Wireless system, wireless device, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein communication program, and communication method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10306451-B2
Application number	US-201615222989-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2016
Priority date	Jul 31, 2015
Publication date	May 28, 2019
Grant date	May 28, 2019

Abstract

A communication system as an example of an exemplary embodiment includes two mobile terminals and two BLE terminals. The mobile terminals establish connections with the BLE terminals. Specifically, one of the mobile terminals and one of the BLE terminals are connected together such that the mobile terminal is a central and the BLE terminal is a peripheral. In the state of being connected to the mobile terminal, the BLE terminal communicates with the other BLE terminal in the state of being connected to the other mobile terminal. The BLE terminals may establish a connection with each other and communicate with each other, or may communicate with each other without establishing a connection with each other.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wireless system including a plurality of devices capable of performing wireless communication,
the wireless system comprising a first device, a second device, a third device, and a fourth device,
the first device and the second device
establishing a connection between the first device and the second device such that the first device is a master and the second device is a slave, and performing wireless communication with each other,

the fourth device and the third device
establishing a connection between the fourth device and the third device such that the fourth device is a master and the third device is a slave, and performing wireless communication with each other,

the second device
in the state of being connected as a slave to the first device, performing wireless communication with the third device in the state of being connected as a slave to the fourth device, the second device is configured to:

determine whether to communicate with the third device without establishing a connection with the third device based on a request from an application;
set a type of a packet to one of a non-connection and connection based on the determination; and
transmit the set type of packet.

2. The wireless system according to claim 1 , wherein
the second device
executes a transmission process for wirelessly transmitting data by broadcast or multicast,
executes a reception process for wirelessly receiving data transmitted by broadcast or multicast, and
in the state of being connected as a slave to the first device executes the transmission process and the reception process, thereby communicating with the third device in the state of being connected as a slave to the fourth device.

3. The wireless system according to claim 2 , wherein
the second device in the state of being connected to the first device repeatedly executes the transmission process and the reception process, thereby performing wireless communication with the third device in the state of being connected as a slave to the fourth device, without establishing a connection with the third device in response to a determination to communicate with the third device without establishing a connection.

4. The wireless system according to claim 2 , wherein
the second device in the state of being connected to the first device repeatedly executes the transmission process and the reception process, thereby performing wireless communication with another device present around the second device.

5. The wireless system according to claim 4 , wherein
the second device repeatedly executes the transmission process and the reception process to search for another device around the second device and establishes a connection with the third device detected by the search and in the state of being connected as a slave to the fourth device.

6. The wireless system according to claim 4 , wherein
the second device alternately and repeatedly executes the transmission process and the reception process.

7. The wireless system according to claim 4 , wherein
a sleep period in which neither the transmission process nor the reception process is performed is present at least between the transmission process and the reception process, between the transmission process and the transmission process, or between the reception process and the reception process.

8. The wireless system according to claim 2 , wherein
at least any of an execution period of the transmission process, timing for executing the transmission process, an execution period of the reception process, and timing for executing the reception process is variable.

9. The wireless system according to claim 8 , wherein
at least any of the execution period of the transmission process, the timing for executing the transmission process, the execution period of the reception process, and the timing for executing the reception process is randomly set.

10. The wireless system according to claim 1 , wherein
the second device in a state of not being connected to the third device in response to a determination to communicate with the third device without establishing a connection transmits or receives predetermined data by wireless communication to or from the third device in the state of being connected as a slave to the fourth device.

11. The wireless system according to claim 10 , wherein
the second device transmits or receives, as the predetermined data, data for use in an application.

12. The wireless system according to claim 11 , wherein
the application is a gaming application.

13. The wireless system according to claim 1 , wherein
the second device in the state of being connected as a slave to the first device establishes a connection with the third device in the state of being connected as a slave to the fourth device and performs wireless communication with the third device in a state where the established connection is maintained in response to a determination to communicate with the third device using a connection.

14. The wireless system according to claim 1 , wherein
in the state where the first device and the second device are connected together, the first device and the second device repeatedly perform synchronous communication with each other.

15. The wireless system according to claim 14 , wherein
the wireless system executes an allowance period setting process for setting an allowance period for a connection between the first device and the second device, and
the second device in the state of being connected to the first device executes a determination process for determining, based on the allowance period, whether or not to execute the synchronous communication with the first device.

16. The wireless system according to claim 14 , wherein
the second device broadcasts a timing of the synchronous communication between the first device and the second device.

17. The wireless system according to claim 1 , wherein
the first device and the second device repeatedly perform synchronous communication with each other, and
the fourth device and the third device repeatedly perform synchronous communication with each other.

18. The wireless system according to claim 17 , wherein
the wireless system further executes an adjustment process for adjusting at least either one of timing of the synchronous communication between the first device and the second device and timing of the synchronous communication between the fourth device and the third device.

19. The wireless system according to claim 18 , wherein
in the adjustment process, the timing of the synchronous communication between the first device and the second device and the timing of the synchronous communication between the fourth device and the third device are adjusted to be close to each other.

20. The wireless system according to claim 17 , wherein
the second device performs wireless communication with the third device during a time period where the first device and the second device are not performing the synchronous communication and where the fourth device and the third device are not performing the synchronous communication.

21. The wireless system according to claim 1 , wherein
the second device sets a time interval of synchronous communication in the connection between the second device and the third device and performs synchronous communication with the third device at the set time interval, and
the second device adjusts the time interval of the synchronous communication with th

Assignees

• Nintendo Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takeuchi Hiroyuki
• Imura Yoshitaka

Classifications

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title

• H04W84/20

  Leader-follower arrangements · CPC title

• H04W76/40

  for selective distribution or broadcast · CPC title

• H04W76/15

  Setup of multiple wireless link connections · CPC title

• H04W8/005 Primary

  Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals · CPC title