JP2006148489A - Wireless communication system, relay device, communication device, and communication control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication mode in which a predetermined communication quality is guaranteed for wireless communication between a terminal device and a relay device, and to arbitrarily use the communication mode based on an arrangement relationship between the terminal device and the relay device. By limiting, the usage status of the communication bandwidth can be managed.
A terminal 102a that exists within a predetermined range A set for a relay apparatus 101 performs wireless communication in a communication mode in which a predetermined communication quality is guaranteed, and a terminal that does not exist within the predetermined range A. 102b is controlled to perform wireless communication in a communication mode in which a predetermined communication quality is not guaranteed.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless communication system, a relay device, a communication device, and a communication control method having a communication device having a wireless communication function and a relay device that mediates wireless communication by the communication device.

  In recent years, due to the improvement and cost reduction of wireless communication technology, devices having a wireless communication function are becoming widespread, and wireless communication systems configured by interconnecting these devices are being developed.

  For example, in a wireless communication system that forms a wireless LAN using devices compliant with wireless LAN communication standards such as IEEE 802.11a / b / g, a plurality of devices (hereinafter referred to as terminals) connected by wireless communication, A system is configured by a relay device called an AP (access point) having a role of mediating communication between terminals or mediating communication with another LAN, WAN, or the network such as the Internet.

  In addition, regarding a wireless communication system that performs data communication using a cellular communication infrastructure such as a mobile phone and a PHS, a similar system is configured by a base station corresponding to a relay device and a mobile station corresponding to a terminal. .

  This type of wireless communication system is configured so that a plurality of terminals can be connected to a relay device, and the limited available communication bandwidth is effectively used for wireless communication between each terminal and the relay device. In order to do this, a configuration in which a communication bandwidth is shared between terminals is common.

In recent years, with the development of these wireless communication systems, multimedia applications such as IP phone, live video, or video content distribution are being used via these wireless communications.
JP 2000-307601 A

  However, when using this type of application via the conventional wireless communication system, there are cases where normal operation is not achieved or stable operation is difficult to continue.

  In addition, even if it operates normally, the load that this type of application places on the wireless communication system is large, and smooth communication of other terminals that share and use the same relay device is hindered Can also be seen.

  This is because the conventional wireless communication system employs a configuration in which the communication bandwidth is shared between terminals, so the number of terminals that communicate with the relay device increases or a similar application is run on another terminal. In such a case, the above-described problem occurs due to a temporary shortage of a necessary communication bandwidth or an excessive load on a relay device that mediates the communication.

  In the first place, this type of application continuously exchanges a certain amount of data, and in communication accompanying its operation, a predetermined communication bandwidth is secured in advance and used for specific data transmission. It is desirable to guarantee a predetermined communication quality (QoS) by taking control means such as giving priority. In the conventional configuration, when this is performed, an increase in the load on the communication system is inevitable.

  In order to fundamentally solve these problems, it is necessary to expand the communication bandwidth and greatly improve the capacity of the relay device corresponding to this. However, the expansion of the communication bandwidth has a great impact on the surroundings, such as high technical difficulty, noise and interference, and it is also expected to have a sufficient cost-effectiveness for investment in improving the capacity of relay equipment. There are more cases where there is no.

  In view of the above circumstances, a wireless communication system having a configuration that can use communication with a predetermined communication quality (QoS) guaranteed and that can reduce the load on the communication system that increases with the communication is desired. It is.

  The present invention provides a communication mode in which the communication quality is guaranteed for wireless communication between a communication device and a relay device, and the use of the communication mode is arbitrarily determined based on the arrangement relationship between the communication device and the relay device. The purpose is to make it possible to manage the usage status of the communication bandwidth.

  The present invention is a wireless communication system having a communication device having a wireless communication function and at least one relay device that mediates wireless communication by the communication device, in the wireless communication between the communication device and the relay device, a predetermined communication A predetermined range set for the relay device when the communication device performs wireless communication with the relay device, having at least two communication modes of a quality mode and a non-guaranteed communication mode. And a communication mode in which the communication quality is guaranteed by wireless communication between the communication device and the relay device when it is determined that the communication device is within the predetermined range. Communication control means for controlling.

  Further, the present invention is a relay device that mediates wireless communication by a communication device having a wireless communication function, and in wireless communication with the communication device, at least a communication mode in which a predetermined communication quality is guaranteed and a communication mode in which it is not guaranteed. Communication control means for controlling the communication in a communication mode in which the communication quality is ensured to be usable according to the existence range of the communication device when performing wireless communication with the communication device. It is characterized by having.

