Wireless communication with delayed repetition detection

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to determining whether a data message is a repetition of a previous data message. As may be implemented according to one or more embodiments characterized herein, a data packet (130 / 131) is received (102), and the data packet uses a first delay relative to a previous data packet (120 / 121) transmitted by a different transmitter. A repetition (110A / 111A) of the data packet is also received (102), and the repetition uses a second delay relative to a previous data packet (110 / 111) transmitted by the same transmitter. The second delay is less than the first delay. The data packet is identified (102) as a repetition of the immediately previous data packet based on a delay between the received data packet and the immediately previous data packet relative to the first delay and the second delay.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Aspects of various embodiments are directed to apparatus and methods for evaluating communications for duplication based on similarities between corresponding data symbols of data messages.

[0002] Wireless communications are used to transfer information between a transmitter and a receiver. For example, transmissions involving vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications involve transmission and reception between a vehicle and another entity, and vice versa. Because vehicles (e.g., stations) that employ V2X can utilize different communication standards, with a mix of vehicles using older standards and newer standards operating in the same frequency band and / or channel, it can be important to ensure compatibility. For example, a new standard message may reuse the same structure (e.g., a preamble followed by a data segment) as an older standard message, even if transmitted at different transmission rates or repeated multiple times. Therefore, some messages are new, while other messages may be repetitions of previous messages. In addition, while V2X communications have been useful, it can be challenging to ensure that transmissions are accurate and efficient.

[0003] These and other issues have challenged the efficiency of wireless vehicle communication implementations for a variety of applications. Summary of the invention

[0004] Various exemplary embodiments relate to problems such as those set forth above and / or other problems that may become apparent from the following disclosure regarding repetitive communications, and to determining whether a communication is repeated from a previous communication. Various such methods relate to using the time between received messages to make such determinations. In certain exemplary embodiments, aspects of the present disclosure relate to determining whether a communication is a repeat based on a time delay between messages and a corresponding time delay associated with the communication of a new message (e.g., for a transmitter determining a channel and sending a new message). These methods can facilitate rapid identification of incoming data packets and reduce the need for resources such as buffer size and computing resources.

[0005] As may be implemented according to a more specific embodiment, a method is performed as follows. A data packet is received from a transmitter using a first delay, the first delay being relative to a previous data packet being sent by a different transmitter. A repetition of a data packet is received from a transmitter (the same or a different transmitter) using a second delay, the second delay being less than the first delay and relative to a previous data packet being sent by the same transmitter that sent the repetition. A determination is made as to whether the data packet is a repetition of the immediately previous data packet based on a delay between the received data packet and the immediately previous data packet relative to the first delay and the second delay.

[0006] Another embodiment relates to a device having a wireless communication receiver and a decoding circuit. The receiver is configured to receive a data packet from a transmitter, the data packet using a first delay relative to a previous data packet transmitted by a different transmitter. The receiver is further configured to receive a repetition of a data packet from a transmitter (which may be the same or a different transmitter), the repetition using a second delay relative to a previous data packet transmitted by the same transmitter that transmitted the repetition, the second delay being less than the first delay. The decoding circuit is configured to determine whether the data packet is a repetition of the immediately previous data packet based on a delay between the data packet received via the receiver and the immediately previous data packet relative to the first delay and the second delay.

[0007] Another embodiment relates to a device comprising a transmitter and a receiver, wherein the transmitter sends a first data packet and a series of repetitions of the first data packet, wherein there is a fixed delay between the data packets. The receiver is configured to receive the first data packet and the series of repetitions, and receive data packets from other transmitters that send data packets using a delay relative to the transmission of a previous data packet that is longer than the fixed delay. The receiver further determines whether the data packet is a duplicate based on the fixed delay and the delay between the received data packet and the immediately previous data packet. In some embodiments, the transmitter sends the first data packet using a protocol that specifies corresponding values ​​for the delay for sending the first data packet relative to the data packets sent by the other transmitters based on a priority assigned to a communication type and / or based on randomness (or pseudo-randomness). These corresponding values ​​are the same as the corresponding corresponding values ​​through which the other transmitters communicate data packets.

[0008] Aspects of the present disclosure are defined in the accompanying claims.

[0009] In a first aspect, a method is provided, comprising: receiving a data packet from a transmitter, the data packet using a first delay relative to a previous data packet sent by a different transmitter; receiving a repetition of a data packet from the transmitter, the repetition using a second delay relative to a previous data packet sent by the same transmitter, the second delay being less than the first delay; and determining whether the data packet is a repetition of the immediately previous data packet based on a delay between the received data packet and the immediately previous data packet relative to the first delay and the second delay.

[0010] In one or more embodiments, the data packet may be sent according to a protocol, the protocol specifying a minimum value of the second delay as being associated with repeated data packets and specifying a corresponding value of the first delay, the corresponding value being based on a priority assigned to a communication type of a transmitter capable of accessing a channel; and determining whether the received data packet is a repetition of an immediately preceding data packet may include comparing the delay with a threshold delay, the threshold delay being less than a minimum value set by the protocol for the first delay and greater than the first delay.

