Wireless communicating method, wireless communicating system, communicating station, and controlling station

• US 6,545,999 B1
• Filed: 03/15/1999
• Issued: 04/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sugita, Takehiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHULTZ, WILLIAM C
• Application Number:
  US09/267,339
• Time in Patent Office: 1,485 Days
• Field of Search: 370/311, 370/310, 370/389, 455/574, 455/69, 455/343, 340/10.33, 340/10.34, 340/3.4, 340/3.41, 340/7.33, 340/3.9
• US Class Current: 370/347
• 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: H04L 12/40058 Isochronous transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40117 Interconnection of audio or video/imaging devices home automation networks H04L12/2803; bitstream network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless communicating method for a system having a plurality of communicating stations and a controlling station for controlling an accessing operation of the communicating stations in which the controlling station is disposed between the communicating stations, a communication signal is transmitted and received between each of the communicating stations and the controlling station, as the communication signal has a control area and a data area structured as a frame on a time division basis. The method includes the steps of causing a communicating station to transmit a communicating station state change request signal to the control station, causing the control station to transmit a communicating station state signal to the communicating station so as to enter the relevant communicating station into a sleep state, and causing a communicating station in the sleep state to receive a start command signal that causes the relevant communicating station to cancel the sleep state.

Claims

1. A wireless communicating method for a system having a plurality of communicating stations and a controlling station for controlling an accessing operation of the plurality of communicating stations, the controlling station being disposed between the communicating stations, a communication signal being transmitted and received between each of the plurality of communicating stations and the controlling station, the communication signal having a control area and a data area structured as a frame on a time division basis, the method comprising the steps of:

causing a selected one of the plurality of communicating stations to transmit a communicating station state change request signal to the control station;

causing the control station to transmit a communicating station state signal to the selected communicating station so as to cause the selected communicating station to enter into a sleep state;

causing a communicating station in the sleep state to receive a start command signal that causes the communicating station receiving the start command signal to cancel the sleep state; and

preventing the selected communicating station from communicating in the sleep state until the start command signal is received by the selected communicating station.

2. The wireless communicating method as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the communicating station state signal represents whether a communicating station is in the sleep state, and the communicating station state signal is transmitted from the control station to the communicating station with the control area of each frame.

3. The wireless communicating method as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the start command signal is transmitted from the controlling station to the communicating station in the sleep state in the control area of each frame.

4. The wireless communicating method as set forth in claim 1,

wherein a communicating station in the sleep state receives at least the start command signal.

5. The wireless communicating method as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the communicating station state change request signal is a signal with which a communicating station requests the controlling station to set the communicating station to the sleep state, and the communicating station state change request signal is transmitted from the communicating station to the controlling station in the control area of each frame.

6. A wireless communicating system having a plurality of communicating stations and a controlling station for controlling an accessing operation of the plurality of communicating stations, a communication signal being transmitted and received between each of the plurality of communicating stations and the controlling station, the communication signal having a control area and a data area structured as a frame on a time division basis, the system comprising:

means for causing a communicating station to transmit a communicating station state change request signal to the controlling station;

means for causing the controlling station to transmit a communicating station state signal to the communicating station so as to cause the communicating station to enter into a sleep state, wherein a communicating station in the sleep state receives a start command signal so as to cause the communicating station to cancel the sleep state; and

means for preventing the communicating station from communicating in the sleep state until the start command signal is received by the communicating station.

7. The wireless communicating system as set forth in claim 6,

wherein the communicating station state signal represents whether a communicating station is in the sleep state, and the communicating station state signal is transmitted from the control station to the communicating station in the control area of each frame.

8. The wireless communicating system as set forth in claim 6,

wherein the start command signal is transmitted from the controlling station to the communicating station in the sleep state in the control area of each frame.

9. The wireless communicating system as set forth in claim 6,

wherein a communicating station in the sleep state receives at least the start command signal.

10. The wireless communicating system as set forth in claim 6,

wherein the communicating station state change request signal is a signal with which a communicating station requests the controlling station to set the communicating station to the sleep state, and the communicating station state change request signal is transmitted from the communicating station to the controlling station in the control area of each frame.

11. A communicating station of a wireless communicating system having a plurality of communicating stations and a controlling station for controlling an accessing operation of the plurality of communicating stations, a communication signal being transmitted and received between each of the plurality of communicating stations and the controlling station, the communication signal having a control area and a data area structured as a frame on a time division basis, the communicating station comprising:

communicating station state change request signal transmitting means for transmitting a communicating station state change request signal with which a communicating station requests the controlling station to set the communicating station to a sleep state;

communicating station state signal receiving means for receiving a communicating station state signal that represents whether a communicating station is in the sleep state;

start command signal receiving means for receiving a start command signal that cause the communicating station to cancel the sleep state;

controlling means for transmitting the communicating station state change request signal that requests the controlling station to set the communicating station to the sleep state, receiving the communicating station state signal that causes the relevant communicating station to enter the sleep state, and receiving the start command signal that causes the communicating station to cancel the sleep state; and

preventing means for preventing the communicating station from communicating in the sleep state until the start command signal is received by the communicating station.

12. The communicating station as set forth in claim 11,

wherein the communicating station state signal represents whether a communicating station is in the sleep state, and

said communicating station state signal transmitting means transmits the communicating station state signal with the control area of each frame.

13. The communicating station as set forth in claim 11,

wherein the start command signal is transmitted to a communicating station in the sleep state so as to cause the communicating station to cancel the sleep state, and

said start command signal receiving means receives the start command signal in the control area of each frame.

14. The communicating station as set forth in claim 11,

wherein the start command signal is received even if the communicating station is in the sleep state.

15. The communicating station as set forth in claim 11,

wherein the communicating station state change request signal is a signal with which a communicating station requests the controlling station to set the communicating station to the sleep state, and

said communicating station state change request signal receiving means transmits the communicating station state change request signal in the control area of each frame.

16. A controlling station of a wireless communicating system having a plurality of communicating stations and a controlling station for controlling an accessing operation of the plurality of communicating stations, a communication signal being transmitted and received between the plurality of communicating stations and the controlling station, the communication signal having a control area and a data area structured as a frame on a time division basis, the controlling station comprising:

communicating station state signal transmitting means for transmitting a communicating station state signal that represents whether a communicating station is in a sleep state;

start command signal transmitting means for transmitting a start command signal that causes the communicating station in the sleep state to cancel the sleep state, wherein the communicating station does not communicate in the sleep state until the start command signal is received by the communicating station;

communicating station state change request signal receiving means for receiving a communication state change request signal with which a communicating station request the controlling station to set the communicating station to the sleep state; and

controlling means for causing a communicating station to transmit the communicating station state signal so as to cause the communicating station to enter into the sleep state, the controlling station to transmit the communicating station state signal corresponding to the communicating station state change request signal, and the controlling station to transmit the start command signal to the communicating station so as to cause the communicating station to cancel the sleep state.

17. The controlling station as set forth in claim 16,

wherein the start command signal is transmitted to a communicating station in the sleep state so as to cause the communicating station to cancel the sleep state, and

said start command signal transmitting means transmits the start command signal to the communicating station in the control area of each frame.

18. The controlling station as set forth in claim 16,

wherein the communicating station state change request signal is a signal with which a communicating station performs one of setting and canceling the sleep state of the communicating station, and

said communicating station state change request signal receiving means receives the communicating station state change request signal from the communicating station in the control area of each frame.

19. The controlling station as set forth in claim 16,

wherein the communicating station state signal represents whether a communicating station is in the sleep state, and

said communicating station state signal transmitting means transmits the communicating station state signal in the control area of each frame.