Methods for transmitting and receiving data using a plurality of radio channels, transmission and destination devices, corresponding signal and computer program

1. A method comprising:

transmitting data packets in a communications network using a plurality of radiofrequency channels, said communications network being organized into a plurality of communications layers comprising a data link layer, called a MAC layer, and a physical layer, called a PHY layer, at least two of said radiofrequency channels being concatenated to form one concatenated channel,

wherein transmitting comprises:

aggregating data packets to be transmitted to a same destination device, at the MAC layer, delivering at least two aggregated packets, with which there is associated a single header of said layer PHY,

simultaneously sending said at least two aggregated packets to the same destination device, respectively on at least two distinct concatenated sub-channels, a concatenated sub-channel being formed by at least one of said radiofrequency channels of said concatenated channel.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein, prior to said step of sending, said single header of said PHY layer is transmitted synchronously on each of said radiofrequency channels forming said concatenated channel.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises a step of signaling the simultaneous sending of said aggregated packets on said concatenated sub-channels.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein said step of signaling signals at least one of the following pieces of information:

number of concatenated sub-channels in said concatenated channel;

radiofrequency channels, each forming concatenated sub-channels;

number of radiofrequency channels occupied by each aggregated packet;

type of aggregation implemented.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises a step of inserting a padding sequence after the last data packet of at least one aggregated packet, so that each aggregated packet sent during the step of sending has an identical length.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises a step of sub-dividing a data packet into at least two new data packets known as fragmented packets, and said aggregation step distributes the fragmented packets into at least two distinct aggregated packets.

7. A device for transmitting data packets in a communications network using a plurality of radiofrequency channels, at least two of said radiofrequency channels being concatenated to form a concatenated channel,

said communications network being organized into a plurality of communications layers comprising a data link layer, called a MAC layer, and a physical layer, called a PHY layer,

said device comprising:

means for aggregating data packets to be transmitted to a same destination device, implemented at the level of said MAC layer, delivering at least two aggregated packets, with which a single header of the PHY layer is associated,

means for simultaneously sending said at least two aggregated packets to the same destination device, respectively on at least two distinct concatenated sub-channels, a concatenated sub-channel being formed by at least one of said radiofrequency channels of said concatenated channel.

8. A method comprising:

receiving aggregated packets in a communications network using a plurality of radiofrequency channels, said communications network being organized into a plurality of communications layers comprising a data link layer, called a MAC layer, and a physical layer, called a PHY layer, at least two of said radiofrequency channels being concatenated to form a concatenated channel,

wherein the receiving implements the following steps:

receiving at least two aggregated packets transmitted to a same destination device respectively on at least two distinct concatenated sub-channels, a concatenated sub-channel being formed by at least one of said radiofrequency channels of said concatenated channel, said aggregated packets, with which there is associated a single header of the PHY layer, resulting from an aggregation of data packets to be transmitted to a same destination, implemented at the level of the MAC layer before sending, and

for at least one aggregated packet, extracting said data packet or packets forming said aggregated packet.

9. A destination device for receiving aggregated packets in a communications network using a plurality of radiofrequency channels,

said communications network being organized into a plurality of communications layers comprising a data link layer, called a MAC layer, and a physical layer, called a PHY layer, at least two of said radiofrequency channels being concatenated to form a concatenated channel,

wherein the destination device comprises:

means for receiving at least two aggregated packets transmitted to a same destination device respectively on at least two distinct concatenated sub-channels, a concatenated sub-channel being formed by at least one of said radiofrequency channels of said concatenated channel, said aggregated packets with which there is associated a single header of the PHY layer, resulting from an aggregation of data packets to be transmitted to a same destination, implemented at the level of the MAC layer before sending, and

for at least one aggregated packet, means for extracting said data packet or packets forming said aggregated packet.

10. A method comprising:

generating a multicarrier signal configured to be sent in a communications network using a plurality of radiofrequency channels said communications network being organized into a plurality of communications layers comprising a data link layer, called a MAC layer, and a physical layer, called a PHY layer, at least two of said radiofrequency channels being concatenated to form a concatenated channel, wherein the signal comprises:

data associated with an aggregated packet, on carriers belonging to a first concatenated sub-channel, and

data associated with at least one distinct aggregated packet, on carriers belonging to at least one second concatenated sub-channel;

a concatenated sub-channel being formed by at least one of said radiofrequency channels of said concatenated channel, and said aggregated packets, with which a single header of the PHY layer is associated, resulting from an aggregation of data packets to be transmitted towards a same destination device, implemented at the level of said MAC layer before sending; and

transmitting to the same destination device, the signal in the communication network using the plurality of radiofrequency channels.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a computer program recorded thereon and comprising instructions implementing a method, when the instructions are executed by a processor, wherein the method comprises:

transmitting data packets in a communications network using a plurality of radiofrequency channels, said communications network being organized into a plurality of communications layers comprising a data link layer, called a MAC layer, and a physical layer, called a PHY layer, at least two of said radiofrequency channels being concatenated to form one concatenated channel,

wherein transmitting comprises:

aggregating data packets to be transmitted to a same destination device, at the MAC layer, delivering at least two aggregated packets, with which there is associated a single header of said layer PHY, and

simultaneously sending said at least two aggregated packets to the same destination device, respectively on at least two distinct concatenated sub-channels, a concatenated sub-channel being formed by at least one of said radiofrequency channels of said concatenated channel.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a computer program recorded thereon and comprising instructions implementing a method, when the instructions are executed by a processor, wherein the method comprises:

receiving aggregated packets in a communications network using a plurality of radiofrequency channels, said communications network being organized into a plurality of communications layers comprising a data link layer, called a MAC layer, and a physical layer, called a PHY layer, at least two of said radiofrequency channels being concatenated to form a concatenated channel,

wherein the receiving implements the following steps:

receiving at least two aggregated packets transmitted to a same destination device respectively on at least two distinct concatenated sub-channels, a concatenated sub-channel being formed by at least one of said radiofrequency channels of said concatenated channel, said aggregated packets, with which there is associated a single header of the PHY layer, resulting from an aggregation of data packets to be transmitted to a same destination, implemented at the level of the MAC layer before sending, and

for at least one aggregated packet, extracting said data packet or packets forming said aggregated packet.