WIRELESS STATION, FAULT DETECTING METHOD, AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM

• US 20100124171A1
• Filed: 09/14/2009
• Published: 05/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ichie, Akira, Yoneyama, Seijiro
• Application Number:
  US12/558,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20100124171A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0825 with collision detection

Abstract

A wireless station includes a measuring unit measuring first and second communication delays of first and second wireless terminals; a first determining unit determining first and second transmission rates of the first and second wireless terminals; a second determining unit determining first and second timings of transmitting a response request frame and first and second lengths of response frames to be returned from the first and second wireless terminals; a transmitting unit transmitting a response request frame that requests returning of response frames of the first and second lengths at the first and second transmission rates, at the first and second transmission timings; a detecting unit detecting that the first and second wireless terminals are in hidden terminal relation upon detecting a collision of the response frames returned from the first and second wireless terminals.

Claims

1. A wireless station that performs wireless communication with first and second wireless terminals based on a carrier sensing scheme, comprising:

a measuring unit configured to communicate with the first and second wireless terminals and measure first and second communication delays of the first and second wireless terminals;

a first determining unit configured to determine first and second transmission rates of the first and second wireless terminals;

a second determining unit configured to determine first and second timings of transmitting a response request frame to each of the first and second wireless terminals and first and second response frame lengths of response frames to be returned from the first and second wireless terminals, based on the first and second transmission rates, the first and second communication delays, and a range of an initial backoff time for carrier sensing;

a transmitting unit configured to transmit a response request frame that requests returning of response frames having the first and second response frame lengths at the first and second transmission rates, to the first and second wireless terminals at the first and second transmission timings;

a receiving unit configured to receive the response frames returned from the first and second wireless terminals; and

a detecting unit configured to detect that the first and second wireless terminals are in hidden terminal relation upon detecting a collision of the response frames, wherein

the second determining unit determines the first and second response frame lengths and the first and second transmission timings so that the response frames returned from the first and second wireless terminals collide with each other given that the first and second wireless terminals are in the hidden terminal relation.

2. The wireless station according to claim 1, wherein

the first determining unit sets the first and second transmission rates to a same value,

the second determining unit

determines the first and second response frame lengths so that the response frames have an occupation time at least equal to the range of the initial backoff time, and

determines the first and second transmission timings so that the response request frame is first transmitted to one of the first and second wireless terminals having a greater one of the first and second communication delays and then to the other of the first and second wireless terminals having a smaller one of the communication delays with a delay equivalent to a difference between the first and second communication delays.

3. The wireless station according to claim 1, wherein

the first determining unit sets the first and second transmission rates to a same value, and

the second determining unit

determines the first and second response frame lengths so that the response frames have an occupation time at least twice the range of the initial backoff time, and

determines the first and second transmission timings so that the response request frame is first transmitted to one of the first and second wireless terminals having a greater one of the first and second communication delays and then to the other of the first and second wireless terminals having a smaller one of the communication delays with a delay equivalent to the difference between the first and second communication delays.

4. The wireless station according to claim 1, further comprising

an acquiring unit configured to communicate with the first and second wireless terminals and acquire information of transmission rates set in the first and second wireless terminals, wherein

the first determining unit determines the transmission rates indicated by the information as the first and second transmission rates.

5. The wireless station according to claim 1, wherein

the detecting unit detects that there has been occurred a collision of the response frames from the first and second wireless terminals when the response frames have not been received within a certain time period after transmission of the response request frame to each of the first and second wireless terminals.

6. The wireless station according to claim 1, wherein

the detecting unit detects that there has been occurred a collision of the response frames received from the first and second wireless terminals when a retransmission flag is set in each of the response frames returned from the first and second wireless terminals.

7. A wireless station that performs wireless communication with first and second wireless terminals based on a carrier sensing scheme, comprising:

a measuring unit configured to communicate with the first and second wireless terminals and measure first and second communication delays of the first and second wireless terminals;

a first determining unit configured to determine first and second transmission rates of the first and second wireless terminals;

a third determining unit configured to determine a common response frame length of response frames to be returned from the first and second wireless terminals for the first and second wireless terminals, based on the first and second transmission rates, the first and second communication delays, and a range of an initial backoff time for carrier sensing;

a transmitting unit configured to transmit a response request frame that requests returning of response frames having the common response frame length, to the first and second wireless terminals simultaneously by multicast or broadcast;

a receiving unit configured to receive the response frames returned from the first and second wireless terminals; and

a detecting unit configured to detect that the first and second wireless terminals are in hidden terminal relation upon detecting a collision of the response frames, wherein

the third determining unit determines the common response frame length so that the response frames returned from the first and second wireless terminals collide with each other given that the first and second wireless terminals are in the hidden terminal relation.

8. The wireless station according to claim 7, wherein

the first determining unit sets the first and second transmission rates to a same value, and

the third determining unit determines the common response frame length so that the response frames have an occupation time at least equal to a difference between:

a first sum which is a sum of a larger one of the first and second communication delays and a maximum value of the backoff time; and

a second sum which is a sum of a smaller one of the first and second communication delays and a minimum value of the backoff time.