[0011] In one or more embodiments, the data packet may use a protocol that specifies a minimum value for the second delay as associated with duplicate data packets and specifies a corresponding value for the first delay that is based on a priority assigned to a communication type.

[0012] In one or more embodiments, determining whether the received data packet is the repetition of the immediately previous data packet may include: determining that the data packet is the repetition of the immediately previous data packet in response to the delay being less than a threshold delay value between the first delay and the second delay.

[0013] In one or more embodiments, determining whether the received data packet is the repetition of the immediately previous data packet may include: comparing the delay between reception of the first symbol of the received data packet and completion of the reception of the immediately previous data packet with a threshold delay set based on the first delay and the second delay, the threshold delay being between the first delay and the second delay; and determining that the received data packet is the repetition of the immediately previous data packet in response to the comparison indicating that the delay is less than the threshold delay.

[0014] In one or more embodiments, the first delay may be set based on a time for the transmitter to determine control of a channel through which a last transmitter completed last data packet transmission and a priority associated with a type of communication to be conducted.

[0015] In one or more embodiments, the second delay may be a predefined minimum delay set for a communication protocol defined for a transmitter and a receiver operating on the channel; and the first delay may be based on the predefined minimum delay, and additional time for a transmitter to determine and send communication on the channel after another transmitter has completed communication on the channel.

[0016] In one or more embodiments, the method may further include determining the delay by subtracting a timing deviation of the data packet calculated during processing of a preamble of the data packet from an end time of the immediately previous data packet.

[0017] In one or more embodiments, the method may further include determining, based on the delay, that the received data packet is a new data packet relative to the immediately previous data packet, and responsively decoding the new data packet as an independent data packet.

[0018] In one or more embodiments, the method may further include performing the following operations in response to determining that the received data packet is a repetition of the immediately previous data packet and in response to the immediately previous data packet being improperly decoded: decoding the repetition of the immediately previous data packet; and combining the decoded repetition of the immediately previous data packet with the decoding of the immediately previous data packet.

[0019] In one or more embodiments, the method may further include: in response to determining that the received data packet is a repetition of the immediately previous data packet and in response to the immediately previous data packet being properly decoded, terminating processing of the received data packet for decoding.

[0020] In a second aspect, a device is provided, comprising: a wireless communication receiver, the wireless communication receiver being used to: receive a data packet from a transmitter, the data packet using a first delay relative to the transmission of a previous data packet by a different transmitter; and receive a repetition of a data packet from the transmitter, the repetition using a second delay relative to the transmission of the previous data packet by the same transmitter, the second delay being less than the first delay; and a decoding circuit, the decoding circuit being configured to determine whether the data packet is a repetition of the immediately previous data packet based on the delay between the data packet received via the receiver and the immediately previous data packet relative to the first delay and the second delay.

[0021] In one or more embodiments, the decoding circuit can be configured to determine whether the received data packet is a repetition of an immediately previous data packet by comparing the delay between the data packet and the immediately previous data packet with a threshold delay, wherein the threshold delay is less than a minimum value set by the protocol for the first delay and is greater than the first delay; and the protocol can specify a minimum value for the second delay for repetitions and a corresponding value for the first delay, wherein the corresponding value is based on a priority assigned to a communication type of a transmitter capable of accessing the channel.

[0022] In one or more embodiments, the decoding circuitry may be configured to determine that the data packet is the repeat of the immediately previous data packet in response to the delay being less than a threshold delay value between the first delay and the second delay.

[0023] In one or more embodiments, the decoding circuit can be configured to determine whether the received data packet is the repetition of the immediately previous data packet by: comparing the delay between the reception of the first symbol of the received data packet and the completion of the reception of the immediately previous data packet with a threshold delay set based on the first delay and the second delay, the threshold delay being between the first delay and the second delay; and determining that the received data packet is the repetition of the immediately previous data packet in response to the comparison indicating that the delay is less than the threshold delay.

[0024] In one or more embodiments, the decoding circuit may be configured to determine the delay by subtracting a timing deviation of the data packet calculated during processing of a preamble of the data packet from an end time of the immediately previous data packet.

[0025] In one or more embodiments, the decoding circuit may be configured to determine, based on the delay, that the received data packet is a new data packet relative to the immediately previous data packet, and responsively decode the new data packet as an independent data packet.

[0026] In one or more embodiments, the decoding circuitry may be configured to, in response to determining that the received data packet is a repeat of the immediately previous data packet and in response to the immediately previous data packet being improperly decoded, perform the following operations:

[0027] decoding the repetition of the immediately previous data packet; and

[0028] The decoded repetition of the immediately previous data packet is combined with the decode of the immediately previous data packet.

[0029] In a third aspect, a device is provided, comprising: a transmitter, the transmitter being configured to send a first data packet and a series of repetitions of the first data packet, wherein there is a fixed delay between the data packets; a receiver, the receiver being configured to receive the first data packet and the series of repetitions, receive data packets from other transmitters that send data packets using a delay relative to the sending of a previous data packet that is longer than the fixed delay, and determine whether the data packet is a duplicate based on the fixed delay and the delay between the received data packet and the immediately previous data packet.

