JP2005086471A - Communication control method, and terminal equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically set a configuration in the case of seamlessly performing hand-over between different kinds of communication systems. <P>SOLUTION: A communication control method is the method for performing hand-over from one communication system to the other communication system between the communication system (cellular communication network) and the communication system (radio LAN). When communication is performed with one communication system in an MT 16, a signal from the AP 22 of the other communication system is detected. Information for specifying the AP 22 in the signal is transmitted via one communication system to a CS 26 which stores information for specifying the AP station and its connection information. When setting information of the MT 16, including the connection information to the AP 22, is received from the CS 26 via one communication system, the MT 16 sets the MT itself in order to perform connection to the AP 22 through the use of the received setting information, so that connection is achieved with the other communication system. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to communication control for seamless handover between different types of communication systems.

In recent years, it has become possible to use a plurality of communication systems such as cellular communication and wireless LAN as mobile communication means. Compared with cellular communication, the use area of wireless LAN communication is limited, so the number of cases where cellular communication and wireless LAN are used in the same terminal is increasing. In such a communication environment, by using mobile IP or the like, it is possible to seamlessly perform handover between different types of communication systems such as cellular communication and wireless LAN without disconnecting communication. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses the above-described handover technique.
C. Perkins, “IP Mobility Support for IPv4”, RFC 3344, IETF, August 2002

However, for example, in a wireless LAN access point (AP), unless information necessary for connection, such as a password and a WEP key, is set in the terminal in advance, the terminal cannot access the wireless LAN. The trouble and complexity of making this setting is one of the factors hindering network seamlessness.
An object of the present invention is to provide a communication control method and a communication control system for automatically setting a configuration when seamless handover is performed between different types of communication systems.

  An object of the present invention is a communication control method for performing a handover from one communication system to another communication system between a first communication system and a second communication system. Detecting a signal from a station of another communication system when communicating with, information identifying the station in the signal, information identifying the station, and connection information to the station Transmitting to the server storing the information via the one communication system, and receiving from the server setting information of the terminal device including connection information to the station via the one communication system. And a step of setting a terminal device to connect to the station using the received setting information, and a step of connecting to the other communication system. It is achieved by a communication control method that.

  In the present invention, the terminal device itself does not hold the setting information including the connection information for connecting to the station in advance, but changes the setting of the terminal device according to the setting information acquired from the connected communication system. This enables connection to the other communication system via an unknown station. In particular, according to the present invention, it is possible to optimally connect to a destination, recognize an unknown station (for example, an access point: AP), and set various settings for connection to the first connected terminal. It can be realized by guidance by data communication via the communication system.

  Note that the authentication of the terminal device itself may be performed in the already connected first communication system. In the first communication system, it is desirable that data transmission / reception at the terminal device is secure. The setting information includes not only connection information but also security policy and application setting information.

  In a preferred embodiment, the step of storing the setting information of the terminal device including the connection information to the station received from the server in the storage device of the terminal device, and when the signal is detected from the station, Searching a storage device to find configuration information related to the station;

  A step of setting a terminal device to connect to the station using the setting information when the setting information is found. That is, for a station that has been connected before, access to the server using the first communication system can be omitted by storing setting information including connection information to the station.

  In a more preferred embodiment, at least the second communication system is a wireless LAN, and the terminal device detects, as the signal, encrypted connection information of an access point and information specifying the access point. And receiving the WEP key of the station from the server, and decrypting the connection information using the received WEP key.

  For example, the first wireless system may be a cellular communication network, and the first wireless system may be another wireless LAN.

  Another object of the present invention is a terminal device that performs handover from one communication system to the other communication system between the first communication system and the second communication system, and communicates with the one communication system. Signal detecting means for detecting a signal from a station of another communication system, information for specifying the station in the signal, information for specifying the station, and connection information to the station Transmission / reception means for transmitting to the stored server via the one communication system and receiving setting information of the terminal device including connection information to the station via the one communication system from the server And setting means for setting a terminal device to connect to the station using the received setting information, and the terminal device is configured to connect to the other communication system. Special Also achieved by a terminal device according to.

  In a preferred embodiment, the storage control means for storing the setting information of the terminal device including the connection information to the station received from the server in the storage device of the terminal device, and when the signal is detected from the station Search means for searching the storage device to find setting information related to the station, and when the setting information is found, using the setting information to connect to the station, The terminal device is configured to be set.

  In a more preferred embodiment, at least the second communication system is a wireless LAN, and the signal detection unit detects, as the signal, encrypted connection information of the access point and information specifying the access point. The transmission / reception means receives the WEP key of the station from the server, and the setting means decrypts the connection information using the received WEP key. For example, the first wireless system may be a cellular communication network, or the first wireless system may be another wireless LAN.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a communication control system and a communication control method for automatically setting a configuration when seamless handover is performed between different types of communication systems.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification, a data transmission medium (for example, cellular communication, wireless LAN, VPN, etc.) is referred to as a communication system. A series of devices that implement communication control according to the present invention are collectively referred to as a communication control system.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a communication control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication control system includes a cellular communication network 12 based on a cellular communication system and a wireless LAN 14 based on a wireless LAN system. The portable terminal (MT) 16 performs data communication via these wireless systems.

