Wireless system, wireless device, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein communication program, and communication method

• US 10,397,868 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2016
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Hiroyuki, Imura, Yoshitaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Chuong T
• Application Number:
  US15/222,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20170034856A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• Field of Search: 370390, 370311
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1881 with schedule organisation, e.g. priority, sequence management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication system as an example of an exemplary embodiment includes two mobile terminals and two BLE terminals. The mobile terminals establish connections with the BLE terminals. Specifically, one of the mobile terminals and one of the BLE terminals are connected together such that the mobile terminal is a central and the BLE terminal is a peripheral. The BLE terminal connected as a peripheral repeatedly executes advertising and a scan, thereby exchanging application data with the other BLE terminal connected as a peripheral.

Claims

1. A wireless system including a plurality of devices capable of performing wireless communication,

a first device among the plurality of devices executing:

acquiring a single piece of application data for an application;

wirelessly transmitting a broadcast or multicast packet; and

wirelessly receiving a broadcast or multicast packet from another device,

the first device repeatedly executing the transmitting and receiving; and

in the transmitting,

dividing the application data into a plurality of pieces, and

separately transmitting each piece of the divided application data in a respective one of a plurality of packets,

the packets being transmitted via one of broadcast and multicast,

wherein each of the packets respectively having one of the plurality of pieces of the divided application data further comprises respective first information, the respective first information identifying a part of the divided application data included in the respective one of the plurality of the packets as a respective one piece of the plurality of pieces of divided application data,

wherein at least one of an execution period of the transmitting, timing for executing the transmitting, an execution period of the receiving, and timing for executing the receiving is variable.

2. The wireless system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the execution period of the transmitting, the timing for executing the transmitting, the execution period of the receiving, and the timing for executing the receiving is randomly set.

3. The wireless system according to claim 1, wherein the first device alternately and repeatedly executes the transmitting and the receiving.

4. The wireless system according to claim 1, wherein a sleep period in which neither the transmitting nor the receiving is performed is present at least between the transmitting and the receiving, between the transmitting and the transmitting, or between the receiving and the receiving.

5. The wireless system according to claim 3, wherein a sleep period in which neither the transmitting nor the receiving is performed is present between the transmitting and the receiving.

6. The wireless system according to claim 4, wherein the sleep period is variable.

7. The wireless system according to claim 6, wherein the sleep period is randomly set.

8. The wireless system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless system includes a second device, the first device and the second device establish a connection with each other and perform wireless communication with each other, and in the transmitting, the first device in the state of being connected to the second device transmits the plurality of packets.

9. The wireless system according to claim 8, wherein the connection is established between the first device and the second device such that the second device is a master and the first device is a slave, and in the transmitting, the first device in the state of being connected as a slave to the second device transmits the packets.

10. The wireless system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless system includes a second device, the first device and the second device establish a connection with each other and perform wireless communication with each other, and the first device in the state of being connected to the second device executes the transmitting and/or the receiving.

11. The wireless system according to claim 10, wherein the connection is established between the first device and the second device such that the second device is a master and the first device is a slave, and the first device in the state of being connected as a slave to the second device executes the transmitting and/or the receiving.

12. The wireless system according to claim 8, wherein the first device and the second device establish a connection with each other and then repeatedly perform synchronous communication with each other, and in the transmitting, the first device transmits the plurality of packets in a period except for timing when the first device performs synchronous communication with the second device.

13. The wireless system according to claim 1, wherein in the transmitting, the first device transmits timing information by including the timing information in the packet, the timing information indicating timing of the transmitting or the receiving to be executed next time or later.

14. The wireless system according to claim 1, wherein the application data is data that can be used in a game.

15. The wireless system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless system includes a second device, and the second device executes:

receiving the plurality of packets transmitted by the first device;

reconstructing the application data, based on the respective first information and based on the received plurality of packets, the reconstructing comprising acquiring the plurality of pieces of divided application data and reconstructing the application data using the plurality of pieces of divided application data; and

executes the application data.

16. A wireless device capable of performing wireless communication, the wireless device executing:

acquiring a single piece of application data for an application;

wirelessly transmitting a broadcast or multicast packet; and

wirelessly receiving a broadcast or multicast packet from another device,

the wireless device repeatedly executing the transmitting and the receiving,

in the transmitting,

dividing the application data into a plurality of pieces, and

separately transmitting each piece of the divided application data in a respective one of a plurality of packets,

the packets being transmitted via one of broadcast and multicast,

wherein each of the packets respectively having one of the plurality of pieces of the divided application data further comprises respective first information, the respective first information identifying a part of the divided application data included in the respective one of the plurality of the packets as a respective one piece of the plurality of pieces of divided application data,

wherein at least one of an execution period of the transmitting, timing for executing the transmitting, an execution period of the receiving, and timing for executing the receiving is variable.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a communication program executable by a processor of a wireless device capable of performing wireless communication, the communication program causing the processor to execute:

acquiring a single piece of application data for an application;

wirelessly transmitting a broadcast or multicast packet;

wirelessly receiving a broadcast or multicast packet from another device;

repeatedly executing the transmitting and the receiving; and

in the transmitting,

dividing the application data into a plurality of pieces, and

separately transmitting each piece of the divided application data in a respective one of a plurality of packets,

the packets being transmitted via one of broadcast and multicast,

wherein each of the packets respectively having one of the plurality of pieces of the divided application data further comprises respective first information, the respective first information identifying a part of the divided application data included in the respective one of the plurality of the packets as a respective one piece of the plurality of pieces of divided application data,

wherein at least one of an execution period of the transmitting, timing for executing the transmitting, an execution period of the receiving, and timing for executing the receiving is variable.

18. A communication method to be executed by a wireless system including a plurality of devices capable of performing wireless communication, a first device among the plurality of devices executing:

acquiring a single piece of application data for an application;

wirelessly transmitting a broadcast or multicast packet;

wirelessly receiving a broadcast or multicast packet from another device;

repeatedly executing the transmitting and the receiving; and

in the transmitting,

dividing the application data into a plurality of pieces, and

separately transmitting each piece of the divided application data in a respective one of a plurality of packets,

the packets being transmitted via one of broadcast and multicast, wherein each of the packets respectively having one of the plurality of pieces of the divided application data further comprises respective first information, the respective first information identifying a part of the divided application data included in the respective one of the plurality of the packets as a respective one piece of the plurality of pieces of divided application data,

wherein at least one of an execution period of the transmitting, timing for executing the transmitting, an execution period of the receiving, and timing for executing the receiving is variable.