Patent ID: 11895641
Assignee: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
Field: Digital communication (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H  Y | IPC H

Claim 6:
7. A control method for controlling a plurality of communication units included in a gateway device, the plurality of communication units being configured to perform wireless communication with a terminal device using different communication methods, the control method comprising:
scheduling, based on communication unit individual information that is acquired from the communication units and includes information indicating at least a characteristic of the communication method of each of the communication units, operations of the communication units so as to prevent overlapping of periods in which the communication units perform signal transmission/reception with the terminal device;
in a case where one of the communication units performs signal transmission/reception with the terminal device, detecting an occupied period that occurs due to the signal transmission/reception, based on the communication unit individual information that corresponds to the one communication unit;
during the occupied period, stopping signal transmission performed by a communication unit other than the communication unit that corresponds to the occupied period;
determining whether or not a free state detection request regarding a wireless channel was made by a communication unit that is not performing signal transmission/reception with the terminal device in the occupied period; and
in response to determining that the free state detection request was made, transmitting a response indicating that the wireless channel is in a blocked state to the communication unit that made the free state detection request.