WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, TERMINAL, MESSAGE SENDING METHOD, AND PROGRAM FOR ALLOWING TERMINAL TO EXECUTE THE METHOD

• US 20130064123A1
• Filed: 10/26/2012
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: SAITO, Shin, Suzuki, Hideyuki
• Granted Patent: US 9,210,681 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Upon receiving a beacon, a terminal B sends a RTS control message to a terminal A before sending a registration request message to the terminal A. Upon receiving the RTS control message, the terminal A sends a CTS control message. The terminal B measures the time from when the RTS control message is sent to when the CTS control message is received so as to calculate the distance with the terminal A. If the distance with the terminal A is within a predetermined distance X1, the terminal B sends a registration request message to the terminal A. Similarly, the terminal A measures the distance with the terminal B, and sends a registration request acknowledgement message to the terminal B when the distance with the terminal B is within a predetermined distance X2.

Claims

1. A terminal comprising:

receiving unit configured to receive a predetermined signal;

ranging unit configured to determine a distance with a first terminal when receiving the predetermined signal from the first terminal; and

sending unit configured to send a predetermined message to the first terminal when the determined distance is within a predetermined range.

2. A terminal according to claim 1, wherein the ranging unit determines the distance with the first terminal by performing communication with the first terminal.

3. A terminal according to claim 2, wherein the ranging unit determines the distance with the first terminal by sending and receiving access control packets to and from the first terminal.

4. A terminal according to claim 2, wherein the ranging unit determines the distance with the first terminal by a response signal from the first terminal in response to the communication with the first terminal.

5. A message sending method comprising:

a step of receiving a predetermined signal from a first terminal;

a step of performing ranging to determine a distance with the first terminal; and

a step of sending a predetermined message to the first terminal when the determined distance is within a predetermined range.