Communication apparatus, communication method, and communication system
A physical frame is constructed, the physical frame including a medium access control super-frame payload which in turn includes a plurality of medium access control frames. With respect to the constructed physical frame, virtual carrier sense information is set in the plurality of medium access control frame so that a result of carrier sense is identical to another by virtual carrier sense based on the plurality of medium access control frames in the medium access control super-frame payload. The physical frame in which the virtual carrier sense information has been set is transmitted to a destined communication apparatus.
1. A communication apparatus comprising:
a receiving device configured to receive a physical frame which includes a plurality of medium access control frames;
an acquisition device configured to acquire virtual carrier sense information from at least one medium access control frame of a plurality of medium access control frames included in the physical frame received by the receiving device; and
a device configured to specify a duration in which a communication medium is virtually occupied based on the virtual carrier sense information acquired by the acquisition device, and configured to wait for transmission of a frame onto the communication medium in the duration.
2. A communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the device is configured to set a duration in which the communication medium is virtually occupied, with a start time as a receiving end time point of the last medium access control frame included in the physical frame received by the receiving device, and with an end time as a time point corresponding to an end of the duration.
3. A communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the device is configured to set a duration in which the communication medium is virtually occupied, with a start time as a receiving end time point of the physical frame received by the receiving device, and with an end time as a time point corresponding to an end of the duration.
4. A communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the device is configured to set a duration in which the communication medium is virtually occupied, with a start time as a receiving end time point of any one of the medium access control frame included in the physical frame received by the receiving device, and with an end time as a time point corresponding to an end of the duration computed from the virtual carrier sense information included in the medium access control frames.
5. A communication apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a power saving control device configured, in the case where the physical frame received by the receiving device is a physical frame destined to another communication apparatus, to set the communication apparatus at a power saving state in the duration.
6. A communication method comprising:
receiving a physical frame having a plurality of medium access control frames;
acquiring virtual carrier sense information from at least one medium access control frame of a plurality of medium access control frames included in the physical frame received; and
specifying a duration in which a communication medium is virtually occupied based on the virtual carrier sense information acquired, and waiting for transmission of a frame onto the communication medium in the duration.
7. A communication method according to claim 6 , further comprising:
setting a duration in which the communication medium is virtually occupied, with a start time as a receiving end time point of the last medium access control frame included in the physical frame received, and with an end time as a time point corresponding to an end of the duration.
8. A communication method according to claim 6 , further comprising:
setting a duration in which the communication medium is virtually occupied, with a start time as a receiving end time point of the physical frame received, and with an end time as a time point corresponding to an end of the duration.
9. A communication method according to claim 6 , further comprising:
setting a duration in which the communication medium is virtually occupied, with a start time as a receiving end time point of any one of the medium access control frame included in the physical frame received, and with an end time as a time point corresponding to an end of the duration computed from the virtual carrier sense information included in the medium access control frames.
10. A communication method according to claim 6 , further comprising:
setting the communication apparatus at a power saving state in the duration, in the case where the physical frame received is a physical frame destined to another communication apparatus.