Method and apparatus for performing wireless communication using a plurality of frequency channels

• US 20020080739A1
• Filed: 12/27/2001
• Published: 06/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kuwahara, Kazuyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,006,451 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/333
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/715 Interference-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/7154 with means for preventing interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0001 Systems modifying transmission characteristics according to link quality, e.g. power backoff adaptive data allocation for multicarrier modulation H04L5/0044; controlling transmission power for radio systems H04W52/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/54 based on quality criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A wireless communication apparatus performs wireless communication using a plurality of frequency channels. In order to prevent a radio signal from interfering with another wireless communication system, the apparatus includes a unit which detects an error rate of each of the plurality of frequency channels, a unit which determines whether the detected error rate is higher than a specific threshold value, and a unit which suspends use of a frequency channel whose error rate is determined to be higher than the threshold value.

Claims

1. A method for performing wireless communication using a plurality of frequency channels, the method comprising:

detecting an error rate of each of a plurality of frequency channels used by wireless communication;

determining whether the detected error rate is higher than a specific threshold value; and

suspending use of a frequency channel whose error rate is determined to be higher than the specific threshold value.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting an error rate of the frequency channel under suspension by trying performing wireless communication using the frequency channel under suspension; and

resuming use of the frequency channel under suspension when the detected error rate is lower than that of another frequency channel in use.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said detecting includes selecting a frequency channel whose error rate is to be detected such that the error rates of the plurality of frequency channels are detected in order of decreasing frequency.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said detecting includes selecting a frequency channel whose error rate is to be detected such that the error rates of the plurality of frequency channels are detected in order of increasing frequency.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said wireless communication is performed by a master-slave system, said detecting and said determining are performed by a master, and said suspending includes notifying a slave of a suspension of use of a frequency channel whose error rate is determined to be higher than the specific threshold value by the master.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said wireless communication is spread spectrum-frequency hopping communication, and said suspending includes excluding the frequency channel whose error rate is determined to be higher than the specific threshold value, from a plurality of frequency channels targeted for frequency hopping.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said wireless communication is spread spectrum-frequency hopping communication which performs frequency hopping using a plurality of frequency channels having different carrier frequencies and defined in a specified frequency band, said detecting includes detecting an error rate of each of a plurality of frequency channel groups into which the plurality of frequency channels are divided for each frequency range, each of the frequency channel groups including frequency channels falling within a single frequency range, the each frequency range having a bandwidth which is equal to a bandwidth of each frequency channels of another wireless communication that performs a wireless communication by using the specified frequency band, and

said suspending includes excluding each frequency channel of a frequency channel group whose error rate is higher than the specific threshold value, from frequency channels targeted for the frequency hopping.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said suspending includes stopping use of a frequency channel whose error rate is determined to be higher than the specific threshold value, the method further comprising changing a frequency channel to be used, from the stopped frequency channel to another frequency channel which is not used.

9. A wireless communication apparatus for performing wireless communication using a plurality of frequency channels, the apparatus comprising:

a detecting unit configured to detect an error rate of each of a plurality of frequency channels used by the wireless communication;

a determining unit configured to determine whether the detected error rate is higher than a specific threshold value; and

a suspending unit configured to suspend use of a frequency channel whose error rate is determined to be higher than the specific threshold value.

10. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a detecting unit configured to detect an error rate of the frequency channel under suspension by trying performing wireless communication using the frequency channel under suspension; and

a resuming unit configured to resume use of the frequency channel under suspension when the detected error rate is lower than that of another frequency channel in use.

11. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said wireless communication is spread spectrum-frequency hopping communication, and said suspending unit includes a unit which excludes the frequency channel whose error rate is determined to be higher than the specific threshold value, from a plurality of frequency channels targeted for frequency hopping.

12. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said wireless communication is spread spectrum-frequency hopping communication which performs frequency hopping using a plurality of frequency channels having different carrier frequencies and defined in a specified frequency band, said detecting unit includes a unit which detects an error rate of each of a plurality of frequency channel groups into which the plurality of frequency channels are divided for each frequency range, each of the frequency channel groups including frequency channels falling within a single frequency range, the each frequency range having a bandwidth which is equal to a bandwidth of each frequency channels of another wireless communication that performs a wireless communication by using the specified frequency band, and

said suspending unit includes a unit which excludes each frequency channel of a frequency channel group whose error rate is higher than the specific threshold value, from frequency channels targeted for the frequency hopping.