  Furthermore, the present invention is a communication device capable of communicating with a relay device that mediates wireless communication, and is within a predetermined range set for the relay device when performing wireless communication with the relay device. Determination means for determining whether or not, and according to the determination, the communication quality of at least two communication modes of a communication mode in which a predetermined communication quality is guaranteed in wireless communication with the relay device and a communication mode in which the predetermined communication quality is not guaranteed And a communication control means for controlling the communication mode to be usable.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to use communication with guaranteed communication quality, and arbitrarily limit the use of such communication / application based on the arrangement relationship between the relay device and the communication device, A communication load that increases with the communication can be managed.

  In addition, various applications including multimedia applications that perform their original functions can be used with communication with guaranteed communication quality. In addition, in the wireless communication system based on the configuration, it is possible to efficiently use the communication band, and good cost effectiveness can be expected.

  The best mode for carrying out the invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In embodying the present invention, in the embodiments illustrated below, a wireless communication system including a relay device and a plurality of terminals using the relay device will be described as an example.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a wireless communication system in the embodiment. FIG. 1 schematically shows a communication connection between the relay device 101 and a plurality of terminals 102a, 102b, and 102c. A range X in the figure indicates a range in which the relay device 101 can communicate with an arbitrary terminal by wireless communication. A range A in the drawing is a range within the range X with respect to the relay device 101. It shows a specific range that has been set. In this type of (short-distance) wireless communication, the usable communication bandwidth is generally narrowed as the line-of-sight distance between the two increases, and communication is disabled when a predetermined distance is exceeded.

  The relay device 101 is connected to a communication interface for performing wireless communication with a plurality of terminals, a home network, a dedicated communication network, or a public communication network such as the Internet, and other devices connected to these communication networks. Two types of communication interfaces are provided, which are communication interfaces for performing communication with devices connected to different communication networks connected to each other.

  The wireless communication between the relay device 101 and a plurality of terminals conforms to the wireless communication standard / specification to be used, but the series of flow until the start of communication is as follows. Either or both of them send a notification indicating their existence to the other, the connection is started, and after various setting conditions are determined in wireless communication, data is exchanged. This is also the case in the following description. These series of flows are not essential, and different forms can be used.

  In addition, the relay device 101 functions to mediate communication between a plurality of wirelessly connected terminals and communication between a terminal and a device connected to a communication network to which the relay device 101 is connected. It also has.

  In addition, the relay device 101 supports two communication modes: a communication mode in which a predetermined communication quality is guaranteed (QoS guaranteed mode) and a communication mode in which the communication quality is not guaranteed (QoS non-guaranteed mode). ing.

  Note that “predetermined communication quality” as used herein refers to securing a predetermined communication bandwidth in advance for wireless communication with a terminal, or always allocating a constant communication bandwidth for each predetermined period. In addition to applying various QoS control technologies such as preferential transmission of specific communication data / messages to communication, communication using a communication mode in which a predetermined communication quality is guaranteed ( (QoS guarantee mode) is prioritized over other communication modes, and as a result, this communication mode is configured so that it can be used as an interrupt regardless of the state of sharing of communication bandwidth by other terminals. To do.

  The terminals 102a, 102b, and 102c are, for example, wireless LAN communication based on wireless communication standards such as IEEE802.11a / b / g, Bluetooth (registered trademark), and IrDA, or cellular communication infrastructure such as a mobile phone and PHS. A function of performing data communication using the wireless communication is provided, and the wireless communication can be used when performing other functions of each terminal.

Here, the operation of the wireless communication system configured as described above will be briefly described.
(A) System Operation in Range A When the terminal 102a is determined to be within the range A, the terminal 102a can use both a communication mode in which a predetermined communication quality is guaranteed and a communication mode in which it is not guaranteed. Become.

In this case, according to the application used in the terminal 102a, it is possible to select an appropriate one in the two communication modes and use it properly. Even in the same application, communication with which a predetermined communication quality is guaranteed. Only in the case where the mode is available, it may be configured to include options that can be selectively used.
(B) Operation of system in range X (however, other than range A) The terminal 102b can communicate with the relay device 101, but is not determined to be within the range A, and therefore a predetermined communication quality is guaranteed. Communication mode cannot be used. In addition, when the terminal 102a in the range A uses a communication mode in which communication quality is guaranteed, communication in the communication mode is given priority, so the communication bandwidth that can be practically used by the terminal 102b is narrowed. Will be.

Therefore, the communication at the terminal 102b can be used for an application that requires a predetermined communication quality if the communication bandwidth has a margin, but if the bandwidth is not sufficient, This is a so-called best-effort type communication that may not operate normally.
(C) System Operation Outside Range X (Including Range A) The terminal 102c is not in a range where communication with the relay device 101 is possible and cannot use wireless communication via the relay device 101.

