COMMUNICATION APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD OF THE SAME

• US 20070160055A1
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Published: 07/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LOT Network Inc.
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: TAKAHASHI, Naoto
• Granted Patent: US 7,961,735 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

According to the present invention, a communication apparatus functioning as a mobile station, comprises:

• • a message receiver which receives, from an first control station, a message indicating a second control station;
  • a communication range determination unit which determines whether the communication apparatus is in a region within a communication range of said second control station;
  • an existence determination unit which, if the communication apparatus is in a region within the communication range of said second control station, determines whether there is another mobile station which belongs to the first control station and exists in a region outside the communication range of said second control station; and
  • a management signal output unit which, if the other mobile station exists, outputs, as a third control station, a management signal for constructing a communication group including the other mobile station.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus functioning as a mobile station, comprising:

a message receiver which receives, from a first control station, a message indicating a second control station which is a new control station;

a communication range determination unit adapted to determine whether the communication apparatus is in a region within a communication range of said second control station;

an existence determination unit adapted to, if said communication range determination unit determines that the communication apparatus is in a region within the communication range of said second control station, determine whether there is another mobile station which belongs to a communication group of said first control station and exists in a region outside the communication range of said second control station; and

a management signal output unit adapted to, if said existence determination unit determines that the other mobile station exists, output, as a third control station, a management signal for constructing a communication group including the other mobile station.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said communication range determination unit determines the communication apparatus is in a region within the communication range of said second control station if the communication apparatus has received a message transmitted from said second control station when said second control station participates in the communication group of said first control station, and determines that the communication apparatus is in a region outside the communication range of said second control station if the communication apparatus has not received the massage.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when receiving a disassociation request message from the communication group of said first control station issued from another mobile station to said first control station after the reception of the message indicating said second control station, said existence determination unit determines that there is another mobile station which belongs to the communication group of said first control station and exists in a region outside the communication range of said second control station.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit adapted to, if said existence determination unit determines that the other mobile station exists, determine a relation to the other mobile station,

wherein if said determination unit determines that the communication apparatus relates the other mobile station, said management signal output unit outputs the management signal, as a third control station.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said determination unit determines a relation to the other mobile station on the basis of at least one of a communication time, a communication count, a communication data amount, a presence/absence of a zone secured for the other mobile station, a residual battery quantity, and a residual expendable quantity.

2. A communication apparatus functioning as a mobile station, comprising:

a message receiver which receives, from a first control station, a message indicating a second control station which is a new control station;

a communication range determination unit adapted to determine whether the communication apparatus is in a region within a communication range of said second control station;

a disassociating unit adapted to disassociate from a communication group of said first control station, if said communication range determination unit determines that the communication apparatus is in a region outside the communication range of said second control station; and

a waiting unit adapted to wait for a management signal from a third control station and responds to a received management signal, if the communication apparatus disassociates from the communication group of said first control station by said disassociating unit.

8. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a storage unit adapted to store information indicating a control station managing a communication group in which the communication apparatus participates if the communication apparatus becomes unable to receive the management signal,

wherein if said waiting unit has received the management signals from a plurality of control stations, said waiting unit preferentially responds to the management signal from said control station stored in said storage unit.

7. A communication apparatus belonging to a communication group managed by a control station which determines that a mobile station which does not respond to a management signal within a predetermined time has disassociated from the communication group, and transmits disassociation information indicating the disassociation of the mobile station to a mobile station belonging to the communication group, comprising:

a receiver which receives the disassociation information from said control station; and

a management signal transmitter which, if said receiver has received the disassociation information, transmits a management signal for constructing a communication group including the mobile station indicated by the disassociation information.

9. A control method of a communication apparatus functioning as a mobile station, comprising:

a message receiving step of receiving, from a first control station, a message indicating a second control station which is a new control station;

a communication range determination step of determining whether the communication apparatus is in a region within a communication range of the second control station;

an existence determination step of, if it is determined in the communication range determination step that the communication apparatus is in a region within the communication range of the second control station, determining whether there is another mobile station which belongs to a communication group of the first control station and exists in a region outside the communication range of the second control station; and

a management signal output step of, if it is

determined in the existence determination step that the other mobile station exists, outputting, as a third control station, a management signal for constructing a communication group including the other mobile station.

10. A control method of a communication apparatus functioning as a mobile station, comprising:

a message receiving step of receiving, from a first control station, a message indicating a second control station which is a new control station;

a communication range determination step of determining whether the communication apparatus is in a region within a communication range of the second control station;

a disassociating step of disassociating from a communication group of the first control station, if it is determined in the communication range determination step that the communication apparatus is in a region outside the communication range of the second control station; and

a waiting step of waiting for a management signal from a third control station and responding to a received management signal, if the communication apparatus disassociates from the communication group of the first control station in the disassociating step.

11. A program which is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium and causes a computer to execute a control method of a communication apparatus functioning as a mobile station, the method comprising:

a message receiving step of receiving, from a first control station, a message indicating a second control station which is a new control station;

a communication range determination step of determining whether the communication apparatus is in a region within a communication range of the second control station;

an existence determination step of, if it is determined in the communication range determination step that the communication apparatus is in a region within the communication range of the second control station, determining whether there is another mobile station which belongs to a communication group of the first control station and exists in a region outside the communication range of the second control station; and

a management signal output step of, if it is determined in the existence determination step that the other mobile station exists, outputting, as a third control station, a management signal for constructing a communication group including the other mobile station.

12. A program which is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium and causes a computer to execute a control method of a communication apparatus functioning as a mobile station, the method comprising:

a message receiving step of receiving, from a first control station, a message indicating a second control station which is a new control station;

a communication range determination step of determining whether the communication apparatus is in a region within a communication range of the second control station;

a disassociating step of disassociating from a communication group of the first control station, if it is determined in the communication range determination step that the communication apparatus is in a region outside the communication range of the second control station; and

a waiting step of waiting for a management signal from a third control station and responding to a received management signal, if the communication apparatus disassociates from the communication group of the first control station in the disassociating step.