Communication apparatus, communication program, and communication method

• US 20060116147A1
• Filed: 09/28/2005
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hashizume, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 7,522,929 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/515
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/382 for resource allocation, admission control or handover
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/022 Site diversity; Macro-diversity using two or more spaced independent antennas H04B7/04

Abstract

A communication apparatus includes a reception strength judgment unit for judging reception strength representing strength of a wireless MAC frame containing an IP address for identifying a connection candidate communication apparatus received from one or a plurality of connection candidate communication apparatuses accessible to a wireless communication network, an identification information acquisition unit for acquiring the IP address allocated to a vicinal communication apparatus which is a connection candidate communication apparatus transmitting the wireless MAC frame having the largest value of the reception strength, and a communication unit for communicating with the vicinal communication apparatus using a packet containing the IP address.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a reception strength judgment unit configured to judge reception strength representing strength of a wireless signal which is received from one or a plurality of connection candidate communication apparatuses accessible to a wireless communication network, and which contains identification information for identifying a connection candidate communication apparatus;

an identification information acquisition unit configured to acquire the identification information allocated to a vicinal communication apparatus which is the connection candidate communication apparatus transmitting the largest value of the reception strength judged by the reception strength judgment unit; and

a communication unit configured to communicate with the vicinal communication apparatus using a packet containing the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition unit.

2. The communication apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a reception unit configured to receive signals inclusive of a signal not addressed to the communication apparatus.

3. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the identification information acquisition unit determines that the connection candidate communication apparatus which transmitted the wireless signal having a value of the reception strength exceeding a predetermined threshold is the vicinal communication apparatus.

4. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the identification information acquisition unit reduces the threshold of the reception strength along with a lapse of time.

5. The communication apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a search signal transmission unit configured to transmit a search signal for searching the connection candidate communication apparatus through the wireless communication network; and

a response signal reception unit configured to receive a response signal in response to the search signal from the connection candidate communication apparatus through the wireless communication network.

6. The communication apparatus of claim 5, wherein the reception strength judgment unit judges the reception strength only for the connection candidate communication apparatus from which the response signal reception unit receives the response signal.

7. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the wireless communication network comprises a plurality of wireless communication channels, and

the reception strength judgment unit sequentially judges the reception strength of the wireless signal on the plurality of communication channels by switching among the wireless communication channels.

8. The communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the wireless communication channels are sequentially allocated in a predetermined frequency band and partially overlap bands of the other wireless communication channels, and

the reception strength judgment unit sequentially judges the reception strength of the wireless signal with skipping at least one of the wireless communication channels.

9. A communication program comprising:

a reception strength judgment process of judging reception strength representing strength of a wireless signal containing identification information for identifying a connection candidate communication apparatus received from at least one of connection candidate communication apparatuses which are accessible to a wireless communication network;

an identification information acquisition process of acquiring the identification information allocated to a vicinal communication apparatus which is the connection candidate communication apparatus transmitting the largest value of the reception strength judged by the reception strength judgment process; and

a communication process of communicating with the vicinal communication apparatus using a packet containing the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition process.

10. The communication program of claim 9, further comprising a reception process of receiving signals inclusive of a signal not addressed to the communication apparatus supposed to execute the communication program.

11. The communication program of claim 9, wherein in the identification information acquisition process, the connection candidate communication apparatus transmitting the wireless signal having a value of the reception strength exceeding a predetermined threshold is determined as the vicinal communication apparatus.

12. The communication program of claim 9, wherein the threshold of the reception strength is reduced along with a lapse of time in the identification information acquisition process.

13. The communication program of claim 9, further comprising:

a search signal transmission process of transmitting a search signal for searching the connection candidate communication apparatus through the wireless communication network; and

a response signal reception process of receiving a response signal in response to the search signal from the connection candidate communication apparatus through the wireless communication network.

14. The communication program of claim 13, wherein in the reception strength judgment process, the reception strength is judged only for the connection candidate communication apparatus from which the response signal is received in the response signal reception process.

15. The communication program of claim 9, wherein

the wireless communication network includes a plurality of wireless communication channels, and

in the reception strength judgment process, the reception strength of the wireless signal is sequentially judged on the plurality of communication channels by switching among the wireless communication channels.

16. The communication program according to claim 15, wherein

the wireless communication channels are sequentially allocated in a predetermined frequency band and partially overlap bands of the other wireless communication channels, and

the reception strength of the wireless signal is sequentially judged in the reception strength judgment process with skipping at least one of the wireless communication channels.

17. A communication method comprising the steps of:

judging reception strength representing strength of a wireless signal containing identification information for identifying a connection candidate communication apparatus received from at least one of connection candidate communication apparatuses which are accessible to a wireless communication network;

acquiring the identification information allocated to a vicinal communication apparatus which is the connection candidate communication apparatus transmitting the largest value of the reception strength judged in the step of judging the reception strength; and

communicating with the vicinal communication apparatus using a packet containing the identification information acquired in the step of acquiring the identification information.