Wireless communication system, wireless terminal station, wireless base station, and wireless communication method

• US 8,238,835 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2007
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Nagai, Yukimasa, Yamauchi, Takahisa, Kosaka, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Blanton, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): LINDENBAUM, ALAN LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US12/518,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20100014463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,707 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/67.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0619 using feedback from receiving side feedback signaling for adaptive modulation/coding H04L1/0001
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0695 using beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/065 using assembly or disassembly of packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/27 between access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A first wireless terminal station transmits beam transmission direction identification information in all directions. A second wireless terminal station receives the transmission direction identification information, combines reception direction identification information and the transmission direction identification information, and transmits directivity direction combination information to a wireless base station. The first and the second wireless terminal stations form directional beams in directions indicated by the directivity direction combination information to thereby perform a direct communication.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system including a wireless terminal station that performs a communication using directional beams formed in a plurality of directions, wherein

the wireless terminal station includes at least

a first wireless terminal station that transmits beam transmission direction identification information in all directions, in which the information can be transmitted, over a period designated from a wireless base station covering the first wireless terminal station at a beam switching execution interval notified to the wireless base station in advance, and

a second wireless terminal station that performs, when the second wireless terminal station is covered by the wireless base station together with the first wireless terminal station, a reception operation for the transmission direction identification information, which is transmitted from the first wireless terminal station, in all reception directions over a period designated from the wireless base station at an antenna switching execution interval designated from the wireless base station, combines reception direction identification information and the transmission direction identification information at the reception of the transmission direction identification information to specify the combined reception direction identification information and the transmission direction identification information as directivity direction combination information, and transmits the directivity direction combination information to the first wireless terminal station, and

the wireless communication system further comprises a wireless base station that determines the period and the antenna switching execution interval based on a number of directivity directions of directional beams notified from the first and second wireless terminal stations and the beam switching execution interval, and

the first wireless terminal station and the second wireless terminal station form the directional beams in directions indicated by the directivity direction combination information to thereby perform a direct communication.

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

the wireless base station estimates a location of the first wireless terminal station and a location of the second wireless terminal station based on a communication history and notifies, taking into account a result of the estimation, the first wireless terminal station and the second wireless terminal station of a directional beam using an order of the first wireless terminal station in transmitting the transmission direction identification information and receiving a direction switching order of the second wireless terminal station in receiving the transmission direction identification information together with the period and the antenna switching execution interval,

the first wireless terminal station transmits the transmission direction identification information in respective directions in the directional beam using the order notified from the wireless base station, and

the second wireless terminal station performs the reception operation for the transmission direction identification information in the respective directions in the receiving direction switching order notified from the wireless base station.

3. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first wireless terminal station transmits the directional beam identification information using a device discovery frame independently defined as a frame for transmitting the transmission direction identification information with the directional beam identification information included in a frame body section of the device recovery frame.

4. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first wireless terminal station transmits the directional beam identification information using a device discovery frame independently defined as a frame for transmitting the transmission direction identification information with the directional beam identification information included in a header section of the device recovery frame and a frame body section of the device recovery frame omitted.

5. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first wireless terminal station transmits the directional beam identification information using a device discovery frame independently defined as a frame for transmitting the transmission direction identification information with the directional beam identification information included in a preamble section of the device recovery frame and a header section and a frame body section of the device recovery frame omitted.

6. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein when the wireless base station has a function of selectively using a directional beam, a direction of which can be switched, and an omni-directional beam, the wireless base station performs transmission of an announcement signal and reception of the connection request signal from the wireless terminal station using the omni-directional beam, when the connection request signal is received from the wireless terminal that receives the announcement signal, instructs, using the omni-directional beam, the wireless terminal station to transmit a predetermined signal and thereafter executes reception operation for the predetermined signal transmitted from the wireless terminal station while switching direction of the directional beam, and specifies the direction of the directional beam at the reception of the predetermined signal as a direction of a directional beam used in communication with the wireless terminal station.

7. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein when the wireless base station has a function of selectively using a directional beam,

the first wireless terminal station transmits, using the omni-directional beam, transmits a first predetermined signal, which is held by the first wireless terminal station, over a first period designated from a wireless base station, which covers the first wireless terminal station, at a first interval notified to the wireless base station in advance,

the second wireless terminal station performs, over the first period, reception operation for the first predetermined signal transmitted from the first wireless terminal station while changing direction of the directional beam at the first interval designated from the wireless base station, specifies direction in receiving the first predetermined signal as direction of a directional beam used in direct communication with the first wireless terminal station, and transmits, using the omni-directional beam or the directional beam directed to the specified direction, a second predetermined signal, which is held by the second wireless terminal station, over a second period designated from the wireless base station at a second interval notified to the wireless base station in advance, and

the first wireless terminal station performs, after finishing the transmission operation for the first predetermined signal, reception operation for the second predetermined signal, which is transmitted from the second wireless terminal station, over the second period while switching direction of the directional beam at a second interval designated from the wireless base station.

8. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first wireless terminal station has a function of reducing a protocol overhead by aggregating and transmitting a plurality of frames.

9. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the second wireless terminal station has an aggregate media-access-control protocol data unit function by including a fragmentation control field necessary in carrying out frame aggregation, a frame type field, a frame sub-type field, and a length field in a frame of a physical format in which a media-access-control header is included in a physical-layer-convergence-protocol header.

10. The wireless communication system according to claim 9, wherein the second wireless terminal station can efficiently aggregate a plurality of kinds of frames and perform highly-efficient transmission by using the frame type field and the frame sub-type field.

11. A wireless communication system including a wireless terminal station that performs a communication using directional beams formed in a plurality of directions, wherein

the wireless terminal station includes at least

a first wireless terminal station that transmits beam transmission direction identification information in all directions, in which the information can be transmitted, over a period designated from a wireless base station covering the first wireless terminal station at a beam switching execution interval notified to the wireless base station in advance, and

a second wireless terminal station that performs, when the second wireless terminal station is covered by the wireless base station together with the first wireless terminal station, a reception operation for the transmission direction identification information, which is transmitted from the first wireless terminal station, in all reception directions over a period designated from the wireless base station at an antenna switching execution interval designated from the wireless base station, combines reception direction identification information and the transmission direction identification information at the reception of the transmission direction identification information to specify the combined reception direction identification information and the transmission direction identification information as directivity direction combination information, and transmits the directivity direction combination information to the wireless base station, and

the wireless communication system further comprises a wireless base station that determines the period and the antenna switching execution interval based on a number of directivity directions of directional beams notified from the first and second wireless terminal stations and the beam switching execution interval, and when the directivity direction combination information is received from the second wireless terminal, notifies the first wireless terminal station of the received directivity direction combination information, and

the first wireless terminal station and the second wireless terminal station form the directional beams in directions indicated by the directivity direction combination information to thereby perform a direct communication.

12. The wireless communication system according to claim 11, wherein

the wireless base station estimates a location of the first wireless terminal station and a location of the second wireless terminal station based on a communication history and notifies, taking into account a result of the estimation, the first wireless terminal station and the second wireless terminal station of a directional beam using an order of the first wireless terminal station in transmitting the transmission direction identification information and receiving a direction switching order of the second wireless terminal station in receiving the transmission direction identification information together with the period and the antenna switching execution interval,

the first wireless terminal station transmits the transmission direction identification information in respective directions in the directional beam using the order notified from the wireless base station, and

the second wireless terminal station performs the reception operation for the transmission direction identification information in the respective directions in the receiving direction switching order notified from the wireless base station.

13. The wireless communication system according to claim 11, wherein the first wireless terminal station transmits the directional beam identification information using a device discovery frame independently defined as a frame for transmitting the transmission direction identification information with the directional beam identification information included in a header section of the device recovery frame and a frame body section of the device recovery frame omitted.

