JP2012222719A - Relay device and power control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically set transmission power suitable for radio communication considering power saving.SOLUTION: A relay device comprises: network communication means for performing communication by connecting to a network; radio communication means for performing communication by connecting to a radio communication device by radio; relay means for relaying communication between the network and the radio communication device; rate determination means for determining a transmission rate between the radio communication means and the radio communication device depending on transmission power to the radio communication device by the radio communication means; network information acquisition means for acquiring network information showing any one of a transmission rate set between the network communication means and the network and a traffic amount per unit time between the network and the radio communication device; and power determination means for determining the transmission power so that the rate determination means determines a transmission rate which is the value shown by the network information.

Description

  The present invention relates to a technical field of transmission power control in wireless communication of a relay device that relays communication between a network and a wireless communication device.

  Currently, wireless router devices, which are relay devices having a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) access point function, are becoming popular. The wireless router device is wirelessly connected to a wireless communication device such as a PC (personal computer), and relays communication between the wireless communication device and a network such as a WAN (Wide Area Network).

  As countermeasures for environmental problems in recent years, power saving of devices has been regarded as important in device development, and a device having a power saving function is also demanded by users. For this reason, the wireless router apparatus is also required to reduce the transmission power in wireless communication.

  In relation to power saving, the wireless transmission power of the wireless router device can be changed by setting in the past, but an arbitrary transmission power is set from the web setting screen using a PC or the like. It was common. Therefore, some users do not use the transmission power setting function at all, and the transmission power may remain at the initial maximum power. In addition, even when the user changes the transmission power setting, there is no way for the user to accurately grasp the wireless communication state before the change, so it is difficult to change to the optimal transmission power. There was a problem that was not implemented. For this reason, there have been problems such as deterioration in communication performance and inability to link up.

  In addition, as a power saving method for a wireless LAN device, Patent Document 1 proposes a method in which a wireless LAN device changes state to a power saving mode when a terminal is not connected to the wireless LAN device.

JP 2007-251564 A

  However, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the terminal is left in a power-on state, the terminal does not communicate at all even if the terminal is connected to the wireless LAN, but the state transitions to the power saving mode. There is a problem of not doing.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a relay device and a power control method capable of automatically setting transmission power suitable for wireless communication in consideration of power saving. And

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention described in claim 1 is a network communication unit that communicates by connecting to a network, a wireless communication unit that wirelessly connects and communicates with a wireless communication device, the network, and the wireless A relay unit that relays communication with a communication device, and a rate at which a transmission rate between the wireless communication unit and the wireless communication device is determined according to transmission power of the wireless communication unit to the wireless communication device Obtaining network information indicating either the determination means, the transmission rate set between the network communication means and the network, or the traffic volume per unit time between the network and the wireless communication device Network information acquisition means, and a transmission speed that is a value indicated by the network information is sent to the speed determination means. As determined Ri, characterized in that it comprises a power determination means for determining the transmission power.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the relay device according to the first aspect, the power determining unit determines whether or not the transmission rate determined by the rate determining unit is greater than a value indicated by the network information. However, when it is determined that the transmission power is large, the transmission power is lowered so that the transmission speed that is equal to or less than the value indicated by the network information is determined by the speed determination means.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the relay device according to the second aspect, the power determining unit gradually transmits the transmission until a transmission rate determined by the rate determining unit becomes equal to or less than a value indicated by the network information. When the connection between the wireless communication unit and the wireless communication apparatus is disconnected by reducing the power and reducing the transmission power, the transmission power is increased until the connection is established.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the relay device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the network information acquisition means indicates the average value of the traffic volume at a preset time interval. Obtaining network information, wherein the power determining means determines the transmission power for each time interval so that the transmission speed is determined by the speed determining means to be an average value indicated by the network information. Features.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the relay device according to the fourth aspect, when the average value indicated by the network information is equal to or less than a preset threshold value, the wireless communication unit sets a preset time. The wireless communication apparatus does not perform wireless transmission.

