Radio communication device, program, radio communication method, and radio communication system

• US 8,412,113 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2008
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kohno, Michinari, Yamane, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TUAN HOANG
• Application Number:
  US12/741,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20100261433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,694 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/67.11, 455/67.13, 455/68, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.5, 342/450, 342/458
• US Class Current: 455/67.13
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/06 using intensity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0009 by adapting the channel coding H04L1/1812 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0014 by adapting the source coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0017 where the mode-switching is based on Quality of Service requirement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/206 for modulated signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

Provided is a radio communication device including a reception unit that receives a radio signal, a measurement unit that measures a field intensity of the radio signal received by the reception unit, a determination unit that determines whether the radio signal received by the reception unit satisfies a predetermined condition for a noise component, and an estimation unit that estimates a distance from a transmission source device of the radio signal based on the field intensity of the radio signal determined by the determination unit to satisfy the predetermined condition.

Claims

1. A radio communication device comprising:

a reception unit that receives a radio signal;

a measurement unit that measures a field intensity of the radio signal received by the reception unit;

a determination unit that determines whether the radio signal received by the reception unit satisfies a predetermined condition for a noise component; and

an estimation unit that estimates a distance from a transmission source device of the radio signal based on the field intensity of the radio signal determined by the determination unit to satisfy the predetermined condition;

wherein the estimation unit calculates an average value of the field intensity of the radio signal determined by the determination unit to satisfy the predetermined condition, determines in which of defined average value ranges the average value is included, and estimates the distance from the transmission source device of the radio signal to be a distance corresponding to the average value range in which the average value is determined to be included.

2. The radio communication device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied when the noise component of the radio signal is greater than a set lower limit value and lower than an set upper limit value.

3. The radio communication device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a transmission unit that transmits a radio signal; and

a control unit that controls the transmission unit to transmit the radio signal when the radio signal is received by the reception unit.

4. The radio communication device according to claim 1, wherein the reception unit receives, from the transmission source device in advance, device information indicating a transmitting power for the radio signal from the transmission source device, and wherein the estimation unit estimates the distance from the transmission source device of the radio signal by using the device information.

5. The radio communication device according to claim 4, wherein the device information indicates the transmitting power for the radio signal from the transmission source device or a model of the transmission source device.

6. The radio communication device according to claim 1, wherein the average value ranges or calculation of the average value varies by the device information.

7. The radio communication device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display unit that displays distance information corresponding to the distance from the transmission source device estimated by the estimation unit, wherein the estimation unit causes the display unit to display the distance information for each estimated distance from the transmission source device.

8. The radio communication device according to claim 7, wherein the estimation unit determines whether the distance from the transmission source device satisfies the predetermined condition and further causes the display unit to display information corresponding to a determination result.

9. The radio communication device according to claim 8, further comprising:

a transmission unit that transmits a radio signal; and

a control unit that controls, based on the determination result determined by the estimation unit, the transmission unit to transmit the radio signal indicating whether the distance from the transmission source device satisfies the predetermined condition.

10. A program causing a computer to function as a radio communication device comprising:

a reception unit that receives a radio signal;

a measurement unit that measures a field intensity of the radio signal received by the reception unit;

a determination unit that determines whether the radio signal received by the reception unit satisfies a predetermined condition for a noise component; and

an estimation unit that estimates a distance from a transmission source device of the radio signal based on the field intensity of the radio signal determined by the determination unit to satisfy the predetermined condition;

wherein the estimation unit calculates an average value of the field intensity of the radio signal determined by the determination unit to satisfy the predetermined condition, determines in which of defined average value ranges the average value is included, and estimates the distance from the transmission source device of the radio signal to be a distance corresponding to the average value range in which the average value is determined to be included.

11. A radio communication method comprising the steps of:

receiving a radio signal;

measuring a field intensity of the received radio signal;

determining whether the received radio signal satisfies a predetermined condition for a noise component; and

estimating a distance from a transmission source device of the radio signal based on the field intensity of the radio signal determined to satisfy the predetermined condition;

wherein estimating a distance from the transmission source comprises calculating an average value of the field intensity of the radio signal determined by the determination unit to satisfy the predetermined condition, determining in which of defined average value ranges the average value is included, and estimating the distance from the transmission source device of the radio signal to be a distance corresponding to the average value range in which the average value is determined to be included.

12. A radio communication system comprising:

a first radio communication device; and

a second radio communication device, wherein the first radio communication device transmits a radio signal to the second radio communication device; and

wherein the second radio communication device includes a reception unit that receives the radio signal, a measurement unit that measures a field intensity of the radio signal received by the reception unit, a determination unit that determines whether the radio signal received by the reception unit satisfies a predetermined condition for a noise component, and an estimation unit that estimates a distance from the first radio communication device based on the field intensity of the radio signal determined by the determination unit to satisfy the predetermined condition;

wherein the estimation unit calculates an average value of the field intensity of the radio signal determined by the determination unit to satisfy the predetermined condition, determines in which of defined average value ranges the average value is included, and estimates the distance from the transmission source device of the radio signal to be a distance corresponding to the average value range in which the average value is determined to be included.