Communication method, communication apparatus, and communication system

• US 8,411,699 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2009
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohmi, Shinichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Huy D
• Assistant Examiner(s): MIAN, OMER S
• Application Number:
  US12/643,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20100158038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: 370/443, 370/445, 370/462, 370/449, 370/458
• US Class Current: 370/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40136 Nodes adapting their rate to the physical link properties LAN switches H04L49/351

Abstract

A communication apparatus communicates with another communication apparatus connected to a transmission channel and sharing a communication band. The communication apparatus includes: a receiving unit that receives, through the transmission channel, data including time information based on a transmission time when a synchronous signal is transmitted to the transmission channel from a synchronous signal transmitting apparatus at a given cycle, the synchronous signal for synchronizing a plurality of communication apparatuses; a transmitting unit that transmits data to the transmission channel; and a transmission control unit that estimates a synchronous signal non-existing period in which there is no synchronous signal on the transmission channel on the basis of the time information received by the receiving unit and the given cycle, and controls the transmitting unit to transmit data within the estimated synchronous signal non-existing period.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus for sharing a transmission channel with a first communication device that transmits a first synchronous signal for synchronizing a plurality of communication devices including at least a second communication device, said communication apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit that receives, from the second communication device, information based on a transmission time of the first synchronous signal in the event that the first communication device transmits the first synchronous signal to the second communication device;

a transmission control unit that estimates, on the basis of both the information and a cycle of the first synchronous signal, a period in which there is no synchronous signal on the transmission channel; and

a transmission unit that transmits data to the transmission channel within the period, wherein;

the receiving unit receives, through the transmission channel, the information based on the transmission time at a first given cycle, the communication apparatus and the first communication device being included in a first power line network, and receives second data including second time information based on a second transmission time when a second synchronous signal is transmitted to the transmission channel from the second communication device at a second given cycle, the second communication device and another communication device except for the communication apparatus being included in a second power line network, and

the transmission control unit estimates the period on the basis of the first time information, the second time information, the first given cycle, and the second given cycle, which are received by the receiving unit, and controls the transmitting unit to transmit data within the estimated period.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission control unit estimates the period on the basis of a duration when the first synchronous signal is transmitted, and controls the transmitting unit to transmit data within the estimated period.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission control unit estimates the period on the basis of a first duration when the first synchronous signal is transmitted and a second duration when the second synchronous signal is transmitted and controls the transmitting unit to transmit data within the estimated period.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit that previously stores information of the given cycle and information of the duration.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receiving unit receives data including information of the given cycle and information of the duration in addition to the time information.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission control unit inserts information of transmission time of data to be transmitted by the transmitting unit into the data to be transmitted, on the basis of the first time information received by the receiving unit.

7. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein power line is used as the transmission channel to perform power line communication.

8. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a timer for counting a time elapsed from a time point, wherein the timer is updated in accordance with the received time information.

9. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the time information indicates a time elapsed from a reception time of the first synchronous signal to a transmission time of the data.