Wireless communication system, wireless communication apparatus, wireless communication method, and computer program

• US 7,489,651 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2005
• Issued: 02/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Mitsuhiro, Sugaya, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US11/134,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20050276243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,359 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/310.2, 370/328, 370/329, 370/332, 370/321, 370/341, 370/338, 370/348, 370/395.54, 370/395.42, 370/394, 370/487, 370/322, 709/241, 709/238, 455/403, 455/452.1, 455/452.2, 455/41.2, 455/450
• US Class Current: 370/322
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/566 of the information or information source or recipient

Abstract

In the case where there is a conflict over a band between communication stations that have reserved the band, the communication stations mediate and avoid the conflict of reservation use with low-load processing. In a wireless communication system, band reservation use is permitted, and a plurality of reservation types are provided according to priority of communication. A communication station that performs reservation use describes a reservation type and a rock-paper-scissors value in a beacon. When there occurs a conflict of reservation use at some area, reservation use having higher priority remains, and a communication station that has performed reservation use having a lower priority moves it to another area. In the case where there is a conflict between reservations having the same priority, the communication apparatuses that have performed reservation use perform control by rock-paper-scissors between themselves, and move the reservation of the apparatus that has lost by the judgment.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system in which communication apparatuses perform band reservation to reserve a communication band for use, a plurality of reservation types each defining a different priority for a band reservation, and to handle a conflict of band reservation use between two or more communication apparatuses, the wireless communication system comprising:

means for comparing reservation type defining priority of each of the communication apparatuses having a conflicting band reservation;

means for continuing band reservation use of a first communication apparatus having a reservation type of a higher priority than a second communication apparatus having a reservation type of a lower priority; and

means for moving band reservation use of the second communication apparatus having the reservation type of the lower priority to another area.

2. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein communication apparatuses notify each other of their respective band reservation and reservation type through a beacon time slot.

3. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein a communication apparatus that moves band reservation use tries to move the band reservation use to a vacant band or a band where priority of the communication apparatus defined by reservation type is superior to priority of a different communication apparatus that has performed band reservation on the band.

4. A wireless communication system in which communication apparatuses perform band reservation to reserve a communication band for use, the wireless communication system comprising:

means for notifying between communication apparatuses a beacon signal that includes information about a band reservation of each communication apparatus and superiority-or-inferiority determination information that is used for superiority-or-inferiority determination when there is a conflict of band reservation;

means for comparing superiority-or-inferiority determination information between communication apparatuses when a conflict of band reservation arises between two or more communication apparatuses;

means for continuing band reservation use of a communication apparatus having the conflict of band reservation that has a higher priority based on the superiority-or-inferiority determination information; and

means for moving band reservation use of a communication apparatus having the conflict of band reservation that has a lower priority based on the superiority-or-inferiority determination information, to another area.

5. The wireless communication system according to claim 4, wherein each communication apparatus creates a rock-paper-scissors value as the superiority-or-inferiority determination information, describes it in a beacon signal, compares the rock-paper-scissors value with that of a competing communication apparatus when there is a conflict of band reservation, determines a priority based on an outcome of comparing rock-paper-scissors values, and determines whether or not to move its band reservation use.

6. The wireless communication system according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of reservation types that have different priorities are used to define a reservation type for a band reservation, the wireless communication system further comprising:

means for describing in a beacon by each communication apparatus, information about a band reservation of each communication apparatus and a reservation type thereof;

means for determining which communication apparatus should move its reservation use based on comparing priority of band reservation between communication apparatuses when there occurs a conflict of band reservation between two or more communication apparatuses; and

means for determining which communication apparatus should move its band reservation based on further comparing superiority-or-inferiority determination information when priorities of band reservations are the same.

7. A wireless communication apparatus for performing data transmission by band reservation under a wireless communication environment in which a plurality of reservation types that have different priorities are defined, the wireless communication apparatus comprising:

a communication device configured to transmit and receive wireless data on a channel;

a communication controller configured to control data transmission and reception at the communication device;

a beacon creating device configured to create a beacon signal that includes information about a band reservation of the wireless communication apparatus and a reservation type defining priority thereof;

a beacon analyzer configured to analyze a beacon signal received from an adjacent communication apparatus; and

a usable-band setting device configured to set a usable band based on the band reservation of the wireless communication apparatus and a result of analyzing the beacon signal received from the adjacent communication apparatus.

8. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the usable-band setting device compares priorities of the wireless communication apparatus and another communication apparatus that competes with the wireless communication apparatus for reservation use at a band, the wireless communication apparatus continues its reservation use if the priority of the wireless communication apparatus is superior, and the wireless communication apparatus moves its reservation use to another band if the priority of the wireless communication apparatus is inferior.

9. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the usable-band setting device tries to move the reservation use to a vacancy band or a band where the priority of the wireless communication apparatus is superior to that of a different communication apparatus that has performed reservation use on the band.

