JP2002353943A - System and method for radio communication - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a radio communication system which can safely conduct confidential information without impairing operability. SOLUTION: In a host equipment part 1, the confidentiality degree of information inputted from a remote control part 2 to the host equipment part 1 is discriminated by an information confidentiality degree discriminating means 5 configured by reading and running a program stored on a ROM 10 by a CPU 9. When communication of data whose confidentiality degree is discriminated as being high by the information confidentiality degree discriminating means 5 between the host equipment part 1 and the remote control part 2 is conducted, communication is performed, by using a host optical communication means 4 and a remote control optical communication means 7; and when performing the communication of data whose degree of confidentiality is discriminated as not being high by the information confidentiality degree discriminating means 5, communication is switched so that the communication can be performed by using a host radio wave communication means 3 and a remote control radio wave communication means 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wireless communication system and a wireless communication method for performing wireless communication between a controlled device and remote control means for remotely controlling the controlled device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, Internet shopping, in which a personal computer or a set-top box is connected to the Internet and shopping is performed with a credit card via the Internet, and Internet banking, in which a bank transfer is made via the Internet, have become widespread. It is getting. Further, as means for controlling these personal computers and set-top boxes, remote controllers and keyboards by wireless communication, which take advantage of being able to control from a distant place in a house, are increasingly used.

There are roughly two types of wireless communication, one of which is a so-called wireless LAN or BL using radio waves.
uetooth and the like. The other is communication using light such as infrared light. Examples of the communication method using this infrared light include a method used for general television and video remote controls, and an IrDA (Infrared Data Association).
There is something called n).

[0004] Of these two types, the former mainly used infrared rays. However, in communications using light such as infrared rays, communication is required unless the orientation of the remote controller or keyboard and the controlled device is correctly aligned. However, there are inconveniences such as the inability to perform communication and the inability to communicate if there is an obstacle in the middle. Recently, the use of radio communication using radio waves to solve these inconveniences has been increasing.

[0005]

However, when Internet shopping or Internet banking is performed, information that is difficult to be known to others, such as a credit card number or a bank card PIN, is input.
From the viewpoint of security, it is necessary to transmit, and from the viewpoint of security, wireless communication using radio waves has the advantages of use such as being able to communicate without worrying about the direction, and being able to communicate even if there is an obstacle in the middle, The disadvantage is that it is easy for others to intercept and eavesdrop. To solve this security problem, various encryption methods are used, but 100%
The fact is that it cannot be said that it is safe.

[0006] On the other hand, when wireless communication using light such as infrared light is used, drawbacks in use, such as high directivity and inability to communicate when there is an obstacle, are disadvantageous.
It leads to high security that is hard to eavesdrop.

An object of the present invention is to provide a wireless communication system and a wireless communication method capable of securely communicating highly confidential information without impairing usability.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A controlled device having first radio communication means using radio waves as a medium and second radio communication means using light as a medium, and a third radio apparatus capable of communicating with the first radio communication means using radio waves as a medium A wireless communication system comprising communication means and fourth wireless communication means capable of communicating with the second wireless communication means using light as a medium, and remote control means for remotely controlling the controlled device; A confidentiality determining unit that determines the confidentiality of information communicated between the controlled device and the remote operation unit; and the controlled device and the remote control device in accordance with a determination result of the confidentiality determining unit. Determining means for determining whether information to be communicated with the operating means is to be communicated using the first and third wireless communication means or to be communicated using the second and fourth wireless communication means; It is characterized by having.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the wireless communication system according to the first aspect, the deciding unit is configured to transmit the information communicated between the controlled device and the remote operation unit by the confidentiality determining unit. When it is determined that the confidentiality is high, it is determined that communication of the high confidentiality information is performed using the second and fourth communication means.

[0010] The third aspect of the present invention is the first or second aspect.
In the wireless communication system according to the above, the controlled device,
Means for switching between communication using the first wireless communication means and communication using the second wireless communication means in accordance with the content of the determination by the determination means; There is provided a means for switching between communication using the third wireless communication means and communication using the fourth wireless communication means in accordance with the determined content.

