JP-7856938-B2 - Wireless communication terminals and wireless communication methods

JP7856938B2JP 7856938 B2JP7856938 B2JP 7856938B2JP-7856938-B2

Inventors

菅谷茂

Assignees

ソニーグループ株式会社

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20201030
Priority Date: 20191114

Claims (14)

To enable coordinated transmission in multiple wireless communication devices, the system includes a communication control unit that initiates the setup of the coordinated transmission. The communication control unit controls the wireless communication terminal to send the coordinated transmission setup request to the desired wireless communication device and to receive a response to the setup request from the wireless communication device. The setup request includes the address of the wireless communication terminal that sent the setup request and the address of the wireless communication device that performs the coordinated transmission . The response to the setup request includes a network control information element containing parameters necessary for selecting the wireless communication device that will perform the coordinated transmission . Wireless communication terminal .
The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein when the communication control unit receives a response to the setup request from the plurality of wireless communication devices that sent the setup request, it sets up the reception of the coordinated transmission to be performed in the plurality of wireless communication devices .
The wireless communication terminal according to claim 2, wherein the communication control unit controls the wireless communication device that performs retransmission control for the cooperative transmission to send back an acknowledgment of receipt for the cooperative transmission.
The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a display control unit that controls the display of information corresponding to the wireless communication device capable of performing the aforementioned cooperative transmission.
It further includes an input section for receiving user instructions, The wireless communication terminal according to claim 4, wherein the communication control unit selects a desired wireless communication device in response to a user instruction input to the operation input unit .
The display control unit controls the display of information corresponding to the wireless communication device and information corresponding to the service provider connected to the network. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 5, wherein the communication control unit selects the desired wireless communication device and the service provider in accordance with the user's instructions.
The wireless communication terminal according to claim 6, wherein the display control unit controls the display of information for each route between the wireless communication device and the service provider.
The wireless communication terminal according to claim 6, wherein the display control unit controls the display of the communication status calculated for each route between the wireless communication device and the service provider.
The communication control unit selects the wireless communication device and a service provider to connect to the network, as described in claim 1.
The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the communication control unit controls the wireless communication device to receive content data for a predetermined application from a server connected to a network.
The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the communication control unit transmits the setup request for the coordinated transmission to a plurality of wireless communication devices, and when it receives a response to the setup request from a plurality of wireless communication devices, it sets up the reception of the coordinated transmission to be performed in the plurality of wireless communication devices .
The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the communication control unit transmits the setup request for the coordinated transmission to a desired wireless communication device, which is connected to the data server via a service provider in response to an instruction from the application to which the data server corresponds.
The wireless communication terminal according to claim 12 , wherein the communication control unit transmits the setup request to each of the multiple desired wireless communication devices when the multiple desired wireless communication devices are via different service providers.
Wireless communication terminal , A wireless communication method for starting the setup of a coordinated transmission in order to perform coordinated transmission in multiple wireless communication devices, The wireless communication terminal controls the transmission of the coordinated transmission setup request to the desired wireless communication device and the reception of the setup request response from the wireless communication device. The setup request includes the address of the wireless communication terminal that sent the setup request and the address of the wireless communication device that performs the coordinated transmission . The response to the setup request includes a network control information element containing parameters necessary for selecting the wireless communication device that will perform the coordinated transmission . Wireless communication method .

Description

This technology relates to a wireless communication terminal and a wireless communication method , and more particularly to a wireless communication terminal and a wireless communication method that enable coordinated transmission via a desired access point. In conventional wireless LAN systems, when distributing content data from the internet, the common method was for the user's communication terminal to connect to the internet via an associated access point (hereinafter referred to as AP), and then via a service provider connected to that AP. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for connecting a mobile phone to a wireless LAN. Therefore, since users' communication devices have no choice but to obtain content data through the only AP (Access Point) they have associated with, it was difficult to view satisfactory content in environments where the connection to this AP was unstable. In response to this, technologies are now being put into practical use that extend the signal transmission range and enable wireless communication in various settings, such as homes and office spaces, by coordinating multiple access points (APs). For example, when transmitting content data to a communication terminal located in an area where the signal from an access point (AP) is weak, coordinating signal transmission from multiple APs allows the receiving communication terminal to receive the content data more reliably. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2012-217045 This figure shows an example configuration of a wireless communication system according to one embodiment of this technology.This figure shows an example of the AP/routing settings screen.This figure shows the communication sequence of this technology.This diagram shows an example of the Association AP settings screen.This figure shows an example of the data server configuration screen.This figure shows an example of the configuration of a cooperative transmission request frame.This figure shows an example configuration of a cooperative transmission control information element.This figure shows an example of the configuration of an application control information element.This figure shows an example of the configuration of a cooperative transmission display frame.This figure shows an example of the configuration of a cooperative transmission confirmation frame.This figure shows an example configuration of a network control information element.This figure shows an example of the configuration of a coordinated transmission response frame.This figure shows an example of the structure of an application request frame.This figure shows an example of the structure of an application response frame.This figure shows an example of the structure of a data frame that is transmitted collaboratively.This figure shows an example of the structure of a Block ACK frame.This figure shows another example of the AP/routing settings screen.This figure shows another example of the communication sequence of this technology.This figure shows an example of the structure of a route setting request frame.This figure shows an example of the structure of a routing response frame.This is a block diagram showing a basic configuration example of a communication device.This block diagram shows an example configuration of a wireless communication module when it is a user terminal.This is a flowchart explaining the communication settings process for a user's terminal.This flowchart, following Figure 23, explains the communication settings process for the user terminal.This is a flowchart explaining the cooperative reception process of a user terminal.Figure 25 is followed by a flowchart illustrating the cooperative reception process of the user terminal.This is a block diagram showing an example of a computer configuration. The following describes the configurations for implementing this technology. The explanation will proceed in the following order. 1. First Embodiment (Cooperative transmission by APs connected to the same Provider) 2. Second Embodiment (Cooperative Transmission by APs Connected to Different Providers) 3. Configuration of each communication device 4. Operation of user terminals 5. Others <<1. First Embodiment (Cooperative transmission by APs connected to the same Provider)>> <Configuration of the wireless communication system> Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system according to the first embodiment of this technology. The wireless communication system shown in Figure 1 consists of a user terminal 11, AP1 to AP3, Provider1 and Provider2, and a data server 12. The user terminal 11 consists of wireless communication-enabled devices such as smartphones, mobile phones, portable terminals, and personal computers. The user terminal 11 is located in a position where it can connect to AP1 to AP3 via wireless communication. Data server 12 is a server that stores content data. Data server 12 is connected to Provider 1 and Provider 2 via the Internet