Wireless communication system, wireless communication apparatus and wireless communication method for constructing a decentralized distributed type network

• US 8,144,685 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2008
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sakoda, Kazuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Brandt, Christopher M
• Application Number:
  US12/335,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20090097440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/338, 370/345, 370/350, 370/312, 370/329, 370/348, 455/41.2
• US Class Current: 370/350
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0058 Allocation criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/00 Network planning, e.g. coverage or traffic planning tools; Network deployment, e.g. resource partitioning or cells structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/002 Mutual synchronization
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In order to solve problems arising when a communication system such as a wireless LAN is constructed as a decentralized distributed type network without a relationship of control station and controlled stations such as a master station and slave stations, in a wireless communication system composed of a plurality of communication stations without a relationship of control station and controlled stations, respective communication stations transmit beacons with information concerning a network written thereon with each other to construct the network, and it becomes possible to make sophisticated judgment such as communication states of other communication stations by those beacons.

Claims

1. A communication station that communicates with other communication stations, said communication station comprising:

a receiver;

a transmitter; and

a controller configured

to control a receiving operation of said receiver for a designated period of time after transmitting a signal from the transmitter,

to stop the receiving operation until an occurrence of at least one of a next signal receiving time and a next signal transmitting time in response to another signal not being transmitted from the other communication stations during the designated period of time, and

to write, when holding information addressed to another particular station, information indicating the holding of information addressed to the another particular station to a beacon to be transmitted therefrom,

the another particular station, upon receiving the beacon and recognizing that the information indicating the holding of information is addressed thereto, transmitting to a transmission source station of the beacon a signal indicative that the information can be transmitted thereto,

the transmitter being configured to send the information to the another particular station upon receiving a reply signal,

wherein the transmitter, when holding information addressed to another particular station, is further configured to send, according to another communication procedure, the information to the another particular station without negotiating before sending the information by utilizing a receive processing timing of the another particular station.

2. The communication station according to claim 1, wherein the transmitted signal includes beacon information.

3. The communication station according to claim 1, wherein said controller is configured to transmit a beacon signal at approximately a constant time interval relative to transmission times of beacon signal transmissions from each of said plurality of communication stations that are included in a network.

4. The communication station according to claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to continue the receiving operation longer than a predetermined beacon transmission time interval more than once during a time of a transmission frame.

5. The communication station according to claim 1, wherein when the controller has recognized an impending occurrence of a beacon transmission schedule time from another station by referencing an internal clock value, the controller orders the transmitter to transmit information for disabling transmission from a peripheral station for a certain period of time.

6. The communication station according to claim 1, wherein

when the controller holds information therein addressed to another particular station, the controller enables receiving processing by the receiver at a time when said another particular station transmits a beacon, and

when the beacon transmission by said another particular station ends, the controller attempts transmission from the transmitter of the information held therein to said another particular station in accordance with a specified procedure.

7. The communication station according to claim 6, wherein said information to be transmitted after an end of the beacon transmission by said another particular station is information higher in priority than ordinary data.

8. The communication station according to claim 1, wherein, by detecting a signal transmitted from another station by operating the receiver for a predetermined period of time before the transmission of a signal, the controller controls access so as to prevent a collision in packet communication timing with another station.

9. The communication station according to claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to make an attempt for transmission immediately after a change from a sleep state to an active state, when it is confirmed whether a media is clear for a period of time equivalent to a specified maximum signal length.

10. The communication station according to claim 8, wherein, when the controller holds information therein addressed to another particular station, the controller attempts to transmit the information held therein to said another particular station in accordance with a predetermined procedure immediately before a beacon transmission time of said another particular station.

11. The communication station according to claim 8, wherein said information to be transmitted after an end of the beacon transmission by said another particular station is information higher in priority than ordinary data.

12. The communication station according to claim 1, wherein, when transmitting information, the controller attempts transmission to a station that has recognized that a transmission destination station is executing a receiving operation.

13. The communication station according to claim 1, wherein the controller attempts to receive a beacon from another station recognized by the controller.

14. The communication station according to claim 13, wherein said reception of a beacon from another station is at least one of continuous and intermittent.

15. The communication station according to claim 13, wherein, when controller is located in an environment where a beacon can be received from another particular station and the controller is in a state where the controller does not control communication with said another particular station, said controller does not attempt to receive a beacon transmitted from said another particular station.

16. The communication station according to claim 1, wherein, after transmitting a certain signal, the controller controls the receiver to perform a receiving operation for a predetermined period of time and, when no signal addressed thereto has been received, the controller stops the receiving operation until at least one of a next signal receiving schedule time and a next signal transmitting schedule time.

17. A communication station that communicates with other communication stations, said communication station comprising:

receiver means for receiving;

transmitter means for transmitting;

controller means for controlling a receiving operation of said receiver means for a designated period of time after transmitting a signal from the transmitter means;

stopping means for stopping the receiving operation until an occurrence of at lease one of a next signal receiving time and a next signal transmitting time in response to another signal not being transmitted from the other communication stations during said designated period of time; and

writing means for writing, when holding information addressed to another particular station, information indicating the holding of information addressed to the another particular station to a beacon to be transmitted therefrom,

the another particular station, upon receiving the beacon and recognizing that the information indicating the holding of information is addressed thereto, transmitting to a transmission source station of the beacon a signal indicative that the information can be transmitted thereto,

the transmitter means sending the information to the another particular station upon receiving a reply signal,

wherein the transmitter means, when holding information addressed to another particular station, is further configured to send, according to another communication procedure, the information to the another particular station without negotiating before sending the information by utilizing a receive processing timing of the another particular station.

18. A method executed in a communication station that communicates with other communication stations, said method comprising:

receiving wireless signals with a receiver;

transmitting wireless signals with a transmitter;

controlling, with a controller, a receiving operation of said receiver for a designated period of time after transmitting a signal from the transmitter;

stopping, with the controller, the receiving operation until an occurrence of at least one of a next signal receiving time and a next signal transmitting time in response to another signal not being transmitted from the other communication stations during the designated period of time; and

writing, with the controller and when the controller holds information addressed to another particular station, information indicating the holding of information addressed to the another particular station to a beacon to be transmitted therefrom,

the another particular station, upon receiving the beacon and recognizing that the information indicating the holding of information is addressed thereto, transmitting to a transmission source station of the beacon a signal indicative that the information can be transmitted thereto,

sending, via the transmitter, the information to the another particular station upon receiving a reply signal,

wherein the transmitter, when holding information addressed to another particular station, is further configured to send, according to another communication procedure, the information to the another particular station without negotiating before sending the information by utilizing a receive processing timing of the another particular station.