# US 8,787,339 B2 · Wireless communication system, wireless communication apparatus, wireless communication method, and computer program > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,787,339 B2 - Document ID: US8787339B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/299,775 - Filed: 2011-11-18 - Published: 2012-03-15 - Granted: 2014-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2003-05-07 - Assignees: Sony Corporation - Applicants: Shigeru Sugaya; Shin Saito; Kazuyuki Sakoda - Inventors: Shigeru Sugaya; Shin Saito; Kazuyuki Sakoda - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8787339B2 ## CPC - H04W 72/0446: Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames - H04W 72/56: based on priority criteria - H04W 74/0816: with collision avoidance - H04W 76/10: Connection setup - 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 network that forms an ad-hoc network without the arrangement of a controlling station sets a period that a communication apparatus can utilize with priority and performs isochronous communication in the period as required. When isochronous communication has not been performed or after isochronous communication has finished in the priority utilization period, other communication apparatuses perform arbitrary communication. When another communication is performed in a communication apparatus's own priority utilization period, the start of isochronous communication is temporarily delayed. In an ad-hoc communication environment, data having a real-time characteristic, such as AV content, can be efficiently transmitted through the isochronous communication. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A wireless communication system that forms a network in an autonomous distributed manner without the network having a specific controlling station, the wireless communication system comprising: a transmitting-side or receiving-side communication apparatus that sets a priority utilization period utilizable for communication by the transmitting-side or receiving-side communication apparatus with priority over other communication in its own frame period and which performs the communication with a guaranteed bandwidth utilizing the priority utilization period with priority, wherein the transmitting-side or receiving-side communication apparatus temporarily delays a start of performing the communication and performs the communication with priority after an end of another communication if the another communication is being performed when the priority utilization period begins. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting-side or receiving-side communication apparatus describes information regarding the priority utilization period as beacon information transmitted for each predetermined frame period. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein, in a period in which any communication apparatus has not set a priority utilization period, each communication apparatus performs random access based on a collision avoidance operation that starts transmission after detecting that no transmission is performed from another communication apparatus. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein, before the priority utilization period ends, when the transmitting-side or receiving-side communication apparatus has completed the communication with a guaranteed bandwidth or has not performed the communication, other communication apparatuses perform arbitrary communication with each other in the priority utilization period. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein each communication apparatus collects beacon information from neighboring communication apparatuses, obtains information regarding priority utilization periods, and does not set, as its own priority utilization period, a period that is set as a priority utilization period by the neighboring communication apparatuses. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting-side or receiving side communication apparatus collects beacon information from neighboring communication apparatuses, obtains information regarding priority utilization periods, and sets, as its own priority utilization period, a period that is not set as priority utilization periods by the neighboring communication apparatuses. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting-side or receiving-side communication apparatus obtains information regarding a priority utilization period from another communication apparatus at another end of a communication and sets, as its own priority utilization period, a period that is not set as priority utilization periods by neighbors of the transmitting-side or receiving-side communication apparatus. ### Claim 8 A wireless communication apparatus that forms a network and performs a wireless communication operation in an autonomous distributed manner without the network having a specific controlling station, the wireless communication apparatus comprising: communication means for transmitting/receiving a wireless signal within its communication range; priority-utilization-period setting means for setting a priority utilization period for performing communication with a guaranteed bandwidth in its own frame period and for notifying, within its communication range, of the priority utilization period; and communication controlling means for performing communication with a guaranteed bandwidth, with priority, in response to an arrival of its own priority utilization period, wherein the communication controlling means temporarily delays a start of the communication in the priority utilization period and performs the communication with priority after an end of another communication if the another communication is being performed at a time when the priority utilization period set by the priority-utilization-period setting means arrives. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the priority-utilization-period setting means describes information regarding the priority utilization period in a beacon transmitted for each predetermined frame period and transmits the beacon to notify, within its own communication range, of the setting of the priority utilization period. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the communication controlling means performs random access based on a collision avoidance operation that starts transmission after detecting that no transmission is performed from another communication apparatus, as required, in a period in which no priority utilization is set. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein, before the priority utilization period set by the priority-utilization-period setting means ends, when communication utilizing a band with priority has finished or has not been performed, arbitrary communication between other wireless communication apparatuses is permitted in the priority utilization period. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the priority-utilization-period setting means of each wireless communication apparatus collects beacon information from neighboring wireless communication apparatuses, obtains information regarding priority utilization periods, and does not set, as its own priority utilization period, a period that is set as priority utilization periods by the neighboring wireless communication apparatuses. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the priority-utilization-period setting means collects beacon information from neighboring wireless communication apparatuses, obtains information regarding priority utilization periods, and sets, as its own priority utilization period, a period that is not set as priority utilization periods by the neighboring wireless communication apparatuses. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the priority-utilization-period setting means obtains information regarding a priority utilization period from another communication apparatus at another end of a communication, and sets a period that is not set as priority utilization periods by neighbors of the wireless communication apparatus as its own priority utilization period. ### Claim 15 A wireless communication method for performing a wireless communication operation forms a network and in an autonomous distributed manner without the network having a specific controlling station, the wireless communication method comprising: using a processor to carry out the following: setting a priority utilization period for performing communication with a guaranteed bandwidth in its frame period, notifying, within its communication range, of the priority utilization period, and performing the communication with a guaranteed bandwidth, with priority, in response to an arrival of the priority utilization period, wherein the start of the communication in the priority utilization period is temporarily delayed and the communication with priority is performed after an end of another communication if the another communication is being performed at a time when the set priority utilization period arrives. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The wireless communication method according to claim 15, wherein information regarding the priority utilization period is described in a beacon transmitted for each predetermined frame period to notify, within its own communication range, of the setting of the priority utilization period. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The wireless communication method according to claim 15, wherein in a period in which any communication does not set a priority utilization, random access based on a collision avoidance operation is performed as required which starts transmission after detecting that no transmission is performed from another communication apparatus. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The wireless communication method according to claim 15, wherein before the priority utilization period ends, when communication utilizing a bandwidth with priority has finished or has not been performed, arbitrary communication between other communication apparatuses is permitted during the priority utilization period. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The wireless communication method according to claim 15, wherein in each communication apparatus, beacon information is collected from neighboring communication apparatuses, information regarding priority utilization periods is obtained, and a period that is set as the priority utilization periods by the neighboring communication apparatuses is not set as its own priority utilization period. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The wireless communication method according to claim 15, wherein beacon information is collected from neighboring communication apparatus, information regarding priority utilization periods is obtained, and a period that is not set as priority utilization periods by the neighboring communication apparatuses is set as its own priority utilization period. ### Claim 21 (depends on 15) The wireless communication method according to claim 15, wherein information regarding a priority utilization period is obtained from another communication apparatus at another end of a communication, and a period that is not set as priority utilization periods by neighbors of the another communication apparatus is set to its own priority utilization period. ### Claim 22 A processor having computer program instructions for carrying out a method of performing a wireless communication operation forms a network and in an autonomous distributed manner without the network having a specific controlling station, the method comprising: setting a priority utilization period for performing communication with a guaranteed bandwidth in its frame period; notifying, within its communication range, of the priority utilization period; and performing the communication with a guaranteed bandwidth, with priority, in response to an arrival of the priority utilization period, wherein the start of the communication in the priority utilization period is temporarily delayed and the communication with priority is performed after an end of another communication if the another communication is being performed at a time when the set priority utilization period arrives.