9. The wireless station according to claim 7, wherein

the first determining unit sets the first and second transmission rates to a same value, and

determines the common response frame length so that the response frames have an occupation time at least equal to a sum of the length of the initial backoff time and a difference between:

a first sum which is a sum of a larger one of the first and second communication delays and a maximum value of the backoff time; and

a second sum which is a sum of a smaller one of the first and second communication delays and a minimum value of the backoff time.

10. The wireless station according to claim 7, further comprising

an acquiring unit configured to communicate with the first and second wireless terminals and acquire information of transmission rates set in the first and second wireless terminals, wherein

the first determining unit determines the transmission rates indicated by the information as the first and second transmission rates.

11. The wireless station according to claim 7, wherein

the detecting unit detects that there has been occurred a collision of the response frames from the first and second wireless terminals when the response frames have not been received within a certain time period after transmission of the response request frame to each of the first and second wireless terminals.

12. The wireless station according to claim 7, wherein

the detecting unit detects that there has been occurred a collision of the response frames received from the first and second wireless terminals when a retransmission flag is set in each of the response frames returned from the first and second wireless terminals.

13. A fault detecting method performed in a wireless station that performs wireless communication with first and second wireless terminals based on a carrier sensing scheme, comprising:

communicating with the first and second wireless terminals and measuring first and second communication delays of the first and second wireless terminals;

determining first and second transmission rates of the first and second wireless terminals;

determining first and second timings of transmitting a response request frame to each of the first and second wireless terminals and first and second response frame lengths of response frames to be returned from the first and second wireless terminals, based on the first and second transmission rates, the first and second communication delays, and a range of an initial backoff time for carrier sensing;

transmitting the response request frame that requests returning of response frames having the first and second response frame lengths at the first and second transmission rates, to the first and second wireless terminals at the first and second transmission timings;

receiving the response frames returned from the first and second wireless terminals; and

detecting that the first and second wireless terminals are in hidden terminal relation upon detecting a collision of the response frames, wherein

the determining timing and frame length includes determining the first and second response frame lengths and the first and second transmission timings so that the response frames returned from the first and second wireless terminals collide with each other given that the first and second wireless terminals are in the hidden terminal relation.

14. A computer readable medium storing a computer program for causing a computer that performs wireless communication with first and second wireless terminals based on a carrier sensing scheme, to execute instructions of the steps of:

communicating with the first and second wireless terminals and measuring first and second communication delays of the first and second wireless terminals;

determining first and second transmission rates of the first and second wireless terminals;

determining first and second timings of transmitting a response request frame to each of the first and second wireless terminals and first and second response frame lengths of response frames to be returned from the first and second wireless terminals, based on the first and second transmission rates, the first and second communication delays, and a range of an initial backoff time for carrier sensing;

transmitting the response request frame that requests returning of response frames having the first and second response frame lengths at the first and second transmission rates, to the first and second wireless terminals at the first and second transmission timings;

receiving the response frames returned from the first and second wireless terminals; and

detecting that the first and second wireless terminals are in hidden terminal relation upon detecting a collision of the response frames, wherein

the determining timing and frame length includes determining the first and second response frame lengths and the first and second transmission timings so that the response frames returned from the first and second wireless terminals collide with each other given that the first and second wireless terminals are in the hidden terminal relation.

15. A fault detecting method performed in a wireless station that performs wireless communication with first and second wireless terminals based on a carrier sensing scheme, comprising:

communicating with the first and second wireless terminals and measuring first and second communication delays of the first and second wireless terminals;

determining first and second transmission rates of the first and second wireless terminals;

determining a common response frame length of response frames to be returned from the first and second wireless terminals for the first and second wireless terminals, based on the first and second transmission rates, the first and second communication delays, and a range of an initial backoff time for carrier sensing;

transmitting a response request frame that requests returning of response frames having the common response frame length, to the first and second wireless terminals simultaneously by multicast or broadcast;

receiving the response frames returned from the first and second wireless terminals; and

detecting that the first and second wireless terminals are in hidden terminal relation upon detecting a collision of the response frames, wherein

the determining a common response frame length includes determining the common response frame length so that the response frames returned from the first and second wireless terminals collide with each other given that the first and second wireless terminals are in the hidden terminal relation.

16. A computer readable medium storing a computer program for causing a computer that performs wireless communication with first and second wireless terminals based on a carrier sensing scheme, to execute instructions of the steps of:

communicating with the first and second wireless terminals and measuring first and second communication delays of the first and second wireless terminals;

determining first and second transmission rates of the first and second wireless terminals;

determining a common response frame length of response frames to be returned from the first and second wireless terminals for the first and second wireless terminals, based on the first and second transmission rates, the first and second communication delays, and a range of an initial backoff time for carrier sensing;

transmitting a response request frame that requests returning of response frames having the common response frame length, to the first and second wireless terminals simultaneously by multicast or broadcast;

receiving the response frames returned from the first and second wireless terminals; and

detecting that the first and second wireless terminals are in hidden terminal relation upon detecting a collision of the response frames, wherein

the determining a common response frame length includes determining the common response frame length so that the response frames returned from the first and second wireless terminals collide with each other given that the first and second wireless terminals are in the hidden terminal relation.