Radio communication apparatus, radio communication method, and radio communication system

• US 8,279,046 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2009
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Shigeaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilson, Brian
• Application Number:
  US12/417,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20090251292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,279 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/10.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 with collision avoidance

Abstract

A radio communication apparatus stores, in a pattern storing unit, channel pattern data indicating radio channel switching order for searching for a free channel and stores switching condition data for the radio channel in a condition storing unit. A control unit of the radio communication apparatus switches, when the switching condition data stored in the condition storing unit is satisfied, the radio channel according to the switching order indicated by the channel pattern data stored in the pattern storing unit.

Claims

1. A radio communication system comprising;

plural radio communication apparatuses configured to execute radio communication with a radio communication medium comprising an IC chip and an antenna over a free channel detected in plural radio channels, and a server connecting with each of the plural radio communication apparatuses over a network,

the server comprising;

a first table configured to store plural types of switching condition data specifying a condition for executing switching of the radio channels for searching for the free channel of the plural radio channels;

a second table configured to store plural types of channel pattern data specifying an order in which the plural radio channels are switched to search for the free channel;

a third table configured to store, in association with an identification code to identify each of the plural radio communication apparatuses, an identification code of a radio communication apparatus adjacent to a radio communication apparatus specified by the identification code, and store the switching condition data and the channel pattern data set for the radio communication apparatus specified by the identification code;

a switching condition setting unit configured to, when one of the plural radio communication apparatuses is selected, acquire from the third table an identification code of a radio communication apparatus adjacent to the selected radio communication apparatus, search the third table with the acquired identification code, and set one element of the switching condition data stored in the first table other than the switching condition data stored in association with the identification code corresponding to the identification code of the acquired radio communication apparatus, in the third table, in association with an identification code of the selected radio communication apparatus; and

a switching pattern setting unit configured to, when one of the plural radio communication apparatuses is selected, search the third table, and set one element of the channel pattern data stored in the second table other than the channel pattern data stored in association with an identification code of a radio communication apparatus other than the selected radio communication apparatus, in the third table, in association with an identification code of the selected radio communication apparatus,

each of the plural radio communication apparatuses comprising;

a condition storing unit configured to receive from the server the switching condition data set in the third table in association with an own identification code and store the received switching condition data;

a pattern storing unit configured to receive from the server the channel pattern data set in the third table in association with the own identification code and store the received channel pattern data; and

a channel switching unit configured to, if the condition of the switching condition data stored in the condition storing unit is met, execute switching of the radio channel for searching for the free channel of the plural radio channels, based on the channel pattern data stored in the pattern storing unit.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the switching condition data stored in the first table includes a condition for executing the switching of the radio channel when a carrier sense error occurs.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the switching condition data stored in the first table includes a condition for executing the switching of the radio channel after a command for the radio communication medium is executed.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the switching condition data stored in the first table includes a condition for executing the switching of the radio channel when, although a response signal from the radio communication medium is received, an error occurs in a procedure of data communication with the radio communication medium.

5. A radio communication method in a system comprising:

plural radio communication apparatuses configured to execute radio communication with a radio communication medium comprising an IC chip and an antenna over a free channel detected in plural radio channels, and a server connecting with each of the plural radio communication apparatuses over a network,

the server being configured to;

store in a first table plural types of switching condition data specifying a condition for executing switching of the radio channels for searching for the free channel of the plural radio channels;

store in a second table plural types of channel pattern data specifying an order in which the plural radio channels are switched to search for the free channel;

store in a third table, in association with an identification code to identify each of the plural radio communication apparatuses, an identification code of a radio communication apparatus adjacent to a radio communication apparatus specified by the identification code, and store the switching condition data and the channel pattern data set for the radio communication apparatus specified by the identification code;

when one of the plural radio communication apparatuses is selected, acquire from the third table an identification code of a radio communication apparatus adjacent to the selected radio communication apparatus;

search the third table with the acquired identification code, and set one element of the switching condition data stored in the first table other than the switching condition data stored in association with the identification code corresponding to the identification code of the acquired radio communication apparatus, in the third table, in association with an identification code of the selected radio communication apparatus; and

when one of the plural radio communication apparatuses is selected, search the third table, and set one element of the channel pattern data stored in the second table other than channel pattern data stored in association with an identification code of a radio communication apparatus other than the selected radio communication apparatus, in the third table, in association with an identification code of the selected radio communication apparatus,

each of the plural radio communication apparatuses being configured to, if the condition of the switching condition data set in the third table in association with an own identification code is met in the radio communication with the radio communication medium, execute switching of the radio channel for searching for the free channel of the plural radio channels, based on the channel pattern data set in the third table in association with the own identification code.

6. A server connecting with each of plural radio communication apparatuses configured to execute radio communication with a radio communication medium comprising an IC chip and an antenna over a free channel detected in plural radio channels, over a network, the server comprising:

a first table configured to store plural types of switching condition data specifying a condition for executing switching of the radio channels for searching for the free channel of the plural radio channels;

a second table configured to store plural types of channel pattern data specifying an order in which the plural radio channels are switched to search for the free channel;

a third table configured to store, in association with an identification code to identify each of the plural radio communication apparatuses, an identification code of a radio communication apparatus adjacent to a radio communication apparatus specified by the identification code, and store the switching condition data and the channel pattern data set for the radio communication apparatus specified by the identification code;

a switching condition setting unit configured to, when one of the plural radio communication apparatuses is selected, acquire from the third table an identification code of a radio communication apparatus adjacent to the selected radio communication apparatus, search the third table with the acquired identification code, and set one element of the switching condition data stored in the first table other than the switching condition data stored in association with the identification code corresponding to the identification code of the acquired radio communication apparatus, in the third table, in association with an identification code of the selected radio communication apparatus; and

a switching pattern setting unit configured to, when one of the plural radio communication apparatuses is selected, search the third table, and set one element of the channel pattern data stored in the second table other than the channel pattern data stored in association with an identification code of a radio communication apparatus other than the selected radio communication apparatus, in the third table, in association with an identification code of the selected radio communication apparatus.

7. The server according to claim 6, wherein the switching condition data stored in the first table includes a condition for executing the switching of the radio channel when a carrier sense error occurs.

8. The server according to claim 6, wherein the switching condition data stored in the first table includes a condition for executing the switching of the radio channel after a command for the radio communication medium is executed.

9. The server according to claim 6, wherein the switching condition data stored in the first table includes a condition for executing the switching of the radio channel when, although a response signal from the radio communication medium is received, an error occurs in a procedure of data communication with the radio communication medium.