Communication system, communication method, communication apparatus, communication control method, and computer program

• US 7,990,883 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2004
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nishikawa, Kenzo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo; Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): Han; Clemence
• Application Number:
  US10/836,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20040264425A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,647 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

In a self-organized distributed communication system utilizing a plurality of communication channels, improvement of a channel capacity is intended increase while using an access control method by carrier sensing. A station receives a beacon signal through each communication channel and grasps relative time information regarding to transmission/reception time of the beacon signal and communication channel information regarding a communication channel through which the beacon signal is transmitted/received. A new entry station obtains logical add (OR) of the grasped information to hold the time information and the communication channel information of the beacon signal. On transmitting/receiving data, the station switches the communication channel to use in accordance with the time information and the communication channel information to transmit a beacon signal to try communication.

Claims

1. A communication system forming a network having no relationship of a controlling station and a controlled station, in which a plurality of communication stations respectively operate in a self-organized distributed control manner using a plurality of communication channels, wherein

each of the communication stations manages at least time information concerning transmission/reception time of a beacon signal and communication channel information concerning a communication channel to use,

a transmitting communication station trying to transmit the beacon signal or data switches a communication channel to use in accordance with the time information and the communication channel information to transmit the beacon signal or the data,

a receiving communication station trying to receive the beacon signal or the data switches the communication channel to use in accordance with the time information and the communication channel information to receive the beacon signal or the data,

each of said communication stations notifies said time information and said communication channel information by describing in the beacon signal, and grasps a time and a communication channel at and through which another communication station carries out communication in accordance with said time information and said communication channel information described in the beacon signal received from the another communication station, and

a new entry communication station newly entering said network produces neighboring station time zone information regarding a time zone already used by the another communication station by superposing said time information and said communication channel information described in the beacon signal received from the another communication station, and determines transmission time for transmitting a beacon signal of the new entry communication station and a communication channel used for transmitting the beacon signal of the new entry communication station.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein each of said communication stations determines a time to transmit the beacon signal, a time to carry out data communication and a communication channel to use in accordance with said grasped time and communication channel at and through which the another communication station carries out communication.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein said new entry communication station selects a time having a maximum interval during which no beacon signals are transmitted/received in the another communication station to determine as a transmission time of the beacon signal of the new entry communication station.

4. The communication system according to claim 3, wherein the new entry communication station divides said neighboring station time zone information into neighboring station time zone information of each communication channel, and evaluates a time having a maximum interval during which no beacon signals are transmitted/received in the another communication station at every communication channel to select a communication channel having the maximum interval during which no beacon signals are transmitted and received as a communication channel through which the new entry station transmits a beacon signal.

5. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein each of said communication stations determines a time to carry out reserved communication or priority communication and a communication channel to use for the reserved communication or the priority communication in accordance with said grasped time and communication channel at and through which the another communication station carries out communication.

6. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein a communication station trying to perform data communication with a specific communication destination:

produces neighboring station time zone information for every communication channel by superposing said time information and said communication channel information described in the beacon signal received from the another communication station at every communication channel,

obtains available time zone information regarding to a time zone available for communication with said communication destination for every communication channel by superposing time information in all communication channels of said communication destination on said neighboring station time zone information for every communication channel, and

determines a communication channel to use for communication with the communication destination and a time zone during which the communication is performed in accordance with said available time zone information for every communication channel.

7. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein each of said communication stations transmits data after grasping a maximum transmission available time being a maximum time available for data transmission in a transmission scheduled communication channel in accordance with time information regarding to a transmission/reception time of the beacon signal of the another communication station and time information regarding to a transmission/reception time of the beacon signal in another communication channel of the another communication station.

