JP2006173891A - Communication device, communication method, and program for controlling communication device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently operate an overall traffic by constructing a network corresponding to the state of peripheral networks. <P>SOLUTION: A superframe information is acquired from the beacon of an adjoining piconet, and the reception power distribution corresponding to it is measured. Two data are related each other for analysis. By constructing a superframe based on the analyzing result, an efficient piconet of superframe is formed in which the effect of interference is reduced in terms of level and timing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device, a communication method, and a program for controlling the communication device.

  The IEEE 802.15.3 standard (Non-patent Document 1) has been established as a standard for the MAC (Medium Access Control) layer of short-range high-speed wireless communication WPAN (Wireless Personal Area Network). This standard specializes in near field communication, and simplifies it compared to the LAN standard, thereby enabling high-speed communication while reducing the mounting load on a small terminal. Adoption is also being studied in the UWB (Ultra Wide Band) communication system whose standards are being developed as a next-generation high-speed wireless interface.

  In the IEEE 802.15.3 standard, one control terminal exists in one network and performs traffic management in the network. A control terminal uses a communication frame called a superframe as a basic unit, and in one superframe, communication slots between terminals under the network managed by itself, various control data, and temporary communication from other systems , Etc. are controlled in a time-sharing manner. Thus, control is performed to keep the communication band between the terminals constant while avoiding collisions in the network.

  Meanwhile, MB-OFDM (Multiband Orthogonal Division Multiplexing) is one of the leading candidates for the UWB communication system. In this method, the frequency band of 3 GHz to 10 GHz is divided into frequency bands of about 500 MHz each, and communication is performed using the OFDM method within one band, and then the frequency band is sequentially shifted to another frequency band by a hopping operation. is there. Modulation / demodulation for high-speed data transmission is completed in OFDM communication within the 500 MHz band, and hopping transition is for realizing simultaneous coexistence of a plurality of networks. The hopping operation is performed within the band group with the three frequency bands as one band group. A small-scale network called a piconet is configured by a plurality of terminals shifting frequency bands based on a common hopping pattern, and up to four piconets can coexist simultaneously by using different hopping patterns.

However, when a plurality of piconets coexist, data collision may occur because the number of transition bands for hopping is small. Therefore, a time-spreading process can be performed to relieve data loss. This is a method in which a data packet for one symbol is repeatedly transmitted in two symbol intervals, so that even if one symbol loss occurs due to a collision, the same symbol data transmitted at another timing is used for compensation. Since the data packet is sent twice, the throughput decreases.
IEEE P802.15.3 Draft Standard

  However, when the total amount of traffic in the piconet increases, the following problems occur.

  FIG. 7 assumes a UWB piconet network that operates according to the physical layer standard of the MBOA (MultiBand OFDM Alliance) system in accordance with the IEEE 802.15.3 MAC standard. Here, PNC indicates a control terminal of the piconet, and DEV indicates a subordinate terminal belonging to the piconet. In FIG. 7A, the piconet formed by the PNC 1 701 has a communication range as indicated by 702, and controls communication traffic for UWB terminals in this range. Reference numerals 703 and 704 denote subordinate terminals DEV2 and DEV3, and the three terminals communicate with each other in a time division manner together with the identifier DEV1 when the PNC1 of 701 operates as a subordinate terminal. Since the communication traffic of each terminal is controlled to occur only in the time allocated for each terminal, with the superframe indicated by 705 as one cycle, there is no collision between the communication. Reference numeral 706 denotes a beacon frame indicating the timing of one cycle of a super frame transmitted by the PNC 1. Each subordinate terminal captures this beacon frame to synchronize with the piconet, and from information obtained by demodulating the beacon frame, 708 The timings of the time slots CTA1, CTA2, and CTA3 assigned to each terminal can be identified within the superframe indicated by (2), and communication can be appropriately performed at the time assigned to each subordinate terminal. Reference numeral 707 denotes a period for random access by carrier sense, which is used for communication between specific terminals as necessary, or for communication with other wireless systems using the same frequency band.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 7B, it is assumed that DEV4 and DEV5 indicated by 709 and 710 are newly turned on under the communication range of the piconet 1 in order to communicate with each other. DEV4 and DEV5 are devices that require high-speed data communication in real time, such as video cameras and viewer terminals. These DEVs are not intended for communication with other terminals and need only be able to perform one-to-one communication. However, if the operation conforms to the IEEE 802.15.3 MAC standard, beacon information from PNC1 is detected. By doing so, it starts as a subordinate terminal of the piconet 1. In the IEEE 802.15.3 MAC standard, it is a specification that sequentially transfers the control right of the PNC to the one having a high function as the PNC. However, it is usually a minimum for a specific application terminal such as a video camera. Since it is conceivable that only the PNC function is implemented, when an existing network is configured with a high-function PNC such as a PC or an access point, it is necessarily a subordinate terminal.

