Communication apparatus and control method therefor

• US 7,020,467 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2000
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 2BCom LLC (Markman Advisors LLC)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Tada, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): BEAMER, TEMICA M
• Application Number:
  US09/748,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20010019956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,917 Days
• Field of Search: 455/434, 455/450, 455/574, 455/422.1
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0232 according to average transmission signal activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0277 according to available power supply, e.g. switching off when a low battery condition is detected
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A data traffic is monitored, and the current traffic state is checked. If the traffic exceeds a threshold a, the time interval of Inquiry Scan is set to a maximum value X1 to prevent communication performance from deteriorating due to Inquiry Scan. Likewise, if the traffic falls in the range of the threshold a to a threshold b, the time interval of Inquiry Scan is set to an intermediate value X2. If the traffic amount is equal to or less than the threshold b, the time interval of Inquiry Scan is set to a minimum value X3.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus in which a communication channel and a control channel are exclusively assigned to a radio communication resource to be used, said apparatus comprising:

means for executing data transmission/reception using the communication channel;

means for periodically executing an inquiry scan;

user interface means for setting preferentiality related to one of the data transmission/reception and the inquiry scan in accordance with a user operation; and

means for controlling an execution time interval of the inquiry scan on the basis of a setting result of said user interface means.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said user interface means sets one of a first mode of preferentially executing the data transmission/reception and a second mode of preferentially executing the inquiry scan, and

said controlling means controls the execution time interval of the inquiry scan in accordance with a mode set by said user interface means.

3. A communication apparatus capable of being driven by a battery and simultaneously connecting to a plurality of remote terminals, said apparatus comprising:

means for executing transmission processing of a terminal search message for searching for a remote terminal or terminal search wait processing for detecting a terminal search message for searching for a remote terminal and responding thereto;

means for detecting a residual capacity of the battery; and

means for dynamically controlling an execution timing or executing time interval of the transmission processing of the terminal search message or the terminal search wait processing on the basis of a detection result of said detection means.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

means for determining whether a current operating power supply is the battery or an external power supply; and

means for dynamically controlling the execution timing or execution time interval of the transmission processing of the terminal search message or the terminal search wait processing on the basis of a determination result of said determining means.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the time interval is prolonged with a decrease of the residual capacity of the battery when the current operating power supply is the battery, and the time interval is set to a default value when the current operating power supply is the external power supply.

6. A control method for a communication apparatus in which a communication channel and a control channel are exclusively assigned to a radio communication resource to be used, said method comprising the steps of:

executing data transmission/reception using the communication channel and periodically executing an inquiry scan;

setting preferentiality related to one of the data transmission/reception and the inquiry scan in accordance with a user operation; and

controlling an execution time interval of the inquiry scan on the basis of a setting result in said setting step.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

setting one of a first mode of preferentially executing the data transmission/reception and a second mode of preferentially executing the inquiry scan; and

controlling the execution time interval of the inquiry scan in accordance with a mode set in said setting step.

8. A control method for a communication apparatus capable of being driven by a battery and simultaneously connecting to a plurality of remote terminals, said method comprising the steps of:

detecting a residual capacity of the battery; and

dynamically controlling an execution timing or execution time interval of transmission processing of a terminal search message for searching for a remote terminal or terminal search wait processing for detecting a terminal search message for searching for a remote terminal and responding thereto on the basis of a detection result in said detecting step.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether a current operating power supply is the battery or an external power supply; and

dynamically controlling the execution timing or execution time interval of the transmission processing of the terminal search message or the terminal search wait processing on the basis of a determination result in said determining step.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the time interval is prolonged with a decrease of the residual capacity of the battery when the current operating power supply is the battery, and the time interval is set to a default value when the current operating power supply is the external power supply.