Communication device and communication method for information container

Abstract

A communication apparatus and method for an information container are provided. One exemplary embodiment provides a communication device comprising: circuitry to generate a container of information greater than 255 eight bit groups; and a transmitter that transmits a frame including the information container.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to communication methods and apparatus, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for information containers. Background Art

[0002] Elements as used in the IEEE 802.11 family of standards provide a generic container for carrying variable length information. Sub-elements are very similar, except that the sub-element ID is only defined within the context of a frame or element. TLV (Type / Length / Value) is also similar to elements and is used for similar purposes in IEEE 802.11 and other standards. A STA can transmit information that is too large to fit in a single element (e.g., >254 octets) by fragmenting the element into a series of elements (the element into which the constituent information does not fit), followed by one or more fragment elements. IEEE 802.11be extends the element fragmentation process for sub-elements of multi-link elements. From D0.2, IEEE 802.11bf uses elements to carry sensing measurement reports. IEEE 802.11bf also defines an element fragmentation method for DMG sensing reports for the same purpose. Fragmented feedback is also used for IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11ac, IEEE 802.11ax, and IEEE 802.11be sensing processes when the compressed feedback frame exceeds 11454 octets.

[0003] However, there is still limited discussion of communication devices and methods suitable for information containers that carry large amounts of data (eg, >254 octets).

[0004] Therefore, there is a need for a communication device and method that can solve the above problems. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the disclosure. Summary of the invention

[0005] Non-limiting and exemplary embodiments facilitate providing a communication device and a communication method for an information container.

[0006] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a communication apparatus, comprising: a circuit that generates an information container greater than 255 octets; and a transmitter that transmits a frame including the information container.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a communication device, comprising: a receiver that receives a frame including an information container, the information container including data greater than 255 octets; and a circuit that extracts the data from the information container.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a communication method, comprising: generating an information container greater than 255 octets; and transmitting a frame including the information container.

[0009] It should be noted that the general or specific embodiments may be implemented as a system, method, integrated circuit, computer program, storage medium, or any selective combination thereof. Additional benefits and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent from the specification and drawings. Benefits and / or advantages may be obtained individually by various embodiments and features of the specification and drawings, and these embodiments and features do not need to be provided in full in order to obtain one or more such benefits and / or advantages. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The accompanying drawings are used to illustrate various embodiments and explain various principles and advantages according to the present embodiments. In the accompanying drawings, the same figure numbers refer to the same or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views, and the accompanying drawings together with the following detailed description are incorporated into and form a part of the specification.

[0011] Figure 1 Depicted are example diagrams of element fragmentation with element identifier (ID) extension.

[0012] Figure 2A A sample diagram depicting the element format.

[0013] Figure 2B A sample diagram depicting the format of a sub-element.

[0014] Figure 3 Depicted are example illustrations of giant elements in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 4A Depicts a scenario where giant elements can be utilized.

[0016] Figure 4B Depicts another scenario where giant elements can be utilized.

[0017] Figure 5 A flow chart illustrating a transmission flow of a megaelement according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0018] Figure 6 Depicted is an illustration of a giant element without fragmentation in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 7 Another illustration of a giant element without fragmentation is depicted in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 8 Depicted is an illustration of a giant element with traditional fragmentation in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Fig. 9 Depicted is an illustration of a giant element with giant fragmentation in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0022] Fig.10 Depicted is an illustration of a giant element with hybrid fragmentation in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Fig.11 Describes an embodiment of the present disclosure Fig.10 Illustration of an exemplary fragment of a giant element in .

[0024] Fig.12 Depicted is a diagram of an exemplary macroelement for carrying sensed measurement reports in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Fig.13 Depicted is a diagram of a giant sub-element in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Fig.14 A flow chart illustrating a process for giant sub-elements according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0027] Fig.15 Depicted is an illustration of a giant sub-element without fragmentation in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Fig.16 Another illustration of a giant sub-element without fragmentation is depicted in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Fig.17 Depicted is an illustration of a giant sub-element with traditional fragmentation in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Fig.18 A flow chart illustrating a transport flow of a mega-element carrying mega-sub-elements according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0031] Fig.19 Depicted is a diagram of a mega-element hosting mega-sub-elements in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Fig. 20 Depicted is a diagram of a fragment of a giant element carrying a giant sub-element in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] Fig.21 Another illustration of a mega-element hosting mega-sub-elements is depicted in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Fig. 22 Another illustration of a fragment of a giant element carrying a giant sub-element is depicted in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Fig.23A Depicted is an example diagram of a jumbo fragment retransmission poll frame in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] Fig. 23B Depicted is an example illustration of retransmission of a poll frame using jumbo fragments in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] Fig.24 Alternative formats for giant elements according to embodiments of the present disclosure are depicted.

[0038] Fig.25 An alternative format for giant elements with fragmentation mode 0 or 2 is depicted in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] Fig.26 An alternative format for giant elements with fragmentation mode 1 or 3 is depicted in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] Fig. 27 Variations of macroelements according to embodiments of the present disclosure are depicted.

[0041] Fig.28 A flow chart illustrating a transmission flow of a megaelement variant according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0042] Fig.29 Depicted is an example megaelement variant without a control field in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0043] Fig.30 Depicted are example giant element variations without fragmentation in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0044] Fig.31 Depicted are example giant element variants with traditional fragmentation in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0045] Fig.32 Depicted are example giant element variants with giant fragmentation in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0046] Fig.33 Depicted are example giant element variants with hybrid fragmentation in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0047] Fig.34 Describes an embodiment of the present disclosure Fig.33 A fragment of an example giant elemental variant.

[0048] Fig.35 Variations of giant sub-elements according to embodiments of the present disclosure are depicted.

[0049] Fig.36 Depicted is an example giant sub-element variation without a control field in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0050] Fig.37 Depicted is a giant TLV (type / length / value) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0051] Fig.38 Depicted is a simplified format of a giant element according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0052] Fig.39 Depicted is a simplified format of a giant sub-element according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0053] Fig.40 A simplified format of a giant TLV according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted.

[0054] Fig.41 A flow chart illustrating a transmission flow of a megaelement variant according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0055] Fig.42 Depicted are example configurations of a station (STA) suitable for sensing and communication according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0056] Fig.43 A flow chart of a method for an information container according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0057] Fig.44 A schematic partial cross-sectional view of a STA that may be implemented for processing information containers according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0058] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the embodiments or the application and use of the embodiments. It is not intended to be bound by any theory presented in the foregoing background technology or this detailed description. In addition, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the background technology of the present disclosure.

[0060] Some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals and characters in the drawings represent like elements or equivalents.

[0061] In the following paragraphs, certain exemplary embodiments are explained with reference to access points (APs) and stations (STAs) for processing, sending, and receiving information containers, particularly in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless network.

[0062] In the context of IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) technology, a station, interchangeably referred to as a STA, is a communication device capable of using the 802.11 protocol. Based on the IEEE 802.11-2016 definition, a STA can be any device that includes an IEEE 802.11-compliant medium access control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) interface to a wireless medium (WM).

[0063] For example, a STA can be a laptop, desktop personal computer (PC), personal digital assistant (PDA), access point, or Wi-Fi phone in a wireless local area network (WLAN) environment. A STA can be fixed or mobile. In a WLAN environment, the terms "STA", "wireless client", "user", "user equipment", and "node" are often used interchangeably.

[0064] Likewise, an AP (which may be interchangeably referred to as a wireless access point (WAP) in the context of IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) technology) is a communication device that allows STAs in a WLAN to connect to a wired network. An AP is typically connected to a router (via a wired network) as a standalone device, but it may also be integrated with or used in a router.

[0065] As described above, a STA in a WLAN can be used as an AP at different times, and vice versa. This is because a communication device in the context of IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) technology can include both STA hardware components and AP hardware components. In this way, the communication device can switch between STA mode and AP mode based on actual WLAN conditions and / or requirements.