  Thus, according to the above-described wireless communication system, the communication mode between the terminal and the relay device is provided with a communication mode in which the communication quality is guaranteed, and the use of such a communication mode is set for each relay device. Based on the arrangement relationship between the two, such as whether or not there is a terminal at a predetermined location, it is possible to arbitrarily limit and manage this. Hereinafter, individual embodiments will be described in detail.

  As a first embodiment, a wireless communication system in which an access point (AP) as a relay device connected to a home network and two terminals having a wireless communication function constitute an infrastructure mode network will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of the wireless communication system according to the first embodiment. First, the communication connection state of each device is shown, and each device will be described. In the first embodiment, the network on which communication is performed is an IP-based home network. In the home network, a plurality of devices are connected by Ethernet (registered trademark). In FIG. 2, the wireless LAN access point 201 and AV contents are stored and the home network 210 is connected. Only the server 211 and notebook PC 212 that can be distributed to the terminal are shown.

  On the other hand, the wireless LAN using the wireless communication system according to the first embodiment can be used almost throughout the home, and includes a wireless LAN access point 201, a projector 202a that is a terminal having a wireless communication function, and a companion A wireless communication network is formed by the robot 202b.

  Here, the wireless LAN access point 201 has a wireless communication function that supports the IEEE 802.11a / b / g wireless LAN standard, and can communicate with other devices that support this wireless LAN standard. The internal configuration of this wireless LAN access point 201 will be described below.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of the wireless LAN access point. As shown in FIG. 3, the wireless LAN access point 201 includes a communication processing unit 301 that performs communication processing such as transfer, relay, and rejection of communication packets, a memory 302 that stores firmware that performs such processing, A cryptographic operation unit 303 that specializes in encryption processing in communication and a communication interface 304 are connected to each other via a data bus 305 to perform a series of processing.

  The communication interface 304 includes a wired communication interface 304a connected to the home network 210 and a wireless communication interface 304b.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the projector 202 a is a projector having a wireless communication function supporting the wireless LAN standard of IEEE 802.11a, and an image for streaming AV content distributed via the home network 210. A playback application is installed.

  Here, the operation of the video playback application of the projector 202a will be briefly described. When the video playback application is activated, it communicates with the server 211 connected to the home network 210 via the wireless LAN access point 201 and receives streaming distribution of AV content in the server 211.

  The server 211 is provided with a media conversion function for converting the compression format, resolution, file format, etc. of AV content as necessary. This function is provided according to the communication status to the delivery destination. It can also be used.

  On the other hand, in the projector 202a, a part of AV content received by the stream distribution from the server 211 is displayed on a screen or the like, but the remaining AV content sequentially distributed in parallel with this is received, and the AV content breaks. No reproduction is realized.

  The companion robot (hereinafter abbreviated as “robot”) 202b has a wireless communication function that supports the IEEE 802.11g wireless LAN standard, a simple autonomous operation, and a notebook PC 212 via the home network 210. Remote control is possible.

  Here, the remote operation of the robot 202b will be briefly described. A remote operation application that operates on a notebook PC 212 connected to the home network 210 communicates with the robot 202b via the wireless LAN access point 201 and can control its operation.

  The operation of the robot 202b by this remote operation application includes instructions for moving directions and simple operations that do not require much communication bandwidth, and information on the surroundings of the robot 202b acquired by a camera provided on the head of the robot 202b. As described above, it is necessary to continuously require a certain communication bandwidth. Then, by transferring the peripheral information acquired by the camera of the robot 202b to the notebook PC 212 and displaying the information on the screen of the notebook PC 212, the remote operation can be performed while viewing the display screen.

  In the first embodiment, when the wireless LAN access point 201 sets a limited range A that provides a communication mode (QoS guarantee mode) in which communication quality is guaranteed, the wireless LAN access point 201 is wireless at a close range of close proximity to about 1 m. It is assumed that a subsystem configured by a radio identification tag such as an electromagnetic induction RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag that transmits unique identification information that can be detected and a tag reader corresponding thereto is used.

  Specifically, a wireless identification tag to which identification information associated with the wireless LAN access point 201 is input is prepared, and a range that can be read by the tag reader is set as a range A. That is, in order to set a desired range as the range A, at least one identification tag may be arranged within the range. On the other hand, the terminals 202a and 202b may be provided with a tag reader corresponding to the tag, and it may be determined whether or not it exists in the range A based on the identification information read as necessary.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating processing for selecting a communication mode when the terminal performs wireless communication. First, in step S401, the terminal reads identification information of an identification tag existing in the vicinity using the provided tag reader to obtain identification information. Separately from this, when the terminal starts a connection in a state where mutual communication with the wireless LAN access point 201 is possible, the terminal identifies a unique identification of the wireless LAN access point 201 while negotiating various communication setting conditions. The information is acquired, and the identification information is referred to in the next step S402.

