Wireless communication system and wireless communication device

• US 9,451,615 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2012
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Nakano, Hisao
• Primary Examiner(s): Elliott, IV, Benjamin H
• Application Number:
  US14/377,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20150023271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,594 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/20 for optimising the interference level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A wireless communication system includes APs 1 and 2 that perform communications using different frequency channels, and slave units 3 to 5 that connect with either one of the APs 1 and 2 to perform wireless communications. When detecting a radar wave which is a wireless signal of another wireless system, and stopping the communications which have been performed till then via a frequency channel, the AP1 commands the slave units 3 to 5 that have been performing wireless communications by using this frequency channel to switch their connection destinations to the AP 2 that performs communications using a different frequency channel, and the slave units 3 to 5 switch their connection destinations to the AP 2 according to the command from the AP 1.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system that shares a frequency band with another wireless system, said wireless communication system comprising:

wireless communication devices of a plurality of master stations that perform communications using different frequency channels; and

a wireless communication device of a slave station that connects with either one of the wireless communication devices of said plurality of master stations, and performs wireless communications, wherein

when detecting a wireless signal of said other wireless system and stopping communications which has been being performed till then via a frequency channel, the wireless communication device of a master station commands the wireless communication device of said slave station which has been performing wireless communications by using this frequency channel to switch its connection destination to the wireless communication device of another master station that performs communications using a different frequency channel, and

the wireless communication device of said slave station switches its connection destination to the wireless communication device of said other master station according to the command from the wireless communication device of said master station, and

wherein the wireless communication device of said master station transmits communication channel information, which shows a frequency channel used for communications of its own device and a frequency channel through which the wireless signal of said other wireless system is detected, to the wireless communication device of said slave station, receives shared information, in which plural pieces of communication channel information obtained from each master station are combined, from the wireless communication device of said slave station, stops the communications, which have previously been performed through the frequency channel, based on the shared information, and switches to a frequency channel different from those of the wireless communication device of said other master station and said other wireless system.

2. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device of said slave station becomes a wireless communication device of a master station according to a communication condition.

3. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device of said master station becomes a wireless communication device of a slave station according to a communication condition.

4. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication devices of said plurality of master stations simultaneously perform checking of detection of the wireless signal of said other wireless system.

5. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless signal of said other wireless system is a radar wave signal, and said wireless communication system is a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) that shares the frequency band width said other wireless system.

6. A wireless communication device with which a wireless communication system that shares a frequency band with another wireless system is provided, said wireless communication device comprising:

a memory; and

a microprocessor coupled to the memory, the microprocessor being configured to execute an application stored in the memory to perform a process comprising;

communicating with a wireless communication device of a slave station;

controlling in a way of, when said communicating step detects a wireless signal of said other wireless system and stops communications which has been being performed till then via a frequency channel, commanding the wireless communication device of said slave station which has been performing wireless communications by using this frequency channel to switch its connection destination to a wireless communication device of another master station that performs communications using a different frequency channel via said the communicating step, and

wherein the controlling step includes;

transmitting communication channel information, which shows a frequency channel used for communications of its own device and a frequency channel through which the wireless signal of said other wireless system is detected, to the wireless communication device of said slave station;

receiving shared information, in which plural pieces of communication channel information obtained from each master station are combined, from the wireless communication device of said slave station;

stopping the communications, which have previously been performed through the frequency channel, based on the shared information, and

switching to a frequency channel different from those of the wireless communication device of said other master station and said other wireless system.