JP2006140800A - Master device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To substantially connect a sufficient number of slave devices exceeding the maximum number of simultaneous connections on a communication standard to a master device.
A wireless transmission / reception unit 12 that communicates with a slave device 5, a central processing unit 13 that controls the wireless transmission / reception unit 12, a physical link management unit 14, a park device management unit 15, a park mode instruction unit 16, In the master device composed of the time acquisition unit 17, the operation history database 18, and the connected device information database 19, an elapsed time from the start time acquired by the time acquisition unit 17 in the park mode instruction unit 16 is calculated. Calculation and processing to shift the slave device with the longest elapsed time to the park mode.
[Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a master device in a wireless communication system.

  In a wireless communication system including a master device and a slave device using the Bluetooth (registered trademark) system, there is a limit to the number of slave devices that have a physical link that can always communicate with the master device (Bluetooth system). Then 7). However, when considering connecting home appliances that exist in the home to the master device as a slave device, there was a problem that a sufficient number of home appliances could not be connected to the master device due to the standard maximum number of connections allowed .

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and enables master devices that can connect to the master device the number of slave devices that exceeds the maximum number of connectable devices that can be connected to the master device according to the communication standard. The purpose is to provide.

  The master device of the invention of claim 1 is a wireless transmission / reception unit for wirelessly transmitting / receiving data, a central processing unit for controlling the wireless transmission / reception unit, a physical link management unit for managing communication with slave devices, A park device management unit that manages disconnection and return of a physical link while maintaining a logical link established with the slave device, and a park mode that instructs the slave device to enter and return to park mode. And an instruction unit.

  The invention of claim 2 has a time acquisition unit for acquiring an individual physical link start time of the slave device held in the physical link management unit in the master device of claim 1, and the park mode instruction unit Is characterized in that the elapsed time from the time acquired by the time acquisition unit is calculated, and the slave device having the longest elapsed time is shifted to the park mode.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the master device of the first aspect, the master device has an operation history database that stores a communication history of the master device and the slave device, and the park mode instruction unit is held in the physical link management unit. The individual communication history of each slave device is referred to from the operation history database, and the slave device having the longest communication time is shifted to the park mode.

  The invention of claim 4 has a device information database that records whether or not the slave device connected to the master device is a device having an automatic power shut-off function in the master device of claim 1, When the park mode instructing unit is a slave device having an automatic power shut-off function, the individual communication history of the slave device held in the physical link management unit and the communication history of the master device and the slave device are stored. The operation history database is referred to, and after a preset time has elapsed, a process of shifting the slave device to the park mode is performed.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the master device of the first aspect, the master device has an operation history database that stores a communication history of the master device and the slave device, and the park mode instruction unit is held in the physical link management unit. Referencing the individual communication history of the slave device from the operation history database, calculating the amount of communication at a preset time interval, and performing the process of shifting the slave device with the least amount of communication to the park mode It is a feature.

  According to the present invention, by disconnecting the physical link between the master device and the slave device while maintaining the logical link between the master device and the slave device, the communication between the slave device that is not communicating is instantaneously performed. In a recoverable state, the master device can newly make communication with the slave device possible, thereby increasing the number of slave devices that can communicate with the master device and not communicating. It is possible to reduce the power consumption of the slave device.

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

  (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a radio communication system according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing configurations of a master device and a slave device. An ASP (Application Service Provider) server 1 that provides an application to a home network is connected to an IT home gateway (master device) 4 that manages the home network via a modem 3 in the home via the Internet 2. The master device 4 is connected to the slave device group 5 using a wired or wireless network such as a LAN or Bluetooth.

  The master device 4 is connected to each slave device 5 using a network such as a LAN or Bluetooth. However, the master device 4 has more than the maximum number of simultaneous connections that are restricted by the standard in the wireless communication system. A method for newly communicating the slave device 5 with the master device 4 in the case of connecting to the master device 4 will be described in detail below.

  FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the master device 4. The master device 4 communicates with a network connection unit 11 connected to a network such as the Internet, a wireless transmission / reception unit 12 that communicates with the slave device 5, and a central processing unit 13 that controls the wireless transmission / reception unit 12. A physical link management unit 14 that manages whether or not a physical link in a possible state is held; a park device management unit 15 that manages a slave device 5 that has disconnected a physical link while holding a logical link; A park mode instruction unit 16 that shifts the slave device 5 connected to the master device 4 to the park mode, a time acquisition unit 17 that acquires the physical link start time, and a communication history of the master device 4 and the slave device 5 are held. It consists of an operation history database 18 and a connected device information database 19 that holds device information of the slave device 5.