[0030] In one or more embodiments, the transmitter can be configured to send the first data packet using a protocol that specifies a corresponding value for a delay for sending the first data packet relative to data packets sent by the other transmitters based on a priority assigned to a communication type, the corresponding value being the same as a corresponding value via which the other transmitters communicate data packets.

[0031] The above discussion / summary is not intended to describe every embodiment or implementation of the present disclosure. The figures and detailed description also illustrate various embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Various exemplary embodiments may be more fully understood by considering the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0033] Figure 1 An exemplary communication system and method according to the present disclosure are shown;

[0034] Figure 2 Exemplary communication circuitry for a plurality of stations according to the present disclosure is shown;

[0035] Figure 3 depicts a data packet and associated processing for evaluating duplication according to the present disclosure; and

[0036] Figure 4 A data flow method for evaluating duplication according to the present disclosure is depicted.

[0037] Although the various embodiments discussed herein are susceptible to modification and alternative forms, aspects of the various embodiments have been shown and will be described in detail by way of example in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not intended to limit the present disclosure to the specific embodiments described. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative schemes that fall within the scope of the present disclosure, including the various aspects defined in the claims. In addition, the term "example" as used throughout this application is intended to be illustrative and not limiting. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Aspects of the present disclosure are considered to be applicable to a variety of different types of devices, systems, and methods involving determining the presence of repetitive communications, such as repetitions. Identifying communications as repetitive can facilitate efficient processing while ensuring the processing of new communications. In various scenarios, aspects of the present disclosure relate to determining whether the communication is a repetition based on the delay between corresponding communications. For example, the delay between communications can be compared with a threshold value set based on the expected delay between repetitions and the expected delay (or delay range) between different communications, such as can be implemented for transmissions from different transmitters of a determined channel. In certain embodiments, aspects of the present disclosure have been shown to be beneficial when used in the context of V2X communications and in the context of communication environments using different communication protocols. For example, when a protocol evolves, a new protocol may need to operate in a manner that allows continued use of older (e.g., traditional) communications and related circuit systems, such as when a new protocol can implement repetitions in the case where an older protocol fails to implement repetitions. Therefore, a new protocol station can retransmit a data packet, which is encoded according to a traditional standard. A traditional station may be able to decode each repetition independently, while a new protocol station may perform advanced combinations of different repetitions to improve performance. Identifying such duplications may be suitable for efficient processing as mentioned herein.

[0039] In various embodiments, the time between consecutive incoming packets may be measured, for example, by comparing the arrival times of packets based on the fine timing offset (FTO) of a given packet. In the case where the time between the transmission of a packet and the transmission of its repetitions (and between consecutive repetitions) is constant and known, such timing may be used to identify packets as repetitions. The time between the initial packet transmission and its repetitions, as well as the time between additional repetitions, may be set so that other transmitters will not transmit packets during such a repetition burst, thereby making the repetition burst complete and continuous. Various such methods are backward compatible, so that a transceiver that does not otherwise transmit repetitions may correctly receive the original packet and all of its repetitions.

[0040] In the following description, various specific details are set forth to describe the specific examples presented herein. However, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that one or more other examples and / or variations of these examples may be practiced without all the specific details given below. In other instances, well-known features are not described in detail to avoid confusing the description of the examples herein. For ease of illustration, the same reference numerals may be used in different drawings to refer to additional examples of the same element or the same element. In addition, although various aspects and features may be described in individual drawings in some cases, it should be understood that features from one drawing or embodiment may be combined with features of another drawing or embodiment, even if the combination is not explicitly shown or explicitly described as a combination.

[0041] As may be implemented with various embodiments, a timing offset (TO) calculation is performed on a current data packet, and a packet end calculation based on TO is performed on a previous data packet to calculate an inter-packet gap, which is used for unambiguous repeat identification. Repeat identification considers the status of a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) decoding of a previous data packet and the status of a current signal field decoding to determine when to start and end a repeat burst, and is further used to skip decoding when the data packet has been previously correctly decoded. If the use of the signal field fails, then the maximum length of the data packet can be stored, and the signal fields can be combined to decode the length. In certain aspects, the inter-packet gap is determined based on a short inter-frame space (SIFS), which can be, for example, equal to 32 µsec in 10 MHz mode and is related to the amount of time for the wireless communication circuit to process the received message and the time with an uninterruptible repeat burst.

[0042] In a particular embodiment, the transmitter is arranged to transmit the data packets belonging to the repeating series all at the same fixed time interval, which can be referred to as the inter-packet gap. For a current data packet, the absolute timing deviation (ATO) of the data packet is calculated during preamble processing before decoding the data portion of the data packet, and the absolute timing deviation (ATO) is used to determine whether the data packet is a repetition of a previous data packet or a new data packet. The absolute end (END) of the previous data packet can be subtracted from the ATO of the current data packet to provide an estimate of the inter-packet gap (GAP), which can be compared with a threshold value to determine whether the data packet is a repetition or a new data packet. This threshold can be set, for example, relative to the fixed inter-packet gap and a longer delay for communicating new data packets.