  Next, in step S403, it is determined whether or not the read identification information matches the acquired identification information. Here, when both identification information corresponds, it determines with a terminal being in the predetermined range A set to the wireless LAN access point 201, and progresses to step S404. In step S404, it is determined whether or not to use a communication mode (QoS guaranteed mode) in which a predetermined communication quality is guaranteed. If the QoS guaranteed mode is used, the process proceeds to step S405, and communication in the QoS guaranteed mode is performed. I do. It is assumed that whether or not to use the QoS guarantee mode is selected and determined in advance.

  If the identification information does not match in step S403, it is determined that the terminal is not within the predetermined range A set in the wireless LAN access point 201, and the process proceeds to step S406. In step S404, even when a communication mode (QoS guaranteed mode) in which communication quality is guaranteed is not used, the process proceeds to step S406, and communication is performed in another communication mode (other than the QoS guaranteed mode).

  Here, the operation of the wireless communication system according to the first embodiment will be specifically described by taking as an example the case of using a video reproduction application and a remote operation application.

  In the video reproduction application, in communication via the access point 201, it is possible to receive distribution of AV content appropriately media-converted by the server 211 in accordance with the available communication bandwidth.

  Therefore, for example, in an AV room equipped with a large screen and a high-quality audio device, if it is desired to display high-definition AV content on the projector 202a, the above identification tag is attached to a table or the like in the AV room. The AV room can be set as range A. At this time, the communication connection state of each device is as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining communication associated with the application operation of the projector 202a. The projector 202a brought into the AV room reads the identification information of the identification tag 220 in the AV room and determines that the projector 202a is within the range A. Therefore, high-definition AV content with a large communication load by the server 211 is determined. In the distribution, the communication mode (QoS guarantee mode) in which the communication quality is guaranteed can be used for the communication in the wireless section with the access point 201.

  On the other hand, when the projector 202a is used, for example, in a living room where a screen or an audio device is not provided, since high-quality AV content is not necessary, AV content distribution corresponding to the available communication band at that time is performed. Use it.

  Next, in the remote operation application, it is possible to use transfer of peripheral information of the robot 202b that continuously requires a certain communication bandwidth, but in the communication accompanying this, the wireless communication bandwidth between the access point 201 and the terminal For example, if the mother who uses the notebook PC 212 in the kitchen scolds the state of the child's room, the above identification tag is affixed in the child's room. This can be set to range A. At this time, the communication connection state of each device is as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining communication associated with the application operation of the robot 202b. The robot 202b moves back and forth in the home by an instruction from the autonomous behavior and the remote operation application. When the robot 202b comes to the child room on the way, the robot 202b is within the range A based on the identification information of the read identification tag 220. Therefore, it is possible to transfer the state in the room using a communication mode (QoS guarantee mode) in which communication quality is guaranteed.

  At this time, even if much of the communication bandwidth in the wireless section to the access point 201 is used by another terminal or the like, it is required in the QoS guaranteed mode when the QoS guaranteed mode is started. Since priority is given to securing the bandwidth, the bandwidth previously used by other terminals is reduced and redistributed.

  As described above, the configuration of the first embodiment includes a wireless identification tag and a tag reader corresponding to the wireless identification tag at the same time that communication with a predetermined communication quality (QoS) is guaranteed. The arrangement relationship between the terminal and the access point is specified using the subsystem to be used. As a result, it is possible to arbitrarily limit the terminals in a specific positional relationship and limit the use of the mode in which the communication quality is guaranteed, thereby suppressing the occurrence of excessive load, and the capability inherent in the communication system. It can be used efficiently.

  Next, Embodiment 2 according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the second embodiment, a wireless communication system including a plurality of access points (AP), which are relay devices installed outdoors, and a plurality of terminals having a wireless communication function will be described as an example.

  Note that the communication function of the devices constituting the wireless communication system and the configuration related to the wireless communication system are the same as those of the device in the first embodiment, and are the same as those in the first embodiment except for the differences described below.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a wireless communication system according to the second embodiment. First, the communication connection status of each device is shown, and supplementary explanations are given regarding individual devices. In the second embodiment, the network forms an IP-based communication network similar to the first embodiment.

