Radio communication system, radio communication apparatus, and radio communication method

• US 7,957,290 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2010
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sugaya, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh; Ayaz R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong; Blanche
• Application Number:
  US12/651,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20100103916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7163 using impulse radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A radio communication system, a radio communication apparatus, and a radio communication method allow networks to operate without interference between contending networks. When plural piconets collide on the same frequency channel, a control station of one of the piconets temporarily sets a buffer super frame period to coexist between the piconets. When an apparatus other than a control station receives a beacon signal of the buffer super frame period, a shorter super frame period based on that super frame period is temporarily set to make fine adjustment of the next beacon signal transmission timing. An apparatus that has not received a beacon signal looks for a beacon signal of its own piconet for a redundant time to find a start time of a new super frame period.

Claims

1. A radio communication apparatus operating as a control station in a radio communication environment wherein a plurality of coexisting wireless networks operate under control of corresponding control stations, the apparatus comprising:

a beacon transmitting unit that sets a transmission frame period of a local network and transmits beacon information regarding resource allocation at a predetermined position within the transmission frame period;

an interference detecting unit that detects whether the local network interferes with another network; and

a buffer frame period unit that, upon detection of interference with the another network, temporarily sets a buffer frame period having a length different than that of the transmission frame period thereby adjusting a position of a new transmission frame period used by the local network and setting a contention free period therein to not overlap with a contention free period of a transmission frame period used by the another network.

2. A radio communication system, comprising:

a plurality of wireless networks, each of the wireless networks including;

an associated plurality of radio communication apparatuses, and

an associated control station for allocating a resource to each of the radio communication apparatuses of that wireless network,

the associated control station transmitting respective beacon information regarding resource allocation within its wireless network at a predetermined position within a transmission frame period of that wireless network, and upon detection of interference with another of the wireless networks, temporarily setting a buffer frame period different than the transmission frame period thereby adjusting a position of a new transmission frame period used by that wireless network and setting a contention free period therein to not overlap with a contention free period of a transmission frame period used by the another of the wireless networks.

3. A radio communication method for a control station that operates in a radio communication environment wherein a plurality of coexisting wireless networks operate under control of corresponding control stations, the method comprising:

setting a transmission frame period of a local network;

transmitting beacon information regarding resource allocation at a predetermined position within the transmission frame period;

detecting whether the local network interferes with another network; and

upon detection of interference with the another network,

temporarily setting a buffer frame period having a length different than that of the transmission frame period thereby adjusting a position of a new transmission frame period used by the local network and setting a contention free period therein to not overlap with a contention free period of a transmission frame period used by the another network.