[0043] Specific embodiments are implemented as follows. If a data packet is identified as a new data packet in this regard, it is decoded as an independent data packet. If the data packet has been correctly decoded (e.g., CRC is OK), the data packet END (absolute END=ATO+data packet length) is stored together with the decoding state. If the data packet fails to decode (e.g., CRC is wrong), the END, decoding state, and the entire encoded data packet are stored. If the data packet is repeated (part of the repetition burst), the decoding state of the last data packet in the repetition burst is checked. If the last data packet in the repetition burst is correctly received, the current data packet decoding can be skipped, and the END value can be stored. If the last data packet in the repetition burst is incorrectly received, the last data packet can be combined with the current data packet for the decoding stage, such as the signal field and data (payload) in the data packet. If the data packet has been correctly decoded (e.g., CRC is OK), the END and decoding state are stored. If the data packet fails to decode (e.g., CRC is wrong), the END, decoding state, and the required data from the data packet for performing the combination are stored.

[0044] The inter-packet gap for a repetition burst may be set to identify a repetition and that the repetition burst is not interrupted by the transmission of another packet by another receiver. Thus, the inter-packet gap for a repetition may be set to be less than the minimum inter-transmit packet time allowed for a new packet to be transmitted, which may be represented by

[0045] AIFS = N * TxSlot + SIFS,

[0046] Where AIFS is an arbitration inter-frame space that specifies the amount of time (e.g., delay) for sending new packets of the corresponding communication type. For example, AIFS may be as low as 58 µsec in the case of a high priority message, and may be higher for lower priority messages. The inter-packet gap may further be set to be equal to or greater than the required minimum inter-packet reception time represented by SIFS, as characterized above. Thus, the inter-packet gap for repetitions may be set so that it is greater than or equal to SIFS and less than AIFS. The inter-packet gap may be set to an amount less than AIFS to provide some assurance that, for example, despite noise or other communication problems, the receiver calculation of the inter-packet gap (used to detect repetitions) will be sufficient so that repetitions maintain arbitration for the particular channel being used.

[0047] Various embodiments relate to communications involving vehicles, such as cars, trains, or ships, and other stations / devices may be implemented with drones, bicycles, pedestrians, and / or traffic controllers, may be in a dynamic communication environment (e.g., some of the communication circuits are moving relative to each other), and include a communication circuit system for wirelessly communicating with other stations using a communication protocol, which is sometimes referred to herein as vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. In such scenarios, some exemplary embodiments may utilize wireless communications in accordance with various standards, such as the IEEE 802.11-OCB standard, which may be referred to as IEEE 802.11p, or as otherwise specified in the IEEE 802.11-2016 specification; or newer protocols such as IEEE 802.11bd (sometimes denoted as Next Generation Vehicle (NGV)), which is fully incorporated herein by reference (e.g., for implementation with respect to Figure 1-2 communication protocols and methods).

[0048] Various embodiments relate to the use of standards such as IEEE 802.11bd, 3GPP 4G LTE-V2X, and / or 3GPP 5G NR standards. Standard features may improve overall system effectiveness while maintaining compatibility with older devices such as "legacy IEEE 802.11p" devices. It may be appreciated that legacy devices may include or refer to devices in the art that provide V2X using older standards such as IEEE 802.11p. Thus, various aspects herein relate to facilitating communications such as repetitive communications while maintaining compatibility for receiving communications using older standards.

[0049] As may be implemented according to a more specific embodiment, a method is implemented as follows. A data packet is received from a transmitter using a first delay relative to a previously transmitted data packet, and a repetition of a data packet is received from a transmitter (the same or a different transmitter) using a second delay relative to the previously transmitted data packet. The second delay is less than the first delay and is relative to the transmission of a previous data packet by the same transmitter that transmitted the repetition. The data packet is determined to be a repetition of the immediately preceding data packet based on a delay between the received data packet and the immediately preceding data packet relative to the first delay and the second delay. The delay may be determined by subtracting a timing deviation of the data packet calculated during processing of a preamble of the data packet from an end time of the immediately preceding data packet. In addition, a data packet determined to be a new data packet relative to the immediately preceding data packet via the delay may be decoded as an independent data packet.

[0050] The data packet may be communicated, for example, using a protocol that specifies a minimum value of the second delay as being associated with a repeated data packet and specifies a corresponding value of the first delay, the corresponding value being based on a priority assigned to the communication type. In various scenarios, this method may involve sending new data packets from newer and older (e.g., legacy) transmitters that obtain arbitration of the channel (and use different protocols), and sending data packet repetitions from the newer transmitter. New data packets may be sent according to AIFS as mentioned above, and data packet repetitions may be transformed with a delay less than AIFS and relative to SIFS. The delay of the received data packet may be compared with a threshold relative to AIFS-SIFS, thereby determining whether the data packet is a repetition of the immediately preceding data packet based on the delay between the received data packet and the immediately preceding data packet relative to the first delay (AIFS) and the second delay (SIFS). In these scenarios, the delay may be based on a variable AIFS (e.g., based on the communication type) plus a variable number of time slots. This may be based on, for example, the IEEE 802.11p protocol backoff procedure that the transceiver uses to obtain arbitration for the channel once the channel is idle (eg, by counting down the backoff period relative to the message priority type before transmitting).