[0066] A STA may transmit information that is too large to fit in a single element (e.g., >254 octets) by fragmenting the element into a series of elements (the constituent information does not fit into that element), followed by one or more fragmentation elements. All information of the fragmented elements shall be in the same medium access control (MAC) management protocol data unit (MMPDU). Figure 1An example diagram 100 of element fragmentation with an element identifier (ID) extension is depicted, wherein an element ID (EID) field 102 indicates an element ID of a fragmented element, an element ID extension (EX) field 104 is an element ID extension of the fragmented element, and a fragment element ID (FID) field 106 indicates the fragmented element ID. The fragmented information is divided into M+N parts. For elements without an element ID extension field, L is the size of the information in octets, M is floor(L / 255), where floor(x) represents the largest integer not exceeding the value x, and N is equal to 1 if L mod 255>0, otherwise equal to 0. For elements with an element ID extension field (e.g., EX field 104), L is the size of the information in octets, M is floor((L+1) / 255), and N is equal to 1 if (L-254) mod 255>0, otherwise equal to 0.

[0067] The current element format (see, for example, Figure 2A Element format 200) and sub-element formats (for example, see Figure 2B The element format 202 of 254 octets is not suitable for carrying large amounts of data (>254 octets) because fragmentation results in large overhead. Therefore, it is desirable to design a unified container for information, regardless of the size of the data (e.g., interchangeably referred to herein as an information container), while being backward compatible (legacy devices can parse it). In the present disclosure, new variants of elements / sub-elements / TLVs are proposed as information containers for information of variable size (including extended size). Elements / sub-elements / TLVs can carry signaling to indicate a method for fragmenting an element / sub-element / TLV, indicate an extended size of the information carried, and / or track fragmentation of an element / sub-element / TLV.

[0068] called giant elements (e.g. Figure 3A new variant of an element of a giant element 300) may be used as a unified container for information regardless of the size of the data (e.g., an information container). The meaning of the element ID field 302, the length field 304, and the element ID extension field 306 may be the same as in the baseline standard. One or more values ​​of the element ID extension field 306 may uniquely identify a giant element (e.g., values ​​96, 97 identify two different giant elements, 96 identifies a giant element used to carry a sensing measurement report, and 97 identifies a giant element used to carry an extended multilink element). Additional information required to parse the giant element may be carried in a control field 308 that exists immediately before the data field 310. The fragmentation mode field 312 may indicate a value based on the fragmentation mode used, for example, '0' indicates no fragmentation, '1' indicates traditional fragmentation, '2' indicates giant fragmentation, and '3' indicates mixed fragmentation. The additional length field 314 may indicate the number of octets carried in the data field 310. In fragmentation mode 2 or 3 (giant fragmentation or hybrid fragmentation), the fragmentation option field 316 may include a fragment ID field 318 (used to uniquely identify a giant element that is divided into multiple fragments and remains the same for all fragments of the same giant element), a remaining fragment field 320 (used to indicate the number of remaining fragments of the giant element, for example, set to 0 for the last fragment, or set to a value between 1 and 15 for a fragment that is not the last fragment), and a first fragment field 322 (set to 1 to indicate the first fragment, or set to 0 if it is not the first fragment). The fragmentation option field 316 is reserved in fragmentation modes other than 2 or 3 (giant fragmentation or hybrid fragmentation).

[0069] The element ID field 302, length field 304, element ID extension field 306, and control field 308 are considered part of the header of the megaelement 300, and the 14-bit additional length field 314 can indicate a data field length of up to 16,383 octets.

[0070] In this disclosure, a legacy STA refers to an STA that does not understand the giant element format, and a new STA refers to an STA that understands the format. There may be two cases where giant elements are used. Figure 4A In the first scenario of the diagram 400 of FIG. 400 , the legacy STA 406 is not expected to parse the element (eg, the element is only carried in unicast frames sent between new STAs 402 and 404 that understand the giant element format). Figure 4B In the second scenario of diagram 408, it is expected that the legacy STA 410 parses the element (eg, the element is carried in a broadcast frame that can also be received by the legacy STA). The legacy STA that is expected to parse the element should be able to correctly discard the element.

[0071] Figure 5 A flow chart 500 illustrating a transmission flow of a giant element according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The process begins at step 502. In step 504, it is determined whether a single legacy element is sufficient to carry the control field and the data. If it is determined to be sufficient, the process proceeds to step 518, where fragmentation mode 0 (e.g., no fragmentation) is used, and the process ends. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 506, where it is determined whether the legacy STA is expected to parse the giant element. If it is determined that this is the case, the process proceeds to step 508, where it is determined whether the inclusion of the giant element causes the frame to exceed the maximum allowed MPDU size. If it is determined that this is the case, the process proceeds to step 514, where fragmentation mode 3 (e.g., mixed fragmentation) is used, and the process ends. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 512, where fragmentation mode 1 (e.g., legacy fragmentation) is used, and the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined in step 506 that the legacy STA is not expected to parse the giant element, the process proceeds to step 510, where it is determined whether the inclusion of the giant element causes the frame to exceed the maximum allowed MPDU size. If it is determined that this is the case, the process proceeds to step 516, where fragmentation mode 2 (e.g., jumbo fragmentation) is used, and the process ends. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 518, where fragmentation mode 0 (e.g., no fragmentation) is used, and the process ends. Although in the above flow, step 506 is shown to occur before step 508 or 510, this is not meant to exclude other possible flows. For example, step 508 or 510 may occur first, where it is determined whether including jumbo elements causes the frame to exceed the maximum allowed MPDU size, followed by step 506, where it is determined whether legacy STAs are expected to parse jumbo elements.

[0072] When legacy STAs are expected to parse elements, this means that legacy STAs can receive master frames and are able to decode them and parse their content. In this case, backward compatibility needs to be considered. For example, beacon probe response frames can be expected to carry legacy elements as well as giant elements, while newly defined frames (e.g., sensing measurement report frames (defined in IEEE802.11bf)) can only carry giant elements (e.g., to carry sensing measurement reports) by definition.

[0073] In fragmentation mode 0 (i.e., no fragmentation), L can be the length of the data to be carried in octets. Fragmentation mode 0 can be used if a single legacy element is sufficient to carry the control field and the data (e.g., if L is less than 252 octets), meaning that the size of the control field and the data field together are less than or equal to 255 octets. This applies to both scenarios illustrated in Figures 400 and 408. In fragmentation mode 0, the fragmentation option field in the control field is retained. The additional length field is set to L, e.g., the number of octets carried in the data field. When L is less than 252 octets, the length field may indicate the total length of the element excluding the element ID and length fields. Reference Figure 6 In the case of a jumbo element 600, an element ID extension field 604 having a value of 120 is used to identify the jumbo element. Since L=200 octets, the jumbo element 600 does not require fragmentation, so the fragmentation mode field 606 indicates a value of 0 (e.g., no fragmentation). The legacy STA does not understand the element ID extension field value 604 (e.g., 120) and uses the length field 602 to discard the element.

[0074] Fragmentation mode 0 is also used if a single legacy element is not sufficient to carry the control field and data, but the data can fit into a single frame / MPDU (e.g., MPDU). For example, if L is greater than 251 octets but less than L_max (e.g., 11,420 octets) and does not cause the MPDU size to exceed the maximum MPDU size supported by the receiving STA (e.g., 11,454 octets), and the legacy STA is not expected to parse the element. The maximum MPDU size that a STA can receive depends on the capabilities of the STA and may also depend on the frequency band on which the STA is operating. For example, for very high throughput (VHT) and high efficiency (HE) STAs, the maximum MPDU size may be 3895 or 7991 or 11454 octets. The STA uses, for example, the maximum MPDU length field of the VHT capability information field to advertise the maximum MPDU size.

[0075] Referring to the fragmentation mode field 704 having a fragmentation mode of 0 Figure 7The jumbo element 700 retains the fragmentation option field 708 in the control field. The additional length field 706 is set to L, that is, the number of octets carried in the data field 710. The length field 702 is set to 255. The new STA ignores the length field 702 and extracts the data based on the additional length field 708. Alternatively, in this case, the length field 702 can be defined as reserved and can be reused for other purposes in the future. Since the length of the data field 710 = L = 750 octets, it does not cause the MPDU size to exceed the maximum MPDU size supported by the receiving STA (e.g., 11,454 octets), so the jumbo element 700 does not need to be fragmented. When the legacy STA (e.g., STA 712) does not expect to parse the element, this means that there is no need to consider backward compatibility, such as when the main frame is a new frame type that is only understood by the new STAs (e.g., 714 and 716), in which case the legacy STA will discard the entire frame and does not need to parse the elements carried in the frame.