  In the figure, a plurality of access points (AP) 701a and 701b, which are relay devices, the Internet 710 to which these APs are connected, and the other network 720 and the AP 701a that are mutually connected to the Internet 710 can communicate with each other. A PC 730 that is connected to these devices and is connected to a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants) 702a, a notebook PC 702b, and another network 720 as a terminal is shown.

  In addition, the plurality of APs 701a and 701b support the IEEE 802.11g wireless LAN standard, are access points in the wireless LAN, and also support the data communication standard using the PHS (Personal Handyphone System) communication method, and the PHS communication. It also functions as a base station.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of the access point according to the second embodiment. 8, reference numerals 801 to 804 correspond to 301 to 304 shown in FIG. 3 described in the first embodiment. The difference between the access point 701 (APs 701a and 701b) in the second embodiment and the wireless LAN access point 201 in the first embodiment is that the wireless interface 804 is a PHS communication system in addition to the wireless communication interface 804b based on the wireless LAN standard. The wireless communication interface 804c based on the data communication standard using the is provided.

  Both wireless interfaces are configured to be able to operate in parallel, and based on this, the communication load is distributed. Specifically, the access point 701 performs a communication mode in which communication quality is guaranteed (QoS guaranteed mode) via the wireless interface 804b that supports wireless LAN communication, and a communication mode in which communication quality is not guaranteed (QoS non-QoS). (Guaranteed mode) is provided using both the wireless interface 804b that supports wireless LAN communication and the wireless interface 804c that supports PHS data communication.

  Further, the access point 701 monitors the communication bandwidth used for communication with the terminal using the access point 701, and increases or decreases the number of terminals used at the same time, and the communication mode (QoS guarantee mode) in which communication quality is guaranteed. Advanced communication control such as reviewing the communication interface used for communication between terminals according to the decrease in available communication bandwidth accompanying use and switching the communication mode used as necessary It may be available.

  The plurality of terminals 702a and 702b have a communication function that supports either or both of the PHS data communication standard and the IEEE 802.11g wireless LAN standard, and connect to each access point using these communication functions. And communicate.

  In FIG. 7, a PDA 702a is a terminal having a communication function that supports only wireless LAN communication, and a notebook PC 702b is a terminal having a communication function that supports PHS data communication and wireless LAN communication.

  Both terminals are equipped with a so-called IP phone / TV phone application that enables voice and video to be exchanged with each other via an IP network.

  Here, briefly describing the operation of the telephone application, the PDA 702a communicates with a signaling server (not shown) existing on the network 710 via a nearby available access point (701a in the example shown in FIG. 7). Communication is performed and mediation is performed until the call of the other party (for example, PC 730) and the establishment of the communication path.

  Note that the signaling server manages the identification information on the network of the other party of the call and, based on this, calls the other party and establishes the communication path of both parties, such as the network address of both parties. It is in charge of the role of notifying.

  Next, when a communication path with the other party is established, voice information and video information are exchanged by exchanging voice information and video information separately mounted on IP packets. This type of application generally occupies a constant communication bandwidth for its operation, but generally does not require a large amount of bandwidth.

  Therefore, this application recommends emergency call mode, video information real-time transfer mode, and communication quality-guaranteed communication that have the highest priority instead of requiring communication quality-guaranteed communication. There are various usage modes such as a normal TV phone mode that is not performed and a simple call mode that does not require strict communication quality, and these modes can be selected.

  Also in the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, a wireless identification tag having input identification information associated with each access point is used, and this is affixed to an appropriate location near a desired location. A range A and the like are set. On the other hand, terminals such as PDA 702a and notebook PC 702b are equipped with wireless identification tag readers, and each terminal is in a predetermined area by reading the identification information of the access point recorded on the wireless identification tag. Whether or not.

  Note that the combination of the wireless identification tag and the tag reader in the second embodiment is slightly different from that used in the first embodiment, and is a short distance type (radio wave system using a microwave band) having a longer readable distance. Shall be used.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a range is formed by the wireless identification tag in the second embodiment. In this example, eight radio identification tags T1 to T8 indicating a predetermined range are used, and the circular ranges formed by the individual readable ranges A1 to A8 are connected to each other to form an oval shape. The range A is formed. The identification information input to each wireless identification tag may be the same, or different identification information may be input individually as long as it is associated with the corresponding access point.

  In addition, in the case of using a method of forming the predetermined range A by combining ranges of a plurality of wireless identification tags of this type, by making a difference in the installation density of the wireless identification tags installed in the range A, It is also possible to probabilistically limit the use of communication modes in which communication quality is guaranteed.

  For example, when using an access point with a large processing capacity and a small access point to set an area having the same area in the same communication environment as the range N and the range M, respectively, the range N is 16 The wireless identification tags can be formed by being distributed and the range M can be formed by distributing four wireless identification tags.

