Radio communication terminal and radio communication system

• US 20080153553A1
• Filed: 08/01/2007
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sakata, Ren, Horiguchi, Tomoya, Tomioka, Tazuko
• Application Number:
  US11/888,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20080153553A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/567
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A radio communication terminal includes a first transmitting unit configured to transmit a beacon, a second transmitting unit configured to transmit a first notifying signal which includes information of a frequency of the beacon and a transmission timing of the beacon, a measuring unit configured to measure a reception power of a signal transmitted by each of a plurality of slave radio communication terminals, a selecting unit configured to select a notifying radio communication terminal, which is to transmit a second notifying signal, from the slave radio communication terminals based on the reception power, the second notifying signal including the same information of the frequency of the beacon and the transmission timing of the beacon as the information included in the first notifying signal, and a third transmitting unit configured to transmit, to the notifying radio communication terminal, notifying instruction information including an instruction to transmit the second notifying signal.

Claims

1. A radio communication system, comprising:

a master radio communication terminal including;

a first transmitting unit configured to transmit a beacon;

a second transmitting unit configured to transmit a first notifying signal which includes information of a frequency of the beacon and a transmission timing of the beacon;

a measuring unit configured to measure a reception power of a signal transmitted by each of a plurality of slave radio communication terminals;

a selecting unit configured to select a notifying radio communication terminal, which is to transmit a second notifying signal, from the slave radio communication terminals based on the reception power, the second notifying signal including the same information of the frequency of the beacon and the transmission timing of the beacon as the information included in the first notifying signal; and

a third transmitting unit configured to transmit, to the notifying radio communication terminal, notifying instruction information including an instruction to transmit the second notifying signal, and

at least one slave radio communication terminal of the slave radio communication terminals including;

a first receiving unit configured to receive the notifying instruction information;

a fourth transmitting unit configured to transmit the second notifying signal to the other slave radio communication terminals when the slave radio communication terminal receives the notifying instruction information;

a second receiving unit configured to receive at least one of the first notifying signal and the second notifying signal; and

a third receiving unit configured to receive the beacon based on the information included in one of the received first notifying signal and the received second notifying signal.

2. A radio communication terminal, comprising:

a first transmitting unit configured to transmit a beacon;

a second transmitting unit configured to transmit a first notifying signal which includes information of a frequency of the beacon and a transmission timing of the beacon;

a measuring unit configured to measure a reception power of a signal transmitted by each of a plurality of slave radio communication terminals;

a selecting unit configured to select a notifying radio communication terminal, which is to transmit a second notifying signal, from the slave radio communication terminals based on the reception power, the second notifying signal including the same information of the frequency of the beacon and the transmission timing of the beacon as the information included in the first notifying signal; and

a third transmitting unit configured to transmit, to the notifying radio communication terminal, notifying instruction information including an instruction to transmit the second notifying signal.

3. The terminal according to claim 2, further comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive a data communication signal from the slave radio communication terminals,

wherein the notifying instruction information includes a reception timing at which the radio communication terminal receives the data communication signal, and

the notifying radio communication terminal transmits the second notifying signal based on the reception timing, while the radio communication terminal is receiving the data communication signal.

4. The terminal according to claim 2, wherein

the selecting unit selects two or more slave radio communication terminals from the slave radio communication terminals as notifying radio communication terminals, and

the selected notifying radio communication terminals transmit the second notifying signal in a time-division method.

5. The terminal according to claim 2, wherein

each of the notifying radio communication terminals detects signal interference, and transmits the second notifying signal in a frequency band where no signal interference exists.

6. The terminal according to claim 2, wherein

the notifying instruction information includes a frequency hopping pattern to transmit the second notifying signal in a frequency-hopping method, and

each of the notifying radio communication terminals transmits the second notifying signal by using the frequency hopping pattern.

