Patent ID: 8873434

Claim:
A wireless communication method for performing wireless communication between a master and a plurality of slaves which are included in a wireless local area network (LAN) system, the master performing the steps of: establishing a respective direct wireless connection between said master and each of said plurality of slaves wherein communications between said master and each respective slave of said plurality of slaves are transmitted via respective direct wireless transmission between said master and the respective slave without re-transmission through another device; periodically transmitting a master synchronization signal directly from said master to said plurality of slaves, said master synchronization signal being transmitted via respective direct wireless transmission from said master to each slave of said plurality of slaves without re-transmission through another device, said master synchronization signal requiring a respective master synchronization response signal from each of said plurality of slaves; responsive to periodically transmitting a master synchronization signal, periodically receiving a respective master synchronization response signal from each of said plurality of slaves having received the master synchronization signal, each respective master synchronization response signal being received via direct wireless transmission from the respective slave to said master without re-transmission through another device; detecting that no corresponding master synchronization response signal has been received from a first slave of said plurality of slaves responsive to an instance of periodically transmitting said master synchronization signal; responsive to detecting that no corresponding master synchronization response signal has been received from a first slave of said plurality of slaves responsive to an instance of periodically transmitting said master synchronization signal, transmitting an instruction signal from said master to a specific slave among the plurality of slaves to urge the specific slave to send a slave synchronization signal, said specific slave being other than said first slave; responsive to transmitting an instruction signal from said master to the specific slave, receiving from the specific slave an acknowledgment signal indicating that the first slave has received the slave synchronization signal; thereafter receiving in said master an information packet addressed to said first slave; and responsive to receiving the information packet, transmitting to the specific slave the information packet for forwarding to the first slave.