Communication apparatus, communication system, communication apparatus control method and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium

• US 8,837,516 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2012
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Umehara, Makoto, Takahashi, Naoto, Takada, Tomoyuki, Tachiwa, Wataru, Asai, Hitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson, Jr., Otis L
• Application Number:
  US13/439,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20120263190A1
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/458
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0602 Systems characterised by the synchronising information used
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0635 Clock or time synchronisation in a network timer in protocols H04L69/28

Abstract

A communication apparatus performs communication of data using assigned time slots within a frame. In a case where data cannot be transmitted in a transmission time slot that has been assigned in order to transmit data, a time slot later than this transmission time slot is reserved as a time slot used to transmit the data, this later time slot being reserved within the frame having the transmission time slot in which the data cannot be transmitted.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a transmitting unit configured to transmit data in a first transmission time slot, which has been assigned within a frame in order to transmit data from the communication apparatus; and

a reserving unit configured to reserve, in a case where data cannot be transmitted in the first transmission time slot, a second transmission time slot whose position is later than a position of the first transmission time slot within the frame having the first transmission time slot,

wherein the reserving unit reserves the second transmission time slot by transmitting reservation information for reserving the second transmission time slot to another communication apparatus in the first transmission time slot.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit configured to determine whether generation of data to be transmitted is completed by the time of the first transmission time slot,

wherein in a case where it is determined by the determination unit that generation of data to be transmitted is not completed by the time of the first transmission time slot, the reserving unit reserves the second transmission time slot.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reserving unit changes time slot assignment of the frame having the first transmission time slot in which the data cannot be transmitted, by reserving the second transmission time slot.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a receiving unit configured to receive reservation information transmitted from another communication apparatus,

wherein based upon the reservation information received by the receiving unit, the reserving unit changes time slot assignment of the frame in which the reservation information has been received.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reserving unit reserves an unassigned available time slot as the time slot used to transmit the data.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reserving unit reserves an already assigned time slot as the time slot used to transmit the data.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reserving unit changes assignment of a time slot among time slots from a reserved time slot onward so as to shift the time slot to a time later than the reserved time slot.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each unit of the communication apparatus set forth in claim 1.

9. A communication system having a plurality of communication apparatuses, wherein a first communication apparatus comprises:

a transmitting unit configured to transmit data in a first transmission time slot, which has been assigned within a frame in order to transmit data from the first communication apparatus; and

a reserving unit configured to reserve, in a case where data cannot be transmitted in the first transmission time slot, a second transmission time slot for transmitting the data, which cannot be transmitted, within the frame having the first transmission time slot, wherein the reserving unit reserves the second transmission time slot whose position is later than a position of the first transmission time slot; and

a second communication apparatus comprises;

a detecting unit configured to detect the second transmission time slot reserved by the reserving unit of the first communication apparatus; and

a changing unit configured to change time slot assignment of the frame in which the second transmission time slot has been reserved, based upon the reservation detected by the detecting unit.

10. A method of controlling a communication apparatus, comprising:

transmitting data in a first transmission time slot, which has been assigned within a frame in order to transmit data from the communication apparatus; and

reserving, in a case where data cannot be transmitted in the first transmission time slot, a second transmission time slot whose position is later than a position of the first transmission time slot within the frame having the first transmission time slot, wherein the second transmission time slot is reserved by transmitting reservation information for reserving the second transmission time slot to another communication apparatus in the first transmission time slot.

11. A communication apparatus, comprising:

a transmitting unit configured to transmit data in a first transmission time slot, which has been assigned within a frame in order to transmit data from the communication apparatus;

a reserving unit configured to reserve, in a case where data cannot be transmitted in the first transmission time slot, a second transmission time slot whose position is later than position of the first transmission time slot within the frame having the first transmission time slot; and

a receiving unit configured to receive reservation information transmitted from another communication apparatus,

wherein based upon the reservation information received by the receiving unit, the reserving unit changes time slot assignment of the frame in which the reservation information has been received.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a determination unit configured to determine whether generation of data to be transmitted is completed by the time of the first transmission time slot,

wherein in a case where it is determined by the determination unit that generation of data to be transmitted is not completed by the time of the first transmission time slot, the reserving unit reserves the second transmission time slot.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the reserving unit changes time slot assignment of the frame having the first transmission time slot in which the data cannot be transmitted, by reserving the second transmission time slot.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the reserving unit reserves an unassigned available time slot as the time slot used to transmit the data.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the reserving unit reserves an already assigned time slot as the time slot used to transmit the data.

16. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the reserving unit changes assignment of a time slot among time slots from a reserved time slot onward so as to shift the time slot to a time later than the reserved time slot.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each unit of the communication apparatus set forth in claim 11.

18. A method of controlling a communication apparatus, comprising:

transmitting data in a first transmission time slot, which has been assigned within a frame in order to transmit data from the communication apparatus;

reserving, in a case where data cannot be transmitted in the first transmission time slot, a second transmission time slot whose position is later than a position of the first transmission time slot within the frame having the first transmission time slot; and

receiving reservation information transmitted from another communication apparatus,

wherein, based upon the received reservation information, the time slot assignment of the frame in which the reservation information has been received is changed.