Wireless Communication System, Wireless Communication Device, Wireless Communication Method, and Program

• US 20100020740A1
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Published: 01/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Isozu, Masaaki, Watanabe, Kazuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,213,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00 Hand-off or reselection arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/023 Limited or focused flooding to selected areas of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A set-N table (110) is a table holding information regarding other wireless communication devices that can be reached from a wireless communication device (a node) in one hop. A set-N² table (120) is a table holding information regarding other wireless communication devices that can be reached from a wireless communication device (100) in two hops. A set-F table (170) is a table holding information regarding nodes whose reachability of flooding from the wireless communication device (100) has not been verified. An MPR setting unit (160) sets optimal MPR nodes with consideration of communication states of links in a wireless ad hoc network by selecting, with consideration of communication states of links between individual nodes, the communication states of links being held in the set-N table (110) and the set-N² table (120), MPR nodes and setting the MPR nodes in an MPR table (180) while deleting nodes whose reachability of flooding has been verified from the set-F table (170).

Claims

1. A wireless communication device that performs communication, in a route via a neighbor wireless communication device, with another wireless communication device that exists outside a wireless communication range of the wireless communication device, characterized by comprising:

unidentified-device identification-information holding means for holding, as unidentified-device identification information, information used to identify an unidentified device that is another wireless communication device to which the reachability of a signal whose transmission source is the wireless communication device has not been verified;

relay-device identification-information holding means for holding information used to identify a relay device that is another wireless communication device that relays a signal whose transmission source is the wireless communication device; and

relay-device setting means for treating, as first destination stations, other wireless communication devices that exist within a wireless communication range of the wireless communication device, treating, as second destination stations, other wireless communication devices that exist outside the wireless communication range of the wireless communication device and within wireless communication ranges of the first destination stations, selecting at least one of the first destination stations as the relay device in accordance with communication states between the wireless communication device and the first destination stations and communication states between the first destination stations and the second destination stations, holding information used to identify the selected relay device in the relay-device identification-information holding means, and deleting information used to identify a wireless communication device whose reachability has been verified via the selected relay device from the unidentified-device identification-information holding means, until the unidentified-device identification information held in the unidentified-device identification-information holding means becomes nonexistent.

2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that:

in a case where a specific second destination station having only one link to one of the first destination stations exists in the second destination stations whose unidentified-device identification information is held in the unidentified-device identification-information holding means, if both a communication state between the specific first destination station and the wireless communication device and a communication state between the specific first destination station and the specific second destination station are stable states, the relay-device setting means selects the specific first destination address as the relay device.

3. The wireless communication device according to claim 2, characterized in that:

in a case where a specific second destination station having only one link to one of the first destination stations exists in the second destination stations whose unidentified-device identification information is held in the unidentified-device identification-information holding means, when at least either a communication state between the first destination station and the wireless communication device or a communication state between the specific first station and the specific second destination station is an unstable state, if there exists a first destination station which is other than the specific first destination station and whose communication state with the wireless communication device is a stable state, the relay-device setting means selects such a first destination station as the relay device, and if such a first destination station does not exist, the relay-device setting means selects the specific first destination station as the relay device.

4. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that:

in a case where no specific second destination station having only one link to one of the first destination stations exists in the second destination stations whose unidentified-device identification information is held in the unidentified-device identification-information holding means, the relay-device setting means selects a first destination station that is more stable and that has a large number of links as the relay device, in accordance with communication states and the number of links between the second destination stations whose unidentified-device identification information is held in the unidentified-device identification-information holding means and the first destination stations and communication states between the first destination stations and the wireless communication device.

5. A wireless communication device that performs communication, in a route via a neighbor wireless communication device, with another wireless communication device that exists outside a wireless communication range of the wireless communication device, characterized by comprising:

unidentified-device identification-information holding means for holding, as unidentified-device identification information, information used to identify an unidentified device that is another wireless communication device that exists within a wireless communication range to which the reachability of a signal whose transmission source is the wireless communication device has not been verified;

relay-device identification-information holding means for holding information used to identify a relay device that is another wireless communication device that relays a signal whose transmission source is the wireless communication device; and

relay-device setting means for selecting the relay device in accordance with a communication state between the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device, holding information used to identify the selected relay device in the relay-device identification-information holding means, and deleting information used to identify a wireless communication device whose reachability has been verified via the selected relay device from the unidentified-device identification-information holding means, until the unidentified-device identification information held in the unidentified-device identification-information holding means becomes nonexistent.

6. The wireless communication device according to claim 5, characterized in that:

in a case where there exists the other wireless communication device whose communication state with the unidentified device whose unidentified-device identification information is held in the unidentified-device identification-information holding means is a stable state, the relay-device setting means selects the other wireless communication device as the relay device.

7. A wireless communication system in which wireless communication devices each perform communication, in a route via a neighbor wireless communication device, with another wireless communication device that exists outside a wireless communication range of the wireless communication device, characterized by comprising:

each of the wireless communication devices including

unidentified-device identification-information holding means for holding, as unidentified-device identification information, information used to identify an unidentified device that is another wireless communication device to which the reachability of a signal whose transmission source is the wireless communication device has not been verified;

relay-device identification-information holding means for holding information used to identify a relay device that is another wireless communication device that relays a signal whose transmission source is the wireless communication device; and

relay-device setting means for treating, as first destination stations, other wireless communication devices that exist within a wireless communication range of the wireless communication device, treating, as second destination stations, other wireless communication devices that exist outside the wireless communication range of the wireless communication device and within wireless communication ranges of the first destination stations, selecting at least one of the first destination stations as the relay device in accordance with communication states between the wireless communication device and the first destination stations and communication states between the first destination stations and the second destination stations, holding information used to identify the selected relay device in the relay-device identification-information holding means, and deleting information used to identify a wireless communication device whose reachability has been verified via the selected relay device from the unidentified-device identification-information holding means, until the unidentified-device identification information held in the unidentified-device identification-information holding means becomes nonexistent.

