# US 10,375,618 B2 · Wireless communication apparatus and wireless communication method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,375,618 B2 - Document ID: US10375618B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/470,160 - Filed: 2017-03-27 - Published: 2017-10-05 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-03-30 - Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Ryokichi Onishi; Masaaki Sasahara - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10375618B2 ## CPC - H04W 40/20: based on geographic position or location - H04B 1/3822: specially adapted for use in vehicles (H04B1/3827 takes precedence) - H04L 45/023: Delayed use of routing table updates - H04L 67/12: specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks - H04W 4/80: Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication - H04W 40/02: Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing - H04W 40/22: using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point - H04W 76/14: Direct-mode setup - H04W 84/18: Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks - H04W 88/04: adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user - G08G 1/0141: {for traffic information dissemination} - H04W 4/38: for collecting sensor information - H04W 84/005: {Moving wireless networks} - H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) ## Abstract An apparatus which transfers information addressed to a master node, comprises a generation unit configured to generate an assessment value representing logical proximity to the master node; a transmit unit that sends/receives the assessment value to/from other apparatuses; and a communication unit that, when this apparatus is an apparatus that is logically closest to the master node within a communication range, receive information addressed to the master node from other apparatuses, otherwise, transmit information addressed to the master node to the logically closest apparatus, wherein the communication unit is configured to generate a delay time based on the assessment value when transferring the information received from the other apparatuses to yet another apparatus. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A wireless communication apparatus which transmits information addressed to a master node, the wireless communication apparatus comprising: a processor programmed to: generate an assessment value representing a logical proximity to the master node, wherein the assessment value increases as a proximity time decreases, the proximity time being a time until the information transmitted from the wireless communication apparatus reaches the master node; transmit the generated assessment value to one or more other wireless communication apparatuses and receive one or more assessment values from the one or more other wireless communication apparatuses by wireless communication; generate a delay time based on the generated assessment value, the delay time being longer when the assessment value is high as compared to when the assessment value is low; and after the generated delay time has elapsed and when one of the one or more other wireless communication apparatuses that is logically closest to the master node other than the wireless communication apparatus is present within a communication-enabled range, transmit the information addressed to the master node to the logically closest wireless communication apparatus. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to generate the information addressed to the master node. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to: when the information to be transmitted to the one or more other wireless communication apparatuses has increased during the delay time, integrate two or more pieces of the information which are transmission objects. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to: when the one of the one or more other wireless communication apparatuses that is logically closest to the master node other than the wireless communication apparatus within the communication-enabled range, receive a connection request from the logically closest wireless communication apparatus. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to: acquire a current position; and determine the assessment value based on (i) a frequency of a communication opportunity between the wireless communication apparatus and the master node, or (ii) a time until the communication opportunity arrives; wherein the frequency of the communication opportunity and the time until the communication opportunity arrives are calculated based on the current position. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the assessment value is larger when the time until the communication opportunity arrives is short as compared to when the time until the communication opportunity arrives is long. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the assessment value is larger when the time until the communication opportunity arrives is predicted to subsequently become shorter as compared to when the time until the communication opportunity arrives is predicted to subsequently become longer. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to: calculate the assessment value using respectively different criteria in accordance with a type of the information to be transmitted; and when the information of a plurality of types is to be transmitted, use the assessment value corresponding to the type of the information, for each type of the information to be transmitted. ### Claim 9 A wireless communication method in which a wireless communication apparatus which transmits information addressed to a master node executes steps of: generating an assessment value representing a logical proximity to the master node, wherein the assessment value increases as a proximity time decreases, the proximity time being a time until the information transmitted from the wireless communication apparatus reaches the master node; transmitting the generated assessment value to one or more other wireless communication apparatuses and receiving one or more assessment values from the one or more other wireless communication apparatuses by wireless communication; generating a delay time based on the generated assessment value, the delay time being longer when the assessment value is high as compared to when the assessment value is low; and after the generated delay time has elapsed and when one of the one or more other wireless communication apparatuses that is logically closest to the master node other than the wireless communication apparatus is present within a communication-enabled range, transmitting the information addressed to the master node to the logically closest wireless communication apparatus. ### Claim 10 A non-transitory computer readable storing medium recording a computer program for a wireless communication apparatus which transmits information addressed to a master node, the computer program causing the wireless communication apparatus to perform: generating an assessment value representing a logical proximity to the master node, wherein the assessment value increases as a proximity time decreases, the proximity time being a time until the information transmitted from the wireless communication apparatus reaches the master node; transmitting the generated assessment value to one or more other wireless communication apparatuses and receiving one or more assessment values from the one or more other wireless communication apparatuses by wireless communication; generating a delay time based on the generated assessment value, the delay time being longer when the assessment value is high as compared to when the assessment value is low; and after the generated delay time has elapsed and when one of the one or more other wireless communication apparatuses that is logically closest to the master node other than the wireless communication apparatus is present within a communication-enabled range, transmitting the information addressed to the master node to the logically closest wireless communication apparatus.