Wireless LAN system, base station device and wireless terminal device therefor, and method for relaying information frame

• US 5,982,762 A
• Filed: 03/19/1996
• Issued: 11/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Computer Engineering Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.), Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Computer Engineering Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.), Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Anzai, Atsushi, Aoyama, Takaharu, Jusa, Hidehiko, Orita, Kenichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CHAU T
• Application Number:
  US08/618,138
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/313, 370/328, 370/338, 370/401-405, 370/349, 455/32.1, 455/54.1, 455/56.1, 455/33.1, 455/33.4, 455/435, 455/524, 379/59-62, 375/202
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

In a wireless LAN system, each wireless terminal device determines whether or not the wireless terminal device has entered into a wireless LAN domain established by a base station, and if it has entered, transmits an entry terminal identification information update control frame including identification information of its own device to the base station at a predetermined time interval. The base station receives the entry terminal identification information update control frame from the wireless terminal device, stores in a storage the identification information of the wireless terminal device entered into the wireless LAN domain established by its own base station, and when it receives an information frame from a wired transmission line connected to its own base station, relay-transmits only the information frame to the wireless terminal device having the identification information thereof stored in the storage by referring the information stored in the storage.

Claims

1. A base station device in a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) system comprising said base station device and a plurality of wireless terminal devices for transmitting and receiving data between said base station device and said wireless terminal devices and between said wireless terminal devices, comprising:

storage means for storing identification information of only the wireless terminal devices entering into a wireless LAN domain established by the base station device when an entry terminal identification information update control frame is received from the wireless terminal device;

delete means for deleting said identification information stored in said storage means after a predetermined time elapses from the writing; and

transmission control means for relay-transmitting only an information frame addressed to the wireless terminal device having the identification information thereof stored by referring the information stored in said storage means when the information frame is received from a wired transmission line connected to the base station device.

2. A base station device in the wireless LAN system according to claim 1 further comprising:

transmission means for determining whether or not the number of identification information stored in said storage means has reached an upper limit when the entry terminal identification information update control frame is received, and when the number has reached the upper limit, transmitting a registration rejection frame of the identification information to a reception frame to the corresponding wireless terminal device.

3. A base station device in the wireless LAN system according to claim 1 further comprising:

transmission means for determining whether the identification information in a reception frame corresponds to the identification information of a preset registration authorized terminal device or a preset registration inhibited terminal device when the entry terminal identification information update control frame is received, and when the identification information is not allowed to be registered, transmitting a registration rejection frame to the corresponding wireless terminal device.

4. A wireless LAN system comprising a base station device and a plurality of wireless terminal devices for transmitting and receiving data between said base station device and said wireless terminal devices and between said wireless terminal devices;

said base station device comprising;

storage means for storing identification information of only the wireless terminal devices entering into a wireless LAN domain established by the base station device when an entry terminal identification information update control frame is received from the wireless terminal device;

delete means for deleting said identification information stored in said storage means after the elapse of a predetermined time from the writing; and

transmission control means for relay-transmitting only an information frame addressed to the wireless terminal device having the identification information thereof stored by referring the information stored in said storage means when the information frame is received from a wired transmission line connected to the base station device;

said wireless terminal devices each comprising;

detection means for detecting the entry of its own device into a wireless LAN domain established by said base station device upon receiving the information frame from the base station device; and

transmission means for periodically transmitting an entry terminal identification information update control frame including identification information of its own device at a predetermined time interval shorter than said predetermined time in accordance with the detection result by said detection means.

5. A wireless LAN system according to claim 4 wherein said detection means of said wireless terminal device receives a wireless control frame transmitted from said base station to detect the entry of its own device into the wireless LAN domain established by said base station.

6. A wireless LAN system according to claim 4 wherein said identification information is a MAC (media access control) address inherent to the system in each of said wireless terminal devices.

7. A wireless LAN system according to claim 4 wherein said base station device further comprising:

transmission means for determining whether the number of identification information stored in said storage means has reached an upper limit or not when the entry terminal identification information update control frame is received, and when the number has reached the upper limit, transmitting a registration rejection frame of the identification information to a reception frame to the corresponding wireless terminal device.

8. A wireless LAN system according to claim 7 wherein said wireless terminal device further comprising:

means for disabling the wireless communication of its own device upon the reception of the registration rejection frame.

9. A wireless LAN system according to claim 4 wherein said base station device further comprising:

transmission means for determining whether the identification information in a reception frame corresponds to the identification information of a preset registration authorized terminal device or not when the entry terminal identification information update control frame is received, and when the identification information does not correspond, transmitting a registration rejection frame to the corresponding wireless terminal device.

10. A wireless LAN system according to claim 5 wherein said base station device further comprising:

transmission means for receiving the entry terminal identification information update control frame from the wireless terminal device, and when the identification information of the corresponding wireless terminal device has not been registered in said storage means, transmitting an entry terminal identification information delete frame including the identification information of the corresponding wireless terminal device to other base station; and

delete means for deleting the identification information stored in said storage means when the entry terminal identification information delete frame is received.

11. A method for relaying an information frame in a wireless LAN system having a base station device and a plurality of wireless terminal devices for transmitting and receiving data between said base station device and said wireless terminal devices and between said wireless terminal devices, comprising the steps of:

detecting in each of said wireless terminal devices the entry of its own device into a wireless LAN domain established by said base station device;

if entered, transmitting an entry terminal identification information update control frame including identification information of its own device to said base station device at a predetermined time interval;

receiving in said base station the entry terminal identification information update control frame from said wireless terminal device and storing in storage means the identification information of only the wireless terminal device entering into the wireless LAN domain established by the base station device; and

relay-transmitting only an information frame addressed to the wireless terminal device having the identification information thereof stored in said storage means by referring the information stored in said storage means when the information frame is received.

12. A method for relaying an information frame according to claim 11 further comprising the step of:

determining whether the number of identification information stored in said storage means has reached an upper limit or not when the entry terminal identification information update control frame is received, and when the number has reached the upper limit, transmitting a registration rejection frame of the identification information to a reception frame to the corresponding wireless terminal device.

13. A method for relaying an information frame according to claim 11 further comprising the step of:

determining whether the identification information in a reception frame corresponds to the identification information of a preset registration authorized terminal device or not when the entry terminal identification information update control frame is received, and when the identification information does not correspond, transmitting a registration rejection frame to the corresponding wireless terminal device.