[0076] If a single legacy element is not large enough to carry both the control field and the data, but the data can fit into a single frame / MPDU (e.g., if L is greater than 251 octets but less than L_max (e.g., 11,420 octets) and does not cause the MPDU size to exceed the maximum allowed MPDU size, e.g., 11,454 octets) and when legacy STAs are expected to parse elements, fragmentation mode 1 (e.g., legacy fragmentation) is used. Here, L_max is the maximum payload size that can be carried in a frame / MPDU without the frame exceeding the maximum allowed MPDU size (e.g., 11,454 octets). Legacy STAs being expected to parse elements means that legacy STAs can receive primary frames and are able to decode them and parse their contents. In this case, backward compatibility needs to be considered.

[0077] In fragmentation mode 1, the fragmentation option field in the control field is retained. The additional length field is set to L, for example, the number of octets carried in the data field. The elements are fragmented according to the 802.11 element fragmentation rules (e.g., 10.28.11 (element fragmentation) in IEEE802.11-2020), except that the first three octets of the first fragment are used to carry the control field, so that the first fragment carries only 251 octets of information (relative to 254 in the baseline), and the number of octets carried in the last fragment is m = (L-251) mod 255. That is, when the information is too large to fit in a single element, the element is fragmented into a series of elements (the elements into which the constituent information does not fit), followed by one or more fragment elements.

[0078] The traditional fragmentation rule for giant elements is as follows. M is defined as floor((L+4) / 255), such that floor(x) gives the largest integer less than or equal to x. If ((L-251) mod 255) > 0, then N is equal to 1, otherwise N is equal to 0. The element into which the information does not fit is filled with the first part of the information and is called the leading element. The leading element contains 251 octets of information. This element is followed by M-1 fragment elements, each containing the next part of the information of 255 octets. If N=1, these elements are followed by the last fragment element that carries the remainder of the information. In order to reconstruct the original information, the information portion from the leading element should be concatenated in sequence with the information portion from the series of fragment elements that follow it.

[0079] Accordingly, the new STA can use the fragmentation mode field (e.g., indicating a value of 1) to detect that the element has been fragmented according to the traditional rules, and parse the element according to the traditional defragmentation rules, except that the control field is omitted from the leading element. The traditional STA does not understand the element ID extension field value (e.g., 120) and will discard all fragments of the element following the baseline parsing rules (e.g., 10.28.12 (Element Defragmentation) in IEEE802.11-2020).

[0080] Figure 8 An illustration of a giant element 800 with traditional fragmentation is depicted in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The giant element 800 (L=1175 octets) is segmented into 5 traditional fragments. The fragmentation field 802 indicates a value of 1 (e.g., traditional fragmentation). The additional length field 802 indicates a value of L=1175. Furthermore, in this example, the size of the first fragment = 251 octets, the size of the next 3 fragments each = 255 octets, and the size of the last fragment (m) = 159 octets.

[0081] If a single legacy element is not sufficient to carry the control fields and data that cannot fit into a single frame / MPDU (e.g., if L is greater than L_max (e.g., 11,420 octets)) and when legacy STAs are not expected to parse the element, then fragmentation mode 2 (e.g., jumbo fragmentation) may be used.

[0082] The giant fragmentation rules for fragmentation mode 2 are as follows. If the information to be carried in a giant element will cause the main frame to exceed the maximum MPDU size (e.g., 11454 octets), the element should be fragmented into two or more giant fragments. The Fragment ID field in the Fragmentation Option field uniquely identifies the giant element that is fragmented into multiple fragments and remains the same for all fragments of the same giant element. Each giant fragment should be carried in a separate frame and should contain a continuous portion of the information. Each giant fragment should have an equal length, except for the first and last fragments, which may be smaller. Each frame including giant fragments other than the last fragment should have a length equal to the maximum MPDU size supported by the STA. The Remaining Fragments field in the Fragmentation Option field identifies the fragments of the giant element and is set to 0 for the last fragment and to a value between 1 and 15 for fragments that are not the last fragment. The First Fragment field in the Fragmentation Option field is set to 1 in the first fragment and to 0 in fragments other than the first fragment. The Additional Length field in the Control field of each giant fragment is set to the number of octets of information carried in the Data field of the giant fragment carried in the frame. The additional length field (e.g., n and p) in the control field of the jumbo fragments other than the last fragment should be set so that the frame carrying the fragment should have a length equal to the maximum MPDU size supported by the receiving STA. If the frame carrying the first jumbo fragment includes other fields or elements in the frame body, the additional length field (e.g., n) in the control field of the jumbo fragment can be set to a value less than the value of the additional length field (e.g., p) in the control field of the jumbo fragments other than the first and last. If the frame carrying the first jumbo fragment also does not include any other fields or elements (e.g., the frame body carries only the first jumbo fragment), n=p. The additional length field (e.g., k) in the control field of the last jumbo fragment is set to the number of remaining octets of information, and the size of the frame carrying the fragment can be less than the maximum MPDU size.

[0083] Furthermore, for the jumbo fragmentation mode 2 rule, M is floor((Ln)) / p). If ((Ln) mod p)>0, then n is equal to 1, otherwise n is equal to 0. The first jumbo fragment is called the leading jumbo fragment. The leading jumbo fragment contains n octets of information. This fragment is followed by M jumbo fragment elements, each containing the next portion of p octets of information. If n=1, these elements are followed by the last jumbo fragment carrying the last portion of the information, and the number of octets of information carried in the last jumbo fragment (k)=(Ln) mod p.

[0084] For the giant fragmentation rule of fragmentation mode 2, the new STA uses the fragmentation mode field (=2) to detect that the giant element has been fragmented according to the giant fragmentation rule and parses the element as follows. To reconstruct the original information, the information part from the leading giant fragment should be concatenated in sequence with the information part from the immediately following series of giant fragments (with matching fragment ID field values). The defragmentation process will be completed when the last giant fragment with a matching fragment ID field is received (identified by the remaining fragments field = 0) or any element other than the giant fragment element is encountered.

[0085] Fig. 9 A diagram of a giant element with giant fragmentation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted. The maximum MPDU size supported by the STA receiving the giant element 900 = 11454 octets. The fragmentation mode field 906 in all giant fragmentations indicates a value of 2 (e.g., giant fragmentation), and the information length to be carried (L) = 74950 octets. Assume that the first frame 902 has remaining space to carry 10000 octets, e.g., n = 10000 octets, and the empty frame can carry 11420 octets, e.g., p = 11420. M = floor ((Ln)) / p) = 5. Since ((Ln) mod p) > 0, N = 1.

[0086] The giant element 900 is divided into 7 giant fragments. Each fragment is carried in a different frame. The additional length field 908 in the first fragment 904 is n=10000 octets. The additional length field 910 in each of the next five fragments is p=11420 octets. The additional length field 912 (k) in the last fragment 926 is (Ln) mod p=7850 octets. The remaining fragments field 914 with a value of 6 in the first fragment 904 indicates that 6 fragments are remaining. The first fragment field 916 with a value of 1 in the first fragment 904 indicates that the fragment 904 is the first giant fragment. The remaining fragments field 918 with a value of 5 in the second fragment 922 indicates that 5 fragments are remaining. The first fragment field 920 with a value of 0 in the second fragment 922 indicates that the fragment 922 is not the first giant fragment. The remaining fragment field 924 with a value of 0 in the last fragment 926 indicates that there are no more remaining fragments, for example, the fragment 926 is the last giant fragment.

[0087] If a single legacy element is not sufficient to carry both the control field and the data, the data cannot fit into a single frame / MPDU (e.g., if L is greater than the maximum allowed MPDU size L_max (e.g., 11,420 octets) supported by the receiving STA) and when a legacy STA is expected to parse the element, fragmentation mode 3 (e.g., hybrid fragmentation) is used. In hybrid fragmentation mode, a two-step fragmentation process is applied to jumbo elements, which will result in a main frame exceeding the maximum MPDU size (e.g., 11454 octets). In step 1, the jumbo element is first split into multiple jumbo fragments following the rules for jumbo fragmentation (e.g., fragmentation mode 2), including a 2-octet overhead (element ID and length field) for each legacy fragment created in step 2 in addition to the length of the data field of each jumbo fragment. Each jumbo fragment is carried in a different frame. In step 2, each jumbo fragment whose additional length field is greater than 251 octets is further split into two or more legacy fragments following the rules for legacy fragmentation (i.e., fragmentation mode 1).

