Communication device and method of determining communication method

• US 9,532,324 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2014
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2013
• 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: Ukita, Yosuke, Hayashino, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Jr., Michael J
• Assistant Examiner(s): JONES, PRENELL P
• Application Number:
  US14/398,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20150124798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 one node acting as a reference for the others

Abstract

A communication device and a communication scheme judgment method that enable reception of frames of different communication schemes without setting a common synchronization signal in the frames for each communication scheme. A signal including synchronization information corresponding to a communication scheme is receivable via a frequency band within which a frequency band of a channel corresponding to a first communication scheme overlaps with at least a portion of a frequency band of a channel corresponding to a second communication scheme. Using the synchronization information, when synchronization of one communication scheme out of the first communication scheme and the second communication scheme is establishable, processing of the signal is performed using the one communication scheme, and when the synchronization of the one communication scheme is not establishable and synchronization of the other communication scheme is establishable, processing of the signal is performed using the other communication scheme.

Claims

1. A communication device that receives, via a communication network, a plurality of signals each corresponding to one of a first communication scheme and a second communication scheme, wherein

each signal of the plurality of signals includes synchronization information corresponding to one of the first communication scheme and the second communication scheme,

the communication device comprising:

a non-transitory memory storing a program; and

a hardware processor that executes the program and causes the communication device to operate as;

a receiver configured to receive the plurality of signals via a frequency band within which at least a portion of a frequency band of a channel corresponding to the first communication scheme overlaps with at least a portion of a frequency band of a channel corresponding to the second communication scheme;

a synchronization judgment unit that detects the synchronization information included in the signal received by the receiver; and

a scheme judgment unit that, when synchronization information corresponding to the first communication scheme is detected in the signal received by the receiver, performs reception processing of the signal using the first communication scheme, and when synchronization information corresponding to the first communication scheme is not detected and synchronization information corresponding to the second communication scheme is detected in the signal received by the receiver, performs reception processing of the signal using the second communication scheme.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein,

when the frequency band of the channel corresponding to the first communication scheme is included within the frequency band of the channel corresponding to the second communication scheme,

the synchronization judgment unit, after attempting to detect synchronization information corresponding to the first communication scheme and when synchronization information corresponding to the first communication scheme is not detected, attempts to detect synchronization information corresponding to the second communication scheme.

3. The communication device of claim 1, wherein

the synchronization judgment unit detects the synchronization information by using a center frequency corresponding to the first communication scheme and a center frequency corresponding to the second communication scheme.

4. The communication device of claim 1, wherein

each signal to be received by the receiver further includes a data payload, and

the scheme judgment unit, when synchronization of the signal to be received is established at a frequency corresponding to one of the first communication scheme and the second communication scheme, performs reception processing of the data payload included in the signal.

5. The communication device of claim 1, wherein

the scheme judgment unit, when synchronization of the signal is not established at a center frequency corresponding to the second communication scheme, ceases reception processing of the signal.

6. The communication device of claim 1, wherein

the synchronization information includes bit synchronization information and frame synchronization information, and

the synchronization judgment unit

performs bit synchronization judgment using the bit synchronization information and subsequently performs frame synchronization judgment using the frame synchronization information, and, when both bit synchronization and frame synchronization are established, judges that synchronization of the signal is established.

7. The communication device of claim 1, further comprising:

a channel control unit that, in response to a change in a channel corresponding to the first communication scheme, changes a channel corresponding to the second communication scheme, and changes frequency bands of the channels corresponding to the first communication scheme and the second communication scheme after the change such that at least a portion of the frequency band of the channel corresponding to the first communication scheme overlaps with at least a portion of the frequency band of the channel corresponding to the second communication scheme.

8. The communication device of claim 7, further comprising:

a channel list storage unit that stores a channel list of combinations of channels of each communication scheme such that at least a portion of the frequency band of the channel corresponding to the first communication scheme overlaps with at least a portion of the frequency band of the channel corresponding to the second communication scheme, wherein

the channel control unit changes the channel by referencing the channel list storage unit.

9. The communication device of claim 1, wherein

a transmission bandwidth of the second communication scheme is an integer multiple of a transmission bandwidth of the first communication scheme.

10. The communication device of claim 9, wherein

the transmission bandwidth of the first communication scheme is 200 kHz and the transmission bandwidth of the second communication scheme is 400 kHz.

11. The communication device of claim 1, wherein

the communication network is a wireless communication network.

12. A signal reception method of a communication device that receives, via a communication network, a plurality of signals corresponding to different communication schemes, wherein

each signal of the plurality of signals includes synchronization information corresponding to one of the different communication schemes,

the signal reception method comprising:

receiving the plurality of signals via a frequency band within which at least a portion of a frequency band of a channel corresponding to a first communication scheme overlaps with at least a portion of a frequency band of a channel corresponding to a second communication scheme;

detecting the synchronization information included in a signal received by the receiver; and

when synchronization of one communication information corresponding to the first communication scheme is detected in the signal received, performing reception processing of the signal using the first communication scheme, and when synchronization information corresponding to the first communication scheme is not detected and synchronization information corresponding to the second communication scheme is detected in the signal received, performing reception processing of the signal using the second communication scheme.

13. An integrated circuit mounted on a communication device that receives, via a communication network, a plurality of signals each corresponding to one of a first communication scheme and a second communication scheme, wherein

each signal of the plurality of signals includes synchronization information corresponding to one of the first communication scheme and the second communication scheme,

the integrated circuit comprising:

a non-transitory memory storing a program; and

a hardware processor that executes the program and causes the integrated circuit to operate as;

a receiver configured to receive the plurality of signals via a frequency band within which at least a portion of a frequency band of a channel corresponding to the first communication scheme overlaps with at least a portion of a frequency band of a channel corresponding to the second communication scheme;

a synchronization judgment unit that detects the synchronization information included in the signal received by the receiver; and

a scheme judgment unit that, when synchronization information corresponding to the first communication scheme is detected in the signal received by the receiver, performs reception processing of the signal using the first communication scheme, and when synchronization information corresponding to the first communication scheme is not detected and synchronization information corresponding to the second communication scheme is detected in the signal received by the receiver, performs reception processing of the signal using the second communication scheme.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute a signal reception method of a communication device that receives, via a communication network, a plurality of signals corresponding to different communication schemes, wherein

each signal of the plurality of signals includes synchronization information corresponding to one of the different communication schemes,

the signal reception processing method comprising:

receiving the plurality of signals via a frequency band within which at least a portion of a frequency band of a channel corresponding to a first communication scheme overlaps with at least a portion of a frequency band of a channel corresponding to a second communication scheme;

detecting the synchronization information included in a signal received by the receiver; and

when synchronization of one communication information corresponding to the first communication scheme is detected in the signal received, performing reception processing of the signal using the first communication scheme, and when synchronization information corresponding to the first communication scheme is not detected and synchronization information corresponding to the second communication scheme is detected in the signal received, performing reception processing of the signal using the second communication scheme.