COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, AND CONTROL METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR THE SAME

• US 20090268634A1
• Filed: 03/31/2009
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Mashimo, Hiroshi
• Application Number:
  US12/415,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20090268634A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/04 based on wireless node resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A communication apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises: a reception unit configured to receive an annunciation signal from a relay apparatus; a determination unit configured to, based on whether or not an address of another communication apparatus with which the communication apparatus is performing direct wireless communication is included in the annunciation signal, determine whether or not the relay apparatus is capable of relaying wireless communication between the communication apparatus and the other communication apparatus; and a switching unit configured to switch a path of the direct wireless communication with the other communication apparatus to a path via the relay apparatus determined by the determination unit as being capable of relaying the wireless communication.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a reception unit configured to receive an annunciation signal from a relay apparatus;

a determination unit configured to, based on whether or not an address of communication partner with which the communication apparatus is performing direct wireless communication is included in the annunciation signal, determine whether or not the relay apparatus is capable of relaying wireless communication between the communication apparatus and the communication partner; and

a switching unit configured to switch a path of the direct wireless communication with the communication partner to a path via the relay apparatus determined by said determination unit as being capable of relaying the wireless communication.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a request unit configured to request the relay apparatus to relay the wireless communication with the communication partner in case that the direct wireless communication with the communication partner cannot be continued, wherein

said switching unit switches the path of the wireless communication with the communication partner to the path via the relay apparatus if relaying of the communication by the relay apparatus is accepted.

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

an extraction unit configured to extract, if a plurality of relay apparatuses exists, information about the number of free slots available for each relay apparatus from a plurality of annunciation signals received from the plurality of relay apparatuses, wherein

a relay apparatus to be requested to relay is determined based on the number of free slots, and in case that the wireless communication with the communication partner cannot be continued, said request unit requests the relaying of the determined relay apparatus.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the annunciation signal is a beacon signal that includes at least the presence or absence of a relay function in the relay apparatus and addresses of communication apparatuses capable of wireless communication with the relay apparatus.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus determines whether the annunciation signal is a signal transmitted from the relay apparatus based on the annunciation signal received by said reception unit.

11. A storage medium having stored thereon a computer program for causing a computer to function as the apparatus according to claim 1.

6. A control method for a communication apparatus, comprising:

receiving an annunciation signal from a relay apparatus;

determining, based on whether or not an address of communication partner with which the communication apparatus is performing direct wireless communication is included in the annunciation signal, whether or not the relay apparatus is capable of relaying wireless communication between the communication apparatus and the communication partner; and

switching a path of the direct wireless communication with the communication partner to wireless communication via the relay apparatus determined at said determining as being capable of relaying the wireless communication.

7. The method for the communication apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

requesting the relay apparatus to relay the wireless communication with the communication partner in case that the direct wireless communication with the communication partner cannot be continued, wherein

said switching comprises switching the path of the wireless communication with the communication partner s to the path via the relay apparatus if relaying is accepted by the relay apparatus.

8. The method for the communication apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

extracting information about the number of free slots available for each relay apparatus from a plurality of annunciation signals received from a plurality of relay apparatuses, wherein

said requesting comprises, if the wireless communication with the communication partner cannot be continued, requesting the relaying of a relay apparatus selected based on the number of free slots out of relay apparatuses determined as being capable of relaying the wireless communication.

9. The method for the communication apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the annunciation signal is a beacon signal that includes at least the presence or absence of a relay function in the relay apparatus and addresses of communication apparatuses capable of wireless communication with the relay apparatus.

10. The method for the communication apparatus according to claim 6, wherein whether the annunciation signal is a signal transmitted from the relay apparatus is determined based on the received annunciation signal.

12. A communication apparatus comprising:

a reception unit configured to receive an annunciation signal from a second apparatus different from a first apparatus with which the communication apparatus is performing direct wireless communication;

a determination unit configured to determine whether or not identification information about the first apparatus is included in the annunciation signal received by said reception unit; and

a switching unit configured to switch a path of the direct wireless communication with the first apparatus to a path via the second apparatus that has transmitted the annunciation signal in which the identification information about the first apparatus is included.

13. A control method for a communication apparatus, comprising:

determining whether or not identification information about a first apparatus with which the communication apparatus is performing direct wireless communication is included in an annunciation signal from a second apparatus different from the first apparatus; and

switching a path of the direct wireless communication with the first apparatus to a path via the second apparatus that has transmitted the annunciation signal in which the identification information about the first apparatus is included.