  As a result of the DEVs 4 and 5 joining the piconet 1, it is assumed that the time slots 711 and 712 given to the DEVs 4 and 5 by the PNC 1 are in a state where a minimum necessary bandwidth is secured. In this case, if the error increases due to temporary interference or the like, a problem such as a drop in the frame rate of the image data immediately occurs. Therefore, in the end, once the piconet 1 is removed, the procedure for forming a piconet with only DEV4 and DEV5 on another channel is taken again, and it takes a lot of time to secure stable communication by taking a useless procedure. The problem of spending money.

  At this time, in the physical layer standard of the MBOA system, interference between different channels also occurs with a considerable probability, so there is a possibility that time-spreading processing is necessary to coexist as another piconet. Another problem may occur, such as a decrease in throughput.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to construct a network according to the situation of surrounding networks and efficiently operate the entire traffic.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a communication device including a determination unit that determines a communication frame configuration of a first network, an identification unit that identifies a reception state of a signal, a determination by the determination unit, There is provided a communication device comprising: a determination unit that determines a communication frame configuration of a second network based on identification by the identification unit.

  Further, in the communication apparatus, based on the determination means for determining the communication frame configuration of the first network, the identification means for identifying the reception state of the signal, the determination by the determination means, and the identification by the identification means, And an allocating unit that allocates a communication time of the communication device of the second network.

  Further, in the communication method of the communication apparatus, a communication method for controlling communication of the second network based on a configuration of a communication frame of the first network and a signal reception state of the communication apparatus. provide.

  In the program for controlling the communication device, the step of allocating the communication time of the communication device of the second network based on the configuration of the communication frame of the first network and the reception state of the signal of the communication device. There is provided a program characterized by having the above.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, a network can be constructed | assembled efficiently according to the condition of a surrounding network.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 shows a UWB (Ultra Wide Band) piconet network operating in accordance with the IEEE 802.15.3 MAC standard and a physical layer standard of MBOA (Multiband OFDM Alliance), and another UWB piconet network according to a similar standard. A state in which adjacent networks of different channels are configured is shown. Here, PNC (Picone controller) indicates a control terminal of the piconet, and DEV (Device) indicates a subordinate terminal belonging to the piconet.

  A part of the configuration of the PNC and DEV is shown in FIG. FIG. 2 shows a PNC / DEV wireless communication unit, which includes a wireless communication unit 201, a control unit 202, a ROM 203, a RAM 204, and an interface (I / F) 204. The wireless communication unit is connected to various devices such as a digital camera, a printer, and a personal computer via the I / F 204, and is built in or externally attached to these devices. The control unit 202 controls the entire wireless communication unit according to a program stored in the ROM 203 or the RAM 204, and controls wireless communication by the wireless communication unit 201 described later. The wireless communication unit 201 transmits data from a device connected via the I / F 204 under the control of the control unit 202. Further, the data received from the antenna is passed to the control unit 202, and the control unit 202 transmits the data received via the I / F 204 to the device.

  In FIG. 1, a piconet 1 formed by PNC 101 of 101 has a communication range indicated by 102, and controls communication traffic for UWB terminals in this range. Reference numerals 103 and 104 denote subordinate terminals DEV2 and DEV3, and three terminals communicate with each other in a time division manner together with the identifier DEV1 when the PNC1 101 itself operates as a subordinate terminal.

  On the other hand, since DEV4 105 and DEV5 106 are within the communication range 102 of PNC1, they normally operate as subordinate terminals of piconet 1, but DEV5 functions as PNC2 by applying this embodiment. Thus, a piconet 2 that forms a network of different channels is formed. As a result, data communication over a wider band is possible than when operating as a subordinate terminal of the piconet 1. The communication range of the piconet 2 formed by the PNC 2 is 107, and the PNC 1 of 101 is the communication range, but the DEV 2 and DEV 3 of 103 and 104 are out of range, and the signals transmitted by the DEV 2 and DEV 3 are DEV 4 and It is assumed that the positional relationship does not reach DEV5.

