Repeater apparatus, communication equipment, communication system thereof and repeating method

• US 20030053177A1
• Filed: 10/04/2002
• Published: 03/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawamura, Takuya
• Granted Patent: US 7,079,779 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/181
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1149 Arrangements for indoor wireless networking of information

Abstract

A repeater apparatus (1001) is constituted from infrared transmitter sections (1s, 2s, 3s) and infrared receiver sections (1r, 2r, 3r) as well as connection control sections (1C, 2C, 3C) and further a repeater section (101), thereby attaining independent communications with the individual one of several associated equipments with respect to infrared communication apparatus of the direct emission type which supports only one-to-one (1-to-1) or one-to-several (1-to-N) communication schemes, thus enabling achievement of N-to-N communication forms by performing transfer of data information being received by each communication equipment to others.

Claims

1. A repeater apparatus having a plurality of infrared transmission/reception means for transmitting and receiving infrared signal light,

characterized in that said infrared signal light as received by said first infrared transmission/reception means is transmitted from said infrared transmission/reception means other than at least said first infrared transmission/reception means.

3. The repeater apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by performing a communication setting for one-to-one communications between a respective one of plurality of communication equipments and one of said plurality of infrared transmit/receive means to thereby enable information exchange using infrared signal light between said plurality of communication equipments and said plurality of infrared transmit/receive means, and in that

infrared signal light received by the first infrared transmit/receive means with said communication setting being performed is transmitted from infrared transmit/receive means with said communication setting done other than said first infrared transmit/receive means.

2. A repeater apparatus characterized by receiving a first infrared signal light for conversion to an electrical signal, by having a plurality of infrared transmit/receive means for converting the electrical signal to a second infrared signal light for transmission, and in that the first infrared signal light as received by a first infrared transmit/receive means is sent forth from said infrared transmission/reception means other than at least said first infrared transmission/reception means.

4. A communication equipment characterized by having:

communication equipment identification information transmitter means for transmitting a first infrared signal light containing therein communication equipment identification information for identification of a self communication equipment;

communication equipment identification information receiver means for receiving a second infrared signal light containing communication equipment identification information of another communication equipment;

communicable equipment identifier means for identifying a communicable equipment based on communication equipment identification information as received by this communication equipment identification receiver means;

group setter means for setting as the same group at least one communication equipment of those communicable communication equipments as identified by this communicable equipment identifier means; and

information transmitter means for transmitting by a third infrared signal light the same information as that of communication equipments in the same group as set by this group setter means.

5. A communication system including a plurality of communication equipments and a repeater apparatus thereof, characterized in that each said communication equipment has:

communication equipment identification information transmitter means for transmitting a first infrared signal light containing therein communication equipment identification information for identification of a self communication equipment;

communication equipment identification receiver means for receiving a second infrared signal light containing communication equipment identification information of another communication equipment;

communicable equipment identifier means for identifying a communicable communication equipment based on communication equipment identification information being received by this communication equipment identification information receiver means;

group setter means for setting as the same group at least one communication equipment of those communicable communication equipments as identified by this communicable equipment identifier means; and

information transmitter means for sending forth by a third infrared signal light the same information as that of communication equipment in the same group as set by this group setter means, and in that

said repeater apparatus has a plurality of infrared transmit/receive means for transmission and reception of one of said first infrared signal light and second infrared signal light as well as third infrared signal light, wherein said infrared signal light as received by said first infrared receiver means is transmitted from said infrared transmit/receive means other than at least said first infrared transmit/receive means.

6. A communication system including a plurality of communication equipments and a repeater apparatus thereof, characterized in that

each said communication equipment has information transmit/receive means for transmitting and receiving information by infrared signal light,

said repeater apparatus has a plurality of infrared transmit/receive means for transmitting and receiving said infrared signal light, wherein said infrared signal light as received by said first infrared transmit/receive means is transmitted from said infrared transmit/receive means other than at least said first infrared transmit/receive means.

7. A repeating method comprising:

a reception step of receiving infrared signal light as sent from a communication equipment; and

a transmission step of at least transmitting said infrared signal light as received at said reception step to a communication equipment other than said communication equipment.