Radio communication device

• US 7,164,887 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2002
• Issued: 01/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 (IP Bridge, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Aoki, Takayasu, Tamura, Toshiya, Tanada, Tosaku, Nagahama, Kentaro, Matsuya, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Application Number:
  US10/327,477
• Publication Number:
  US 20030124979A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,484 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/435.1, 455/440, 455/453, 455/456.1, 455/456.6, 455/456.7, 455/500, 455/574, 4553431-3435
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The positional relationship between a master terminal and a slave terminal and the positional relationship of the slave terminal with the master terminal and with other slave terminals are measured, and a slave terminal subject to switching to master terminal is selected using the positional relationship. A network is then reconstructed with the slave terminal subject to switching selected in this manner as the new master terminal, and as a result the terminals forming the network prior to switching are prevented from falling outside of the communication range of the new master terminal and short range radio communication is maintained with the same terminals as those prior to switching.

Claims

1. A radio communication device which is capable of selectively operating as master terminal and slave terminal, wherein the master terminal forms a network with the slave terminal using a short range radio communication function, comprising:

a position measuring unit which measures first positional relationship with other radio communication device;

if operating as master terminal, a switch timing judgment unit which judges timing to take over master terminal to a radio communications device operating as slave terminal based upon the first positional relationship;

if operating as master terminal, a position information requesting unit which requests each radio communication device operating as slave terminal to provide second positional relationship between the requested radio communication device operating as slave terminal and other radio communication device, and receives the second positional relationship from the radio communication device operating as slave terminal;

if operating as master terminal, a candidate radio communication device determining unit which selects a radio communication device to be operating as master terminal based upon the second positional relationship from the radio communication device operating as slave terminal; and

if operating as master terminal, an operating mode switch requesting unit which requests the selected radio communication device to operate as master terminal.

6. The radio communication device according to claim 1, wherein the switch timing judgment unit judges that it is time to switch communication mode it the radio communication device operating as slave terminal belongs to the network has not been detected.

7. The radio communication device according to claim 1, wherein the second positional relationship received by the position information requesting unit includes the number of radio communication devices included in the communication range of the radio communication device operating as slave terminal, and wherein the candidate radio communication device determining unit determines the radio communication device, which has detected the largest number of radio communication devices, to be operating as master terminal.

9. The radio communication device according to claim 1, wherein the second positional relationship received by the position information requesting unit indicates distance information between the radio communication device having been informed of the second positional relationship and other radio communication devices, and wherein the candidate radio communication device determining unit determines the radio communication device to be operating as master terminal based upon the distance information.

11. The radio communication device according to claim 1, the operating mode switch requesting unit further transmits ID information of the radio communication devices belong to the network formed by own radio communication device after receiving the consent information from the selected radio communication device and disconnects the network after transmitting the ID information.

2. A radio communication device which is capable of selectively operation as master terminal and slave terminal, wherein the master terminal forms a network with the slave terminal using a short range radio communication function, comprising,

a position measuring unit which measures first positional relationship with other radio communication device;

if operating as master terminal, a switch timing judgment unit which judges timing to take over master terminal to a radio communication device operating as slave terminal based upon the first positional relationship;

if operating as master terminal, a position information requesting unit which requests each radio communication device operating as slave terminal to provide second positional relationship between the requested radio communication device operating as slave terminal and other radio communication device, and receives the second positional relationship from the radio communication device operating as slave terminal;

if operating as master terminal, a remaining battery measuring unit which requests a battery information to each radio communication device operating as slave terminal;

if operating as master terminal, a candidate radio communication device determining unit which selects a radio communication device to be operating as a master terminal based upon the second positional relationship and the battery information; and

if operating as a master terminal, an operating mode switch requesting unit which requests the selected radio communication device to operate as master terminal.

8. The radio communication device according to claim 2, wherein the candidate radio communication device determining unit determines the radio communication device which has informed of the battery information containing a greatest battery power.

10. The radio communication device according to claim 2, wherein the second position relationship received by the position information requesting unit includes the number of radio communication devices included in the communication range of the radio communication device operating as slave terminal and distance information between the radio communication device having been informed of the second positional relationship and other radio communication devices, and

wherein the candidate radio communication device determining unit determines the radio communication device to be operating as master terminal based upon the number of radio communication devices and the distance information.

