Radio communication system, radio communication apparatus, radio communication method and computer program

• US 20040131034A1
• Filed: 10/16/2003
• Published: 07/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sugaya, Shigeru
• Granted Patent: US 7,545,826 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/337
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/006 in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal

Abstract

A radio communication device which manages a network defines a predetermined transmission frame cycle, allocates in the frame specific access slots as timing with which the individual radio communication devices in the network concerned receive a transmission, puts the information of the allocation in a beacon signal, and transmits the signal. Each radio communication device performs receiving operation at access slots specific to the device itself defined by the beacon signal. When information transmission is made between arbitrary communication devices in the network, access slots for the device which is to receive the information are used.

Claims

1. A radio communication system in which information transmission is made with a specific transmission frame cycle, wherein

a radio communication device defines a transmission frame cycle with a predetermined cycle, allocates reception regions specific to each radio communication device in its own network with the transmission frame cycle, and transmits reception region allocation information to the individual radio communication devices, and

each radio communication device performs reception processing in its own reception regions according to reception region allocation information, and, in data transmission, uses reception regions for stations as destinations of transmission to perform transmission processing.

2. The radio communication system according to claim 1, wherein

said radio communication device further allocates reception regions common to all the radio communication devices in its own network and transmits the state of allocation as reception region allocation information, and

said each radio communication device performs reception processing in reception regions for the device itself and in common reception regions, and, for a specific destination of transmission, uses reception regions for the station as the destination to perform transmission processing and, for unspecified destinations of transmission, uses common reception regions to perform transmission processing.

3. A radio communication device which manages a wireless network, comprising:

a management information acquiring means which acquires management information in the radio communication device'"'"'s own network;

a reception region allocating means which allocates reception regions specific to each station participating in the radio communication device'"'"'s own network according to said management information; and

an allocation information transmitting means which transmits allocation information on reception regions for the individual stations in the radio communication device'"'"'s own network to the individual stations.

4. The radio communication device according to claim 3, further comprising:

a radio frame cycle setting means which sets a radio frame cycle in the radio communication device'"'"'s own network, wherein

said allocation information transmitting means describes allocation information on reception regions for the individual stations in a beacon signal at the start of the radio frame cycle.

5. The radio communication device according to claim 3, wherein

the reception region allocating means further allocates reception regions common to all the stations that participate in the radio communication device'"'"'s own network, and

said allocation information transmitting means transmits allocation information on reception regions specific to the individual stations and allocation information on reception regions common to all the stations to the individual stations in the radio communication device'"'"'s own network.

6. The radio communication device according to claim 4, wherein

said reception region allocating means modifies the arrangement of reception regions specific to the individual stations and reception regions common to all the stations according to the load of communications traffic in the network.

7. The radio communication device according to claim 3, wherein

the radio frame cycle contains a contention access period, and

said reception region allocating means places a plurality of access slots in the contention access period and allocates the access slots to the individual stations or all the stations in common in the radio communication device'"'"'s own network.

8. The radio communication device according to claim 3, wherein

the radio frame cycle contains a contention free period, and

said reception region allocating means places a plurality of access slots in the contention free period and allocates the access slots to the individual stations or all the stations in common in the radio communication device'"'"'s own network.

9. A radio communication method for managing a wireless network, comprising:

a management information acquiring step for acquiring management information in the network concerned;

a reception region allocating step for allocating reception regions specific to stations which participates in the network concerned, according to said management information; and

an allocation information transmitting step for transmitting allocation information on reception regions for the individual stations in the network concerned to the individual stations.

10. The radio communication method according to claim 9, wherein

in the reception region allocating step, reception regions common to all the stations that participate in the network concerned are further allocated, and

in said allocation information transmitting step, allocation information on reception regions specific to the individual stations in the network concerned and allocation information on reception regions common to all the stations are transmitted to the individual stations.

11. The radio communication method according to claim 10, wherein

in said reception region allocating step, the arrangement of reception regions specific to the individual stations and reception regions common to all the stations is modified according to the load of communications traffic in the network.

12. A radio communication device which conducts radio communication in a wireless network which operates with a radio frame cycle, comprising:

a receiving means which receives radio data through the wireless network;

a reception region allocation information acquiring means which acquires information on reception regions allocated to the individual radio communication devices in the wireless network; and

a reception controlling means which starts reception processing in response to arrival of a reception region allocated to the radio communication device concerned.

