Base station apparatus and terminal apparatus

• US 20050245237A1
• Filed: 07/05/2005
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kiyoshi Toshimitsu, Tomoko Adachi
• Original Assignee: Kiyoshi Toshimitsu, Tomoko Adachi
• Inventors: Toshimitsu, Kiyoshi, Adachi, Tomoko
• Granted Patent: US 7,277,729 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

A base station apparatus corresponding to a first base station apparatus of base station apparatuses and connected to terminal apparatuses, first base station apparatus transmitting and receiving first packets with respect to a second base station apparatus corresponding to another of base station apparatuses and transmitting and receiving second packets with respect to terminal apparatuses, first base station apparatus transmits a third packet to second base station apparatus, third packet corresponding to one of first packets to be transmitted from first base station apparatus and including a first data item, second base station apparatus recognizing by first data item that first base station apparatus is one of base station apparatuses, third packet being used through an authentication process or an association process for connecting in wireless first base station apparatus to second base station apparatus.

Claims

1. A base station apparatus which is one of a plurality of base station apparatuses and is connected to a plurality of terminal apparatuses, the base station apparatus comprising:

a unit configured to insert a data item into one or more fields which are included in at least one of an authentication frame used in an authentication process with respect to another of the base station apparatuses and an association frame used in an association process with respect to the another of the base station apparatuses, the data item in the one or more fields included in the one of the authentication frame and the association frame designating that the one of the authentication frame and the association frame is transmitted from one of the base station apparatuses; and

a transmitter unit configured to transmit the one of the authentication frame and the association frame in which the data item is inserted.

2. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, further comprises:

a synchronization unit configured to synchronize a frame transmission timing of the base station apparatus with that of the another of the base station apparatuses, responsive to the another of the base station apparatuses broadcasting synchronization signals.

3. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, further comprises:

a first receiver unit configured to receive a first frame which is not addressed to the base station apparatus; and

a transmission controlling unit configured to control an operation for transmitting frames with respect to the another of the base station apparatuses and frames with respect to the terminal apparatuses, when the first frame satisfies a predetermined condition, the condition being that the first frame is transmitted from one of the terminal apparatuses and is addressed to another of the terminal apparatuses without being relayed by the base station apparatus.

4. A terminal apparatus of a plurality of terminal apparatuses which are arranged to connect, in use, to the base station apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:

a receiver unit configured to receive a frame which is not addressed to the terminal apparatus; and

a transmission controlling unit configured to control an operation for transmitting frames with respect to the base station apparatus and the terminal apparatuses other than the terminal apparatus, when the frame received satisfies a predetermined condition, the condition being that the frame received is transmitted and is to be received among the base station apparatus and the terminal apparatuses other than the terminal apparatus.

5. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first forming unit configured to form a directional pattern having directivity toward the another of the base station apparatuses, for transmitting the authentication frame and the association frame.

6. The base station apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a second forming unit configured to form an omni-directional pattern, for transmitting and receiving frames with respect to the terminal apparatuses.

7. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a receiver unit configured to receive frames which are transmitted from the another of the base station apparatuses, to obtain received frames;

a measuring unit configured to measure a received power of each of the received frames, to obtain measured powers;

a detection unit configured to detect a type of each of the received frames, to obtain detected types;

a determination unit configured to determine whether the another of the base station apparatuses adapted to form a directional pattern having directivity toward the base station apparatus or not when the another of the base station apparatuses adapted to transmit the frames which are addressed to the base station apparatus, based on the measured powers and the detected types, to obtain a determination result; and

a controlling unit configured to control at least one of a transmitting power of transmitting frame addressed to the another of the base station apparatuses and a level of sensing carrier, based on the determination result.

8. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a receiver unit configured to receive frames which are transmitted from the another of the base station apparatuses, to obtain received frames;

a measuring unit configured to measure received power of each of the received frames, to obtain measured powers;

a first detection unit configured to detect a type of each of the received frames, to obtain detected types;

a second detection unit configured to detect a transmitting power used by the another of the base station apparatuses for transmitting each of the received frames, to obtain a detected powers;

a determination unit configured to determine whether the another of the base station apparatuses adapted to form a directional pattern having directivity toward the base station apparatus or not when the another of the base station apparatuses adapted to transmit the frames which are addressed to the base station apparatus, based on the measured powers, the detected types, and the detected powers, to obtain a determination result; and

a controlling unit configured to control at least one of a transmitting power of transmitting frame addressed to the another of the base station apparatuses and a level of sensing carrier, based on the determination result.

9. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a receiver unit configured to receive a broadcast frame transmitted from another of the base station apparatuses;

a measuring unit configured to measure a received power of the broadcast frame when it is received, to obtain a first measured power;

a receiver unit configured to receive a unicast frame transmitted from the another of the base station apparatuses to the base station;

a measuring unit configured to measure a received power of the unicast frame when it is received, to obtain a second measured power;

a determination unit configured to determine whether the another of the base station apparatuses adapted to form a directional pattern having directivity toward the base station apparatus or not when the another of the base station apparatuses adapted to transmits the unicast frame to the base station apparatus, based on the first and the second measured power, to obtain a determination result; and

a controlling unit configured to control at least one of a transmitting power of transmitting frames addressed to the another of the base station and a level of sensing carrier, based on the determination result.

10. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a receiver unit configured to receive a broadcast frame transmitted from the another of the base station apparatuses;

a measuring unit configured to measure a received power of the broadcast frame when it is received, to obtain a first measured power;

a detection unit configured to detect a transmitting power used by the another of the base station apparatuses for transmitting the broadcast frame, to obtain a first detected power;

a receiver unit configured to receive a unicast frame transmitted from the another of the base station apparatuses to the base station;

a measuring unit configured to measure a received power of the unicast frame when it is received, to obtain a second measured power;

a detection unit configured to detect a transmitting power used by the another of the base station apparatus for transmitting the unicast frame, to obtain a second detected power;

a determination unit configured to determine whether the another of the base station apparatus adapted to form a directional pattern having directivity toward the base station apparatus or not when the another of the base station apparatuses adapted to transmits the unicast frame to the base station apparatus, based on the first and the second measured powers and the first and the second detected powers, to obtain a determination result; and

a controlling unit configured to control at least one of a transmitting power of transmitting frames addressed to the another of the base station apparatuses and a level of sensing carrier, based on the determination result.

11. The base station apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the controlling unit includes means for controlling the transmitting power so as to suppress the transmitting power and/or controlling a level of sensing carrier so as to suppress a sensitivity of the sensing carrier, when the determination unit determines that the another of the base station apparatuses adapted to form the directional pattern having directivity toward the base station apparatus.

12. The base station apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the controlling unit includes means for controlling the transmitting power so as to suppress the transmitting power and/or controlling a level of sensing carrier so as to suppress a sensitivity of the sensing carrier, when the determination unit determines that the another of the base station apparatuses adapted to form the directional pattern having directivity toward the base station apparatus.

13. The base station apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the controlling unit includes means for controlling the transmitting power so as to suppress the transmitting power and/or controlling a level of sensing carrier so as to suppress a sensitivity of the sensing carrier, when the determination unit determines that the another of the base station apparatuses adapted to form the directional pattern having directivity toward the base station apparatus.

14. The first base station apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the controlling unit includes means for controlling the transmitting power so as to suppress the transmitting power and/or controlling a level of sensing carrier so as to suppress a sensitivity of the sensing carrier, when the determination unit determines that the another of the base station apparatuses adapted to form the directional pattern having directivity toward the base station apparatus.

15. The base station apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the transmission controlling unit includes means for controlling the operation so as not to transmit the frames with respect to the another of the base station apparatuses and the frames with respect to the terminal apparatuses from the base station apparatus for predetermined time.

16. The terminal apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the transmission controlling unit includes means for controlling the operation so as not to transmit the frames from the terminal apparatus for predetermined time.

17. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the authentication frame and the association frame are management frames of MAC specified by IEEE802.11, and the data item is inserted in at least one of a “

To DS”

field and a “

From DS”

field.

18. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the authentication frame and the association frame are management frames of MAC specified by IEEE802.11, and the data item is inserted in a “

capability information”

field.

19. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more fields are used neither in the authentication and the association processes between the base station apparatuses and each of the terminal apparatuses nor in the authentication and the association processes among the terminal apparatuses.