  According to this, since the terminal near the range N reads the identification information of the wireless identification tag, and as a result, the probability that it is determined that the terminal itself is in the range N is larger than the case where it is around the range M. If there are approximately the same number of terminals that desire to use a communication mode in which communication quality is guaranteed in both ranges, there will be a difference in the number of terminals that can use the communication mode. By using this, it is also possible to restrict the use of a communication mode in which a load is applied according to the processing capability of each access point.

  Here, the operation of the wireless communication system according to the second embodiment will be described by taking an example of using an IP phone / TV phone application. As shown in FIG. 7, the PDA 702a is in the range X that can communicate with the access point 701a, and the notebook PC 702b is in the place where the range X and the range Y that can communicate with the access point 701b overlap.

  As the PDA 702a moves within the range X, the wireless identification tag to which the identification information of the access point 701a shown in FIG. 9 is input is detected, and if it is determined that it is in the range A, the communication quality is A guaranteed communication mode (QoS guarantee mode) can be used. For example, when making a call with the PC 730 using an IP phone application, it is possible to select a usage mode that requires that communication quality be guaranteed.

  On the other hand, when the wireless identification tag cannot be detected, the communication mode in which the communication quality is guaranteed cannot be used. Therefore, for example, when making a call using the IP phone application with the PC 730, the communication is performed with the access point 701a in another communication mode, and the usage mode of the application that can use the other communication mode is selected. .

  Since the notebook PC 702b is within the range X and the range Y, it can communicate with both the access points 701a and 701b. If this point is also the range A of the access point 701a, the identification information associated with the access point 701a is read, and it is determined that it is in the range A, and communication is performed with the access point 701a. A communication mode in which quality is guaranteed (QoS guarantee mode) can be used.

  The identification information read here is associated with the access point 701a, and a communication mode in which communication quality is guaranteed cannot be used for communication with the access point 701b. Further, for example, when a call is made with the PC 730 using an IP phone application, it is possible to select a usage mode that requires that communication quality be guaranteed.

  The access point according to the second embodiment supports two different types of communication methods, and individually includes communication interfaces that support these communication methods. Using these, the communication load is distributed.

  Specifically, the access point 701a monitors a communication bandwidth used for communication with a terminal using the access point 701a, and increases or decreases the number of simultaneously used terminals and a communication mode in which communication quality is guaranteed (QoS guarantee). Mode), the communication interface used for communication between terminals can be reviewed according to the decrease in available communication bandwidth, and the communication method used can be switched as necessary. It is configured as follows.

  Incidentally, the notebook PC 702b and the access point 701a support both wireless LAN communication and PHS data communication, and any communication method can be used. Therefore, for example, when the PDA 702a has already communicated with the access point 701a via the wireless LAN communication interface, the access point 701a can be used if there is no problem in using the notebook PC 702b. Communication can be performed using PHS data communication which is one communication method.

  Further, in the configuration described above, a plurality of communication interfaces based on different communication methods are provided, and communication load is distributed and communication bandwidth is effectively used.For parallel use such as a highly directional wireless communication method, If the wireless communication system does not cause a problem such as interference, a form including a plurality of communication interfaces based on the same communication system can be used.

[Wireless LAN communication system]
・ Data transmission speed is relatively high, but depends on the distance to the communication partner, and the transmission speed decreases as the distance increases. ・ If there is a shield between the communication partner, communication will be hindered and substantial data transmission will occur. When communication is performed with multiple destinations, there is no communication period until the start of communication when switching the communication, so that the actual transmission speed and actual utilization efficiency of the communication bandwidth are reduced. .

[PHS communication method]
・ Although the data transmission speed is small, the speed is substantially independent of both distances. ・ Equipped with a mechanism for error correction of data generated through the wireless path. The actual bandwidth utilization efficiency is stable.

  In view of these characteristics, the characteristics of wireless LAN communication are effectively utilized in communication under conditions such as being close to each other in terms of the arrangement relationship between the two, or being in a line-of-sight arrangement. In addition, it is understood that the communication is such that a large amount of data is transmitted to or received from the communication partner at a time, and preferably the communication partner is limited to a small number.

  By the way, the configuration in the embodiment according to the present invention is a type in which the communication mode is controlled based on the arrangement relationship regarding communication between the terminal and the relay device, and a predetermined range for each relay device is appropriately set. By doing so, it is possible to effectively utilize the characteristics of the wireless LAN communication as described above.

  Specifically, for example, within a setting candidate site of the range A of the access point 701a, a short distance from the installation location of the access point 701a or a place with a good line of sight is selected in advance, and the radio identification associated with the access point 701a is selected there. Just install a tag.

