Radio communication method, radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus, and radio communication terminal

• US 20070109981A1
• Filed: 09/10/2004
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Imamura, Daichi, Hirano, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 8,023,476 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/310.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A technique for enabling a configuration of an entire radio communication system to be grasped in a manner of bird'"'"'s-eye is disclosed. In the radio communication system provided with one radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus 101 and a plurality of radio communication terminals 102a to 102e accommodated in this radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus by using the technique, each radio communication terminal transmits identification information of a self-terminal, and monitors a radio transmission medium, and then acquires identification information of a different radio communication terminal transmitted from a different radio communication terminal. Then, each radio communication terminal reports the acquired identification information of the different radio communication terminal to the radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus, and the radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus generates information indicating a relation of a detection of an existence between the plurality of radio communication terminals, in accordance with the report of those identification information, and grasp the configuration of the entire radio communication system in the manner of the bird'"'"'s-eye.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A radio communication method in a radio communication system, wherein one radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus and a plurality of radio communication terminals accommodated in said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus carry out communications between them through radio transmission medium, said radio communication method comprising:

a step where each of said plurality of radio communication terminals transmits identification information of a self-terminal;

a step where each of said plurality of radio communication terminals receives said identification information of a different radio communication terminal that can monitor the communication and also detects information related to the communication with said different radio communication terminal by the reception of said identification information of said different radio communication terminal;

a step where each of said plurality of radio communication terminals transmits said identification information of said different radio communication terminal to said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus and also transmits the information related to the communication with said different radio communication terminal;

a step where said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus generates information indicating a relation of a detection of an existence between said plurality of radio communication terminals, in accordance with the identification information of said different radio communication terminal received from each of said plurality of radio communication terminals; and

a step where said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus generates information related to said communication between said plurality of radio communication terminals, in accordance with the information related to the communication with said different radio communication terminal received from each of said plurality of radio communication terminals.

18. The radio communication method according to claim 16, comprising:

a step where each of said plurality of radio communication terminals periodically transmits said identification information of said different radio communication terminal to said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus; and

a step where said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus generates information indicating a time change in the relation of the detection of the existence between said plurality of radio communication terminals, in accordance with the identification information of said different radio communication terminal periodically received from each of said plurality of radio communication terminals.

19. The radio communication method according to claim 16, comprising a step where said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus detects an existence of a radio communication terminal or radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus, which cannot be directly detected by said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus, in accordance with the identification information of said different radio communication terminal received from each of said plurality of radio communication terminals, and are located around each of said plurality of radio communication terminals.

20. The radio communication method according to claim 16, comprising:

a step where each of said plurality of radio communication terminals periodically transmits the information related to the communication with said different radio communication terminal to said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus; and

a step where said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus generates the information indicating the time change in said communication state between said plurality of radio communication terminals, in accordance with the information related to the communication with said different radio communication terminal periodically received from each of said plurality of radio communication terminals.

22. The radio communication method according to claim 16, comprising a step where said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus acquires information related to a communication between each of said plurality of radio communication terminals and a radio communication terminal or radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus, which cannot be directly detected by said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus, in accordance with the information related to the communication with said different radio communication terminal received from each of said plurality of radio communication terminals, and are located around each of said plurality of radio communication terminals.

23. The radio communication method according to claim 16, wherein the information related to the communication with said different radio communication terminal includes any one of:

an electric power level or error rate of a signal which said radio communication terminal receives from said different radio communication terminal or said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus;

a variation amount in said electric power level or said error rate;

a direction from a position of said radio communication terminal to said different radio communication terminal or said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus; and

a variation amount in said direction.

25. The radio communication method according to claim 16, comprising a step where said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus refers to the information indicating the relation of the detection of the existence between said plurality of radio communication terminals and allows a communication between the two radio communication terminals among said plurality of radio communication terminals and a communication between the different two radio communication terminals that does not overlap with the communication between said two radio communication terminals at the same time.

17. A radio communication method in a radio communication system, wherein one radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus and a plurality of radio communication terminals accommodated in said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus carry out communications between them through radio transmission medium, said radio communication method comprising:

a step where each of said plurality of radio communication terminals transmits identification information of a self-terminal;

a step where each of said plurality of radio communication terminals receives said identification information of a different radio communication terminal that can monitor the communication and also detects information related to the communication with said different radio communication terminal by the reception of said identification information of said different radio communication terminal;

a step where each of said plurality of radio communication terminals transmits said identification information of said different radio communication terminal and information related to a communication performance of a self radio communication terminal to said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus and also transmits the information related to the communication with said different radio communication terminal;

a step where said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus generates information indicating a relation of a detection of an existence between said plurality of radio communication terminals, in accordance with the identification information of said different radio communication terminal received from each of said plurality of radio communication terminals; and

a step where said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus generates information related to said communication between said plurality of radio communication terminals, in accordance with the information related to the communication with said different radio communication terminal received from each of said plurality of radio communication terminals and the information related to the communication performance of said each radio communication terminal.

