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

• US 8,085,691 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2010
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• 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
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moutaouakil, Mounir
• Application Number:
  US12/731,639
• Publication Number:
  US 20100202296A1
• Time in Patent Office: 642 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 own 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 novel 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 a same frequency channel. At the same time, the novel constitution allows expanding a network area without increasing the scale of equipment.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a plurality of wireless communication apparatuses; and

a plurality of wireless networks that coexist in a same frequency band, each one of the wireless networks including an associated portion of the plurality of wireless communication apparatuses with one of the wireless communication apparatuses associated with that wireless network operating as a control station for that wireless network, the control station of each such wireless network initially performing time slot assignment within every predetermined transmission frame period to each one of said wireless communication apparatuses of that wireless network independent of the control stations of the other such networks, the control stations of each of said wireless networks comprising;

signal detecting means for detecting a signal from another of said plurality of wireless networks, for detecting address information of the control station of the another wireless network from the detected signal, and for comparing the address information of that control station with the address information of the control station of the another wireless network;

time slot analyzing means for, in response to the address information of that control station being newer than the address information of the control station of the another wireless network, analyzing a transmission time slot on which guaranteed time slot transmission is performed in the another of said wireless networks based on a signal detected by said signal detecting means; and

time slot assigning means that, in response to the address information of that control station being newer than the address information of the control station of the another wireless network, avoids assigning a transmission time slot on which guaranteed time slot transmission is performed in the another of said wireless networks to a wireless communication apparatus in that wireless network.

2. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein said time slot assigning means sets the transmission time slot on which guaranteed time slot transmission is performed in the another of said wireless networks as an unassigned area in the own wireless network.

3. The wireless communication system according to claim 2, wherein said time slot assigning means clears the setting of the unassigned area in the own wireless network in response to that said signal detecting means does not detect the signal from the another of said wireless networks.

4. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein said time slot analyzing means analyzes an unassigned area in the another of said wireless networks and said time slot assigning means performs time slot assignment within the own wireless network by use of said unassigned area in said another wireless network.

5. A wireless communication control apparatus in a network environment in which a plurality of wireless networks coexist in a same frequency band, said wireless communication control apparatus being a control station of one of said plurality of wireless networks, said wireless communication control apparatus comprising:

signal detecting means for detecting a signal from another of said wireless networks, for detecting address information of the control station of the another wireless network from the detected signal, and for comparing the address information of said wireless communication control apparatus with the address information of the control station of the another wireless network, each one of the wireless networks including an associated portion of the plurality of wireless communication apparatuses with one of the wireless communication apparatuses associated with that wireless network operating as a control station for that wireless network, said wireless communication control apparatus and the control station of the another wireless network each initially performing time slot assignment within every predetermined transmission frame period to each one of said wireless communication apparatuses of that wireless network independent of the control stations of the other wireless network;

time slot analyzing means for, in response to the address information of said wireless communication control apparatus being newer than the address information of the control station of the another wireless network, analyzing a transmission time slot on which guaranteed time slot transmission is performed in the another of said wireless networks based on the signal detected by said signal detecting means; and

time slot assigning means which, in response to the address information of said wireless communication control apparatus being newer than the address information of the control station of the another wireless network, avoids assigning a transmission time slot on which guaranteed time slot transmission is performed on the another of said wireless networks to a wireless communication apparatus in that wireless network.

6. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said time slot assigning means sets the transmission time slot on which guaranteed time slot transmission is performed on the another of said wireless networks as an unassigned area within that wireless network.

7. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said time slot assigning means clears the setting of the unassigned area in that wireless network in response to that said signal detecting means does not detect the signal from the another of said wireless networks.

8. The wireless communication control apparatus according to claim 5, said time slot analyzing means analyzes an unassigned area in the another of said wireless networks, and said time slot assigning means performs time slot assignment within that wireless network using said unassigned area in said another wireless network.

9. A wireless communication control method, comprising:

providing a plurality of wireless communication apparatuses;

providing a plurality of wireless networks that coexist in a same frequency band, each one of the wireless networks including an associated portion of the plurality of wireless communication apparatuses with one of the wireless communication apparatuses associated with that wireless network operating as a control station for that wireless network, the control station of each such wireless network initially performing time slot assignment within every predetermined transmission frame period to each one of said wireless communication apparatuses of that wireless network independent of the control stations of the other such networks; and

for at least one of said wireless networks,

detecting a signal from another of said wireless networks,

detecting address information of the control station of the another wireless network from the detected signal,

comparing the address information of that control station with the address information of the control station of the another wireless network, and

in response to the address information of that control station being newer than the address information of the control station of the another wireless network,

analyzing a transmission time slot on which guaranteed time slot transmission is performed in the another of said wireless networks based on the signal detected in said signal detecting step, and

avoiding assigning a transmission time slot on which guaranteed time slot transmission is performed on the another of said wireless networks to a wireless communication apparatus in that wireless network.