8. A communication system forming a network having no relationship of a controlling station and a controlled station, in which a plurality of communication stations respectively operate in a self-organized distributed control manner, using a plurality of communication channels, wherein

each of the communication stations manages at least time information concerning transmission/reception time of a beacon signal and communication channel information concerning a communication channel to use,

a transmitting communication station trying to transmit the beacon signal or data switches a communication channel to use in accordance with the time information and the communication channel information to transmit the beacon signal or the data,

a receiving communication station trying to receive the beacon signal or the data switches the communication channel to use in accordance with the time information and the communication channel information to receive the beacon signal or the data, and

each of said communication stations transmits a packet having a preamble common to another wireless communication system and detects generation of a packet from the another system depending on an error after a preamble in a received packet so as to change a communication channel in use,

wherein each of said communication stations records occurrence frequency of packets from the another system together with a reception time of each communication channel and uses the number of errors when the reception time exceeds a predetermined time period as an effective value in judgment for changing the communication channel.

9. A communication system forming a network having no relationship of a controlling station and a controlled station, in which a plurality of communication stations respectively operate in a self-organized distributed control manner, using a plurality of communication channels, wherein

each of the communication stations manages at least time information concerning transmission/reception time of a beacon signal and communication channel information concerning a communication channel to use,

a transmitting communication station trying to transmit the beacon signal or data switches a communication channel to use in accordance with the time information and the communication channel information to transmit the beacon signal or the data,

a receiving communication station trying to receive the beacon signal or the data switches the communication channel to use in accordance with the time information and the communication channel information to receive the beacon signal or the data, and

upon detecting an interference, the transmitting communication station transmitting data counts a number of times receiving no response from the receiving communication station and requests changing of the transmission time of the beacon signal and the communication channel to use in response to a frequency of no response exceeding a predetermined value.

10. A communication method for forming a network having no relationship of a controlling station and a controlled station, in which a plurality of communication stations respectively operate in a self-organized distributed control manner, using a plurality of communication channels, the method comprising:

managing, at each of the communication stations, at least time information concerning a transmission/reception time of a beacon signal and communication channel information concerning a communication channel to be used;

switching, at a transmitting communication station trying to transmit the beacon signal or data, a communication channel to be used in accordance with the time information and the communication channel information to transmit the beacon signal or the data;

switching, at a receiving communication station trying to receive the beacon signal or the data, the communication channel to be used in accordance with the time information and the communication channel information to receive the beacon signal or the data, said time information and said communication channel information are described in the beacon signal;

grasping a time and a communication channel at and through which another communication station performs communication in accordance with said time information and said communication channel information described in the beacon signal received from the another communication station;

producing, at each of the communication stations upon newly entering said network, neighboring station time zone information regarding a time zone already used by the another communication station by superposing said time information and said communication channel information described in the beacon signal received from the another communication station; and

determining, at each of the communication stations upon newly entering said network, a transmission time of a beacon signal and a communication channel to use for transmitting the beacon signal in accordance with the neighboring station time zone information.

11. The communication method according to claim 10, further comprising:

selecting, at each of the communication stations upon newly entering said network a time having a maximum interval during which no beacon signals are transmitted/received in the another communication station to determine as a transmission time of the beacon signal in accordance with said neighboring station time zone information.

12. The communication method according to claim 11, further comprising:

dividing, at each of the communication stations upon newly entering said network, said neighboring station time zone information into neighboring station time zone information of each communication channel, and evaluating a time having a maximum interval during which no beacon signals are transmitted/received in the another communication station at every communication channel to select a communication channel having the maximum interval during which no beacon signals are transmitted and received as a communication channel through which to transmit a beacon signal.

13. The communication method according to claim 10, further comprising:

determining, at each of the communication stations, a time to carry out a reserved communication or a priority communication and a communication channel to use for the reserved communication or the priority communication in accordance with said grasped time and communication channel at and through which the another communication station carries out communication.

14. The communication method according to claim 13, further comprising performing the following steps at each of the communication stations at a time of trying to start data communication with a specific communication destination:

producing neighboring station time zone information for every communication channel by superposing said time information and said communication channel information described in the beacon signal received from the another communication station at every communication channel,

obtaining available time zone information regarding a time zone available for communication with said communication destination for every communication channel by superposing time information in all communication channels of said communication destination on said neighboring station time zone information for every communication channel, and

determining a communication channel to use for communication with the communication destination and a time zone during which the communication is performed in accordance with said available time zone information for every communication channel.

