Communication apparatus, communication method, and communication system

• US 9,585,172 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2016
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• 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 J
• Application Number:
  US15/201,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20160353483A1
• Time in Patent Office: 238 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. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

at least one antenna;

electronic circuitry coupled to the at least one antenna and configured to;

receive a first physical frame, via the at least one antenna, comprising a first physical header and a first data frame and a second data frame, the first physical header comprising a first field for a first protocol and a second field for a second protocol, the second field following the first field, the first field comprising a first rate field and a first length field, the second field comprising a second length field, the first data frame comprising a first duration field, a first address field, a first frame body, and a first frame check sequence, the second data frame comprising a second duration field, a second address field, a second frame body, and a second frame check sequence, wherein a value in the first duration field and a value in the second duration field are same, and an address in the first address field and an address in the second address field are same, and

transmit, via the at least one antenna, a second physical frame comprising an acknowledgement frame which is separated by a Short IFS (SIFS) from the first physical frame as a response.

2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first physical frame does not include an acknowledgement request frame.

3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic circuitry does not receive any other physical frame between a reception of the first physical frame and a transmission of the second physical frame.

4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic circuitry is further configured to check whether an error of the first data frame is detected by using the first frame check sequence and check whether an error of the second data frame is detected by using the second frame check sequence.

5. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first data frame further comprises a first sequence control field and the second data frame further comprises a second sequence control field.

6. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic circuitry is further configured to receive a third physical frame, via the at least one antenna, comprising the second data frame after a transmission of the second physical frame, if an error of the second data frame is detected by using the second frame check sequence.

7. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acknowledgement frame includes a bitmap representing reception statuses of the first data frame and the second data frame.

8. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acknowledgement frame includes a bitmap representing reception statuses of data frames including the first data frame and the second data frame, and values of the bitmap are determined based on reception statuses of any data frames included in a physical frame received before a reception of the first physical frame.

9. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the same values of the first duration field and the second duration field represent same periods.

10. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the same values of the first duration field and the second duration field mean same NAV setting.

11. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic circuitry further comprises a buffer configured to temporarily store data frames which are received correctly, and

the electronic circuitry is further configured to:

read buffered data frames from the buffer, and

transfer the buffered data frames in order of sequence numbers to an upper layer processing based on both sequence numbers of the buffered data frames and a sequence number of a data frame included in a physical frame newly received, and

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

12. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first field is decodable according to both the first protocol and the second protocol, and the second field is decodable according to the second protocol.

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

14. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic circuitry is further configured to transmit the second physical frame without a procedure of a back off after a reception of the first physical frame.

15. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic circuitry is further configured to transmit a data frame without a procedure of a back off after a reception of the first physical frame.

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

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

18. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic circuitry is further configured to reduce at least part of a power consumption of the electronic circuitry during a first period based on at least one of the values of the first duration field and the second duration field.

19. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1,

further comprising a second antenna,

wherein the electronic circuitry is coupled to the second antenna and the electronic circuitry is configured to:

receive the first physical frame via both the at least one antenna and the second antenna; and

transmit, via both the at least one antenna and the second antenna, the second physical frame.

20. A method performed at least partially by electronic circuitry, the electronic circuitry coupled to at least one antenna, the method comprising:

receiving a first physical frame, via the at least one antenna, comprising a first physical header and a first data frame and a second data frame, the first physical header comprising a first field for a first protocol and a second field for a second protocol, the second field following the first field, the first field comprising a first rate field and a first length field, the second field comprising a second length field, the first data frame comprising a first duration field, a first address field, a first frame body, and a first frame check sequence, the second data frame comprising a second duration field, a second address field, a second frame body, and a second frame check sequence, wherein a value in the first duration field and a value in the second duration field are same, and an address in the first address field and an address in the second address field are same; and

transmitting, via the at least one antenna, a second physical frame comprising an acknowledgement frame which is separated by a Short IFS (SIFS) from the first physical frame as a response.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the first physical frame does not include an acknowledgement request frame.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein the electronic circuitry does not receive any other physical frame between a reception of the first physical frame and a transmission of the second physical frame.

23. The method according to claim 20, further comprising checking whether an error of the first data frame is detected by using the first frame check sequence and checking whether an error of the second data frame is detected by using the second frame check sequence.

24. The method according to claim 20, wherein the first data frame further comprises a first sequence control field and the second data frame further comprises a second sequence control field.

25. The method according to claim 20, further comprising receiving a third physical frame, via the at least one antenna, including the second data frame after a transmission of the second physical frame, if an error of the second data frame is detected by using the second frame check sequence.

26. The method according to claim 20, wherein the acknowledgement frame includes a bitmap representing reception statuses of the first data frame and the second data frame.

27. The method according to claim 20, wherein the acknowledgement frame includes a bitmap representing reception statuses of data frames including the first data frame and the second data frame, and values of the bitmap are determined based on reception statuses of any data frames included in a physical frame received before a reception of the first physical frame.

28. The method according to claim 20, wherein the same values of the first duration field and the second duration field represent same periods.

29. The method according to claim 20, wherein the same values of the first duration field and the second duration field mean same NAV setting.

30. The method according to claim 20, further comprising:

temporarily storing, in a buffer, data frames which are received correctly;

reading buffered data frames from the buffer;

transferring the buffered data frames in order of sequence numbers to an upper layer processing based on both sequence numbers of the buffered data frames and a sequence number of a data frame included in a physical frame newly received; and

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

31. The method according to claim 20, wherein the first field is decodable according to both the first protocol and the second protocol, and the second field is decodable according to the second protocol.

32. The method according to claim 20, wherein a value of the first length field divided by a value of the first rate field is related to a duration of the first physical frame.

33. The method according to claim 20, wherein the transmitting transmits the second physical frame without a procedure of a back off after a reception of the first physical frame.

34. The method according to claim 20, further comprising transmitting a data frame without a procedure of a back off after a reception of the first physical frame.

35. The method according to claim 20, further comprising executing a firmware by a CPU comprised of a semiconductor integrated circuit.

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

37. The method according to claim 20, further comprising reducing at least part of a power consumption of the electronic circuitry during a first period based on at least one of the values of the first duration field and the second duration field.

38. The method according to claim 20, wherein the electronic circuitry is coupled to a second antenna, and the method further comprises:

receiving the first physical frame via both the at least one antenna and the second antenna; and

transmitting, via both the at least one antenna and the second antenna, the second physical frame.