[0088] The hybrid defragmentation rules are as follows. For step 1, the new STA uses the fragmentation mode field (=3) to detect that the element has been fragmented according to the hybrid fragmentation rules, and extracts information from each giant fragment according to the traditional fragmentation rules, except that the control field is omitted from the leading element of each giant fragment. For step 2, in order to reconstruct the original information, the information portion from the leading giant fragment should be concatenated in sequence with the information portion from the following series of giant fragments (e.g., with matching fragment ID field values). The defragmentation process will be completed when the last giant fragment with a matching fragment ID field is received (identified by the remaining fragments field = 0) or any element other than a giant fragment element is encountered. The traditional STA will not be aware that the frame carries fragments of the same giant element, and will treat the giant fragments as traditional fragment elements and discard them according to the traditional parsing rules.

[0089] Fig.10 depicts a diagram of a giant element 1000 with mixed fragmentation, and Fig.11An illustration 1100 of fragmentation of a giant element 1000 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted. The giant element 1000 (L=74950 octets) is divided into 7 giant fragments. Each fragment is carried in a different frame. The additional length field 1102 in the first fragment 1002 can be set to n, which can be equal to the total size of the data 1114 of the first giant fragment 1002. For example, if the total size of the data 1114 of the first giant fragment 1002 is 10000 octets, then n is equal to 10000 octets. The additional length field 1104 in each of the next five fragments (i.e., the fragments other than the first and last) can be set to p, which can be equal to the total size of the data 1116 of each of the five giant fragments. For example, if the total size of the data 1116 of each of the 5 fragments between the first fragment 1002 and the last fragment 1004 is 11332 octets, then p is equal to 11332 octets. The additional length field 1106 in the last fragment 1004 can be set to k, which can be equal to the total size of the data 1118 of the last giant fragment 1004. For example, if the total size of the data 1118 of the last giant fragment 1004 is 8290 octets, k can be equal to 8290 octets (i.e., the size of the remaining data). Each giant fragment can be further divided into two or more traditional fragments. For example, the last traditional fragment of the first giant fragment 1002 has a length field 1108 indicating a length m1=(n-251) mod 255. The last traditional fragment of each fragment except the first giant fragment 1002 and the last giant fragment 1004 has a length field 1110 indicating a length m2=(p-251) mod 255. In addition, the last traditional fragment of the last giant fragment 1004 has a length field 1112 indicating a length m3=(k-251) mod 255.

[0090] Fig.12A diagram 1200 of a mega-element including a first mega-fragment 1202 and a second mega-fragment 1204 for carrying a sensing measurement report is depicted in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, the sensing measurement report is too large to be carried in a single sensing measurement report frame and is therefore split into two mega-fragments carried in two sensing measurement report frames 1206 and 1208. An element ID extension field 1210 indicating a value of 120 identifies the sensing measurement mega-element and a fragment ID field 1212 (e.g., indicating a value of 6) identifies a specific sensing measurement report for a specific sensing measurement instance. A header portion 1214 of the sensing measurement report is carried only in the first mega-fragment 1202. In addition, a sensing measurement report field 1216 carries a first portion of the actual report (e.g., CSI feedback) and a sensing measurement report field 1218 carries a second portion of the actual report (e.g., CSI feedback).

[0091] Similar to the mega-element, a new variant of the sub-element, called the mega-sub-element, can be used as a unified information container for information within a mega-element or within a field in a frame, regardless of the size of the data to be carried in the sub-element. Fig.13 A diagram of a giant sub-element 1300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted. In the giant sub-element 1300, the meaning of the sub-element ID and length is the same as according to the standard. One or more values ​​of the sub-element ID field 1302 uniquely identify the giant sub-element (e.g., 0, 1 identify two different giant sub-elements). One value of the sub-element ID is defined as the fragment ID of the giant fragment sub-element (e.g., 254). The additional information required to parse the giant sub-element is carried in the control field 1304 that exists immediately before the data field. For the sub-element, two fragmentation modes can be defined. For example, the fragmentation mode field 1306 can indicate that the value 0 is used for no fragmentation, the value 1 is used for traditional fragmentation (e.g., 11be), and the values ​​2 to 3 can be reserved. In addition, the additional length field 1308 can indicate the number of octets carried in the data field 1310, and the 14 bits of the additional length field 1308 can signal the data field length of up to 16,383 octets. A jumbo sub-element should not cause the main frame to exceed the maximum MPDU size supported by the receiving STA, and all fragments of a jumbo sub-element should be carried in the same MPDU, that is, fragmentation of a jumbo sub-element across MPDUs is not allowed.

[0092] Fig.14A flowchart 1400 illustrating a process for giant sub-elements according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The process begins at step 1402. In the next step 1404, it is determined whether a single legacy sub-element is sufficient to carry the control field and data of the giant sub-element. If it is determined that this is the case, the process proceeds to step 1410, where fragmentation mode 0 (e.g., no fragmentation) is used, and the process ends. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1406, where it is determined whether a legacy STA is expected to parse the giant sub-element. If a legacy STA is not expected to parse the giant sub-element, the process proceeds to step 1410, where fragmentation mode 0 (e.g., no fragmentation) is used, and the process ends. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1408, where fragmentation mode 1 (e.g., legacy fragmentation) is used, and the process ends.

[0093] For jumbo sub-elements, if a single legacy sub-element is sufficient to carry the control field and data (e.g., if L is less than 253 octets), then fragmentation mode 0 is used. This applies to Figure 4A and Figure 4B The Additional Length field is set to L, i.e., the number of octets carried in the Data field. When L is less than 252 octets, the Length field indicates the total length of the element excluding the Element ID and Length fields. Fig.15 In the example of jumbo sub-element 1500, sub-element ID field 1502 indicating a value x (e.g., 0) is used to identify the jumbo sub-element. Let L be the length of the data to be carried (e.g., in octets). Length field 1504 indicates a value L+2, fragmentation mode field 1506 indicates 0 (e.g., no fragmentation), and additional length field 1508 indicates a value L. In this example, L=240 octets. Therefore, jumbo sub-element 1500 does not require fragmentation.

[0094] Even though a single legacy sub-element is not sufficient to carry the control field and data, fragmentation mode 0 is used when legacy STAs are not expected to parse the element. Fig.16 In the jumbo sub-element 1600 of the present invention, the additional length field 1608 is set to L, i.e., the number of octets carried in the data field 1610. The length field 1604 is set to 255. The new STA ignores the length field 1604 and extracts data based on the additional length field 1608. Alternatively, in this case, the length field can be defined as reserved and can be reused for other purposes in the future. In this case, since L = 750 octets, there is no need to fragment the jumbo sub-element 1600.

[0095] If a single legacy sub-element is not sufficient to carry both the control field and the data, and when a legacy STA (e.g. Fig.17 Fragmentation mode 1 is used when STA1714 in is expected to parse sub-elements. The additional length field is set to L, i.e., the number of octets carried in the data field. The data is split across a series of sub-elements consisting of a giant sub-element, followed by one or more fragment sub-elements (sub-element ID set to 254). The first two octets of the giant sub-element are used to carry the control field, so that the sub-element carries only 253 octets of information (relative to 255 in the baseline), and the number of octets carried in the last fragment sub-element m = (L-253) mod 255.

[0096] The traditional fragmentation rules for giant sub-elements can be as follows. M is floor((L+2) / 255). If ((L-253) mod 255)>0, then N is equal to 1, otherwise it is equal to 0. The sub-element into which the information does not fit is filled with the first part of the information and is called the leading sub-element. The leading sub-element contains 253 octets of information. The sub-element is followed by M-1 fragment sub-elements, each of which contains the next part of the information of 255 octets. If N=1, these sub-elements are followed by the last fragment sub-element that carries the remaining part of the information. The new STA uses the fragmentation mode field (=1) to detect that the sub-element has been fragmented according to the traditional rules and parses the sub-element according to the traditional defragmentation rules. In order to reconstruct the original information, the control field is removed from the data field of the leading sub-element, and the information portion from the leading sub-element will be cascaded in sequence with the information portion from the series of fragment sub-elements that follow it. The defragmentation process will be completed when any sub-element other than the fragment sub-element is encountered or the last fragment sub-element is received. Legacy STA does not understand the sub-element ID field value and will discard all fragments of the sub-element following the baseline parsing rules.

