block acknowledgement is a sequence number of the data frame.

30. The wireless device of claim 28, wherein the starting sequence number of the block acknowledgement is a group of least significant bits of a sequence number of the data frame.

31. The wireless device of claim 25, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that includes a group of most significant bits of a sequence number of the data frame.

32. The wireless device of claim 25, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from a scrambler seed of a first fragment of the data frame.

33. The wireless device of claim 25, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from a first packet of a block for which the block acknowledgment frame is being sent.

34. The wireless device of claim 25, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from a block acknowledgement request frame.

35. The wireless device of claim 25, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from a scrambler seed field of a first packet of a block for which the block acknowledgment frame is being sent.

36. The wireless device of claim 25, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from a scrambler seed of an aggregated packet for which the block acknowledgment frame is being sent.

37. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code that, when executed, causes an apparatus to:

determine that a data frame comprises both an indication that block acknowledgment is requested and a fragment number that is greater than zero;

generate, based on the determination, a block acknowledgment frame comprising a bitmap, the bitmap indicating receipt of a plurality of fragments of the data frame and a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from at least a portion of a scrambler seed of the data frame; and

transmit the block acknowledgment frame.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein generating the block acknowledgment frame comprises including one or more fields of the block acknowledgment frame in a physical layer header.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises an acknowledgement mode field indicating the block acknowledgement frame is of a compressed block acknowledgement frame type.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a starting sequence number of the compressed block acknowledgement.

41. The computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein the starting sequence number of the block acknowledgement is a sequence number of the data frame.

42. The computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein the starting sequence number of the block acknowledgement is a group of least significant bits of a sequence number of the data frame.

43. The computer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that includes a group of most significant bits of a sequence number of the data frame.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from a scrambler seed of a first fragment of the data frame.

45. The computer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from a first packet of a block for which the block acknowledgment frame is being sent.

46. The computer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from a block acknowledgement request frame.

47. The computer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from a scrambler seed field of a first packet of a block for which the block acknowledgment frame is being sent.

48. The computer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the block acknowledgement frame further comprises a block acknowledgement identifier that is derived from a scrambler seed of an aggregated packet for which the block acknowledgment frame is being sent.