  The DEV 5 serving as the PNC 2 is powered on in a state where the piconet 1 has already been formed, and operates according to the procedure described later, so that it is possible to form the piconet 2 on another channel shown in FIG.

  FIG. 3 shows an operation flow when the DEV 5 is powered on.

  When the power to the wireless communication unit is turned on, the piconet activation determination is called under the control of the control unit 202 (step S301), and a beacon search is performed (step S302). If a beacon cannot be detected as a result of the search (step S303), it is determined that there is no other piconet network in the vicinity, and a new piconet is formed in a normal procedure (step S304). That is, DEV5 becomes PNC2 and starts transmitting a beacon to form a new piconet. Note that the new piconet formation procedure including the beacon search conforms to the standard, and details thereof are omitted here.

  When a beacon is detected in step S303, it is determined that another piconet network (the piconet formed by the PNC 1 in FIG. 1) exists in the surrounding area, while acquiring the beacon information included in the detected beacon signal (step (S305), reception power measurement is started (step S306). In this reception power measurement, the reception level fluctuation of the beacon signal is measured for a certain period, and the measurement result is recorded. And the beacon information acquired at step S305 is analyzed, and the information regarding the detected superframe structure of the piconet is acquired (step S307).

  From this acquired information, it is verified whether or not the communication band required for communication by itself (DEV5) can be secured in the detected piconet (piconet 1) (step S308). As a result of the verification, if it is determined that the necessary communication band can be secured in the detected piconet, the procedure for joining the detected piconet is performed, and the detected piconet is joined (step S309). The procedure for joining the piconet shall be in accordance with the standard, and details thereof are omitted here. However, in determining whether or not to secure the communication bandwidth, the minimum required bandwidth specified in the standard is not determined as a threshold, and more sufficient quality can be maintained in consideration of degradation of the wireless environment. It is preferable to set a threshold value in a wide band.

  As a result of the verification in step S308, if it is determined that the communication band is not sufficiently secured in the detected piconet, the received reception level fluctuation information is combined with the information on the superframe configuration already acquired, The distribution of the reception level fluctuation in one superframe period is analyzed (step S310). This analysis method will be described later. From the result of this analysis, the superframe length of the piconet 2 formed by itself (DEV5) as PNC2, the beacon transmission timing, and the arrangement of communication slots for data communication are determined (step S311), and these settings are made. Based on the value, transmission of a beacon is started and a new piconet formation procedure is executed (step S312). It should be noted that the new piconet is formed according to the standard, and details thereof are omitted here.

  With regard to the super frame length, it is set to the same length as the super frame length used in the detected piconet, and the beacon transmission timing is shifted to prevent mutual beacon signal interference between networks where inter-channel interference exists. It becomes possible to reduce the influence of interference. For example, when the detected piconet is operating in the power save mode, the superframe length is set to an integral multiple in accordance with the interval at which the DEV of the piconet performs intermittent reception, thereby reducing interference and improving efficiency. It is possible to arrange communication slots in Alternatively, it may be set to 1 / integer of the super frame length used in the piconet in which the super frame length is detected.

  With regard to the arrangement of communication slots, based on the detected superframe configuration information of the piconet, even if it is a slot (time) that is not assigned as a communication slot or a slot that is assigned to a specific terminal, the level is measured in the reception level measurement. By preferentially allocating the time that overlaps the slots that can detect only low signals as the communication slots of the network formed by itself, it is possible to efficiently share the communication slots while suppressing interference with adjacent piconets. The communication band can be secured more efficiently than when TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) processing is performed under one piconet.

  Next, information that can be acquired from the detected beacon signal will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 shows a frame configuration of a super frame in the IEEE 802.15.3 MAC standard. In the figure, various formats in accordance with the standard are described. Here, the superframe configuration and the communication slot arrangement information for each terminal related to the present embodiment will be described. As a component of the super frame 401, a beacon frame 402 is arranged at the head thereof. The format of the beacon frame 402 is as shown in the beacon frame body 403, and its lower 168 bits are formatted into a frame called Picone synchronization parameters 404. In addition, there is a parameter called Superframe duration 405 in Piconet synchronization parameters 404. The information described in the superframe duration 405 is information indicating the length of one superframe period. The beacon frame body 403 includes a plurality of parameters called Information element 406, and various information for maintaining and operating the network is transmitted using these parameters. One of the information elements 406 is an information element related to CTA (Channel time allocation). The CTA is a communication slot allocated by the TDMA method for each subordinate terminal, and its arrangement information is individually notified for each CTA. The CTA block 407 is arrangement information related to one CTA, among which is a CTA duration 408 serving as CTA length information, a CTA location 409 serving as information indicating a position in a superframe, and an Src ID 410 serving as an identifier of a data transmission source terminal. And Dest ID 411 which is an identifier of the data receiving terminal. By verifying these pieces of information, it is possible to know the arrangement configuration of each CTA in the superframe.