[0097] For example, Fig.17 The giant subelement 1700 (L=1175 octets) of is split into 5 fragments. The additional length field 1706 indicates a value of L=1175 octets. The size of the first fragment 1708 is 253 octets, the size of each of the next 3 fragments 1710 is each 255 octets, and the size of the last fragment 1712 is m=(L-253) mod 255=157 octets.

[0098] Fig.18A flow chart illustrating a transmission flow of a giant element carrying a giant sub-element according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The process starts at step 1802. In step 1804, it is determined whether a single traditional element is sufficient to carry all giant sub-elements. If it is determined that this is the case, the process proceeds to step 1818, where fragmentation mode = 0 (e.g., no fragmentation) is used for both giant elements and giant sub-elements, and the process ends. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1806, where it is determined whether the traditional STA is expected to parse the giant element. If it is determined that this is the case, the process proceeds to step 1808, where it is determined whether including the giant sub-element causes the frame to exceed the maximum allowed MPDU size. If it is determined that this is the case, the process proceeds to step 1812, where fragmentation mode = 3 (e.g., mixed fragmentation) is used for giant elements and fragmentation mode = 1 (e.g., traditional fragmentation) is used for giant sub-elements, and the process ends. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1810, where fragmentation mode = 1 (e.g., traditional fragmentation) is used for both giant elements and giant sub-elements, and the process ends. If it is determined at step 1806 that the legacy STA is not expected to parse the jumbo element, the process instead proceeds to step 1814, where it is determined whether including the jumbo sub-element causes the frame to exceed the maximum allowed MPDU size. If it is determined that this is the case, the process proceeds to step 1816, where fragmentation mode = 2 (e.g., jumbo fragmentation) is used for both jumbo elements, fragmentation mode = 0 (e.g., no fragmentation) is used for jumbo sub-elements, and the process ends. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1818, where fragmentation mode = 0 (e.g., no fragmentation) is used for both jumbo elements and jumbo sub-elements, and the process ends. Although in the above process, step 1806 is shown to occur before step 1808 or 1814, this is not meant to exclude other possible processes. For example, step 1808 or 1814 may occur first, where it is determined whether including the jumbo sub-element causes the frame to exceed the maximum allowed MPDU size, followed by step 1806, where it is determined whether the legacy STA is expected to parse the jumbo element.

[0099] In the case of giant elements carrying giant sub-elements, when legacy STA is not expected to parse both giant elements and giant sub-elements, and a single giant element is sufficient to carry all giant sub-elements, or if a single legacy element is sufficient to carry all giant sub-elements, then fragmentation mode = 0 is used for both giant elements and giant sub-elements. Fig.19The mega-element 1900 has two mega-sub-elements (ID=0 and 1 in the sub-element ID (SubEID) fields 1908 and 1914, respectively) defined within the mega-element 1900 (ID=120 as indicated in the element ID extension (EID Ext) field 1902). The mega-element 1900 carries two mega-sub-elements having lengths L1=3500 (as indicated in the additional length field 1912) and L2=5400 octets (as indicated in the additional length field 1918), respectively. The length of the data field in the mega-element 1900 is (L)=L1+L2+2*4=8908 octets. Since a single mega-element is sufficient to carry two mega-sub-elements, the fragmentation mode field 1904 in the control field of the mega-element is set to 0 (no fragmentation). In addition, the fragmentation mode=0 is also used for the two mega-sub-elements (as indicated in the fragmentation mode fields 1912 and 1916).

[0100] When legacy STAs are not expected to parse jumbo elements and jumbo sub-elements, and a single jumbo element is not sufficient to carry all jumbo sub-elements, fragmentation mode = 0 is used for jumbo sub-elements and fragmentation mode = 2 (jumbo fragmentation) is used for jumbo elements. For example, if the inclusion of a single jumbo element causes the main frame to exceed the maximum MPDU size supported by the STA, then the element is insufficient. Fig. 20In the mega-element 2000, four mega-sub-elements with IDs = 0, 1, 2, and 3 (as indicated in sub-ID fields 2010, 2016, 2030, and 2036, respectively) are defined within the mega-element (ID = 120, as indicated in EID_EXT fields 2002 and 2022), with lengths of L1 = 3500, L2 = 5400, L3 = 4600, and L4 = 5500 octets (as indicated in additional length fields 2014, 2020, 2034, and 2040, respectively). Since a single mega-element is not sufficient to carry four mega-sub-elements, mega-fragmentation is used to split the mega-element into two mega-fragments (e.g., the fragmentation mode fields 2004 and 2024 in the control field of mega-fragmentation are set to 2 (mega-fragmentation)). The first giant fragment carries the first two giant sub-elements (ID=0&1), while the second giant fragment carries the next two giant sub-elements (ID=2&3); the length of the data field in the first giant fragment (n) = L1+L2+2*4 = 8908 octets; the length of the data field in the second giant fragment (k) = L3+L4+2*4 = 10108 octets. The two giant fragments are carried in two different frames. In addition, fragmentation mode = 0 (no fragmentation as indicated in the fragmentation mode fields 2012, 2018, 2032 and 2038) is used for the four giant sub-elements. It should be noted that when a giant element carries only giant sub-elements, the frame carrying the giant element does not need to be equal to the maximum MPDU size supported by the receiving STA.

[0101] When legacy STA is expected to parse both giant elements and giant sub-elements, and a single giant element is sufficient to carry all giant sub-elements, fragmentation mode = 1 (legacy fragmentation) is used for both giant elements and giant sub-elements. Fig.21 In the mega-element 2100 of the present invention, a mega-sub-element (ID=0 as indicated in the SubEID field 2106) is defined within the mega-element (ID=120 as indicated in the EID_EXT field 2102) having a length L1=3500 (as indicated in the additional length field 2110). Since a single mega-element is sufficient to carry all sub-elements, both the mega-element and the mega-sub-element are fragmented using the traditional fragmentation mode (e.g., the fragmentation mode field 2104 in the control field of the mega-element 2100 and the fragmentation mode field 2108 in the mega-sub-element are set to 1 (traditional fragmentation)).

[0102] When legacy STA is expected to parse both giant elements and giant sub-elements, and a single giant element is not sufficient to carry all giant sub-elements, fragmentation mode = 1 (legacy fragmentation) is used for giant sub-elements and fragmentation mode = 3 (mixed fragmentation) is used for giant elements. Fig. 22In the mega-element 2200, two mega-sub-elements (ID=0 and 1, as indicated in SubEID fields 2208 and 2218) are defined within the mega-element (ID=120, as indicated in EID_EXT fields 2202 and 2212), and their lengths are n=9500 octets (as indicated in additional length field 2206) and p=8700 octets (as indicated in additional length field 2216), respectively. Since a single mega-element is not large enough to carry all sub-elements, the mega-sub-elements are fragmented using the traditional fragmentation mode (i.e., the fragmentation mode fields 2210 and 2220 in the control field of the mega-sub-element are set to 1 (traditional fragmentation)), while mega-fragments are used for the mega-element (i.e., the fragmentation mode fields 2204 and 2214 in the control field of the mega-element 2200 are set to 3).

[0103] Fig.23A An example illustration of a jumbo fragment retransmission poll frame 2300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted. The jumbo fragment retransmission poll frame 2300 is used to request selective retransmission of jumbo fragments in the event of a reception failure. Selective retransmission of jumbo fragments is more useful when the acknowledgement (ack) policy of the primary frame is set to "No Ack", or when the frame type of the primary frame does not request an ack frame by default, such as when the frame is an Action No Ack frame. The fragment ID field 2302 identifies the jumbo element whose fragments are requested for retransmission. The fragment retransmission bitmap field 2304 indicates the jumbo fragments requested for retransmission. If the bit in position n (n=0 for the least significant bit (LSB), n=15 for the most significant bit (MSB)) is 1, the remaining fragments field in the fragmentation option field in the request control field is equal to n jumbo fragments. Reference Fig. 23B In the example 2306, four jumbo fragments are carried in the A-MPDU, one fragment per MPDU. Transmission of the third jumbo fragment fails (as shown by reference numeral 2308), and is requested to be retransmitted using a jumbo fragment retransmission poll frame 2310. The bit in position 1 2314 of the fragment retransmission bitmap field 2312 is set to 1 to indicate that jumbo fragments with remaining fragments field = 1 are requested for retransmission.

