Communication control method and transmission unit

• US 6,693,891 B1
• Filed: 02/19/1999
• Issued: 02/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sugaya, Shigeru, Sugita, Takehiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tsegaye, Saba
• Application Number:
  US09/252,807
• Time in Patent Office: 1,824 Days
• Field of Search: 370/503, 370/509, 370/510, 370/512, 370/513, 370/514, 370/478, 370/442, 370/350, 370/347, 370/348, 370/349, 370/345, 370/336, 370/337, 370/329, 370/341, 370/328
• US Class Current: 370/345
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0605 Special codes used as synchronising signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02

Abstract

A communication control method and a communication system, in which the transmission efficiency, in a network system is improved in the case where the communication in the network system is controlled by a control station. A management data transmission area is set in a frame period, and a plurality of slots are arranged in the management data transmission area. Data on the communication condition of each station are individually transmitted by each of a plurality of communication stations or the control station in each of the slots.

Claims

1. A communication control method for controlling an access of radio communications among a plurality of communication stations by a control station, comprising the steps of:

defining a frame period by a synchronizing signal transmitted from a predetermined station;

setting a management data transmission area in said frame period; and

arranging in said management data transmission area a plurality of time slots assigned to said plurality of communication stations, wherein

each of said plurality of time slots of said management data transmission area contains data on a communication condition of a respective one of said plurality of communication stations, and

each of said plurality of communication stations transmits on an assigned time slot of said plurality of time slots of said management data transmission area said data on said communication condition and receives data sent from an other communication station on an other time slot of said management data transmission area.

2. The communication control method according to claim 1, wherein said data on said communication condition are data on whether direct communication with one of each of said communication stations and said control station is possible.

3. The communication control method according to claim 2, wherein said data on said communication condition further includes data on a dormant communication station.

4. The communication control method according to claim 1, wherein one of said communication stations and said control station receives data transmitted in each of said plurality of time slots of said management data transmission area, and one of said plurality of communication stations and said control station generates data on a communication condition for transmission at a next transmission cycle based on said received data.

5. The communication control method according to claim 4, wherein said data on said communication condition of each of said communication stations are received and totalized by said control station to produce a topology map on communication conditions between respective ones of said communication stations, and said topology map thus produced is broadcasted to each of said plurality of communication stations.

6. The communication control method according to claim 1, wherein data on slot assignments for each of said plurality of communication stations are transmitted in said data transmitted by said control station in said management data transmission area, and each of said communication stations determines a slot position assigned to itself based on said data on said slot assignments.

7. A transmission unit including a plurality of communication stations for carrying out communications under a control of a predetermined control unit, comprising:

timing setting means for setting a frame period based on a predetermined synchronizing signal and for setting a management data transmission area having a plurality of time slots assigned to said plurality of communication stations in said frame period;

receiving means for receiving a signal transmitted from said plurality of communication stations in each respective time slot of said management data transmission area; and

transmission means for transmitting data on a receiving condition of each of said plurality of communication stations, wherein

each of said plurality of time slots of said management data transmission area contains data on a communication condition of a respective one of said plurality of communication stations, and

each of said plurality of communication stations transmits on an assigned time slot of said plurality of time slots of said management data transmission area said data on said communication condition and receives data sent from an other communication station on an other time slot of said management data transmission area.

8. The transmission unit according to claim 7, wherein said data on said communication condition are data on whether direct communication is possible with said plurality of communication stations.

9. The transmission unit according to claim 8, wherein said data on said communication condition further includes data on a dormant communication station.

10. The transmission unit according to claim 7, wherein said data on said communication condition are generated based on said receiving condition received by said receiving means in said management data transmission area of said frame period, and said data on said communication condition are transmitted by said transmission means in a subsequent frame period.

11. The transmission unit according to claim 10, further comprising control means for producing a topology map based on said communication condition between respective communication stations forming a network and on said data on said communication condition received by said receiving means in each respective slot of said management data transmission area,

wherein said topology map generated by said control means is transmitted in said management data transmission area to said plurality of communication stations by said transmission means.

12. The transmission unit according to claim 11, wherein said transmission means transmits data on a slot assignment of said communication stations forming said network.