RADIO COMMUNICATION METHOD AND RADIO COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20100316043A1
• Filed: 02/05/2008
• Published: 12/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Doi, Hiroshi, Mimura, Masahiro, Fujita, Suguru, Matsumoto, Taisuke
• Granted Patent: US 8,320,345 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/350
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0006 Assessment of spectral gaps suitable for allocating digitally modulated signals, e.g. for carrier allocation in cognitive radio for spectrum sharing between different networks H04W16/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 with collision avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Provided is a radio communication method which can reduce the power consumption as compared to the conventional technique while realizing coexistence of a plurality of radio communication methods and can perform synchronization with a super frame of other radio communication device. The super frame has life confirmation slots (2820, 2830) through which radio communication devices of various modulation types should transmit tone signals. A radio communication device has a chance to judge whether one or more radio communication devices using a different modulation type exist or no such device exists in the vicinity. If no such device exists, the slot to be used by the radio communication device of the modulation method is reported as a time that can be used by a radio communication group of other modulation method. Thus, by confirming existence of an object in the vicinity by other radio communication device with which communication cannot be performed, communication can be performed by sharing the super frame.

Claims

1. A radio communication method of finding synchronization between radio communication apparatus groups using different radio communication schemes from each other while performing ad hoc network communication between radio communication apparatuses using a same radio communication scheme, the method comprising the steps of:

in the radio communication apparatus groups, finding synchronization by an end tone for identifying an end of a super-frame; and

in radio communication apparatuses that belong to the radio communication apparatus groups, transmitting a tone signal for reporting an existence of the radio communication apparatus groups,

wherein the tone signal is transmitted in an existence confirmation slot per radio communication scheme provided in the super-frame, and used to determine a slot that is assigned to the radio communication apparatus groups that use the radio communication schemes in the super-frame.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein:

the super-frame further comprises an entire-slot mandatory use slot that requests a use of an entire slot; and

when the tone signal is received in the entire-slot mandatory use slot, an entire super-frame time is assigned to a radio communication apparatus group of one of the radio communication schemes.

3. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein:

the super-frame further comprises a slot use proportion slot indicating what percent of slot is requested; and

when the tone signal is received in the slot use proportion slot, a super-frame time is assigned according to a proportion of the tone signal requested with a highest proportion.

4. A radio communication apparatus that finds synchronization with another radio communication apparatus group using different radio communication schemes from each other while performing ad hoc network communication with another radio communication apparatus using a same radio communication scheme, the apparatus comprising:

a synchronizing section that finds synchronization by an end tone for identifying an end of a super-frame; and

a tone signal transmitting section that transmits a tone signal to report an existence of a radio communication apparatus group to which the apparatus belongs,

wherein the tone signal is transmitted in the super-frame per radio communication scheme provided in an existence confirmation slot, and used to determine a slot that is assigned to the radio communication apparatus groups that use the radio communication schemes in the super-frame.