  The cellular communication network 12 includes a base station (BS) 18. The MT 16 can be connected to the Internet or a mobile IP network (hereinafter referred to as “IP network”) 20 via the BS 18. The wireless LAN 14 includes an access point (AP) 22. The MT 16 can also be connected to the IP network 20 via the AP 22.

  In the present embodiment, a configuration server (CS) 26 including a database (DB) 24 that stores a configuration including AP connection information of an AP is connected to the IP network 20. The configuration means setting information for the network and MT, and AP connection information is included as a part of the configuration information.

  In the present embodiment, the MT 16 can be handed over seamlessly between the cellular communication network 12 and the wireless LAN 14. As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the MT 16 detects a new AP (new AP) 22-a of the wireless LAN 14 and acquires information on the new AP, and the acquisition. Based on the obtained information, the MT 16 itself stores information in a storage device (not shown) and determines whether the wireless LAN 14 can be connected, and a search processing unit 32 for changing the transmission medium as necessary. It has a medium change processing unit 34 that executes processing, and a configuration setting unit 36 that automatically sets the configuration of the MT 16 itself.

  In addition, the CS 26 acquires the configuration of various APs 22 in the wireless LAN 14 and stores the configuration in the DB 24, and a search interface (search for the configuration of the designated AP 22 in response to a request from the MT 16). I / F) 44. Further, the CS 26 is connected to an authentication server 46 that performs authentication for the MT 16 to connect to the CS 26 via a network. This network may be the IP network 20 or another network.

  A case where the MT 16 connected to the cellular communication network 12 in the communication control system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 seamlessly connects to the wireless LAN 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a process for the MT 16 to connect to the wireless LAN. Each AP 22 of the wireless LAN 14 registers its configuration in advance with the CS 26 via the IP network 20 (reference numeral 200 in FIG. 2 and steps 300-1 and 300-2 in FIG. 3). Although not shown in the figure, in a communication system (in this example, a cellular communication network) to which the MT 16 has already been connected, the CS 26 can be accessed via the communication system.

  FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating information accumulated in the DB 24. As shown in FIG. 4A, the record of the DB 24 is a connection comprising an AP number (AP No.) for identifying an AP, an AP MAC address (MAC), and an SSID and WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy). Contains information.

  The AP information acquisition unit 30 of the MT 16 connected to the cellular communication network 12 receives a signal from a certain AP 22 (reference numeral 201 and step 301). FIG. 4B is a diagram showing a signal (Beacon information) given from the AP 22. As shown in FIG. 4B, the Beacon information includes masked, that is, encrypted AP connection information, and the MAC address of the AP that is not masked.

  The search processing unit 32 of the MT 16 searches an MT storage device (not shown) to determine whether there is AP connection information associated with the accepted MAC address (step 302). In the present embodiment, as will be described later, the acquired AP connection information is stored in a storage device, and when connecting to the same AP again, the AP is connected without accessing the CS 26. Is also possible.

  If the AP connection information does not exist, or if the AP connection information exists but is temporary (for example, a one-time password), the medium change processing unit 34 performs communication with the cellular communication network in communication. The query information (query) is transmitted to CS 26 via 12 (reference numeral 203 and step 303). FIG. 4C shows query information. As shown in FIG. 4C, the query information includes the MT terminal information and the acquired AP MAC address. The data is received by the CS 26 via the cellular communication network 12 and the IP network 20. The CS 26 refers to the terminal information in the received query information and specifies the transmission source. For example, the CS 26 may use the terminal information to access the authentication server 46 and authenticate the MT.

  The search I / F 44 of the CS 26 refers to the MAC address of the AP in the query information and searches the DB 24 for a record including the MAC address (Steps 304, 305, and 306). The information of the retrieved record is transmitted to the MT 16 as reply information (reply) (reference numeral 207 and step 307). FIG. 4D is a diagram showing reply information. As shown in FIG. 4D, the reply information includes MT terminal information, AP MAC address, and connection information of the AP including SSID and WEP.

  When the MT 16 receives the reply information, the configuration setting unit 36 stores the received connection information in the storage device in association with the MAC address of the AP and changes the configuration setting (step 308). For example, using the acquired WEP key, the masked AP connection information (see FIG. 4B) in the Beacon information is decrypted, and the configuration is set to connect to the AP using this. As a result, the MT 16 can be connected to the wireless LAN 14 via the AP 22 (step 309).

  When the search processing unit 32 searches the MT storage device, if the AP connection information associated with the received MAC address exists and the AP connection information is valid, the AP connection information is used. Then, it is possible to change the configuration setting and connect to the wireless LAN 14 via the AP 22. However, it is not essential to store such AP connection information in the storage device of the MT. Every time the MT 16 receives the Beacon information from the AP 22, the access to the CS 26 is performed via the network in communication, that is, the cellular communication network. Then, AP connection information may be acquired.

