Channel selection method of a wireless communication system

• US 6,175,739 B1
• Filed: 07/28/1998
• Issued: 01/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ishii, Kenichi, Osawa, Tomoki
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THANH C
• Application Number:
  US09/123,874
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422, 455/450, 455/452, 455/453, 455/62, 455/464, 455/465, 455/67.1, 455/423, 455/424, 455/509.511, 370/341, 370/431, 370/432, 370/437
• US Class Current: 455/452.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/06 Reselecting a communication resource in the serving access point

Abstract

To provide a channel selection method of a wireless communication system which enables a wireless station to select a wireless channel dynamically even when there are but an insufficient number of wireless channels, a channel selection method of selecting a wireless channel from a plurality of wireless channels prepared for the wireless communication system comprises: a channel search step (202) of checking whether any one of the plurality of wireless channels is left unused by other wireless stations of the wireless communication system or not; a sharing channel selection step (207) of selecting a wireless channel to be shared from wireless channels under use of the other wireless stations, said sharing channel selection step being performed when every of the plurality of wireless channels is found (205) to be under use of one of the other wireless stations at the channel search step; and a link establishment step of establishing the wireless link by sharing the wireless channel selected at the sharing channel selection step.

Claims

1. A channel selection method of a wireless communication system to be applied to a wireless station for establishing a wireless link of the wireless communication system by dynamically selecting a wireless channel to be used for the wireless link from a plurality of wireless channels prepared for the wireless communication system;

said channel selection method comprising;

a channel search step of checking whether any one of the plurality of wireless channels is left unused by other wireless stations of the wireless communication system or not;

a sharing channel selection step of selecting a wireless channel to be shared from wireless channels under use of the other wireless stations, said sharing channel selection step being performed when every of the plurality of wireless channels is found to be under use of one of the other wireless stations at the channel search step; and

a link establishment step of establishing the wireless link by sharing the wireless channel selected at the sharing channel selection step.

2. A channel selection method as recited in claim 1;

wherein said sharing channel selection step is performed by selecting the wireless channel to be shared at random from the wireless channels under use of the other wireless stations.

3. A channel selection method as recited in claim 1;

wherein;

said channel search step is performed by checking a received signal level of every of the wireless channels under use of the other wireless stations; and

said sharing channel selection step is performed by selecting a wireless channel whereof the received signal level is minimum among the wireless channels under use of the other wireless stations as the wireless channel to be shared.

4. A channel selection method as recited in claim 1;

wherein said sharing channel selection step is performed by selecting the wireless channel to be shared from specific wireless channels predetermined to be shared commonly for every wireless station of the wireless communication system.

5. A channel selection method as recited in claim 1;

wherein said link establishment step comprising a step of registering sharing information of the wireless channel to be shared in a sharing information register provided in the wireless station.

6. A channel selection method as recited in claim 5;

wherein the wireless station reports the sharing information to a sharing wireless station which is using the same wireless channel whereof the sharing information is registered in the sharing information register of the wireless station by way of the same wireless channel, periodically during the sharing information is registered.

7. A channel selection method as recited in claim 6;

wherein the wireless station also registers the sharing information in the sharing information register thereof when the sharing information is reported from another wireless station of the wireless communication system.

8. A channel selection method as recited in claim 6;

wherein the wireless station clears the sharing information registered in the sharing information register thereof when the sharing report is not received from any other wireless station of the wireless communication system during a predetermined time period.

9. A channel selection method as recited in claim 7;

wherein the wireless station clears the sharing information registered in the sharing information register thereof when the sharing report is not received from any another wireless station of the wireless communication system during a predetermined time period.

10. A channel selection method as recited in claim 1;

wherein the wireless station switches the wireless channel used for the wireless link into an unused one of the wireless channels when the unused one is found by performing the channel search step periodically.

11. A channel selection method as recited in claim 8;

wherein the wireless station switches the wireless channel used for the wireless link into an unused one of the wireless channels when the unused one is found by performing the channel search step periodically during the sharing information is registered in the sharing information register thereof.

12. A channel selection method as recited in claim 9;

wherein the wireless station switches the wireless channel used for the wireless link into an unused one of the plurality of wireless channels when the unused one is found by performing the channel search step periodically during the sharing information is registered in the sharing information register thereof.

15. A channel selection method as recited in claim 1;

wherein said wireless station for establishing a wireless link is one of a base station of the wireless communication system connected to a wired network.

17. A channel selection method as recited in claim 1;

wherein said wireless station for establishing a wireless link is one of at least two mobile stations of the wireless communication system, the wireless link being established among said at least two mobile stations.

13. A wireless station of a wireless communication system for establishing a wireless link of the wireless communication system by dynamically selecting a wireless channel to be used for the wireless link from a plurality of wireless channels prepared for the wireless communication system;

said wireless station comprising;

a channel selection section for checking whether any one of the plurality of wireless channels is left unused by other wireless stations of the wireless communication system or not, and selecting a wireless channel to be shared from wireless channels under use of the other wireless stations when every of the plurality of wireless channels is found to be under use of any of the other wireless stations;

a sharing information register wherein sharing information is registered during the wireless station shares a wireless channel with one of the other wireless stations;

a sharing timer for counting a first and a second time interval;

a sharing information reporting section for transmitting a sharing report concerning a wireless channel under use of the wireless station to said one of the other wireless stations every time when the sharing timer counts the first time interval on condition the sharing information is registered in the sharing information register; and

a sharing information registration section for registering the sharing information in the sharing information register and starting the sharing timer when the wireless channel selected by the channel selection section to be shared is used for establishing the wireless link and when a sharing report concerning the wireless channel under use of the wireless station is received from any of the other wireless stations, and clearing the sharing information when no sharing report concerning the wireless channel under use of the wireless station is received from any of the other wireless stations during a period necessary for the sharing timer to count the second time interval.

14. A wireless station as recited in claim 13;

wherein;

said sharing timer further counts a third time interval; and

said channel selection section switches the wireless channel under use of the wireless station into an unused one of the plurality of wireless channels when the unused one is found, by checking whether any one of the plurality of wireless channels is left unused by other wireless stations of the wireless communication system or not, every time when the sharing timer counts the third time interval, on condition the sharing information is registered in the sharing information register.

16. A wireless station as recited in claim 13;

said wireless station being one of a base station of the wireless communication system connected to a wired network.

18. A wireless station as recited in claim 13;

said wireless station being one of at least two mobile stations of the wireless communication system, and the wireless link being established among said at least two mobile stations.