  The invention according to claim 6 is a power control method for controlling transmission power in wireless transmission from a relay device that relays communication between a network and a wireless communication device to the wireless communication device, wherein the relay device and the network A network information acquisition step of acquiring network information indicating either a transmission rate set between or a traffic amount per unit time between the network and the wireless communication device; the relay device; The power determination step for determining the transmission power so that the transmission rate between the wireless communication device and the network information is a value, and the transmission rate between the relay device and the wireless communication device is the power A rate determining step of determining according to the transmission power determined in the determining step.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to automatically set transmission power suitable for wireless communication in consideration of power saving.

1 is a block configuration diagram of a wireless router device 10 according to an embodiment. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the information stored in a linkup information table. It is a flowchart which shows the process example by the transmission power control part 8 of the wireless router apparatus 10 which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process example by the transmission power control part 8 of the wireless router apparatus 10 which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the information stored in a linkup information table. It is a figure which shows an example of the information stored in a linkup information table.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[1. Configuration of wireless router device]
First, the configuration of the wireless router device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

  FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of a wireless router device 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless router device 10 includes a LAN-side wireless control unit 1 for connecting to a user terminal PC 6, a memory unit 2 for storing communication data, a work memory of the central processing unit 4, and the like. Controlling the transmission power of the ROM 3 for storing the program, the central processing unit (CPU) 4 for controlling the entire wireless router device 10, the WAN side control unit 5 for connecting to the network 7, and the LAN side radio control unit 1 And a transmission power control unit 8 for this purpose. By operating the PC 6, the user performs transmission / reception of e-mail, net refining, downloading of contents such as moving images from a server device on the network 7, and the like.

  The LAN-side radio control unit 1 is an example of radio communication means and speed determination means in the present invention. The WAN-side control unit 5 is an example of a network communication unit in the present invention. The transmission power control unit 8 is an example of transmission power determination means in the present invention. The WAN-side control unit 5 and the central processing unit 4 are examples of network information acquisition means in the present invention. The LAN-side radio control unit 1, the central processing unit 4, and the transmission power control unit 8 are examples of the relay unit in the present invention.

  The WAN-side control unit 5 is connected to the network 7, acquires link-up information and link-up speed of the line, notifies the central processing unit 4, and stores these information in the memory unit 2. The network 7 is a WAN such as the Internet, for example. The WAN-side control unit 5 is generally connected to a modem by a cable compliant with, for example, IEEE 802.3, and generally connected to the network 7 via the modem by PPPoE.

  The LAN-side radio control unit 1 is connected to the PC 6 by radio, notifies the central processing unit 4 of radio link-up information and link-up speed, and stores these information in the memory unit 2. The LAN-side radio control unit 1 is generally connected to and communicates with the PC 6 by a method compliant with IEEE 803.11 which is a wireless LAN standard. The LAN-side radio control unit 1 performs radio transmission with the transmission power set (determined) by the transmission power control unit. Further, the LAN-side radio control unit 1 determines a link-up speed for radio transmission to the PC 6 according to the transmission power set by the transmission power control unit.

  The central processing unit 4 causes the LAN-side radio control unit 1 to transmit a packet received from the network 7 by the WAN-side control unit 5 to the PC 6 based on the destination IP address. The received packet is transmitted to the network 7 by the WAN-side control unit 5 based on the destination IP address. The central processing unit 4 stores traffic information in the memory unit 2 and creates a link-up information table in the memory unit 2.

  The transmission power control unit 8 sets optimal transmission power with reference to the link-up information table.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the link-up information table. As shown in FIG. 2, the link-up information table stores link-up information, link-up speed, traffic information, and transmission power.

  The link-up information indicates the connection state of the line. “UP” is stored when the line is connected (link up), and “DOWN” is stored when the line is not connected (link down). The link-up information includes WAN-side link-up information and LAN-side link-up information. The WAN-side link-up information indicates a connection state of the line between the WAN-side control unit 5 and the network 7. The link-up information on the LAN side indicates the connection state of the line between the LAN-side radio control unit 1 and the PC 6.

