Wireless computer network communication system and method having at least two groups of wireless terminals

• US 5,745,483 A
• Filed: 09/29/1995
• Issued: 04/28/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Takahashi, Satoshi, Suzuki, Masamitsu, Kokaji, Harumi, Nakagawa, Yoshikatsu
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CHAU T
• Application Number:
  US08/536,248
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 370/95.1, 370/95.3, 370/85.2, 370/85.3, 370/18, 370/319, 370/340, 370/320, 370/321, 370/330, 370/335, 370/336, 370/337, 370/338, 370/342, 370/343, 370/441, 370/445 , 370/447, 370/344, 375/200, 375/205, 455/34.1, 455/34.2, 455/62, 455/54.1, 455/54.2, 455/63
• US Class Current: 370/335
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0808 using carrier sensing, e.g. carrier sense multiple access [CSMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A wireless computer network communication system for use in an environment in which plural groups can perform network communication at the same time. A channel controller receives a requirement of starting network communication from a computer, controls a wireless channel sensor, and detects a received signal. The wireless channel detector detects which wireless channel is employed by one or more other networks and the channel controller determines the wireless channel to be employed by its own group and also controls the transceiver. The computer starts the network communication through a network controller. The network controller controls the transceiver for transmitting and receiving data by use of the wireless channel, and the same further controls the transmitting/receiving of the requirements and the data from the computer.

Claims

1. A wireless network communication method using at least two groups of respective wireless terminals communicating on separate communication channels which correspond to the groups, comprising the steps of:

communicating on a first channel by a first group of the wireless terminals;

determining a vacant channel by a terminal of a second group of the wireless terminals;

selecting the vacant channel and notifying other terminals of the second group of the selection, by said terminal;

acknowledging the selected channel by the other terminals; and

communicating on the selected channel by the second group of terminals,

wherein said step of communicating on the selected channel by the second group of terminals is performed such that each of the terminals of the second group have equal control over the communication channel, and

wherein said step of communicating on the selected channel by the second group of terminals is performed without the use of a base station which controls the communicating by the second group.

2. A wireless network communication method according to claim 1, wherein:

said step of communicating on the selected channel by the second group of terminals includes symmetrically communicating.

3. A wireless network communication method using at least two groups of respective wireless terminals communicating on separate communication channels which correspond to the groups, comprising the steps of:

communicating on a first channel by a first group of the wireless terminals;

determining a vacant channel by a terminal of a second group of the wireless terminals;

selecting the vacant channel and notifying other terminals of the second group of the selection, by said terminal;

acknowledging the selected channel by the other terminals; and

communicating on the selected channel by the second group of terminals,

wherein said step of communicating on the selected channel by the second group of terminals includes;

detecting, by one of said terminals of the second group, that a predetermined code for a carrier is not present; and

transmitting, by said one of said terminals, information when said one of said terminals of the second group detects that the predetermined code for the carrier is not present.

4. A wireless network communication method according to claim 3, wherein:

said step of detecting by one of said terminals of the second group that a predetermined code for a carrier is not present detects that the carrier is present and that the code for the carrier is not present; and

said step of transmitting by said one of said terminals is performed when the carrier is present and the code for the carrier is not present.

5. A wireless network communication method using at least two groups of respective wireless terminals communicating on separate communication channels which correspond to the groups, comprising the steps of:

communicating on a first channel by a first group of the wireless terminals;

determining a vacant channel by a terminal of a second group of the wireless terminals;

selecting the vacant channel and notifying other terminals of the second group of the selection, by said terminal;

acknowledging the selected channel by the other terminals; and

communicating on the selected channel by the second group of terminals,

wherein;

the selecting and notifying step selects a pseudonoise (PN) code for the vacant channel and notifies the other terminals of the second group of the selected PN code; and

said step of communicating on the selected channel by the second group of terminals initiates communication when a spread-spectrum signal having the selected PN code is not detected.

6. A wireless network communication method using at least two groups of respective wireless terminals communicating on separate communication channels which correspond to the groups, comprising the steps of:

communicating on a first channel by a first group of the wireless terminals,

determining a vacant channel by a terminal of a second group of the wireless terminals;

selecting the vacant channel and notifying other terminals of the second group of the selection, by said terminal;

acknowledging the selected channel by the other terminals; and

communicating on the selected channel by the second group of terminals,

wherein;

said step of selecting and notifying includes selecting a frequency and notifying the other terminals of the second group of the selected frequency; and

said step of communicating on the selected channel by the second group of terminals includes initiating communication when an absence of a signal on the selected frequency is detected and communication is performed on the selected channel by the second group of terminals by frequency-divisionally multiplying the selected frequency by information which is to be transmitted.

