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

• US 9,094,804 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2010
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Saito, Erika, Suzuki, Hideyuki, Itaya, Natsuki, Naito, Masahiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Gidado, Rasheed
• Application Number:
  US12/966,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20110149816A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,688 Days
• Field of Search: 370254-255
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

Provided is a wireless communication device including a communication unit that communicates with another wireless communication device, a role determination unit that determines a role of either acting as a group owner or a client based on information of said another wireless communication device received by the communication unit, and a communication control unit that controls communication for forming a wireless communication group with said another wireless communication device, as a device that plays the role determined by the role determination unit.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device comprising:

a communication unit that communicates with another wireless communication device;

a role determination unit that determines a role of either acting as a group owner or a client based on information of said another wireless communication device received by the communication unit, wherein the information comprises a device information, a service information and a request service information, wherein the information of said another wireless communication device includes information as to presence or absence of a function to act as the group owner or the client; and

a communication control unit that controls communication for forming a wireless communication group with said another wireless communication device, as a device that plays the role determined by the role determination unit, wherein the communication control unit controls the communication unit to transmit an inquiry packet including application information and requesting a response to another wireless communication device compatible with an application indicated by the application information, and

wherein the service information indicates an application compatible with the another wireless communication device and the request service information indicates a service of which execution is desired by the another wireless communication device.

2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein

the information of said another wireless communication device includes information as to which of the group owner and the client said another wireless communication device is acting as, and

the role determination unit determines to act as the client when said another wireless communication device is acting as the group owner and determines to act as the group owner when said another wireless communication device is acting as the client.

3. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the role determination unit determines the role of either acting as the group owner or the client by calculating a priority of the wireless communication device to act as the group owner and a priority of said another wireless communication device to act as the group owner based on the information of said another wireless communication device and comparing the priority of the wireless communication device to act as the group owner and the priority of said another wireless communication device to act as the group owner.

4. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein

when said another wireless communication device has only a function to act as one of the group owner and the client, the role determination unit determines to act as another one of the group owner and the client.

5. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a connection destination selection unit that, when information of one or more than one another wireless communication device is received by the communication unit, selects any of said one or more than one another wireless communication device as a connection destination.

6. The wireless communication device according to claim 5, wherein the connection destination selection unit selects another wireless communication device that satisfies a requested condition from an upper-layer application among said one or more than one another wireless communication device as a connection destination.

7. The wireless communication device according to claim 5, wherein the communication control unit controls the communication unit to transmit an inquiry packet requesting a transmission of the information of said another wireless communication device.

8. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication is according to IEEE 802.11 communication protocols.

9. A wireless communication method comprising the steps of:

receiving information of another wireless communication device from said another wireless communication device, wherein the information comprises a device information, a service information and a request service information, wherein the information of said another wireless communication device includes information as to presence or absence of a function to act as the group owner or the client;

determining a role of either acting as a group owner or a client based on the information of said another wireless communication device;

performing communication for forming a wireless communication group with said another wireless communication device, as a device that plays the determined role; and

transmitting an inquiry packet including application information and requesting a response to the another wireless communication device compatible with an application indicated by the application information, and

wherein the service information indicates an application compatible with the another wireless communication device and the request service information indicates a service of which execution is desired by the another wireless communication device.

12. The wireless communication method according to claim 9, wherein the communication is according to IEEE 802.11 communication protocols.

10. A program embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executed by a processor, causes a computer to function as a wireless communication device comprising:

a communication unit that communicates with another wireless communication device;

a role determination unit that determines a role of either acting as a group owner or a client based on information of said another wireless communication device received by the communication unit, wherein the information comprises a device information, a service information and a request service information, wherein the information of said another wireless communication device includes information as to presence or absence of a function to act as the group owner or the client; and

a communication control unit that controls communication for forming a wireless communication group with said another wireless communication device, as a device that plays the role determined by the role determination unit, wherein the communication control unit controls the communication unit to transmit an inquiry packet including application information and requesting a response to another wireless communication device compatible with an application indicated by the application information, and

wherein the service information indicates an application compatible with the another wireless communication device and the request service information indicates a service of which execution is desired by the another wireless communication device.

13. The program according to claim 10, wherein the communication is according to IEEE 802.11 communication protocols.

11. A wireless communication system comprising:

a first wireless communication device;

a second wireless communication device including a communication unit that communicates with the first wireless communication device;

a role determination unit that determines a role of either acting as a group owner or a client based on information of the first wireless communication device received by the communication unit, wherein the information comprises a device information, a service information and a request service information, wherein the information of the first wireless communication device includes information as to presence or absence of a function to act as the group owner or the client; and

a communication control unit that controls communication for forming a wireless communication group with the first wireless communication device, as a device that plays the role determined by the role determination unit, wherein the communication control unit controls the communication unit to transmit an inquiry packet including application information and requesting a response to another wireless communication device compatible with an application indicated by the application information, and

wherein the service information indicates an application compatible with the first wireless communication device and the request service information indicates a service of which execution is desired by the first wireless communication device.

14. The wireless communication system according to claim 11, wherein the communication is according to IEEE 802.11 communication protocols.