  The link up speed indicates the maximum transmission speed at which communication is possible on the connected line. The link-up information includes a WAN-side link-up speed and a LAN-side link-up speed. The WAN-side link-up speed is the maximum transmission speed when the WAN-side control unit 5 communicates via the network 7. The LAN-side link-up speed is the maximum transmission speed when the LAN-side wireless control unit 1 communicates with the PC 6.

  The traffic information is the maximum value of the amount of data per unit time transmitted from the WAN side control unit 5 to the LAN side radio control unit 1 by the central processing unit 4 so far. That is, the traffic information is a maximum value of the traffic amount per unit time from the network 7 to the PC 6 relayed by the wireless router 6.

The transmission power is a transmission power (transmission power) when the LAN-side radio control unit 1 performs radio transmission to the PC 6. The transmission power is set as a percentage, for example, with the maximum value of the transmission power that can be output by the LAN-side wireless control unit 1 being 100%.
[2. Operation of wireless router device]
Next, the operation of the wireless router device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described using FIG. 3 and FIG.

  The WAN-side control unit 5 notifies the link information to the central processing unit 4 and stores the link information in the traffic information table every time the connection state of the line with the network 7 changes. In addition, every time a line connection with the network 7 is established, the WAN-side control unit 5 notifies the central processing unit 4 of the link-up speed set at the time of establishing the connection, and the link-up speed is stored in the link-up information table. To store.

  Each time the connection state of the line with the PC 6 changes, the LAN-side radio control unit 1 notifies the link information to the central processing unit 4 and stores the link information in the traffic information table. Further, every time a line connection with the PC 6 is established, the LAN-side wireless control unit 1 notifies the central processing unit 4 of the link-up speed set when the connection is established, and the link-up speed is stored in the link-up information table. Store. This link-up speed is set according to, for example, the transmission power set by the transmission power control unit 8 or the communication status with the PC 6.

  When the WAN side link up information and the LAN side link up information in the link up information table are both set to “UP”, the transmission power control unit 8, that is, the wireless router device 10 is connected to the network 7. 3 and FIG. 4 is started when the connection is established and the connection with the PC 6 is established. The process shown in FIG. 3 or 4 may be executed in accordance with, for example, a program stored in the ROM 3, or the hardware of the transmission power control unit 8 is configured to execute the process shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. May be.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a processing example by the transmission power control unit 8 of the wireless router device 10 according to the present embodiment. The processing shown in FIG. 3 is an example of processing in the embodiment when the transmission power is adjusted so that the link-up speed on the LAN side matches the link-up speed on the WAN side.

  First, the transmission power control unit 8 acquires the WAN-side link-up speed and the LAN-side link-up speed stored in the link-up information table. Then, the transmission power control unit 8 determines whether or not the WAN-side link-up speed is equal to or higher than the LAN-side link-up speed (step S1). At this time, if the transmission power control unit 8 determines that the WAN-side link-up speed is equal to or higher than the LAN-side link-up speed (step S1: YES), the transmission power control unit 8 ends the processing illustrated in FIG.

  On the other hand, if the transmission power control unit 8 determines that the link-up speed on the LAN side is larger than the link-up speed on the WAN side (step S1: NO), the transmission power control unit 8 reduces the transmission power of the LAN-side radio control unit 1 ( Step S2). Specifically, the transmission power control unit 8 subtracts a predetermined value from the transmission power stored in the linkup information table. Further, the transmission power control unit 8 notifies the central processing unit 4 of the transmission power after subtraction.

  The central processing unit 4 that has received the notification of the transmission power after the subtraction instructs the LAN side wireless control unit 1 to reset the link-up speed. As a result, the LAN-side wireless control unit 1 resets the link-up speed. Specifically, the LAN-side radio control unit 1 refers to the transmission power after subtraction from the link-up information table, and sets the LAN-side link-up speed according to the transmission power. At this time, the LAN-side wireless control unit 1 increases the link-up speed value as the transmission power increases, and decreases the link-up speed value as the transmission power decreases. Since the communication quality decreases as the transmission power decreases, the communication quality is improved by reducing the link-up speed. Here, since the transmission power is reduced, the link-up speed is reduced accordingly. The LAN-side radio control unit 1 stores the reset LAN-side link-up speed in the link-up information table. Note that the link-up speed is changed by, for example, changing the modulation method, changing the coding rate of the convolutional code at the time of modulation, or the like. Accordingly, the link-up speed can be set in stages (for example, 6 Mbps, 9 Mbps, 12 Mbps, etc.). Therefore, the link-up speed may not change even when the transmission power is reduced.

