Apparatus for setting communication channels adaptively to a radio wave environment to improve the degree of freedom of deployment and a method therefor

• US 20070197245A1
• Filed: 02/21/2007
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Original Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Inventors: Tsubota, Azuma
• Granted Patent: US 7,986,663 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/509
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A wireless LAN includes two interfaces with a transmitter-receiver function and a channel controller. One of the two interfaces employs one communication channel to search for a communication channel being used by a destination communication unit. The channel controller determines a surrounding radio wave condition based on the communication channel obtained by the searching, and controls channel setting so that the respective communication channels of the two interfaces differ from each.

Claims

1. A channel setting apparatus comprising:

two transmitter-receivers for transmitting and receiving information on one communication channel of a plurality of communication channels; and

a channel controller for causing one of said two transmitter-receivers to employ the one communication channel to search for a communication channel being used by a destination communication unit, and determining, on a basis of the communication channel obtained by the searching, in what condition there is a surrounding radio wave environment to be connected for communication, and controlling channel setting so that respective communication channels of said two transmitter-receivers differ from each other.

2. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said channel controller comprises:

a memory for storing the communication channel in use obtained by the searching and information relating to the communication channel;

a channel detector for controlling operation of said memory;

a channel selector for selecting a communication channel that is to be used on the basis of the communication channel and the information stored on said memory; and

a controller for controlling operation of said channel detector, said channel selector, and said transmitter-receivers.

3. A wireless communication apparatus comprising a channel setting apparatus which comprises:

two transmitter-receivers for transmitting and receiving information on one communication channel of a plurality of communication channels; and

a channel controller for causing one of said two transmitter-receivers to employ the one communication channel to search for a communication channel being used by a destination communication unit, and determining, on a basis of the communication channel obtained by the searching, in what condition there is a surrounding radio wave environment to be connected for communication, and controlling channel setting so that respective communication channels of said two transmitter-receivers differ from each other.

4. The wireless communication apparatus in accordance with claim 3, wherein said channel controller comprises:

a memory for storing the communication channel in use obtained by the searching and information relating to the communication channel;

a channel detector for controlling operation of said memory;

a channel selector for selecting a communication channel that is to be used on the basis of the communication channel and the information stored on said memory; and

a controller for controlling operation of said channel detector, said channel selector, and said transmitter-receivers.

5. A method of setting a channel, comprising:

a first step of employing one communication channel to search for a communication channel being used by a destination communication unit;

a second step of determining, on a basis of the communication channel obtained by the searching, in what condition there is a surrounding radio wave environment to be connected for communication, and determining a communication channel; and

a third step of determining, on the basis of the communication channel obtained by the searching, in what condition there is a surrounding radio wave environment to be connected for communication, and determining a communication channel different from the communication channel determined in said second step.

6. The method in accordance with claim 5, wherein said second step comprises:

a fourth step of storing the communication channel obtained by the searching;

a fifth step of determining the presence and absence of a wireless communication unit to be connected for communication;

a sixth step of selecting one communication channel at random from usable communication channels when the wireless communication unit is absent;

a seventh step of determining, when the wireless communication unit is present, whether or not a number of communication channels obtained by searching is one;

an eight step of determining, when the number of communication channels obtained by searching is one, the communication channel as a communication channel which is to be set;

a ninth step of finding, when the number of communication channels obtained by searching is a plurality, a number of wireless communication units using each of the plurality of communication channels;

a tenth step of finding a communication channel being used by a minimum number of wireless communication units, and determining whether or not a plurality of communication channels being used by the minimum number of wireless communication units are present;

an eleventh step of executing said eight step when the number of communication channels being used by the minimum number of wireless communication units is one, and selecting, when a plurality of communication channels being used by the minimum number of wireless communication units are present, a communication channel at random from said plurality of communication channels;

a twelfth step of employing the selected communication channel to inquire, of all wireless communication units using the selected communication channel, how many wireless communication units being connected on the selected communication channel there are;

a thirteenth step of finding a number of wireless communication units being connected on the selected channel which is a minimum among responses to the inquiry, and storing the minimum wireless-unit number;

a fourteenth step of determining whether or not there is the communication channel which is used by the minimum number of wireless communication units and which is being searched for; and

a fifteenth step of returning, when there is the communication channel being searched for, to said eleventh step to repeat said eleventh step, and selecting, when the searching has been completed, a communication channel which is being used by a minimum number of wireless communication units.

7. The method in accordance with claim 5, wherein said third step comprises:

a sixteenth step of referencing a result of the determination in said third step to determine whether or not there is another surrounding connectible wireless communication unit;

a seventeenth step of setting a communication channel that is different from the communication channel determined in said second step according to a determination of false in said sixteenth step;

an eighteenth step of determining whether or not there is a communication channel that is different from the communication channel determined in said second step according to a determination of true in said sixteenth step;

a nineteenth step of determining, when the different communication channel in said eighteenth step is present, whether or not a number of different communication channels is only one;

a twentieth step of setting, when a determination in said nineteenth step is true, the different communication channel to the communication channel in said third step;

a twenty-first step of setting, when a determination in said nineteenth step is false, the communication channel in said third step at random;

a twenty-second step of requesting, when the different communication channel in said eighteenth step is absent, a listing of communication channels to be used;

a twenty-third step of storing the listing; and

a twenty-fourth step of referencing the listing, counting a number of wireless communication units that are using each communication channel of the listing, and selecting a communication channel being used by a minimum number of wireless communication units.