Communication system, information collecting system and method therefor

• US 7,382,742 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2003
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allied Telesis Holdings KK
• Original Assignee: Allied Telesis Holdings KK
• Inventors: Ohta, Takayuki, Nakayama, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US10/689,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20050009575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,687 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/310.1, 370/310.2, 370/328, 370/338, 370/329, 370/341, 370/346, 370/231, 370/235, 455/403, 455/404.1, 455/410, 455/411, 455/412.1, 455/415, 455/432.3, 455/560, 455/422.1, 455/445, 455/414.1, 455/456.1, 455/457, 455/567, 455/517
• US Class Current: 370/310
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Interconnect of communication between mobile objects by another mobile object is enabled. Station A transmits its own identifier to another mobile station on a broadcast basis. Out of other mobile stations, Station B receives the identifier of Station A, and returns a response including its own identifier. Station A notifies Station B of identifiers of nodes with which it can communicate. Station B notifies Station A of identifiers of nodes with which it can communicate. This sequence of processing enables information on nodes with which either station can communicate to be exchanged between Stations A and B, and a communication path to nodes to be found between Station B (station A) and another node via Station A (station B).

Claims

1. A communication device for communication by one communication device with other communication devices wherein each of the plurality of communication devices has:

communication device notifying means for notifying each of the communication devices, which are informed of an identifier, of communication devices with which a particular one of the plurality of communication devices can communicate, communication path-searching means for searching for a communication path to and from communication devices with which the particular communication device can communicate on the basis of the notified communication devices, and communicating means for carrying out, on the basis of the communication path acquired as a result of the search, communication with another communication device;

wherein one or more of the plurality of communication devices are vehicle-mountable wireless access points;

wherein each of the communication devices bears an intrinsic identifier, and each of the plurality of communication devices further has identifier informing means for informing each of the other communication devices of its own identifier, the communication device notifying means notify the identifier of the particular communication device and the identifiers of the communication devices with which it can communicate to each of the communication devices informed of the identifier, the communication path-searching means search, on the basis of the informed identifier, for a communication path between the particular communication device and the communication devices with which the particular communication device can communicate, the communicating means have receiver means for receiving from the other communication devices communication data including the identifiers of the communication devices which are their communication partners, communication data processing means for processing the received communication data if the identifier contained in the received communication data is the identifier of the particular communication device, and communication data interconnecting means for interconnecting, on the basis of the communication path, the received communication data to the communication device which is the communication partner or to a communication device intervening between the communication partner and the particular communication device if the identifier contained in the received communication data is not the identifier of the particular communication device.

2. The information collecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication path-searching means search for a communication path which, as the communication path, links the communication nodes with which a given node can communicate with the particular node via the communication nodes.

3. The information collecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information collecting apparatus and each of the communication nodes respectively bear intrinsic identifiers, the information collecting apparatus further has identifier informing means for informing each of the other communication nodes of its own identifier, and each of the communication nodes notifies communication nodes with which it can communicate to the information collecting apparatus or any of the communication nodes informed of the identifier, searches for a communication path, on the basis of the notified communication nodes, between the communication nodes with which it can communicate and itself, and carries out communication with the other communication devices on the basis of the communication path acquired as a result of the search.