Wireless communication device and control method for the device

• US 7,664,538 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2006
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Saito, Shin, Watanabe, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson; Matthew D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aminzay; Shaima Q
• Application Number:
  US11/381,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20060268796A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• Field of Search: 455/69, 455/13.4, 455/127.5, 4553431-3436, 455571-574, 455/522, 370/318
• US Class Current: 455/574
• 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 communicating with a destination device outside a communication range of the own device through at least one relay station, the wireless communication device comprising:

power mode controlling means for performing saving control of power supplied to the own 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 the forcing information including information corresponding to a limited number of the relay stations through which the forcing information is to be transmitted;

forcing information transmitting means for transmitting the forcing information to another wireless communication device within the communication range of the own 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 beacon signal periodically broadcasted.

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

power mode controlling means for performing saving control of power supplied to the own 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 the forcing information including information corresponding to a limited number of the relay stations through which the forcing information is to be transmitted;

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

forcing information receiving means for receiving forcing information held in the other wireless communication device from the other 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 received from the other 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 held in the other 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 other wireless communication device under a predetermined condition, if the forcing information held in the other 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 held in the other 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. The wireless communication device according to claim 5,

wherein the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means and the forcing information received from the other wireless communication device each include information corresponding to a priority of the forcing information.

12. The wireless communication device according to claim 11,

wherein the comparison between the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means and the forcing information received from the other wireless communication device is based on the priority of each forcing information.

13. The wireless communication device according to claim 11, wherein the priority of the forcing information is based on the number of the relay stations through which the forcing information is to be transmitted.

14. A control method for a wireless communication device

communicating with a destination device outside a communication range of the own device through at least one relay station, the wireless communication device including power mode controlling means for performing saving control of power supplied to the own 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 the forcing information including information corresponding to a limited number of the relay stations through which the forcing information is to be transmitted, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving forcing information held in another wireless communication device within the communication range of the own device from the other 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 received from the other wireless communication device; and

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

15. The control method for a wireless communication device according to claim 14,

wherein the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means and the forcing information received from the other wireless communication device each include information corresponding to a priority of the forcing information.

16. The control method for a wireless communication device according to claim 15,

wherein the comparison between the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means and the forcing information received from the other wireless communication device is based on the priority of each forcing information.

17. The control method for a wireless communication device according to claim 15, wherein the priority of the forcing information is based on the number of the relay stations through which the forcing information is to be transmitted.

18. A computer program product stored in a computer-readable medium of a wireless communication device, the computer-readable medium including executable instructions that when executed by a processor performs steps for communicating with a destination device outside a communication range of the own device through at least one relay station, the wireless communication device including power mode controlling means for performing saving control of power supplied to the own 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 the forcing information including information corresponding to a limited number of the relay stations through which the forcing information is to be transmitted, said steps comprising:

receiving the forcing information in another wireless communication device within the communication range of the own device from the other 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 received from the other wireless communication device; and

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

19. The computer program product according to claim 18,

wherein the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means and the forcing information received from the other wireless communication device each include information corresponding to a priority of the forcing information.

20. The computer program product according to claim 19,

wherein the comparison between the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means and the forcing information received from the other wireless communication device is based on the priority of each forcing information.

21. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein the priority of the forcing information is based on the number of the relay stations through which the forcing information is to be transmitted.

22. A wireless communication device communicating with a destination device outside a communication range of the own device through at least one relay station, the wireless communication device comprising:

a power mode controlling unit configured to perform 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, and the forcing information including information corresponding to a limited number of the relay stations through which the forcing information is to be transmitted;

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

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

23. A wireless communication device communicating with a

destination device outside a communication range of the own device through at least one relay station, the wireless communication device comprising:

a power mode controlling unit configured to perform 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, and the forcing information including information corresponding to a limited number of the relay stations through which the forcing information is to be transmitted;

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

a forcing information receiving unit configured to receive forcing information held in the other wireless communication device from the other 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 received from the other wireless communication device.

24. The wireless communication device according to claim 23,

wherein the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means and the forcing information received from the other wireless communication device each include information corresponding to a priority of the forcing information.

25. The wireless communication device according to claim 24,

wherein the comparison between the forcing information held in the forcing information holding means and the forcing information received from the other wireless communication device is based on the priority of each forcing information.

26. The wireless communication device according to claim 24, wherein the priority of the forcing information is based on the number of the relay stations through which the forcing information is to be transmitted.