IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,356,451
Granted Patent B2
US 12,356,451 · App. 17/198,261 · Granted Jul 8, 2025

Information processing apparatus, communication system, information processing method, and program

Inventors: Shigeru Sugaya (Kanagawa, JP); Yusuke Tanaka (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
H04W74/0816H04W72/0446H04W74/04H04W16/14H04W84/12
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,356,451
App. No.
17/198,261
Granted
Jul 8, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Wireless communication is appropriately performed. An information processing apparatus is an information processing apparatus including a management unit. The management unit included in the information processing apparatus manages a transmission suppression time period set in a network including the information processing apparatus. Along with the management, the management unit also manages a transmission suppression time period set in each of other networks, the other networks not including the information processing apparatus and transmitting radio waves reaching at least the information processing apparatus, the management unit managing the transmission suppression time period for each of the other networks.

Claims (61)

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

circuitry configured to

manage a first transmission suppression time period by management information, the first transmission suppression time period being set in a first network that is a Basic Service Set (BSS) including the information processing apparatus,

manage a second transmission suppression time period for a second network that is an Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) by the management information, the second transmission suppression time period being set in the second network based on information of a frame that is received from the second network, the second network transmitting radio waves reaching the information processing apparatus, the management information managing address information of the frame sent from the second network in association with the second transmission suppression time period,

manage a third transmission suppression time period for a third network that is the OBSS by the management information, the third transmission suppression time period being set in the third network based on information of a frame that is received from the third network, the third network being different from the second network and transmitting radio waves reaching the information processing apparatus, the management information managing address information of the frame sent from the third network in association with the third transmission suppression time period,

in response to a contention free end (CF-END) frame from another information processing apparatus, determine that the other information apparatus belongs to any one of the OBSSs based on address information in the CF-END frame and the management information,

cancel the second transmission suppression time period for the second network based on the CF-END frame while maintaining the third transmission suppression time period for the third network, under a condition that the other information apparatus belongs to the second network, and

ignore the CF-END frame from the other information processing apparatus, under a condition that the other information apparatus is not managed by the management information,

wherein the circuitry is further configured to select at least one OBSS as a management target from among a plurality of OBSSs to limit a number of the management target, based on the management information that includes received field strength, in which a first OBSS related to a first received field strength is selected as the management target, and a second OBSS related to a second received field strength is not selected as the management target, the second received field strength being lower than the first received field strength.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the circuitry is further configured to set the second transmission suppression time period for the second network on a basis of a control signal received from another information processing apparatus belonging to the second network.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the circuitry is further configured to set the second transmission suppression time period for the second network on a basis of a value of Duration in a control signal received from another information processing apparatus belonging to the second network.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

in a case where a control signal received from another information processing apparatus belonging to the first network is an RTS frame, the circuitry is further configured to set the first transmission suppression time period of the first network on a basis of a value of Duration in the RTS frame.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the circuitry is further configured to perform control not to transmit a signal to a wireless transmission path until all the first transmission suppression time period of the first network, the second transmission suppression time period for the second network, and the third transmission suppression time period for the third network are cancelled.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the circuitry is further configured to change details of management of either one of the first, second and third transmission suppression time periods on a basis of a type of a control signal received from another information processing apparatus belonging to one of the plurality of OBSSs.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

in a case where a control signal received from an access point belonging to the first network is a CTS (Clear to Send) frame, the circuitry is further configured to figure out that data is to be transmitted in the first network.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

in a case where a control signal received from an access point belonging to the first network is the CF-END frame, the circuitry is further configured to figure out that data is not to be transmitted from the access point in the first network.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the frame is a CTS (Clear to Send) frame sent from the one of the plurality of OBSSs after reception of an RTS (Request to Send) frame from the one of the plurality of OBSSs, the CTS frame corresponding to the RTS frame.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the circuitry is configured to select the second network and the third network from among the plurality of the OBSSs as the management target, based on received field strength included in the management information.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the received field strength is Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI).

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the management information includes radio wave condition information including at least one of PER (Packet Error Rate), BER (Bit Error Rate), the number of retransmissions of packet, throughput, drop frame, SIR (Signal to Interference Ratio), or SINR (Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio),

wherein the circuitry is configured to select at least one OBSS as the management target from among the plurality of OBSSs based on the radio wave condition information.