[0051] In a more specific embodiment, data packets are transmitted according to a protocol that specifies a minimum value for a delay as being associated with repeated data packets and specifies a corresponding value for the delay for new data packets that is based on a priority assigned to a communication type of a transmitter that is able to access the channel. A received data packet is identified as a repeat of an immediately previous data packet by comparing the delay to a threshold delay that is less than a minimum value set for new data packets (e.g., an AIFS set for the highest priority communication) and equal to or greater than the delay for the repeat.

[0052] Determining whether a received data packet is a repetition of an immediately preceding data packet can be implemented in a variety of ways. In some embodiments, a data packet is determined to be a repetition in response to a delay being less than a threshold delay value between a first delay and a second delay. In other embodiments, a delay between the completion of reception of a first symbol of a data packet evaluated for repetition and reception of an immediately preceding data packet is compared to a threshold delay (e.g., approximately between the first delay and the second delay) set based on the first delay and the second delay. The evaluated data packet is determined to be a repetition in response to the comparison indicating that the delay is less than the threshold delay.

[0053] The delays may be implemented in a variety of ways. In some embodiments, the first delay is set based on a time for the transmitter to determine that the last transmitter completed control of the channel through which the last data packet was sent and a priority associated with the type of communication to be performed. In certain embodiments, the second delay is a predefined minimum delay set for a communication protocol defined for transmitters and receivers operating on the channel, and the first delay is based on the predefined minimum delay and additional time for the transmitter to determine and send a communication on the channel after another transmitter has completed a communication on the channel.

[0054] Packets determined to be duplicates may be processed in a variety of ways. In some embodiments, when the immediately preceding packet was improperly decoded, the duplication is decoded and combined with the decoding of the immediately preceding packet. In other embodiments, when the immediately preceding packet was correctly decoded, the processing of the duplication is terminated.

[0055] Another embodiment relates to a device having a wireless communication receiver and a decoding circuit. The receiver receives a data packet (from a transmitter) that uses a first delay relative to the transmission of a previous data packet by a different transmitter. The receiver also receives a repetition of the data packet (from the same or a different transmitter) that uses a second delay relative to the transmission of the previous data packet. This second delay is less than the first delay. The decoding circuit determines whether the data packet is a repetition of the immediately previous data packet based on a delay between the data packet received via the receiver and the immediately previous data packet relative to the first delay and the second delay. For example, the decoding circuit can determine that the data packet is a repetition of the immediately previous data packet in response to the delay being less than a threshold delay value between the first delay and the second delay. The delay can be determined by subtracting a timing deviation of the data packet calculated during processing of the preamble of the data packet from the end time of the immediately previous data packet. The decoding circuit can further determine that the received data packet is a new data packet relative to the immediately previous data packet based on the delay, and decode the new data packet into an independent data packet in response to this situation.

[0056] In some embodiments, the decoding circuit determines whether the data packet is a repetition of the immediately preceding data packet by comparing the delay between the received data packet and the immediately preceding data packet with a threshold delay. This threshold delay can be set to be less than the minimum value set by the protocol for the first delay and greater than the first delay. The protocol also specifies a minimum value for the second delay for repetition, and specifies a corresponding value for the first delay, the corresponding value being based on the priority of the communication type assigned to the transmitter capable of accessing the channel. This can be implemented using SIFS and AIFS in the manner described elsewhere herein.

[0057] In other embodiments, the decoding circuit determines whether the received data packet is a repetition of the immediately previous data packet by comparing the delay between the reception of the first symbol of the received data packet and the completion of the reception of the immediately previous data packet with a threshold delay set based on (and between) the first delay and the second delay. If the delay is less than the threshold delay, then the received data packet is determined to be a repetition of the immediately previous data packet.

[0058] Repetitions may be combined in a variety of ways. For example, if the decoding circuit determines that a received data packet is a repetition of an immediately previous data packet and the immediately previous data packet was improperly decoded, the repetition may be decoded and combined with the immediately previous data packet.

[0059] Now turning to the figures, Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system and method involving the communication of data messages is shown, some of which are repetitive. A plurality of vehicles 102-106 and other vehicles / devices 107-N are shown, some or all of which may participate in the communication. In the context of various embodiments, the vehicles and / or other vehicles / devices may include automobiles, trains, ships, bicycles, and / or pedestrian devices (e.g., mobile phones or wearable devices), or non-mobile devices such as those implemented with roadside units or traffic controllers (e.g., traffic lights, gates, bridges, and train crossings). Each such vehicle / device may include a station that implements the communication as characterized herein.

[0060] In a particular embodiment, vehicle 102 communicates with vehicles operating using different protocols, including vehicle 104 operating with a (first) traditional communication protocol and vehicle 105 operating with a (second) NGV communication protocol. Vehicle 102 may also operate in a populated environment involving vehicles 103 and / or 106 and one of a plurality of other vehicles / devices 107-N. The receiver circuitry in vehicle 102 wirelessly collects information from transmissions associated with a traditional communication protocol (at least from vehicle 104) and from transmissions associated with another communication protocol (at least from vehicle 105) that may be on a particular wireless communication channel. Other transmissions according to the traditional communication protocol may be received from vehicle 103 or one or more other vehicles / devices 107-N. Additional transmissions according to other (e.g., NGV or 3GPP 5G NR) communication protocols may be received from vehicle 106 or one or more other vehicles / devices 107-N, some or all of which may also communicate via traditional communication protocols.