  Next, in step 310 of FIG. 3, the superframe configuration information and the distribution of fluctuations in reception level for one period of the superframe are analyzed, and the superframe length, beacon transmission timing, and data communication of the new piconet in step S311 are analyzed. A procedure for determining the arrangement of communication slots for the above will be described.

  FIG. 5A is a diagram showing the arrangement of CTAs in the superframe analyzed from the acquired superframe configuration information. In this description, since it is information acquired from a beacon signal detected by DEV5, it is superframe configuration information used by PNC1. Reference numeral 501 denotes a reference beacon frame, which can be demodulated to obtain superframe configuration information as described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 502 denotes a CAP (Contention Access Period), which is a period during which random access is permitted by carrier sense. Reference numeral 503 denotes a CTA assigned to each terminal. Here, three CTAs are assigned to DEV1, DEV2, and DEV3, respectively.

  From this situation, when DEV4 or DEV5 participates in piconet 1 as a subordinate terminal, PNC1 is assigned a new CTA in the free time after allocating CTA to DEV3. Therefore, the verification of whether or not the communication band can be secured in step S308 in FIG. 3 is that the communication band required when DEV5 communicates with DEV4 is the free time from CTA3 in 503 in FIG. 5 to the next beacon signal. Verify whether 512 is sufficient.

  FIG. 5B shows the received power level recorded along the superframe period and the fluctuations are schematically shown. Reference numeral 504 corresponds to the reception level at the time of beacon reception, and is transmitted at a relatively high output so that each terminal within the communication range of the piconet 1 can receive without problems. 505 is presumed to be any signal transmitted during the CAP period from the superframe configuration information of (a), but information regarding the contents cannot be obtained from the beacon, and is recognized as a simple interference wave. 506 is estimated as a signal of CTA1 assigned to DEV1 from the superframe configuration information of (a). Since DEV1 also serves as PNC1 and is relatively close to DEV5, a high-level signal is received like a beacon. 507 is presumed to be signals of CTA2 and CTA3 assigned to DEV2 and DEV3 from the superframe configuration information of (a), but is DEV2 and DEV3 far from DEV1 because the actual reception level is low? Alternatively, it is conceivable that transmission power control is performed because these communications are very close, and the reception level is relatively low. This analysis is performed for a plurality of cycles, and finally, the superframe configuration of the piconet 2 that the DEV 5 constructs as the PNC 2 is set as shown in FIG.

  The superframe length is the same as that of the piconet 1, and the transmission timing of the beacon 508 as the piconet 2 is assigned to the CAP section in the piconet 1, so that interference with the beacon 501 of the piconet 1 can be continuously avoided. . By allocating the CAP section of 509 including the section of CTA1 in the piconet 1, that is, the section having a high reception level in DEV5, it is possible to avoid the influence on the communication section of PNC1 having high possibility of interference as DEV1. It becomes possible. CTA4 and CTA5 of 510 and 511 are communication slots between DEV4 and DEV5. Although these overlap in time with the communication slots of DEV2 and DEV3 in the piconet 1, it is determined from the analysis of the reception level that the reception level is low and there is almost no influence of interference. By arranging the CTA 5, it is possible to allocate a wider time interval for communication between the DEV 4 and the DEV 5 than the communication slot that can be secured when subordinate to the piconet 1.

  By configuring the superframe of the piconet 2 as described above, a new piconet with little interference with the adjacent piconet can be formed. In addition, communication slots can be efficiently shared between adjacent piconets, and a communication band can be efficiently secured. Further, beacon collision between adjacent piconets can be prevented.

