Wireless communication apparatus and wireless communication method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016174165-A1
Application number	US-201414907554-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 30, 2014
Priority date	Jul 29, 2013
Publication date	Jun 16, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

To suitably perform information transfer, while suppressing interference to other terminal stations, and preventing a reduction of a transmission opportunity of other terminal stations.
A terminal station estimates a distance of another terminal station (within a receivable range), from an MCS or RSSI, for example, and controls a transmission power of itself, in accordance with a value weighted with respect to distance. For example, in the case where it is estimated that a number of terminal stations with a far distance has increased, from the value weighted with respect to distance, a transmission power of itself is lowered. As a result of this, transmission by multi-hop is explicitly performed, and it is possible to suppress electric wave interference of a multi-hop destination.

First claim

1 . A wireless communication apparatus comprising:
a transmission unit which transmits a wireless signal; a reception unit which receives a wireless signal; a transmission power control unit which controls a transmission power of the transmission unit; and an interference suppression unit which instructs the transmission power control unit to change a transmission power so as to suppress interference in accordance with a distance from a surrounding terminal station.

2 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the interference suppression unit instructs the transmission power control unit to change a transmission power so as to suppress interference to a terminal station with a far distance.

3 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the interference suppression unit instructs the transmission power control unit to change a transmission power in accordance with a decision value weighted according to a distance from another communicable terminal station.

4 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the interference suppression unit performs an instruction so as to lower a transmission power in a case where it is estimated the number of terminal stations with a far distance has increased based on the decision value.

5 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the interference suppression unit performs an instruction so as to raise a transmission power in a case where it is estimated the number of terminal stations with a far distance has decreased based on the decision value.

6 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the interference suppression unit instructs the transmission power control unit to reduce a transmission power so as to suppress interference to a terminal station with a distance farther than a presently communicating terminal station.

7 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the interference suppression unit performs an instruction so as to reduce a transmission power in a case where a communicable terminal station is present, and a terminal station estimated to be most distant is not a target for performing communication.

8 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the interference suppression unit does not perform an instruction to reduce a transmission power at a time when the number of communicable terminal stations is less than a prescribed number.

9 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the interference suppression unit decides whether or not a terminal station estimated to be most distant is a target for performing communication based on a belonging condition of a group in a mesh network, a communication history, or a specification of nexthop.

10 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the interference suppression unit instructs the transmission power control unit to change a transmission power so as to suppress interference with a hidden terminal.

11 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the interference suppression unit performs an instruction so as to reduce a transmission power of the transmission power control unit at a time when the total number of terminal stations having a influence on transmission and reception of a packet of itself is estimated, and the total number exceeds a prescribed value.

12 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 11 ,
wherein the interference suppression unit estimates the total number of terminal stations having a influence on transmission and reception of a packet of itself based on a Beacon Interval Timing Element included in a beacon or action frame to be transmitted by each terminal station.

13 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the interference suppression unit causes information related to a transmission power to be transmitted to another terminal station.

14 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 13 ,
wherein the interference suppression unit instructs the transmission power control unit to increase a transmission power at a time when transmitting information related to a transmission power to another terminal station.

15 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 13 ,
wherein the interference control unit causes a packet in which information related to a transmission power is described to be transmitted by broadcast transfer or multicast communication.

16 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 13 ,
wherein the interference control unit transmits a control request of a transmission power to another terminal station as information related to a transmission power.

17 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 13 ,
wherein the interference control unit transmits information related to a transmission power of itself as information related to a transmission power.

18 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 13 ,
wherein the interference control unit performs a control of a transmission power of itself in accordance with receiving information related to a transmission power from another terminal station.

19 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a signal detection capability control unit which controls a signal detection capability of the reception unit, wherein the interference suppression unit instructs the signal detection capability control unit to change a signal detection capability in accordance with a change of a transmission power.

20 . A wireless communication method comprising:
an estimation step which estimates interference corresponding to a distance from a surrounding station; and a transmission power control step which controls a transmission power at a time of data transmission so as to suppress the interference.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Ikenaga Yoshihiko
• Sakoda Kazuyuki
• Watanabe Nobuhiko
• Fujita Chihiro

Classifications

• H04W52/245

  taking into account received signal strength · CPC title

• H04L12/413

  with random access, e.g. carrier-sense multiple-access with collision detection [CSMA-CD] · CPC title

• H04W52/383

  power control in peer-to-peer links · CPC title

• H04W52/46

  in multi-hop networks, e.g. wireless relay networks · CPC title

• H04W52/242

  taking into account path loss · CPC title