  When the transmission power is reduced, the transmission power control unit 8 determines whether or not the link-up information on the LAN side stored in the link-up information table is set to “UP” (step S3). That is, the transmission power control unit 8 determines whether or not the connection with the PC 6 is maintained. At this time, if the transmission power control unit 8 determines that the link-up information on the LAN side is set to “UP” (step S3: YES), the transmission power control unit 8 proceeds to step S1. The transmission power control unit 8 gradually decreases the transmission power of the LAN-side wireless control unit 1 until the LAN-side link-up rate is equal to or lower than the WAN-side link-up rate by repeating the processes of steps S1 to S3. Go.

  Even if the link-up speed on the LAN side is faster than the link-up speed on the WAN side, the actual maximum transmission speed (effective speed) by the wireless router 10 relaying data from the network 7 to the PC 6 is the link on the WAN side. Does not exceed the up speed. Therefore, it is possible to automatically save power while preventing the communication performance from deteriorating. It should be noted that the transmission power control unit 8 determines the link on the LAN side when the link-up speed on the LAN side becomes somewhat smaller than the link-up speed on the WAN side due to, for example, a change in the link-up speed on the WAN side. The transmission power may be increased so that the up speed can be matched with the link up speed on the WAN side.

  Here, the connection with the PC 6 may be disconnected due to a decrease in transmission power. This is because, if the transmission power is reduced, for example, the PC 6 cannot detect transmission from the wireless router device 10 or cannot perform normal communication. When the connection with the PC 6 is disconnected, the LAN-side wireless control unit 1 stores “DOWN” as link-up information on the LAN side in the link-up information table. Then, in step S3, the transmission power control unit 8 determines that the link-up information on the LAN side is set to “DOWN” (step S3: NO). In this case, the transmission power control unit 8 increases the transmission power of the LAN side wireless control unit 1 (step S4). Specifically, the transmission power control unit 8 adds a predetermined value to the transmission power stored in the linkup information table. Further, the transmission power control unit 8 notifies the central processing unit 4 of the transmission power after the addition.

  Upon receiving the transmission power notification after the addition, the central processing unit 4 instructs the LAN side wireless control unit 1 to reset the link-up speed. Thereby, the LAN-side radio control unit 1 performs reconnection with the PC 6. At this time, when the connection with the PC 6 is established, the LAN-side wireless control unit 1 stores “UP” as the link-up information on the LAN side in the link-up information table. The LAN-side radio control unit 1 sets the LAN-side link-up speed according to the transmission power.

  When the transmission power is increased, the transmission power control unit 8 determines whether or not the link-up information on the LAN side stored in the link-up information table is set to “UP” (step S5). That is, the transmission power control unit 8 determines whether or not a connection with the PC 6 has been established. At this time, if the transmission power control unit 8 determines that the link-up information on the LAN side is set to “DOWN” (step S5: NO), the transmission power control unit 8 proceeds to step S4. On the other hand, if the transmission power control unit 8 determines that the link-up information on the LAN side is set to “UP” (step S5: YES), the transmission power control unit 8 ends the process illustrated in FIG. The transmission power controller 8 gradually increases the transmission power until the connection with the PC 6 is established by repeating steps S4 and S5. In this case, the final link-up speed on the LAN side may be higher than the link-up speed on the WAN side.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a processing example by the transmission power control unit 8 of the wireless router device 10 according to the present embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 4 is a process example in the embodiment in which the transmission power is adjusted so that the link-up speed on the LAN side matches the traffic volume per unit time indicated by the traffic information.

