Communication device and communication method

• US 9,191,078 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2012
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Naotake
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hai V
• Application Number:
  US13/700,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20130188674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 455/500, 340 11- 161, 34087011-87015
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/14 Reflecting surfaces; Equivalent structures electromagnetic shields H01Q1/526
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/20 wherein the primary active element is fixed and the reflecting device is movable
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/005 Control of transmission; Equalising

Abstract

A communication device includes: an antenna unit through which electric waves are transmitted and received; a scatterer which reflects the electric waves; a communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with a first communication partner device via the antenna unit; and a scatterer control unit configured to change a state of the scatterer when communication fails between the communication unit and the first communication partner device.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising:

an antenna unit through which electric waves are transmitted and received;

a scatterer which reflects the electric waves;

a communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with a first communication partner device via the antenna unit;

a scatterer control unit configured to change a state of the scatterer when communication fails between the communication unit and the first communication partner device; and

a transmission control unit configured to, when communication fails between the communication unit and the first communication partner device even after changing the state of the scatterer by the scatterer control unit, cause the communication unit to transmit, to a second communication partner device, a control request for changing a state of a scatterer of the second communication partner device.

2. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein, when the second communication partner device includes two or more second communication partner devices,

the communication unit is configured to transmit a predetermined request packet to each of the second communication partner devices,

the communication device further comprises:

a measurement unit configured to measure reception intensity of a response packet transmitted from each of the second communication partner devices upon reception of the predetermined request packet; and

a determination unit configured to determine a priority level of each of the second communication partner devices, the priority level increasing as the reception intensity of the response packet increasing, and

when communication fails between the communication unit and the first communication partner device even after changing the state of the scatterer, the transmission control unit is configured to cause the communication unit to transmit the control request to the second communication partner device in order of the priority level determined by the determination unit.

3. The communication device according to claim 2,

wherein the determination unit is configured to determine the priority level of each of the second communication partner devices prior to communicating with the first communication partner device,

the communication device further comprises

a storage unit configured to store a priority table in which the priority level determined by the determination unit is recorded, and

when communication fails between the communication unit and the first communication partner device even after changing the state of the scatterer, the transmission control unit is configured to cause the communication unit to transmit the control request to the second communication partner device in order of the priority level recorded in the priority table.

4. The communication device according to claim 3,

wherein the measurement unit is configured to measure the reception intensity in response to the change in (i) the state of the scatterer of the communication device or (ii) the state of the scatterer of the second communication partner device, and

the determination unit is configured to update the priority levels of the second communication partner devices recorded in the priority table, according to the measured reception intensity.

5. The communication device according to claim 3,

wherein (i) the state of the scatterer of the communication device and (ii) the state of the scatterer of each of the second communication partner devices are further recorded in the priority table,

when communication fails between the communication unit and the first communication partner device, the scatterer control unit is configured to change the state of the scatterer into the state recorded in the priority table, and

when communication fails between the communication unit and the first communication partner device even after changing the state of the scatterer by the scatterer control unit, the transmission control unit is configured to cause the communication unit to transmit, to the second communication partner device, a control request for changing a state of a scatterer of the second communication partner device into the state recorded in the priority table.

6. The communication device according to claim 2,

wherein the communication unit is configured to receive, from each of the second communication partner devices, information indicating transmission power used by the second communication partner device in transmitting the response packet, and

the measurement unit is configured to correct the reception intensity of the response packet according to the transmission power indicated by the received information.

7. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the communication device further comprises

a notification unit configured to, when communication fails between the communication unit and the first communication partner device even after transmitting the control request to all of the second communication partner devices, notify a user of information indicating that communication fails between the communication unit and the first communication partner device.

8. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the communication device is a non-portable electric apparatus.

9. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the communication unit is configured to determine that communication fails between the communication unit and the first communication partner device, (i) when a response is not received from the first communication partner device for a certain period of time after transmitting data to the first communication partner device or (ii) when the reception intensity obtained when receiving data from the first communication partner device is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold.

10. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the scatterer is a louver of an air conditioner, a louver of an air cleaner, or a fan blade.

11. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the first communication partner device is a master station which controls slave stations via a communication network, and

the communication device and the second communication partner device are the slave stations.

12. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the communication device is a master station which controls slave stations via a communication network, and

the first communication partner device and the second communication partner device are the slave stations.

13. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising

a notification unit configured to, when communication fails between the communication unit and the first communication partner device even after changing the state of the scatterer by the scatterer control unit, notify a user of information indicating that communication fails between the communication unit and the first communication partner device.

14. A communication method of a communication device for wirelessly communicating with a first communication partner device, the method comprising:

wirelessly communicating with the first communication partner device via an antenna unit through which electric waves are transmitted and received;

changing, when communication fails between the communication device and the first communication partner device in the wirelessly communicating, a state of a scatterer which reflects the electric waves, the scatterer being included in the communication device; and

when communication fails between the communication device and the first communication partner device even after changing the state of the scatterer by the scatterer control unit, transmitting, to a second communication partner device, a control request for changing a state of a scatterer of the second communication partner device.

15. A communication device comprising:

an antenna unit through which electric waves are transmitted and received;

a scatterer which reflects the electric waves;

a communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with a first communication partner device via the antenna unit;

a scatterer control unit configured to change a state of the scatterer when communication fails between the communication unit and the first communication partner device; and

wherein the scatterer is a louver of an air conditioner, a louver of an air cleaner, or a fan blade.