Communication apparatus, communication method, and communication system

• US 9,414,264 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2015
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• 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): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lopata, Robert
• Application Number:
  US14/693,432
• Publication Number:
  US 20150230271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• Field of Search: 370/445
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 terminal, comprising:

a plurality of antennas;

circuitry coupled to the plurality of antennas and configured to;

receive a first physical frame, via the plurality of antennas, comprising a first physical header and first MAC frames, the first physical header comprising a first header for a first protocol and a second header for a second protocol, the second header following the first header, the first header comprising information related with a length of the first physical frame, each of the first MAC frames comprising a frame control field, a duration field, a destination address field, a data field, and a frame check sequence field, wherein values of duration fields of the first MAC frames are same, and addresses of destination address fields of the first MAC frames are same, and

transmit, via the plurality of antennas, a second physical frame comprising a bit map in response to a reception of at least one of the first MAC frames, the bit map comprising values of one or zero corresponding to a reception status of a MAC frame.

2. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the second physical frame is transmitted after a reception of the first physical frame and a first period has elapsed.

3. The terminal according to claim 2, wherein the first period is a Short IFS (SIFS) period.

4. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to check whether at least one of the first MAC frames has been received correctly by using a frame check sequence field.

5. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein each of the first MAC frames further comprises a sequence number field and values of the bit map are arranged according to sequence numbers of the first MAC frames.

6. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to receive a third physical frame, via the plurality of antennas, comprising at least one third MAC frame corresponding to at least one of the first MAC frame after a transmission of the second physical frame.

7. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein values of the bitmap corresponding to reception statuses of MAC frames are determined by using both a reception status of at least one of the first MAC frame and a reception status of at least one of a MAC frame comprised in a physical frame received before a reception of the first physical frame.

8. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein values of the bitmap corresponding to reception statuses of MAC frames are determined based on not reception statuses of any MAC frames comprised in a physical frame received before a reception of the first physical frame but a reception status of at least one of the first MAC frame.

9. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein same values of duration fields of the first MAC frames correspond to same periods.

10. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein same values of duration fields of the first MAC frames mean same NAV setting.

11. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first MAC frames is a data frame,

the circuitry further comprises a buffer configured to temporarily store MAC frames which have been received correctly, and

the circuitry is further configured to:

read buffered MAC frames from the buffer, and

transfer the buffered MAC frames in order of sequence numbers to an upper layer processing based on a comparison between sequence numbers of the buffered MAC frames and a sequence number of a MAC frame comprised in a physical frame newly received, and

delete at least one MAC frame transferred to an upper layer processing.

12. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the first header is decodable according to both the first protocol and the second protocol, and the second header is decodable according to the second protocol.

13. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the first header comprises a length field and a rate field, and wherein a value of the length field divided by a value of the rate field is related to a duration of the physical frame.

14. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to transmit the second physical frame without a new procedure for contending for a privilege of transmitting a physical frame.

15. The terminal according to claim 14,

wherein the circuitry is configured to further transmit a data frame in response to a reception of at least one of the first MAC frames without a new procedure for contending for a privilege of transmitting a physical frame.

16. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is a semiconductor integrated circuit comprising a CPU configured to execute a firmware.

17. The terminal according to claim 16, wherein the CPU is configured to perform at least part of a MAC process.

18. The terminal according to claim 1,

wherein the circuitry is configured to perform an operation for reducing at least part of a power consumption of the circuitry when the circuitry recognizes that reception or transmission is not necessary by using any one of values of duration fields of MAC frames correctly received.

19. A method at least partially implemented as an electronic circuit, the electronic circuit coupled to a plurality of antennas, the method comprising:

receiving a first physical frame, via the plurality of antennas, comprising a first physical header and first MAC frames, the first physical header comprising a first header for a first protocol and a second header for a second protocol, the second header following the first header, the first header comprising information related with a length of the first physical frame, each of the first MAC frames comprising a frame control field, a duration field, a destination address field, a data field, and a frame check sequence field, wherein values of duration fields of the first MAC frames are same, and addresses of destination address fields of the first MAC frames are same; and

transmitting, via the plurality of antennas, a second physical frame comprising a bit map in response to a reception of at least one of the first MAC frames, the bit map comprising values of one or zero corresponding to a reception status of a MAC frame.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the second physical frame is transmitted after a reception of the first physical frame and a first period has elapsed.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the first period is a Short IFS (SIFS) period.

22. The method according to claim 19, further comprising checking whether at least one of the first MAC frames has been received correctly by using a frame check sequence field.

23. The method according to claim 19, wherein each of the first MAC frames further comprises a sequence number field and values of the bit, map are arranged according to sequence numbers of the first MAC frames.

24. The method according to claim 19, further comprising receiving a third physical frame, via the plurality of antennas, including at least one third MAC frame corresponding to at least one of the first MAC frame after a transmission of the second physical frame.

25. The method according to claim 19, wherein values of the bitmap corresponding to reception statuses of MAC frames are determined by using both a reception status of at least one of the first MAC frame and a reception status of at least one of a MAC frame comprised in a physical frame received before a reception of the first physical frame.

26. The method according to claim 19, wherein values of the bitmap corresponding to reception statuses of MAC frames are determined based on not reception statuses of any MAC frames comprised in a physical frame received before a reception of the first physical frame but a reception status of at least one of the first MAC frame.

27. The method according to claim 19, wherein same values of duration fields of the first MAC frames correspond to same periods.

28. The method according to claim 19, wherein same values of duration fields of the first MAC frames mean same NAV setting.

29. The method according to claim 19, wherein

at least one of the first MAC frames is a data frame;

and

the method further comprises;

temporarily storing, in a buffer, MAC frames which have been received correctly;

reading buffered MAC frames from the buffer;

transferring the buffered MAC frames in order of sequence numbers to an upper layer processing based on a comparison between sequence numbers of the buffered MAC frames and a sequence number of a MAC frame comprised in a physical frame newly received; and

deleting at least one MAC frame transferred to an upper layer processing.

30. The method according to claim 19, wherein the first header is decodable according to both the first protocol and the second protocol, and the second header is decodable according to the second protocol.

31. The method according to claim 19, wherein the first header comprises a length field and a rate field, and wherein a value of the length field divided by a value of the rate field is related to a duration of the physical frame.

32. The method according to claim 19, wherein the transmitting transmits the second physical frame without a new procedure for contending for a privilege of transmitting a physical frame.

33. The method according to claim 32,

further comprising transmitting a data frame in response to a reception of at least one of the first MAC frames without a new procedure for contending for a privilege of transmitting a physical frame.

34. The method according to claim 19, further comprising executing a firmware by a CPU comprised of a semiconductor integrated circuit.

35. The method according to claim 34, further comprising performing at least part of a MAC process by the CPU.

36. The method according to claim 19, further comprising performing an operation for reducing at least part of a power consumption of the circuitry when the circuitry recognizes that reception or transmission is not necessary by using any one of values of duration fields of MAC frames correctly received.