  First, the transmission power control unit 8 acquires the traffic information stored in the link-up information table and the link-up speed on the LAN side. Then, the transmission power control unit 8 determines whether or not the maximum value of the traffic volume per unit time indicated by the traffic information is equal to or greater than the link-up speed value on the LAN side (step S11). At this time, if the transmission power control unit 8 determines that the maximum value of the traffic volume per unit time is equal to or greater than the value of the link-up speed on the LAN side (step S11: YES), the processing shown in FIG. 4 is performed. Terminate.

  On the other hand, when the transmission power control unit 8 determines that the value of the link-up speed on the LAN side is larger than the maximum value of the traffic volume per unit time (step S11: NO), it is the same as step S2 in FIG. Next, the transmission power of the LAN side wireless control unit 1 is lowered (step S12). The processing contents of the central processing unit 4 and the LAN-side wireless control unit 1 at this time are the same as those in the case of FIG.

  Next, the transmission power control unit 8 determines whether or not the LAN-side link-up information stored in the link-up information table is set to “UP” (step S13). At this time, if the transmission power control unit 8 determines that the link-up information on the LAN side is set to “UP” (step S13: YES), the transmission power control unit 8 proceeds to step S11. The transmission power control unit 8 repeats the processes of steps S11 to S13, so that the transmission power of the LAN side wireless control unit 1 is kept until the value of the link up speed on the LAN side becomes equal to or less than the maximum value of the traffic amount per unit time. Is gradually lowered.

  The actual maximum transmission speed (effective speed) by the wireless router 10 relaying data from the network 7 to the PC 6 is slower than the link-up speed on the WAN side and the link-up speed on the LAN side due to various factors. Is common. As an example of the factor, the processing capability and the like of each device (wireless router device 10, PC 6, server device on network 7, etc.) can be raised. Thus, by adjusting the transmission power based on the traffic volume per unit time, which is information corresponding to the effective speed, it is possible to automatically save power while suppressing a decrease in communication performance.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the link-up information on the LAN side is set to “DOWN” (step S3: NO), the transmission power control unit 8 performs LAN-side radio control similarly to step S4 in FIG. The transmission power of unit 1 is increased (step S14). The processing contents of the central processing unit 4 and the LAN-side wireless control unit 1 at this time are the same as those in the case of FIG.

  Next, when the transmission power is increased, the transmission power control unit 8 determines whether or not the link-up information on the LAN side stored in the link-up information table is set to “UP” (step S15). At this time, if the transmission power control unit 8 determines that the link-up information on the LAN side is set to “DOWN” (step S15: NO), the transmission power control unit 8 proceeds to step S14. On the other hand, if the transmission power control unit 8 determines that the link-up information on the LAN side is set to “UP” (step S15: YES), the transmission power control unit 8 ends the process illustrated in FIG.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the LAN-side radio control unit 1 determines the link-up speed on the LAN side according to the transmission power determined by the transmission power control unit 8, and the WAN-side control unit 5 Obtains the WAN link-up rate, and the transmission power control unit 8 transmits the LAN-side link-up rate such that the LAN-side link-up rate is determined by the LAN-side radio control unit 1. Determine power. Therefore, the transmission power is adjusted so that the LAN side link-up speed matches the WAN side link-up speed. Therefore, it is possible to perform wireless communication in consideration of power saving without manually setting the transmission power. A suitable transmission power can be automatically set.

  The transmission power control unit 8 determines whether or not the link-up speed determined by the LAN-side radio control unit 1 is larger than the WAN-side link-up speed. The transmission power is lowered so that the LAN-side radio control unit 1 determines the LAN-side link-up speed that is lower than the up speed. As a result, the transmission power can be reduced, so that power saving can be automatically performed.

  In addition, the transmission power control unit 8 gradually decreases the transmission power until the link-up speed determined by the LAN-side radio control unit 1 is equal to or lower than the WAN-side link-up speed, and the LAN-side radio control is performed by lowering the transmission power. When the connection between the unit 1 and the PC 6 is disconnected, the transmission power is increased until the connection is established. For this reason, the transmission power is lowered so that wireless communication with the PC 6 is possible, and therefore power saving more suitable for wireless communication can be automatically performed.

