JP2016025598A - Radio signal transceiver and radio signal transmission/reception control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a radio signal transceiver etc. capable of preventing unauthorized access in a radio communication system in which a plurality of slave apparatuses can connect by radio with the radio signal transceiver as a master apparatus.SOLUTION: There is provided a radio signal transceiver (access point 10) including: a radio transmission/reception unit (110) configured so as to be capable of transmitting/receiving a signal by radio to/from an external apparatus (a slave apparatus such as a smartphone 20, a TV 21, and a STB22); a radio wave strength detection unit (120) configured so as to be capable of detecting radio wave strength of the signal received from the external apparatus; a radio wave strength range setting unit (130) configured so as to be capable of setting radio wave strength range information on the external apparatus, on the basis of radio wave strength detected a plurality of times by the radio wave strength detection unit; and a communication control unit (140) configured so as to be capable of controlling so as to restrict transmission/reception of the signal to/from the external apparatus, when radio wave strength detected on the signal received from the external apparatus is out of a range shown, with regard to the external apparatus, by the radio wave strength range information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  One embodiment of the present invention relates to a wireless signal transmission / reception apparatus that can function as an access point capable of transmitting / receiving a wireless signal, and particularly relates to a wireless signal transmission / reception apparatus with enhanced measures against unauthorized access.

  In recent years, electronic devices that can transmit and receive signals wirelessly have been widely distributed. Such a wireless device is classified into a parent device serving as an access point and a child device such as a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, and a tablet that are wirelessly connected to the parent device. In order to enable wireless communication between the slave unit and the master unit, the master unit must have an ID and password unique to the master unit. Anyone can wirelessly connect to this master unit. A third party who attempts unauthorized access to the parent device may attempt to break through the password (password attack) because the unique ID information transmitted by the parent device can be easily obtained. Various methods have been proposed and adopted as methods for dealing with such unauthorized access such as breaking of passwords. Patent Documents 1 to 3 disclose techniques for dealing with such unauthorized access.

JP 2004-194133 A JP 2006-279438 A JP 2010-273205 A

  However, the above-described conventional technology is not sufficient for dealing with unauthorized access, and unauthorized access by a third party may be permitted. Therefore, there has been a demand for further improvement of a function for preventing unauthorized access to a parent device of a wireless device by a third party.

  The present invention adopts the following means in order to solve the above problems. In the following description, in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, reference numerals and the like in the drawings are appended in parentheses, but each component of the present invention is not limited to these appendices. It should be construed broadly to the extent that contractors can technically understand.

Means 1 of the present invention include
A wireless transmission / reception unit (110) configured to be able to transmit and receive signals wirelessly to / from external devices (slave devices such as the smartphone 20, the TV 21, and the STB 22);
A radio wave intensity detector (120) configured to be able to detect the radio wave intensity of a signal received from the external device;
A radio field intensity range setting unit (130) configured to be able to set radio field intensity range information related to the external device based on the radio field intensity detected a plurality of times by the radio field intensity detection unit;
When the radio field intensity detected for a signal received from an external device is outside the range indicated by the radio field intensity range information related to the external device, control can be performed to limit transmission / reception of signals to / from the external device. A wireless signal transmitting / receiving apparatus (access point 10).

Further, the means 1 of the present invention includes
A first step (S510) of receiving a signal wirelessly from an external device;
A second step (S520) of detecting the radio field intensity of the signal received from the external device;
A third step (S530) of setting radio field intensity range information regarding the external device based on the radio field intensity detected a plurality of times;
When the radio field intensity detected for the signal received from the external device is outside the range indicated by the radio field intensity range information related to the external device (N in S540), the transmission / reception of the signal with the external device is restricted. A wireless signal transmission / reception control method comprising: a fourth step (S560).

  According to the wireless signal transmission / reception apparatus (access point 10) or the wireless signal transmission / reception control method configured as described above, wireless communication with an external device is possible when there is a doubt about the strength of the radio wave received from the external device (child device). Can be prohibited. Thereby, the unauthorized access prevention function by a third party can be improved.

