Communication apparatus, control method for communication apparatus, and storage medium storing program

• US 9,320,004 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2013
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Umehara, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Justus, Ralph H
• Application Number:
  US13/785,303
• Publication Number:
  US 20130237259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 455/500, 455/513, 455/67.11, 455/69, 455/517
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration

Abstract

A communication apparatus includes a detection unit configured to detect received powers of a plurality of radio signals received during a first predetermined time period from another apparatus, and a transmission unit configured to transmit by proxy identification information of the another apparatus using a detection result by the detection unit as at least one condition.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a detection unit configured to detect received powers of a plurality of radio signals including a first radio signal and a second radio signal and received during a first predetermined time period from another apparatus;

a transmission unit configured to transmit by proxy identification information of the another apparatus; and

a prohibition unit configured to prohibit transmission of the identification information of the another apparatus by the transmission unit in a case where a change amount of received power between a first received power of the first radio signal and a second received power of the second radio signal received after the first radio signal is received is larger than a first predetermined value and the communication apparatus determines that a distance between the communication apparatus and the another apparatus is shortened in the first predetermined time period based on the change amount of received power.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit configured to determine whether change amounts of the received powers of the plurality of radio signals received during the first predetermined time period fall below the first predetermined value,

wherein, if the change amount of the received powers of the plurality of radio signals received during the first predetermined time period fall below the first predetermined value, the transmission unit transmits by proxy the identification information of the another apparatus.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit configured to determine whether an average value of the received powers of the plurality of radio signals received during the first predetermined time period exceeds a second predetermined value,

wherein, if the average value of the received powers of the plurality of radio signals received during the first predetermined time period exceeds the second predetermined value, the transmission unit determines to transmit by proxy the identification information of the another apparatus.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit configured to determine whether to transmit by proxy the identification information of the another apparatus based on a detection result of the detection unit,

wherein, if proxy transmission is requested from the another apparatus of which identification information determined to be transmitted by proxy by the determination unit, the transmission unit transmits by proxy the identification information of the another apparatus.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, if a second predetermined time period has elapsed after starting proxy transmission of the identification information of the another apparatus, the transmission unit stops the proxy transmission.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if a stoppage of proxy transmission is requested from the another apparatus after starting the proxy transmission of the identification information of the another apparatus, the transmission unit stops the proxy transmission.

7. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit configured to determine which of the another apparatus and the communication apparatus transmits by proxy identification information based on a detection result of the detection unit, the received powers of the plurality of radio signals received during the first predetermined time period, a state of the communication apparatus, and a state of the another apparatus,

wherein the transmission unit transmits by proxy the identification information of the another apparatus according to determination by the determination unit.

8. The communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the transmission unit transmits the identification information of the communication apparatus, and

the communication apparatus further comprising a stopping unit configured, if the determination unit determines that the another apparatus transmits by proxy identification information of the communication apparatus, to stop transmission of the identification information of the communication apparatus.

9. The communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the determination unit determines which of the another apparatus and the communication apparatus transmits by proxy identification information based on a remaining amount of a battery of the communication apparatus and a remaining amount of a battery of the another apparatus.

10. The communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the determination unit determines which of the another apparatus and the communication apparatus transmits by proxy identification information based on whether the communication apparatus and the another apparatus cyclically transmit information.

11. The communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the determination unit determines which of the another apparatus and the communication apparatus transmits by proxy identification information based on whether the communication apparatus or the another apparatus transmits by proxy identification information of a different apparatus.

12. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a determination unit configured, based on received powers of a plurality of radio signals received from each of a plurality of other apparatuses during the first predetermined time period, to determine whether to transmit by proxy identification information of each of the plurality of other apparatuses,

wherein the transmission unit transmits by proxy the identification information of each of the plurality of other apparatuses according to determination by the determination unit.

13. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit configured to determine whether to transmit by proxy identification information of the another apparatus based on a detection result by the detection unit, and a type of information included in the radio signals received during the first predetermined time period from the another apparatus,

wherein the transmission unit transmits by proxy the identification information of the another apparatus according to determination by the determination unit.

14. The communication apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the determination unit is configured to determine to transmit by proxy the identification information of the another apparatus in a case where the type of information received from the another apparatus is same as a type of information transmitted from the communication apparatus.

15. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a determination unit configured to determine whether to transmit by proxy the identification information of the another apparatus based on a detection result of the detection unit; and

a control unit configured to control a back-off time in a case of starting data transmission according to determination of the determination unit.

16. A communication apparatus comprising:

a determination unit configured to determine amount change based on a change amount or received power of a distance in a predetermined time period between the communication apparatus and another apparatus based on a change amount of received power;

a transmission unit configured to transmit by proxy identification information of the another apparatus; and

a prohibition unit configured to prohibit transmission of the identification information of the another apparatus by the transmission unit in a case where the change amount, determined by the determination unit, of the distance between the communication apparatus and the another apparatus indicate that the distance between the communication apparatus and the another apparatus is shorter than a first predetermined value in the predetermined time period.

17. A method for controlling a communication apparatus, the method comprising:

detecting received powers of a plurality of radio signals including a first radio signal and a second radio signal and received during a first predetermined time period from another apparatus;

transmitting by proxy identification information of the another apparatus; and

prohibiting transmission of the identification information of the another apparatus in a case where a change amount of received power between a first received power of the first radio signal and a second received power of the second radio signal received after the first radio signal is received is larger than a first predetermined value and the communication apparatus determines that a distance between the communication apparatus and the another apparatus is shortened in the first predetermined time period based on the change amount of received power.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer of a communication apparatus to execute a method comprising:

detecting received powers of a plurality of radio signals including a first radio signal and a second radio signal and received during a first predetermined time period from another apparatus;

transmitting by proxy identification information of the another apparatus; and

prohibiting transmission of the identification information of the another apparatus in a case where a change amount of received power between a first received power of the first radio signal and a second received power of the second radio signal received after the first radio signal is received is larger than a first predetermined value and the communication apparatus determines that a distance between the communication apparatus and the another apparatus is shortened in the first predetermined time period based on the change amount of received power.

19. A method for controlling a communication apparatus, the method comprising:

determining a change amount of a distance between the communication apparatus and another apparatus in a predetermined time period based on a change amount of received power;

transmitting by proxy identification information of the another apparatus; and

prohibiting transmission of the identification information of the another apparatus in a case where the change amount, determined in the determining step, of the distance between the communication apparatus and the another apparatus indicate that the distance between the communication apparatus and the another apparatus is shorter than a first predetermined value in the predetermined time period.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer of a communication apparatus to execute a method comprising:

determining a change amount of a distance between the communication apparatus and another apparatus in a predetermined time period based on a change amount of received power;

transmitting by proxy identification information of the another apparatus; and

prohibiting transmission of the identification information of the another apparatus in a case where the change amount, determined in the determining step, of the distance between the communication apparatus and the another apparatus indicate that the distance between the communication apparatus and the another apparatus is shorter than a first predetermined value in the predetermined time period.