WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, WIRELESS COMMUNICATION CONTROL APPARATUS AND WIRELESS COMMUNICATION CONTROL METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20100202296A1
• Filed: 03/25/2010
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Mitsuhiro, Sugaya, Shigeru
• Granted Patent: US 8,085,691 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A communication terminal under the control of a wireless base station recursively has wireless base station capabilities in a parent network, constructs a daughter network within a scope of resources of the own apparatus assigned by the wireless base station, and assigns the resources to an other communication terminal under the control of the communication terminal having base station capabilities. This novel constitution allows to configure two or more networks guaranteed not to interfere each other, thereby allowing the coexistence of a plurality of personal area networks on a same frequency channel. At the same time, the novel constitution allows expanding a network area without increasing the scale of equipment.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a plurality of wireless networks that includes a plurality of wireless communication apparatuses and a control station for performing time slot assignment to each of said wireless communication apparatuses in every predetermined transmission frame period coexist, each of said wireless networks comprising;

signal detecting means for detecting a signal from an other of said wireless networks;

time slot analyzing means for analyzing a transmission time slot on which guaranteed time slot transmission is performed in an other of said wireless networks on the basis of a signal detected by said signal detecting means; and

time slot assigning means that does not assign a transmission time slot on which guaranteed time slot transmission is performed in an other of said wireless networks to a wireless communication apparatus in an own wireless network.

2. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein said time slot assigning means sets the transmission time slot on which guaranteed time slot transmission is performed in an other of said wireless networks as an unassigned area in the own wireless network.

3. The wireless communication system according to claim 2, wherein said time slot assigning means clears the setting of the unassigned area in the own wireless network in response to that said signal detecting means does not detect the signal from an other of said wireless networks.

4. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein said time slot analyzing means analyzes an unassigned area in an other of said wireless networks and said time slot assigning means performs time slot assignment within the own wireless network by use of said unassigned area in said other wireless networks.

5. A wireless communication control apparatus for performing, in a network environment in which a plurality of wireless networks for performing guaranteed time slot transmission in every predetermined transmission frame period between wireless communication apparatuses coexist, time slot assignment of a transmission frame period within said wireless networks, said wireless communication apparatus comprising:

signal detecting means for detecting a signal from an other of said wireless networks;

time slot analyzing means for analyzing a transmission time slot on which guaranteed time slot transmission is performed in an other of said wireless networks on the basis of the signal detected by said signal detecting means; and

time slot assigning means which does not assign a transmission time slot on which guaranteed time slot transmission is performed on an other of said wireless networks to a wireless communication apparatus in an own wireless network.

6. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said time slot assigning means sets the transmission time slot on which guaranteed time slot transmission is performed on an other of said wireless networks as an unassigned area within the own wireless network.

7. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said time slot assigning means clears the setting of the unassigned area in the own wireless network in response to that said signal detecting means does not detect the signal from an other of said wireless networks.

8. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 5, said time slot analyzing means analyzes an unassigned area in an other of said wireless networks and said time slot assigning means performs time slot assignment within the own wireless network by use of said unassigned area in said other wireless networks.

9. A wireless communication control method for performing, in a network environment in which a plurality of wireless networks for performing guaranteed time slot transmission in every predetermined transmission frame period between wireless communication apparatuses coexist, time slot assignment of a transmission frame period within said wireless networks, said method comprising:

detecting a signal from an other of said wireless networks;

analyzing a transmission time slot on which guaranteed time slot transmission is performed in an other of said wireless networks on the basis of the signal detected in said signal detecting step; and

not assigning a transmission time slot on which guaranteed time slot transmission is performed on an other of said wireless networks to a wireless communication apparatus in an own wireless network.

10. The wireless communication control method according to claim 9, wherein said time slot assigning step includes setting the transmission time slot on which guaranteed time slot transmission is performed on an other of said wireless networks as an unassigned area within the own wireless network.

11. The wireless communication control method according to claim 10, wherein said time slot assigning step includes clearing the setting of the unassigned area in the own wireless network in response to that said signal detecting step does not detect the signal from an other of said wireless networks.

12. The wireless communication control method according to claim 9, wherein said time slot analyzing step includes analyzing an unassigned area in an other of said wireless networks and said time slot assigning step performs time slot assignment within the own wireless network by use of said unassigned area in said other wireless networks.

13. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a plurality of wireless networks, including;

a plurality of wireless communication apparatuses, and

a control station for performing time slot assignment to each of said wireless communication apparatuses in every predetermined transmission frame period coexist,

at least one of said wireless networks providing, in response to the reception of a request for constructing a new wireless network, a transmission time slot for said new wireless network.

14. The wireless communication system according to claim 13, wherein each of said wireless networks comprises:

setting means for setting a time slot unassigned area to an own wireless network;

transmitting means for transmitting time slot assignment information of the own wireless network;

analyzing means for receiving and analyzing time slot assignment information of an other wireless network; and

a assigning means for assigning a time slot of the own wireless network by use of an unassigned area of a time slot in an other wireless network.

15. The wireless communication system according to claim 13, wherein said construction request is a request for participating of an other control station which constructs a new wireless network into the corresponding wireless network.

16. The wireless communication system according to claim 13, wherein said construction request is a request from an other control station which constructs a new wireless network for a time slot to a control station of the corresponding wireless network.

17. The wireless communication system according to claim 13, wherein information that a transmission time slot has been set to said new wireless network is included in time slot assignment information and notified in the corresponding wireless network.

18. The wireless communication system according to claim 13, wherein a transmission frame for notifying said new wireless network of the setting of a transmission time slot is transmitted to a control station of said new wireless network.

19. A computer-readable medium having recorded thereon a program for executing, on a computer system, a wireless communication control method of performing, in a network environment in which a plurality of wireless networks for performing guaranteed time slot transmission in every predetermined transmission frame period between wireless communication apparatuses coexist, time slot assignment in a transmission frame period in said wireless networks, said method comprising:

detecting a signal from an other of said wireless networks;

analyzing a transmission time slot on which guaranteed time slot transmission is performed in an other of said wireless networks on the basis of the signal detected in said signal detecting step; and

not assigning a transmission time slot on which guaranteed time slot transmission is performed on an other of said wireless networks to a wireless communication apparatus in an own wireless network.

20. A computer-readable medium having recorded thereon a program for executing, on a computer system, a wireless communication control method of performing, in a network environment in which a plurality of wireless networks for performing guaranteed time slot transmission in every predetermined transmission frame period between wireless communication apparatuses coexist, time slot assignment in a transmission frame period in said wireless networks, said method comprising:

receiving a request for constructing a new wireless network;

performing time slot assignment with a time slot unassigned area set in an own wireless network in response to said construction request; and

transmitting time slot assignment information in said own wireless network.