Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7701975?dq=5537618&ei=urENT6-uEoHegQe698i5Bw
Timestamp: 2016-05-04 08:08:51
Document Index: 236810586

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 11', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art 16']

Patent US7701975 - Technique for reducing physical layer (PHY) overhead in wireless LAN systems - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsA physical layer (PHY) packet aggregation technique may be used to reduce the percentage of PHY overhead in data transmission in order to achieve better PHY efficiency and higher throughput. Higher layer packets in an upper layer data queue may be fragmented into appropriate small-size sub-packets, which...http://www.google.com/patents/US7701975?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7701975 - Technique for reducing physical layer (PHY) overhead in wireless LAN systemsAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7701975 B1Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 10/832,711Publication dateApr 20, 2010Filing dateApr 26, 2004Priority dateNov 19, 2003Fee statusPaidAlso published asUS8027366Publication number10832711, 832711, US 7701975 B1, US 7701975B1, US-B1-7701975, US7701975 B1, US7701975B1InventorsHsiao-Cheng Tsang, Ravi Narasimhan, Hemanth SampathOriginal AssigneeMarvell International Ltd.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (3), Non-Patent Citations (14), Referenced by (17), Classifications (10), Legal Events (2) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetTechnique for reducing physical layer (PHY) overhead in wireless LAN systems
US 7701975 B1Abstract
Images(9) Claims(147)
fragmenting data into a plurality of data units;
appending at least an error checking field onto each data unit to form a plurality of sub-packets;
aggregating the plurality of said sub-packets;
generating an aggregated packet including the plurality of sub-packets and a single preamble; and
transmitting the aggregated packet.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said aggregated packet comprises a physical layer (PHY) packet.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein said aggregating comprises adding an indicator to the aggregated packet, said indicator indicating a number of sub-packets in the aggregated packet.
in response to receiving an indication that one or more of the sub-packets in the aggregated packet are erroneous, retransmitting said one or more of the sub-packets.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein said receiving the indication comprises receiving acknowledgements for all but said one or more erroneous sub-packets in the aggregated packet.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein said receiving the indication comprises receiving a block acknowledgement identifying said one or more of the sub-packets.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein said aggregating further comprises appending at least one of a preamble field, a signal field, and a pad field to the aggregated packet.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein said appending further comprises appending a header field to each of the data units to form the plurality of sub-packets.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein said header field comprises a medium access control (MAC) layer header.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein said appending further comprises appending a scrambler field to each of the data units to form the plurality of sub-packets.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein said appending further comprises appending a tail field to each of the data units to form the plurality of sub-packets.
transmitting the aggregated packet over a wireless medium.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein said transmitting comprises transmitting in accordance with at least one of the IEEE 802.11 (including 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n), IEEE 802.16 (including 802.16 and 802.16a), and 802.20 families of standards.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein said transmitting comprises transmitting in at least one of a MIMO (Multiple-In Multiple-Out) system, MISO (Multiple-In Single-Out) system, SIMO (Single-In Multiple-Out) system, and SISO (Single-In Single-Out) system.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of data units comprise MPDUs (MAC Protocol Data Units).
16. The method of claim 1, wherein said aggregating comprises adding an indicator to at least a last sub-packet in the aggregated packet to identify the last sub-packet.
receiving an aggregated packet including a plurality of sub-packets and a single preamble, each sub-packet including a data unit and an error checking field;
performing an error checking operation on each of the plurality of sub-packets in the aggregated packet; and
in response to identifying one or more erroneous sub-packets, generating an indicator for each of the one or more erroneous sub-packets.
transmitting the indicator over a wireless medium.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein said generating the indicator comprises generating acknowledgements for all but the one or more erroneous sub-packets.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein said generating the indicator comprises generating a block acknowledgement identifying said one or more erroneous sub-packets.
21. The method of claim 17, wherein said aggregated packet comprises a physical layer (PHY) packet.
22. The method of claim 17, wherein said receiving comprises receiving in accordance with at least one of the IEEE 802.11 (including 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n), IEEE 802.16 (including 802.16 and 802.16a), and 802.20 families of standards.
23. The method of claim 17, wherein said receiving comprises receiving in at least one of a MIMO (Multiple-In Multiple-Out) system, MISO (Multiple-In Single-Out) system, SIMO (Single-In Multiple-Out) system, and SISO (Single-In Single-Out) system.
