Communication control method and transmission apparatus

• US 6,542,494 B1
• Filed: 09/09/1999
• Issued: 04/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sugaya, Shigeru, Yoshida, Hidemasa, Sugita, Takehiro, Kamo, Takanobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Iqbal, Khawar
• Application Number:
  US09/392,739
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• Field of Search: 370/254, 370/255, 370/328, 370/329, 370/336, 370/338, 370/335, 370/245, 455/11.1, 455/7, 455/17, 375/360
• US Class Current: 370/345
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40052 High-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus bus transfer protocol on a daisy chain bus using an embedded synchronisation G06F13/426
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/002 Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A frame period is specified by means of a predetermined signal; a management data transmission region is set in this frame period; and when common information to be transmitted from the control station in the management data transmission region is received at a plurality of communication stations, any of these communication stations performs processing for repeatedly transmitting the received common information, whereby when communications in a network system are controlled by a control station, a station incapable of directly making communication with a control station can be controlled satisfactorily.

Claims

1. A communication control method for controlling an access of wireless communication among a plurality of communication stations based on common information to be transmitted from a control station, comprising the steps of:

specifying a frame period by means of a predetermined signal;

setting a management data transmission region in the frame period; and

setting an information data transmission region in the frame period, wherein information data is transmitted by polling control from the control station, and

when said common information to be transmitted from said control station in said management data transmission region is received by said plurality of communication stations, the received common information is retransmitted by any of the communication stations in said management data transmission region,

wherein a communication station retransmitting said common information is a branch station which judges that a hidden station incapable of directly making communication with said control station exists among said plurality of communication stations by performing communication with its own station, whereby said control station communicates through said branch station with said hidden station in said information data transmission region.

2. A communication control method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said communication station repeatedly transmitting said common information is all stations which received said common information.

3. A communication control method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said information data transmission region is an asynchronous data transmission region.

4. A communication control method for controlling an access of wireless communication among a plurality of communication stations by means of a control station, comprising the steps of:

specifying a frame period by a predetermined signal;

setting a management data transmission region in the frame period;

setting an information data transmission region in the frame period;

allocating a plurality of slots in said management data transmission region, said plurality of communication stations or said control station individually transmitting data concerning communication states in the respective stations, and

said control station recognizing the presence of a hidden station incapable of directly making wireless communication based on a transmission state of data concerning the communication state,

wherein when data concerning a hidden station incapable of receiving data from said control station is received as data concerning a communication state which said communication stations transmit, the data is added to data concerning a communication state which its own station transmits.

5. A transmission apparatus in which communication is performed based on control by a predetermined control apparatus, comprising:

timing setting means for setting a frame period based on a predetermined signal, setting a management transmission region in the frame period, and setting an information data transmission region in the frame period;

receiving means for receiving management data to be transmitted from other transmission apparatuses in said management data transmission region; and

transmitting means for transmitting common information in management data that said receiving means has received at a predetermined timing and for transmitting information data in the information data transmission region,

wherein said transmission means transmits common information when it is judged that at least one of other transmission apparatuses is hidden and is incapable of receiving common information from said control apparatus based on management data that said receiving means has received.

6. A transmission apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein a predetermined timing at which said transmitting means transmits common information is a timing other than a management data transmission region set by said timing setting means.

7. A transmission apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said transmission means transmits said common information in an asynchronous data transmission region.

8. A transmission apparatus in which communication is performed based on control by a predetermined control apparatus, comprising:

timing setting means for setting a frame period based on a predetermined signal, setting a management data transmission region composed of a plurality of slots in the frame period, and setting an information data transmission region in the frame period;

transmitting means for transmitting data on a state of communication with other transmission apparatuses in a predetermined slot in said management data transmission region;

receiving means for receiving data in a slot other than said predetermined slot in said management data transmission region; and

control means for recognizing a presence of a hidden transmission apparatus incapable of directly making communication with said control apparatus from communication state data that said receiving mean has received.

9. A transmission apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein when data concerning a transmission apparatus incapable of receiving data from said control apparatus is received as data concerning a communication state which said receiving means has received, the data is added to data concerning a communication state which said transmitting means transmits.