RADIO COMMUNICATION APPARATUS AND RADIO COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20140104038A1
• Filed: 10/14/2013
• Published: 04/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Takashi, Nakagawa, Katsumi, Hokazono, Shinya
• Granted Patent: US 9,741,213 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/8.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/224 Paging receivers with visible signalling details
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Disclosed is a radio communication apparatus capable of stopping useless transmission of a calling signal to a locator. A calling apparatus transmits, using a near field radio communication apparatus, a calling signal to a locator attached to an item and outputting a notification sound, the calling signal being used for calling the locator. The calling apparatus periodically stands by for reception of a response signal from the locator using one slot when performing consecutive transmission of the calling signal to the locator using a plurality of slots. The calling apparatus stops the consecutive transmission of the calling signal by being triggered upon reception of the response signal from the locator.

Claims

1. A radio communication apparatus comprising:

a transmission section that transmits, using a near field radio communication protocol, a calling signal to a locator attached to an item, the calling signal being used for calling the locator; and

a control section that regularly stands by for reception of a response signal from the locator during consecutive transmission of the calling signal and stops the consecutive transmission of the calling signal by being triggered upon reception of the response signal.

2. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the near field radio communication protocol is a communication protocol that is compliant with a time division multiple access (TDMA)/time division duplex (TDD) standard in which one frame is divided into N slots; and

the control section repeatedly performs a period of transmitting the calling signal using (N-1) slots and then standing by for reception of the response signal using one slot.

3. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the near field radio communication protocol is a communication protocol that is compliant with a time division multiple access (TDMA)/time division duplex (TDD) standard in which one frame is divided into 24 slots; and

the control section repeatedly performs a period of transmitting the calling signal using 23 slots and then standing by for reception of the response signal using one slot.

4. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control section performs control of transmitting a calling signal corresponding to one slot with a certain period after stopping the consecutive transmission of the calling signal and performs control of receiving a response signal corresponding to one slot with the certain period by shifting timing of the reception from timing of the transmission.

5. A radio communication system comprising:

a locator that is attached to an item; and

a calling apparatus that transmits a calling signal to the locator by using a near field radio communication protocol, the calling signal being used for calling the locator, wherein the calling apparatus regularly stands by for reception of a response signal from the locator when performing consecutive transmission of the calling signal and stops the consecutive transmission of the calling signal by being triggered upon reception of the response signal.

6. The radio communication system according to claim 5, wherein:

the near field radio communication protocol is a communication protocol that is compliant with a time division multiple access (TDMA)/time division duplex (TDD) standard in which one frame is divided into N slots; and

the calling apparatus repeatedly performs a period of transmitting the calling signal using (N-1) slots and then standing by for reception of the response signal using one slot.

7. The radio communication system according to claim 5, wherein:

the near field radio communication protocol is a communication protocol that is compliant with a time division multiple access (TDMA)/time division duplex (TDD) standard in which one frame is divided into 24 slots; and

the control section repeatedly performs a period of transmitting the calling signal using 23 slots and then standing by for reception of the response signal using one slot.

8. The radio communication system according to claim 5, wherein the calling apparatus transmits a calling signal corresponding to one slot with a certain period after stopping the consecutive transmission of the calling signal and receives a response signal corresponding to one slot with the certain period by shifting timing of the reception from timing of the transmission.

9. A calling method for calling a locator attached to an item, using a near field radio communication protocol from a radio communication apparatus, the method comprising:

performing consecutive transmission of a calling signal from the radio communication apparatus;

regularly standing by for reception of a response signal from the locator during the consecutive transmission of the calling signal; and

stopping the consecutive transmission of the calling signal by being triggered upon reception of the response signal.

10. The calling method according to claim 9, wherein:

a calling signal corresponding to one slot is transmitted with a certain period after stopping the consecutive transmission of the calling signal; and

a response signal corresponding to one slot is received with the certain period by shifting timing of the reception from timing of the transmission.

11. The calling method according to claim 9, wherein:

the near field radio communication protocol is a communication protocol that is compliant with a time division multiple access (TDMA)/time division duplex (TDD) standard in which one frame is divided into N slots; and

during the consecutive transmission of the calling signal, an operation of transmitting the calling signal using (N-1) slots and then standing by for reception of the response signal using one slot is repeatedly performed periodically.

12. A locator capable of receiving a calling signal from a calling apparatus by using a near field radio communication protocol, wherein:

the locator performs an operation of receiving the calling signal using reception slots provided with a predetermined period in a call standby state; and

upon reception of the calling signal transmitted from the calling apparatus, the locator determines timing of a transmission slot used for transmitting a response signal to the calling apparatus based on information transmitted with the calling signal, then determines timing of a reception slot used for receiving a signal corresponding to one slot to be transmitted from the calling apparatus, and then transmits the response signal to the calling apparatus using the transmission slot.