Wireless communication device, wireless communication system, wireless communication method and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9655080-B2
Application number	US-201314061207-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2013
Priority date	Apr 8, 2009
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

Provided is a wireless communication device which includes a notification information transmitting unit for transmitting, via a wireless communication network, notification information of the wireless communication device, a notification information receiving unit for receiving notification information transmitted from another device, a frequency switching unit for successively switching, at random cycles, a frequency at which the notification information is transmitted or a frequency at which the notification information is received, and a transmission processing unit for performing a data transmission process after transmitting or receiving an acknowledgement to the notification information to/from such other device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wireless communication device comprising:
processing circuitry configured to:
receive a probe request from another device and transmit a probe response to the another device for a first frequency in a first state;
transmit a probe request to the another device and receive a probe response from the another device for a second frequency in a second state;
cycle the first state and the second state; and
randomize a period for the first state in order to receive the probe request,

wherein the period represents a waiting cycle for the reception of the probe request, and the waiting cycle associated with the first frequency is ended at a timing of elapse of a random period,
wherein when the wireless communication device receives the probe request, a negotiation is performed between the wireless communication device and the another device, and
wherein the negotiation determines which one of the another device and the wireless communication device plays an access point AP-like role.

2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 ,
wherein each probe request includes a Frame Check Sequence.

3. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to construct a probe request frame, as at least a portion of the probe request, for transmission to the another device.

4. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to decode a probe response frame received from the another device.

5. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the transmission of the probe request by the processing circuitry is performed on the second frequency, which is cycled in an orderly manner from among a limited set of frequency channels including the first frequency.

6. The wireless communication device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the limited set of frequency channels consists of three frequency channels.

7. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a waiting of a probe request frame of the probe request by a receiving circuitry is performed on a fixed frequency channel, which is chosen from among a limited set of frequencies.

8. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the transmission of the probe request by a transmission circuitry and a waiting for a reception of a probe response from the another device by the processing circuitry are performed in a time-division manner wherein time divisions of transmission and waiting do not overlap.

9. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the randomized period for the first state is set as a random number multiple of a fixed interval of time.

10. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to transmit a beacon as notification information, and
wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to receive an acknowledgement to the beacon transmitted as notification information.

11. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to transmit the probe request as notification information,
wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to receive the probe response as notification information,
wherein the transmission of notification information by a transmitting circuitry and a waiting for a reception of notification information by the processing circuitry are performed in a time-division manner, and
wherein the wireless communication device further comprises:
a random period setting unit configured to set a duration for waiting for receipt of notification information to a random duration; and
a second processing circuitry configured to perform data transmission processing after an acknowledgement to notification information is transmitted or received,

wherein the random period setting unit is implemented via a processor.

12. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitted probe request comprises identification information of the wireless communication device.

13. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitted probe request comprises at least one of an identifier of a network, a supported communication rate information, and a device name of the wireless communication device.

14. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an interface unit coupled to the processing circuitry,
wherein the interface unit is configured to encode the probe request and encode the probe response prior to transmission,
wherein the interface unit is further configured to receive and decode the probe request received from the another device, and
wherein the interface unit is implemented via a processor.

15. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an antenna coupled to the processing circuitry and through which the probe request and the probe response are transmitted to the another device, and through which the probe request and the probe response are received from the another device.

16. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the period is a duration of an elapse time for reception of the probe request.

17. An information processing apparatus comprising:
a memory storing instructions; and
a processor operably connected to the memory to read and execute the instructions from the memory to perform:
a reception of a probe request from another device and a transmission of a probe response to the another device for a first frequency in a first state;
a transmission of a probe request to the another device and a reception of a probe response from the another device for a second frequency in a second state;
a cycling of the first state and the second state; and
a randomizing of a period for the first state in order to receive the probe request,

wherein the period represents a waiting cycle for the reception of the probe request, and the waiting cycle associated with the first frequency is ended at a timing of elapse of a random period,
wherein when the wireless communication device receives the probe request from the another device, a negotiation is performed between the information processing apparatus and the another device.

18. The information processing apparatus according to claim 17 ,
wherein the negotiation determines which one of the another device and the information processing apparatus plays an access point AP-like role.

19. The information processing apparatus according to claim 17 ,
wherein each probe request includes a Frame Check Sequence.

20. A wireless communication device compliant with IEEE 802.11, comprising:
a reception circuitry capable of receiving a probe request from another device and a transmission circuitry capable of transmitting a probe response to the another device for a first frequency in a first state, the probe response comprising at least one of an identifier of a network, a supported communication rate information, and a device name of the wireless communication device;
wherein the transmission circuitry is further capable of transmitting a probe request to the another device and the reception circuitry is further capable of receiving a probe response from the another device for a second frequency in a second state;
a control circuitry capable of cycling the first state and the seco

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Naito Masahiko
• Itoh Katsutoshi

Classifications

• H04W72/20

  Control channels or signalling for resource management · CPC title

• H04W72/02 Primary

  Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal · CPC title

• H04W8/005 Primary

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

• H04W84/18

  Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks · CPC title

• H04W84/20

  Leader-follower arrangements · CPC title