Communication terminal, method and system for transmitting data

• US 20050233789A1
• Filed: 04/14/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Maekawa, Itaru
• Granted Patent: US 8,934,468 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/56 implementing delay-aware scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9031 Wraparound memory, e.g. overrun or underrun detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Each station makes a transition to a power saving state autonomously in response to the reception of signals from the other stations in the same group and the transmission of its own signal. Each station sets its transmission timing such that it does not overlap the transmission timing of the other stations, by referring to data elements included in a beacon signal. The transmission timing in the stations is determined for each transmission.

Claims

1. A communication terminal which constitutes a group with at least one other communication terminal and communicates within the group, comprising:

a receiver unit which receives a broadcast signal containing data elements for determining a transmission timing;

a transmission controller which determines the transmission timing for transmission of its own data signal by referring to the data elements included in the broadcast signal; and

a transmitter unit which transmits the data signal to the at least one other communication terminal according to the transmission timing determined by the transmission controller.

2. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the transmission controller sets the order of transmission of data signals within the group, by referring to the data element included in the broadcast signal.

3. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the transmission controller determines the transmission timing for transmission of a data signal using a broadcast signal ID included in the broadcast signal and a unit ID assigned to the communication terminal.

4. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the transmission controller sets the transmission timing as an elapsed time since the detection of a signal from the other communication terminal, and wherein the transmitter unit transmits the data signal when the time set as the transmission timing elapses since the detection of a signal from the other communication terminal.

5. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the transmission controller determines the transmission timing for transmission of its own data signal such that it does not overlap transmission timings of the at least one other communication terminal.

6. A communication method comprising the steps of:

receiving a broadcast signal including data elements for determining a transmission timing for transmission of its own data signal;

determining the transmission timing for transmission of its own data signal, by referring to the data elements included in the broadcast signal; and

transmitting the data signal to one or more other communication terminals according to the determined transmission timing.

7. A program which causes a computer to carry out the functions of:

receiving a broadcast signal including data elements for determining a transmission timing for transmission of a data signal;

determining the transmission timing for transmission of its own data signal, by referring to the data elements included in the broadcast signal; and

transmitting the data signal to one or more other communication terminals according to the determined transmission timing.

8. A communication terminal which constitutes a group with at least one other communication terminal and communicates within the group, comprising:

a transmitter unit which transmits a broadcast signal periodically including data elements with different values for different broadcast signals,and

a transmission controller which determines a transmission timing for transmission of its own data signal based on the data elements.

9. The communication terminal according to claim 8, wherein the transmission controller generates the broadcast signal including a broadcast signal ID, data defining a reference time for transmission, data defining an offset from the reference time and the number of the communication terminals which constitute the group.

10. A communication system for communication between a plurality of communication terminals, wherein

one of the communication terminals transmits a broadcast signal periodically including data elements with different values for different broadcast signals, and

each of the communication terminals determines a transmission timing for transmission of its own data signal based on the data elements in the broadcast signal and transmits the signal to at least one of other communication terminals according to the determined transmission timing.