JP2006005844A - Communication apparatus and communication method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication apparatus and communication method in which formation of a wireless communication network can be optimized. <P>SOLUTION: A wireless communication network comprises a printer 1 (master unit) and digital cameras 2, 3 (slave units). The printer 1 has a function as a radio communication device for communicating with the digital cameras 2, 3, respectively by radio and each of the digital cameras 2, 3 has a function as a radio communication device for communicating with the printer 1 by radio. Each time a change of the wireless communication network is notified, in the wireless communication network, role/device information is updated, an updating state of the role/device information is monitored and in accordance with a judgement condition that the updated role/device information meets, a role change for changing a role of a present device is requested to an associated device on the same wireless communication network, thereby performing control relating to a negotiation of wireless communication network formation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device and a communication method.

  A wireless communication network formed by a conventional master-slave wireless communication device includes one master communication device and one or more slave communication devices. At this time, the slave communication device has a characteristic that it does not operate as a second master communication device in the same wireless communication network. In addition, a wireless communication device newly entering the wireless communication network must be permitted by the master communication device.

Further, which communication device becomes the master communication device is determined using parameters such as remaining battery capacity, CPU capacity, memory resource, and electric field strength value. (See, for example, Reference 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-129042

  However, when determining the master communication device based on the remaining battery capacity, CPU capability, memory resource, electric field strength value, etc., an appropriate communication device is not necessarily the master communication device.

  For example, when one printer is shared by a plurality of digital cameras and used as a master communication device, and a plurality of digital cameras form slave communication devices to form a wireless network, each digital camera communicates with the printer. can do. If some digital cameras are turned off from this state, they become one printer and one digital camera, and the digital camera wants to occupy the printer. If the printer that is the master communication device permits the digital camera to enter the network, the printer cannot be occupied.

  In addition, if there is one printer and one digital camera each time, if the digital camera is always the master communication device, even when there is no need to occupy the printer, every time a new digital camera enters the operator However, it is necessary to perform new entry permission / denial / judgment and operation.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a communication device and a communication method that can optimize the formation of a wireless communication network.

  In order to achieve the above object, the communication device of the present invention is a communication that can be switched to any role of a management device that manages communication in a communication network and a managed device that performs communication under the management of the management device. In the device, according to the stored role information and device information, storage means for storing the role information of the device in the communication network and device information related to the device managed or managed by the device in association with each other, and the stored role information and device information And determining means for determining the role.

  Further, the communication method of the present invention is the communication method of the communication device, in the communication network according to the role information of the own device in the communication network and the device information related to the device managed or managed by the own device. The roles of the management device and the managed device are determined, and the roles are switched between the management device and the managed device.

  According to the present invention, a suitable communication network can be determined.

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

  FIG. 1 is a diagram used to describe a wireless network including a wireless communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The wireless communication network of FIG. 1 includes a printer 1 (master device, master communication device) and digital cameras 2 and 3 (slave devices, slave communication devices) (FIG. 2). The printer 1 has a function as a wireless communication device that wirelessly communicates with the digital cameras 2 and 3, and the digital camera 2 and 3 has a function as a wireless communication device that wirelessly communicates with the printer 1.

  Each of the printer 1 and the digital cameras 2 and 3 partially forms a wireless communication network, and in accordance with the wireless communication network formation negotiation, a parent device that is a communication management source in the wireless communication network, and the parent device It is possible to switch to any role of the slave that performs communication in the wireless communication network under management.

  Each of the printer 1 and the digital cameras 2 and 3 includes a storage unit (not shown) for storing the role / device information of FIG. 3 to be described later, the role of the own device in the wireless communication network, and the management of the own device. Alternatively, storage means (not shown) that stores device information related to the management source device in association with each other, and control means (not shown) that performs control related to negotiation of formation of a wireless communication network according to the stored role information and device information ).

  In the following, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to an example in which the printer 1 is a master unit and the digital cameras 2 and 3 are slave units as shown in FIG.

  The printer 1 and the digital cameras 1 and 2 form a wireless communication network as shown in FIG. 2 as a parent device and a child device, respectively.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram used for explaining the role / device information stored in the storage unit of the printer 1 in FIG.

  In FIG. 3, in order to appropriately form a wireless network, the printer 1 stores its own role information regarding the wireless network in the storage unit each time the wireless network is formed (changes). This storage unit stores in advance device information (address, type, use protocol, pairing, whether in exclusive mode, etc.) of the child device as a related device when the device itself is a parent device. Yes. The content of the device information may be only what is necessary in relation to a determination condition (FIG. 5) described later.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart of role / device information update processing executed by the control means of the printer 1 in FIG.

  In FIG. 4, when a connection / disconnection request or a role change request issued by another device is accepted, the negotiation is completed by accepting or rejecting these requests, and a change notification of the wireless communication network is made (step S10). ), It is determined whether or not the wireless communication network is new (step S11). If it is new, role / device information is created (step S12), and then a role / device information update notification is issued (step S13). ) (Monitoring means), this process is terminated. If the wireless communication network is not new, the role / device information is updated (step S14), then a role / device information update notification is issued (step S13) (monitoring means), and the process is terminated.

  According to the process of FIG. 4, each time the wireless communication network is changed (YES in step S10), the role / device information is updated (steps S12, S14), and the updated state of the role / device information is monitored. (Monitoring means).