  The park mode instruction unit 16 calculates an elapsed time from the start time acquired by the time acquisition unit 17 and performs a process of shifting the slave device having the longest elapsed time to the park mode.

  FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the slave device 5. The communication device 20 includes a wireless transmission / reception unit 21 that communicates with the master device 4, a central processing unit 22 that controls the wireless transmission / reception unit 21, a park state holding unit 23 that holds a park state, and a park mode of the master device 4. A park mode transition request unit 24 that requests a transition to the park mode in response to a command from the instruction unit 16, a park mode return request unit 25 that requests a transition from the park mode to a communicable state, and a time for acquiring the current time It is comprised from the acquisition part 26, the communication state monitoring part 27 which monitors a communication state, the household appliance state acquisition part 28 which acquires the state of the household appliances 40, and the operation history database 29 which preserve | saves an operation history.

  The home appliance 40 includes a wireless transmission / reception unit 42 that communicates with the communication device 20, a central processing unit 43 that controls the wireless transmission / reception unit 42, a home appliance information notification unit 44, and a state notification unit 45 that notifies the state of the home appliance. And a device information database 46 for storing device information. The communication device 20 and the home appliance 40 are connected by a home appliance connection interface 30 and an adapter connection interface 41.

  Next, a communication operation by the radio communication system having the above configuration will be described. In the master device 4, each element does not actually exist as individual hardware elements, but various functions of the master device 4 are made to work by executing a software program by the central processing unit 13. It explains as each functional element.

  The network connection unit 11 in the master device 4 is connected to a network such as the Internet, and the wireless transmission / reception unit 12 communicates with the slave device 5. The physical link management unit 14 manages whether or not a physical link that is actually in a communicable state is held. The park device management unit 15 manages the slave device 5 that has disconnected the physical link while holding the logical link, and the park mode instruction unit 16 performs control to shift the slave device 5 connected to the master device 4 to the park mode. do. That is, the park mode instruction unit 16 calculates the elapsed time from the start time acquired by the time acquisition unit 17, and performs a process of shifting the slave device having the longest elapsed time to the park mode.

  On the other hand, in the communication device 20 of the slave device 5, the wireless transmission / reception unit 21 communicates with the master device 4, the central processing unit 22 controls the wireless transmission / reception unit 21, and the park state holding unit 23 indicates the park state of the own device. keeping. The park mode shift request unit 24 receives a command from the park mode instruction unit 16 of the master device 4 and requests the central processing unit 22 to shift to the park mode, and the park mode return request unit 25 receives a request from the home appliance 40 side. In response, the central processing unit 22 is requested to shift from the park mode to a communicable state. The operation history database 29 stores the operation history of the home appliance 40 and the communication device 20 together with the time acquired by the time acquisition unit 26.

  On the home appliance 40 side, the central processing unit 43 controls the wireless transmission / reception unit 42, and the home appliance information from the home appliance information notification unit 44 and the information related to the home appliance state from the state notification unit 45 are sent to the communication device 20 side. Notice.

  According to the present embodiment, the slave device 5 with low communication frequency is made to wait in the park mode, so that even when the slave device 5 exceeding the maximum number of simultaneous connections on the communication standard is connected, a new network is not constructed. It is possible to easily increase the number of slave devices 5 easily.

  (Second Embodiment) In the configuration of the first embodiment, the park mode instruction unit 16 refers to the individual communication history of the slave device 5 held in the physical link management unit 14 from the operation history database 18. However, according to the present embodiment, the slave device 5 having the longest elapsed time in which communication is not performed is decided. It is characterized by shifting to the park mode. Other configurations, operations, and effects are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  Also according to the present embodiment, it is possible to substantially connect the slave devices 5 exceeding the number of simultaneously connectable devices that are restricted in communication standards with the master device 4.

  (Third Embodiment) The configuration of the radio communication system of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, but the operation of the park mode instructing unit 16 is different. That is, the park instruction unit 16 refers to the device information database 19 that records whether or not the slave device 5 connected to the master device 4 is a device having an automatic power shut-off function, and performs the automatic power shut-off function. When the slave device 5 has the slave device 5, the individual communication history of the slave device 5 held in the physical link management unit 14 is referred from the operation history database 18, and the slave device 5 is parked after a preset time has elapsed. A process for shifting to the mode is performed.

