Control apparatus, communication system, and communication method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019082465-A1
Application number	US-201716084282-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 23, 2017
Priority date	Mar 16, 2016
Publication date	Mar 14, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

An objective of the present invention is to provide, in a heterogeneous communication network constituted of multiple heterogeneous communication systems, a communication apparatus and a communication method for enabling optimization of radio resources, as a whole network. A control apparatus for communicating with a communication apparatus by using multiple communication methods includes a transmission and/or reception unit configured to transmit a medium reservation signal indicating that a radiowave is used in a prescribed frequency band by using a first communication method among the multiple communication methods, and subsequently transmit data by using at least one communication method among the multiple communication methods, and a radio resource manager configured to manage a radio resource in which data, is transmitted to the communication apparatus and configure a medium reservation duration indicating a duration in which the radiowave is used, the medium reservation signal includes a field for a medium reservation duration indicating a duration in which a radiowave is used, and the medium reservation duration is longer than a duration in which data is transmitted to the communication apparatus.

First claim

1 . A control apparatus for communicating with a communication apparatus by using multiple communication methods, the control apparatus comprising:
a transmission and/or reception unit configured to transmit a medium reservation signal indicating that a radiowave is used in a prescribed frequency band by using a first communication method among the multiple communication methods, and, after the medium reservation signal is transmitted, transmit data to the communication apparatus or receive data from the communication apparatus by using at least one communication method among the multiple communication methods; and a radio resource manager configured to manage a radio resource in a frequency and a time in which data is transmitted to the communication apparatus or data is received from the communication apparatus and configure a medium reservation duration indicating a duration in which the radiowave is used, wherein the medium reservation signal includes a field for a medium reservation duration indicating a duration in which a radiowave is used, and as the medium reservation duration, a duration longer than a duration in which data is transmitted to or received from the communication apparatus is configured.

2 . (canceled)

3 . (canceled)

4 . The control apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the transmission and/or reception unit is configured to use at least two communication methods to transmit data to the communication apparatus or receive data from the communication apparatus, the radio resource manager is configured to allocate a radio resource to the at least two communication methods by time division multiplex, and the medium reservation duration is longer than a duration in which data is transmitted to the communication apparatus or data is received from the communication apparatus by using at least two communication methods.

5 . The control apparatus according to claim one of claims 1 to
wherein the transmission and/or reception unit is configured to use overlapping frequency bands to transmit data to the communication apparatus or receive data from the communication apparatus.

6 . The control apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the transmission and/or reception is configured to unit use overlapping frequency bands in an unlicensed band, to transmit data to the communication apparatus or receive data from the communication apparatus, the multiple communication methods include a second communication method of transmitting or receiving data by using an unlicensed band and a licensed band simultaneously, and in a case that data is transmitted to the communication apparatus or data is received from the communication apparatus by using the second communication method, the medium reservation signal is transmitted.

7 . The control apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the transmission and/or reception unit is configured to use multiple communication methods to transmit data to a base station apparatus or receive data from a base station apparatus, and the radio resource manager, in a case of connecting with the communication apparatus, is configured to select an identical communication method to a communication method used for connecting with the base station apparatus.

8 . The control apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the radio resource manager is configured to configure a constant medium reservation duration, the radio resource manager is configured to configure at least one combination of communication methods that does not exceed the medium reservation duration, and the transmission and/or reception unit is configured to use a selected communication method to transmit data to the communication apparatus or receive data from the communication apparatus.

9 . A communication method of a control apparatus for communicating with a communication apparatus by using multiple communication methods, the method comprising the steps of:
transmitting a medium reservation signal indicating that a radiowave is used in a prescribed frequency band by using a first communication method among the multiple communication methods, and, after the medium reservation signal is transmitted,
transmitting data to the communication apparatus or receiving data from the communication apparatus by using at least one communication method among the multiple communication methods; and
managing a radio resource a frequency and a time in which data is transmitted to the communication apparatus or data is received from the communication apparatus and configuring a medium reservation duration indicating a duration in which the radiowave is used,
wherein the medium reservation signal includes a field for a medium reservation duration indicating a duration in which a radiowave is used, and
as the medium reservation duration, a duration longer than a duration in which data is transmitted to or received from the communication apparatus is configured.

10 . A communication system including a control apparatus for communicating with a communication apparatus by using multiple communication methods,
wherein the control apparatus includes: a transmission and/or reception unit configured to transmit a medium reservation signal indicating that a radiowave is used in a prescribed frequency band by using a first communication method among the multiple communication methods, and, after the medium. reservation signal is transmitted, transmit data to the communication apparatus or receive data from the communication apparatus by using at least one communication method among the multiple communication methods; and a radio resource manager configured to manage a radio resource in a frequency and a time in which data is transmitted to the communication apparatus or data is received from the communication apparatus and configure a medium reservation duration indicating a duration in which the radiowave is used, the communication apparatus includes a transmission and/or reception unit that, after receiving the medium reservation signal, is configured to transmit data to the control apparatus or receives data from the control apparatus, by using at least one communication method among the multiple communication methods, the medium reservation signal includes a field for a medium reservation duration indicating a duration in which a radiowave is used, and
as the medium reservation duration, a duration longer than a duration in which data is transmitted to or received from the communication apparatus is configured.

11 . The control apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the transmission and/or reception unit is configured to use a different communication method from a first communication method and transmits data to the communication apparatus or receives data from the communication apparatus.

12 . The control apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the transmission and/or reception unit is configured to use at least one communication method among the multiple communication methods to transmit data to multiple communication apparatuses or receive data from multiple communication apparatuses, the radio resource manager is configured to allocate a radio resource to each of the multiple communication apparatuses by using time division multiplex, and the medium reservation duration is longer than a duration in which data is transmitted to the communication apparatus or data is received from the communication apparatus by using at least two communication methods.

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Yoshimoto Takashi
• Tomeba Hiromichi
• Hamaguchi Yasuhiro

Classifications

• H04W74/06

  using polling · CPC title

• H04W80/02

  Data link layer protocols · CPC title

• H04W16/14

  Spectrum sharing arrangements {between different networks} · CPC title

• H04W88/10

  adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points · CPC title

• H04W74/0816 Primary

  with collision avoidance · CPC title