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the wireless network formation negotiation process executed by the printer 1 in FIG.

  5, when a role / device information update notification is issued in step S13 of FIG. 4 (YES in step S20), it is determined whether or not any of the following determination conditions is met (step S21). When satisfied, a role change request for changing the role of the own device in the wireless communication network is issued to the related device in the same wireless communication network (step S22), and a negotiation for changing the roles of the parent device and the child device is performed. The related apparatus is executed and this processing is terminated.

Here, the predetermined judgment condition and the role change request to be issued are
(1) When the own device is the parent device and there is only one related device (slave device) and paired, the own device becomes the child device, and the parent device is replaced with the related device. Issue a role change request.
(2) When the own device is the parent device and there is only one related device (slave device) and the related device is in the exclusive mode, the own device becomes the child device and the parent device is replaced with the related device. Issue a role change request.
(3) If the own device is a child device and the related device is only one parent device and is not paired with the parent device and is not in the exclusive mode, the own device becomes the parent device, A role change request is issued for the related device to become a slave unit.
(4) When the own device is a parent device, and there is only one related device (child device) and a plurality of device types that cannot be connected to the own device, the own device becomes a child device, and the related device has a parent device. A role change request is issued.
(5) When the own device is a parent device, and there is only one related device (child device) and the device is connected to the own device using a protocol that cannot be connected to the own device, the own device A role change request is issued to the related device as a parent device with the own device as a child device.
(6) When the own device is a child device and the related device (parent device) is of a type that can be connected to the own device, the own device becomes the parent device and the related device has a role of becoming a child device. Issue a change request.
(7) When the own device is a slave unit and the related device (parent device) is connected to the own device using a protocol that allows multiple connections, the own device is related to the related device as the parent device A role change request is issued so that the device becomes a slave unit.

  These conditions may be incorporated into the wireless communication apparatus as appropriate according to the application.

  For example, in the printer 1 in which the above (1) is incorporated in the determination condition, when the slave unit 1 is disconnected in a state where the wireless communication network is formed as shown in FIG. 3, the printer 1 becomes a slave unit and the slave unit 2 reconfigures the wireless network to become the parent device. Thereafter, even if another device tries to connect to the printer 1, it cannot be connected.

  According to the process of FIG. 5, a role change request for changing the role of the own device is issued to the related device of the same wireless communication network in accordance with the determination condition that the updated role / device information matches (step S21). In this way, control related to negotiation for forming a wireless communication network is performed (step S23), and the number of user operations during communication can be reduced, and a wireless communication network can be suitably formed.

1 is a diagram used to describe a wireless network including a wireless communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure used for demonstrating the radio | wireless communication network formed with the radio | wireless communication apparatus of FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram used for explaining role / apparatus information stored in a storage unit of the printer 1 in FIG. 1. 2 is a flowchart showing role / device information update processing executed by the control means of the printer 1 in FIG. It is a flowchart of the wireless network formation negotiation process performed by the printer in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Printer 2, 3 Digital camera

Claims (12)

In a communication device that can be switched to any role of a management device that manages communication in a communication network and a managed device that performs communication under the management of the management device,
Storage means for storing the role information of the own device in the communication network and the device information related to or managed by the own device in association with each other;
A communication device comprising: determining means for determining the role in accordance with the stored role information and device information.   2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising request means for making a request to change the role of the own apparatus in the communication network with another communication apparatus in accordance with the determination by the determination means.   2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus information includes information on any of a device type, a use protocol, whether the apparatus is paired with the own apparatus, and whether the apparatus is in an exclusive mode. .   The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit performs the determination according to a change in a configuration of the communication network. Monitoring means for monitoring the update status of the role information and device information;
Determining means for determining whether or not the updated role information and device information meet a predetermined determination condition;
The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit determines the role according to a determination condition in which the updated role information and device information match.   When the role of the own device in the communication network is a management device, the number of managed devices is one, and the own device and the managed device are bearing, the own device and the managed device 6. The communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the determining means determines so that the pairing apparatus becomes a management apparatus.   If the role of the own device in the communication network is a management device, the number of managed devices is one, and the managed device is of a model type that cannot be connected to the own device, the own device is managed 6. The communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the determination unit determines so that the managed apparatus becomes a management apparatus.   If the role of the own device in the communication network is a management device, the number of managed devices is one, and the managed device is in the exclusive mode, the own device becomes the managed device and the managed device 6. The communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said determination means determines such that becomes a management apparatus.   If the role of the own device in the communication network is the management device, the managed device is one, and the managed device is connected to the own device by a protocol that can be connected to the own device, 6. The communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the determination unit determines so that the managed apparatus becomes a managed apparatus as well as the managed apparatus.   If the role of the own device in the communication network is a managed device and the management device is a device type that can be connected to the own device, the own device becomes the management device and the management device becomes the managed device. 6. The communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the determining means determines so as to be.   When the role of the own device in the communication network is a managed device and the management device is connected to the own device by a protocol that can be connected to the own device, the own device becomes the management device and the management device is managed. The communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the determination unit determines to be an apparatus. In the communication method of the communication device,
The management apparatus determines a role as a management apparatus and a managed apparatus in the communication network according to the role information of the own apparatus in the communication network and the apparatus information related to the management apparatus or the management source apparatus of the own apparatus. And a communication method, wherein the role is changed with a managed device.

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