Radio communication system, device and method for radio communication, and computer program

• US 20090161622A1
• Filed: 02/20/2009
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sugaya, Shigeru
• Granted Patent: US 8,654,713 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/006 in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal

Abstract

A radio communication device which manages a network defines a predetermined transmission frame cycle, allocates in the frame specific access slots as timing with which the individual radio communication devices in the network concerned receive a transmission, puts the information of the allocation in a beacon signal, and transmits the signal. Each radio communication device performs receiving operation at access slots specific to the device itself defined by the beacon signal. When information transmission is made between arbitrary communication devices in the network, access slots for the device which is to receive the information are used.

Claims

1-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A radio communication device that manages an ad-hoc wireless network, comprising:

management information acquiring means for acquiring management information for an ad-hoc network in which the radio communication device participates;

reception region allocating means for allocating reception regions specific to each of a plurality of other radio communication devices participating in the network according to the management information;

radio frame cycle setting means for setting a radio frame cycle for the network; and

allocation information transmitting means for transmitting allocation information to the other radio communication devices in the form of a beacon signal transmitted at the start of the radio frame cycle, the transmitted allocation information including at least information indicative of reception regions for the other radio communication devices in the network.

27. The radio communication device according to claim 26, wherein

the radio frame cycle includes a contention access period, and

said reception region allocating means allocates a plurality of access slots in the contention access period, allocates one or more of the access slots to respective ones the radio communication devices, and allocates one or more of the access slots to the radio communication devices in common.

28. The radio communication device according to claim 26, wherein

the radio frame cycle includes a contention free period, and

said reception region allocating means allocates a plurality of access slots in the contention free period, allocates one or more of the access slots to respective ones the radio communication devices, and allocates one or more of the access slots to the radio communication devices in common.

29. A method for managing an ad-hoc wireless ad-hoc network, comprising:

acquiring management information for an ad-hoc network in which the radio communication device participates;

allocating reception regions specific to each of a plurality of other radio communication devices participating in the network according to the management information;

setting a radio frame cycle for the network; and

transmitting allocation information to the other radio communication devices in the form of a beacon signal transmitted at the start of the radio frame cycle, the transmitted allocation information including at least information indicative of reception regions for the other radio communication devices in the network.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the step of allocating includes allocating at least one reception region that is common to all of the communication devices, and wherein the step of transmitting includes transmitting allocation information regarding reception regions specific to the individual communication devices and transmitting allocation information regarding the at least one reception region common to all the radio communication devices.

31. A radio communication device that conducts radio communication in an ad-hoc wireless network including a plurality of radio communication devices and operating according to a radio frame cycle set by one of the devices, comprising:

receiving means for receiving radio data through the wireless network;

reception region allocation information acquiring means for acquiring information on reception regions allocated to the individual radio communication devices in the wireless network, the information on reception regions being acquired in the form of a beacon signal transmitted at the start of the radio frame cycle; and

reception controlling means for starting reception processing in synchronism with a reception region allocated to the radio communication device.

32. A method for a radio communication device to conduct radio communication in an ad-hoc wireless network including a plurality of radio communication devices and operating according to a radio frame cycle set by one of the devices, the method comprising:

receiving radio data through the wireless network;

acquiring information on reception regions allocated to the individual radio communication devices in the wireless network, the information on reception regions being acquired in the form of a beacon signal transmitted at the start of the radio frame cycle; and

starting reception processing in synchronism with a reception region allocated to the radio communication device.

33. A radio communication device that conducts radio communication in an ad-hoc wireless network including a plurality of radio communication devices and operating according to a radio frame cycle set by one of the devices, comprising:

receiving means for receiving radio data through the wireless network;

transmitting means for transmitting radio data through the wireless network;

reception region allocation information managing means for acquiring and managing information on reception regions allocated to the individual radio communication devices in the wireless network, the information on reception regions being acquired in the form of a beacon signal transmitted at the start of the radio frame cycle;

destination of transmission reception region acquiring means for reading out of said reception region allocation information managing means information on reception regions allocated to a device as the destination of data transmission in the wireless network; and

transmission controlling means for starting transmission processing in synchronism with a reception region allocated to the destination of transmission.

34. The radio communication device according to claim 33, wherein said reception region allocation information acquiring means further acquires information on at least one reception region allocated to all the radio communication devices in common, and said reception controlling means starts reception processing in synchronism with the common reception region.