Data transfer system, wireless communication device, wireless communication method, and computer program

• US 20070053412A1
• Filed: 10/10/2006
• Published: 03/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Maeshima, Yasunori, Hashimoto, Yuhei, Nishiyama, Fumihiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,126,035 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/130
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7163 using impulse radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

In a data transfer system in which wireless data transmission is carried out between a first device and a second device that each has a UWB wireless device, the data transfer system includes a ranging unit that is provided in the UWB wireless device of at least one of the first and second devices and measures a distance to the other of the first and second devices; a distance determination unit that determines, based on a measurement result by the ranging unit, whether or not the distance between the first and second devices has been within such a predetermined range that a predetermined transmission rate and a predetermined transmission quality are obtained by UWB communication; and a data transfer unit that executes data transmission between the first and second devices in response to a determination by the distance determination unit that the distance between the first and second devices has been within the predetermined range.

Claims

1. A data transfer system in which wireless data transmission is carried out between a first device and a second device that each include a UWB wireless device, the data transfer system comprising:

ranging means that is provided in the UWB wireless device of at least one of the first and second devices and measures a distance to the other of the first and second devices;

distance determination means that determines, based on a measurement result by the ranging means, whether or not the distance between the first and second devices has been within such a predetermined range that a predetermined transmission rate and a predetermined transmission quality are obtained by UWB communication; and

data transfer means that executes data transmission between the first and second devices in response to a determination by the distance determination means that the distance between the first and second devices has been within the predetermined range.

2. The data transfer system according to claim 1, further comprising:

authentication means that executes authentication processing between the first and second devices that are within such a distance from each other as to be capable of communicating with each other by use of the UWB wireless devices.

3. The data transfer system according to claim 1, further comprising:

fixing means that fixes the distance between the first and second devices at a distance within the predetermined range.

4. The data transfer system according to claim 3, wherein

the fixing means allows the first device to be housed in the second device to thereby fix the first and second devices so that the distance between the first and second devices is within the predetermined range.

7. The data transfer system according to claim 1 or 5, wherein

an RTS/CTS method is used in the wireless data transmission, and

the ranging means measures the distance based on a UWB signal that has carried a CTS packet that is sent from the other of the first and second devices as a data transmission destination after an RTS packet is sent from the one of the first and second devices as a data transmission source.

5. A data transfer system in which wireless data transmission is carried out between a first device and a second device that each include a UWB wireless device, the data transfer system comprising:

recognition means that is included in at least one of the first and second devices and recognizes existence of a communication target wireless device; and

data transfer means that starts data transmission between the first and second devices in response to a recognition of existence of one of the first and second devices by the other of the first and second devices through the recognition means.

6. The data transfer system according to claim 5, wherein

at least one of the first and second devices detects a communication target apparatus by using a polling function to thereby allow the recognition means to recognize the existence of the communication target wireless device.

8. A wireless communication device comprising:

UWB communication means that transmits and receives a UWB signal;

ranging means that measures a distance to a communication target apparatus based on a transmitted or received UWB signal;

distance determination means that determines, based on a measurement result by the ranging means, whether or not the distance to the communication target apparatus has been within such a predetermined range that a predetermined transmission rate and a predetermined transmission quality are obtained by UWB communication; and

data transfer means that executes data transmission in response to a determination by the distance determination means that the distance to the communication target apparatus has been within the predetermined range.

9. The wireless communication device according to claim 8, further comprising:

authentication means that executes authentication processing with the communication target apparatus that is within such a distance from the wireless communication device that the wireless communication device is allowed to communicate with the communication target apparatus by the UWB communication means.

10. The wireless communication device according to claim 8, further comprising:

fixing means that fixes the communication target apparatus so that the distance to the communication target apparatus is within the predetermined range.

11. The wireless communication device according to claim 10, wherein

the fixing means allows the wireless communication device to be housed in the communication target apparatus. device to be housed in the communication target apparatus.

12. A wireless communication device comprising:

UWB communication means that transmits and receives a UWB signal;

recognition means that recognizes existence of a communication target apparatus that is within such a distance from the wireless communication device that the wireless communication device is allowed to communicate with the communication target apparatus by the UWB communication means; and

data transfer means that starts data transmission by use of the UWB communication means in response to a recognition of the communication target apparatus by the recognition means.

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

the recognition means detects the communication target apparatus by using a polling function to thereby recognize existence of a communication target wireless device.