10. The wireless communication control method according to claim 9, wherein said time slot assigning step includes setting the transmission time slot on which guaranteed time slot transmission is performed on the another of said wireless networks as an unassigned area within that wireless network.

11. The wireless communication control method according to claim 10, wherein said time slot assigning step includes clearing the setting of the unassigned area in that wireless network in response to that said signal detecting step does not detect the signal from the another of said wireless networks.

12. The wireless communication control method according to claim 9, wherein said time slot analyzing step includes analyzing an unassigned area in the another of said wireless networks and said time slot assigning step performs time slot assignment within that wireless network using said unassigned area in said another wireless network.

13. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a plurality of wireless communication apparatuses; and

a plurality of wireless networks that coexist in a same frequency band, each one of the wireless networks including;

an associated portion of the plurality of wireless communication apparatuses with one of the wireless communication apparatuses associated with that wireless network operating as a control station for that wireless network, the control station of each such wireless network performing time slot assignment within every predetermined transmission frame period to each one of said wireless communication apparatuses of that wireless network, the control station of one such wireless network being a base station, the control station of another such wireless network operating under the control of the control station of the one such wireless network and being a newer model than the control station of the one such wireless network,

at least one of said one such and said another such wireless networks providing, in response to the control station of that wireless network receiving a request for constructing a new wireless network, a transmission time slot for said new wireless network.

14. The wireless communication system according to claim 13, wherein the at least one of said one such and said another such wireless networks comprises:

setting means for setting a time slot unassigned area to that wireless network;

transmitting means for transmitting time slot assignment information of that wireless network;

analyzing means for receiving and analyzing time slot assignment information of another wireless network; and

a assigning means for assigning a time slot of that wireless network using an unassigned area of a time slot in the another wireless network.

15. The wireless communication system according to claim 13, wherein said construction request is a request for participation of another control station which constructs the new wireless network.

16. The wireless communication system according to claim 13, wherein said construction request is a request from another control station, which constructs the new wireless network, for a time slot to a control station of yet another wireless network.

17. The wireless communication system according to claim 13, wherein information that a transmission time slot has been set to said new wireless network is included in time slot assignment information and notified in the new wireless network.

18. The wireless communication system according to claim 13, wherein a transmission frame for notifying said new wireless network of the setting of a transmission time slot is transmitted to a control station of said new wireless network.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having recorded thereon a program for executing, on a computer system, a wireless communication control method in a network environment in which a plurality of wireless networks coexist in a same frequency band, said method comprising:

detecting a signal from another of said wireless networks, each one of the wireless networks including an associated portion of the plurality of wireless communication apparatuses with one of the wireless communication apparatuses associated with that wireless network operating as a control station for that wireless network, the control station of each such wireless network initially performing time slot assignment within every predetermined transmission frame period to each one of said wireless communication apparatuses of that wireless network independent of the control stations of the other such networks;

detecting address information of the control station of the another wireless network from the detected signal;

comparing the address information of that control station with the address information of the control station of the another wireless network, and

in response to the address information of that control station being newer than the address information of the control station of the another wireless network,

analyzing a transmission time slot on which guaranteed time slot transmission is performed in the another of said wireless networks based on the signal detected in said signal detecting step, and

avoiding assigning a transmission time slot on which guaranteed time slot transmission is performed on the another of said wireless networks to a wireless communication apparatus in that wireless network.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having recorded thereon a program for executing, on a computer system, a wireless communication control method in a network environment in which a plurality of wireless networks coexist in a same frequency band, said method comprising:

receiving, at a control station of one such wireless network, a request for constructing a new wireless network, each one of the wireless networks including an associated portion of the plurality of wireless communication apparatuses with one of the wireless communication apparatuses associated with that wireless network operating as a control station for that wireless network, the control station of each such wireless network performing time slot assignment within every predetermined transmission frame period to each one of said wireless communication apparatuses of that wireless network, the control station of the one such wireless network being a base station, the control station of the new wireless network operating under the control of the control station of the one such wireless network and being a newer model than the control station of the one such wireless network;

at least one of said one such and said another such wireless networks,

performing time slot assignment with a time slot unassigned area set in that wireless network in response to said construction request, and

transmitting time slot assignment information in that wireless network.