Wireless communication method for wireless LAN system, wireless communication device and wireless terminal

• US 8,477,670 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2010
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Platforms, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: NEC Infrontia Corporation (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Sumida, Haruhiko, Kawahara, Teruo
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAMPTON, TARELL A
• Application Number:
  US12/718,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20100226299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,215 Days
• Field of Search: 370/311, 455/343.2
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In a wireless communication method of a wireless communication device to which a power management mode of a wireless LAN is applied and to which a parent device communicates, the method includes updating a listen interval of receiving a beacon signal from a parent device to be shorter than a current listen interval in response to a data transmission to the parent device; and periodically increasing the updated listen interval between the time span from the data transmission to a next data transmission, wherein reception of the beacon signal is carried out after switching from a doze state to an awake state.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method of a wireless communication device to which a power management mode of a wireless LAN is applied and to which a parent device communicates, the method comprises:

updating a listen interval of receiving a beacon signal from a parent device to be shorter than a current listen interval in response to a data transmission to the parent device; and

periodically increasing the updated listen interval between the time span from the data transmission to a next data transmission,

wherein reception of the beacon signal is carried out after switching from a doze state to an awake state,

wherein the wireless communication device stores an information table defining three or more levels of interval of receiving the beacon signal from the parent device after switching from the doze state to the awake state;

updates the current listen interval to the shorter listen interval according to the information table in response to the data transmission to the parent device; and

periodically increases the updated listen interval to follow the levels of the information table, and

wherein the information table has the three or more levels according to the time elapsed since the data transmission to the parent device,

the method further comprising;

detecting the timings of transmission of beacon signals by the parent device to count the total number of times of detections;

reducing the value of the total number at each data transmission to the parent device;

recognizing the revised value of the total number after the reduction as the elapsed time; and

recognizing the revised listen interval of the level corresponding to the recognized elapsed time as the updated listen interval.

2. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, comprising:

updating the current listen interval to the shorter listen interval according to the information table in response to the data reception from the parent device; and

periodically increasing the updated listen interval to follow the levels of the information table.

3. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein the updated listen interval corresponds to the minimum level in the information table.

4. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device updates the interval of receiving the beacon signal from the parent device after switching from the doze state to the awake state, to a value not greater than the beacon transmission interval of the parent device in response to the data transmission to the parent device;

and

increments the interval of receiving the beacon signal by a defined value each time when a defined time passes between the time span from the data transmission to the next data transmission.

5. The wireless communication method according to claim 4, wherein, when the incremented listen interval gets to the defined maximum value, the maximum value is maintained as listen interval until the next data transmission takes place.

6. The wireless communication method according to claim 4, wherein the elapse of the defined time is measured by means of a timer whose operation is completed by a unit of value not greater than the beacon signal transmission interval.

7. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a communication section that conducts wireless communications with a parent device of a wireless LAN in a power management mode; and

a communication control section that stores an information table defining three or more levels of interval of receiving a beacon signal from the parent device after switching from a doze state to an awake state, updates the current listen interval to a shorter listen interval according to the information table in response to a data transmission to the parent device and periodically increases the updated listen interval to follow the levels of the information table,

wherein the information table has three or more levels according to the time elapsed since the data transmission to the parent device, and

wherein the communication control section detects the timings of transmission beacon signals by the parent device to count the total number of time detections, reduces the value of the total number at each data transmission to the parent device, recognizes the revised value of the total number after the reduction as the elapsed time and recognizes the listen interval of the level corresponding to the recognized elapsed time as the updated listen interval.

8. The wireless communication device according to claim 7, wherein the communication control section updates the current listen interval to a shorter listen interval according to the information table in response to a data reception from the parent device and periodically increases the updated listen interval to follow the levels of the information level.

9. The wireless communication device according to claim 7, wherein the updated listen interval corresponds to the minimum level in the information table.

10. The wireless communication device according to claim 7, wherein when the increased listen interval gets to the defined maximum value, the control section maintains the maximum value as the listen interval until the next data transmission takes place.

11. The wireless communication device according to claim 7, wherein the control communication section measures the elapse of the defined time by means of a timer whose operation is completed by a unit of value not greater than the beacon signal transmission interval.