14. The wireless communication device according to claim 8 or 12, wherein

an RTS/CTS method is used in the data transmission, and

the ranging means measures the distance based on a UWB signal that has carried a CTS packet that is sent from the communication target apparatus after transmission of an RTS packet.

15. A wireless communication method for carrying out wireless data transmission between apparatuses by use of UWB communication, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring a distance to a communication target apparatus based on a transmitted or received UWB signal;

determining, based on a measurement result in the measuring, whether or not the distance to the communication target apparatus has been within such a predetermined range that a predetermined transmission rate and a predetermined transmission quality are obtained by UWB communication; and

executing short-range data transmission with a throughput equal to or higher than a predetermined throughput by UWB communication in response to a determination in the determining that the distance to the communication target apparatus has been within the predetermined range.

16. The wireless communication method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of:

executing authentication processing with the communication target apparatus that is within such a distance that communication to the communication target apparatus by UWB communication is possible.

19. The wireless communication method according to claim 15 or 17, wherein

an RTS/CTS method is used in the wireless data transmission, and

in the measuring, the distance is measured based on a UWB signal that has carried a CTS packet that is sent from the communication target apparatus after transmission of an RTS packet.

17. A wireless communication method for carrying out wireless data transmission between apparatuses by use of UWB communication, the method comprising the steps of:

recognizing existence of a communication target apparatus that is within such a distance that communication to the communication target apparatus is possible; and

starting data transmission by use of the UWB communication in response to a recognition of the communication target apparatus in the recognizing step.

18. The wireless communication method according to claim 17, wherein

in the recognizing step, the communication target apparatus is detected by using a polling function to thereby recognize existence of a communication target wireless device.

20. A computer program that is described in a computer readable format so that processing for carrying out wireless data transmission between apparatuses by use of UWB communication is executed on a computer system, the computer program causing the computer system to execute the steps of:

measuring a distance to a communication target apparatus based on a transmitted or received UWB signal;

determining, based on a measurement result in the measuring, whether or not the distance to the communication target apparatus has been within such a predetermined range that a predetermined transmission rate and a predetermined transmission quality are obtained by UWB communication; and

executing short-range data transmission with a throughput equal to or higher than a predetermined throughput by UWB communication in response to a determination in the determining that the distance to the communication target apparatus has been within the predetermined range.

21. A computer program that is described in a computer readable format so that processing for carrying out wireless data transmission between apparatuses by use of UWB communication is executed on a computer system, the computer program causing the computer system to execute the steps of:

recognizing existence of a communication target apparatus that is within such a distance that communication to the communication target apparatus is possible; and

starting data transmission by use of the UWB communication in response to a recognition of the communication target apparatus through execution of the recognizing step.

22. A data transfer system in which wireless data transmission is carried out between a first device and a second device that each includes a UWB wireless device, the data transfer system comprising:

a ranging unit that is provided in the UWB wireless device of at least one of the first and second devices and measures a distance to the other of the first and second devices;

a distance determination unit that determines, based on a measurement result by the ranging unit, whether or not the distance between the first and second devices has been within such a predetermined range that a predetermined transmission rate and a predetermined transmission quality are obtained by UWB communication; and

a data transfer unit that executes data transmission between the first and second devices in response to a determination by the distance determination unit that the distance between the first and second devices has been within the predetermined range.

23. A data transfer system in which wireless data transmission is carried out between a first device and a second device that each include a UWB wireless device, the data transfer system comprising:

a recognition unit that is included in at least one of the first and second devices and recognizes existence of a communication target wireless device; and

a data transfer unit that starts data transmission between the first and second devices in response to a recognition of existence of one of the first and second devices by the other of the first and second devices through the recognition unit.

24. A wireless communication device comprising:

a UWB communication unit that transmits and receives a UWB signal;

a ranging unit that measures a distance to a communication target apparatus based on a transmitted or received UWB signal;

a distance determination unit that determines, based on a measurement result by the ranging unit, whether or not the distance to the communication target apparatus has been within such a predetermined range that a predetermined transmission rate and a predetermined transmission quality are obtained by UWB communication; and

a data transfer unit that executes data transmission in response to a determination by the distance determination unit that the distance to the communication target apparatus has been within the predetermined range.

25. A wireless communication device comprising:

a UWB communication unit that transmits and receives a UWB signal;

a recognition unit that recognizes existence of a communication target apparatus that is within such a distance from the wireless communication device that the wireless communication device is allowed to communicate with the communication target apparatus by the UWB communication unit; and

a data transfer unit that starts data transmission by use of the UWB communication unit in response to a recognition of the communication target apparatus by the recognition unit.