  The LAN-side radio control unit 1 determines the LAN-side link-up speed according to the transmission power determined by the transmission power control unit 8, and the central processing unit 4 determines the unit time between the network 7 and the PC 6. The transmission power control unit 8 determines the transmission power so that the LAN side radio control unit 1 determines the link-up speed on the LAN side such that the traffic amount per unit time becomes the value of the traffic amount. decide. For this reason, the transmission power is adjusted so that the link-up speed on the LAN side matches the traffic volume per unit time. Therefore, it is possible to perform wireless communication considering power saving without manually setting the transmission power. A suitable transmission power can be automatically set.

  Further, when the transmission power control unit 8 determines whether or not the link-up speed determined by the LAN-side radio control unit 1 is larger than the value of the traffic volume per unit time, The transmission power is lowered so that the LAN-side radio control unit 1 determines the LAN-side link-up speed that is equal to or less than the per-traffic value. As a result, the transmission power can be reduced, so that power saving can be automatically performed.

Further, the transmission power control unit 8 gradually decreases the transmission power until the link-up speed determined by the LAN-side radio control unit 1 becomes equal to or less than the traffic amount per unit time, and the transmission power control unit 8 reduces the transmission power. When the connection between the wireless control unit 1 and the PC 6 is disconnected, the transmission power is increased until the connection is established. For this reason, the transmission power is lowered so that wireless communication with the PC 6 is possible, and therefore power saving more suitable for wireless communication can be automatically performed.
[3. Other embodiments]
In the above embodiment, the traffic volume to be compared with the link-up speed on the LAN side is the maximum value of the traffic volume. However, as another example, the transmission power update interval and the average value of the traffic volume are used. Thus, power saving may be devised.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the link-up information table. As shown in FIG. 5, the link-up information table stores WAN-side and LAN-side link-up information, WAN-side and LAN-side link-up speeds, traffic information, update intervals, average values, and transmission power. . The update interval is a time interval for updating the transmission power of the LAN-side wireless control unit 1. The update interval is set in advance, for example. The average value is a value obtained by dividing the total traffic volume between the network 7 and the PC 6 relayed by the wireless router 6 within the update interval by the update interval time. That is, the average value is an average value of the traffic volume per unit time within the update interval.

  For each update interval stored in the link-up information table, the central processing unit 4 calculates an average value of the traffic amount per unit time within the update interval, and stores the calculated average value in the link-up information table. . The transmission power control unit 8 updates the average traffic amount in the link-up information table when the wireless router device 10 is connected to the network 7 and is connected to the PC 6. Then, the same processing as in FIG. 4 is started. That is, the transmission power control unit 8 starts processing every time the update interval elapses.

  Here, in step S11, the transmission power control unit 8 determines whether or not the average value of the traffic volume is equal to or higher than the link-up speed value on the LAN side (step S11). At this time, if the transmission power control unit 8 determines that the average value of the traffic volume is equal to or greater than the value of the link-up speed on the LAN side (step S11: YES), the process illustrated in FIG. On the other hand, if the transmission power control unit 8 determines that the value of the link-up speed on the LAN side is larger than the average value of the traffic volume (step S11: NO), the transmission power control unit 8 decreases the transmission power of the LAN-side radio control unit 1. (Step S12).

  In this way, the central processing unit 4 acquires the average value of the traffic volume at each update interval, and the link-up speed on the LAN side is such that the transmission power control unit 8 has the average value of the traffic volume. As determined by the unit 1, the transmission power is determined at each update interval, so that power saving can be achieved in a time zone with little traffic.

  The transmission power control unit 8 determines that the link-up speed on the LAN side is increased when the link-up speed on the LAN side becomes somewhat smaller than the average value of the traffic volume due to a change in the average value of the traffic volume. The transmission power may be increased so as to match the average traffic amount.