24. The method of claim 17, wherein each of said data units comprises a MPDU (MAC Protocol Data Unit).
a fragmenter to fragment data into a plurality of data units;
an encapsulation module to append at least an error checking field onto each data unit to form a plurality of sub-packets;
a packet generator to aggregate a plurality of said sub-packets into an aggregated packet and append a single preamble to the aggregated packet; and
a transmit section to transmit the aggregated packet.
26. The transmitter of claim 25, wherein said aggregated packet comprises a physical layer (PHY) packet.
27. The transmitter of claim 25, wherein the packet generator is operative to add an indicator to the aggregated packet, said indicator indicating a number of sub-packets in the aggregated packet.
28. The transmitter of claim 25, wherein the packet generator is operative to add an indicator to at least a last sub-packet in the aggregated packet to identify the last sub-packet.
29. The transmitter of claim 25, further comprising:
one or more antennas coupled to the transmit section, said one or more antennas operative to transmit the aggregated packet over a wireless medium; and
in response to receiving an indication that one or more of the sub-packets in the aggregated packet are erroneous, retransmit said one or more of the sub-packets.
30. The transmitter of claim 29, wherein said receiving the indication comprises receiving acknowledgements for all but said one or more erroneous sub-packets in the aggregated packet.
31. The transmitter of claim 29, wherein said receiving the indication comprises receiving a block acknowledgement identifying said one or more of the sub-packets.
32. The transmitter of claim 25, wherein the packet generator is operative to append at least one of a preamble field, a signal field, and a pad field to the aggregated packet.
33. The transmitter of claim 25, wherein the encapsulation module is operative to append a header field to each of the data units to form the plurality of sub-packets.
34. The transmitter of claim 33, wherein said header field comprises a medium access control (MAC) layer header.
35. The transmitter of claim 25, wherein the encapsulation module is operative to append a scrambler field to each of the data units to form the plurality of sub-packets.
36. The transmitter of claim 25, wherein the encapsulation module is operative to append a tail field to each of the data units to form the plurality of sub-packets.
37. The transmitter of claim 36, wherein the transmitter is adapted to operate in accordance with at least one of the IEEE 802.11 (including 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n), IEEE 802.16 (including 802.16 and 802.16a), and 802.20 families of standards.
38. The transmitter of claim 36, wherein the transmitter is adapted to operate in at least one of a MIMO (Multiple-In Multiple-Out) system, MISO (Multiple-In Single-Out) system, SIMO (Single-In Multiple-Out) system, and SISO (Single-In Single-Out) system.
39. The transmitter of claim 25, wherein the plurality of data units comprise MPDUs (MAC Protocol Data Units).
40. A receiver to receive an aggregated packet including a plurality of sub-packets and a single preamble, each sub-packet including a data unit and an error checking field, the receiver comprising:
a receive section to receive the aggregated packet;
an error checking module to perform an error checking operation on each of the plurality of sub-packets in the aggregated packet; and
an acknowledgement module to generate an indicator for each of the one or more erroneous sub-packets in response to identifying one or more erroneous sub-packets.
one or more antennas to transmit the indicator over a wireless medium, said one or more antennas being operatively connected to the receive section.
42. The receiver of claim 41, wherein the indicator comprises acknowledgements for all but the one or more erroneous sub-packets.
43. The receiver of claim 41, wherein the indicator comprises a block acknowledgement identifying said one or more erroneous sub-packets.
44. The receiver of claim 40, wherein said aggregated packet comprises a physical layer (PHY) packet.
45. The receiver of claim 40, further comprising:
a sub-packet detector to identify an indicator in the aggregated packet identifying a number of sub-packets in the aggregated packet.
46. The receiver of claim 40, further comprising:
a sub-packet detector to identify an indicator in the aggregated packet identifying a last sub-packet in the aggregated packet.
47. The receiver of claim 40, wherein the receiver is adapted to operate in accordance with at least one of the IEEE 802.11 (including 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n), IEEE 802.16 (including 802.16 and 802.16a), and 802.20 families of standards.
48. The receiver of claim 40, wherein the receiver is adapted to operate in at least one of a MIMO (Multiple-In Multiple-Out) system, MISO (Multiple-In Single-Out) system, SIMO (Single-In Multiple-Out) system, and SISO (Single-In Single-Out) system.
