Wireless communication unit, mobile terminal, and wireless authentication control method

• US 8,160,496 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2007
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Satou, Yoshiyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tuan A
• Application Number:
  US12/664,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20100144275A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,758 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/411, 455/435.1, 455/450, 455/451, 455/452.1, 455/452.2, 455/41.2, 455/500, 455/507, 455/509, 455/67.11, 455/67.13, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 709223-228, 370/329, 370/332, 370/335
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference

Abstract

An object of the invention is to provide a wireless communication unit capable of suppressing interference of signal resend of one controlled device with reception of a signal transmitted from another controlled device to conduct wireless authentication with two or more controlled devices. In the wireless communication unit of the invention, a short-range wireless control section 162 controls to perform wireless authentication processing with a controlled device 2 using a radio wave at a different frequency depending on whether wireless authentication in an authentication mode with the controlled device 2 results in success or failure.

Claims

1. A wireless communication unit, comprising:

a short-range wireless transmission-reception section which transmits and receives a radio wave used for wireless communications; and

a short-range wireless control section which controls wireless authentication processing with a controlled device,

wherein the short-range wireless control section controls to perform the wireless authentication processing with the controlled device using a radio wave at a different frequency depending on whether wireless authentication in an initial authentication mode with the controlled device results in success or failure.

2. The wireless communication unit as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the short-range wireless control section determines whether the wireless authentication in the initial authentication mode with the controlled device results in success or failure based on the reception strength of a radio wave received from the controlled device.

3. The wireless communication unit as claimed in claim 2,

wherein the short-range wireless control section determines whether the wireless authentication in initial the authentication mode with the controlled device results in success or failure in response to whether or not the reception strength of the radio wave received from the controlled device is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

4. The wireless communication unit as claimed in claim 2,

wherein the short-range wireless control section determines whether the wireless authentication in the initial authentication mode with the controlled device results in success or failure in response to whether or not the time period over which the reception strength of the radio wave received from the controlled device is equal to or greater than a threshold value, is equal to or greater than a predetermined time period.

5. The wireless communication unit as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the short-range wireless control section determines whether the wireless authentication in the initial authentication mode with the controlled device results in success or failure based on a signal received from the controlled device for notifying the wireless communication unit of success or failure in wireless authentication with the wireless communication unit.

6. The wireless communication unit as claimed in claim 1,

wherein if the wireless authentication in the initial authentication mode with the controlled device results in failure, the short-range wireless control section causes the short-range wireless transmission-reception section to transmit a signal for limiting the number of times the controlled device resends a signal to the wireless communication unit.

7. The wireless communication unit as claimed in claim 6,

wherein if the wireless authentication in the initial authentication mode with a predetermined number of the controlled devices or more results in success, the short-range wireless control section causes the short-range wireless transmission-reception section to transmit a signal for limiting the number of times each controlled device resends a signal to the wireless communication unit.

8. A mobile terminal comprising the wireless communication unit as claimed in claim 1.

9. A wireless authentication control method of controlling wireless authentication processing with a controlled device by a wireless communication unit, the wireless authentication control method comprising the steps of:

determining whether wireless authentication in an initial authentication mode with the controlled device results in success or failure;

assigning different radio frequencies to the controlled device succeeding in the wireless authentication and to the controlled device failing the wireless authentication, respectively; and

performing wireless authentication processing with the controlled device using a radio wave at the assigned radio frequency.