REPORT METHOD AND ACCESS CONTROL DEVICE

• US 20110134789A1
• Filed: 07/30/2009
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakaoka, Ken, Nagai, Makoto, Doi, Yoshiharu, Higuchi, Keisuke
• Granted Patent: US 8,976,687 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/092 Coding or decoding of the information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/094 Hardware aspects; Signal processing or signal properties, e.g. frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference

Abstract

It is specified that a frame containing at least the plurality of slots is repeated. A detecting unit detects a slot usable in the communications between terminal apparatuses, from among a plurality of slots. A modem unit and an RF unit broadcast the information on the detected slot. A power measuring unit in the detecting unit measures the respective received powers of the plurality of slots, and an empty slot identifying unit identifies a slot whose received power is less than a threshold value.

Claims

1. An access control apparatus for controlling communications between terminal apparatuses, the access control apparatus comprising:

a detecting unit configured to detect a predetermined slot from among a plurality of slots, wherein it is specified that a frame containing at least the plurality of slots is repeated; and

a broadcasting unit configured to broadcast information on the slot detected by said detecting unit.

2. An access control apparatus for controlling communications between terminal apparatuses, the access control apparatus comprising:

a detecting unit configured to detect a slot usable in the communications between the terminal apparatuses, from among a plurality of slots, wherein it is specified that a frame containing at least the plurality of slots is repeated; and

a broadcasting unit configured to broadcast information on the slot detected by said detecting unit.

3. An access control apparatus according to claim 2, said detecting unit including:

a measurement unit configured to measure the respective received powers of the plurality of slots; and

an identifying unit configured to identify a slot whose received power measured by the measurement unit is less than a threshold value.

4. An access control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said broadcasting unit broadcasts the information, using periodically at least one slot contained in each frame, and

a slot number of the slot, which is detected by said detecting unit and is contained in a previous frame, is added as said information to be broadcast by said broadcasting unit.

5. An access control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a terminal apparatus using a slot according to the information broadcasted from said broadcasting unit uses a slot corresponding to said slot.

6. An access control apparatus for controlling communications between terminal apparatuses, the access control apparatus comprising:

a detecting unit configured to detect a slot, in which a collision has occurred due to duplicate transmission of signals from a plurality of terminal apparatuses, wherein a frame containing at least a plurality of slots is repeated and the terminal apparatuses communicate with each other using a predetermined slot; and

a broadcasting unit configured to broadcast information on the slot detected by said detecting unit.

7. An access control apparatus according to claim 6, said detecting unit including:

a first measurement unit configured to measure the respective received powers of the plurality of slots;

a second measurement unit configured to measure the respective signal qualities of the plurality of slots; and

an identifying unit configured to identify a slot whose received power measured by the first measurement unit is less than a first threshold value and whose signal quality measured by the second measurement unit is worse than a second threshold value.

8. An access control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said broadcasting unit broadcasts the information, using periodically at least one slot contained in each frame, and

a slot number of the slot, which is detected by said detecting unit and is contained in a previous frame, is added as said information to be broadcast by said broadcasting unit.

9. A broadcasting method employed in an access control apparatus for controlling communications between terminal apparatuses, the method comprising:

detecting a predetermined slot from among a plurality of slots, wherein a frame containing at least the plurality of slots is repeated; and

broadcasting information on the detected slot.

10. A broadcasting method employed in an access control apparatus for controlling communications between terminal apparatuses, the method comprising:

detecting a slot usable in the communications between the terminal apparatuses, from among a plurality of slots, wherein a frame containing at least the plurality of slots is repeated; and

broadcasting information on the detected slot.

11. A broadcasting method employed in an access control apparatus for controlling communications between terminal apparatuses, the method comprising:

detecting a slot, in which a collision has occurred due to duplicate transmission of signals from a plurality of terminal apparatuses, wherein a frame containing at least a plurality of slots is repeated and the terminal apparatuses communicated with each other using a predetermined slot; and

broadcasting information on the detected slot.