  In addition, a part that is partially shadowed by a building, a tree, or the like and has a poor prospect with respect to the access point 701a is an improper location relationship in which the original capability of the communication system cannot be fully exhibited. It is also easy to set the range A so as to avoid the above. Specifically, as described above, the wireless identification tag may be arranged by bypassing an inappropriate point by using the method of forming the range A by a plurality of wireless identification tags.

  In addition, when the location that is far from the access point 701a is set as the range A, the load associated with the use of the communication mode in which the communication quality is guaranteed tends to become heavy. If it is desired to limit the number of users, the installation density of identification tags may be intentionally lowered as described above.

  Further, if it is desired to efficiently distribute the communication bandwidth, it is easy to distribute communication processing by associating specific wireless communication interfaces based on the identification information.

  As described above, the configuration of the second embodiment is very flexible with respect to various situations, and can be easily used when optimizing the system. As a result, the ability inherent in the communication system can be utilized efficiently.

  Next, Embodiment 3 according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the third embodiment, the same configuration as that in the first and second embodiments is used, but a different configuration is used with respect to the part for determining the positional relationship between the access point and the terminal.

  Specifically, the terminal has a GPS (Global Positioning System), a displacement measurement system using a gyro, etc., a position information acquisition unit using a map database, etc. A configuration for determining the positional relationship with the access point based on the position information is used.

  Below, operation | movement of the radio | wireless communications system in Example 3 is demonstrated easily using the figure which shows an example of a structure of the radio | wireless communications system shown in FIG.

  Each of the access points 1001a and 1001b includes position information (address, area block number, latitude / longitude / altitude, etc.) of the installation location as its attribute information.

  On the other hand, the terminal 1002 includes a displacement measurement system using GPS, a gyro, etc., a position information acquisition unit using a map database, etc., and acquires position information at the current location at predetermined intervals or as necessary. It is configured to be obtainable.

  Here, the terminal 1002 moves along the arrow in FIG. 10 while using the IP phone / TV phone application.

  At the point (1), the terminal 1002 enters a range X in which communication with the access point 1001a installed in the vicinity thereof is possible, and receives a notification notifying the presence of the access point 1001a. This notification includes the identification information of the access point, and based on this, the address on the network of the access point 1001a, the location information of the installed location, and the attribute information such as the supported communication method are searched. . Subsequently, the terminal 200a compares and refers to the position information of the current location with the position information of the found access point 1001a, and determines whether or not the terminal 200a is within a predetermined range A of the access point 701a. In 1), it is not determined to be in the range A, and a communication mode (QoS guarantee mode) in which a predetermined communication quality is guaranteed cannot be used.

  Thereafter, when the terminal 1002 moves to the point (2), the position information of the current point acquired at every predetermined period or as necessary is compared with the position information of the access point 1001a. As a result, when it is determined that it is within the range A, it is possible to use a communication mode (QoS guarantee mode) in which a predetermined communication quality is guaranteed.

  Note that the predetermined range set for each access point is defined as an area determined in advance based on position information. Therefore, it is possible to prepare several definition data of position information that forms these ranges in advance and use them by switching according to the time zone. Also, in such a case, regarding a time zone in which the number of terminals that simultaneously use access points increases, a range in which a communication mode (QoS guarantee mode) in which communication quality is guaranteed can be used is not arbitrarily set. Usage is also possible.

  The details of the configuration in the first to third embodiments described above are not limited to this, and can be used even if the mounting form is different as long as the technical idea of the present invention is followed.

  Further, in the configuration in each embodiment, the main configuration is common, and it is also desirable to perform a linked operation by combining not only these but also a plurality.

  As described above, according to the first to third embodiments, the terminal stably operates various applications that require communication with guaranteed communication quality within a predetermined range set for the relay device. It becomes possible. On the other hand, by arbitrarily limiting the use of this type of communication / application based on the arrangement relationship between the relay device and the terminal, the communication load that increases with the communication is managed, and the communication system has It is possible to efficiently use the current capacity.

  It is also preferable that the relay device includes a plurality of wireless communication interfaces that can be used in parallel. For example, for communication in which a predetermined QoS is desired, it is possible to easily realize a load distribution of communication by assigning a dedicated wireless communication interface. In addition, if several communication interfaces that support communication standards having different characteristics are used in combination, it is possible to easily cope with control for assigning an optimal wireless communication interface according to the arrangement relationship between the relay device and the terminal. .

  Even if the present invention is applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, etc.), it is applied to an apparatus (for example, a copier, a facsimile machine, etc.) composed of a single device. It may be applied.