8. A wireless communication system in which wireless communication devices each perform communication, in a route via a neighbor wireless communication device, with another wireless communication device that exists outside a wireless communication range of the wireless communication device, characterized by comprising:

each of the wireless communication devices including

unidentified-device identification-information holding means for holding, as unidentified-device identification information, information used to identify an unidentified device that is another wireless communication device that exists within a wireless communication range to which the reachability of a signal whose transmission source is the wireless communication device has not been verified;

relay-device identification-information holding means for holding information used to identify a relay device that is another wireless communication device that relays a signal whose transmission source is the wireless communication device; and

relay-device setting means for selecting the relay device in accordance with a communication state between the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device, holding information used to identify the selected relay device in the relay-device identification-information holding means, and deleting information used to identify a wireless communication device whose reachability has been verified via the selected relay device from the unidentified-device identification-information holding means, until the unidentified-device identification information held in the unidentified-device identification-information holding means becomes nonexistent.

9. A wireless communication method in a wireless communication device that is one of wireless communication devices each performing communication, in a route via a neighbor wireless communication device, with another wireless communication device that exists outside a wireless communication range of the wireless communication device and including unidentified-device identification-information holding means for holding, as unidentified-device identification information, information used to identify an unidentified device that is another wireless communication device to which the reachability of a signal whose transmission source is the wireless communication device has not been verified and relay-device identification-information holding means for holding information used to identify a relay device that is another wireless communication device that relays a signal whose transmission source is the wireless communication device, characterized by comprising:

a selection process of treating, as first destination stations, other wireless communication devices that exist within a wireless communication range of the wireless communication device, treating, as second destination stations, other wireless communication devices that exist outside the wireless communication range of the wireless communication device and within wireless communication ranges of the first destination stations, selecting at least one of the first destination stations as the relay device in accordance with communication states between the wireless communication device and the first destination stations and communication states between the first destination stations and the second destination stations, and holding information used to identify the selected relay device in the relay-device identification-information holding means; and

a deletion process of deleting information used to identify a wireless communication device whose reachability has been verified via the selected relay device from the unidentified-device identification-information holding means, wherein the selection process and the deletion process are repeated until the unidentified-device identification information held in the unidentified-device identification-information holding means becomes nonexistent.

10. A wireless communication method in a wireless communication device that is one of wireless communication devices each performing communication, in a route via a neighbor wireless communication device, with another wireless communication device that exists outside a wireless communication range of the wireless communication device and including unidentified-device identification-information holding means for holding, as unidentified-device identification information, information used to identify an unidentified device that is another wireless communication device to which the reachability of a signal whose transmission source is the wireless communication device has not been verified and relay-device identification-information holding means for holding information used to identify a relay device that is another wireless communication device that relays a signal whose transmission source is the wireless communication device, characterized by comprising:

a selection process of selecting the relay device in accordance with a communication state between the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device and holding information used to identify the selected relay device in the relay-device identification-information holding means; and

a deletion process of deleting information used to identify a wireless communication device whose reachability has been verified via the selected relay device from the unidentified-device identification-information holding means, wherein the selection process and the deletion process are repeated until the unidentified-device identification information held in the unidentified-device identification-information holding means becomes nonexistent.

11. A program characterized by causing a computer to repeatedly execute:

in a wireless communication device that is one of wireless communication devices each performing communication, in a route via a neighbor wireless communication device, with another wireless communication device that exists outside a wireless communication range of the wireless communication device and including unidentified-device identification-information holding means for holding, as unidentified-device identification information, information used to identify an unidentified device that is another wireless communication device to which the reachability of a signal whose transmission source is the wireless communication device has not been verified and relay-device identification-information holding means for holding information used to identify a relay device that is another wireless communication device that relays a signal whose transmission source is the wireless communication device,

a selection process of treating, as first destination stations, other wireless communication devices that exist within a wireless communication range of the wireless communication device, treating, as second destination stations, other wireless communication devices that exist outside the wireless communication range of the wireless communication device and within wireless communication ranges of the first destination stations, selecting at least one of the first destination stations as the relay device in accordance with communication states between the wireless communication device and the first destination stations and communication states between the first destination stations and the second destination stations, and holding information used to identify the selected relay device in the relay-device identification-information holding means; and

a deletion process of deleting information used to identify a wireless communication device whose reachability has been verified via the selected relay device from the unidentified-device identification-information holding means, until the unidentified-device identification information held in the unidentified-device identification-information holding means becomes nonexistent.

12. A program characterized by causing a computer to repeatedly execute:

in a wireless communication device that is one of wireless communication devices each performing communication, in a route via a neighbor wireless communication device, with another wireless communication device that exists outside a wireless communication range of the wireless communication device and including unidentified-device identification-information holding means for holding, as unidentified-device identification information, information used to identify an unidentified device that is another wireless communication device to which the reachability of a signal whose transmission source is the wireless communication device has not been verified and relay-device identification-information holding means for holding information used to identify a relay device that is another wireless communication device that relays a signal whose transmission source is the wireless communication device,

a selection process of selecting the relay device in accordance with a communication state between the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device and holding information used to identify the selected relay device in the relay-device identification-information holding means; and

a deletion process of deleting information used to identify a wireless communication device whose reachability has been verified via the selected relay device from the unidentified-device identification-information holding means, until the unidentified-device identification information held in the unidentified-device identification-information holding means becomes nonexistent.