49. The receiver of claim 40, wherein each of said data units comprises a MPDU (MAC Protocol Data Unit).
50. A transmitter comprising:
means for fragmenting data into a plurality of data units;
means for appending at least an error checking field onto each data unit to form a plurality of sub-packets;
means for aggregating a plurality of said sub-packets into an aggregated packet;
means for appending a single preamble to the aggregated packet; and
means for transmitting the aggregated packet over a wireless medium.
51. The transmitter of claim 50, wherein said aggregated packet comprises a physical layer (PHY) packet.
52. The transmitter of claim 50, further comprising:
means for adding an indicator to the aggregated packet, said indicator indicating a number of sub-packets in the aggregated packet.
53. The transmitter of claim 50, further comprising:
means for adding an indicator to at least a last sub-packet in the aggregated packet to identify the last sub-packet.
54. The transmitter of claim 50, further comprising:
means for retransmitting said one or more of the sub-packets in response to receiving an indication that one or more of the sub-packets in the aggregated packet are erroneous.
55. The transmitter of claim 54, wherein said receiving the indication comprises receiving acknowledgements for all but said one or more erroneous sub-packets in the aggregated packet.
56. The transmitter of claim 54, wherein said receiving the indication comprises receiving a block acknowledgement identifying said one or more of the sub-packets.
57. The transmitter of claim 50, further comprising:
means for appending at least one of a preamble field, a signal field, and a pad field to the aggregated packet.
58. The transmitter of claim 50, further comprising:
means for appending a header field to each of the data units to form the plurality of sub-packets.
59. The transmitter of claim 58, wherein said header field comprises a medium access control (MAC) layer header.
60. The transmitter of claim 50, further comprising:
means for appending a scrambler field to each of the data units to form the plurality of sub-packets.
61. The transmitter of claim 50, further comprising:
means for appending a tail field to each of the data units to form the plurality of sub-packets.
62. The transmitter of claim 61, wherein the transmitter is adapted to operate in accordance with at least one of the IEEE 802.11 (including 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n), IEEE 802.16 (including 802.16 and 802.16a), and 802.20 families of standards.
63. The transmitter of claim 61, wherein the transmitter is adapted to operate in at least one of a MIMO (Multiple-In Multiple-Out) system, MISO (Multiple-In Single-Out) system, SIMO (Single-In Multiple-Out) system, and SISO (Single-In Single-Out) system.
64. The transmitter of claim 50, wherein the plurality of data units comprise MPDUs (MAC Protocol Data Units).
means for receiving an aggregated packet including a plurality of sub-packets and a single preamble, each sub-packet including a data unit and an error checking field;
means for performing an error checking operation on each of the plurality of sub-packets in the aggregated packet; and
means for generating an indicator for each of the one or more erroneous sub-packets in response to identifying one or more erroneous sub-packets.
66. The receiver of claim 65, further comprising:
means for transmitting the indicator over a wireless medium.
67. The receiver of claim 66, wherein the indicator comprises acknowledgements for all but the one or more erroneous sub-packets.
68. The receiver of claim 66, wherein the indicator comprises a block acknowledgement identifying said one or more erroneous sub-packets.
69. The receiver of claim 65, wherein said aggregated packet comprises a physical layer (PHY) packet.
70. The receiver of claim 65, further comprising:
means for identifying an indicator in the aggregated packet identifying a number of sub-packets in the aggregated packet.
71. The receiver of claim 65, further comprising:
means for identifying an indicator in the aggregated packet identifying a last sub-packet in the aggregated packet.
72. The receiver of claim 65, wherein the receiver is adapted to operate in accordance with at least one of the IEEE 802.11 (including 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n), IEEE 802.16 (including 802.16 and 802.16a), and 802.20 families of standards.
73. The receiver of claim 65, wherein the receiver is adapted to operate in at least one of a MIMO (Multiple-In Multiple-Out) system, MISO (Multiple-In Single-Out) system, SIMO (Single-In Multiple-Out) system, and SISO (Single-In Single-Out) system.
74. The receiver of claim 65, wherein each of said data units comprises a MPDU (MAC Protocol Data Unit).
75. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising:
76. The computer-readable medium of claim 75, wherein said aggregated packet comprises a physical layer (PHY) packet.
77. The computer-readable medium of claim 75, wherein said aggregating comprises adding an indicator to the aggregated packet, said indicator indicating a number of sub-packets in the aggregated packet.
79. The computer-readable medium of claim 78, wherein said receiving the indication comprises receiving acknowledgements for all but said one or more erroneous sub-packets in the aggregated packet.
