Wireless communication device, program, and wireless communication method

• US 8,755,817 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2011
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nagara, Toru, Yamaura, Tomoya
• Primary Examiner(s): Harold, Jefferey
• Assistant Examiner(s): SANDERS, JUSTIN B
• Application Number:
  US13/116,220
• Publication Number:
  US 20110299461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,118 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

There is provided a wireless communication device including a determination unit that determines a location region of the wireless communication device, a communication unit that wirelessly communicates with another wireless communication device, and a setting unit that sets a frequency in accordance with the location region of the wireless communication device determined by the determination unit to the communication unit. The determination unit determines a location region of the wireless communication device based on a plurality of pieces of location region information of the wireless communication device acquired by a plurality of different methods.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device comprising:

a determination unit that determines a location region of the wireless communication device;

a communication unit that wirelessly communicates with another wireless communication device; and

a setting unit that sets a frequency in accordance with the location region of the wireless communication device determined by the determination unit to the communication unit,

wherein the determination unit determines the location region of the wireless communication device based on a plurality of pieces of location region information of the wireless communication device acquired by a plurality of different methods,

wherein the plurality of different methods include a first method using GPS to acquire the location region information, a second method that makes access to a network and acquires the location region information from a global address allocated to a router, and a third method that acquires the location region information from broadcast station information contained in a received broadcast wave, and

wherein the determination unit processes the location information acquired by each method of the plurality of different methods in accordance with a predetermined processing method such that (i) when a result thereof indicates only one location region the determination unit determines that the one location region is the location region of the wireless communication device, and (ii) when the result indicates a plurality of location regions the determination unit causes the plurality of location regions to be provided to a user to enable the user to select the location region of the wireless communication device therefrom.

2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of methods include a method that acquires the location region information registered in advance in a storage medium.

5. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the location region indicates a country.

8. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined frequency band is a 5 GHz band.

11. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined processing method includes (i) forming a result list for each method of the plurality of different methods representative of the respective location region or regions obtained therefrom, (ii) determining, for each formed result list, whether each location region included therein is included in a tabulation list, and when a determination result thereof indicates that a location region is included increment a count for the location region by one, and when the determination result thereof indicates that the location region is not included add the location region to the tabulation list, (iii) determining for each location region in the tabulation list whether the count associated therewith is equal to a number of results lists or one smaller than the number of results lists and when a result thereof indicates that the count of a respective location region is equal to or one smaller than the number of results lists the respective location region is added to a candidate list, and (iv) determining whether a number of location regions in the candidate list is one or not, and when a result thereof indicates that the number of location regions in the candidate list is only one then the one location region is determined to be the location region of the wireless communication device, and when the result thereof indicates a plurality of location regions then the plurality of location regions are provided to the user to enable the user to select the location region of the wireless communication device therefrom.

3. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a program causing a computer to function as a wireless communication device, the wireless communication device comprising:

a determination unit that determines a location region of the wireless communication device;

a communication unit that wirelessly communicates with another wireless communication device; and

a setting unit that sets a frequency in accordance with the location region of the wireless communication device determined by the determination unit to the communication unit,

wherein the determination unit determines the location region of the wireless communication device based on a plurality of pieces of location region information of the wireless communication device acquired by a plurality of different methods,

wherein the plurality of different methods include a first method using GPS to acquire the location region information, a second method that makes access to a network and acquires the location region information from a global address allocated to a router, and a third method that acquires the location region information from broadcast station information contained in a received broadcast wave, and

wherein the determination unit processes the location information acquired by each method of the plurality of different methods in accordance with a predetermined processing method such that (i) when a result thereof indicates only one location region the determination unit determines that the one location region is the location region of the wireless communication device, and (ii) when the result indicates a plurality of location regions the determination unit causes the plurality of location regions to be provided to a user to enable the user to select the location region of the wireless communication device.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 3, wherein the location region indicates a country.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined frequency band is a 5 GHz band.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined processing method includes (i) forming a result list for each method of the plurality of different methods representative of the respective location region or regions obtained therefrom, (ii) determining, for each formed result list, whether each location region included therein is included in a tabulation list, and when a determination result thereof indicates that a location region is included increment a count for the location region by one, and when the determination result thereof indicates that the location region is not included add the location region to the tabulation list, (iii) determining for each location region in the tabulation list whether the count associated therewith is equal to a number of results lists or one smaller than the number of results lists and when a result thereof indicates that the count of a respective location region is equal to or one smaller than the number of results lists the respective location region is added to a candidate list, and (iv) determining whether a number of location regions in the candidate list is one or not, and when a result thereof indicates that the number of location regions in the candidate list is only one then the one location region is determined to be the location region of the wireless communication device, and when the result thereof indicates a plurality of location regions then the plurality of location regions are provided to the user to enable the user to select the location region of the wireless communication device therefrom.

4. A wireless communication method comprising steps of:

determining a location region of a wireless communication device; and

wirelessly communicating with another wireless communication device by use of a frequency in accordance with the determined location region of the wireless communication device;

wherein the determination of the location region is made based on a plurality of pieces of location region information of the wireless communication device acquired by a plurality of different methods,

wherein the plurality of different methods include a first method using GPS to acquire the location region information, a second method that makes access to a network and acquires the location region information from a global address allocated to a router, and a third method that acquires the location region information from broadcast station information contained in a received broadcast wave, and

wherein the determination unit processes the location information acquired by each method of the plurality of different methods in accordance with a predetermined processing method such that (i) when a result thereof indicates only one location region the determination unit determines that the one location region is the location region of the wireless communication device, and (ii) when the result indicates a plurality of location regions the determination unit causes the plurality of location regions to be provided to a user to enable the user to select the location region of the wireless communication device therefrom.

7. The wireless communication method according to claim 4, wherein the location region indicates a country.

10. The wireless communication method according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined frequency band is a 5 GHz band.

13. The wireless communication method according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined processing method includes (i) forming a result list for each method of the plurality of different methods representative of the respective location region or regions obtained therefrom, (ii) determining, for each formed result list, whether each location region included therein is included in a tabulation list, and when a determination result thereof indicates that a location region is included increment a count for the location region by one, and when the determination result thereof indicates that the location region is not included add the location region to the tabulation list, (iii) determining for each location region in the tabulation list whether the count associated therewith is equal to a number of results lists or one smaller than the number of results lists and when a result thereof indicates that the count of a respective location region is equal to or one smaller than the number of results lists the respective location region is added to a candidate list, and (iv) determining whether a number of location regions in the candidate list is one or not, and when a result thereof indicates that the number of location regions in the candidate list is only one then the one location region is determined to be the location region of the wireless communication device, and when the result thereof indicates a plurality of location regions then the plurality of location regions are provided to the user to enable the user to select the location region of the wireless communication device therefrom.