Method and apparatus for performing wireless communication using spread spectrum-frequency hopping

1. A wireless communication method for use in a spread spectrum communication system which performs frequency hopping using a plurality of frequency channels having different carrier frequencies and defined in a specified frequency band, the method comprising:

detecting a carrier of another wireless communication system that performs a wireless communication by using the specified frequency band;

excluding a frequency channel of the plurality of frequency channels in which the carrier of said another wireless communication system is detected, from frequency channels targeted for the frequency hopping;

determining again whether the carrier of said another wireless communication system is present in the frequency channel excluded from the frequency channels targeted for the frequency hopping; and

adding the excluded frequency channel to the frequency channels targeted for the frequency hopping when the carrier of said another wireless communication system is not detected.

2. The wireless communication method according to claim 1 , wherein wireless communication of the spread spectrum communication system is conducted by a master-slave system, the carrier of said another wireless communication system is detected by a master in the spread spectrum communication system, and said excluding includes notifying a slave of a stop of use of the frequency channel in which the carrier of said another wireless communication system is detected by the master.

3. The wireless communication method according to claim 1 , wherein said another wireless communication system is a spread spectrum-direct sequence communication system, and said detecting includes de-spreading a received radio signal by using a spread code used in said another wireless communication system to detect the carrier of said another wireless communication system.

4. The wireless communication method according to claim 1 , wherein wireless communication of the spread spectrum communication system is conducted by a master-slave system, and the carrier of said another wireless communication system is detected by a master in the spread spectrum communication system, before a radio link is constructed between the master and slave.

5. The wireless communication method according to claim 4 , wherein said master generates a code indicating a hopping pattern excluding a frequency channel in which the carrier of said another wireless communication system is detected, and notifies the slave of the code.

6. The wireless communication method according to claim 1 , wherein said detecting includes executing a carrier sense process to determine whether the carrier of the second wireless communication system is present in each of the plurality of frequency channels.

7. The wireless communication method according to claim 1 , wherein said another wireless communication system performs a wireless communication by using another frequency channel having a bandwidth that is larger than the bandwidth of each of the frequency channels used for the frequency hopping, and the excluding includes excluding frequency channels belonging to said another frequency channel, from frequency channels targeted for the frequency hopping, when the carrier of said another wireless communication system is detected.

8. A wireless communication apparatus of a spread spectrum communication system which performs frequency hopping using a plurality of frequency channels having different frequencies and defined in a specified frequency band, the apparatus comprising:

a detecting unit configured to detect a carrier of another wireless communication system that performs a wireless communication by using the specified frequency band;

an excluding unit configured to exclude a frequency channel of the plurality of frequency channels in which the carrier of said another wireless communication system is detected, from frequency channels targeted for the frequency hopping;

a unit which determines again whether the carrier of said another wireless communication system is present in the frequency channel excluded from the frequency channels targeted for the frequency hopping; and

a unit which adds the excluded frequency channel to the frequency channels targeted for the frequency hopping when the carrier of said another wireless communication system is not detected.

9. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein said another wireless communication system is a spread spectrum-direct sequence communication system, and said detecting unit includes a unit which de-spreads a received radio signal by using a spread code used in said another wireless communication system to detect the carrier of said another wireless communication system.

10. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein said another wireless communication system performs a wireless communication by using another frequency channel having a bandwidth that is larger than the bandwidth of each of the frequency channels used for the frequency hopping, and the excluding unit excludes frequency channels belonging to said another frequency channel, from frequency channels targeted for the frequency hopping, when the carrier of said another wireless communication system is detected.