Patent ID: 7965666
Filing Date: 2011-06-21
Classification: H04W,Y02D

Abstract:
1. A communication system comprising a control station and a child station, the child station comprising: a decision device adapted to decide a communication period between the child station and the control station, which is performed in order to maintain a connection state between the child station and the control station in a power save mode, the decision of the communication period being performed in accordance with a predetermined wake-up period, a time-out value that maintains the connection state between the child station and the control station even when no communication is taking place, and a frame length that is a unit of the communication between the control station and the child station; and a transmission device adapted to transmit the communication period that is decided upon by the decision device to the control station; wherein the decision device decides on the time-out value to be the communication period when the wake-up period is greater than the time-out period, and decides on the wake-up period to be the communication period when the wake-up period is less than or equal to the time-out period, the control station comprising: an assignment device adapted to assign an interval for communicating with the child station, in accordance with the communication period that is received from the child station; and a notification device adapted to notify the child station of the interval that is assigned by the assignment device; wherein the control station further comprises: a determination device adapted to determine, when the communication period is received from the child station, whether or not the assignment device will employ the communication period thus received to assign the interval; and a sending device adapted to send, when the determination device determines that the communication period thus received will not be employed, a notification to the child station that the communication period thus received therefrom will not be employed; wherein the decision device, upon being notified by the control station that the communication period will not be employed, decides anew that the communication period is a multiple of a power of two of the frame length; and the transmission device transmits the communication period that has been decided anew by the decision device to the control station.