14. The wireless communication system according to claim 11, wherein when the wireless base station has a function of selectively using a directional beam, a direction of which can be switched, and an omni-directional beam, the wireless base station performs transmission of an announcement signal and reception of the connection request signal from the wireless terminal station using the omni-directional beam, when the connection request signal is received from the wireless terminal that receives the announcement signal, instructs, using the omni-directional beam, the wireless terminal station to transmit a predetermined signal and thereafter executes reception operation for the predetermined signal transmitted from the wireless terminal station while switching direction of the directional beam, and specifies the direction of the directional beam at the reception of the predetermined signal as a direction of a directional beam used in communication with the wireless terminal station.

15. The wireless communication system according to claim 11, wherein when the wireless base station has a function of selectively using a directional beam, a direction of which can be switched, and an omni-directional beam, the wireless base station transmits an announcement signal using the omni-directional beam, executes, while switching direction of the directional beam, operation for receiving a connection request signal from the wireless terminal station that receives the announcement signal, and specifies, when the connection request signal is received, the direction of the directional beam used during the reception as a direction of a directional beam used in communication with a transmission source wireless terminal station of the connection request signal.

16. The wireless communication system according to claim 11, wherein the wireless terminal station performs reception operation for an announcement signal transmitted from the wireless base station while switching direction of the directional beam and specifies direction in receiving the announcement signal as direction of a directional beam used in communication with the wireless base station.

17. The wireless communication system according to claim 11, wherein when the wireless base station has a function of selectively using a directional beam,

the first wireless terminal station transmits, using the omni-directional beam, transmits a first predetermined signal, which is held by the first wireless terminal station, over a first period designated from a wireless base station, which covers the first wireless terminal station, at a first interval notified to the wireless base station in advance,

the second wireless terminal station performs, over the first period, reception operation for the first predetermined signal transmitted from the first wireless terminal station while changing direction of the directional beam at the first interval designated from the wireless base station, specifies direction in receiving the first predetermined signal as direction of a directional beam used in direct communication with the first wireless terminal station, and transmits, using the omni-directional beam or the directional beam directed to the specified direction, a second predetermined signal, which is held by the second wireless terminal station, over a second period designated from the wireless base station at a second interval notified to the wireless base station in advance, and

the first wireless terminal station performs, after finishing the transmission operation for the first predetermined signal, reception operation for the second predetermined signal, which is transmitted from the second wireless terminal station, over the second period while switching direction of the directional beam at a second interval designated from the wireless base station.

18. The wireless communication system according to claim 11, wherein the first wireless terminal station has a function of reducing a protocol overhead by aggregating and transmitting a plurality of frames.

19. The wireless communication system according to claim 11, wherein the first wireless terminal station has an aggregate media-access-control protocol data unit function by including a fragmentation control field necessary in carrying out frame aggregation, a frame type field, a frame sub-type field, and a length field in a frame of a physical format in which a media-access-control header is included in a physical-layer-convergence-protocol header.

20. A wireless communication system including a wireless terminal station that performs a communication using directional beams formed in a plurality of directions, wherein

the wireless terminal station includes at least

a first wireless terminal station that transmits beam transmission direction identification information in all directions, in which the information can be transmitted, over a period designated from a wireless base station covering the first wireless terminal station at a beam switching execution interval notified to the wireless base station in advance, and

a plurality of second wireless terminal stations each performing, when the second wireless terminal station is covered by the wireless base station together with the first wireless terminal station, a reception operation for the transmission direction identification information, which is transmitted from the first wireless terminal station, in all reception directions over a period designated from the wireless base station at an antenna switching execution interval designated from the wireless base station, combines reception direction identification information and the transmission direction identification information at the reception of the transmission direction identification information to specify the combined reception direction identification information and the transmission direction identification information as directivity direction combination information, and transmits the directivity direction combination information to the wireless base station, and

the wireless communication system further comprises a wireless base station that determines the period and the antenna switching execution interval based on a number of directivity directions of directional beams notified from the first and second wireless terminal stations and the beam switching execution interval, and when the directivity direction combination information is received from the second wireless terminal, notifies the first wireless terminal station of the received directivity direction combination information, and

the first wireless terminal station forms the directional beams in a direction indicated by a corresponding directivity direction combination information among the second wireless terminal stations to thereby perform a direct communication.