Communication control apparatus, communication control method, and communication system

• US 10,264,473 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2012
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kimura, Ryota
• Primary Examiner(s): Rutkowski, Jeffrey M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wood, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US14/112,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20140044053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,555 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1867 Arrangements specially adapted for the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0035 Resource allocation in a cooperative multipoint environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data

Abstract

There is provided a communication control apparatus including a communication controller that controls communication with other communication control apparatuses, the communication exchanging information about terminal grouping to distinguish operations to a specific wireless terminal and to other wireless terminals.

Claims

1. A communication control system, comprising:

a plurality of first communication control apparatuses;

a second communication control apparatus;

a communication controller configured to control communication of the second communication control apparatus with the plurality of first communication control apparatuses,

wherein the communication between the second communication control apparatus and the plurality of first communication control apparatuses includes exchange of information associated with terminal grouping,

wherein the second communication control apparatus is configured to distinguish operations to a specific wireless terminal and to a plurality of wireless terminals based on the exchange of the information associated with the terminal grouping, and

wherein the communication controller is further configured to implement a cooperative communication, based on the exchange of the information, such that the second communication control apparatus and at least one of the plurality of first communication control apparatuses are coordinated to communicate with a target wireless terminal, and

wherein during the cooperative communication;

a first time of the communication of the second communication control apparatus and a second time of the communication of the at least one of the plurality of first communication control apparatuses are different, and

a first frequency of the communication of the second communication control apparatus and a second frequency of the communication of the at least one of the plurality of first communication control apparatuses are same,

wherein at least one of transmission power or antenna directivity, determined from parameters of past transmission of a signal to the target wireless terminal, is changed for the second communication control apparatus and the at least one of the plurality of first communication control apparatuses; and

a list comparison unit configured to compare a first terminal list received from the plurality of first communication control apparatuses that show the terminal grouping and a second terminal list held by the second communication control apparatus, based on at least one terminal contained in the first terminal list and at least one terminal contained in the second terminal list.

2. The communication control system according to claim 1, wherein the communication controller is further configured to control communication of an inquiry about the plurality of first communication control apparatuses that show the terminal grouping.

3. The communication control system according to claim 1, wherein the communication controller is further configured to control communication of an inquiry about a terminal list that shows the terminal grouping in the plurality of first communication control apparatuses.

4. The communication control system according to claim 1, wherein the communication controller is further configured to control communication of an inquiry about the plurality of first communication control apparatuses that have the first terminal list, and wherein the first terminal list contains the target wireless terminal as the specific wireless terminal.

5. The communication control system according to claim 1, wherein the communication controller is further configured to control communication of an inquiry about possibility to participate in the cooperative communication linked to the plurality of first communication control apparatuses to communicate with the target wireless terminal.

6. The communication control system according to claim 1, wherein the communication controller is further configured to control transmission of information associated with the second communication control apparatus that shows the terminal grouping based on an inquiry from the plurality of first communication control apparatuses.

7. The communication control system according to claim 1, wherein the communication controller is further configured to control transmission of information associated with the second communication control apparatus that has the second terminal list, and wherein the second terminal list contains the target wireless terminal as the specific wireless terminal based on an inquiry from the plurality of first communication control apparatuses.

8. The communication control system according to claim 1, wherein, based on the second communication control apparatus that has the second terminal list that contains the target wireless terminal as the specific wireless terminal, the communication controller is further configured to control transmission of information indicating participation in the cooperative communication based on an inquiry about possibility to participate in the cooperative communication from the plurality of first communication control apparatuses.

9. The communication control system according to claim 1, further comprising

a list update unit configured to update, based on the first terminal list and the second terminal list, wherein the second terminal list is held by the second communication control apparatus to the first terminal list received from the plurality of first communication control apparatuses, and wherein the first terminal list is different from the second terminal list.

10. The communication control system according to claim 1, further comprising

wherein, based on the first terminal list and the second terminal list, the communication controller is further configured to control communication that request to update the first terminal list held by the plurality of first communication control apparatuses to the second terminal list held by the second communication control apparatus, and wherein the first terminal list is different from the second terminal list.

11. The communication control system according to claim 1, further comprising

a list creation unit configured to create a new terminal list based on a plurality of terminal lists received from each of the plurality of first communication control apparatuses that shows the terminal grouping,

wherein the communication controller is further configured to control transmission of the new terminal list created by the list creation unit to the plurality of first communication control apparatuses.

12. The communication control system according to claim 1, wherein the specific wireless terminal is one of a first terminal permitted to connect to the second communication control apparatus or a second terminal that is preferred to connect to the second communication control apparatus.