[0011] The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claims 1 to 3.
In the wireless communication system according to any one of the above, the confidentiality determination unit and the determination unit are provided in the controlled device, and the determination unit uses the first and third wireless communication units. Perform communication or the second and fourth
The content of the determination as to whether to perform communication using the wireless communication means is notified to the remote control means.

[0012] The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claims 1 to 4.
In the wireless communication system according to any one of the first to third aspects, the remote control unit may control the third control in response to a user input operation.
Switching means for switching between communication by the wireless communication means and communication by the fourth wireless communication means.

The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to claims 1 to 5
In the wireless communication system according to any one of the above, the first and third wireless communication means are communication means using a frequency hopping method of spread spectrum communication, and the second and fourth wireless communication means Is a communication means using infrared rays as a medium.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a controlled device having first wireless communication means using radio waves as a medium and second wireless communication means using light as a medium, and the first radio communication means using radio waves as a medium. A third wireless communication means capable of communicating with the wireless communication means and a fourth wireless communication means capable of communicating with the second wireless communication means using light as a medium, for remotely controlling the controlled device; A wireless communication method for performing wireless communication with remote operation means, wherein a step of determining the degree of confidentiality of information communicated between the controlled device and the remote operation means, According to the determination result, information communicated between the controlled device and the remote control means is transmitted to the first device.
And communication using the third wireless communication means or the second
And determining whether to perform communication using the fourth wireless communication means.

According to the invention of claim 8, in the wireless communication method of claim 7, if the degree of confidentiality of information communicated between the controlled device and the remote control means by the confidentiality determining means is high. When it is determined, it is characterized in that it is determined to perform communication of the highly confidential information using the second and fourth communication means.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a wireless communication system according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a host device 1 and a remote controller in the wireless communication system of FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the appearances of No. 2 and FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication system
A host device 1 and a remote controller 2 for remotely operating the host device 1 are provided. The host device unit 1 is a ROM
10 according to the program stored in the host device unit 1
It has a CPU 9 for overall control, a RAM 11 for providing a work area for the CPU 9, a host radio communication means 3 using radio waves as a medium, and a host optical communication means 4 using light as a medium. In the present embodiment, the host radio wave communication means 3 is constituted by Bluetooth communication means using the frequency hopping method of spread spectrum communication, and the host optical communication means 4 is constituted by infrared communication means using the IrDA method. I have.

The programs stored in the ROM 10 include a program for constituting the information confidentiality discriminating means 5, and the CPU 9 reads and executes this program to constitute the information confidentiality discriminating means 5. You.
The information confidentiality determining means 5 is a means for determining the confidentiality of information input from the remote control unit 2 to the host device unit 1. For example, the information confidentiality determining unit 5 does not recognize a credit card number or a cash card password. It is determined that the information has high confidentiality. When inputting information on the homepage, http
It is determined that the degree of confidentiality is high for information input on a page using the s protocol (SSL) or when the input tag type has an input focus in the password input field. The criteria for determining the degree of confidentiality for these pieces of information are set in advance at the time of factory shipment or the like. Further, the configuration may be such that the user can set later by operating the remote controller 2.

The remote controller 2 controls the entire remote controller 2 based on a program stored in a ROM 13, a RAM 14 for providing a work area for the CPU 12, and a data communication between the host radio wave communication means 3. Remote control radio communication means 6 capable of transmitting and receiving data, remote control optical communication means 7 capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from the host optical communication means 4, and operation means 8. The operation unit 8 is operated by an operator to control the host device unit 1 using the remote control unit 2. Also, remote control radio communication means 6
Is composed of Bluetooth communication means using a frequency hopping method of spread spectrum communication, like the host radio communication means 3, and the remote control optical communication means 7 uses the IrDA method, like the host optical communication means 4. It is composed of infrared communication means.

When communication of data determined to have high confidentiality by the information confidentiality determining means 5 is performed between the host device 1 and the remote control 2, the host optical communication means 4 and the remote control optical communication means 7 are used. When the data confidentiality discrimination means 5 determines that the confidentiality is not high, the host device 1 and the remote controller 2 use the host radio communication device 3 and the remote control radio communication device 6 to perform communication. The communication is switched so as to perform communication between the communication device and the communication device.

