Wireless network system and wireless communication program

• US 20060106963A1
• Filed: 02/28/2005
• Published: 05/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Kuwahara, Masato, Sasaki, Tetsuya
• Granted Patent: US 8,073,923 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/110
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/31 Communication aspects specific to video games, e.g. between several handheld game devices at close range
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/327 using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/34 using peer-to-peer connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/405 being a wireless ad hoc network, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Pico net
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/408 Peer to peer connection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/638 according to the timing of operation or a time limit

Abstract

Upon receipt of a network connection request, a CPU core of a game device randomly sets a master device search period, and searches for a master device or a temporary master device until the master device search period ends. When the master device search period ends, the CPU core randomly sets a temporary master process period, and causes the game device to act as a temporary master until the temporary master process period ends. The CPU core alternately repeats the master device search and the temporary master process. The game device is caused to act as a slave device if any game device acting as the master device or temporary master device is found during the master device search period. Alternatively, the game device is caused to act as a master device if a connection request from another game device is received during the temporary master process period. Thus, it is possible to automatically construct a wireless network with one master device and one or more slave devices.

Claims

1. A wireless network system composed of a plurality of terminal devices having a radio communication function, one of the plurality of terminal devices acting as a master device for controlling data transfer timing in a network, each terminal device other than the master device acting as a slave device performing data transfer with the master device under control of the master device, wherein

each of the plurality of terminal devices includes:

a master device search section for searching for any other terminal device acting as the master device or a temporary master device;

a temporary master process section for causing the terminal device itself to act as the temporary master device;

a switching section for, if no network is constructed with any other terminal device, performing a switching operation for alternately activating the master device search section and the temporary master process section;

a slave process section for, if the master device search section detects presence of the master device or temporary master device, causing the terminal device itself to act as a slave device for the detected master device or temporary master device; and

a master process section for, if another terminal device is detected as searching for the master device or temporary master device during a period for which the terminal device itself is caused by the temporary master process section to act as the temporary master device, causing the terminal device itself to act as the master device.

2. The wireless network system according to claim 1, wherein when the switching section performs the switching operation for alternately activating the master device search section and the temporary master process section, the switching section randomly sets one or both of a period in which to activate the master device search section and a period in which to activate the temporary master process section.

3. The wireless network system according to claim 1, wherein

each of the plurality of terminal devices transmits, at regular intervals, a beacon signal containing at least information, which indicates that the terminal device itself is acting as the master device or temporary master device, when acting as the master device or temporary master device, and

the master device search section receives a beacon signal transmitted from any other terminal device to detect presence of the master device or temporary master device.

4. The wireless network system according to claim 1, wherein

each of the plurality of terminal devices further includes a master device disconnection determination section for, when the terminal device itself is acting as the slave device, determining whether the master device is disconnected from a network in which the terminal device itself belongs, and

if the master device disconnection determination section detects that the master device is disconnected from the network, the switching section automatically starts the switching operation.

5. The wireless network system according to claim 4, wherein

each of the plurality of terminal devices further includes an identification information storage section for, when a network is constructed with any other terminal device, receiving and storing identification information for identifying that other terminal device in the network, and

the master device search section searches for any other terminal device, which is acting as the master device or temporary master device and has previously belonged in the network, based on the identification information stored in the identification information storage section.

6. The wireless network system according to claim 5, wherein after a predetermined period of time elapsed since the master device disconnection determination section determined that the master device is disconnected from the network, the master device search section searches for, in addition to terminal devices having previously belonged in the network, a terminal device acting as the master device or temporary master device.

7. The wireless network system according to claim 5, wherein the identification information is a MAC address list which lists a MAC address of any other terminal device having previously belonged in the network.

8. The wireless network system according to claim 7, wherein

each of the plurality of terminal devices transmits, at regular intervals, a beacon signal containing at least its own MAC signal when acting as the master device or temporary master device, and

when presence of any other terminal device acting as the master device or temporary master device has been detected, the master device search section checks a MAC address of that other terminal device, which is contained in the beacon signal transmitted from that other terminal device, with the MAC address list stored in the identification information storage section, and determines whether that other terminal device has previously belonged in the network in which the terminal device has previously belonged.

