Wireless communication system, wireless communication apparatus, and wireless communication method

• US 20040223477A1
• Filed: 02/13/2004
• Published: 11/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sugaya, Shigeru, Konya, Satoshi, Iwami, Hideki, Iwasaki, Jun, Mizoguchi, Yasuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,426,396 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/71635 Transmitter aspects H04B1/7174 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

A wireless communication apparatus is provided in which a frequency band, a signal type, and a transmission power conforming to radio law of a country that uses a first wireless communication system are set by means of a receiving status of a specific signal of a second wireless communication system, so that user friendly wireless communication apparatus regarding operations thereof can be provided.

In the wireless communication system 1 according to the present invention, an area information acquisition portion 2 acquires information on an area in which the wireless communication system presently exists. Based on communication setting information in the wireless communication system corresponding to area information stored in an information memory portion 4, an area information judgment portion 3 judges communication setting information capable of being set in the wireless communication system in accordance with the area information acquired from the area information acquisition portion 2. Based on the communication setting information judged by the area information judgment portion 3, communication parameter control setting portion 5 controls communication settings of the wireless communication system.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system which can perform wireless communication with another wireless communication system, comprising:

an area information acquisition unit for acquiring information on an area in which the wireless communication system presently exists;

a memory unit for storing communication setting information on the wireless communication system corresponding to said area information;

an area information judgment unit for judging the communication setting information which can be set in the wireless communication system based on the area information acquired from said area information acquisition unit; and

a communication control unit for controlling communication settings in the wireless communication system based on the communication setting information judged by said area information judgment unit.

2. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein

said area information acquisition unit includes GPS (Global Positioning System) receiving system and information on an area in which the wireless communication system presently exits is identified by means of position information acquired from said GPS receiving system.

3. A wireless communication apparatus in a wireless communication system which can perform wireless communication with another wireless communication system, comprising:

an area information acquisition unit for acquiring information on an area in which the wireless communication apparatus presently exists;

a memory unit for storing communication setting information on the wireless communication apparatus corresponding to said area information;

an area information judgment unit for judging the communication setting information which can be set in the wireless communication apparatus based on the area information acquired from said area information acquisition unit; and

a communication control unit for controlling communication settings in the wireless communication apparatus based on the communication setting information judged by said area information judgment unit.

4. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

said area information acquisition unit includes GPS (Global Positioning System) receiving system and information on an area in which the wireless communication apparatus presently exists is identified by means of position information acquired from said GPS receiving system.

5. A wireless communication apparatus which can perform wireless communication with another wireless communication system, comprising:

a receiving unit for receiving area information from another wireless communication system to judge communication setting information which can be set in the wireless communication system permitted in an area where the wireless communication apparatus is used; and

a communication control unit for controlling communication settings in the wireless communication apparatus based on the communication setting information judged from the area information received by said receiving unit.

6. A wireless communication system in which a first wireless communication system can perform wireless communication with a second wireless communication system, the first wireless communication system comprising:

a receiving unit, of a wireless communication apparatus in said first wireless communication system in which a frequency band and a signal type usable for wireless communication differ from country to country, for receiving a predetermined signal in said second wireless communication system;

an identification unit for identifying a present position of the wireless communication apparatus of said first wireless communication system from the signal; and

a control unit for controlling operations to set at least one of a frequency band, a signal type, a transmission output power, and an available time for usage which conform to radio law of a corresponding country so that information transmission is performed in said first wireless communication system.

7. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, wherein

said receiving unit includes GPS (Global Positioning System) receiving system and information on an area in which the wireless communication system presently exists is identified by means of position information acquired from said GPS receiving system.

8. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, wherein

a signal is received from a base station of a wireless cellular telephone line as said second wireless communication system and a country where the wireless communication apparatus exists is recognized by means of an international identification code or an area identification code which is contained as information on the corresponding base station.

9. A wireless communication method of a first wireless communication system which can perform wireless communication with a second wireless communication system, comprising the steps of:

receiving a predetermined signal in the second wireless communication system by a wireless communication apparatus in the first wireless communication system in which a frequency band and a signal type usable for wireless communication differ from country to country;

identifying a present position of the wireless communication apparatus; and

setting at least one of a frequency band, a signal type, a transmission output power, and an available time for usage which conform to radio law of a corresponding country and controlling operations so that information transmission of the first wireless communication system is performed.

10. The wireless communication method according to claim 9, wherein

GPS (Global Positioning System) receiving system is used in said receiving step, and information on an area in which the wireless communication system presently exists is identified by position information acquired from said GPS receiving system.

11. The wireless communication method according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a signal from a base station of a wireless cellular telephone line as said second wireless communication system;

distinguishing an international identification code or an area identification code which is contained as information on the corresponding base station;

referring to a frequency band, a signal type, and a transmission output power which can be used in the first wireless communication system from among the international identification code or the area identification code; and

setting the frequency band and the signal type thereof.

