Radio communication control apparatus, radio communication method, recording medium, and program

• US 20040048569A1
• Filed: 08/04/2003
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kawamura, Harumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,149,475 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

By making the most of the master and slave roles, the master device becomes the system controller to manage the control functions of the slave devices in a piconet. For one slave device to control another slave device, the controlling slave device issues a command to the master device, which transfers the received command to the controlled slave device. Each slave device control other slave devices in a piconet without being aware of other slave devices except the master device. Consequently, commands may be exchanged between the slave devices in a piconet which is constituted by one master device and a plurality of slave devices.

Claims

1. A wireless communication control apparatus for controlling, in a communication cell of a type constituted by one master device and a plurality of slave devices in which each of said plurality of slave devices is communicable only with said master device, a command exchange operation between the devices, comprising:

controller/target inquiry means for inquiring each device in said communication cell whether each device operates as a controller or a target;

support command inquiry means for inquiring each device having a target function for a command supported thereby; and

support command managing means for managing the commands supported by each target device.

2. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the master device and the slave devices in said communication cell function as a controller which issues commands and/or a target which supports the commands.

3. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 1 is the master device which controls a communication condition in said communication cell.

4. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said wireless communication control apparatus itself is capable of functioning as both the controller and the target, and

said support command managing means also manages support commands of said wireless communication control apparatus itself functioning as the target.

5. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

command receiving means for receiving a command from the controller in said communication cell; and

command processing means for processing the received command.

6. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said command processing means inquires said support command managing means to transfer the received command to the target which support said command.

7. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said command processing means inquires said support command managing means and, if the received command is supported by the inquiring device, said inquiring device executes said command.

8. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein if there are at least two target devices which support the received command in said communication cell, said controller device has a function for specifying a particular target device and

said command processing means transfers said command to the specified target device in accordance with the specification of the controller device from which said command is transmitted.

9. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

reception log storage means for storing a reception log indicative of command reception; and

target identifying means for identifying a target which executes the received command on the basis of the newest log stored in said reception log storage means.

10. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, if there are at least two target devices which support the received command in said communication cell, said command processing means transfers the received command to all target devices which support said command.

11. A wireless communication control method for controlling, in a communication cell of a type constituted by one master device and a plurality of slave devices in which each of said plurality of slave devices is communicable only with said master device, a command exchange operation between the devices, comprising the steps of:

inquiring each device in said communication cell whether each device operates as a controller or a target;

inquiring each device having a target function for a command supported thereby; and

managing the commands supported by each target device.

12. The wireless communication control method according to claim 11, wherein the master device and the slave devices in said communication cell function as a controller which issues commands and/or a target which supports the commands.

13. The wireless communication control method according to claim 11 is a communication control method in said master device for controlling a communication condition in said communication cell.

14. The wireless communication control method according to claim 11 is a communication control method in said master device capable of functioning as both the controller or the target and,

in said support command managing step, the support command of said master device itself is also managed.

15. The wireless communication control method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a command from the controller in said communication cell; and

processing the received command.

16. The wireless communication control method according to claim 15, wherein said command processing step inquires each target in said communication cell for supported commands to transfer the received command to the target which support said command.

17. The wireless communication control method according to claim 15, wherein said command processing step inquires each target in said communication cell for supported commands and, if the received command is found supported on the device which executes said wireless communication control method, said received command is executed on said device.

18. The wireless communication control method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of:

if there are at least two target devices which support the received command in said communication cell, specifying a particular target device from said controller device,

said command processing step transferring said received command to the target device specified by the controller device from which said command is transmitted.

19. The wireless communication control method according to claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

storing a reception log indicative of command reception; and

identifying a target which executes the received command on the basis of the newest log stored in said reception log storage step.

20. The wireless communication control method according to claim 15, wherein, if there are at least two target devices which support the received command in said communication cell, said command processing step transfers said received command to all target devices which support said received command.

21. A wireless communication control apparatus for controlling, in a piconet of a Bluetooth wireless network constituted by one master device and a plurality of slave devices, at least one slave device in said piconet having a controller function for issuing commands and at least one slave device having a target function for supporting commands, said master device having both controller and target functions, comprising:

connecting means for establishing Bluetooth communication in said piconet;

controller/target function grasping means for grasping a slave device which functions as a target and/or a controller; and

support command grasping means for managing the commands supported by each target in said piconet.

22. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 21 is said master device which controls a communication condition in said piconet.

23. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said wireless communication control apparatus operates as said master device which controls a communication condition in said piconet and said controller/target function grasping means lays a logical link (L2CAP) with each slave device in said piconet to inquire each slave device for its function by use of Service Discovery Protocol (SDP).

24. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said wireless communication control apparatus operates as said master device which controls a communication condition in said piconet and said support command grasping means lays a logical link (L2CAP) with each slave device operating as the target in said piconet to inquire each slave device for support commands by a method defined in an upper application protocol.

25. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 21 operating as said master device for controlling a communication condition in said piconet, further comprising:

command receiving means for receiving a command, which is connected with the slave device operating as the controller in said piconet; and

command processing means for processing the received command.

26. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said command processing means transfers the received command to the target which support said received command.

27. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said command processing means, if the received command is supported by itself, processes said received command by itself.

28. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 25, wherein, if there are at least two target devices which support the received command in said piconet, said controller device has a function for specifying a particular target device and

said command processing means transfers said command to the specified target device in accordance with the specification of the controller device from which said command is transmitted.

29. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising:

reception log storage means for storing a reception log indicative of command reception; and

target identifying means for identifying a target which executes the received command on the basis of the newest log stored in said reception log storage means.

30. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 25, wherein, if there are at least two target devices which support the received command in said piconet, said command processing means transfers the received command to all target devices which support said command.

31. A wireless communication control method for controlling, in a piconet of a Bluetooth wireless network constituted by one master device and a plurality of slave devices, at least one slave device in said piconet having a controller function for issuing commands and at least one slave device having a target function for supporting commands, said master device having both controller and target functions, comprising the steps of:

establishing Bluetooth communication in said piconet;

grasping a slave device which functions as a target and/or a controller in said piconet; and

managing the commands supported by each target in said piconet.

32. The wireless communication control method according to claim 31, wherein said wireless communication control method is realized on said master device which controls a communication condition in said piconet.

33. The wireless communication control method according to claim 31, wherein said wireless communication control method is realized on said master device which controls a communication condition in said piconet, wherein said controller/target function grasping step lays a logical link (L2CAP) with each slave device in said piconet to perform function inquiry by use of Service Discovery Protocol (SDP).

34. The wireless communication control method according to claim 31, wherein said wireless communication control method is realized on said master device which controls a communication condition in said piconet and said support command grasping step lays a logical link (L2CAP) with each slave device operating as the target in said piconet to inquire each slave device for support commands by a method defined in an upper application protocol.

35. The wireless communication control method according to claim 31, wherein said wireless communication control method is realized on said master device which controls a communication condition in said piconet, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a command, which is connected with the slave device operating as the controller in said piconet; and

processing the received command.

36. The wireless communication control method according to claim 35, wherein said command processing step transfers the received command to the target which support said received command.

37. The wireless communication control method according to claim 35, wherein said command processing step, if the received command is supported by said master device, causes said master device itself to execute said command.

38. The wireless communication control method according to claim 35, wherein, if there are at least two target devices which support the received command in said piconet, further comprising the step of:

specifying a particular target device; and

said command processing step transfers said command to the specified target device in accordance with the specification of the controller device from which said command is transmitted.

39. The wireless communication control method according to claim 35, further comprising the steps of:

storing a reception log indicative of command reception; and

identifying a target which executes the received command on the basis of the newest log stored in said reception log storage step.

40. The wireless communication control method according to claim 35, wherein, if there are at least two target devices which support the received command in said communication cell, said command processing step transfers the received command to all target devices which support said command.

41. storage medium physically storing computer software in a computer-readable form, said computer software being described so as to execute, on a computer system, wireless communication control for controlling command exchange between devices in a communication cell which is constituted by one master device and a plurality of slave devices, each slave device being capable of communicating with only said master device, said computer software comprising the steps of:

inquiring each device in said communication cell whether each device operates as a controller or a target;

inquiring each device having a target function for a command supported thereby; and

managing the commands supported by each target device.

42. A storage medium physically storing computer software in a computer-readable form, said computer software being described so as to execute, on a computer system, wireless communication control for controlling command exchange between devices in a piconet of a Bluetooth wireless network constituted by one master device and a plurality of slave devices, at least one of said plurality of slave devices in said piconet having a controller function for issuing commands, at least one of the other slave devices having a target function for supporting commands, and said master device being capable of having both of said controller function and said target function, said computer software comprising the steps of:

establishing Bluetooth communication in said piconet;

grasping a slave device which functions as a target and/or a controller; and

managing the commands supported by each target in said piconet.

43. A computer program being described in a computer-readable form so as to execute, on a computer system, wireless communication control for controlling command exchange between devices in a communication cell which is constituted by one master device and a plurality of slave devices, each slave device being capable of communicating with only said master device, said computer software comprising the steps of:

inquiring each device in said communication cell whether each device operates as a controller or a target;

inquiring each device having a target function for a command supported thereby; and

managing the commands supported by each target device.

44. A computer program being described in a computer-readable form so as to execute, on a computer system, wireless communication control for controlling command exchange between devices in a piconet of a Bluetooth wireless network constituted by one master device and a plurality of slave devices, at least one of said plurality of slave devices in said piconet having a controller function for issuing commands, at least one of the other slave devices having a target function for supporting commands, and said master device being capable of having both of said controller function and said target function, said computer software comprising the steps of:

establishing Bluetooth communication in said piconet;

grasping a slave device which functions as a target and/or a controller in said piconet; and

managing the commands supported by each target in said piconet.