Wireless communication device, wireless communication system and network control method

In an ad-hoc network including a plurality of devices which execute wireless communication with use of a wireless signal of a millimeter-wave band, a first device comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a reconfiguration control unit communicatively coupled to the processor, the reconfiguration control unit being adapted to request a coordinator to reconfigure the ad-hoc network, the coordinator being one of the plurality of devices different than the first device and controlling the ad-hoc network, the reconfiguration control unit comprising:
• a scan request transmission unit configured to transmit from the first device to the coordinator a scan request which requests the coordinator to transmit a scan instruction to each of the devices which are controlled by the coordinator, the scan instruction instructing each device to execute a scan process for detecting all devices which belong to a communication range thereof,
• a selection unit configured to receive from the coordinator a result of the scan process which is executed by each of the devices which have received the scan instructions from the coordinator, and to select, on the basis of the received result of the scan process, a device from among the devices, which has a communication range to which at least the device that has transmitted the scan request belongs, and
• a coordinator change request unit configured to transmit from the first device to the coordinator a coordinator change request for requesting execution of a process for transferring an authority of the coordinator to the selected device, thereby to designate the selected device as a new coordinator of the ad-hoc network.

A network control method for switching, between a plurality of devices which execute wireless communication with use of a wireless signal of a millimeter-wave band, a coordinator for controlling an ad-hoc network in which the plurality of devices are present, comprising:

• transmitting a scan request from one of the plurality of devices to the coordinator;
• transmitting, in response to the scan request, a scan instruction from the coordinator to each of the devices which are controlled by the coordinator, the scan instruction instructing each device to execute a scan process for detecting all wireless communication devices which belong to a communication range thereof;
• transmitting a result of the scan process, which is executed by each of the devices which have received the scan instructions, from the coordinator to the device which has transmitted the scan request;
• selecting, on the basis of the result of the scan process which is transmitted to the device which has transmitted the scan request, a device from among the plurality of devices, which has a communication range to which at least the device that has transmitted the scan request belongs;
• and
• transmitting, from the device that has transmitted the scan request to the coordinator, a coordinator change request for requesting execution of a process for transferring an authority of the coordinator to the selected device, thereby to designate the selected device as a new coordinator of the ad-hoc network.