Radio communication apparatus, computer readable storage medium, and radio communication system

• US 8,064,371 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2008
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Takagi, Masahiro, Toshimitsu, Kiyoshi, Hirano, Tatsuma, Adachi, Tomoko, Matsuo, Ryoko, Nabetani, Toshihisa
• Primary Examiner(s): CHO, HONG SOL
• Application Number:
  US12/438,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20110044302A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,069 Days
• Field of Search: 370/277, 370/278, 370/322, 370/329, 370/332, 370/341, 370/348, 370/445
• US Class Current: 370/278
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal

Abstract

In a radio communication system that simultaneously uses plural radio channels, a radio communication apparatus can quickly secure plural radio channels simultaneously used for radio communication while preventing collision with a radio signal transmitted by another radio communication apparatus so away from the radio communication apparatus that the radio communication apparatus cannot detect radio waves.

A radio communication apparatus STA1 according to the present invention includes a receiving unit 10 which receives, when a first signal is transmitted via each of the plural radio channels, the first signal though at least one or more radio channels among the plural radio channels, and performs carrier sense for each of the plural radio channels used for the transmission of the first signal, a selecting unit 40 which selects a radio channel used for radio communication out of radio channels set in a standby state, and a transmitting unit 20 which transmits a response signal for the first signal via the selected radio channel.

Claims

1. A radio communication apparatus that can receive radio waves from a first radio communication apparatus and a second radio communication apparatus and performs radio communication with the first radio communication apparatus via plural radio channels, the first radio communication apparatus and the second radio communication apparatus being unable to detect the radio waves transmitted by the radio communication apparatuses to each other, the radio communication apparatus characterized by comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive, through at least one or more radio channels among the plural radio channels, a first signal transmitted from the first radio communication apparatus via each of the plural radio channels;

a carrier sense unit configured to detect, for each of the plural radio channels used for the transmission of the first signal, a radio wave transmitted from another radio communication apparatus;

a selecting unit configured to select, when the radio wave transmitted from the second radio communication apparatus is detected by the carrier sense unit, a radio channel other than the plural radio channels used for the transmission of the first signal, which are the radio channels in which the radio wave transmitted from the second radio communication apparatus is detected; and

a transmitting unit configured to transmit a response signal for the first signal to the first radio communication apparatus via the radio channel selected by the selecting unit,

wherein channel identifiers indicating the plural radio channels used for the transmission of the first signal by the first radio communication apparatus are included in the first signal, and

the carrier sense unit detects, for each of the plural radio channels designated by the channel identifiers, a radio wave transmitted from the second radio communication apparatus or the other radio communication apparatus.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising a prohibiting unit configured to prohibit, when the receiving unit receives radio signals communicated between the second radio communication apparatus and the other radio communication apparatus and channel identifiers indicating radio channels through which the radio signals are transmitted, respectively, are described, radio signals from being transmitted by using the radio channels, which are designated by the channel identifiers, for a predetermined period.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, when the receiving unit receives radio signals communicated between the second radio communication apparatus and the other radio communication apparatus, the prohibiting unit prohibits radio signals from being transmitted by using all the radio channels for a predetermined period.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the receiving unit is on standby concerning radio channels other than the radio channels, through which the radio signals are prohibited from being transmitted by the prohibiting unit.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the receiving unit receives radio signals communicated between the second radio communication apparatus and the other communication apparatus and channel identifiers indicating radio channels through which the radio signals are transmitted, respectively, are described, the receiving unit is on standby in radio channels other than the radio channels designated by the channel identifiers.

6. A radio communication apparatus that is so away from a first radio communication apparatus that radio waves transited to each other cannot be detected and performs radio communication with a second radio communication apparatus via plural radio channels, the radio communication apparatus comprising:

a transmitting unit configured to transmit a first signal to the second radio communication apparatus via the plural radio channels; and

a receiving unit configured to be on standby for radio signals in the plural radio channels used in transmitting the first signal, characterized in that

the transmitting unit transmits a radio signal anew using a radio channel though which a response signal for the first signal is transmitted among the plural radio channels in which the receiving unit is on standby,

the second radio communication apparatus and the radio communication apparatus belong to a same network,

one or more basic radio channels are set for each kind of the network out of the plural radio channels used for radio communication,

the radio communication apparatus belonging to the network uses radio channels including the basic radio channels when the radio communication apparatus transmits a radio signal, and

when a plurality of the basic radio channels of the network are set and the receiving unit receives notification to the effect that all the radio communication apparatuses belonging to the network are on standby in all the plural basic radio channels, the transmitting unit transmits radio signals using at least one or more radio channels among the plural basic radio channels.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, when the plural basic radio channels of the network are set, the transmitting unit transmits a same radio signal for each of the at least one or more radio channels among the plural basic radio channels.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the transmitting unit transmits radio signals using radio channels including the basic radio channels and basic channels of another network to which the radio communication apparatus does not belong.