[0104] Fig.24A jumbo sub-element 2400 of an alternative format according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted. While the meaning of the fields in jumbo sub-element 2400 is generally the same as for the jumbo elements described in the previous figures, some differences are as follows. A reserved value (e.g., 254) of element ID field 2406 uniquely identifies a jumbo element variant. The octet immediately following length field 2402 is used as length extension field 2404 and, together with length field 2402, indicates the size of jumbo element 2400. The octet immediately following length extension field 2404 is used as jumbo element ID field 2406 and identifies various types of jumbo elements.

[0105] The element ID field with a value of 254 can be used to identify a mega-element variant. For example, the element ID field value 254 is a reserved value for identifying mega-elements. Mega-element IDs = 0, 1, 2, etc. identify different types of mega-elements. Fig.25 In the jumbo element 2500 of the present invention, the fragmentation mode field 2504 indicates 0 or 2 to indicate no fragmentation or jumbo fragmentation, respectively. In addition, the length field 2506 indicates n, and the length extension field 2508 indicates M. L is the total size (in octets) of the data of the jumbo element 2500, where L = (M*255+n-1) octets.

[0106] Reference has element ID field 2602=254 Fig.26 The jumbo element 2600 of the present invention, the fragmentation mode field 2604 indicates 1 or 3 to indicate traditional fragmentation or hybrid fragmentation, respectively. In addition, the length extension field 2606 indicates M, where M is M+1, which is the number of jumbo fragments into which the jumbo element is divided. L is the total size (in octets) of the data of the jumbo element 2600, where L=((M-1)*255+251+m)) octets, and m=(L-251) mod 255.

[0107] In an embodiment, a new variant of a mega-element can be used as a unified container for information (e.g., regardless of the size of the data). In this variant, the meaning of the fields is the same as in the mega-element discussed above, except for the following. Fig. 27 In the case of a megaelement 2700, a single value of the element ID extension field 2702 can uniquely identify a megaelement variant (e.g., 96). The megaelement ID field 2704 immediately following the element ID extension field 2702 can identify various types of megaelement. When a single legacy element is sufficient to carry the megaelement ID and data (e.g., L < 254 octets), the control field 2706 is not present.

[0108] The control field 2706 is present when a single legacy element is not sufficient to carry the giant element ID and data (e.g., L>253 octets). When the fragmentation mode in the fragmentation mode field 2708 is 0 or 1, the fragmentation option field 2710 and the total length field 2712 are not present, and in this case, the control field is 2 octets long. The total length field 2712 indicates the total number of octets carried in the giant element 2700 across all its fragments. The receiving STA can use this information to prepare resources (e.g., memory space) in advance for the data carried in the giant element 2700. When the fragmentation option field 2710 is present, the total length field 2712 is optionally present when the fragmentation mode in the fragmentation mode field 2708 is 2 or 3. For example, the total length field 2712 is present in the first giant fragment and indicates the total number of octets carried in the giant element 2700 across all its fragments, and in this case, the control field 2706 is 6 octets long. In another example, the total length field 2712 is not present in jumbo fragments other than the first fragment, and in this case, the control field 2706 is 3 octets long.

[0109] Fig.28 A flow chart 2800 illustrating a transport stream of a mega-element variant according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The process begins at step 2802. In step 2804, it is determined whether a single traditional element is sufficient to carry the mega-element ID field and the data of the mega-element. If it is determined that this is the case, the process proceeds to step 2808, where the control field is omitted and the process ends. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 2806, where the control field is present, and the process further proceeds to step 2810, where it is determined whether the fragmentation mode = 0 (no fragmentation) or 1 (legacy fragmentation). If it is determined that the fragmentation mode is 0 or 1, the process proceeds to step 2812, where the control field is set to 2 octets, and the fragmentation option field and the total length field are omitted, and the process ends. Otherwise, the process instead proceeds to step 2814, where it is determined whether the fragmentation mode = 2 (mega-fragmentation) or 3 (mixed fragmentation). If it is determined that the fragmentation mode is not 2 or 3, the process proceeds to step 2818 where the mode is not supported, and the process ends. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 2816 where it is determined whether this is the first giant element. If this is determined to be the case, processing proceeds to step 2820 where the control field is set to 6 octets and the total length field is present, and processing ends. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 2822 where the control field is set to 3 octets and the total length field is omitted, and the process ends.

[0110] In one embodiment, the element ID extension field with a value of 120 is used to identify a megaelement variant. Megaelement ID = 0, 1, 2, etc. can identify different types of megaelement. Fig.29 A giant element 2900 of 1, where L = 200 octets, the control field is not present (because L is only 200 octets). The receiving new STA determines that the control field is not present based on the length field 2902 (where L < 254). The legacy STA does not understand the element ID extension field 2904 value (e.g., 120) and discards the element using the length field 2902. Fig.30 In the case of a jumbo element 3000 of L=750 octets and the EID extension field 3004 indicates a value of 120, the legacy STA is not expected to parse the jumbo element 3000. The control field 3006 is 2 octets (the fragmentation option and total length fields are not present). In the control field 3006, the fragmentation mode field 3008 indicates a value of 0 (e.g., no fragmentation), and the additional length field indicates L (e.g., the total size in octets of the data in the jumbo element 3000 is L). The receiving new STA determines that the control field 3006 exists based on the length field 3002 (L>253).

[0111] Fig.31 An example giant element 3100 with legacy fragmentation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted. A legacy STA is expected to parse the giant element 3100 (L=1175 octets) that is split into 5 legacy fragments. The length field 3112 indicates a value of 255, and the EID extension field 3114 indicates a value of 120 (e.g., indicating that the giant element 3100 is a giant element variant). The additional length field 3106 indicates a value of 1175 (e.g., 1175 octets). The control field 3102 is 2 octets (the fragmentation option and total length are not present). The fragmentation mode field 3104 indicates a value of 1 (e.g., legacy fragmentation). The size of the first fragment 3108 = 251 octets, the size of the next 3 fragments = 255 octets each, and the size of the last fragment 3110 (m) = 159 octets, where m = (L-251) mod 255.

[0112] Fig.32An example mega-element 3200 with mega-fragmentation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted. The length (L) of the information to be carried = 74950 octets, and it is not expected that a legacy STA will parse the mega-element 3200. In this example, the first frame 3202 has remaining space to carry 10,000 octets (e.g., n = 10,000 octets), and the null frame can carry 11,420 octets (e.g., p = 11,420). M = floor ((Ln)) / p) = 5. Since ((Ln) mod p) > 0, N = 1. The mega-element 3200 is divided into 7 mega-fragments, for example, the fragmentation mode field 3204 indicates a value of 2 (mega-fragmentation). Each fragment is carried in a different frame. The additional length field 3206 in the first fragment = n = 10,000 octets. The total length field is present in the first fragment and = 74,950 octets. The additional length field 3208 in each of the next five fragments = p = 11420 octets. The additional length field 3210 (k) in the last fragment = (Ln) mod p = 7850 octets.

[0113] Fig.33 An example giant element 3300 with mixed fragmentation is depicted, and Fig.34 An illustration 3400 of fragmentation of a giant element 3300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted. A legacy STA is expected to parse the giant element 3300. The giant element 3300 (L=74950 octets) is fragmented into 7 giant fragments. The fragmentation mode field 3402 indicates a value of 3 (mixed fragmentation). Each giant fragment is further fragmented into legacy fragments, and each giant fragment is carried in a different frame. The additional length field 3404 (n)=10000 octets in the first giant fragment 3302. The total length field 3406 is present in the first fragment 3302 and indicates a value of 74950 octets. The number of octets m1=(n-248) mod 255 carried in the last legacy fragment of the first giant fragment 3302. The additional length field 3408 (p)=11332 octets in each of the next five fragments. The number of octets carried in the last conventional fragment in each of the next five jumbo fragments is m2 = (p-251) mod 255. The additional length field 3410 (k) in the last jumbo fragment 3304 = 8290 octets. The number of octets carried in the last conventional fragment of the last jumbo fragment 3304 is m3 = (k-251) mod 255.

