EDMG A-PPDU Legacy Compatibility via Header Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
The IEEE 802.11ay technology faces challenges in maintaining backwards compatibility with legacy WiGig devices while transmitting EDMG A-PPDU without inter-frame spacing or preamble, as there is no established access control method to ensure efficient communication.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves an access control method that converts the EDMG-Header-A into a format recognizable by legacy devices, setting appropriate lengths and indicators in headers to allow legacy stations to process EDMG A-PPDU as typical legacy PPDUs, ensuring compatibility and error handling mechanisms for reliable data transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If EDMG A-PPDU is transmitted without inter-frame spacing or preamble to improve transmission efficiency, then productivity is improved, but compatibility with legacy WiGig devices deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the A-PPDU transmission by introducing a legacy preamble that is compatible with legacy WiGig devices, while the actual data transmission uses the efficient EDMG format without inter-frame spacing. This allows the system to maintain legacy compatibility at the protocol level while achieving high-speed transmission in practice.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a legacy preamble as an intermediary element that bridges between legacy WiGig devices and EDMG A-PPDU transmissions. The preamble contains information that allows legacy devices to recognize and handle the transmission appropriately, while the actual data payload uses the efficient aggregated format.
2Adaptability or versatility
If header format is modified to be recognizable by legacy devices, then adaptability or versatility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making only the necessary portions of the header legacy-compatible (the preamble and certain header fields) while keeping the rest of the EDMG A-PPDU structure intact. This selective modification approach maintains legacy compatibility without requiring complete redesign of the header format, thus limiting the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A communication apparatus includes: a PPDU generation unit that sets a time equal to or greater than a total of a non-legacy STF, a non-legacy CEF, multiple non-legacy header fields, and multiple data fields as a nominal data field length, computes a nominal data octet size based on the nominal data field length, stores the nominal data octet size in a legacy header, and sets an Additional PPDU field in the legacy header to 0; a signal processing unit that forms an A-PPDU in the nominal data field length or less; and a transmission unit that transmits the A-PPDU.