9. A radio communication apparatus that can receive radio waves from a first radio communication apparatus and a second radio communication apparatus and performs radio communication with the first radio communication apparatus via plural radio channels, the first radio communication apparatus and the second radio communication apparatus being unable to detect the radio waves transmitted by the radio communication apparatuses to each other, the radio communication apparatus characterized by comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive, through at least one or more radio channels among the plural radio channels, a first signal transmitted from the first radio communication apparatus via each of the plural radio channels;

a carrier sense unit configured to detect, for each of the plural radio channels used for the transmission of the first signal, a radio wave transmitted from another radio communication apparatus;

a selecting unit configured to select, when the radio wave transmitted from the second radio communication apparatus is detected by the carrier sense unit, a radio channel other than the plural radio channels used for the transmission of the first signal, which are the radio channels in which the radio wave transmitted from the second radio communication apparatus is detected; and

a transmitting unit configured to transmit a response signal for the first signal to the first radio communication apparatus via the radio channel selected by the selecting unit,

wherein the selecting unit selects a radio channel in which frequency of detection of a radio wave transmitted from the second radio communication apparatus or the other radio communication apparatus is low among radio channels in which the radio wave transmitted from the second radio communication apparatus or the other radio communication apparatus is not detected.

10. A radio communication apparatus that can receive radio waves from a first radio communication apparatus and a second radio communication apparatus and performs radio communication with the first radio communication apparatus via plural radio channels, the first radio communication apparatus and the second radio communication apparatus being unable to detect the radio waves transmitted by the radio communication apparatuses to each other, the radio communication apparatus characterized by comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive, through at least one or more radio channels among the plural radio channels, a first signal transmitted from the first radio communication apparatus via each of the plural radio channels;

a carrier sense unit configured to detect, for each of the plural radio channels used for the transmission of the first signal, a radio wave transmitted from another radio communication apparatus;

a selecting unit configured to select, when the radio wave transmitted from the second radio communication apparatus is detected by the carrier sense unit, a radio channel other than the plural radio channels used for the transmission of the first signal, which are the radio channels in which the radio wave transmitted from the second radio communication apparatus is detected; and

a transmitting unit configured to transmit a response signal for the first signal to the first radio communication apparatus via the radio channel selected by the selecting unit,

wherein the first radio communication apparatus and the radio communication apparatus belong to a same network,

one or more basic radio channels are set for each kind of the network out of the plural channels used for radio communication,

the radio communication apparatus belonging to the network uses radio channels included in the basic radio channels when the radio communication apparatus transmits a radio signal, and

even when the first radio communication apparatus transmits the first signal through another radio channel without using the basic radio channels, the carrier sense unit detects, concerning the basic radio channels in addition to the plural radio channels that the first radio communication apparatus uses for the transmission, a radio wave transmitted from the second radio communication apparatus or the other radio communication apparatus.

11. A radio communication apparatus that can receive radio waves from a first radio communication apparatus and a second radio communication apparatus and performs radio communication with the first radio communication apparatus via plural radio channels, the first radio communication apparatus and the second radio communication apparatus being unable to detect the radio waves transmitted by the radio communication apparatuses to each other, the radio communication apparatus characterized by comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive, through at least one or more radio channels among the plural radio channels, a first signal transmitted from the first radio communication apparatus via each of the plural radio channels;

a carrier sense unit configured to detect, for each of the plural radio channels used for the transmission of the first signal, a radio wave transmitted from another radio communication apparatus;

a selecting unit configured to select, when the radio wave transmitted from the second radio communication apparatus is detected by the carrier sense unit, a radio channel other than the plural radio channels used for the transmission of the first signal, which are the radio channels in which the radio wave transmitted from the second radio communication apparatus is detected; and

a transmitting unit configured to transmit a response signal for the first signal to the first radio communication apparatus via the radio channel selected by the selecting unit,

wherein the first radio communication apparatus and the radio communication apparatus belong to a same network,

one or more basic radio channels are set for each kind of the network out of the plural channels used for radio communication,

the radio communication apparatus belonging to the network uses radio channels used for radio communication, and

when a request for connection to the network is received from the other radio communication apparatus, if the basic radio channels are not included in radio channels that the other radio communication apparatus can use for radio communication, the transmitting unit transmits a signal for rejecting the connection request to the other radio communication apparatus.