  In the above description, the superframe configuration of the new piconet is set based on the received power measurement in DEV5. However, the received power measurement is also performed in DEV4, the measurement result is requested from DEV5 to DEV4, and the measurement result is transmitted from DEV4. The DEV 5 is notified, and the DEV 5 sets the superframe configuration of the new piconet, in particular, the allocation of communication slots of the DEV 4 and the DEV 5 based on the received power measurement result of the DEV 5 and the received power result of the DEV 4. May be. By doing so, a new piconet with less interference with the adjacent piconet can be formed.

(Second Embodiment)
In this embodiment, when a PNC operating in the physical layer standard of the MBOA system constructs a UWB piconet network in accordance with the IEEE 802.15.3 MAC standard, and then a new UWB piconet network is constructed with different channels. First, a description will be given of a method in which the PNC that first built the piconet performs superframe reconstruction. The PNC and DEV configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the control by the control unit 202 is different. Further, the configuration terminals and arrangement status of the two piconets are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 6 shows a procedure in which the DEV 5 serving as the PNC 2 detects the piconet 1 by the PNC 1 that has risen later in a state where the piconet 2 has already been formed, and changes its superframe configuration according to the situation.

  In FIG. 6, when the PNC 2 constructs the piconet 2, the superframe reconstruction determination is started (step S601). The trigger for starting the superframe reconstruction determination may be, for example, continuously monitored after reception of the piconet 2 and when the interference wave level exceeds a predetermined value. Alternatively, it may be continued when an interference wave of a predetermined value or more is detected continuously for a predetermined time. Moreover, after the construction of the piconet, it may be activated at regular intervals. If the superframe reconstruction determination is always activated after the construction of the piconet 2, the adjacent piconet can be detected quickly, and if it is activated by detecting an interference wave or when it is activated at regular intervals, a PNC is added. Can be reduced.

  When the super frame reconstruction determination is activated, activation of the beacon search mode is activated (step S602). This is because, in normal operation, traffic is generated from each terminal in its own network including the subordinate terminal (DEV). Therefore, there is a possibility that a beacon of another channel cannot be detected. This is because it is necessary to change the operation mode. As a specific operation in the beacon search mode, traffic control such as temporarily placing no CTA in the superframe is performed to increase the beacon detection rate, or beacon transmission is temporarily performed within an allowable range. A plurality of methods are conceivable, such as stopping only the beacon search of other channels, and all are operations according to the procedure according to the IEEE 802.15.3 MAC standard, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Next, a beacon search is performed (step S603). If a beacon cannot be detected as a result of the search (step S604), the beacon search mode is temporarily terminated (step S605), a timer is started (step S606), After a certain time elapses, the beacon search mode is activated to repeat the beacon search.

  If a beacon is detected as a result of the beacon search (step S604) (in this embodiment, a beacon from the PNC 1 constructing the piconet 1 is detected), beacon information is acquired from the received beacon signal (step S607). Then, reception power measurement is started, and reception level fluctuation is recorded over a certain period (step S608). Next, by analyzing the acquired beacon information, information on the superframe configuration of the detected piconet is acquired (step S609), and the communication band (piconet 2) required by the PNC 2 itself for the detected piconet 1 is obtained from the obtained information. It is verified whether or not the communication band secured in (1) can be secured (step S610). This verification verifies whether the communication band of the piconet 2 can be secured within the free time 512 of the piconet 1 when the superframe configuration of the piconet 1 is FIG.

  As a result of the verification, if it is determined that the communication band can be secured in the detected piconet 1, the process proceeds to the piconet integration procedure for combining the piconet 1 and the piconet 2 into one piconet, and the piconet 1 and the piconet 2 are combined. (Step S611).

  Further, as a result of the verification in step S610, if it is determined that the communication band is not sufficiently secured in the detected piconet 1, the reception level recorded in the information related to the superframe configuration in the already-acquired piconet 1 is recorded. By combining the fluctuation information, the distribution of the reception level fluctuation in one cycle of the super frame is analyzed (step S612). From the result of this analysis, the superframe length of the piconet 2 constructed by the PNC 2 itself, the beacon transmission timing, and the arrangement of communication slots for data communication are reset (step S613). The beacon whose parameter has been changed is transmitted, and the procedure for changing the superframe configuration of the piconet 2 is executed. The superframe reconstruction procedure follows the standard, and details thereof are omitted here.