As shown in FIG. 2, the host device 1 has an antenna 21 for transmitting and receiving Bluetooth signals.
And an infrared light receiving and emitting unit 22 for transmitting and receiving an infrared signal
Are provided. The antenna 21 is one of the components constituting the host radio wave communication means 3,
Is one of the components constituting the host optical communication means 4.

The remote controller 2 is provided with an antenna 23 for transmitting and receiving Bluetooh signals and an infrared light receiving and emitting unit 24 for transmitting and receiving infrared signals. The antenna 23 is one of the components of the remote control radio communication unit 6, and the light emitting / receiving unit 24 is one of the components of the remote control optical communication unit 7. Also, the remote control unit 2
A button group 25 for controlling the host device unit 1 such as a power button and an enter button is provided.

Next, the operation of the host device 1 and the remote controller 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing operations of the host device unit 1 and the remote control unit 2, respectively. In this sequence diagram, it is assumed that a set-top box (corresponding to the host device unit 1) connected to the Internet is used and shopping is performed by credit card payment using Internet shopping. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that wireless communication by Bluetooth is selected as a standard setting.

A product selection screen for Internet shopping is displayed on the host device 1 (S
1). Here, when the operator performs an operation for selecting / determining a product using the remote control unit 2, the product selection / determination is performed from the remote control radio communication unit 6 of the remote control unit 2 to the remote control radio communication unit 3 of the host device unit 1. For the signal (Bluetoot
h signal) is transmitted (S2).

Then, when a product is determined and a credit card number input screen is displayed (S3), the information confidentiality determining means 5 has high confidentiality of the credit card number information to be input on this input screen. Since the information is determined to be information, the host device unit 1 transmits an “infrared signal transmission start instruction” command for prompting the remote control unit 2 to input a command by optical wireless communication from the host remote control radio wave unit 3 to the Bluetooth signal. (S4).

The remote controller 2 receiving the "infrared signal transmission start instruction" transmits a signal indicating the credit card number input by the operator from the remote controller optical communication means 7 (S5).

On the input screen displayed on the host device section 1,
When the input of the credit card number transmitted from the remote controller 2 is completed, a purchase confirmation screen is displayed on the host device 1 (S6). Here, the information confidentiality determination means 5 determines that the confidentiality is low for the information for purchase confirmation to be input on the purchase screen screen.
Transmits an "infrared signal transmission end instruction" command for notifying the end of the command input by the optical wireless communication to the remote controller 2 from the host remote controller radio means 3 by a Bluetooth signal (S7).

The remote control unit 2 which has received the "infrared signal transmission end instruction" command transmits a signal for purchase confirmation from the remote control radio communication means 6 (S8).

As described above, in the present embodiment, when communication of data determined to have high confidentiality by the information confidentiality determining means 5 is performed between the host device unit 1 and the remote control unit 2, host optical communication is performed. Means 4 and remote control optical communication means 7
When the data confidentiality is determined to be low by the information confidentiality determining means 5, communication is performed using the host radio communication means 3 and the remote control radio communication means 6. The convenience of radio wave wireless communication using the communication means 3 and the remote control radio wave communication means 6;
The security of the optical wireless communication using the host optical communication means 4 and the remote control optical communication means 7 can be obtained.
Highly confidential information can be safely communicated without impairing usability.

Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the wireless communication system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

In the first embodiment described above, the confidentiality of the information to be input is automatically determined by the confidentiality determining means 5 provided in the host device unit 1, and the communication means is determined in accordance with the result of the determination. Switching is performed. In the present embodiment, when the operator performs information input, switching means for switching the communication means by the operator's own intention is added to the remote controller.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a remote controller 31 is provided with switching means 32 for switching communication means. The remote controller 31 has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment except that a switching unit 32 is provided. The host device section 1 is the same as in the first embodiment.

