Wireless communicator connectable to different types of wireless communication networks

• US 9,877,355 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2014
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Original Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Inventors: Kawamoto, Yasutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Rutkowski, Jeffrey M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Deng, Fangyan
• Application Number:
  US14/548,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20150189693A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A wireless communicator includes network processors transmitting data to and receiving data from respective different networks; a media access control (MAC) setter receiving pieces of information on a MAC layer from the plurality of network processors and storing the pieces of information on the MAC layer; and a MAC processor performing operations on media access control on the basis of the pieces of information stored in the MAC setter. In the wireless communicator, the network processors supply a frame signal containing network identification information corresponding to the respective network processors to the MAC processor. Thus, it is possible to provide a wireless communicator which can give a notice to every network processor even when broadcast frames are received and which can make a reply even when beacon request command frames are received.

Claims

1. A wireless communicator comprising:

a plurality of network processors transmitting data to, and receiving data from, respective different networks, the plurality of network processors including at least a first network processor for processing information directed to, and from, a first network and a second network processor for processing information directed to, and from, a second network different from the first network;

a media access control (MAC) setter receiving pieces of information on a MAC layer from each of said plurality of network processors and storing the pieces of information on the MAC layer, said pieces of information including a separate personal area network identifier (PAN ID) for each of the plurality of network processors;

a MAC processor performing operations on media access control on a basis of the pieces of information stored in said MAC setter;

an interface connecting each of the plurality of network processors to the MAC processor;

a wireless receiver connected to the MAC processor; and

a wireless transmitter connected to the MAC processor,

wherein the MAC processor is configured to receive a data frame from the wireless receiver, compare a PAN ID of the frame with stored PAN IDs set by the MAC setter corresponding to the plurality of network processors, and transmit the frame to the respective network processor among the plurality of network processors via the interface according to the PAN ID of the frame, and

wherein each of said plurality of network processors is configured to receive data from a respective application and to supply a frame signal containing network identification information corresponding to said respective network processors to said MAC processor based on the data received from the respective application, the MAC processor is configured to generate a transmission frame signal based on the data received from the respective network processors, the transmission frame signal including a PAN ID of the respective network processor from which the data was received, and the MAC processor is configured to transmit the transmission frame signal to the wireless transmitter.

2. The wireless communicator in accordance with claim 1, wherein said MAC setter sets a plurality of network identification information into said MAC processor.

3. The wireless communicator in accordance with claim 1, wherein said MAC setter sets a plurality of address information for identifying said MAC processor.

4. The wireless communicator in accordance with claim 2, wherein said MAC processor gives a reception frame signal to one or more of said network processors to be destined, on a basis of destination network identification information and/or destination address information contained in a header of the reception frame signal.

5. The wireless communicator in accordance with claim 2, wherein said MAC processor gives a reception frame signal to all of the plurality of network processors when the reception frame signal is a broadcast frame signal.

6. The wireless communicator in accordance with claim 5, wherein said MAC processor makes copies of the received broadcast frame signal to give the reception frame signal to all of said plurality of network processors.

7. The wireless communicator in accordance with claim 2, wherein said MAC processor generates a beacon frame signal including information correlated to the network identification information contained in a received beacon request command frame signal to transmit back the beacon frame signal to a signal transmitter of the beacon request command frame signal.

8. The wireless communicator in accordance with claim 7, wherein information on devices constructing the signal transmitter including at least address information to be inserted in the beacon frame signal is correlated to the plurality of network identification information.

9. The wireless communicator in accordance with claim 7, wherein said MAC processor generates a type of beacon frame signal determined depending on the number of sets of address information in response to the received beacon request command frame signal and further transmits back the beacon frame signal.

10. The wireless communicator in accordance with claim 2, wherein said MAC setter determines whether or not one of the plurality of network identification information is identical with another one of the plurality of the network identification information to give a notice a result of the determination to said network processors if said MAC setter determines these network identification information are identical with each other.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium having a computer program recorded, said computer program controlling a computer, when installed and run, to function as a wireless communicator comprising:

a plurality of network processors transmitting data to and receiving data from respective different networks, the plurality of network processors including at least a first network processor for processing information directed to, and from, a first network and a second network processor for processing information directed to, and from, a second network different from the first network;

a media access control (MAC) setter receiving pieces of information on a MAC layer from the plurality of network processors and storing the pieces of information on the MAC layer, said pieces of information including a separate personal area network identifier (PAN ID) for each of the plurality of network processors;

a MAC processor performing operations on media access control on a basis of the pieces of information stored in the MAC setter;

an interface connecting each of the plurality of network processors to the MAC processor;

a wireless receiver connected to the MAC processor; and

a wireless transmitter connected to the MAC processor,

wherein the MAC processor is configured to receive a data frame from the wireless receiver, compare a PAN ID of the frame with stored PAN IDs set by the MAC setter corresponding to the plurality of network processors, and transmit the frame to the respective network processor among the plurality of network processors via the interface according to the PAN ID of the frame, and

said computer program further controlling said computer functioning as the wireless communicator, such that each of the plurality of network processors is configured to receive data from a respective application, to generate a frame signal containing network identification information corresponding to the respective network processors, and to supply the frame signal to the MAC processor based on the data received from the respective application, the MAC processor is configured to generate a transmission frame signal based on the data received from the respective network processors, the transmission frame signal including a PAN ID of the respective network processor from which the data was received, and the MAC processor is configured to transmit the transmission frame signal to the wireless transmitter.

12. The data storage medium in accordance with claim 11, wherein said computer program further controls said computer so that the MAC setter sets a plurality of network identification information into the MAC processor.

13. The data storage medium in accordance with claim 11, wherein said computer program further controls said computer so that the MAC setter sets a plurality of address information for identifying the MAC processor.

14. The data storage medium in accordance with claim 12, wherein said computer program further controls said computer so that the MAC processor gives a reception frame signal to one or more of the network processors to be destined, on a basis of destination network identification information and/or destination address information contained in a header of the reception frame signal.

15. The data storage medium in accordance with claim 12, wherein said computer program further controls said computer so that the MAC processor gives a reception frame signal to all of the plurality of network processors when the reception frame signal is a broadcast frame signal.

16. The data storage medium in accordance with claim 15, wherein said computer program further controls said computer so that the MAC processor makes copies of the received broadcast frame signal to give the reception frame signal to all of the plurality of network processors.

17. The data storage medium in accordance with claim 12, wherein said computer program further controls said computer so that the MAC processor generates a beacon frame signal including information correlated to the network identification information contained in a received beacon request command frame signal to transmit back the beacon frame signal to a signal transmitter of the beacon request command frame signal.

18. The data storage medium in accordance with claim 17, wherein said computer program further controls said computer so that information on devices constructing the signal transmitter including at least address information to be inserted in the beacon frame signal is correlated to the plurality of network identification information.

19. The data storage medium in accordance with claim 17, wherein said computer program further controls said computer so that the MAC processor generates a type of beacon frame signal determined depending on the number of sets of address information in response to the received beacon request command frame signal and further transmits back the beacon frame signal.

20. The data storage medium in accordance with claim 12, wherein said computer program further controls said computer so that the MAC setter determines whether or not one of the plurality of network identification information is identical with another one of the plurality of the network identification information to give a notice a result of the determination to said network processors if the MAC setter determines these network identification information are identical with each other.