  Another object of the present invention is to supply a recording medium in which a program code of software realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is recorded to a system or apparatus, and the computer (CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus stores it in the recording medium. Needless to say, this can also be achieved by reading and executing the programmed program code.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the recording medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the recording medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

  As a recording medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like is used. be able to.

  Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an OS (operating system) operating on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by performing part or all of the actual processing and the processing is included.

  Further, after the program code read from the recording medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion is performed based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the CPU or the like provided in the board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the radio | wireless communications system in embodiment. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a wireless communication system according to a first embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of an internal structure of a wireless LAN access point. It is a flowchart which shows the process which selects a communication mode, when a terminal performs radio | wireless communication. It is a figure for demonstrating the communication accompanying the application operation | movement of the projector 202a. It is a figure for demonstrating the communication accompanying the application operation | movement of the robot 202b. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a wireless communication system according to a second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of an access point according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a range is formed by a wireless identification tag in Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a wireless communication system according to a third embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

101 Relay device 102 Terminal 201 Access point 202a Projector 202b Robot 210 Home network 211 Server 212 PC
220 wireless identification tag

Claims (11)

A wireless communication system having a communication device having a wireless communication function and at least one relay device that mediates wireless communication by the communication device,
In wireless communication between the communication device and the relay device, the communication device has at least two communication modes of a communication mode in which a predetermined communication quality is guaranteed and a communication mode in which it is not guaranteed,
Determining means for determining whether or not the communication device is within a predetermined range set for the relay device when performing wireless communication with the relay device;
A communication control unit configured to control to enable use of a communication mode in which the communication quality is guaranteed in wireless communication between the communication device and the relay device when it is determined to be within the predetermined range; Wireless communication system.   2. The communication control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the application of the communication device requires a predetermined communication quality, the communication control unit performs control so that wireless communication is performed in a communication mode in which the communication quality is guaranteed. Wireless communication system.   The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the relay device includes a plurality of wireless communication interfaces that can be used in parallel. A relay device that mediates wireless communication by a communication device having a wireless communication function,
In wireless communication with a communication device, the communication device has at least two communication modes of a communication mode in which a predetermined communication quality is guaranteed and a communication mode in which the predetermined communication quality is not guaranteed,
A relay apparatus comprising: a communication control unit configured to control communication in a communication mode in which the communication quality is guaranteed when performing wireless communication with a communication apparatus in accordance with a range where the communication apparatus exists. . A communication device capable of communicating with a relay device that mediates wireless communication,
A determination unit that determines whether or not the wireless communication with the relay device is within a predetermined range set for the relay device;
Depending on the determination, a communication mode in which the communication quality is guaranteed can be used out of at least two communication modes of a communication mode in which predetermined communication quality is guaranteed in wireless communication with the relay device and a communication mode in which communication is not guaranteed. And a communication control means for controlling the communication device.   The said determination means reads the identification information which the radio | wireless identification tag previously installed in the said predetermined range transmits, and determines whether it is in the said predetermined range based on this identification information. 5. The communication device according to 5. A communication control method in a wireless communication system having a communication device having a wireless communication function and at least one relay device that mediates wireless communication by the communication device,
In wireless communication between the communication device and the relay device, the communication device has at least two communication modes of a communication mode in which a predetermined communication quality is guaranteed and a communication mode in which the communication is not guaranteed,
A determination step of determining whether or not the communication device is within a predetermined range set for the relay device when performing wireless communication with the relay device;
A communication control step of controlling to enable use of a communication mode in which the communication quality is guaranteed in wireless communication between the communication device and the relay device when it is determined that the communication range is within the predetermined range. Communication control method. A communication control method in a relay device that mediates wireless communication by a communication device having a wireless communication function,
In wireless communication with a communication device, the communication device has at least two communication modes of a communication mode in which a predetermined communication quality is guaranteed and a communication mode in which the predetermined communication quality is not guaranteed,
A communication control process comprising: a communication control step for controlling communication in a communication mode in which the communication quality is guaranteed when performing wireless communication with a communication apparatus, in accordance with an existing range of the communication apparatus. Method. A communication control method in a communication device capable of communicating with a relay device that mediates wireless communication,
A determination step of determining whether or not the wireless communication with the relay device is within a predetermined range set for the relay device;
Depending on the determination, a communication mode in which the communication quality is guaranteed can be used out of at least two communication modes of a communication mode in which predetermined communication quality is guaranteed in wireless communication with the relay device and a communication mode in which communication is not guaranteed. And a communication control step for controlling the communication control method.   A program for causing a computer to execute the communication control method according to any one of claims 7 to 9.   The computer-readable recording medium which recorded the program of Claim 10.

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