  The operation of the wireless communication system of the present embodiment will be described with a specific example. Usually, the master device 4 and the slave device 5 always communicate with each other, and up to seven slave devices 5 can be connected to the master device 4. An operation when one home appliance of the slave device 5 at this time is a microwave oven will be described. Microwave ovens usually have an automatic power shut-off function that shuts off the power after a lapse of a certain time after the end of cooking. In the case of such home appliances, the master device 4 that manages the slave device 5 also stores information registered in the database in advance without waiting until the slave device 5 is disconnected from the microwave oven. It is determined that cutting may be performed. As a result, the slave device 5 that does not need to communicate quickly can be disconnected. Therefore, after cooking of the microwave oven is completed, the change in state is notified to the master device 4, and the master device 4 refers to the connected device information database 19 and determines that communication is not necessary for the microwave oven. The slave device 5 is shifted to the park mode by the park mode instruction unit 16.

  As a result, the number of slave devices 5 holding physical links with the master device 4 can be reduced, and communicable devices can be handled efficiently.

  (Fourth Embodiment) The configuration of the radio communication system of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, but the operation of the park mode instruction unit 16 is different. That is, the park instruction unit 16 refers to the individual communication history of the slave device 5 held in the physical link management unit 14 from the operation history database 18, calculates the communication amount at a preset time interval, The slave device 5 having the smallest communication amount is processed to shift to the park mode.

  The operation of the wireless communication system of the present embodiment will be described with a specific example. The operation when one of the slave devices 5 is an air conditioner will be described. When there is a person at the place where the air conditioner is installed, the air conditioner is instructed to turn on / off the power, or the air volume and set temperature are changed. When the operation of the air conditioner is changed, the state change is transmitted from the wireless transmission / reception unit 21 of the slave device 5 to the master device 4. The master device 4 records the information received from the wireless transmission / reception unit 12 in the operation history database 18. In addition, the change time of the state of the air conditioner that is the slave device 5 is acquired from the time acquisition unit 17 and recorded. While holding this record for a certain period, for example, the amount of communication per hour is calculated. The traffic volume in each time zone is compared, and it is determined that the air conditioner with the least traffic volume is rarely used in that time zone, and the park mode instructing unit 16 shifts to the park mode. As a result, the number of slave devices 5 holding physical links with the master device 4 can be reduced, and communicable devices can be handled efficiently.

The block diagram of the radio | wireless communications system of one embodiment of this invention. The block diagram of the radio | wireless communications system by the master apparatus and slave apparatus of one embodiment of this invention. The block diagram of the master apparatus of one embodiment of this invention. The block diagram of the slave apparatus of one embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 ASP server 2 Internet network 3 Modem 4 Master device (IT home gateway)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 Slave apparatus 11 Network connection part 12 Wireless transmission / reception part 13 Central processing part 14 Physical link management part 15 Park equipment management part 16 Park mode instruction | indication part 17 Time acquisition part 18 Operation history database 19 Connection apparatus information database 20 Communication apparatus 21 Wireless transmission / reception Unit 22 central processing unit 23 park state holding unit 24 park mode transition request unit 25 park mode return request unit 26 time acquisition unit 27 communication state monitoring unit 28 home appliance state acquisition unit 29 operation history database 30 home appliance connection interface 40 home appliance 41 adapter Connection interface 42 Wireless transmission / reception unit 43 Central processing unit 44 Home appliance information notification unit 45 Status notification unit 46 Device information database

Claims (5)

A wireless transmission / reception unit for wirelessly transmitting / receiving data;
A central processing unit for controlling the radio transceiver unit;
A physical link manager that manages communication with slave devices;
A park device management unit that manages disconnection and restoration of a physical link while maintaining a logical link established with the slave device;
A master device comprising a park mode instructing unit that instructs the slave device to shift to a park mode and to return from the park mode. A time acquisition unit for acquiring an individual physical link start time of the slave device held in the physical link management unit;
The said park mode instruction | indication part calculates the elapsed time from the time acquired by the said time acquisition part, and performs the process which transfers the slave apparatus with the longest elapsed time to park mode. Master device. An operation history database for storing communication history of the master device and the slave device;
The park mode instructing unit refers to the individual communication history of the slave device held in the physical link management unit from the operation history database, and shifts the slave device having the longest communication time to the park mode. The master device according to claim 1, wherein the master device performs processing. Having a device information database that records whether or not the slave device connected to the master device is a device having an automatic power shutdown function;
When the park mode instructing unit is a slave device having an automatic power shut-off function, the individual communication history of the slave device held in the physical link management unit and the communication history of the master device and the slave device are stored. 2. The master device according to claim 1, wherein the master device is referred to from the operation history database to perform, and after the preset time has elapsed, a process of shifting the slave device to the park mode is performed. An operation history database for storing communication history of the master device and the slave device;
The park mode instructing unit refers to the individual communication history of the slave device held in the physical link management unit from the operation history database, calculates the communication amount at a preset time interval, and performs the most communication. The master device according to claim 1, wherein a process of shifting a slave device having a small amount to a park mode is performed.

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