Wireless communication device and wireless communication method

A wireless communication device that has an intermittent reception mode in which a reception waiting state and a sleep state are repeated at regular intervals comprising:

• a function switching signal generation unit configured to generate a function switching signal for switching between an enabled state and a disabled state of the intermittent reception mode;
• a transmission unit configured to transmit the generated function switching signal to other wireless communication devices;
• a reception unit configured to receive, from the other wireless communication devices, one of a response signal for the transmitted function switching signal and the function switching signal;
• a function switching unit configured to switch between the enabled state and the disabled state of the intermittent reception mode in accordance with one of the generated function switching signal and the received function switching signal;
• a list generation unit configured to generate a list by associating instruction signal transmission information indicating that the function switching signal is transmitted and response signal reception information indicating that the response signal is received with an identifier of each of the other wireless communication devices for group communication including the own wireless communication device;
• a determination unit configured to determine whether the list includes the identifier with which the response signal reception information is not associated;
• and
• a selection unit configured to select, when the determination unit determines that the list includes the identifier with which the response signal reception information is not associated after a predetermined time set in advance from transmission of the function switching signal, at least one of the other wireless communication devices with which the response signal reception information is associated in the list as a relay destination wireless communication device, wherein
• the transmission unit is further configured to transmit the list to the relay destination wireless communication device.