[0114] Similar to the mega-element, a new variant of the sub-element, called the mega-sub-element, can be used as a unified container for information within a mega-element or within a field within a frame, regardless of the size of the data to be carried in the sub-element. Fig.35 The meaning of the fields of the jumbo subelement 3500 is the same as that of the jumbo element according to the previous embodiment, except that the control field 3502 is not present when a single legacy subelement is sufficient to carry the data (e.g., L < 256 octets), but is present in all other cases. The 14 bits of the additional length field 3506 can signal a data field length of up to 16,383 octets (e.g., the length of the data field 3504).

[0115] Fig.36 An example mega sub-element 3600 without a control field is depicted in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The sub-element ID field 3602 indicates a value x for identifying the mega sub-element. In this example, L is the length of the data to be carried in octets (e.g., the length of the data field 3606). Since L is 240 octets in this case, there is no control field. The receiving new STA determines that there is no control field based on the length field 3604 (L<256).

[0116] In an embodiment, a new variant of TLV (Type / Length / Value), called Jumbo TLV, can be used as a unified container for information, regardless of the size of the data. Fig.37 In the giant TLV 3700 of the present invention, the meaning of the type field 3702, the length field 3704, and the value field 3708 are the same as in the baseline. The type field 3702, the length field 3704, and the control field 3706 are considered to be part of the header of the giant TLV 3700. One or more values ​​of the type field 3702 can be configured to uniquely identify the giant element (for example, 0xEd, 0xEe identify two different giant TLVs). The additional information required to parse the giant TLV 3700 is carried in the control field 3706 that exists immediately before the value field 3708. The meaning of the subfields of the control field 3706 and the fragmentation scheme are the same as those of the giant element according to the previous embodiment. In addition, the 14 bits of the additional length field 3710 can be used to signal the data field length of up to 16,383 octets.

[0117] In an embodiment, when backward compatibility is not required, for example, when legacy STAs are never expected to parse giant elements / sub-elements / TLVs and never use legacy elements / sub-elements / TLVs together with giant elements / sub-elements / TLVs in the same frame, a simplified format of giant elements / sub-elements / TLVs may be used. Such a scenario where backward compatibility is not required may be possible, for example, when new bands are available for 802.11 in the future, for example, in the 7 GHz band, and only new STAs are allowed to operate on the new bands, or it may also occur in existing bands (e.g., the 5 GHz band), where the basic service set (BSS) policy only allows newer generation STAs (e.g., new STAs) to join the BSS, and legacy STAs are not allowed to join the BSS. Alternatively, the use of giant elements / sub-elements / TLVs is restricted (e.g., as defined in the specification) to certain frame / packet types, and these frames / packets only carry giant elements (e.g., not legacy elements). Reference Fig.38 The giant element 3800, Fig.39 The giant sub-element 3900 and Fig.40 For a jumbo TLV 4000, two octets of the ID / type field (e.g., jumbo element ID field 3802, jumbo sub-element ID field 3902, and jumbo TLV field 4002) allow up to 65535 elements, sub-elements, and TLVs to be defined, respectively. Three octets of length fields 3804 and 4004 allow jumbo element 3800 and jumbo TLV 4000 to carry up to 16777214 octets of data, respectively (e.g., assuming the maximum supported MPDU / packet size is large enough). Two octets of length field 3904 allow jumbo sub-element 3900 to carry up to 65535 octets of data. The fragmentation option fields 3806 and 4006 have the same meaning as the jumbo element and TLV (e.g., jumbo fragmentation) according to the previous embodiment, and if the jumbo element 3800 and the jumbo TLV 4000 are each split into two or more jumbo fragments (e.g., due to a size exceeding the supported maximum MPDU size), the fragmentation option fields 3806 and 4006 are used to carry information related to the jumbo fragments of the jumbo element 3800 and the jumbo TLV 4000, respectively.

[0118] Fig.41A flowchart 4100 illustrating a transmission flow of a giant element variant according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The process starts at step 4102. In step 4104, it is determined whether a traditional STA exists in the BSS or network. If this is not determined, the process proceeds to step 4108, where a giant element, a sub-element, or a TLV is used, and the process ends. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 4106, where it is determined whether there is a main frame, a packet, a broadcast, or a multicast (e.g., whether a STA group is addressed). If it is determined that this is the case, the process proceeds to step 4110, where it is determined whether the main frame or packet can be decoded by a traditional STA. If it is determined that this is the case, the process proceeds to step 4114, where a traditional element, a sub-element, or a TLV is used, and the process ends. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 4116, where a giant element, a sub-element, or a TLV is used instead, and the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined in step 4106 that there is no main frame, packet broadcast or multicast, the process proceeds to step 4112, in which it is determined whether the receiver is a legacy STA. If it is determined that this is the case, the process proceeds to step 4118, where a legacy element, sub-element or TLV is used, and the process ends. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 4120, where a giant element, sub-element or TLV is used instead, and the process ends. In step 4110, when the main frame can carry a legacy element or a giant element, in order to avoid confusion for the new STA, a reserved value of the element ID (e.g., a value between 245 and 254) can be used in the first octet of the giant element ID field to identify the element as a giant element, and the second octet of the giant element ID field identifies the giant element subtype. Alternatively, the frame / packet can carry signaling (e.g., in the frame header) indicating the type of element carried in the frame / packet (e.g., one bit set to 0 (e.g., referred to as the element type) indicates that a legacy element is carried, and a bit set to 1 indicates that a giant element is carried).

[0119] Fig.42An example configuration of a communication device 4200 is shown. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the communication device 4200 is implemented as an AP or STA for utilizing an information container. The communication device 4200 includes a power supply 4202, a memory 4204, a central processing unit (CPU) 4206 including at least one processor, an auxiliary memory 4208, and a wireless I / F 4212. The memory 4204 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having data representing instructions stored therein, which may be executed by at least one processor of the CPU 4206 to communicate with the wireless I / F 4212 to perform an enhanced client discovery process according to various embodiments described in the present disclosure. The wireless I / F 4212 includes a MAC layer 4214 and a PHY layer 4216. The PHY layer 4216 is connected to a radio transmitter (not shown), a radio receiver (not shown), and an antenna 4222 for sending / receiving signals to / from other communication devices (e.g., STA / AP). The auxiliary memory 4208 may be configured to store the AID of the associated communication device.

[0120] The MAC layer 4214 includes an information container transmission module 4218. The information container transmission module 4218 may be configured to generate and transmit frames including information containers (e.g., giant elements, giant sub-elements, giant TLVs, and other similar frames) according to the various embodiments described above. The MAC layer 4214 also includes an information container reception module 4220, which is configured to receive and process frames including information containers (e.g., giant elements, giant sub-elements, giant TLVs, and other similar frames) according to the various embodiments described above.

[0121] Fig.43 A flow chart 4300 illustrating a communication method according to various embodiments is shown. At step 4302, an information container greater than 255 octets is generated. At step 4304, a frame including the information container is transmitted.

[0122] Fig.44 A schematic partial cross-sectional view of a communication device 4400 that may be implemented for processing an information container according to various embodiments is shown. According to various embodiments, the communication device 4400 may be implemented as a STA or an AP.

[0123] The various functions and operations of the communication device 4400 are arranged into layers according to a hierarchical model. In this model, the lower layers report to and receive instructions from the higher layers according to the IEEE specification. For simplicity, the details of the hierarchical model are not discussed in this disclosure.