3. A radio communication device which is capable of selectively operating as master terminal and slave terminal, wherein the master terminal forms a network with the slave terminal using a short range radio communication function, comprising:

a position measuring unit which measures first positional relationship with other radio communication device;

if operating as master terminal, a switch timing judgment unit which judges timing to rake over master terminal to a radio communication device operating as slave terminal based upon the measured positional relationship;

if operating as master terminal, a position information requesting unit which requests each radio communication device operating as slave terminal to provide second positional relationship between the requested radio communication device operating as slave terminal and other radio communication device, and receives the second position information from the radio communication device operating as slave terminal;

if operating as master terminal, a candidate radio communication device determining unit which selects a radio communication device to be operating as master terminal based upon the second position information from the radio communication device operating as slave terminal;

if operating as master terminal, an operating mode switch requesting unit which requests the selected radio communication device to operate as master terminal;

if operating as slave terminal, a position information transmitting unit, which transmits the second positional relationship to the radio communication device operating as master terminal responding to the request which request the position information, and if operating as slave terminal, a communication mode switching unit which switches a operation mode from a mode operating as slave terminal to a mode operating as master.

4. The radio communication device according to claim 3, wherein the first positional relationship indicates distance information between own radio communication device and other radio communication devices.

5. The radio communication device according to claim 3, further comprising:

if operating as slave terminal, remaining battery measuring unit which measures a battery information of a battery attached to own radio communication device; and

if operating as slave terminal, a battery information transmitting unit which transmits the battery information measured by the remaining battery measuring unit.

12. The radio communication device according to claim 3, wherein the communication mode switching unit switches the operation mode to the mode operating as master terminal after the radio communication device operating as master terminal has been disconnected.

13. A radio communication device which is capable of selectively operating as master terminal and slave terminal, wherein the master terminal forms a network with the slave terminal using a short range radio communication function, comprising:

if operating as master terminal, a substitute terminal determining unit which selects, at any timing, a destination radio communication device operating as slave terminal to which substitute designation information designating to operate as substitute master terminal is to be transmitted;

if operating as master terminal, a substitute designation information transmitting unit which transmits the substitute designation information to the destination radio communication device; and

if operating as master terminal, a configuration information transmitting unit which transmits network configuration information regarding a current network to the destination radio communication device;

if operating as slave terminal, a reception unit which receives the substitute designation information and the network configuration information from the radio communication device operating as master terminal;

if operating as slave terminal, a disconnection detecting unit which detects disconnection of the radio communication device operating as master terminal from the network flowing the reception of the substitute designation information and the network configuration information; and

if operating as slave terminal, a communication mode switching unit which switches settings from a function setting for operating as slave terminal to a function setting for operating as master terminal when the disconnection of the radio communication device operating as master terminal from the network is detected by the disconnection detecting unit, whereby a communication mode is switched to operating its master terminal.

14. The radio communication device according to claim 13, further comprising, if operating as master terminal, a disconnection detecting unit which detects whether or not the destination radio communication device to which the substitute designation information is transmitted is disconnected,

wherein the substitute designation information transmitting unit selects, if the disconnection of the destination radio communication device is detected, a radio communication device operating as slave terminal other than the disconnected destination radio communication device and transmit the substitute designation information to the selected radio communication device.

15. The radio communication device according to claim 13, further comprising:

a remaining battery power measuring unit which measures remaining battery power of the radio communication device; and

a battery information processing unit which, if the radio communication device operates as master terminal, requests a radio communication device operating as slave terminal that constitutes the network to notify battery information indicating remaining battery power of the radio communication device operating as slave terminal and receives the battery information thus notified, and which, if the radio communication device operates as slave terminal, transmits battery information indicating a remaining battery power of the slave terminal to the radio communication device operating as master terminal according to a notification request from the radio communication device operating as master terminal, wherein the substitute terminal determining unit selects the destination radio communication to which the substitute designation information is to be transmitted based on the battery information.

16. The radio communication device according to claim 13, further comprising:

a remaining memory capacity measuring unit which measures remaining memory capacity of the radio communication device;

a memory information processing unit which, if the radio communication device operates as master terminal, requests a radio communication device operating as slave terminal that constitutes the network to notify memory information indicating remaining memory capacity of the radio communication device operating as slave terminal and receives the memory information thus notified, and which, if the radio communication device operates as slave terminal, transmits memory information indicating a remaining memory capacity of the slave terminal to the radio communication device operating as master terminal according to a notification request from the radio communication device operating as master terminal,

wherein the substitute terminal determining unit selects the destination radio communication to which the substitute designation information is to be transmitted based on the memory information.