Wireless LAN communication system

A wireless LAN communication system having an infrastructure mode in which stations communicate with each other via an access point and also having an ad-hoc mode in which communication is performed directly between stations located near each other, wherein each station comprises:

• an analyzer monitoring data transmitted from the source station to an access point and addressed, as a final destination, to one's own station in the infrastructure mode, and detecting such data, in a case of a station acting as a destination station;
• a storage unit temporarily storing the data to prevent the data from being lost, in a case of a station acting as a destination station;
• a searcher selecting and reserving one of available channels for use in communication in the ad-hoc mode, and transmits a notice indicating the selected channel to the source station of the data, in a case of a station acting as a destination station;
• a controller proposing to the source station via the access point that the communication mode should be switched into the ad-hoc mode using the selected channel, and, if the proposal is accepted, switching the communication channel to the selected channel, in a case of a station noting as a destination station;
• and
• the controller transmitting data to a destination station in the infrastructure mode, receiving a proposal from the destination station that the communication mode should be switched into the ad-hoc mode using the selected channel, temporarily storing data to be transmitted, returning a response to indicate the acceptance of the proposal, and switching the communication channel to the selected channel, in a case of the station acting as a source station.

A wireless LAN communication system having an infrastructure mode in which stations communicate with each other via an access point and also having an ad-hoc mode in which communication is performed directly between stations located near each other, wherein

• the access point for transferring data in the infrastructure mode comprises:
• first data transmitter/receiver temporarily storing received data, returning an acknowledge for the received data to a source station, transmitting the data to a destination station, and receiving an acknowledge from the destination station;
• and
• first controller, when the acknowledge is received before transmitting the temporarily stored data to the destination station, selecting an ad-hoc communication channel and transmitting the temporarily stored data to the destination station, upon receiving an acknowledge in response to the transmitted data, proposing to the source station and the destination station that the channel should be switched into the ad-hoc communication channel, and, if the proposal is accepted, ending the transferring of data;
• and
• each of the stations comprises:
• second data transmitter/receiver, when data is received from the access point in the infrastructure mode, returning an acknowledge for the received data to the access point;
• and
• second controller monitoring and searching data transmitted from a source station to an access point and addressed, as a final destination, to one's own station, detecting such data, transmitting an acknowledge for that data to the access point, and, when a proposal for switching the communication channel to an ad-hoc channel is received from the access point, returning an acknowledge for the proposal and switching the communication mode in the ad-hoc mode.