WIRELESS LAN RELAY APPARATUS

• US 20100046417A1
• Filed: 08/11/2009
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Buffalo Incorporated (Melco Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Buffalo Incorporated (Melco Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: TAMURA, Yoshiteru
• Granted Patent: US 8,503,349 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations

Abstract

The relay apparatus includes a wireless communication unit configured to carry out wireless communication with the base station, and capable of direct wireless communications respectively with other relay apparatuses belonging to the wireless LAN, without going through the base station, and a path search unit configured to compare the throughput of a wireless communication path for carrying out data transfer to a destination apparatus without going through the base station, with the throughput of a wireless communication path for carrying out data transfer to a destination apparatus going through the base station; and select the path having higher throughput.

Claims

1. A relay apparatus capable of relaying data transfer between a terminal apparatus and a wireless LAN base station through a wireless LAN, comprising:

a wireless communication unit configured to carry out wireless communication with the base station, and capable of direct wireless communications respectively with other relay apparatuses belonging to the wireless LAN, without going through the base station; and

a path search unit configured to compare the throughput of a wireless communication path for carrying out data transfer to a destination apparatus without going through the base station, with the throughput of a wireless communication path for carrying out data transfer to a destination apparatus going through the base station; and

select the path having higher throughput.

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

a notification unit configured to provide notification of a link rate report for the relay apparatus to the other relay apparatuses;

wherein the link rate report includes;

throughput of data transfer from the relay apparatus to the other relay apparatuses;

throughput of data transfer from the relay apparatus to the base station; and

the MAC addresses of the terminal apparatuses.

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

a link rate table storing unit configured to store a link rate table containing contents of the link rate reports received from the other relay apparatuses; and

a table update unit configured to update the link rate table each time that the link rate report is received.

4. The relay apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the table update unit, upon being triggered by a elapse of prescribed time interval without receipt of a link rate report from the other relay apparatus, will update the link rate table to a state in which wireless communication paths that are routed through the other relay apparatus are deselected.

5. The relay apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the notification unit, periodically provides notification of the link rate report to the other relay apparatuses.

6. A method of relaying employs a relay apparatus capable of relaying data transfer between a terminal apparatus and a wireless LAN base station, and capable of direct wireless communications respectively with other relay apparatuses belonging to the wireless LAN, without going through the base station;

the method comprising the step of;

comparing the throughput of a wireless communication path for carrying out data transfer to a destination apparatus without going through the base station, with the throughput of a wireless communication path for carrying out data transfer to a destination apparatus going through the base station; and

selecting the path having higher throughput.

7. A computer program product for relaying data transfer between a terminal apparatus and a wireless LAN base station, comprising a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable code embodied in the medium, the computer-readable program code comprising:

a wireless communication code for carrying out wireless communication with the base station, and capable of direct wireless communications respectively with other relay apparatuses belonging to the wireless LAN, without going through the base station; and

a path search code for comparing the throughput of a wireless communication path for carrying out data transfer to a destination apparatus without going through the base station, with the throughput of a wireless communication path for carrying out data transfer to a destination apparatus going through the base station; and

selecting the path having higher throughput.