Means 2 of the present invention
A unique information management unit (150) configured to be able to manage the unique information of the detected external device when a signal is received from the external device;
An authentication unit (160) that executes authentication processing for a plurality of external devices when a plurality of external devices having the same specific information is detected. is there.

  According to the radio signal transmitting / receiving apparatus (access point 10) having the above-described configuration, it is possible to identify an access suspected of unauthorized access based on not only the radio field intensity of a signal received from an external device but also unique information of the external device. It becomes possible. Thereby, the unauthorized access prevention function by a third party can be further improved.

The figure which shows the structural example of a radio | wireless communications system. The figure which shows the structural example of a 1st access point. The flowchart which shows a 1st access control process. The figure which shows the specific example of a radio wave intensity distribution and a radio wave intensity range. The figure which shows the specific example of a radio wave intensity distribution and a radio wave intensity range. The figure which shows the structural example of a 2nd access point. The flowchart which shows a 2nd access control process. The figure which shows the specific example of an access subunit | mobile_unit list | wrist.

An embodiment according to the present invention will be specifically described according to the following configuration with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, in each drawing, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component and the description may be abbreviate | omitted.
1. Embodiment 1
(1) Configuration example of wireless communication system (2) Configuration example of access point (3) Specific example of access control processing Embodiment 2
(1) Configuration example of access point (2) Specific example of access control processing Supplementary items 4. Features of the present invention

<1. Embodiment 1>
First, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. The wireless communication system according to the present embodiment is a communication system via a wireless LAN at home, for example, and includes an access point that is a parent device and a smartphone, TV, and STB that are child devices. The access point of the wireless communication system of this embodiment has a function for dealing with a wireless communication system when a third party attempts unauthorized access.

<(1) Configuration example of wireless communication system>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a wireless communication system according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication system according to the present embodiment includes an access point 10, a smartphone 20, a TV (television) 21, and an STB (set top box) 22. The access point 10 may be referred to as a parent device, the smartphone 20, the TV 21, and the STB 22 as a child device. In such a wireless communication system, the access point 10, the TV 21 and the STB 22 are stationary and rarely moved, but the smartphone 20 is held by the user as shown by the user's footprint 30 in FIG. May move. Although specifically described later, in such a case, the radio wave intensity in the wireless communication between the access point 10 and the TV 21 or STB 22 does not change greatly, but the radio wave in the wireless communication between the access point 10 and the smartphone 20. Intensity can vary relatively large.

  The access point 10, the smartphone 20, the TV 21, and the STB 22 are configured to be able to execute transmission / reception of signals wirelessly so that wireless communication can be performed.

<(2) Access point configuration example>
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the access point 10. The access point 10 includes a control unit 100, a radio transmission / reception unit 110, a radio wave intensity detection unit 120, a radio wave intensity range setting unit 130, and a communication control unit 140. The access point 10 is a wireless LAN router, for example, and is configured by being connected to an Internet line by wire. The access point 10 has a function for enabling a smartphone 20, a TV 21, and an STB 22 as slave units to wirelessly connect to the Internet line and execute transmission / reception of signals as parent units in the wireless communication system.

<Control unit 100>
The control unit 100 is a central processing unit configured to be able to execute various processes in the access point 10, and includes a radio transmission / reception unit 110, a radio wave intensity detection unit 120, a radio wave intensity range setting unit 130, and a communication control unit 140, respectively. It is configured to be controllable. The control unit 100 is configured to be able to execute various processes based on a user operation, a reception signal from the wireless transmission / reception unit 110, or a signal received from the Internet line.

<Radio transceiver 110>
The wireless transmission / reception unit 110 is configured to be able to execute transmission / reception of signals with an external device as a slave unit by wireless communication.

<Radio wave intensity detector 120>
The radio wave intensity detection unit 120 is configured to be able to detect the radio wave intensity of a signal received from an external device that is a slave. The radio wave intensity detection unit 120 outputs information on the detected radio wave intensity to the radio wave intensity range setting unit 130 in association with an external device.