80. The computer-readable medium of claim 78, wherein said receiving the indication comprises receiving a block acknowledgement identifying said one or more of the sub-packets.
81. The computer-readable medium of claim 75, wherein said aggregating further comprises appending at least one of a preamble field, a signal field, and a pad field, to the aggregated packet.
82. The computer-readable medium of claim 75, wherein said appending further comprises appending a header field to each of the data units to form the plurality of sub-packets.
83. The computer-readable medium of claim 82, wherein said header field comprises a medium access control (MAC) layer header.
84. The computer-readable medium of claim 75, wherein said appending further comprises appending a scrambler field to each of the data units to form the plurality of sub-packets.
85. The computer-readable medium of claim 75, wherein said appending further comprises appending a tail field to each of the data units to form the plurality of sub-packets.
86. The computer-readable medium of claim 75, further comprising:
87. The computer-readable medium of claim 86, wherein said transmitting comprises transmitting in accordance with at least one of the IEEE 802.11 (including 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n), IEEE 802.16 (including 802.16 and 802.16a), and 802.20 families of standards.
88. The computer-readable medium of claim 86, wherein said transmitting comprises transmitting in at least one of a MIMO (Multiple-In Multiple-Out) system, MISO (Multiple-In Single-Out) system, SIMO (Single-In Multiple-Out) system, and SISO (Single-In Single-Out) system.
89. The computer-readable medium of claim 75 wherein the plurality of data units comprise MPDUs (MAC Protocol Data Units).
90. The computer-readable medium of claim 75, wherein said aggregating comprises adding an indicator to at least a last sub-packet in the aggregated packet to identify the last sub-packet.
91. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising:
92. The computer-readable medium of claim 91, further comprising:
93. The computer-readable medium of claim 92, wherein said generating the indicator comprises generating acknowledgements for all but the one or more erroneous sub-packets.
94. The computer-readable medium of claim 92, wherein said generating the indicator comprises generating a block acknowledgement identifying said one or more erroneous sub-packets.
95. The computer-readable medium of claim 91, wherein said aggregated packet comprises a physical layer (PHY) packet.
96. The computer-readable medium of claim 91, wherein said receiving comprises receiving in accordance with at least one of the IEEE 802.11 (including 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n), IEEE 802.16 (including 802.16 and 802.16a), and 802.20 families of standards.
97. The computer-readable medium of claim 91, wherein said receiving comprises receiving in at least one of a MIMO (Multiple-In Multiple-Out) system, MISO (Multiple-In Single-Out) system, SIMO (Single-In Multiple-Out) system, and SISO (Single-In Single-Out) system.
98. The computer-readable medium of claim 91, wherein each of said data units comprises a MPDU (MAC Protocol Data Unit).
an encapsulation module to append at least an error checking field onto each data unit to form a plurality of sub-packets; and
one or more antennas coupled to the transmitter, said one or more antennas operative to transmit the aggregated packet over a wireless medium.
100. The system of claim 99, wherein said aggregated packet comprises a physical layer (PHY) packet.
101. The system of claim 99, wherein the packet generator is operative to add an indicator to the aggregated packet, said indicator indicating a number of sub-packets in the aggregated packet.
102. The system of claim 99, wherein the packet generator is operative to add an indicator to at least a last sub-packet in the aggregated packet to identify the last sub-packet.
103. The system of claim 99, wherein the one or more antennas are operative to retransmit said one or more of the sub-packets in response to receiving an indication that one or more of the sub-packets in the aggregated packet are erroneous.
104. The system of claim 103, wherein said receiving the indication comprises receiving acknowledgements for all but said one or more erroneous sub-packets in the aggregated packet.
105. The system of claim 103, wherein said receiving the indication comprises receiving a block acknowledgement identifying said one or more of the sub-packets.
106. The system of claim 99, wherein the packet generator is operative to append at least one of a preamble field, a signal field, and a pad field to the aggregated packet.
107. The system of claim 99, wherein the encapsulation module is operative to append a header field to each of the data units to form the plurality of sub-packets.
108. The system of claim 107, wherein said header field comprises a medium access control (MAC) layer header.
109. The system of claim 99, wherein the encapsulation module is operative to append a scrambler field to each of the data units to form the plurality of sub-packets.
110. The system of claim 99, wherein the encapsulation module is operative to append a tail field to each of the data units to form the plurality of sub-packets.
111. The system of claim 110, wherein the system is adapted to operate in accordance with at least one of the IEEE 802.11 (including 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n), IEEE 802.16 (including 802.16 and 802.16a), and 802.20 families of standards.
