Method and apparatus for packet aggregation in a wireless communication network
AssigneeNokia Corporation
InventorsJohn Terry, Jari Jokela
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for aggregating packets in a wireless communication system. The data to be transmitted is selected and packetized and formed into frames for transmission. Rather than send each frame individually, frames are grouped and transmitted with grouping indicia informing the recipients how to acknowledge successful receipt of the transmitted data. ACKs are sent at a predetermined time, or all together, divided by subcarrier in the case of an OFDMA network.
Claims26
In a wireless communication system operable to communicate packetized data according to a channel access protocol, an improved method of communicating the data packets, said method comprising the steps of:
- forming, in a transmitting station, the data to be transmitted into a plurality of packets;
- selecting a group of packets for aggregate transmission from the plurality of packets;
- creating grouping indicia associated with the selected packet group in the transmitting station, the grouping indicia being indicative of the recipients of each of the packets and identifying different recipients for at least two packets of the same packet group;
- and
- assembling at least one transmission frame including the selected packet group and the grouping indicia.
In a radio station operable to communicate in a wireless communication system, an improvement of apparatus for the communication of data packets, said apparatus comprising:
- a transmitter in a first wireless station;
- a packet selector for determining which data packets are to be grouped together for transmission;
- a grouping-information generator for generating indicia of the packet grouping, the grouping indicia being indicative of the recipients of each of the packets and identifying different recipients for at least two packets of the same packet group;
- a transmission frame assembler for assembling a transmission frame including the selected packets and the grouping indicia;
- wherein the assembled transmission frame is presented to the transmitter for transmission to at least a second wireless station.
In a wireless communication system operable to communicate packetized data according to a channel access protocol, an improved method of communicating the data packets, said method comprising:
- forming the data to be transmitted into a plurality of packets;
- selecting a group of packets for aggregate transmission from the plurality of packets;
- creating grouping indicia associated with the selected packet group;
- and
- assembling at least one transmission frame including the selected packet group and the grouping indicia,
- wherein at least two of the data packets in the group of packets are intended for different recipients.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.