[0061] According to one or more embodiments as characterized herein, vehicles 102, 105 (and 106, when implemented) and one or more devices 107-N use repetitive communications. With reference to vehicle 102, received communications are evaluated to determine whether those communications are repetitive based on the latency between the received data packet and the immediately previous data packet. Such evaluation may involve the use of thresholds as characterized herein, wherein a specific embodiment involving the use of thresholds is based on SIFS and minimum AIFS, which may be variable to facilitate communication priority. By way of example, a new transmission with a preamble 110 and a payload 111 and its repetitions 110A and 111A are shown, the repetitions using a time gap 113 set for the repetitions. A new transmission with a preamble 130 and a payload 131 is also shown, the new transmission using a gap 132 set for communication after a previous transmission as represented by a transmission with a preamble 120 and a payload 121.

[0062] Referring to a new transmission (130 / 131) as shown by way of example as being received from a conventional device in vehicle 104, a receiver in vehicle 102 calculates or estimates a time gap for the time between the initial reception of preamble 130 and the end time of the previously transmitted payload 121. This previous transmission may originate from a different transmitter in vehicle 103, for example. The receiver in vehicle 102 compares the time gap to a threshold time gap value, which is set to distinguish between new messages that use relatively long time gaps between previous messages from other transmitters and repetitions that use relatively short time gaps. Since the transmission is a new transmission, the time gap 132 indicates that the new transmission 130 / 131 is in fact a new transmission, and the receiver decodes the transmission as an independent data packet.

[0063] Referring to the repeated transmission 110A / 111A as shown by way of example as received from the NGV device in the vehicle 105, the receiver calculates or estimates the time gap 113 between the reception of the preamble 110 and the end of the communication of the payload 111. The time gap 113 is compared with a threshold as mentioned above, and since the communication is a repetition, the comparison indicates so and the receiver handles the repetition accordingly. For example, as mentioned above, the repetition can be combined with the decoding of the previous message 110 / 111 to improve accuracy, or if the previous message was decoded correctly, the repetition can be ignored in other ways.

[0064] Figure 1The wireless communications depicted in the description may involve V2X communications, which may include multiple types of communications, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-network (V2N), and vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P). In a particular example, a V2X network may enable information to be exchanged between multiple vehicles and, in some examples, between other devices. It will be appreciated that, as used herein, "circuitry" refers to one or more circuits, such as multiple similarly operating circuits (or versions of circuits) operating in a respective vehicle, one or more of which may involve programmable devices utilizing software. Vehicles may communicate messages to each other via vehicle communication circuits, such as speed measurements, communication measurements, GPS data, and the like.

[0065] The communication protocol technologies characterized in this article, including traditional and other / NGV technologies, can be IEEE802.11-based technologies, such as IEEE 802.11p or other Wi-Fi technologies. Figure 1 , each of the newer standard and older standard devices / vehicles may thus be implemented with a communication circuit system that communicates wirelessly using a communication protocol consistent with Wi-Fi or IEEE 802.11p based communications. The communication protocol used may involve transmitting messages asynchronously. For example, the communication circuit system may observe (e.g., listen to) a channel and communicate in response to the channel being idle (e.g., not sending a message).

[0066] Figure 2 Exemplary communication circuits 210, 212, and 214 of respective stations according to various embodiments are shown. Each of the communication circuits 210, 212, and 214 can communicate wirelessly in a wireless communication network using a communication protocol. The communication circuits 210 and 212 operate according to a first (e.g., newer / other) communication type (e.g., standard), and the communication circuit 214 operates according to a second (e.g., older / legacy) communication type. By way of example, reference is made to Figure 1 , communication circuit 210 may be implemented with vehicle 102 , communication circuit 212 may be implemented with vehicle 105 , and communication circuit 214 may be implemented with vehicle 104 .

[0067] The communication circuits 210, 212, 214 include certain common circuitry types that can be implemented similarly. The first communication circuit 210 includes a transmit (TX) processor 216 and a receive (RX) processor 222, which are used together with a controller / processor 220 (such as a delay that can be evaluated for duplicate detection) to implement various functionalities for sending and receiving messages according to both traditional and newer / other communication protocols. The first communication circuit 210 also includes a transmitter 219, a receiver 221, and an antenna 218.

[0068] Communication circuits 212 and 214 also include similar components, with corresponding notations used (e.g., 218' and 218" representing antennas). For communication circuits 210 and 212, controllers / processors 220 and controllers / processors 220' also include delay comparators 213 and 213', which provide a comparison or other evaluation of delays between data packets for detecting duplications, as characterized by one or more embodiments herein. Communication circuit 214 is shown as having a controller / processor 230 (different from 220 and 220'), which is operable to send and receive signals (and decode the signals) according to a second protocol. Thus, communication circuits 210 and 212 are backward compatible for communicating with communication circuit 214.