13. A communication system comprising:

a first information processing apparatus including first circuitry configured to transmit a control signal for setting a first transmission suppression time period in a first network that is a Basic Service Set (BSS) including both the first information processing apparatus and a second information processing apparatus in a case where data is to be transmitted in the first network; and

the second information processing apparatus including second circuitry configured to manage the first transmission suppression time period by management information, the first transmission suppression time period being set in the first network on a basis of the control signal, manage a second transmission suppression time period for a second network that is an Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) by the management information, the second network at least partially overlapping the first network and does not include the first or the second information processing apparatuses, the second transmission suppression time period being set in the second network based on information of a frame that is received from the second network, the second network transmitting radio waves reaching the second information processing apparatus, the management information managing address information of the frame sent from the second network in association with the second transmission suppression time period, wherein

the second circuitry is further configured to manage a third transmission suppression time period for a third network that is the OBSS by the management information, the third network at least partially overlapping the first network and does not include the first information processing apparatus, the third transmission suppression time period being set in the third network based on information of a frame that is received from the third network, the third network being different from the second network and transmitting radio waves reaching the second information processing apparatus, the management information managing address information of the frame sent from the third network in association with the third transmission suppression time period,

in response to a contention free end (CF-END) frame from another information processing apparatus, the second circuitry is further configured to determine that the other information apparatus belongs to any one of the second network or the third network based on address information in the CF-END frame and the management information,

the second circuitry is further configured to cancel the second transmission suppression time period for the second network based on the CF-END frame while maintaining the third transmission suppression time period for the third network, under a condition that the other information apparatus belongs to the second network,

the second circuitry is further configured to ignore the CF-END frame from the other information processing apparatus, under a condition that the other information apparatus is not managed by the management information, and

the second circuitry is further configured to select at least one OBSS as a management target from among a plurality of OBSSs to limit a number of the management target, based on the management information that includes received field strength, in which a first OBSS related to a first received field strength is selected as the management target, and a second OBSS related to a second received field strength is not selected as the management target, the second received field strength being lower than the first received field strength.

14. The communication system according to claim 13 ,

wherein the second circuitry is configured to select the second network and the third network from among the plurality of the OBSSs as the management target, based on received field strength included in the management information.

15. The communication system according to claim 13 ,

wherein the received field strength is Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI).

16. The communication system according to claim 13 ,

wherein the management information includes radio wave condition information including at least one of PER (Packet Error Rate), BER (Bit Error Rate), the number of retransmissions of packet, throughput, drop frame, SIR (Signal to Interference Ratio), or SINR (Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio),

wherein the second circuitry is configured to select at least one OBSS as the management target from among the plurality of OBSSs based on the radio wave condition information.

17. An information processing method comprising:

managing a first transmission suppression time period by management information, the first transmission suppression time period being set in a first network that is a Basic Service Set (BSS) including an information processing apparatus;

managing a second transmission suppression time period for a second network that is an Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) by the management information, the second transmission suppression time period being set in the second network based on information of a frame that is received from the second network, the second network transmitting radio waves reaching the information processing apparatus, the management information managing address information of the frame sent from the second network in association with the second transmission suppression time period;

managing a third transmission suppression time period for a third network that is the OBSS by the management information, the third transmission suppression time period being set in the third network based on information of a frame that is received from the third network, the third network being different from the second network and transmitting radio waves reaching the information processing apparatus, the management information managing address information of the frame sent from the third network in association with the third transmission suppression time period;

in response to a contention free end (CF-END) frame from another information processing apparatus, determining that the other information apparatus belongs to any one of the second network or the third network based on address information in the CF-END frame and the management information;

cancelling the second transmission suppression time period for the second network based on the CF-END frame while maintaining the third transmission suppression time period for the third network, under a condition that the other information apparatus belongs to the second network; and

ignoring the CF-END frame from the other information processing apparatus, under a condition that the other information apparatus is not managed by the management information,

wherein at least one OBSS is selected as a management target from among a plurality of OBSSs to limit a number of the management target, based on the management information that includes received field strength, in which a first OBSS related to a first received field strength is selected as the management target, and a second OBSS related to a second received field strength is not selected as the management target, the second received field strength being lower than the first received field strength.

18. The information processing method according to claim 17 , further comprising;

selecting the second network and the third network from among the plurality of the OBSSs as the management target, based on received field strength included in the management information.

19. The information processing method according to claim 17 ,

wherein the received field strength is Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI).

20. The information processing method according to claim 17 , further comprising;

selecting at least one OBSS as the management target from among the plurality of OBSSs based on radio wave condition information, the radio wave condition information including at least one of PER (Packet Error Rate), BER (Bit Error Rate), the number of retransmissions of packet, throughput, drop frame, SIR (Signal to Interference Ratio), or SINR (Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio).

Priority Claims (1)
JP 2016-000783 · Jan 6, 2016 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation 15777701
Related Publication 20210204319A1 · Jul 1, 2021
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