Station discovery processing method and wireless communication device

• US 7,406,093 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2004
• Issued: 07/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Takayama, Hisashi, Furuyama, Junko
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tu
• Application Number:
  US10/768,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20040170134A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,639 Days
• Field of Search: 455/69, 455/522, 455/13.3, 455/14, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/115.3, 455/135, 455/127.2, 455/421, 455/423, 455/422.1, 455/67.13, 455/67.3, 398/135, 398/162, 370/318, 370/445
• US Class Current: 455/522
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/283 Power depending on the position of the mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

To perform rapid and sure connection processing in a wireless communication system that performs communication in compliance with a wireless communication method having a congestion control function. A starting station transmits a discovery request frame and determines whether or not data is received from other communication devices in response to transmitted data. As a result of receiving data and checking FCS (Field Check Sequence), if it is detected that a received frame has been destroyed, or if no data is received from the other communication devices, a transmission distance control part decides a new transmission distance and sends a command to control transmission power to a power control part of a transmitting part, and the power control part transmits the discovery request frame again on the basis of the newly decided transmission distance to repeat discovery processing. This prevents a collision of responses from plural communication devices and ensures discoveries of other communication devices.

Claims

1. A station discovery processing method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a discovery request frame for one station discovery processing;

determining whether data is received, in response to the discovery request frame;

when data is received in response to the discovery request frame, determining whether a transmission error of the received data is generated or not; and

when there is a transmission error in the received data, determining a new shorter transmission distance and controlling transmission power of a transmitting part to a power level corresponding to the new transmission distance.

2. The station discovery processing method according to claim 1, wherein, in the step of determining the new transmission distance and controlling the transmission power of the transmitting part, a new transmission distance is determined distance is increased.

3. The station discovery processing method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether data received in response to the discovery request frame is a discovery request frame from another communication device; and

if the received data is the discovery request frame from the other communication device, immediately transmitting a discovery response frame to the other communication device.

4. The station discovery processing method according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether data received in response to the discovery request frame is the discovery request frame from another communication device; and

if the received data is the discovery request frame from the other communication device, immediately transmitting a discovery response frame to the other communication device.

5. A station discovery processing method, comprising the steps of:

determining whether data is received for a particular waiting time specified from among a plurality of waiting times from minimum waiting to maximum waiting time freely chosen;

when no data is received for the specified waiting time, transmitting a discovery request frame for one station discovery processing;

determining whether data is received in response to the transmission of the discovery request frame;

when data is received in response to the transmission of the discovery request frame, determining whether the received data is a discovery response frame; and

updating the waiting time longer when the received data is not a discovery response frame, or no data is received in response to the transmission of the discovery request frame.

6. The station discovery processing method according to claim 5, wherein in the step of updating waiting time, if a response is obtained in response to the discovery request frame, waiting time is initialized.

7. The station discovery processing method according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

if data is received within the waiting time, or the received data is not a discovery response frame, determining whether the received data is a discovery request frame from another communication device; and

if the received data is the discovery request frame from the other communication device, immediately transmitting a discovery response frame to the other communication device.

8. The station discovery processing method according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

if the data is received within the waiting time, or the received data is not a discovery response frame, determining whether the received data is the discovery request frame from another communication device; and

if the received data is the discovery request frame from the other communication device, immediately transmitting a discovery response frame to the other communication device.

9. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a transmitting part that transmits data to other communication devices;

a receiving part that receives data from other communication devices;

a communication frame control part that generates the data to be transmitted from the transmitting part and detects data reception from the receiving part;

a frame determining part that determines a frame type and validity of the data received from the receiving part;

a transmission distance control part that decides a data transmission distance on the basis of notice from the communication frame control part and the frame determining part; and

a power control part that controls transmission power of the data transmitted from the transmitting part so that the data is transmitted to other communication devices existing in a position of the transmission distance decided by the transmission distance control part;

wherein when there is a transmission error in the data received from the receiving part in response to a discovery request frame transmitted from the transmitting part, the transmission distance control part decides a new shorter transmission distance, the power control part controls the transmission power of the data to be transmitted, and the transmitting part transmits the discovery request frame again.

10. The wireless communication device according to claim 9,

wherein the transmission distance control part decides the new transmission distance so that if no data is received from the receiving part, the transmission distance is increased.

11. The wireless communication device according to claim 9,

wherein the frame determining part determines the frame type of the data received from the receiving part, and if the frame type of the received data is a discovery request frame from another communication device, the communication frame control part generates a discovery response frame and the transmitting part immediately transmits the discovery response frame to the other communication device.

12. The wireless communication device according to claim 10,

wherein the frame determining part determines the frame type of the data received from the receiving part, and if the frame type of the received data is the discovery request frame from another communication device, the communication frame control part generates the discovery response frame and the transmitting part immediately transmits the discovery response frame to the another communication device.

13. A wireless communication device of the present invention, comprising:

a transmitting part that transmits data to other communication devices;

a receiving part that receives data from other communication devices;

a communication frame control part that generates the data to be transmitted from the transmitting part, transmits the generated data to the transmitting part after waiting for a particular waiting time specified from among a plurality of waiting times from minimum waiting to maximum waiting time freely chosen, and detects data reception from the receiving part; and

a waiting time control part that decides waiting time before a discovery request frame is transmitted, on the basis of notice from the communication frame control part,

wherein when no data is received from the receiving part in response to a discovery request frame transmitted from the transmitting part, the waiting time control part decides new longer waiting time and the transmitting part transmits the discovery request frame again after waiting for the new waiting time.

14. The wireless communication device according to claim 13,

wherein the waiting time control part decides the new waiting time so that if a response is obtained from the receiving part in response to the discovery request frame, the waiting time is initialized.

15. The wireless communication device according to claim 13,

wherein the communication frame control part determines a frame type of the data received from the receiving part, and if the frame type of the received data is a discovery request frame from another communication device, generates a discovery response frame, and the transmitting part immediately transmits the discovery response frame to the other communication device.

16. The wireless communication device according to claim 14,

wherein the communication frame control part determines the frame type of the data received from the receiving part, and if the frame type of the received data is a discovery request frame from another communication device, generates the discovery response frame, and the transmitting part immediately transmits the discovery response frame to the other communication device.