[0069] Each of the communication circuits 210, 212, 214 may communicate wirelessly using a communication protocol in which messages are transmitted asynchronously and on the same channel. The messages may each have a preamble including a legacy short training field (L-STF) that provides support for synchronization and automatic gain control (AGC) calibration (e.g., which may be 8 µsec), a legacy long training field (L-LTF) that provides a channel estimation pilot for decoding subsequent Wi-Fi based symbols (e.g., which may be 16 µsec), and a signal field (SIG) symbol that conveys an MCS (e.g., which may be 8 µsec).

[0070] Thus, the communication circuit 210 can evaluate the messages received via its antenna 218, receiver 221, and receive processor 222, thereby implementing its controller processor 220 and delay comparator 213 to evaluate the delay of the messages received from the communication circuits 212 and 214 (and other circuits) for determining whether the data packet is a duplicate. For example, when the communication circuit 212 or 214 determines control of the channel and transmits a new message, the new message can be detected as new (relative to a duplicate) when the delay relative to the previous message is greater than (or equal to) a threshold. When the delay of the new message relative to the previous message (e.g., a new message or an earlier duplicate) is less than (or equal to) a threshold, a repetition of the new message can be detected. In this context, it should be understood that the threshold can be set higher or lower relative to the use of less than / greater than (or equal to) comparisons.

[0071] Communications (and, where applicable, communication networks) are not limited to Figure 1 and Figure 2The number of stations and / or communication circuitry shown. Various embodiments may include more or fewer stations with communication circuitry in a shared device geographic area, as well as additional or fewer types of stations (e.g., mobile phones) with communication circuitry. The number of stations may also change over time due to vehicles or other stations moving and / or additional stations entering a shared station geographic area (e.g., forming ad hoc network(s)).

[0072] Figure 3 Depicted are packets and related processing for evaluating duplications according to the present disclosure. Two packets 310 and 320 are shown with preambles 312 / 322, signal fields 314 / 324, and data fields 316 / 326, respectively. An inter-packet gap 330 between messages is set based on whether the packet 320 is new relative to the packet 310 or a duplication of the packet 310. The inter-packet gap 330 can be estimated by calculating the ATO during processing the preamble 322 before decoding the data 326 and subtracting the absolute end (END) time of the packet 310. This estimated inter-packet gap 330 can be compared with a threshold value in a manner as characterized herein for determining whether the packet 320 is a duplication of the packet 310 or a new packet. This threshold value can be set, for example, relative to a fixed inter-packet gap and a longer delay for conveying a new packet.

[0073] Figure 4 A data stream method for evaluating duplication according to the present disclosure is depicted. At block 400, a new data packet is received, and the TO (timing deviation) and gap of the data packet from the previous data packet are calculated at blocks 410 and 420, with block 420 utilizing the END time of the previous data packet. TO may be calculated during preamble processing as the first calculation performed after packet detection. For example, TO may refer to the first sample of a data packet, an FFT may be performed on the first sample and the first sample may be aligned with a symbol boundary. At 430, the gap is compared to a threshold to determine whether the data packet is a duplication. When setting the threshold comparison, the expected error in calculating TO may be considered.

[0074] If the data packet is not a duplicate, then the data packet is decoded as an independent data packet at block 440. If the data packet is a duplicate and if the CRC of the previously received data packet indicates that the last data packet was correctly decoded at block 450, then the END time of the data packet is stored (and further processing may be terminated). If the CRC of the last data packet does not indicate that the last data packet was correctly decoded, then the data packet is decoded at block 458 via combination with the last data packet.

[0075] In some embodiments, the signal field of the data packet is decoded at block 454 and a parity check is performed at block 456, and if the parity check indicates an error (or decoding is otherwise continued at block 458), then processing of the data packet may be terminated. This may be done, for example, in situations where an incorrectly received signal field may be needed in order to reliably calculate the data packet END time.

[0076] A CRC check is then performed at block 460. If the CRC check indicates a decoding error, then the END value, CRC status, and the encoded data packet are stored at 470 (and, for example, if additional repetitions are received, the stored data packet may be further combined with the additional repetitions). If the CRC check indicates an accurate decoding, then the END value and CRC status are stored at block 480.

[0077] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to determining whether a data message is a repetition of a previous data message. As may be implemented according to one or more embodiments characterized herein, a data packet is received, and the data packet uses a first delay relative to a previous data packet sent by a different transmitter. A repetition of a data packet is also received, and the repetition uses a second delay relative to a previous data packet sent by the same transmitter. The second delay is less than the first delay. The data packet is identified as a repetition of the immediately previous data packet based on a delay between the received data packet and the immediately previous data packet relative to the first delay and the second delay.