7. A terminal for use in a wireless network communication system, comprising:

a transceiver capable of utilizing different wireless channels;

a wireless channel sensor, connected to the transceiver, for detecting a received signal from the transceiver and for detecting the presence or absence of communication on the wireless channels;

a network controller, connected to the transceiver, for controlling transmitting and receiving requirements and data, and for controlling symmetrical type network communication in which each terminal of a group has equal control of communication within the group;

a channel controller, connected to the transceiver, for deciding the wireless channel to be employed in said transceiver, controlling said transceiver; and

a processor for starting the network communication using said network controller.

8. A terminal according to claim 7, wherein said wireless channel sensor comprises:

a pseudonoise code generator for generating predetermined pseudonoise codes; and

a correlator having a circuit for calculating a correlation between the pseudonoise codes generated by said pseudonoise code generator and a signal received by said transceiver.

9. A terminal according to claim 7, wherein said wireless channel sensor comprises:

a signal generator for generating predetermined frequencies; and

a detector for outputting correlative values between a reference signal and the received signal using the predetermined frequencies generated by the signal generator.

10. A wireless network communication system using at least two groups of respective wireless terminals communicating on separate communication channels which correspond to the groups, comprising:

means for communicating on a first channel by a first group of the wireless terminals;

means for determining a vacant channel by a terminal of a second group of the wireless terminals;

means for selecting the vacant channel and notifying other terminals of the second group of the selection, by said terminal;

means for acknowledging the selected channel by the other terminals; and

means for communicating on the selected channel by the second group of terminals,

wherein said means for communicating on the selected channel by the second group of terminals operates such that each of the terminals of the second group have equal control over the communication channel, and

wherein said means for communicating on the selected channel by the second group of terminals operates without the use of a base station which controls the communicating by the second group.

11. A wireless network communication system according to claim 10, wherein:

said means for communicating on the selected channel by the second group of terminals includes means for symmetrically communicating.

12. A wireless network communication system using at least two groups of respective wireless terminals communicating on separate communication channels which correspond to the groups, comprising:

means for communicating on a first channel by a first group of the wireless terminals;

means for determining a vacant channel by a terminal of a second group of the wireless terminals;

means for selecting the vacant channel and notifying other terminals of the second group of the selection, by said terminal;

means for acknowledging the selected channel by the other terminals; and

means for communicating on the selected channel by the second group of terminals,

wherein said means for communicating on the selected channel by the second group of terminals includes;

means for detecting, by one of said terminals of the second group, that a predetermined code for a carrier is not present; and

means for transmitting, by said one of said terminals, information when said one of said terminals of the second group detects that the predetermined code for the carrier is not present.

13. A wireless network communication system according to claim 12, wherein:

said means for detecting by one of said terminals of the second group that a predetermined code for a carrier is not present detects that the carrier is present and that the code for the carrier is not present; and

said means for transmitting by said one of said terminals operates when the carrier is present and the code for the carrier is not present.

14. A wireless network communication system using at least two groups of respective wireless terminals communicating on separate communication channels which correspond to the groups, comprising:

means for communicating on a first channel by a first group of the wireless terminals;

means for determining a vacant channel by a terminal of a second group of the wireless terminals;

means for selecting the vacant channel and notifying other terminals of the second group of the selection, by said terminal;

means for acknowledging the selected channel by the other terminals; and

means for communicating on the selected channel by the second group of terminals,

wherein;

the selecting and notifying means selects a pseudonoise (PN) code for the vacant channel and notifies the other terminals of the second group of the selected PN code; and

said means for communicating on the selected channel by the second group of terminals initiates communication when a spread-spectrum signal having the selected PN code is not detected.

15. A wireless network communication system using at least two groups of respective wireless terminals communicating on separate communication channels which correspond to the groups, comprising:

means for communicating on a first channel by a first group of the wireless terminals;

means for determining a vacant channel by a terminal of a second group of the wireless terminals;

means for selecting the vacant channel and notifying other terminals of the second croup of the selection, by said terminal;

means for acknowledging the selected channel by the other terminals; and

means for communicating on the selected channel by the second group of terminals,

wherein;

said means for selecting and notifying includes selecting a frequency and notifying the other terminals of the second group of the selected frequency; and

said means for communicating on the selected channel by the second group of terminals includes means for initiating communication when an absence of a signal on the selected frequency is detected and communication is performed on the selected channel by the second group of terminals by frequency-divisionally multiplying the selected frequency by information which is to be transmitted.