112. The system of claim 110, wherein the system is adapted to operate in at least one of a MIMO (Multiple-In Multiple-Out) system, MISO (Multiple-In Single-Out) system, SIMO (Single-In Multiple-Out) system, and SISO (Single-In Single-Out) system.
113. The system of claim 99, wherein the plurality of data units comprise MPDUs (MAC Protocol Data Units).
114. A system comprising:
a receiver to receive an aggregated packet including a plurality of sub-packets and a single preamble, each sub-packet including a data unit and an error checking field, the receiver comprising:
an acknowledgement module to generate an indicator for each of the one or more erroneous sub-packets in response to identifying one or more erroneous sub-packets; and
one or more antennas to transmit the indicator over a wireless medium, said one or more antennas being operatively connected to the receiver.
115. The system of claim 114, wherein the indicator comprises acknowledgements for all but the one or more erroneous sub-packets.
116. The system of claim 114, wherein the indicator comprises a block acknowledgement identifying said one or more erroneous sub-packets.
117. The system of claim 114, wherein said aggregated packet comprises a physical layer (PHY) packet.
118. The system of claim 114, further comprising:
119. The system of claim 114, further comprising:
120. The system of claim 114, wherein the system is adapted to operate in accordance with at least one of the IEEE 802.11 (including 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n), IEEE 802.16 (including 802.16 and 802.16a), and 802.20 families of standards.
121. The system of claim 114, wherein the system is adapted to operate in at least one of a MIMO (Multiple-In Multiple-Out) system, MISO (Multiple-In Single-Out) system, SIMO (Single-In Multiple-Out) system, and SISO (Single-In Single-Out) system.
122. The system of claim 114, wherein each of said data units comprises a MPDU (MAC Protocol Data Unit).
123. A system comprising:
means for aggregating a plurality of said sub-packets into an aggregated packet; and
one or more antennas coupled to the transmitter, said one or more antennas including means for transmitting the aggregated packet over a wireless medium.
124. The system of claim 123, wherein said aggregated packet comprises a physical layer (PHY) packet.
125. The system of claim 123, further comprising:
126. The system of claim 123, further comprising:
127. The system of claim 123, further comprising:
means for transmitting the aggregated packet over a wireless medium; and
128. The system of claim 127, wherein said receiving the indication comprises receiving acknowledgements for all but said one or more erroneous sub-packets in the aggregated packet.
129. The system of claim 127, wherein said receiving the indication comprises receiving a block acknowledgement identifying said one or more of the sub-packets.
130. The system of claim 123, further comprising:
131. The system of claim 123, further comprising:
132. The system of claim 131, wherein said header field comprises a medium access control (MAC) layer header.
133. The system of claim 123, further comprising:
134. The system of claim 123, further comprising:
135. The system of claim 134, wherein the system is adapted to operate in accordance with at least one of the IEEE 802.11 (including 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n), IEEE 802.16 (including 802.16 and 802.16a), and 802.20 families of standards.
136. The system of claim 134, wherein the system is adapted to operate in at least one of a MIMO (Multiple-In Multiple-Out) system, MISO (Multiple-In Single-Out) system, SIMO (Single-In Multiple-Out) system, and SISO (Single-In Single-Out) system.
137. The system of claim 123, wherein the plurality of data units comprise MPDUs (MAC Protocol Data Units).
138. A system comprising:
means for generating an indicator for each of the one or more erroneous sub-packets in response to identifying one or more erroneous sub-packets; and
one or more antennas operatively connected to the receiver, said one or more antennas including means for transmitting the indicator over a wireless medium.
139. The system of claim 138, further comprising:
140. The system of claim 139, wherein the indicator comprises acknowledgements for all but the one or more erroneous sub-packets.
141. The system of claim 139, wherein the indicator comprises a block acknowledgement identifying said one or more erroneous sub-packets.
142. The system of claim 138, wherein said aggregated packet comprises a physical layer (PHY) packet.
143. The system of claim 138, further comprising:
144. The system of claim 138, further comprising:
145. The system of claim 138, wherein the system is adapted to operate in accordance with at least one of the IEEE 802.11 (including 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n), IEEE 802.16 (including 802.16 and 802.16a), and 802.20 families of standards.
146. The system of claim 138, wherein the system is adapted to operate in at least one of a MIMO (Multiple-In Multiple-Out) system, MISO (Multiple-In Single-Out) system, SIMO (Single-In Multiple-Out) system, and SISO (Single-In Single-Out) system.
