Communication apparatus, communication method, and storage medium

• US 9,071,331 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2013
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Eguchi, Tadashi, Aoki, Norihito
• Primary Examiner(s): Rego, Dominic E
• Application Number:
  US14/029,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20140106803A1
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455450-4521, 455/464, 455/502, 455/509, 375/E7.141
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements

Abstract

A communication apparatus detects a radio signal from another communication apparatus which performs radio communication in another apparatus station, estimates a producing period and signal timing of the another apparatus station using the detected radio signal, determines, based on the detected radio signal, a communication apparatus which has transmitted the signal, and stores, in association with each other, the determined communication apparatus and the producing period and signal timing of the another apparatus station, wherein at least one of the stored producing period and signal timing of the other apparatus station is updated using the detected radio signal.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a detection unit configured to detect a radio signal from another communication apparatus which performs radio communication in another apparatus station;

an estimation unit configured to estimate a producing period and signal timing of the another apparatus station using the radio signal detected by said detection unit;

a determination unit configured to determine, based on the radio signal detected by said detection unit, a communication apparatus which has transmitted the signal; and

a storage unit configured to store, in association with each other, information of the communication apparatus determined by said determination unit and the producing period and signal timing of the another apparatus station which have been estimated by said estimation unit,

wherein said storage unit updates at least one of the stored producing period and signal timing of the another apparatus station using a radio signal detected after the detection by said detection unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said determination unit determines a communication apparatus using an ID contained in the radio signal detected by said detection unit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said determination unit determines a communication apparatus using a preamble contained in the radio signal detected by said detection unit.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said determination unit determines a communication apparatus using a deviation of a carrier frequency of the radio signal detected by said detection unit.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said detection unit includes a channel change unit configured to change a channel to a radio channel to be detected, and

said channel change unit changes to a channel of another radio system at a timing earlier than the signal timing stored in said storage unit for subsequent signal detection of a radio signal from another communication apparatus.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the detection unit are included, and a signal obtained by combining or selecting radio signals detected by the plurality of the detection unit is input to said estimation unit and said determination unit.

7. A communication method comprising steps of:

detecting a radio signal from another communication apparatus which performs radio communication in another apparatus station;

estimating a producing period and signal timing of the another apparatus station using the radio signal detected in the step of detecting;

determining based on the radio signal detected in the step of detecting, a communication apparatus which has transmitted the signal; and

storing a producing period and signal timing of the another apparatus station to which the another communication apparatus determined in the step of determining belongs,

wherein in the step of storing, at least one of the stored producing period and signal timing of the another apparatus station is updated using a radio signal detected after the detection in the step of detecting.

8. A storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute each step of a communication method according to claim 7.