Wireless communication apparatus, connection management apparatus, content delivery system, and wireless communication method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019268959-A1
Application number	US-201916412785-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 15, 2019
Priority date	Dec 20, 2016
Publication date	Aug 29, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

Connectability determining circuitry determines connectability over a millimeter wave band with respect to a content delivery apparatus. When a determination result of the connectability indicates that connection is enabled, request-signal generating circuitry generates a connection request signal for requesting connection over a millimeter wave band, from when undownloaded content is selected until download of the selected undownloaded content is requested, and transmits the connection request signal to the content delivery apparatus via millimeter-wave wireless circuitry. Control circuitry downloads the undownloaded content from the content delivery apparatus via the millimeter-wave wireless circuitry.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A wireless communication apparatus comprising:
connectability determining circuitry that determines connectability over a millimeter wave band with respect to a content delivery apparatus that delivers one or more pieces of content; request-signal generating circuitry that generates a connection request signal for issuing a request for connection over the millimeter wave band to the content delivery apparatus; and wireless circuitry that performs wireless communication with the content delivery apparatus over the millimeter wave band to download the one or more pieces of content from the content delivery apparatus and to transmit the connection request signal to the content delivery apparatus, wherein, when a determination result of the connectability indicates that the connection is enabled, the request-signal generating circuitry generates the connection request signal from when undownloaded content of the one or more pieces of content is selected until download of the selected undownloaded content is requested.

2 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein, when the download of the selected undownloaded content is requested, the request-signal generating circuitry generates a download request signal indicating a download request for the undownloaded content.

3 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the connectability determining circuitry determines that the connectability is enabled, when the wireless circuitry receives a beacon in a millimeter wave band which is transmitted from the content delivery apparatus, or when the wireless circuitry receives a beacon in a millimeter wave band which is transmitted from the content delivery apparatus and reception power of the received beacon is larger than or equal to a threshold.

4 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the request-signal generating circuitry generates a disconnection request signal for requesting disconnection with the content delivery apparatus connected in the millimeter wave band; and wherein the wireless circuitry transmits the disconnection request signal to the content delivery apparatus when the download of the undownloaded content is completed, when a certain amount of time passes without occurrence of a download request after the undownloaded content is selected, or when the determination result of the connectability changes from enabled to disabled.

5 . A wireless communication apparatus comprising:
connectability determining circuitry that determines first connectability over a millimeter wave band with respect to a content delivery apparatus that delivers one or more pieces of content; request-signal generating circuitry that generates a connection request signal for issuing a request for connection over the millimeter wave band to the content delivery apparatus; and wireless circuitry that performs wireless communication with the content delivery apparatus over the millimeter wave band to download the one or more pieces of content from the content delivery apparatus and performs wireless communication with a connection management apparatus over a microwave wave band to transmit the connection request signal to the connection management apparatus that controls a connection with the content delivery apparatus, wherein, when a determination result of the first connectability indicates that the connection is enabled, the request-signal generating circuitry generates the connection request signal from when undownloaded content of the one or more pieces of content is selected until download of the selected undownloaded content is requested.

6 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the connectability determining circuitry
determines second connectability over a microwave band with respect to the content delivery apparatus;
wherein the request-signal generating circuitry
generates, when the determination of the second connectability indicates enabled, a first download request signal indicating a download request for a content list in which the one or more pieces of content are shown, and
generates, when the download of the selected undownloaded content is requested, a second download request signal indicating a download request for the undownloaded content; and
wherein the wireless circuitry
transmits the first download request signal to the content delivery apparatus over the microwave band and transmits the second download request signal to the content delivery apparatus over the millimeter wave.

7 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the connectability determining circuitry determines that the first connectability is enabled, when the wireless circuitry receives a first beacon in a millimeter wave band which is transmitted from the content delivery apparatus, or when the wireless circuitry receives a first beacon in a millimeter wave band which is transmitted from the content delivery apparatus and reception power of the received beacon is larger than or equal to a threshold.

8 . The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the request-signal generating circuitry
generates a disconnection request signal for requesting disconnection with the content delivery apparatus connected in the millimeter wave band, and
transmits the disconnection request signal to the connection management apparatus when the download of the undownloaded content is completed, when a certain amount of time passes without occurrence of a download request after the undownloaded content is selected, or when the determination result of the first connectability changes from enabled to disabled.

9 . A connection management apparatus comprising:
instruction-signal generating circuitry that generates an instruction signal for a wireless communication apparatus that performs communication by using a millimeter wave band and a microwave band and a content delivery apparatus that delivers one or more pieces of content to the wireless communication apparatus; storage circuitry that holds, as a connection management database, communication environment information received from the wireless communication apparatus and a status of connection between the wireless communication apparatus and the content delivery apparatus; control circuitry that updates the connection management database, based on the communication environment information and a request signal received from the wireless communication apparatus; and wireless circuitry that performs wireless communication with the content delivery apparatus and the wireless communication apparatus over the microwave band, wherein the control circuitry determines a connection partner, based on the connection management database, upon receiving a connection request signal generated by the wireless communication apparatus from when undownloaded content of the one or more pieces of content is selected until download of the selected undownloaded content is requested; wherein the instruction-signal generating circuitry generates an instruction signal for issuing an instruction for connection over a millimeter wave band to a content delivery apparatus that is the connection partner and the wireless communication apparatus; and wherein the wireless circuitry transmits the instruction signal to the content delivery apparatus that is the connection partner and the wireless communication apparatus.

10 . A content delivery system comprising a content delivery apparatus that delivers one or more pieces of content and a wireless communication apparatus that performs wireless communication with the content

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Corp America

Inventors

• Urushihara Tomoya
• Takinami Koji
• Shirakata Naganori
• Kobayashi Masashi
• Takahashi Hiroshi

Classifications

• H04W76/30

  Connection release · CPC title

• H04W76/15 Primary

  Setup of multiple wireless link connections · CPC title

• H04W76/10 Primary

  Connection setup · CPC title

• G06F13/00

  Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units (interface circuits for specific input/output devices G06F3/00 {; multiprogram control therefor  G06F9/46}; multiprocessor systems  G06F15/16 ) · CPC title