WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE, WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, WIRELESS COMMUNICATION METHOD AND PROGRAM

• US 20140036725A1
• Filed: 10/23/2013
• Published: 02/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: NAITO, Masahiko, ITOH, Katsutoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,655,080 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

Provided is a wireless communication device which includes a notification information transmitting unit for transmitting, via a wireless communication network, notification information of the wireless communication device, a notification information receiving unit for receiving notification information transmitted from another device, a frequency switching unit for successively switching, at random cycles, a frequency at which the notification information is transmitted or a frequency at which the notification information is received, and a transmission processing unit for performing a data transmission process after transmitting or receiving an acknowledgement to the notification information to/from such other device.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device comprising:

a processing circuitry configured to;

receive a probe request from another device;

transmit a probe response; and

randomize at least one of a duration for transmitting the probe response and a duration for receiving the probe request,

wherein when the wireless communication device receives the probe request, a negotiation is performed between the wireless communication device and the another device.

2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to select a frequency of the probe request from among a limited set of frequencies.

3. The wireless communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the negotiation determines which one of the another device and the wireless communication device plays an access point AP-like role.

4. The wireless communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the probe request includes a Frame Check Sequence.

5. The wireless communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to construct a probe request frame, as at least a portion of the probe request, for transmission to the another device.

6. The wireless communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to decode a probe response frame received from the another device.

7. The wireless communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the transmission of the probe request by the processing circuitry is performed on a frequency of the switched channel, which is switched in an orderly manner from among a limited set of frequency channels.

8. The wireless communication device according to claim 7,

wherein the limited set of frequency channels consists of three frequency channels.

9. The wireless communication device according to claim 1,

wherein a waiting of a probe request frame of the probe request by a receiving circuitry is performed on a fixed frequency channel, which is chosen from among a limited set of frequencies.

10. The wireless communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the transmission of the probe request by a transmission circuitry and a waiting for a reception of a probe response from the another device by the processing circuitry are performed in a time-division manner wherein time divisions of transmission and waiting do not overlap.

11. The wireless communication device according to claim 1,

wherein a random time period of at least one of the duration for transmitting and the duration for receiving as set by a random period setting circuitry is a random number multiple of a fixed interval of time.

12. The wireless communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to transmit a beacon as notification information, and

wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to receive an acknowledgement to the beacon transmitted as notification information.

13. The wireless communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to transmit the probe request as notification information,

wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to receive a probe response as notification information,

wherein the transmission of notification information by a transmitting circuitry and a waiting for a reception of notification information by the processing circuitry are performed in a time-division manner, and

wherein the wireless communication device further comprises:

a random period setting unit configured to set at least one of a duration for transmitting notification information and a duration for waiting for receipt of notification information, to a random duration; and

a second processing circuitry configured to perform data transmission processing after an acknowledgement to notification information is transmitted or received.

14. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the probe request comprises identification information of the wireless communication device.

15. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the probe request comprises at least one of an identifier of a network, a supported communication rate information, and a device name of the wireless communication device.

16. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an interface unit coupled to the processing circuitry,

wherein the interface unit is configured to encode the probe request and encode the probe response prior to transmission, and

wherein the interface unit is further configured to receive and decode the probe request received from the another device.

17. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an antenna coupled to the processing circuitry and through which the probe request and the probe response are transmitted to the another device, and through which the probe request is received from the another device.

18. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a memory storing instructions; and

a processor operably connected to the memory to read and execute the instructions from the memory to perform;

a reception of a probe request from another device;

a transmission of a probe response;

a switching of a frequency channel on which a probe request is to be transmitted; and

a randomizing of a duration for transmitting the probe response or a randomizing of a duration for receiving the probe request,

wherein when the wireless communication device receives the probe request from the another device, a negotiation is performed between the information processing apparatus and the another device.

19. The information processing apparatus according to claim 18,

wherein the negotiation determines which one of the another device and the information processing apparatus plays an access point AP-like role.

20. The information processing apparatus according to claim 18,

wherein the probe request includes a Frame Check Sequence.

21. A wireless communication device compliant with IEEE 802.11, comprising:

a reception circuitry capable of receiving a probe request from another device;

a transmission circuitry capable of transmitting a probe response, the probe response comprising at least one of an identifier of a network, a supported communication rate information, and a device name of the wireless communication device; and

a control circuitry capable of switching a frequency channel, from among a limited set of frequency channels, on which a probe request is to be transmitted,

wherein the control circuitry is further capable of randomizing at least one of a duration for transmitting the probe response and a duration for receiving the probe request,

wherein the duration for transmitting the probe response and the duration for receiving the probe request do not overlap, and the probe response is transmitted only during the duration for receiving the probe request,

wherein when the wireless communication device receives the probe request, a negotiation is performed between the wireless communication device and the another device.

22. The wireless communication device according to claim 21,

wherein the negotiation determines which one of the another device and the wireless communication device plays an access point AP-like role.

23. A wireless communication device comprising:

a reception circuitry capable of receiving a probe request from another device;

a transmission circuitry capable of transmitting a probe response; and

a control circuitry capable of switching a channel on which a probe request is to be transmitted,

wherein the control circuitry is further capable of randomizing at least one of a duration for transmitting the probe response and a duration for receiving the probe request from the another device, and

wherein when the wireless communication device receives the probe request, a negotiation is performed between the wireless communication device and the another device.

24. The wireless communication device according to claim 23,

wherein the negotiation determines which one of the another device and the wireless communication device plays an access point AP-like role.

25. The wireless communication device according to claim 23,

wherein the probe requests each include a Frame Check Sequence.

26. The wireless communication device according to claim 23, further comprising:

a data processing circuitry capable of constructing a probe request frame, as at least a portion of the probe request, for transmission to the another device.

27. The wireless communication device according to claim 23, further comprising:

a data processing circuitry capable of decoding a probe response frame received from the another device.

28. The wireless communication device according to claim 23,

wherein the transmission of the probe request by the transmission circuitry is performed over a frequency channel, which is switched in an orderly manner from among a limited set of frequency channels.

29. The wireless communication device according to claim 23,

wherein the limited set of frequency channels consists of three frequency channels.

30. The wireless communication device according to claim 23,

wherein a waiting of a probe request frame of the probe request by the reception circuitry is performed on a fixed frequency channel, which is chosen from among a limited set of frequencies.