Communication terminal, method and system for transmitting data
View Patent ↗Each station makes a transition to a power saving state autonomously in response to the reception of signals from the other stations in the same group and the transmission of its own signal. Each station sets its transmission timing such that it does not overlap the transmission timing of the other stations, by referring to data elements included in a beacon signal. The transmission timing in the stations is determined for each transmission.
1. A communication terminal which constitutes a group with at least one other communication terminal and communicates within the group, each of the communication terminals including a respective unit ID, comprising:
a receiver unit which receives a broadcast signal including a broadcast signal ID for determining a transmission timing;
a transmission controller which refers to the broadcast signal ID to determine, for each transmission, the transmission timing for transmission of a data signal by calculation of a numerical operation using at least the broadcast signal ID included in the broadcast signal and a unit ID assigned to the communication terminal so that the determined transmission timing does not overlap with the transmission timing of the at least one other communication terminal within the group,
wherein different broadcast signal IDs are included in different broadcast signals transmitted in succession, and all the unit IDs assigned to the communication terminals forming the group are unique; and
a transmitter unit which transmits the data signal to the at least one other communication terminal according to the transmission timing determined by the transmission controller
wherein an order of transmission of the communication terminals is changed from transmission to transmission.
2. The communication terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the transmission controller sets the order of transmission of the data signal within the group, by referring to the broadcast signal ID included in the broadcast signal.
3. The communication terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the transmission controller sets the transmission timing as an elapsed time since the detection of a signal from the other communication terminal, and wherein the transmitter unit transmits the data signal when the time set as the transmission timing elapses since the detection of a signal from the other communication terminal.
4. The communication terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the unit IDs of the communication terminals are rotated so that a particular communication terminal does not always transmit last in the order of transmission.
5. The communication terminal according to claim 1 , wherein a second group of communication terminals utilizes the transmission timing of the group to set a transmission timing of the second group to avoid collisions between the group and the second group of communication terminals.
6. A communication method adapted for a communication terminal which constitutes a group with one or more other communication terminals and communicates within the group, each of the communication terminals including a respective unit ID, comprising the steps of:
receiving a broadcast signal including a broadcast signal ID for determining a transmission timing for transmission of a data signal;
determining, by referring to the broadcast signal ID, the transmission timing for transmission of the data signal by calculation of a numerical operation using at least the broadcast signal ID included in the broadcast signal and a unit ID assigned to the communication terminal so that the determined transmission timing does not overlap with the transmission timing of the other communication terminals within the group, wherein different broadcast signal IDs are included in different broadcast signals transmitted in succession, and all the unit IDs assigned to the communication terminals forming the group are unique; and
transmitting the data signal to one or more other communication terminals according to the determined transmission timing,
wherein an order of transmission of the communication terminals is changed from transmission to transmission.
7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a program stored therein which causes a computer in a communication terminal which constitutes a group with one or more other communication terminals and communicates within the group, each of the communication terminals including a respective unit ID, to carry out the functions of:
receiving a broadcast signal including a broadcast signal ID for determining a transmission timing for transmission of a data signal;
determining, by referring to the broadcast signal ID, the transmission timing for each transmission of the data signal by calculation of a numerical operation using at least the broadcast signal ID included in the broadcast signal and a unit ID assigned to the communication terminal so that the determined transmission timing does not overlap with the transmission timing of the other communication terminals within the group, wherein different broadcast signal IDs are included in different broadcast signals transmitted in succession, and all the unit IDs assigned to the communication terminals forming the group are unique; and
transmitting the data signal to one or more other communication terminals according to the determined transmission timing,
wherein an order of transmission of the communication terminals is changed from transmission to transmission.
8. A communication system for communication between a plurality of communication terminals constituting a group, each of which includes a respective unit ID, and further including:
a receiver unit which receives a broadcast signal including a broadcast signal ID for determining a transmission timing;
a transmission controller which refers to the broadcast signal ID to determine, for each transmission, the transmission timing for transmission of a data signal by calculation of a numerical operation using at least the broadcast signal ID included in the broadcast signal and a unit ID assigned to the communication terminal so that the determined transmission timing does not overlap with the transmission timing of the other communication terminals within the group, wherein different broadcast signal IDs are included in different broadcast signals transmitted in succession, and all the unit IDs assigned to the communication terminals forming the group are unique; and
a transmitter unit which transmits the data signal to the at least one other communication terminal according to the transmission timing determined by the transmission controller,
wherein an order of transmission of the plurality of communication terminals is changed from transmission to transmission.