Data transmission method using packet aggregation

Abstract

In the data transmission method, a mac layer receives data from an upper layer, classifies the data according to destination addresses and traffic identifiers, aggregates the data by destination address and traffic identifier as a first transmission unit, aggregates the first transmission units having the identical destination address as a second transmission unit, and transmits the second transmission units having different destination addresses in a single frame. The data transmission method allows packets transferred from the upper layer to be hierarchically aggregated by DAs and TIDs and then packaged into a data unit for each destination such that it is possible to transmit the data at an optimal data rate for each destination terminal.

Description

Each each PPDU has a modulation and transmission scheme index (M1, M2). Then, a frame header 471 is attached to the radio frame 470 and the radio frame 470 is transmitted.

In this case, the MPDUs having the same DA are aggregated, i.e., data are aggregated according to each terminal, so that overlapping MAC headers can be reduced and corresponding MPDUs can be transmitted at an optimal transmission rate for each terminal.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating the hierarchical packet aggregation method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, when MSDUs are received from an upper layer (step S501), a MAC layer checks the DAs and the TIDs of the MSDUs and classifies the MSDUs according to each DA (step S502). When the classification for the MSDUs according to each DA has ended, MSDUs having the same TID are classified from among MSDUs having the same DA (step S503). The MSDUs having the same DA and TID are aggregated, so that an MSDU group is generated (step S504). Further, one MAC header is attached to the MSDU group constructed in this way, so that an MPDU is generated (step S505). The MAC header includes information for types of the same DA and TID. In other words, the MSDUs having the same DA and TID are aggregated, so that one MPDU is generated. A PSDU is then generated which contains MPDU's having the same DA but a different TID (step S506). Then, a PHY header is attached to the MPDUs having the same DA and constructed in this way, so that a PPDU is generated (step S507). Further, PPDUs having different DAs are loaded into one radio frame and transmitted together with a frame header (step S508).

According to a data transmission method using packet aggregation of the present invention as described above, packets transferred from an upper layer are hierarchically aggregated according to DAs and TIDs, and aggregated as a data unit according to each destination before being transmitted, so that data transmission can be performed at an optimal transmission rate for a destination terminal, to improve the quality of a real-time traffic service sensitive to a delay.

Furthermore, according to a data transmission method using packet aggregation of the present invention, packets having the same DA or TID are aggregated, one MAC header shared by the packets is attached to the aggregated packet, and then the aggregated packet is transmitted, so that resource efficiency can be improved. In addition, data transmission is performed at an optimal transmission rate for each terminal, so that the total system performance can be improved.

While the present invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A data transmission apparatus in a wireless communication system, the data transmission apparatus comprising: means for aggregating mac (Media access control) Service data units (MSDUs) received from an upper layer having a same destination address as a first aggregate data unit; means for forming a mac protocol data unit (mpdu) by attaching a header to the first aggregate data unit; and means for aggregating the mpdu including the first aggregate data unit with another mpdu having the same destination address to form a second aggregate data unit, unit; wherein the second aggregate data unit is transmitted via a Physical protocol data unit (PPDU).

2. The data transmission apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the header is a Media access control (mac) header.

3. The data transmission apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the mac header includes the destination address of the aggregated data.

4. A data transmission method for a data transmission apparatus in a wireless communication system, the data transmission method comprising: aggregating at a data transmission apparatus mac (Media access control) Service data units (MSDUs) received from an upper layer having a same destination address as a first aggregate data unit; forming a mac protocol data unit (mpdu) by attaching a header to the first aggregate data unit; and aggregating the mpdu including the first aggregate data unit with another mpdu having the same destination address to form a second aggregate data unit, unit; wherein the second aggregate data unit is transmitted via a Physical protocol data unit (PPDU).

5. The data transmission method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the header is a Media access control (mac) header.

6. The data transmission method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the mac header includes the destination address of the aggregated data.

7. A data reception apparatus in a wireless communication system, the data reception apparatus comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a first aggregate data unit formed by aggregating a first Media access control (mac) protocol data unit (mpdu) comprising a second aggregate data unit with a second mpdu having a same destination address as the first mpdu, the first mpdu being formed by attaching a header to the second aggregate data unit, and the second aggregate data unit being formed by aggregating mac Service data units (MSDUs) each having the destination address of the first mpdu; and

a processor configured to acquire the first mpdu and the second mpdu from the first aggregate data unit.

8. The data reception apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive the first aggregate data unit via a Physical protocol data unit (PPDU).

9. The data reception apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the header is a Media access control (mac) header.

10. The data reception apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the mac header comprises the destination address of the MSDUs aggregated to form the second aggregate data unit.

11. A data reception method in a wireless communication system, the data reception method comprising:

receiving, by a data reception apparatus, a first aggregate data unit formed by aggregating a first Media access control (mac) protocol data unit (mpdu) comprising a second aggregate data unit with a second mpdu having a same destination address as the first mpdu, the first mpdu being formed by attaching a header to the second aggregate data unit, the second aggregate data unit being formed by aggregating mac Service data units (MSDUs) each having the destination address of the first mpdu; and

acquiring, by the data reception apparatus, the first mpdu and the second mpdu from the first aggregate data unit.

12. The data reception method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the first aggregate data unit via a Physical protocol data unit (PPDU).

13. The data reception method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the header is a Media access control (mac) header.

14. The data reception method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the mac header comprises the destination address of the MSDUs aggregated to form the second aggregate data unit.

15. A data reception apparatus in a wireless communication system, the data reception apparatus comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a first aggregate data unit formed by aggregating a first mac (Media access control) protocol data unit (mpdu) comprising a second aggregate data unit with a second mpdu having a same destination as the first mpdu, the first mpdu being formed by attaching a header to the second aggregate data unit, and the second aggregate data unit being formed by aggregating mac Service data units (MSDUs) each having a same destination address as one another and a same traffic identifier as one another; and

a processor configured to acquire the first mpdu and the second mpdu from the first aggregate data unit.

16. The data reception apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive the first aggregate data unit via a Physical protocol data unit (PPDU).

17. The data reception apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the header is a Media access control (mac) header.

18. The data reception apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the mac header comprises the destination address of the MSDUs aggregated to form the second aggregate data unit.

19. The data reception apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first mpdu and the second mpdu included in the first aggregate data unit have mutually different traffic identifiers.

20. A data reception method for a data reception apparatus in a wireless communication system, the data reception method comprising:

receiving, by a data reception apparatus, a first aggregate data unit formed by aggregating a first mac (Media access control) protocol data unit (mpdu) comprising a second aggregate data unit with a second mpdu having a same destination as the first mpdu, the first mpdu being formed by attaching a header to the second aggregate data unit, and the second aggregate data unit being formed by aggregating mac Service data units (MSDUs) each having a same destination address as one another and a same traffic identifier as one another; and

acquiring, by the data reception apparatus, the first mpdu and the second mpdu from the first aggregate data unit.

21. The data reception method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the first aggregate data unit via a Physical protocol data unit (PPDU).

22. The data reception method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the header is a Media access control (mac) header.

23. The data reception method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the mac header comprises the destination address of the MSDUs aggregated to form the second aggregate data unit.

24. The data reception method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the first mpdu and the second mpdu included in the first aggregate data unit have mutually different traffic identifiers.