Wireless communication apparatus and user equipment

• US 9,408,068 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2014
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Takagi, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Garcia, Santiago
• Application Number:
  US14/475,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20150264559A1
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A wireless communication apparatus is connected to a wireless network, and is capable of functioning as a wireless network base station or as a wireless network terminal. The wireless apparatus comprises a connection control unit configured to, while the wireless communication apparatus functions as a wireless network base station, receive a configuration change request. In response to receiving said request, the connection control unit reconfigures the wireless communication apparatus to stop functioning as a wireless network base station and to start functioning as a wireless network terminal.

Claims

1. A wireless communication apparatus that is connected to a wireless network, and is capable of functioning as a wireless network base station or as a wireless network terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a connection control unit configured to;

receive status information on whether the wireless communication apparatus and a wireless device are able to connect to a predetermined wireless base station, wherein if a scan by the wireless device locates the predetermined wireless base station, then the wireless device transmits to the wireless communication apparatus a scan report identifying a wireless channel over which the predetermined wireless base station communicates,

if at least one of the wireless communication apparatus and the wireless device is unable to connect to the predetermined wireless base station, configure the wireless communication apparatus to function as the wireless network base station which communicates directly with the wireless device, and

if both the wireless communication apparatus and the wireless device are able to connect to the predetermined wireless base station, configure the wireless communication apparatus to function as the wireless network terminal which communicates with the wireless device via the predetermined wireless base station.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the wireless communication apparatus is configured to function as the wireless network base station and a reconfiguration request is received from the wireless device that is connected to a local wireless network, the connection control unit is further configured to, in response to receiving the request, reconfigure the wireless communication apparatus to stop transmitting a periodic beacon, the periodic beacon providing an indication that the wireless communication apparatus is currently functioning as the wireless network base station.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the connection control unit is further configured to send a request over the local wireless network to the wireless device to begin communicating over the wireless channel.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the connection control unit is further configured to determine that the predetermined wireless base station is reachable over said wireless channel and performs said reconfiguring in response to the determining.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a scan control unit configured to receive the scan report from the wireless device, the scan report further indicating that the predetermined wireless base station has been located by the wireless device.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the scan control unit is configured to, while the wireless communication apparatus functions as the wireless network terminal, periodically determine the status of communication between the wireless communication apparatus and the predetermined wireless base station;

and

if said communication is impeded, then the connection control unit reconfigures the wireless communication apparatus to stop functioning as the wireless network terminal and to start functioning as the wireless network base station.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the scan control unit is configured to transmit and receive in accordance with a wireless local area network communication standard.

8. A wireless device capable of switching a connection destination thereof from a predetermined wireless base station to a wireless communication apparatus, the wireless communication apparatus being capable of switching between functioning as a wireless network base station and functioning as a wireless network terminal, the wireless device comprising:

a scan control unit configured to;

while the connection destination of the wireless device is the wireless communication apparatus, perform a first scan to locate the predetermined wireless base station,

if the first scan by the scan control unit does not locate the predetermined wireless base station, then perform a second scan to locate the predetermined wireless base station,

if the first scan by the scan control unit locates the predetermined wireless base station, then;

determine a channel over which the predetermined wireless base station communicates; and

transmit a scan report to the wireless communication apparatus, the scan report identifying said channel over which the predetermined wireless base station communicates; and

a connection control unit configured to;

if the scan control unit locates the predetermined wireless base station, transmit a request to the wireless communication apparatus, wherein said request causes the wireless communication apparatus to be reconfigured to stop functioning as the wireless network base station and to start functioning as the wireless network terminal if both the wireless communication apparatus and the wireless device are able to connect to the predetermined wireless base station, wherein if at least one of the wireless communication apparatus and the wireless device is unable to connect to the predetermined wireless base station, the wireless communication apparatus is configured to function as the wireless network base station which communicates directly with the wireless device, and

change the connection destination of the wireless device from the wireless communication apparatus to the predetermined wireless base station if the wireless communication apparatus is reconfigured to function as the wireless network terminal.

9. The wireless device according to claim 8, wherein the connection control unit is further configured to:

receive a change channel request from the wireless communication apparatus; and

responsive to receiving the change channel request, change a channel over which the wireless device communicates from a first channel to said channel over which the predetermined wireless base station communicates.

10. The wireless device according to claim 9, wherein the scan control unit is further configured to:

while the connection destination of the wireless device is the predetermined wireless base station, perform a third scan to locate the predetermined wireless base station; and

if the predetermined wireless base station is located by the third scan, then perform a fourth scan to locate the predetermined wireless base station.

11. The wireless device according to claim 10, wherein the connection control unit is further configured to, if the predetermined wireless base station is not located by the third scan, change the connection destination of the wireless device from the predetermined wireless base station to the wireless communication apparatus.

12. A method of wireless communication, the communication occurring between a wireless device, a wireless communication apparatus capable of switching between functioning as a wireless network base station and functioning as a wireless network terminal, and a predetermined wireless base station, the method comprising:

setting, by the wireless device, a communication destination of the wireless device to the wireless communication apparatus;

performing a first scan, by the wireless device, to determine whether the wireless device is able to connect to the predetermined wireless base station;

if the first scan determines the wireless device is able to connect to the predetermined wireless base station, then transmitting, by the wireless device, a scan report to the wireless communication apparatus, the scan report identifying a channel over which the predetermined wireless base station communicates;

performing a second scan, by the wireless communication apparatus, to determine whether the wireless communication apparatus is able to connect to the predetermined wireless base station;

if at least one of the wireless communication apparatus and the wireless device is unable to connect to the predetermined wireless base station, configuring the wireless communication apparatus to function as the wireless network base station which communicates directly with the wireless device; and

if both the wireless communication apparatus and the wireless device are able to connect to the predetermined wireless base station, configuring the wireless communication apparatus to function as the wireless network terminal which communicates with the wireless device via the predetermined wireless base station.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, by the wireless communication apparatus, the reconfiguration request;

performing the second scan, by the wireless communication apparatus, of the channel over which the predetermined wireless base station communicates;

based on the scanning, determining, by the wireless communication apparatus, whether communication with the predetermined wireless base station is possible.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

responsive to receiving a change channel request from the wireless communication apparatus, changing, by the wireless device, a channel over which the wireless device communicates from a first channel to said channel over which the predetermined wireless base station communicates.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

performing a third scan, by the wireless device, to locate the predetermined wireless base station; and

upon determining, by the wireless device, that the predetermined wireless base station is not located by the third scan, setting, by the wireless device, the communication destination thereof to the wireless communication apparatus.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

if the predetermined wireless base station was not located by the third scan, then reconfiguring the wireless communication apparatus to stop functioning as the wireless network terminal and to start functioning as the wireless network base station.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining, by the wireless device, that the predetermined wireless base station is located by the third scan; and

responsive to the determining, performing a fourth scan to locate the predetermined wireless base station.