Wireless communication apparatus and method

• US 20040005889A1
• Filed: 06/23/2003
• Published: 01/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Saitoh, Kenji, Imaizumi, Masaaki, Nishimura, Naoki, Shibata, Masaaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,075,455 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A wireless communication apparatus and method is provided which makes discrete functional elements perform a cooperative work without various limitations caused by a wired configuration. The wireless communication apparatus has a plurality of fine functional elements 3 each having a communication unit for data transmission and reception by using radio waves or light and one or more unit other than the communication unit, and a base station 4 for controlling and collectively managing the fine functional elements through communications with the fine functional elements, wherein one or more units other than the communication unit are activated through communications of one of the fine functional elements 3 received control information from the base station 4 with another of the fine functional elements 3 via the communication units, to thereby make the discrete functional elements 3 perform a cooperative work.

Claims

1. A wireless communication apparatus comprising:

a plurality of fine functional elements each having communication means for data transmission and reception by using radio waves or light and one or more means other than the communication means; and

a base station for controlling and collectively managing said fine functional elements through communications with said fine functional elements,

wherein one or more means other than the communication means are activated through communications of one of said fine functional elements received control information from said base station with another of said fine functional elements via the communication means.

2. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said fine functional elements utilizes, as an energy source for activating one or more means other than the communication means, power generating means possessed by the fine functional element or energy of radio waves or light sent from said base station.

3. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an element for realizing the communication means and an element for realizing one or more means other than the communication means are formed on a single substrate.

4. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one or more means other than the communication means include imaging means, displaying means, storing means and arithmetic processing means.

5. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said base station transmits the control information to one of said fine functional elements which activates one or more means other than the communication means in accordance with the control information, and transmits information obtained by one or more means other than the communication means to said base station, and said base station processes the transmitted information.

6. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging means comprises a fine sphere lens having a partial flat plane, a parallel flat plate parallel to the partial flat plane, and a flat circuit board formed with an imaging element and a communication circuit to be disposed on the partial flat plane.

13. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

a base station is provided for collectively managing the functional elements constituting a functional element group; and

said base station controls the functional element group through the wireless communication among the functional elements, or receives data.

7. A wireless communication method for a wireless communication apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of fine functional elements each having communication means for data transmission and reception by using radio waves or light and one or more means other than the communication means; and

a base station for controlling and collectively managing said fine functional elements through communications with said fine functional elements,

wherein one or more means other than the communication means are activated through communications of one of said fine functional elements received control information from said base station with another of said fine functional elements via the communication means.

8. A wireless communication method according to claim 7, wherein each of said fine functional elements utilizes, as an energy source for activating one or more means other than the communication means, power generating means possessed by the fine functional element or energy of radio waves or light sent from said base station.

9. A wireless communication apparatus comprising:

a functional element group including a plurality of functional elements each having a first function for performing wireless communication by using light or radio waves and a second function different from the wireless communication,

wherein the second function of each of the functional elements is a single function, and said functional element group provides as a whole one or more of the second function through a cooperative work of each of the functional elements using the first function.

10. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said functional element group forms a network system in which the wireless communication among the functional elements is performed by using the first function.

11. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the functional elements provide, as the second functions, sensing functions for measuring different types of physical amounts.

12. A driving method for a wireless communication apparatus, wherein:

the wireless communication apparatus is used which comprises a functional element group including a plurality of functional elements each having a first function for performing wireless communication by using light or radio waves and a second function different from the wireless communication;

the second function of each of the functional elements is a single function; and

each of the functional elements is disposed at a desired position to provide as a whole one or more of the second function through a cooperative work of each of the functional elements using the first function.