WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE, METHOD, AND RECORDING MEDIUM

• US 20190313265A1
• Filed: 11/17/2017
• Published: 10/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Platforms, Ltd. (NEC Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NEC Platforms, Ltd. (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: YAMAMOTO, Takuya
• Granted Patent: US 11,246,043 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/18 Management of setup rejection or failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

In order to enable reducing a possibility of being unable to connect to an AP in which a failure of a network connection occurs and also lessening a decline in a communication rate, a wireless communication method includes: detecting occurrence of a failure of a network connection in a first wireless communication device, when detecting the occurrence of the failure, determining whether or not to make a first wireless connection to the first wireless communication device, when making the determination to make the first wireless connection, making the first wireless connection to the first wireless communication device, and relaying a first communication between the first wireless communication device and a network.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device comprising:

a network connector configured to connect to a network;

a detector configured to detect occurrence of a failure of a network connection in a first wireless communication device;

a determinator configured to, when detecting the occurrence of the failure, determine whether or not to make a first wireless connection to the first wireless communication device;

a first wireless connector configured to, when making the determination to make the first wireless connection, make the first wireless connection to the first wireless communication device; and

a first relay configured to relay a first communication between the first wireless communication device and the network.

2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein

the determinator makes the determination, based on a radio wave status of a wireless radio wave from the first wireless communication device.

3. The wireless communication device according to claim 2, wherein

the determinator measures the radio wave status of the first wireless communication device and transmits the radio wave status through the network, and also receives, through the network, the radio wave status of the first wireless communication device being measured by a second wireless communication device in which the occurrence of the failure does not exist, and, when the radio wave status measured by a local device is not worse than any of the radio wave status measured by the second wireless communication device, makes the determination to make the first wireless connection.

4. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein,

when not receiving a packet from the first wireless communication device through the network for a predetermined period, the detector detects the occurrence of the failure of the network connection in the first wireless communication device.

5. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein

the detector further detects disappearance of the failure of the network connection in the first wireless communication device, and,

at a time of the disappearance of the failure, the first wireless connector disconnects the first wireless connection to the first wireless communication device.

6. The wireless communication device according to claim 5, wherein,

when receiving a packet from the first wireless communication device through the network, the detector detects the disappearance of the failure.

7. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein

the network connector transmits a packet at every predetermined time.

8. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein

the detector further detects the occurrence of the failure of the network connection in a local device, and,

at a time of the occurrence of the failure of the network connection in the local device, the first wireless connector starts a wireless connection operation with a predetermined wireless profile.

9. The wireless communication device according to claim 8, wherein

the detector further detects disappearance of the failure of the network connection in the local device, and,

at a time of the disappearance of the failure of the network connection in the local device, the first wireless connector stops the wireless connection operation with the predetermined wireless profile.

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

a second wireless connector configured to make a second wireless connection to a wireless slave device; and

a second relay configured to relay a second communication between the wireless slave device and the network.

11. The wireless communication device according to claim 10, wherein

the detector further detects the occurrence of the failure of the network connection in a local device, and,

at a time of the occurrence of the failure of the network connection in the local device, the first wireless connector starts a wireless connection operation with a predetermined wireless profile.

12. The wireless communication device according to claim 11, wherein,

when being connected to a third wireless communication device by the wireless connection operation, the second relay relays a third communication between the wireless slave device and the third wireless communication device.

13. The wireless communication device according to claim 11, wherein

the detector further detects disappearance of the failure of the network connection in the local device, and,

at a time of the disappearance of the failure of the network connection in the local device, the first wireless connector stops the wireless connection operation with the predetermined wireless profile.

14. The wireless communication device according to claim 13, wherein,

when the wireless connection operation is stopped, the second relay relays the second communication between the wireless slave device and the network.

15. A wireless communication method comprising:

detecting occurrence of a failure of a network connection in a first wireless communication device;

when detecting the occurrence of the failure, determining whether or not to make a first wireless connection to the first wireless communication device;

when making the determination to make the first wireless connection, making the first wireless connection to the first wireless communication device; and

relaying a first communication between the first wireless communication device and a network.

16. The wireless communication method according to claim 15, wherein

the wireless communication method makes the determination, based on a radio wave status of a wireless radio wave from the first wireless communication device.

17. The wireless communication method according to claim 16, further comprising:

measuring the radio wave status of the first wireless communication device and transmitting the radio wave status through the network, and also receiving, through the network, the radio wave status of the first wireless communication device being measured by a second wireless communication device in which the occurrence of the failure does not exist; and

,

when the radio wave status measured by a local device is not worse than any of the radio wave status measured by the second wireless communication device, making the determination to make the first wireless connection.

18. The wireless communication method according to claim 15, further comprising,

when not receiving a packet from the first wireless communication device through the network for a predetermined period, detecting the occurrence of the failure of the network connection in the first wireless communication device.

19. The wireless communication method according to claim 15, further comprising:

detecting disappearance of the failure of the network connection in the first wireless communication device; and

,

at a time of the disappearance of the failure, disconnecting the first wireless connection to the first wireless communication device.

20-28. -28. (canceled)

29. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium recorded with a wireless communication program causing a computer to execute:

a network connection function of connecting to a network;

a detection function of detecting occurrence of a failure of a network connection in a first wireless communication device;

a determination function of, when detecting the occurrence of the failure, determining whether or not to make a first wireless connection to the first wireless communication device;

a first wireless connection function of, when making the determination to make the first wireless connection, making the first wireless connection to the first wireless communication device; and

a first relay function of relaying a first communication between the first wireless communication device and the network.

30-42. -42. (canceled)