10. A wireless communication apparatus for performing data transmission by band reservation reserving a communication band for use, the wireless communication apparatus comprising:

a communication device configured to transmit and receive wireless data on a channel;

a communication controller configured to control data transmission and reception at the communication device;

a superiority-or-inferiority determination information creating device configured to create superiority-or-inferiority determination information used for superiority-or-inferiority determination when there is a conflict of reservation use;

a beacon creating device configured to create a beacon signal that includes information about a reservation use band of the wireless communication apparatus and superiority-or-inferiority determination information;

a beacon analyzer configured to analyze a beacon signal received from an adjacent communication apparatus; and

a usable-band setting device configured to set a usable band based on the reservation use band of the wireless communication apparatus, the superiority-or-inferiority determination information, and a result of analyzing the beacon signal from the adjacent communication apparatus.

11. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the usable-band setting device compares superiority-or-inferiority determination information of the wireless communication apparatus and that of another communication apparatus that competes with the wireless communication apparatus for reservation use at a band, the wireless communication apparatus continues its reservation use if the priority of the wireless communication apparatus is superior, and the wireless communication apparatus moves its reservation use to another band if the priority of the wireless communication apparatus is inferior.

12. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the superiority-or-inferiority determination information creating device creates a rock-paper-scissors value as the superiority-or-inferiority determination information and describes it in a beacon, and

the usable-band setting device compares the rock-paper-scissors value with that of a competing apparatus, determines a priority based on an outcome of comparing rock-paper-scissors values, and determines whether or not to move its reservation use.

13. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the wireless communication apparatus operates under a wireless communication environment in which a plurality of reservation types that have different priorities are defined,

the beacon creating device describes information about a reservation use band of the wireless communication apparatus and a reservation type thereof, in a beacon,

the usable-band setting device determines which communication apparatus should move its reservation use based on comparing reservation use priorities between competing communication apparatuses if there occurs a conflict of band reservation use, and determines which communication apparatus should move its reservation use based on further comparing superiority-or-inferiority determination information if the reservation use priorities are the same.

14. A wireless communication method for performing data transmission by band reservation, reserving a communication band for use, under a wireless communication environment in which a plurality of reservation types that have different priorities are defined, the wireless communication method comprising:

a beacon notification step of creating and notifying a beacon signal that includes information about a band reservation of a wireless communication apparatus and a reservation type thereof;

a beacon analysis step of analyzing a beacon signal received from an adjacent communication apparatus; and

a usable-band setting step of setting a usable band based on the band reservation of the wireless communication apparatus and a result of analyzing the beacon signal from the adjacent communication apparatus.

15. A wireless communication method for performing data transmission by band reservation reserving a communication band for use, the wireless communication method comprising:

a superiority-or-inferiority determination information creating step of creating superiority-or-inferiority determination information used for superiority-or-inferiority determination when there is a conflict of band reservation;

a beacon notification step of creating and notifying a beacon signal that includes information about a band reservation of a wireless communication apparatus and superiority-or-inferiority determination information;

a beacon analysis step of analyzing a beacon signal received from an adjacent communication apparatus; and

a usable-band setting step of setting a usable band based on the band reservation of the wireless communication apparatus, the superiority-or-inferiority determination information, and a result of analyzing the beacon signal from the adjacent communication apparatus.

16. A information storage unit configured to store therein a computer program, the computer program, when executed by a computer processor, causing the computer processor to perform a data transmission method for performing data transmission by band reservation reserving a communication band for use under a wireless communication environment in which a plurality of reservation types that have different priorities are defined, the data transmission method comprising:

a beacon notification step of creating and notifying a beacon signal that includes information about a band reservation of a wireless communication apparatus and a reservation type thereof;

a beacon analysis step of analyzing a beacon signal received from an adjacent communication apparatus; and

a usable-band setting step of setting a usable band based on the band reservation of the wireless communication apparatus and a result of analyzing the beacon signal from the adjacent communication apparatus.

17. An information storage unit configured to store therein a computer program, the computer program, when executed by a computer processor, causing the computer processor to perform a wireless communication method including data transmission by band reservation reserving a communication band for use, the wireless communication method comprising:

a superiority-or-inferiority determination information creating step of creating superiority-or-inferiority determination information used for superiority-or-inferiority determination if there is a conflict of reservation use;

a beacon notification step of creating and notifying a beacon signal that includes information about a band reservation of a wireless communication apparatus and superiority-or-inferiority determination information;

a beacon analysis step of analyzing a beacon signal received from an adjacent communication apparatus; and

a usable-band setting step of setting a usable band based on the band reservation of the wireless communication apparatus, the superiority-or-inferiority determination information, and a result of analyzing the beacon signal from the adjacent communication apparatus.