13. The radio communication device according to claim 12, wherein

the wireless network operates with a predetermined radio frame cycle set by a specific radio communication device, and

said reception region allocation information managing means acquires allocation information on reception regions described in the beacon signal at the start of the radio frame cycle.

14. The radio communication device according to claim 12, wherein

said reception region allocation information acquiring means further acquires information on reception regions allocated in common to all the radio communication devices in the wireless network, and

said reception controlling means starts reception processing in response to arrival of the common reception region.

15. A radio communication method for conducting radio communication in a wireless network which operates with a radio frame cycle, comprising:

a receiving step for receiving radio data through the wireless network;

a reception region allocation information acquiring step for acquiring information on reception regions allocated to the individual radio communication devices in the wireless network; and

a reception controlling step for starting reception processing in response to arrival of a reception region allocated to the station concerned.

16. The radio communication method according to claim 15, wherein

in said reception region allocation information acquiring step, information on reception regions allocated in common to all the radio communication devices in the wireless network is further acquired, and

in said reception controlling step, reception processing is started in response to arrival of the common reception region.

17. A radio communication device which conducts radio communication in a wireless network which operates with a radio frame cycle, comprising:

a receiving means which receives radio data through the wireless network;

a transmitting means which transmits radio data through the wireless network;

a reception region allocation information managing means which acquires and manages information on reception regions allocated to the individual radio communication devices in the wireless network;

a destination of transmission reception region acquiring means which reads information on reception regions allocated to a station as the destination of data transmission in the wireless network out of said reception region allocation information managing means; and

a transmission controlling means which starts transmission processing in response to arrival of a reception region allocated to the destination of transmission.

18. The radio communication device according to claim 17, wherein

the wireless network operates with a predetermined radio frame cycle set by a specific radio communication device, and

said reception region allocation information managing means acquires allocation information of reception regions described in the beacon signal at the start of the radio frame cycle.

19. The radio communication device according to claim 17, wherein

said reception region allocation information acquiring means further acquires information on reception regions allocated in common to all the radio communication devices in the wireless network, and

said reception controlling means starts reception processing in response to arrival of the common reception region.

20. The radio communication device according to claim 19, wherein

said destination of transmission reception region acquiring means reads information on reception regions allocated in common to all the radio communication devices in the wireless network out of said reception region allocation information managing means for unspecified destinations of data transmission, and

said transmission controlling means starts transmission processing on data destined for unspecified destinations of data transmission in response to arrival of the common reception region.

21. A radio communication method for conducting radio communication in a wireless network which operates with a radio frame cycle, comprising:

a reception region allocation information acquiring step for acquiring information on reception regions allocated to the individual radio communication devices in the wireless network; and

a transmission processing step for starting transmission processing in response to arrival of a reception region allocated to a station as the destination of data transmission in the wireless network.

22. The radio communication method according to claim 21, wherein

in said reception region allocation information acquiring step, information on reception regions allocated in common to all the radio communication devices in the wireless network is further acquired, and

in said transmission controlling step, transmission processing on data destined for unspecified destinations of data transmission is started in response to arrival of the common reception region.

23. A computer program written in a computer-readable format so that processing to manage a wireless network is performed on a computer system, comprising:

a management information acquiring step for acquiring management information in the network concerned;

a reception region allocating step for allocating specific reception regions to the individual stations which participate in the network concerned according to said management information; and

an allocation information transmitting step for transmitting allocation information of reception regions for the individual stations in the network concerned to the individual stations.

24. A computer program written in a computer-readable format so that control on radio data receiving operation in a wireless network which operates with a radio frame cycle is exercised on a computer system, comprising:

a reception region allocation information acquiring step for acquiring information on reception regions allocated to the individual radio communication devices in the wireless network; and

a reception processing step for performing reception processing in response to arrival of a reception region allocated to the station concerned.

25. A computer program written in a computer-readable format so that control on radio data transmitting operation in a wireless network which operates with a radio frame cycle is exercised on a computer system, comprising:

a reception region allocation information acquiring step for acquiring information on reception regions allocated to the individual radio communication devices in the wireless network; and

a transmission processing step for starting transmission processing in response to arrival of a reception region allocated to a station as the destination of data transmission in the wireless network.