# US 7,412,251 B2 · Wireless communication apparatus, wireless communication system adopting the same and communication method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,412,251 B2 - Document ID: US7412251B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 09/915,554 - Filed: 2001-07-27 - Published: 2002-07-11 - Granted: 2008-08-12 - Earliest claimed: 2001-01-05 - Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Tae-jin Lee; Kyung-hun Jang; Hyun-sook Kang; Jong-hun Park - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7412251B2 ## CPC - H04W 72/566: of the information or information source or recipient - H04W 74/06: using polling - H04W 84/18: Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A wireless communication apparatus, a wireless communication system adopting the same and a communication method thereof are provided. In the wireless communication system, a slave device transmits a predetermined priority to the master device, and a master device receives the predetermined priority from the slave device, and determines and assigns the slave device with a priority considering the predetermined priority. According to the wireless communication apparatus, the wireless communication system adopting the same and the communication method thereof, a suitable transmission rate is assigned to the slave device, not uniformly, but according to the need of the slave device, so that assigning of an excessive or insufficient transmission rate can be prevented. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A wireless communication apparatus for performing a wireless communication, comprising: a transceiving unit for receiving and transmitting data externally, the transceiving unit maintaining a link to at least one slave device and receiving a requested priority transmitted from the at least one slave device, when the wireless communication apparatus is operated as a master; a controller for determining a priority of the at least one slave device considering the requested priority and priorities of the other slave devices that are currently linked, determining a frequency of communication according to the determined priority of the at least one slave device and controlling the communication with the at least one slave device; and a memory for storing the frequency of communication of the at least one slave device, wherein the controller communicates with the at least one slave device in accordance with the frequency of communication, and wherein the controller adjusts the frequency of communication after each communication between the controller and the at least one slave device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frequency of communication increases as the priority increases. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller assigns a priority lower than the requested priority when the requested priority is not allowable to the at least one slave device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller adjusts the frequency of communication by subtracting one time from the frequency of communication after each communication between the controller and the at least one slave device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller updates the frequency of communication stored in the memory after communicating with the at least one slave device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The wireless communication apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller updates a total number of slave devices stored in the memory whenever a slave device becomes linked or unlinked. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein levels of the priority include high, medium, and low levels. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory stores a high priority maximum number which is a maximum number of slave devices of a high priority, and a medium priority maximum number which is a maximum number of slave devices of a medium priority. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory stores priorities of the slave devices that are currently linked. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein levels of the priority include high, medium, and low levels. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory stores a total number of slave devices that are currently linked. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The wireless communication apparatus of claim 11, wherein the memory stores a polling frequency of each slave device that is currently linked. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The wireless communication apparatus of claim 12, wherein slave devices that have a polling frequency greater than zero are sequentially polled according to their priorities. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The wireless communication apparatus of claim 13, wherein one time is subtracted from the polling frequencies of each slave after the respective slave has been polled. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The wireless communication apparatus of claim 14, wherein any slave device having a non-zero polling frequency is repeatedly polled. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The wireless communication apparatus of claim 15, wherein one is subtracted from the total number of slave devices stored in the memory when a slave device has a zero polling frequency. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The wireless communication apparatus of claim 16, wherein the memory is updated to have an initial value of both the total number of slave devices and the polling frequency of each slave device when the total number of slave devices becomes zero. ### Claim 18 A wireless communication system having at least one slave device and a master device linked with the at least one slave device, the at least one slave device transmitting a requested priority to the master device, and the master device receiving the requested priority from the at least one slave device, and determining and assigning the at least one slave device with a priority considering the requested priority and priorities of the other slave devices that are currently linked, wherein the at least one slave device transmits the requested priority according to the amount of data to be transmitted to the master device, wherein the master device communicates with the at least one slave device in accordance with a frequency of communication which is determined according to the priority, and wherein the master device adjusts the frequency of communication after each communication between the master device and the at least one slave device. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The wireless communication system of claim 18, wherein the at least one slave device transmits the requested priority to the master device upon being linked with the master device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The wireless communication system of claim 18, wherein the priority assigned by the master device is lower than the requested priority if the requested priority is not allowable to the at least one slave device. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The wireless communication system of claim 18, wherein the master device adjusts the frequency of communication by subtracting one time from the frequency of communication after each communication between the master device and the at least one slave device. ### Claim 22 (depends on 18) The wireless communication system of claim 18, wherein the frequency of communication increases as the priority increases. ### Claim 23 A communication method in a wireless communication system having at least one slave device and a master device linked with the at least one slave device, comprising the steps of: receiving a requested priority transmitted from the at least one slave device; determining and assigning the at least one slave device with a priority considering the requested priority; and communicating with the at least one slave device according to the determined and assigned priority, wherein the master adjusts the frequency of communication by subtracting one time from the frequency of communication after each communication with the at least one slave device. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The communication method of claim 23, wherein, in the determining and assigning the at least one slave device with a priority considering the requested priority, the priority assigned to the at least one slave device is lower than the requested priority, if the requested priority is not allowable to the at least one slave device.