15. The communication method according to claim 10, further comprising:

transmitting, by each of the communication stations, data after grasping a maximum transmission available time being a maximum time available for data transmission in a transmission scheduled communication channel in accordance with time information regarding a transmission/reception time of the beacon signal of the another communication station and time information regarding a transmission/reception time of the beacon signal in another communication channel of the receiving communication station.

16. A communication method of forming a network having no relationship of a controlling station and a controlled station, in which a plurality of communication stations respectively operate in a self-organized distributed control manner, using a plurality of communication channels, the method comprising:

managing, at each of the communication stations, at least time information concerning a transmission/reception time of a beacon signal and communication channel information concerning a communication channel to be used;

switching, at a transmitting communication station trying to transmit the beacon signal or data, a communication channel to be used in accordance with the time information and the communication channel information to transmit the beacon signal or the data;

switching, at a receiving communication station trying to receive the beacon signal or the data, the communication channel to be used in accordance with the time information and the communication channel information to receive the beacon signal or the data;

transmitting, from each of the communication stations, a packet having a preamble common to another wireless communication system;

detecting generation of a packet from the another system depending on an error in information after a preamble in a received packet so as to change a communication channel in use; and

recording, at each of the communication stations, occurrence frequency of packets from the another system together with a reception time of each communication channel and using the number of errors when the reception time exceeds a predetermined time period as an effective value in judgment for changing the communication channel.

17. A communication method of forming a network having no relationship of a controlling station and a controlled station, in which a plurality of communication stations respectively operate in a self-organized distributed control manner, using a plurality of communication channels, the method comprising:

managing, at each of the communication stations, at least time information concerning a transmission/reception time of a beacon signal and communication channel information concerning a communication channel to be used;

switching, at a transmitting communication station trying to transmit the beacon signal or data, a communication channel to be used in accordance with the time information and the communication channel information to transmit the beacon signal or the data;

switching, at a receiving communication station trying to receive the beacon signal or the data, the communication channel to be used in accordance with the time information and the communication channel information to receive the beacon signal or the data and

counting, upon detecting an interference, the number of times receiving no response from the receiving communication station and requesting changing of the transmission time of the beacon signal and the communication channel to use in response to a frequency of no response exceeding a predetermined value.

18. A communication station configured to operate in a system forming a network having no relationship of a controlling station and a controlled station, in which a plurality of communication stations respectively operate in a self-organized distributed control manner using a plurality of communication channels, the communication station comprising:

a base band unit configured to manage at least time information concerning transmission/reception time of a beacon signal and communication channel information concerning a communication channel to use;

the base band unit configured to switch a communication channel to transmit the beacon signal or data in accordance with the time information and the communication channel information;

the base band unit configured to switch the communication channel to receive the beacon signal in accordance with the time information and the communication channel information, and

the base band unit configured to transmit a packet having a preamble common to another wireless communication system and detect generation of a packet from the another system depending on an error after a preamble in a received packet so as to change a communication channel in use; and

the base band unit configured to record occurrence frequency of packets from the another system together with a reception time of each communication channel and use the number of errors when the reception time exceeds a predetermined time period as an effective value in judgment for changing the communication channel.

19. A communication station configured to operate in a system forming a network having no relationship of a controlling station and a controlled station, in which a plurality of communication stations respectively operate in a self-organized distributed control manner using a plurality of communication channels, the communication station comprising:

a base band unit configured to manage at least time information concerning transmission/reception time of a beacon signal and communication channel information concerning a communication channel to use;

the base band unit configured to switch a communication channel to use in accordance with the time information and the communication channel information to transmit the beacon signal or the data;

the base band unit configured to switch the communication channel to use in accordance with the time information and the communication channel information to receive the beacon signal or the data; and

the base band unit configured to, upon detecting interference, count a number of times receiving no response from another communication station to which data was transmitted, and request changing of the transmission time of the beacon signal and the communication channel to use in response to a frequency of no response exceeding a predetermined value.