9. The wireless network system according to claim 4, wherein

each of the plurality of terminal devices further includes an individual number storage section for, when a network is constructed with any other terminal device, receiving and storing a list of an individual number of that other terminal device in the network, and

when the master device disconnection determination section has determined that the master device is disconnected from the network, the switching section compares the individual number list stored in the individual number list with an individual number of the terminal device, and sets, based on a comparison result, an initial period in which to activate the master device search section.

10. The wireless network system according to claim 9, wherein the individual number is a MAC address of a terminal device.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a radio communication program for constructing a wireless network system composed of a plurality of terminal devices having a radio communication function, one of the plurality of terminal devices acting as a master device for controlling data transfer timing in a network, each terminal device other than the master device acting as a slave device performing data transfer with the master device under control of the master device, wherein

the radio communication program causes a computer of a terminal device to act as:

a master device search section for searching for any other terminal device acting as the master device or a temporary master device;

a temporary master process section for causing the terminal device itself to act as the temporary master device;

a switching section for, if no network is constructed with any other terminal device, performing a switching operation for alternately activating the master device search section and the temporary master process section;

a slave process section for, if the master device search section detects presence of the master device or temporary master device, causing the terminal device itself to act as a slave device for the detected master device or temporary master device; and

a master process section for, if another terminal device is detected as searching for the master device or temporary master device during a period for which the terminal device itself is caused by the temporary master process section to act as the temporary master device, causing the terminal device itself to act as the master device.

12. The storage medium according to claim 11, wherein when the switching section performs the switching operation for alternately activating the master device search section and the temporary master process section, the switching section randomly sets one or both of a period in which to activate the master device search section and a period in which to activate the temporary master process section.

13. The storage medium according to claim 11, wherein

each of the plurality of terminal devices transmits, at regular intervals, a beacon signal containing at least information, which indicates that the terminal device itself is acting as the master device or temporary master device, when acting as the master device or temporary master device, and

the master device search section receives a beacon signal transmitted from any other terminal device to detect presence of the master device or temporary master device.

14. The storage medium according to claim 11, wherein

the wireless communication program further causes the computer to act as a master device disconnection determination section for, when the terminal device itself is acting as the slave device, determining whether the master device is disconnected from a network in which the terminal device itself belongs, and

if the master device disconnection determination section detects that the master device is disconnected from the network, the switching section automatically starts the switching operation.

15. The storage medium according to claim 14, wherein

the wireless communication program further causes the computer to act as an identification information storage section for, when a network is constructed with any other terminal device, receiving and storing identification information for identifying that other terminal device in the network, and

the master device search section searches for any other terminal device, which is acting as the master device or temporary master device and has previously belonged in the network, based on the identification information stored in the identification information storage section.

16. The storage medium according to claim 15, wherein after a predetermined period of time elapsed since the master device disconnection determination section determined that the master device is disconnected from the network, the master device search section searches for, in addition to terminal devices having previously belonged in the network, a terminal device acting as the master device or temporary master device.

17. The storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the identification information is a MAC address list which lists a MAC address of any other terminal device having previously belonged in the network.

18. The storage medium according to claim 17, wherein

each of the plurality of terminal devices transmits, at regular intervals, a beacon signal containing at least its own MAC signal when acting as the master device or temporary master device, and

when presence of any other terminal device acting as the master device or temporary master device has been detected, the master device search section checks a MAC address of that other terminal device, which is contained in the beacon signal transmitted from that other terminal device, with the MAC address list stored in the identification information storage section, and determines whether that other terminal device has previously belonged in the network in which the terminal device has previously belonged.

19. The storage medium according to claim 14, wherein

the wireless communication program further causes the computer to act as an individual number storage section for, when a network is constructed with any other terminal device, receiving and storing a list of an individual number of that other terminal device in the network, and

when the master device disconnection determination section has determined that the master device is disconnected from the network, the switching section compares the individual number list stored in the individual number list with an individual number of the terminal device, and sets, based on a comparison result, an initial period in which to activate the master device search section.

20. The storage medium system according to claim 19, wherein the individual number is a MAC address of a terminal device.