7. The terminal according to claim 2, further comprising:

a grouping unit configured to group the slave radio communication terminals in accordance with magnitude of the reception power,

wherein the selecting unit selects N slave radio communication terminals (N is an integer not smaller than

     1) as notifying radio communication terminals from a group of largest reception power.

8. The terminal according to claim 2, further comprising:

an acquiring unit configured to acquire priority information from each of the slave radio communication terminals, the priority information including at least one of a power supply duration, a battery remaining amount, and a frequency with which a signal interference is detected;

a providing unit configured to provide a higher priority, based on the priority information, to the slave radio communication terminals having a longer power supply duration, a larger battery remaining amount, and a lower signal interference frequency; and

a grouping unit configured to group the slave radio communication terminals in accordance with magnitude of the reception power,

wherein the selecting unit selects N slave radio communication terminals (N is an integer not smaller than

     1) having a higher priority as notifying radio communication terminals from a group of largest reception power.

9. A radio communication terminal of a plurality of radio communication terminals communicating with a master radio communication terminal adapted to transmit a first notifying signal, comprising:

a first receiving unit configured to receive, from the master radio communication terminal, notifying instruction information including an instruction to transmit a second notifying signal including the same information of a frequency of a beacon transmitted from the master radio communication terminal and a transmission timing of the beacon as information included in the first notifying signal transmitted from the master radio communication terminal;

a transmitting unit configured to transmit the second notifying signal to other radio communication terminals when the radio communication terminal receives the notifying instruction information;

a second receiving unit configured to receive at least one of the first notifying signal and the second notifying signal; and

a third receiving unit configured to receive the beacon, based on the information included in one of the received first notifying signal and the received second notifying signal.

10. The terminal according to claim 9, wherein

the notifying instruction information includes a reception timing with which the master radio communication terminal receives a data communication signal, and

the second notifying signal is transmitted based on the reception timing, while the master radio communication terminal is receiving the data communication signal.

11. The terminal according to claim 9, wherein

the transmitting unit transmits the second notifying signal in a time-division method.

12. The terminal according to claim 9, wherein

the transmitting unit transmits the second notifying signal in a frequency band where no signal interference exists.

13. The terminal according to claim 9, wherein

the notifying instruction information includes a frequency hopping pattern to transmit the second notifying signal in a frequency-hopping method, and

the transmitting unit transmits the second notifying signal by using the frequency hopping pattern.

14. The terminal according to claim 9, further comprising:

a transmitting unit configured to transmit priority information for each of the radio communication terminals to the master radio communication terminal, the priority information including at least one of a power supply duration, a battery remaining amount, and a frequency with which a signal interference is detected;

wherein the master radio communication terminal acquires the priority information from the radio communication terminals, provides a higher priority, based on the priority information, to slave radio communication terminals having a longer power supply duration, a larger battery remaining amount, and a lower signal interference frequency, groups the radio communication terminals in accordance with magnitude of the reception power, and selects N slave radio communication terminals (N is an integer not smaller than

     1) having a higher priority as notifying radio communication terminals from a group of largest reception power.

15. A receiver comprising:

a converting unit configured to convert a receiving signal to a signal shifted by a preset frequency;

a multiplying unit configured to multiply the receiving signal by the shifted signal;

an extracting unit configured to extract a baseband signal from the multiplied signal;

a detecting unit configured to detect a signal from the baseband signal.

16. A radio communication method comprising:

receiving, in a receiver, a notifying signal, transmitted by a transmitter, included in a first signal and a second signal, the first signal containing a first frequency band which is frequency-converted from a parameter signal including a parameter used to communicate with the receiver, the second signal containing a second frequency band which is frequency-converted from the parameter signal, the first frequency band and the second frequency band being distant from each other by a preset frequency;

converting, in the receiver, the notifying signal to a signal shifted by the preset frequency;

multiplying, in the receiver, the notifying signal by the shifted signal;

extracting, in the receiver, a baseband signal from the multiplied signal;

demodulating, in the receiver, the parameter from the baseband signal.