WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD FOR THE DEVICE

• US 20060268796A1
• Filed: 05/02/2006
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Saito, Shin, Watanabe, Kazuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,664,538 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless communication device is provided. The wireless communication device includes a communicate range and communicating with a destination device outside the communication range thorough at least one relay station. The wireless communication device includes power mode controlling means for performing power saving control of power supplied to the wireless communication device; forcing information holding means for holding forcing information including a forced mode flag indicating whether a forced operation instruction concerning the power saving control is enabled or disabled and a limited number of the relay stations; forcing information transmitting means for transmitting the forcing information to another wireless communication device within the communication range of the wireless communication device; and forcing-information update controlling means for updating the forcing information.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device having a communication range and for communicating with a destination device outside the communication range through at least one relay station, the wireless communication device comprising:

power mode controlling means for performing power saving control of power supplied to the wireless communication device;

forcing information holding means for holding forcing information including a forced mode flag indicating whether a forced operation instruction concerning the power saving control is enabled or disabled, wherein a number of the relay stations is limited;

forcing information transmitting means for transmitting the forcing information to another wireless communication device within the communication range of the wireless communication device; and

forcing-information update controlling means for updating the forcing information.

2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the power mode control means performs forced switching to a power mode in which reception is enabled if the forced operation instruction indicated by the forced mode flag is enabled.

3. The wireless communication device according to claim 2, wherein the power mode control means does not switch to the power mode in which reception is enabled even with the forced operation instruction indicated by the forced mode flag being enabled, if the switching to the power mode in which reception is enabled is prohibited.

4. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the forcing information transmitting means transmits the forcing information that is included in a periodically broadcasted beacon signal.

5. A wireless communication device having a communication range and for communicating with a destination device outside the communication range through at least one relay station, the wireless communication device comprising:

power mode controlling means for performing power saving control of power supplied to the wireless communication device;

forcing information holding means for holding forcing information including a forced mode flag indicating whether a forced operation instruction concerning the power saving control is enabled or disabled, wherein a number of the relay stations is limited;

forcing information transmitting means for transmitting the forcing information to different wireless communication device within the communication range of the wireless communication device;

forcing information receiving means for receiving the forcing information in the different wireless communication device from the different wireless communication device; and

forcing-information update controlling means for updating the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means on the basis of a result of comparison between the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means and the forcing information in the different wireless communication device.

6. The wireless communication device according to claim 5, wherein the forcing-information update controlling means includes reception updating means for updating the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means on the basis of the forcing information in the different wireless communication device if a predetermined condition is satisfied.

7. The wireless communication device according to claim 6, wherein the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means further includes, as the state of the forcing information, any of a first state in which the enablement of the forced operation instruction is indicated by the forced mode flag, a second state in which the disablement of the forced operation instruction is indicated by the forced mode flag, and a third state in transition from the first state to the second state, and

wherein the reception updating means updates the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means on the basis of the forcing information in the different wireless communication device under a predetermined condition, if the forcing information in the different wireless communication device is in the first state.

8. The wireless communication device according to claim 7, wherein the reception updating means changes the state of the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means to the third state under a predetermined condition if the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means is in the first state and the forcing information in the different wireless communication device is in the second state.

9. The wireless communication device according to claim 6, wherein the forcing-information update controlling means further includes periodic update means for updating the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means under a predetermined condition, if the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means is not updated by the reception updating means for a predetermined time.

10. The wireless communication device according to claim 9, wherein the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means further includes, as the state of the forcing information, any of a first state in which the enablement of the forced operation instruction is indicated by the forced mode flag, a second state in which the disablement of the forced operation instruction is indicated by the forced mode flag, and a third state in transition from the first state to the second state, and

wherein the periodic update means changes the state of the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means to the third state if the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means is in the first state and the state of the forcing information is not updated for a predetermined time, and changes the state of the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means to the second state if the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means is in the third state and the state of the forcing information is not updated for the predetermined time.

11. A control method for a wireless communication device having a communication range and for communicating with a destination device outside the communication range through at least one relay station, the wireless communication device including power mode controlling means for performing power saving control of power supplied to the wireless communication device and forcing information holding means for holding forcing information including a forced mode flag indicating whether a forced operation instruction concerning the power saving control is enabled or disabled, wherein a number of the relay stations is limited, the method comprising:

receiving the forcing information in a different wireless communication device within the communication range of the wireless communication device from said different wireless communication device;

updating the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means on the basis of a result of comparison between the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means and the forcing information in the different wireless communication device; and

transmitting the updated forcing information to the different wireless communication device.

12. A computer-readable program stored in a wireless communication device having a communication range and for communicating with a destination device outside the communication range through at least one relay station, the wireless communication device including power mode controlling means for performing power saving control of power supplied to the wireless communication device and forcing information holding means for holding forcing information including a forced mode flag indicating whether a forced operation instruction concerning the power saving control is enabled or disabled and a limited number of the relay stations, the program causing a computer to execute:

instructions for receiving the forcing information in a different wireless communication device within the communication range of the wireless communication device from said different wireless communication device;

instructions for updating the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means on the basis of a result of comparison between the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means and the forcing information in the different wireless communication device; and

instructions for transmitting the updated forcing information to the different wireless communication device.

13. A wireless communication device having a communication range and for communicating with a destination device outside the communication range through at least one relay station, the wireless communication device comprising:

a power mode controlling unit configured to perform power saving control of power supplied to the wireless communication device;

a forcing information holding unit configured to hold forcing information including a forced mode flag indicating whether a forced operation instruction concerning the power saving control is enabled or disabled, wherein a number of the relay stations is limited;

a forcing information transmitting unit configured to transmit the forcing information to another wireless communication device within the communication range of the wireless communication device; and

a forcing-information update controlling unit configured to update the forcing information.

14. A wireless communication device having a communication range and for communicating with a destination device outside the communication range through at least one relay station, the wireless communication device comprising:

a power mode controlling unit configured to perform power saving control of power supplied to the wireless communication device;

a forcing information holding unit configured to hold forcing information including a forced mode flag indicating whether a forced operation instruction concerning the power saving control is enabled or disabled, wherein a number of the relay stations is limited;

a forcing information transmitting unit configured to transmit the forcing information to a different wireless communication device within the communication range of the wireless communication device;

a forcing information receiving unit configured to receive the forcing information in the different wireless communication device from said different wireless communication device; and

a forcing-information update controlling unit configured to update the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means on the basis of a result of comparison between the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means and the forcing information in the different wireless communication device