147. The system of claim 138, wherein each of said data units comprises a MPDU (MAC Protocol Data Unit).
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/523,439, filed on Nov. 19, 2003.
The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 family of standards (including IEEE 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n) specify over-the-air interfaces in a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), e.g., between a wireless client and a base station or another wireless client. The IEEE 802.11 standards place specifications on the parameters of both the physical (PHY) and medium access control (MAC) layers of the network. The PHY layer, which handles the actual transmission of data between nodes, may use direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS), frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS), or infrared (IR) pulse position modulation. The MAC layer uses a set of protocols to manage and maintain communication between 802.11 clients/stations by coordinating access to the shared wireless medium. The MAC layer is responsible for performing a number of functions including scanning, authentication, and association.
The PHY packet aggregation technique may be utilized in a wireless LAN system, e.g., a system complying with one of the IEEE 802.11 (including 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n), IEEE 802.16 (including 802.16 and 802.16), and 802.20 families of standards. The technique may be implemented in a MIMO (Multiple-In Multiple-Out) systems, MISO (Multiple-In Single-Out) systems, SIMO (Single-In Multiple-Out) systems, and SISO (Single-In Single-Out) systems.
FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless multiple-in-multiple-out (MIMO) communication system 100, which includes a first transceiver 102 with MT transmit (Tx) antennas 104 and a second transceiver 106 with MR receive (Rx) antennas 108, forming an MRxMT MIMO system. For the description below, the first transceiver 102 is designated as a “transmitter” because the transceiver 102 predominantly transmits signals to the transceiver 106, which predominantly receives signals and is designated as a “receiver”. Despite the designations, both “transmitter” 102 and “receiver” 106 may include a transmit section 110 and a receive section 112 and may transmit and receive data. The antennas in the transmitter 102 and receiver 106 communicate over channels in a wireless medium. In FIG. 1, H 120 represents the reflections and multi-paths in the wireless medium
The wireless system may operate in compliance with one of the IEEE 802.11 family of standards (including IEEE 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n). The IEEE 802.11 family of standards specify over-the-air interfaces in a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), e.g., between a wireless client and a base station or another wireless client. The IEEE 802.11 standards place specifications on the parameters of both the physical (PHY) and medium access control (MAC) layers of the network. The PHY layer, which handles the actual transmission of data between nodes, may use direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS), frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS), or infrared (IR) pulse position modulation. The MAC layer uses a set of protocols to manage and maintain communication between 802.11 stations by coordinating access to the shared wireless medium. The MAC layer is responsible for determining a number of functions including scanning, authentication, and association.
In an embodiment, the number (M) of sub-packets in the aggregated PHY packet may not be known ahead of time, and due to hardware, firmware, and/or software buffer size constraints one may choose to aggregate sub-packets on the fly while the aggregated packet is being transmitted. In this case, the number (M) can not be specified at the PHY Signal field. As shown in FIG. 3B, which describes such an alternative embodiment, the transmit section begins transmission of the aggregated PHY packet before all sub-packets have been concatenated (block 305). The sub-packets may be aggregated on the fly, during transmission of the aggregated PHY packet (block 307). The transmit section 110 may signal each sub-packet, or at least the last sub-packet (block 309). Each sub-packet may be signaled by inserting, e.g., three unscrambled repeating bits before each sub-packet to indicate whether this is the last sub-packet in the aggregated packet. The receiver may use a majority rule method to decode the 3-bit repetition code to decide whether to continue receiving or stop, having reached the last sub-packet of the aggregated packet. Alternatively, a terminating sequence may inserted after the last sub-packet. The receiver would then process the packet until detection of the terminating sequence.
In an embodiment, the receiver 104 may generate a “block ACK” that identifies any erroneous sub-packet(s) in the aggregated PHY packet (block 316). The IEEE 802.11e standard describes one type of block ACK. The transmitter may transmit a block ACK request frame after transmitting the aggregated PHY packet. The receiver then transmits the block ACK, which includes the acknowledgement status for each of the sub-packets in the aggregated PHY packet, to the transmitter 102 (block 318).
The packet aggregation and acknowledgement techniques described may be implemented in any packet-based wireless systems, e.g., systems compliant with IEEE 802.11 (including 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n), IEEE 802.16 (including 802.16 and 802.16a), and 802.20 families of standards.
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