  Further, the transmission power of the LAN side wireless control unit 1 may be turned off for a predetermined time according to the average value of the traffic volume.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the link-up information table. As shown in FIG. 6, the link-up information table includes WAN-side and LAN-side link-up information, WAN-side and LAN-side link-up speed, traffic information, update interval, average value, threshold value, and power-off time. Stored. The threshold value is an average value of the traffic amount indicating a condition for turning off the transmission power of the LAN-side wireless control unit 1. The power-off time is a time for turning off the transmission power of the LAN-side wireless control unit 1. The threshold value and the power-off time are set in advance, for example.

  For example, every time the update interval elapses, the transmission power control unit 8 determines whether or not the average value of the traffic amount is equal to or less than the threshold prior to the processing illustrated in FIG. At this time, if the transmission power control unit 8 determines that the average value of the traffic volume is not equal to or less than the threshold value, the transmission power control unit 8 executes the process shown in FIG. Compare. On the other hand, if the transmission power control unit 8 determines that the average value of the traffic volume is equal to or less than the threshold value, the transmission power control unit 8 sets 0% as the transmission power. The LAN-side radio control unit 1 does not perform radio transmission to the PC 6 during the power-off time stored in the link-up information table based on the fact that the transmission power becomes 0%.

  As described above, when the average value of the traffic amount is equal to or less than the threshold value, the LAN-side wireless control unit 1 can further save power by not performing wireless transmission to the PC 6 during the power-off time. Become.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the wireless router device 10 is connected to the network 7 by wire is described. However, the wireless router device 10 may be connected to the network 7 wirelessly. Communication standards used for wireless connection include, for example, IEEE 802.11, which is a wireless LAN standard, IMT-2000 (International Mobile Telecommunication 2000), which is a third generation mobile communication system, and 3.9 generation mobile communication systems. LTE (Long Term Evolution), which is a standard for the above.

  In addition, the present invention can be applied to a relay device that provides an Internet service using wireless technology or other technology.

1 LAN side radio control unit 2 Memory unit 3 ROM unit 4 Central processing unit 5 WAN side control unit 6 PC
7 Network 8 Transmission Power Control Unit 10 Wireless Router Device

Claims (6)

Network communication means for connecting to a network and communicating;
Wireless communication means for wirelessly connecting and communicating with a wireless communication device;
Relay means for relaying communication between the network and the wireless communication device;
Speed determining means for determining a transmission speed between the wireless communication means and the wireless communication apparatus according to transmission power to the wireless communication apparatus by the wireless communication means;
Network information acquisition for acquiring network information indicating either a transmission rate set between the network communication unit and the network or a traffic amount per unit time between the network and the wireless communication device Means,
Power determining means for determining the transmission power such that a transmission speed that is a value indicated by the network information is determined by the speed determining means;
A relay device comprising: The relay device according to claim 1,
The power determining means determines whether or not the transmission speed determined by the speed determining means is greater than a value indicated by the network information, and when it is determined to be large, the transmission is less than or equal to the value indicated by the network information. The relay apparatus, wherein the transmission power is lowered so that the speed is determined by the speed determining means. The relay device according to claim 2,
The power determination means gradually decreases the transmission power until the transmission speed determined by the speed determination means is equal to or less than the value indicated by the network information, and reduces the transmission power to reduce the transmission power and the wireless communication. When the connection with the apparatus is cut, the transmission power is increased until the connection is established. The relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The network information acquisition means acquires the network information indicating an average value of the traffic volume at a preset time interval,
The relay apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power determination unit determines the transmission power at each time interval such that a transmission rate that is an average value indicated by the network information is determined by the rate determination unit. The relay device according to claim 4,
The wireless communication means does not perform wireless transmission to the wireless communication device for a preset time when the average value indicated by the network information is equal to or less than a preset threshold value. A power control method for controlling transmission power in wireless transmission from a relay device that relays communication between a network and a wireless communication device to a wireless communication device,
A network information acquisition step of acquiring network information indicating either a transmission rate set between the relay device and the network or a traffic amount per unit time between the network and the wireless communication device When,
A power determination step of determining the transmission power such that a transmission rate between the relay device and the wireless communication device becomes a value indicated by the network information;
A rate determining step of determining a transmission rate between the relay device and the wireless communication device according to the transmission power determined in the power determining step;
A power control method comprising:

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