The switching means 32 of the remote controller 31 is a means for switching the communication means of the signal transmitted from the remote controller 31 in accordance with the operation of the operating means 8. For example, a “communication switching” button (not shown) is arranged on the operation unit 8, and when the “communication switching” button is pressed, a signal is transmitted through the remote control optical communication unit 7 and the “communication switching” is performed. When the "" button is not pressed, a signal is transmitted through the remote control radio wave communication means 6. Thereby, in addition to the automatic switching of the communication means based on the determination result of the information confidentiality determination means 5, the communication means can be switched by the operator himself.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Determining the degree of confidentiality of the information communicated between the controlled device and the remote operation means, and, according to the result of the confidentiality determination, transmitting the information communicated between the controlled device and the remote operation means, Since it is determined whether to perform communication using the first and third wireless communication means or to perform communication using the second and fourth wireless communication means, the convenience is high when communicating information with low confidentiality. When wireless communication using radio waves is used to communicate highly confidential information, wireless communication using light can be used. As a result, without compromising usability,
Highly confidential information can be safely communicated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a wireless communication system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the appearance of a host device unit 1 and a remote control unit 2 in the wireless communication system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram illustrating operations of a host device unit 1 and a remote control unit 2;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a wireless communication system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Host apparatus part 2, 31 Remote control part 3 Host radio wave communication means 4 Host optical communication means 5 Information confidentiality discriminating means 6 Remote control radio wave communication means 7 Remote control light communication means 8 Operating means 9, 12 CPU 10, 13 ROM 11, 14 RAM 21, 23 Antenna 22, 24 Infrared transmitter / receiver 32 Switching means

Claims (8)

[Claims] A controlled device having first wireless communication means using radio waves as a medium and second wireless communication means using light as a medium, and capable of communicating with said first wireless communication means using radio waves as a medium A third wireless communication means and a fourth wireless communication means capable of communicating with the second wireless communication means using light as a medium, and a remote operation means for remotely operating the controlled device. A wireless communication system, comprising: a confidentiality determining unit configured to determine confidentiality of information communicated between the controlled device and the remote control unit; and Whether information communicated between a control device and the remote control means is communicated using the first and third wireless communication means or whether communication is performed using the second and fourth wireless communication means. Determining means for determining Wireless communication system. 2. The method according to claim 2, wherein the confidentiality determining unit determines that the confidentiality of the information communicated between the controlled device and the remote control unit is high. 2. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein it is determined that communication of the highly confidential information is performed by using the communication means. 3. The controlled device has means for switching between communication using the first wireless communication means and communication using the second wireless communication means according to the content of the determination by the determination means. Wherein the remote control means has means for switching between communication using the third wireless communication means and communication using the fourth wireless communication means in accordance with the content of the determination by the determination means. The wireless communication system according to claim 1. 4. The confidentiality discriminating means and the deciding means are provided in the controlled device, and the deciding means performs communication using the first and third wireless communication means or performs communication using the second and third radio communication means. The wireless communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the content of the determination as to whether to perform communication using the fourth wireless communication means is notified to the remote control means. 5. The communication device according to claim 3, wherein the remote operation unit performs communication with the third wireless communication unit in response to a user input operation.
The wireless communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a switching unit configured to switch communication with the wireless communication unit. 6. The first and third wireless communication means,
6. A communication means using a frequency hopping method of spread spectrum communication, wherein said second and fourth wireless communication means are communication means using infrared rays as a medium. A wireless communication system according to claim 1. 7. A controlled device having first radio communication means using radio waves as a medium and second radio communication means using light as a medium, and capable of communicating with said first radio communication means using radio waves as a medium. A third wireless communication means and a fourth wireless communication means capable of communicating with the second wireless communication means using light as a medium, between the remote control means for remotely operating the controlled device. A wireless communication method for performing wireless communication in the step of determining the degree of confidentiality of information communicated between the controlled device and the remote control means, according to the determination result of the confidentiality, Information communicated between the controlled device and the remote control means is communicated using the first and third wireless communication means or is communicated using the second and fourth wireless communication means. Determining whether the wireless communication Method. 8. When the confidentiality determining unit determines that the confidentiality of the information communicated between the controlled device and the remote operation unit is high, the second and fourth communicating units are used. 8. The wireless communication method according to claim 7, wherein it is determined that communication of the information with high confidentiality is performed.