13. The communication control system according to claim 1, wherein the communication controller is further configured to set communication parameters for execution of the cooperative communication with the plurality of first communication control apparatuses.

14. The communication control system according to claim 1, wherein, based on implementation of the cooperative communication, the second communication control apparatus is configured to notify each of the plurality of first communication control apparatuses about a terminal ID of the target wireless terminal.

15. The communication control system according to claim 1, wherein the communication controller is further configured to determine the change in the at least one of the transmission power or the antenna directivity to set the at least one of the transmission power or the antenna directivity for the second communication control apparatus and the at least one of the plurality of first communication control apparatuses.

16. A communication control method, comprising:

in a second communication control apparatus;

controlling, by a communication controller, communication of the second communication control apparatus with a plurality of first communication control apparatuses,

wherein the communication between the second communication control apparatus and the plurality of first communication control apparatuses includes exchanging information associated with terminal grouping,

wherein the second communication control apparatus is configured to distinguish operations to a specific wireless terminal and to a plurality of wireless terminals based on the exchanging of the information associated with the terminal grouping, and

wherein the communication controller is further configured to implement a cooperative communication, based on the exchanging of the information, such that the second communication control apparatus and at least one of the plurality of first communication control apparatuses are coordinated to communicate with a target wireless terminal, and

wherein during the cooperative communication;

a first time of the communication of the second communication control apparatus and a second time of the communication of the at least one of the plurality of first communication control apparatuses are different, and

a first frequency of the communication of the second communication control apparatus and a second frequency of the communication of the at least one of the plurality of first communication control apparatuses are same,

wherein at least one of transmission power or antenna directivity, determined from parameters of past transmission of a signal to the target wireless terminal, is changed for the second communication control apparatus and the at least one of the plurality of first communication control apparatuses; and

comparing a first terminal list received from the plurality of first communication control apparatuses that show the terminal grouping and a second terminal list held by the second communication control apparatus, based on at least one terminal contained in the first terminal list and at least one terminal contained in the second terminal list.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute operations, the operations comprising:

controlling, by a communication controller of a second communication control apparatus, communication of the second communication control apparatus with a plurality of first communication control apparatuses,

wherein the communication between the second communication control apparatus and the plurality of first communication control apparatuses includes exchanging information associated with terminal grouping,

wherein the second communication control apparatus is configured to distinguish operations to a specific wireless terminal and to a plurality of wireless terminals based on the exchanging of the information associated with the terminal grouping, and

wherein the communication controller is further configured to implement a cooperative communication, based on the exchanging of the information, such that the second communication control apparatus and at least one of the plurality of first communication control apparatuses are coordinated to communicate with a target wireless terminal, and

wherein during the cooperative communication;

a first time of the communication of the second communication control apparatus and a second time of the communication of the at least one of the plurality of first communication control apparatuses are different, and

a first frequency of the communication of the second communication control apparatus and a second frequency of the communication of the at least one of the plurality of first communication control apparatuses are same,

wherein at least one of transmission power or antenna directivity, determined from parameters of past transmission of a signal to the target wireless terminal, is changed for the second communication control apparatus and the at least one of the plurality of first communication control apparatuses; and

comparing a first terminal list received from the plurality of first communication control apparatuses that show the terminal grouping and a second terminal list held by the second communication control apparatus, based on at least one terminal contained in the first terminal list and at least one terminal contained in the second terminal list.

18. A communication system, comprising:

a first communication control apparatus;

a second communication control apparatus,

wherein the first communication control apparatus includes a communication controller configured to control communication of the first communication control apparatus with the second communication control apparatus,

wherein the communication between the first communication control apparatus and the second communication control apparatus includes exchange of information associated with terminal grouping,

wherein the first communication control apparatus and the second communication control apparatus are configured to distinguish operations to a specific wireless terminal and to a plurality of wireless terminals based on the exchange of the information associated with the terminal grouping, and

wherein the communication controller is further configured to implement a cooperative communication, based on the exchange of the information, such that the first communication control apparatus and the second communication control apparatus are coordinated to communicate with a target wireless terminal, and

wherein during the cooperative communication;

a first time of the communication of the first communication control apparatus and a second time of the communication of the second communication control apparatus are different, and

a first frequency of the communication of the first communication control apparatus and a second frequency of the communication of the second communication control apparatus are same,

wherein at least one of transmission power or antenna directivity, determined from parameters of past transmission of a signal to the target wireless terminal, is changed for the first communication control apparatus and the second communication control apparatus; and

a list comparison unit configured to compare a first terminal list received from the first communication control apparatus that shows the terminal grouping and a second terminal list held by the second communication control apparatus, based on at least one terminal contained in the first terminal list and at least one terminal contained in the second terminal list.