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

• US 7,729,293 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2002
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Mitsuhiro, Sugaya, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh; Ayaz R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moutaouakil; Mounir
• Application Number:
  US10/332,304
• Publication Number:
  US 20030169697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,953 Days
• Field of Search: 370/321, 370/315, 370/337, 370/345, 370/347, 370/438, 370/442, 370/336, 370/329
• US Class Current: 370/255
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A communication terminal under the control of a wireless base station recursively has wireless base station capabilities in a parent network, constructs a daughter network within a scope of resources of the apparatus assigned by the wireless base station, and assigns the resources to an other communication terminal under the control of the communication terminal having base station capabilities. This constitution allows to configure two or more networks guaranteed not to interfere each other, thereby allowing the coexistence of a plurality of personal area networks on the same frequency channel. At the same time, the constitution allows expanding a network area without increasing the scale of equipment.

Claims

1. A wireless communication apparatus adapted to communicate with a first control station that manages resources of a first network and to manage resources of a second network, the apparatus comprising:

first address information comparing means for comparing address information uniquely identifying the first control station with address information uniquely identifying the wireless communication apparatus;

communication control means for performing communication control in accordance with resource assignment information transmitted by the first control station in response to the first address information comparing means determining that an address uniquely identifying the wireless communication apparatus is newer than an address uniquely identifying the first control station thereby determining that the wireless communication apparatus is a newer model than the first control station; and

second address information comparing means for comparing address information uniquely identifying a communication station of the second network with the address information uniquely identifying the wireless communication apparatus;

resource assignment means for performing resource assignment in response to a transmission request received from the communication station of a second network and in response to the second address information comparing means determining that the address uniquely identifying the wireless communication apparatus is not newer than an address uniquely identifying the communication station thereby determining that the wireless communication apparatus is not a newer model than the communication station.

2. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said resource assignment means performs the resource assignment to the communication station of the second network within a scope of resources assigned in accordance with the resource assignment information.

3. In a first communication terminal apparatus, a wireless communication control method comprising:

comparing address information uniquely identifying a wireless base station apparatus of a first network with address information uniquely identifying the first communication terminal apparatus;

in response to determining that an address uniquely identifying the first communication terminal apparatus is newer than an address uniquely identifying the wireless base station apparatus thereby determining that the first communication terminal apparatus is a newer model than the wireless base station apparatus,

receiving, in a downstream signal, resource assignment information from the wireless base station apparatus of the first network, and

performing communication control in said first communication terminal apparatus in accordance with said resource assignment information;

comparing address information uniquely identifying a second communication terminal apparatus of a second network with the address information uniquely identifying the first communication terminal apparatus; and

in response to determining that an address uniquely identifying the first communication terminal apparatus is not newer than an address uniquely identifying the second communication terminal apparatus thereby determining that the first communication terminal apparatus is not a newer model than the second communication terminal apparatus,

performing resource assignment to said second communication terminal apparatus within a scope of resources assigned in accordance with the resource assignment information to said first communication terminal apparatus and in response to a transmission request from said second communication terminal apparatus.

4. The wireless communication control method according to claim 3, wherein in response to a further transmission request from another communication terminal apparatus under the control of said second communication terminal apparatus, said second communication terminal apparatus performs further resource assignment to said another communication terminal apparatus within a scope of resources assigned to said second communication terminal apparatus by said first communication terminal apparatus.

5. A wireless communication control method for performing resource assignment based on time division multiplexing, the method comprising:

comparing address information uniquely identifying a base station of a first network with address information uniquely identifying a first station;

in response to determining that an address uniquely identifying the first station is newer than an address uniquely identifying the base station of the first network thereby determining that the first station is a newer model than the base station of the first network,

assigning, by the base station of the first network, a first resource period within a transmission frame to the first station;

comparing address information uniquely identifying a second station of a second network with the address information uniquely identifying the first station; and

in response to determining that the address uniquely identifying the first station is not newer than an address uniquely identifying the second station of the second network thereby determining that the first station is not a newer model than the second station of the second network,

assigning, by the first station to the second station of the second network, a second resource period within the first resource period in response to a transmission request transmitted by the second station, the transmission request being transmitted in a random access channel signal.

6. A wireless communication system based on time division multiplexing, the system comprising:

a first station;

a base station of a first network;

the first station comparing address information uniquely identifying the base station of the first network with address information uniquely identifying the first station;

the base station of the first network assigning a resource period to the first station in response to the first station determining that an address uniquely identifying the first station is newer than an address uniquely identifying the base station of the first network thereby determining that the first station is a newer model than the base station of the first network; and

a second station of a second network;

the first station comparing address information uniquely identifying the second station of the second network with the address information uniquely identifying the first station;

the first station assigning to the second station at least a portion of the resource period assigned to said first station in response to a transmission request transmitted by the second station and in response to the first station determining that the address uniquely identifying the first station is not newer than an address uniquely identifying the second station of the second network thereby determining that the first station is not a newer model than the second station of the second network.