[0078] Unless otherwise indicated, those skilled in the art will recognize that various terms used in this specification (including the claims) imply ordinary meanings in the art. For example, this specification describes and / or illustrates various aspects that can be used to implement the claimed disclosure with the aid of various circuits or circuit systems, which can be described as or using terms such as blocks, modules, devices, systems, units, controllers, receivers, decoding circuits, CRC checks, and / or other circuit type descriptions (e.g., Figure 2 Reference numerals 210, 220, 222, and 216 depict blocks / modules as described herein). Such circuits or circuit systems are used with other elements to illustrate how certain embodiments may be implemented in form or structure, steps, functions, operations, activities, etc. For example, in some of the above-described embodiments, one or more modules are discrete logic circuits or programmable logic circuits that are configured and arranged to implement these operations / activities, such as may be Figure 3-4In some embodiments, such programmable circuits are one or more computer circuits including memory circuitry for storing and accessing a program to be executed as a set (or sets) of instructions (and / or to be used as configuration data to define how the programmable circuit is to execute), and as described above and / or with Figure 3-4 The described algorithms or processes are used by programmable circuits to perform the associated steps, functions, operations, activities, etc. Depending on the application, the instructions (and / or configuration data) may be configured for implementation in a logic circuit system, where the instructions (whether represented in the form of object code, firmware, or software) are stored in and can be accessed from a memory (circuit). As another example, where the specification may refer to "a first [structural type]", "a second [structural type]", etc., where [structural type] may be replaced with terms such as ["circuit", "circuitry", etc.], the adjectives "first" and "second" are not used to imply any structural description or provide any substantive meaning; rather, such adjectives are merely used as English antecedents to distinguish one such similarly named structure from another similarly named structure (e.g., "a first circuit configured to convert..." is interpreted as "a circuit configured to convert...").

[0079] Based on the above discussion and illustration, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that various modifications and changes may be made to the various embodiments without strictly following the exemplary embodiments and applications shown and described herein. For example, the method illustrated in the accompanying drawings may involve steps implemented in various orders, wherein one or more aspects of the embodiments herein are retained, or may involve fewer or more steps. For example, different thresholds may be used to determine whether a corresponding received message is a duplicate or a different message. As another example, the delay may be changed to suit different types of messages, and the determination of the message type (duplicate or not) may be implemented accordingly. Such modifications do not depart from the true spirit and scope of the various aspects of the present disclosure, including those set forth in the claims.

Claims

1. A method, characterized in that include: Receiving a first data packet (320) and a second data packet (310), wherein the second data packet is a data packet immediately preceding the first data packet; Determining whether the first data packet is a repeat of the immediately preceding second data packet based on the time delay (330) between the received first data packet and the immediately preceding second data packet relative to the values ​​of the first time delay (132) and the second time delay (113); The first delay is the delay between the immediately previous second data packet and the first data packet sent by different senders; The second delay is the delay between the immediately previous second data packet and the first data packet sent by the same sender; The second delay is less than the first delay.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: transmitting the data packet according to a protocol, the protocol specifying a minimum value of the second delay as being associated with duplicate data packets and specifying a corresponding value of the first delay, the corresponding value being based on a priority assigned to a communication type of a transmitter capable of accessing a channel; and Determining whether the received data packet is a repeat of an immediately previous data packet includes comparing the delay (330) to a threshold delay, the threshold delay being less than a minimum value set by the protocol for the first delay and greater than the second delay.

3. A method according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that The data packets use a protocol that specifies a minimum value for the second delay as associated with duplicate data packets and a corresponding value for the first delay that is based on a priority assigned to a communication type.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: Determining whether the received data packet is the repetition of the immediately previous data packet comprises: comparing the delay (330) between reception of a first symbol of the received data packet and completion of the reception of the immediately previous data packet to a threshold delay set based on the first delay and the second delay, the threshold delay being between the first delay and the second delay; and The received data packet is determined to be the repeat of the immediately previous data packet in response to the comparison indicating that the delay (330) is less than the threshold delay.

5. A device, characterized in that: include: A wireless communication receiver, the wireless communication receiver being configured to: Receiving a first data packet (320) and a second data packet (310), wherein the second data packet is a data packet immediately preceding the first data packet; a decoding circuit configured to determine whether the first data packet is a repeat of the immediately previous second data packet based on a time delay (330) between a first data packet and an immediately previous second data packet received via the receiver relative to values ​​of a first time delay (132) and a second time delay (113); The first delay is the delay between the immediately previous second data packet and the first data packet sent by different senders; The second delay is the delay between the immediately previous second data packet and the first data packet sent by the same sender; The second delay is less than the first delay.

6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that The decoding circuit is configured to determine whether the received first data packet is the repetition of the immediately previous second data packet by: comparing the time delay (330) between reception of the first symbol of the received first data packet and completion of the reception of the immediately previous second data packet with a threshold time delay set based on the first time delay and the second time delay, the threshold time delay being between the first time delay and the second time delay; as well as The received first data packet is determined to be the repeat of the immediately previous second data packet in response to the comparison indicating that the delay (330) is less than the threshold delay.

7. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that The decoding circuit is configured to: determining the delay by subtracting a timing deviation of the first data packet calculated during processing of a preamble of the first data packet from an end time of the immediately previous second data packet (330); or The received first data packet is determined to be a new data packet relative to the immediately previous second data packet based on the delay (330), and the new data packet is decoded as an independent data packet in response.

8. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that The decoding circuit is configured to, in response to determining that the received first data packet is a repeat of the immediately previous second data packet and in response to the immediately previous second data packet being improperly decoded, perform the following operations: decoding the repetition of the immediately previous second data packet; and The decoded repetition of the immediately previous second data packet is combined with the decoding of the immediately previous second data packet.

Images