Communication apparatus and communication method

• US 6,546,258 B1
• Filed: 08/17/2000
• Issued: 04/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Kodama, Yasuteru, Yamazaki, Osamu, Suzuki, Masami, Shioda, Takehiko, Nohara, Manabu, Akimoto, Takayuki, Okamura, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thanh Cong
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ewart, James D
• Application Number:
  US09/639,888
• Time in Patent Office: 964 Days
• Field of Search: 455/440, 455/621, 455/422, 455/456, 455/550, 455/575, 375/140, 375/343, 375/141, 375/142, 375/145, 370/328, 370/329, 370/330, 370/331, 370/332, 370/333, 370/334, 370/335
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point

Abstract

A communication apparatus for communicating with one base station among a plurality of base stations is provided with a present position detecting device for detecting a present position of the communication apparatus and outputting present position information indicative of the detected present position. The communication apparatus is also provided with an identification information obtaining device for obtaining identification information of respective one of the base stations on the basis of the present position information outputted by the present position detecting device. The communication apparatus is further provided with a specifying device for specifying said one base station on the basis of the identification information obtained by the identification information obtaining device.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus for communicating with one base station among a plurality of base stations, comprising:

a present position detecting device for detecting a present position of said communication apparatus and outputting present position information indicative of the detected present position;

an identification information obtaining device for obtaining identification information of respective one of the base stations on the basis of the present position information outputted by said present position detecting device; and

a specifying device for specifying said one base station on the basis of the identification information obtained by said identification information obtaining device.

2. A communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said identification information obtaining device comprises a memory device for storing a plurality of position information of the base stations and the identification information in correlation with each other, to thereby obtain the identification information corresponding to the present position information from the identification information stored in said memory device.

3. A communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said memory device further stores category information to categorize the plurality of position information of the base stations respectively into a plurality of groups, and

said identification information obtaining device obtains the category information of said one base station on the basis of the present position information, and obtains the identification information on the basis of the obtained category information.

4. A communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said identification information obtaining device obtains one or a plurality of identification information corresponding to one or a plurality of base stations close to the present position on the basis of the present position information, and

said specifying device specifies said one base station by selecting one identification information from among one or a plurality of identification information corresponding to one or a plurality of base stations close to the present position.

5. A communication method of communicating with one base station among a plurality of base stations, comprising:

a present position detecting process of detecting a present position of said communication apparatus and outputting present position information indicative of the detected present position;

an identification information obtaining process of obtaining identification information of respective one of the base stations on the basis of the present position information outputted by said present position detecting process; and

a specifying process of specifying said one base station on the basis of the identification information obtained by said identification information obtaining process.

6. A communication method according to claim 5, wherein said identification information obtaining process comprises a storing process of storing a plurality of position information of the base stations and the identification information in correlation with each other into a memory device, to thereby obtain the identification information corresponding to the present position information from the identification information stored in said memory device.

7. A communication method according to claim 6, wherein

said storing process further stores into said memory device category information to categorize the plurality of position information of the base stations respectively into a plurality of groups, and

said identification information obtaining process obtains the category information of said one base station on the basis of the present position information, and obtains the identification information on the basis of the obtained category information.

8. A communication method according to claim 5, wherein

said identification information obtaining process obtains one or a plurality of identification information corresponding to one or a plurality of base stations close to the present position on the basis of the present position information, and

said specifying process specifies said one base station by selecting one identification information from among one or a plurality of identification information corresponding to one or a plurality of base stations close to the present position.