Wireless communication system, access point and wireless station composing the wireless communication system, and communication load balancing method for access point

An access point which comprises wireless communication means for wireless communications with wireless stations and relays communications between the wireless stations and other stations, comprising:

• load detecting means for detecting communication load values of communications with wireless stations;
• and
• transmission directing means for making the wireless communication means transmit a communication load value detected by the load detecting means;
• wherein the load detecting means detects an actual communication load value of communications with the wireless stations, compares the actual communication load value with a predetermined reference load value, increases or decreases a communication load value passed in advance to the transmission directing means by a predetermined unit quantity depending on whether the actual communication load value is larger or smaller than the predetermined value, and passes the increased/decreased communication load value to the transmission directing means as a new communication load value.

A wireless station which comprises wireless communication means, communicates wirelessly with an access point using the wireless communication means, and communicates with other stations via the access point, comprising:

• analysis means for analyzing data contained in electromagnetic waves received from the access point by the wireless communication means and obtaining communication load values of the access point;
• determination means for determining whether a first communication load value obtained by the analysis means is larger than a predetermined value as well as whether a second communication load value obtained a predetermined time after the first communication load value is larger than a predetermined value;
• and
• output means for outputting a warning prompting the wireless station to move from the current location, if the determination means determines that the first communication load value and the second communication load value are larger than the respective predetermined values.

A wireless station which comprises wireless communication means, communicates wirelessly with an access point using the wireless communication means, and communicates with other stations via the access point, comprising:

• analysis means for analyzing data contained in electromagnetic waves received from the access point by the wireless communication means and obtaining communication load values of the access point;
• electromagnetic wave intensity detecting means for detecting intensity of electromagnetic waves received from the access point by the wireless communication means;
• switchover assessing means for determining whether to switch to another access point, based on the electromagnetic wave intensity and communication load value of a currently connected access point and the electromagnetic wave intensity and communication load value of the other access point;
• and
• switching means for switching to the other access point if the switchover determining means determines to switch to the other wireless station, wherein
• the switchover assessing means determines whether to switch to the other access point based on magnitude relationship between the communication load value of the currently connected access point and the communication load value of the other access point as well as on whether the electromagnetic wave intensity of the other access point is higher than a predetermined threshold which is determined using the communication load value of the currently connected access point and the communication load value of the other access point as variables.

A communication load balancing method for an access point which relays communications between wireless stations and other stations, comprising:

• a first load detecting step of detecting a communication load value (hereinafter referred to as a first communication load value) of communication with wireless stations;
• a load value transmitting step of transmitting the first communication load value to the wireless stations;
• a second load detecting step of detecting a second communication load value of communications with the wireless stations a predetermined time after the first communication load value is transmitted by the load value transmitting step;
• a determination step of determining whether the first communication load value and the second communication load value are larger than the respective predetermined values;
• and
• a command transmitting step of transmitting a warning output command instructing the wireless stations to output a warning to move from current locations, if the determination means determines that the first communication load value and the second communication load value are larger than the respective predetermined values.

An access point communication load balancing method for a wireless station which communicates with another station via an access point, comprising:

• a first load acquisition step of acquiring a communication load value (hereinafter referred to as a first communication load value) of the access point by analyzing data contained in electromagnetic waves received from the access point;
• a second load acquisition step of acquiring a second communication load value of the access point a predetermined time after the first communication load value is acquired by the first load acquisition step;
• a determination step of determining whether the first communication load value and the second communication load value are larger than respective predetermined values;
• and
• an output step of outputting a warning prompting the wireless station to move from the current location, if the determination step determines that the first communication load value and the second communication load value are larger than the respective predetermined values.