Wireless communication system and wireless communication control method, wireless communication device and wireless communication method, and computer program

• US 8,989,170 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2013
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sugaya, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Jianye
• Application Number:
  US14/037,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20140029588A1
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/345
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0092 Indication of how the channel is divided
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 with collision avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless communication device in a wireless network sets management information notification cycles at specified time intervals and transmits management information containing receive timing information showing its own position to start receiving information, receive window information, and receive cycle information. Another wireless communication device receiving that management information links it to a communication device number for the corresponding wireless communication device and stores the receive timing, the receive window information, and the receive cycle information. When sending information, the receive start position of the corresponding communication device is found from the receive timing information, the receive window information, and the receive cycle information of the other communication and information is then transmitted at that timing. An asynchronous ad-hoc communication wireless network can therefore be configured without a particular control station.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device having a capability of direct communication with another wireless communication device, without having to install an access point in a wireless network, comprising:

circuitry configured to

generate management information describing a plurality of receive operation periods or absence operation periods in a predetermined time interval;

transmit the management information once every passage of the predetermined time interval directly to the another wireless communication device without utilizing any access control from the access point;

control the timing of the receive operation or the absence operation, without being in a constant active receiving or monitoring operation of the wireless communication device, based on the management information; and

receive information directly from the another wireless communication device without utilizing any access control from the access point,

wherein the management information notifying the receive operation period or the absence operation period includes duration information, interval information, and start time information.

2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to transmit the management information at each of one or more specified notification intervals.

3. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to receive the information from the another wireless communication device at a timing that is not coinciding with the operation of the wireless communication device.

4. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry comprises:

a memory buffer, and

an interface configured to store the management information in the memory buffer.

5. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of the management information to the another wireless communication device is implemented in accordance with an ad-hoc wireless network configuration.

6. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of the management information to the another wireless communication device is implemented in accordance with an asynchronous wireless communication configuration.

7. The wireless communication device according to claim 6, wherein an access control of the wireless communication device is implemented in accordance with a Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) protocol.

8. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the management information further includes a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC).

9. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry comprises a memory buffer, wherein the management information is stored in the memory buffer.

10. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry comprises an antenna,

wherein the management information is stored in a memory buffer and is transmitted from the antenna.

11. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device further comprises:

a time measurement section, and

an access controller configured to operate according to a timing of the time measurement section.

12. The wireless communication device according to claim 11, wherein the controlling of the timing of the operation of the wireless communication device based on the management information is controlled according to the timing of the time measurement section.

13. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry comprises:

a interface; and

a processing circuitry configured to store information in a buffer when the management information is supplied by way of the interface.

14. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry comprises:

an information storage, and

a processor circuitry configured to read out the management information from the information storage.

15. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device further comprises:

a display configured to display the received information.

16. A wireless communication control method used for direct communication between wireless communication devices, without having to install an access point in a wireless network, comprising:

generating management information describing a plurality of receive operation periods or absence operation periods in a predetermined time interval;

transmitting the management information once every passage of the predetermined time interval directly to another wireless communication device without utilizing any access control from the access point;

controlling the timing of the receive operation or the absence operation, without being in a constant active receiving or monitoring operation of the wireless communication device, based on the management information; and

receiving information directly from the another wireless communication device without utilizing access control from the any access point;

wherein the management information notifying the receive operation period or the absence operation period includes duration information, interval information, and start time information.

17. The wireless communication control method according to claim 16, wherein the management information is transmitted at each of one or more specified notification intervals.

18. The wireless communication control method according to claim 16, wherein the information is received from the another wireless communication device at a timing that is not coinciding with the operation of the wireless communication device.

19. The wireless communication control method according to claim 16, wherein the management information is stored in a memory buffer prior to transmission to the another wireless communication device.

20. The wireless communication control method according to claim 16, wherein the transmission of the management information to the another wireless communication device is implemented in accordance with an ad-hoc wireless network configuration.

21. The wireless communication control method according to claim 16, wherein the transmission of the management information to the another wireless communication device is implemented in accordance with an asynchronous wireless communication configuration.

22. The wireless communication control method according to claim 21, wherein an access control of the wireless communication device is implemented in accordance with a Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) protocol.

23. The wireless communication control method according to claim 16, wherein the management information further includes a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC).

24. The wireless communication control method according to claim 16, wherein the management information is stored in a memory buffer prior to transmission to the another wireless communication device, and the management information is transmitted through an antenna to the another wireless communication device.

25. The wireless communication control method according to claim 16, wherein an access to the wireless communication device is controlled according to a predetermined timing.

26. The wireless communication control method according to claim 16, wherein the management information is stored in a buffer when the management information is supplied by way of an interface.

27. The wireless communication control method according to claim 16, wherein the management information is read out from an information storage.

28. The wireless communication control method according to claim 16, wherein the received information is displayed on a display.