  The superframe length is basically the same as the detected piconet 1, and the beacon transmission timing is shifted to prevent mutual beacon signal interference, and the influence of interference between networks where interchannel interference exists. Can be reduced. For example, when the detected piconet 1 is operating in the power save mode, the superframe length is set to an integral multiple in accordance with the interval at which the DEV operating in the piconet 1 performs intermittent reception, thereby reducing interference. Thus, communication slots can be arranged more efficiently. Alternatively, it may be set to 1 / integer of the super frame length used in the piconet in which the super frame length is detected.

  Regarding the rearrangement of communication slots, based on the detected superframe configuration information of the piconet 1, even if the slot is not assigned as a communication slot or is assigned to a specific terminal, the level of the reception slot is measured. By preferentially allocating time that overlaps slots that can detect only low signals as communication slots of its own network, interference with adjacent piconets can be suppressed and communication slots can be shared efficiently. Thus, the communication band can be secured more efficiently than the TDMA processing. These arrangement procedures are the same as those in the first embodiment, and are omitted here.

  As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to avoid interference of synchronization signals transmitted from the control station in two adjacent WPAN networks using different channels. In addition, high-quality operation of the entire network is possible, and it is also possible to optimally arrange the communication slots of each other in a state with a low possibility of interference. Efficient operation of the entire traffic becomes possible.

It is a figure which shows the network structure in which the piconet using two different channels in the Example of this invention coexists. It is a block diagram of the radio | wireless communication unit in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of DEV5 (PNC2) in 1st Example of this invention. FIG. 3 is a frame configuration diagram of a super frame in the IEEE 802.15.3 MAC standard. It is a figure which shows the correspondence of the detected super-frame structure in the Example of this invention, the received power distribution corresponding to it, and the super-frame structure of the new network constructed | assembled from those information. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of DEV5 (PNC2) in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the network structure at the time of participating in the existing piconet by the conventional method, and the state of the communication slot allocated at that time.

Explanation of symbols

101 Device 1 (DEV1) and piconet controller 1 (PNC1)
102 Communication range of PNC1 103 Device 2 (DEV2)
104 Device 3 (DEV3)
105 Device 4 (DEV4)
106 Device 5 (DEV5) and piconet controller 2 (PNC2)
107 Communication range of PNC2

Claims (13)

In communication equipment,
Determining means for determining a communication frame configuration of the first network;
An identification means for identifying the reception state of the signal;
A determination unit that determines a communication frame configuration of the second network based on the determination by the determination unit and the identification by the identification unit;
A communication apparatus comprising: In claim 1,
The determination unit configures the communication frame so that a transmission timing of a synchronization signal of the first network and a transmission timing of a synchronization signal of the second network do not overlap. In claim 1,
The determination unit assigns a time zone in which a signal reception level is low to a communication time of a communication device that communicates with the second network. In claim 1,
The determining means determines a communication frame length of the first network;
The determination device determines a communication frame length of the second network based on the communication frame length determined by the determination unit. In claim 1,
The determination unit sets a transmission timing of a synchronization signal of the second network in a time zone in which random access is permitted by carrier sense in the first network. In claim 1,
The determination means sets a time zone in which a communication time is not allocated to the communication device of the first network and a time zone in which a signal reception level is low as a communication time of the communication device that communicates in the second network. A communication device characterized by assigning. In claim 1,
The communication device characterized in that the determining means determines an arrangement of communication slots to which a communication time of a communication device of the second network is allocated. In claim 1,
Obtaining means for obtaining a reception state of a signal in another communication device participating in the second network;
The determination means determines a communication frame configuration of the second network based on the determination by the determination means, the identification by the identification means, and the signal reception state in the other communication device acquired by the acquisition means. A communication device characterized by: In claim 1,
A communication apparatus comprising: a forming unit that performs processing for newly forming a second network based on the communication frame configuration determined by the determining unit. In claim 1,
A communication apparatus, comprising: a changing unit that performs a process of changing a communication frame configuration of a second network formed by the communication device based on the communication frame configuration determined by the determining unit. In communication equipment,
Determining means for determining a communication frame configuration of the first network;
An identification means for identifying the reception state of the signal;
An allocating unit that allocates a communication time of a communication device of a second network based on the determination by the determination unit and the identification by the identification unit;
A communication apparatus comprising: In the communication method of the communication device,
A communication method comprising: controlling communication of a second network based on a configuration of a communication frame of a first network and a signal reception state of the communication device. In a program for controlling a communication device,
A program comprising a step of allocating a communication time of a communication device of a second network based on a configuration of a communication frame of a first network and a signal reception state of the communication device.

Images