7. A wireless communication control apparatus for performing, in a network environment in which a plurality of wireless networks perform guaranteed time slot transmission among coexisting wireless communication apparatuses in every predetermined transmission frame period, time slot assignment within a given transmission frame period in said plurality of wireless networks, the apparatus comprising:

an address information comparing unit operable to compare address information uniquely identifying a control station of a given one of the plurality of wireless networks with address information uniquely identifying the wireless communication control apparatus; and

a transmitter operable to, in response to the address information comparing unit determining that an address uniquely identifying the wireless communication control apparatus is newer than an address uniquely identifying that control station thereby determining that the wireless communication control apparatus is a newer model than that control station, transmit a request for constructing a new wireless network to the control station of the given one of said plurality of wireless networks, receive time slot assignment information from the control station of the given one of said plurality of wireless networks, and perform time slot assignment in its own wireless network based on the time slot assignment information.

8. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said construction request is a request for participating in any of said plurality of wireless networks.

9. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said construction request is a time slot request for requesting assignment of a use time slot to any of said plurality of wireless networks.

10. A wireless communication control method for performing, in a network environment in which a plurality of wireless networks perform guaranteed time slot transmission among coexisting wireless communication apparatuses in every predetermined transmission frame period, time slot assignment within a given transmission frame period in said plurality of wireless networks, the method comprising:

comparing, at the wireless communication control apparatus, address information uniquely identifying a control station of a given one of the plurality of wireless networks with address information uniquely identifying the wireless communication control apparatus; and

in response to the wireless communication control apparatus determining that an address uniquely identifying the wireless communication apparatus is newer than an address uniquely identifying that control station thereby determining that the wireless communication apparatus is a newer model than that control station,

transmitting, from the wireless communication control apparatus, a request for constructing a new wireless network to the control station of the given one of said plurality of wireless networks,

receiving time slot assignment information from the control station of the given one of said plurality of wireless networks, and

performing time slot assignment in its own wireless network based on the time slot assignment information.

11. The wireless communication control method according to claim 10, wherein said construction request is a request for participating in any of said plurality of wireless networks.

12. The wireless communication control method according to claim 10, wherein said construction request is a time slot request for requesting assignment of a use time slot to any of said plurality of wireless networks.

13. A wireless communication control apparatus for performing, in a network environment in which a plurality of wireless networks perform guaranteed time slot transmission among coexisting wireless communication apparatuses in every predetermined transmission frame, time slot assignment within a given transmission frame period in said plurality of wireless networks, said apparatus comprising:

an address information comparing unit operable to compare address information uniquely identifying a wireless communication control apparatus with address information uniquely identifying another wireless communication apparatus; and

a time slot setting unit operable to set, in response to the address information comparing unit determining that an address uniquely identifying the wireless communication apparatus is not newer than an address uniquely identifying that control station thereby determining that the wireless communication apparatus is not a newer model than that control station and in response to reception of a request from the another wireless communication apparatus for constructing a new wireless network, a transmission time slot for said new wireless network.

14. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said construction request is a request for participating in any of said plurality of wireless networks.

15. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said construction request is a time slot request for requesting assignment of a use time slot to any of said plurality of wireless networks.

16. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 13, wherein information that said transmission time slot has been set is included in time slot assignment information in a corresponding wireless network, and said time slot assignment information is transmitted to said new wireless network.

17. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 13, wherein a transmission frame for notifying said new wireless network of information that said transmission time slot has been set is transmitted to a control station of said new wireless network.

18. A wireless communication control method for performing, in a network environment in which a plurality of wireless networks perform guaranteed time slot transmission among coexisting wireless communication apparatuses in every predetermined transmission frame period, time slot assignment within a transmission frame period in said plurality of wireless networks, the method comprising:

comparing address information uniquely identifying a wireless communication control apparatus of a given one of the plurality of wireless networks with address information uniquely identifying another wireless communication apparatus; and

in response to the wireless communication control apparatus determining that an address uniquely identifying the wireless communication control apparatus is not newer than an address uniquely identifying the another wireless communication apparatus thereby determining that the wireless communication control apparatus is a newer model than the another wireless communication apparatus,

setting, in response to reception of a request from the another wireless communication apparatus for constructing a new wireless network, a transmission time slot for said new wireless network.

19. The wireless communication control method according to claim 18, wherein said construction request is a request for participating in any of said plurality of wireless networks.

20. The wireless communication control method according to claim 18, wherein said construction request is a time slot request for requesting assignment of a use time slot to any of said plurality of wireless networks.

21. The wireless communication control method according to claim 18, wherein information that said transmission time slot has been set is included in time slot assignment information in a corresponding wireless network, and said time slot assignment information is transmitted to said new wireless network.

22. The wireless communication control method according to claim 18, wherein a transmission frame for notifying said new wireless network of information that said transmission time slot has been set is transmitted to a control station of said new wireless network.

23. A computer-readable medium storing a computer program for executing a method of performing, in a network environment in which a plurality of wireless networks perform guaranteed time slot transmission among coexisting wireless communication apparatuses in every predetermined transmission frame period, time slot assignment within a given transmission frame period in one of said plurality of wireless networks, comparing, at the wireless communication control apparatus, address information uniquely identifying a control station of a given one of the plurality of wireless networks with address information uniquely identifying the wireless communication control apparatus;

and

in response to the wireless communication control apparatus determining that an address uniquely identifying the wireless communication apparatus is newer than an address uniquely identifying that control station thereby determining that the wireless communication apparatus is a newer model than that control station,

transmitting a request for constructing a new wireless network to the control station of the given one of said plurality of existing wireless networks,

receiving time slot assignment information from the control station of the given one of said plurality of wireless networks, and

performing time slot assignment in its own wireless network based on said time slot assignment information.