[0124] like Fig.44As shown, the communication device 4400 may include a circuit 4414, at least one radio transmitter 4402, at least one radio receiver 4404, and a plurality of antennas 4412 (for simplicity, for the purpose of illustration, in Fig.44 Only one antenna is depicted in FIG. 4 ). The circuit may include at least one controller 4406 for software and hardware assistance in performing the tasks it is designed to perform, including controlling communications with one or more other devices in the wireless network. The at least one controller 4406 may control at least one transmission signal generator 4408 to generate frames to be sent to one or more other STAs or APs through at least one radio transmitter 4402, and control at least one reception signal processor 4410 to process frames received from one or more other STAs or APs through at least one radio receiver 4404. The at least one transmission signal generator 4408 and the at least one reception signal processor 4410 may be independent modules of the communication device 4400, which communicate with the at least one controller 4406 for the above functions. Alternatively, the at least one transmission signal generator 4408 and the at least one reception signal processor 4410 may be included in the at least one controller 4406. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the arrangement of these functional modules is flexible and may vary according to actual needs and / or requirements. Data processing, storage and other related control devices may be provided on appropriate circuit boards and / or in chipsets.

[0125] In various embodiments, at least one radio transmitter 3602, at least one radio receiver 4404, and at least one antenna 4412 may be controlled by at least one controller 4406. Furthermore, while only one radio transmitter 4402 is shown, it should be understood that more than one such transmitter may be present.

[0126] In various embodiments, at least one radio receiver 4404 together with at least one receive signal processor 4410 forms a receiver of the communication device 4400. The receiver of the communication device 4400 provides the functionality required to process the information container. Although only one radio receiver 4404 is shown, it should be understood that more than one such receiver may be present.

[0127] The communication device 4400 provides the functions required to generate and send information containers. For example, the circuit 4414 can generate information containers larger than 255 octets. The transmitter 4402 can send frames including information containers.

[0128] The information container may be divided into a plurality of fragments, the information container including information related to the plurality of fragments. The receiver 4404 may receive a retransmission request frame requesting retransmission of one or more fragments of the plurality of fragments; and the transmitter 4402 may be further configured to send the requested one or more fragments.

[0129] The information container may indicate the size of the information container or the size of a fragment of the information container. The information container may be one of an element, a sub-element, or a TLV (Type / Length / Value).

[0130] The information container may include information regarding a fragmentation mode of the information container. The circuit system 4414 may be further configured to determine the fragmentation mode based on the type of frame. The circuit system 4414 may be further configured to determine the fragmentation mode based on the type of communication device to which the frame is addressed.

[0131] The communication device 4400 provides the functions required to receive and process information containers. For example, the receiver 4404 can receive a frame including an information container, which includes data greater than 255 octets. The circuit 4414 can extract the data from the information container.

[0132] The information container may be divided into a plurality of fragments, the information container including information related to the plurality of fragments. The transmitter 4402 may transmit a retransmission request frame requesting retransmission of one or more fragments of the plurality of fragments; and wherein the receiver 4404 may be further configured to receive the requested one or more fragments.

[0133] The information container may indicate the size of the information container or the size of a fragment of the information container. The information container may be one of an element, a sub-element, or a TLV (Type / Length / Value).

[0134] The information container may include information about a fragmentation pattern of the information container. The circuit 4414 may be further configured to extract data from the information container based on the fragmentation pattern.

[0135] The present disclosure can be implemented by software, hardware or software in collaboration with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of each of the above embodiments can be implemented in part or in whole by an LSI such as an integrated circuit, and each process described in each embodiment can be controlled in part or in whole by the same LSI or a combination of LSIs. LSI can be formed as a chip alone, or a chip can be formed to include a part or all of the functional blocks. LSI can include data input and output coupled to it. According to the difference in integration, the LSI here can be referred to as IC, system LSI, super LSI or ultra LSI. However, the technology for implementing integrated circuits is not limited to LSI, and can be implemented by using a dedicated circuit, a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor. In addition, an FPGA (field programmable gate array) that can be programmed after LSI manufacturing or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connection and setting of the circuit unit arranged inside the LSI can be used. The present disclosure can be implemented as digital processing or analog processing. If, as a result of the advancement of semiconductor technology or other derivative technologies, future integrated circuit technology replaces LSI, future integrated circuit technology can be used to integrate functional blocks. Biotechnology can also be applied.

[0136] The present disclosure may be implemented by any kind of apparatus, device, or system having a communication function, which is referred to as a communication device.

[0137] Some non-limiting examples of such communication devices include phones (e.g., cellular (cell) phones, smart phones), tablets, personal computers (PCs) (e.g., laptops, desktops, netbooks), cameras (e.g., digital still / video cameras), digital players (digital audio / video players), wearable devices (e.g., wearable cameras, smart watches, tracking devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), smart glasses), game consoles, digital book readers, telemedicine / telemedicine (remote health and medicine) devices, and vehicles providing communication capabilities (e.g., cars, airplanes, ships), and various combinations thereof.

[0138] Communications devices are not limited to being portable or transportable, and may also include any kind of apparatus, device, or system that is non-portable or fixed, such as smart home devices (e.g., appliances, lighting, smart meters, control panels), vending machines, and any other “things” in a network of the “Internet of Things (IoT)”.

[0139] Communications may include exchanging data via, for example, cellular systems, wireless LAN systems, satellite systems, etc., and various combinations thereof.

[0140] The communication device may include a device such as a controller or a sensor coupled to the communication device that performs the communication functions described in the present disclosure. For example, the communication device may include a controller or a sensor that generates a control signal or a data signal used by the communication device that performs the communication functions of the communication device.

[0141] Communications equipment may also include infrastructure equipment such as base stations, access points, and any other device, equipment, or system that communicates with or controls devices such as those in the above non-limiting examples.

[0142] A non-limiting example of a station may be a station included in a first plurality of stations attached to a multi-link station logical entity (i.e., such as an MLD), wherein as part of the first plurality of stations attached to the multi-link station logical entity, the stations in the first plurality of stations share a common medium access control (MAC) data service interface to an upper layer, wherein the common MAC data service interface is associated with a common MAC address or traffic identifier (TID).

[0143] Therefore, it can be seen that the present embodiment provides a communication device and method for processing an information container.

[0144] Although exemplary embodiments have been presented in the foregoing detailed description of the present embodiment, it should be understood that there are a large number of variations. It should also be understood that the exemplary embodiments are examples and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, operation or configuration of the present disclosure in any way. On the contrary, the foregoing detailed description will provide a convenient roadmap for implementing the exemplary embodiments for those skilled in the art, and it should be understood that various changes may be made to the functions and arrangements of the steps and operating methods described in the exemplary embodiments and the modules and structures of the devices described in the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the subject matter set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising: Circuitry for generating information containers larger than 255 octets; as well as A transmitter transmits a frame including the information container.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The information container is divided into a plurality of fragments, and the information container includes information related to the plurality of fragments.

3. The communication device according to claim 2, further comprising a receiver that receives a retransmission request frame requesting retransmission of one or more fragments of the plurality of fragments; and wherein, The sender is further configured to send the requested one or more fragments.

4. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The information container includes information about a fragmentation mode of the information container.

5. The communication device according to claim 4, wherein: The circuit is further configured to determine the fragmentation mode based on a type of the frame.

6. The communication device according to claim 4, wherein: The circuitry is further configured to determine the fragmentation pattern based on a type of communication device to which the frame is addressed.

7. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The information container indicates a size of the information container or a size of a fragment of the information container.

8. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The information container is one of an element, a sub-element or a TLV (type / length / value).

9. A communication device, comprising: a receiver that receives a frame including an information container, the information container including data greater than 255 octets; as well as A circuit is provided to extract the data from the information container.

10. The communication device according to claim 9, wherein: The information container is divided into a plurality of fragments, and the information container includes information related to the plurality of fragments.

11. The communication device according to claim 10, further comprising a transmitter that transmits a retransmission request frame requesting retransmission of one or more fragments of the plurality of fragments; and wherein the receiver is further configured to receive the requested one or more fragments.

12. The communication device according to claim 9, wherein: The information container includes information about a fragmentation mode of the information container.

13. The communication device according to claim 12, wherein: The circuit is further configured to extract the data from the information container based on the fragmentation pattern.

14. The communication device according to claim 9, wherein: The information container indicates a size of the information container or a size of a fragment of the information container.

15. The communication device according to claim 9, wherein: The information container is one of an element, a sub-element or a TLV (type / length / value).

16. A communication method, comprising: Generate information containers larger than 255 octets; as well as A frame including the information container is sent.

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