21. The radio communication method according to claim 17, comprising:

a step where each of said plurality of radio communication terminals periodically transmits the information related to the communication with said different radio communication terminal and the information related to the communication performance of said self radio communication terminal to said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus; and

a step where said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus generates the information indicating the time change in said communication state between said plurality of radio communication terminals, in accordance with the information related to the communication with said different radio communication terminal periodically received from each of said plurality of radio communication terminals and the information related to the communication performance of said each radio communication terminal.

24. The radio communication method according to claim 17, wherein the information related to the communication performance of said each radio communication terminal includes any one of:

a movement direction or movement speed of said radio communication terminal;

a kind of a communication interface possessed by said radio communication terminal;

a transmission directivity that can be generated by said radio communication terminal; and

a reception directivity.

31. The radio communication method according to claim 17, comprising:

a step where each of said plurality of radio communication terminals periodically transmits said identification information of said different radio communication terminal to said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus; and

a step where said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus generates information indicating a time change in the relation of the detection of the existence between said plurality of radio communication terminals, in accordance with the identification information of said different radio communication terminal periodically received from each of said plurality of radio communication terminals.

32. The radio communication method according to claim 17, comprising a step where said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus detects an existence of a radio communication terminal or radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus, which cannot be directly detected by said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus, in accordance with the identification information of said different radio communication terminal received from each of said plurality of radio communication terminals, and are located around each of said plurality of radio communication terminals.

33. The radio communication method according to claim 17, comprising:

a step where each of said plurality of radio communication terminals periodically transmits the information related to the communication with said different radio communication terminal to said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus; and

a step where said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus generates the information indicating the time change in said communication state between said plurality of radio communication terminals, in accordance with the information related to the communication with said different radio communication terminal periodically received from each of said plurality of radio communication terminals.

34. The radio communication method according to claim 17, comprising a step where said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus acquires information related to a communication between each of said plurality of radio communication terminals and a radio communication terminal or radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus, which cannot be directly detected by said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus, in accordance with the information related to the communication with said different radio communication terminal received from each of said plurality of radio communication terminals, and are located around each of said plurality of radio communication terminals.

35. The radio communication method according to claim 17, wherein the information related to the communication with said different radio communication terminal includes any one of:

an electric power level or error rate of a signal which said radio communication terminal receives from said different radio communication terminal or said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus;

a variation amount in said electric power level or said error rate;

a direction from a position of said radio communication terminal to said different radio communication terminal or said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus; and

a variation amount in said direction.

36. The radio communication method according to claim 17, comprising a step where said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus refers to the information indicating the relation of the detection of the existence between said plurality of radio communication terminals and allows a communication between the two radio communication terminals among said plurality of radio communication terminals and a communication between the different two radio communication terminals that does not overlap with the communication between said two radio communication terminals at the same time.

26. A radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus, which carries out a communication through a radio transmission medium with each of a plurality of radio communication terminals and accommodates each of said plurality of radio communication terminals, said apparatus comprising:

receiving means for receiving said identification information of a different radio communication terminal, which is transmitted from each of said plurality of radio communication terminals and in which each of said plurality of radio communication terminals can monitor a communication;

correlation information generating means for generating information indicative of a relation of a detection of an existence between said plurality of radio communication terminals, in accordance with the identification information of said different radio communication terminal received from each of said plurality of radio communication terminals; and

communication information generating means, which from each of said plurality of radio communication terminals, if information related to the communication with said different radio communication terminal detected by each of said plurality of radio communication terminals is received by said receiving means, generates the information related to said communication between said plurality of radio communication terminals.

27. The radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus according to claim 26, comprising communication information generating means, which if information related to a communication performance of each radio communication terminal from each of said plurality of radio communication terminals is received by said receiving means, in accordance with the information related to the communication performance of said each radio communication terminal, generates the information related to said communication between said plurality of radio communication terminals.

28. The radio-communication terminal accommodating apparatus according to claim 26, comprising communication control means for referring to the information indicative of the relation of the detection of the existence between said plurality of radio communication terminals and allows a communication between the two radio communication terminals among said plurality of radio communication terminals and a communication between the different two radio communication terminals that does not overlap with the communication between said two radio communication terminals at the same time.

37. The radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus according to claim 27, comprising communication control means for referring to the information indicative of the relation of the detection of the existence between said plurality of radio communication terminals and allows a communication between the two radio communication terminals among said plurality of radio communication terminals and a communication between the different two radio communication terminals that does not overlap with the communication between said two radio communication terminals at the same time.

29. A radio communication terminal which carries out a communication through a radio transmission medium with a radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus and is accommodated in said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus, said terminal comprising:

self-terminal identification information transmitting means for transmitting identification information of a self-terminal;

identification information receiving means for receiving identification information of a different radio communication terminal that can monitor a communication;

reception identification information transmitting means for transmitting said identification information of said different radio communication terminal to said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus;

communication information detecting means for detecting the information related to the communication with said different radio communication terminal, in accordance with the reception of the identification information of said different radio communication terminal by said identification information receiving means; and

detection communication information transmitting means for transmitting the information related to the communication with said different radio communication terminal to said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus.

30. The radio communication terminal according to claim 29, comprising:

communication performance information acquiring means for acquiring the information related to a communication performance of a self radio communication terminal; and

acquirement communication information transmitting means for transmitting the information related to the communication performance of said self radio communication terminal to said radio communication terminal accommodating apparatus.