12. A wireless communication apparatus performing wireless communication using a wide band, wherein

a receiving portion of said wireless communication apparatus comprises:

a receiving unit for receiving a signal transmitted from another wireless communication apparatus to output the received signal;

a signal processing unit for performing signal processing on said received signal output from said receiving unit;

a position detecting unit for detecting a position of the wireless communication apparatus;

a memory unit for storing interfered frequency bands, which are communication frequency bands that affect a signal processing function of said signal processing unit, corresponding to the position of said wireless communication apparatus;

an interfered frequency band identifying unit for identifying an interfered frequency band for the wireless communication apparatus from said interfered frequency bands stored in said memory unit in accordance with position information detected by said position detecting unit; and

an interfered frequency component elimination controlling unit for controlling operations so that the interfered frequency component which is identified by said interfered frequency band identifying unit can be eliminated from said received signal.

13. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

a band-pass filter unit capable of selecting a frequency band of said received signal to perform a filtering processing is provided between said receiving unit and said signal processing unit that includes a low noise amplifier (LNA), and

said interfered frequency component elimination controlling unit controls said band-pass filter unit to eliminate said interfered frequency component from said received signal.

14. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

said receiving unit is provided with an antenna portion capable of selecting a frequency band of said received signal, said signal processing unit includes the low noise amplifier (LNA), and

said interfered frequency component elimination controlling unit controls said antenna portion to eliminate said interfered frequency component from said received signal.

15. A wireless communication apparatus performing wireless communication using a wide band, wherein

a receiving portion of said wireless communication apparatus comprises:

a receiving unit for receiving a signal transmitted from another wireless communication apparatus to output the received signal;

a signal processing unit for performing signal processing on said received signal output from said receiving unit;

an interfered frequency information extracting unit for extracting, from data on an output signal output from said signal processing unit, information on interfered frequencies which are communication frequency bands that affect a signal processing function of said signal processing unit corresponding to position information of the wireless communication apparatus;

an interfered frequency band identifying unit for identifying an interfered frequency band for the wireless communication apparatus from said interfered frequency bands extracted by said interfered frequency information extracting unit in accordance with said position information;

an initial setting unit for initially setting an interfered frequency component corresponding to the position information of the wireless communication apparatus, before an interfered frequency component is identified by said interfered frequency band identifying unit; and

an interfered frequency component elimination controlling unit for controlling operations so that the interfered frequency component initially set by said initial setting unit or the interfered frequency component identified by said interfered frequency band identifying unit can be eliminated from said received signal.

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

a memory unit for storing interfered frequency bands corresponding to position information which are communication frequency bands having a transmission power level higher than that affecting the signal processing function of said signal processing unit, wherein

when the information extracted by said interfered frequency information extracting unit is only position information, said interfered frequency band identifying unit identifies an interfered frequency band for the wireless communication apparatus from said interfered frequency bands stored in said memory unit in accordance with said position information.

17. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

a band-pass filter unit capable of selecting an frequency band of said received signal to perform a filtering processing is provided between said receiving unit and said signal processing unit that includes a low noise amplifier (LNA), and

said interfered frequency component elimination controlling unit controls said band-pass filter unit to eliminate said interfered frequency component from said received signal.

18. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

said receiving unit is provided with an antenna portion capable of selecting a frequency band of said received signal, said signal processing unit includes a low noise amplifier (LNA), and

said interfered frequency component elimination controlling unit controls said antenna portion to eliminate said interfered frequency component from said received signal.

19. A wireless communication apparatus performing wireless communication using a bandwidth which includes a plurality of communication frequency bands, wherein

a receiving portion of said wireless communication apparatus comprises:

a receiving unit for receiving a signal transmitted from another wireless communication apparatus to output the received signal;

a signal processing unit for performing a signal processing on said received signal output from said receiving unit;

an setting reception unit for receiving, from the outside, setting of an interfered frequency band, which is a communication frequency band that affects a signal processing function of said signal processing unit, corresponding to a position of the wireless communication apparatus; and

an interfered frequency component elimination controlling unit for controlling operations so that an interfered frequency component which is arbitrarily set by said setting reception unit can be eliminated from said received signal.

20. A wireless communication method for performing wireless communication between wireless communication apparatuses using a band including a plurality of communication frequency bands, wherein

a receiving processing of said wireless communication apparatus comprises the steps of:

receiving a signal transmitted from another wireless communication apparatus to output the received signal;

performing signal processing on said received signal which is output by said receiving step;

detecting a position of the wireless communication apparatus;

reading out interfered frequency bands corresponding to said position of the wireless communication apparatus which are stored in a memory unit and are communication frequency bands that affect a signal processing function of said signal processing step;

identifying an interfered frequency band for the wireless communication apparatus from said interfered frequency bands stored in said memory unit in accordance with position information which is detected by said position detecting step; and

controlling operations so that an interfered frequency component which is identified by said interfered frequency band identifying step can be eliminated from said received signal.