  As described above, in this embodiment, it is not necessary to store the AP configuration of the wireless LAN, and the MT configuration setting is changed based on the connection information acquired from the network in communication. Therefore, the user can seamlessly hand over to the wireless LAN without having to input information to the terminal. In addition, since the connection information is acquired from the network in communication, it is not necessary to store information for setting on the terminal side. For example, the wireless area of the wireless LAN is expanded and a new AP is installed. The MT can also connect to the wireless LAN via the new AP.

  In the above embodiment, the case of handover from the cellular communication network to the wireless LAN has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to handover from the wireless LAN to the cellular communication network. For example, when the MT 16 determines that it is difficult to continue the connection with the wireless LAN 14, the MT 16 may connect to the cellular communication network using the connection information of the cellular communication network held by the MT 16 itself.

  In the above embodiment, a cellular communication network and a wireless LAN are used as the communication system. However, the present invention can also be applied to a handover between other communication systems. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an outline of a communication control system according to another embodiment of the present invention. In this example, a handover is attempted between the cellular communication network 14 and the in-house wireless LAN 50. The in-house network (NW) 54 has an access point (AP) 52. For example, the in-house wireless LAN 50 is a VPN connection.

  The MT 16 communicating with the cellular communication network 14 detects the AP 52 and acquires information on the AP 52. Again, the MT 16 obtains the AP MAC address and determines whether AP connection information associated with the MAC address already exists. When there is no AP connection information, the necessary AP connection information is obtained by accessing the CS 26 via the cellular communication network 14 and the IP network 20 that are in communication as in the first embodiment. To set the configuration. As a result, the MT 16 can access the in-house wireless LAN 50.

  Access from the in-house wireless LAN 50 to the cellular communication network is the same as that in the first embodiment.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and these are also included in the scope of the present invention. Needless to say.
For example, in the embodiment, AP connection information is acquired from the CS, and a configuration for a newly connected communication system is set in the MT based on the AP connection information. However, the present invention is not limited to AP connection information, and the terminal security policy and application setting information may be acquired from the communicating communication system.

  In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to handover between a communication cellular network and a wireless LAN, and between a communication cellular network and an in-house LAN. However, handover between different types of LANs is possible. The present invention can also be applied to. In this case, it is desirable that data transmission can be securely realized in one communication system during communication.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a communication control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing in more detail the MT and CS according to the present embodiment and components related thereto. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing executed in the present embodiment at the time of handover from the cellular communication network to the wireless LAN. FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining the data structure, Beacon information, query information, and reply information of the DB connected to the CS in the present embodiment, respectively. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an outline of a communication control system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

12 cellular communication network 14 wireless LAN
16 MT
18 BS
20 IP network 22 AP
24 DB
26 CS
30 AP information acquisition unit 32 Search processing unit 34 Medium change processing unit 36 Configuration setting unit 42 Configuration registration unit 44 Search I / F

Claims (11)

A communication control method for performing handover from one communication system to another communication system between a first communication system and a second communication system,
In the terminal device, when communicating with one communication system, detecting a signal from a station of another communication system;
Transmitting information identifying the station in the signal to the server storing the information identifying the station and connection information to the station via the one communication system;
Receiving setting information of the terminal device including connection information to the station via one communication system from the server;
Using the received setting information to set a terminal device to connect to the station;
A communication control method comprising: a step of connecting to the other communication system. Furthermore, storing the setting information of the terminal device including the connection information to the station received from the server in the storage device of the terminal device;
When detecting a signal from the station, searching the storage device to find setting information related to the station;
The method according to claim 1, further comprising: setting a terminal device to connect to the station using the setting information when the setting information is found. At least the second communication system is a wireless LAN,
The terminal device detecting, as the signal, encrypted connection information of an access point and information specifying the access point;
The method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving the WEP key of the station from the server, and decrypting the connection information using the received WEP key. The method of claim 3, wherein the first wireless system is a cellular communication network. The method according to claim 3, wherein the first wireless system is another wireless LAN. The method according to claim 1, wherein the setting information includes setting information of a security policy and / or an application. A terminal device that performs handover from one communication system to another communication system between a first communication system and a second communication system,
A signal detection means for detecting a signal from a station of another communication system when communicating with one communication system;
Information identifying the station in the signal is transmitted to the server storing the information identifying the station and connection information to the station via the one communication system, and from the server, A transmission / reception means for receiving setting information of the terminal device including connection information to the station via one communication system;
A setting unit configured to set a terminal device in order to connect to the station using the received setting information, and the terminal device is configured to connect to the other communication system; Terminal device to do. Storage control means for storing terminal device setting information received from the server, including connection information to the station, in a storage device of the terminal device;
Search means for searching the storage device and finding setting information related to the station when a signal is detected from the station;
The terminal device according to claim 7, wherein when the setting information is found, the terminal device is configured to use the setting information to connect to the station. At least the second communication system is a wireless LAN,
The signal detection means detects, as the signal, encrypted connection information of the access point and information for specifying the access point, the transmission / reception means receives the WEP key of the station from the server, and 9. The terminal device according to claim 7, wherein the setting unit is configured to decrypt the connection information using the received WEP key. The terminal device according to claim 9, wherein the first wireless system is a cellular communication network. The terminal device according to claim 10, wherein the first wireless system is another wireless LAN.

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