<Radio field intensity setting unit 130>
The radio field intensity range setting unit 130 is configured to be able to set a radio field intensity range for each slave unit based on information on the radio field intensity input from the radio field intensity detection unit 120. The radio wave intensity range is set so that the range in which the radio wave intensity can be distributed can be specified based on information on the radio wave intensity detected a plurality of times for each slave unit. The information regarding the radio field intensity used for setting the radio field intensity range is acquired and input by the radio field intensity detection unit 120 at a regular timing such as every 12 hours. A specific example of setting the radio field intensity range will be described later. The radio field intensity range setting unit 130 is configured to be able to store the set radio field intensity range. The radio field intensity range may be stored in the radio field intensity range setting unit 130 or may be stored in an external memory.

<Communication control unit 140>
In order to prevent unauthorized access, the communication control unit 140 has a radio field intensity detected for a signal received from an external device as a slave unit that is outside the range of the radio field intensity set for the external device. In some cases, access from this external device can be prohibited. That is, when a third party tries to access illegally using, for example, the same unique ID as the TV 21, and the radio field intensity is outside the range of the TV 21, the communication control unit 140 communicates with the TV 21. The wireless transmission / reception unit 110 is configured to be controllable so as not to perform wireless communication.

<(3) Specific example of access control processing>
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the contents of the access control process.

<S500 to S530>
When the wireless transceiver 110 of the access point 10 receives a signal from any of the slave units (S500 to S510), the radio wave intensity detection unit 120 detects the radio field intensity of the signal received from this slave unit (S520). The radio field intensity range setting unit 130 to which the radio field intensity detected by the radio field intensity detection unit 120 is input sets the radio field intensity range based on the radio field intensity (S530).

  Here, setting of the radio field intensity range will be described with a specific example. The radio wave intensity between the access point 10 that is the parent device and the TV 21 or STB 22 that is the child device is determined by its arrangement and the situation of other surrounding radio waves. For example, when there is an obstacle between the radio wave transmission paths or when there is another strong radio wave around, the radio wave intensity may be deteriorated. On the other hand, in the case of a stationary type child device such as the TV 21 or the STB 22, the radio wave intensity is rarely changed greatly.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the distribution of the radio field intensity of the signal received by the access point 10 from the TV 21 or STB 22 which is such a stationary slave unit. In the radio wave intensity distribution chart shown in FIG. 4, the vertical axis indicates the radio wave intensity (dBm), and the horizontal axis indicates each sample. That is, FIG. 4 shows, for example, the distribution of the radio wave intensity detected every 12 hours. As can be seen from FIG. 4, it can be seen that the radio wave intensity is distributed in a range of −50 dBm to −60 dBm indicated by a broken line in the drawing. Therefore, based on these samples, the radio field intensity range setting unit 130 sets a range of −50 dBm to −60 dBm as the radio field intensity range.

  On the other hand, the radio field intensity between the access point 10 that is the parent device and the smartphone 20 that is the child device is determined based on the situation of other surrounding radio waves, the current position of the smartphone 20, and the like. For example, when the user holding the smartphone 20 is near the access point 10, the radio wave intensity is strong, and when the user is far from the access point 10, the radio wave intensity may be weak.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the distribution of the radio field intensity of the signal received by the access point 10 from the smartphone 20 which is such a portable child device. As can be seen from FIG. 5, it can be seen that the radio wave intensity is distributed in a range of −40 dBm to −70 dBm indicated by a broken line in the drawing. Therefore, the radio field intensity range setting unit 130 sets a range of −40 dBm to −70 dBm as the radio field intensity range based on these samples.

  As described above, the radio field intensity range varies depending on the location of the stationary handset and whether the handset is stationary or portable. That is, when the slave unit is compared with the stationary type and the portable type, the radio field intensity range of the stationary type slave unit is generally narrower than the radio field intensity range of the portable type slave unit. In this way, the radio field intensity range setting unit 130 stores the radio field intensity ranges corresponding to the IDs of the external devices (slave devices).

<S540>
After setting the radio field intensity range information (S530), the communication control unit 140 determines the received radio field intensity of the specific external device (slave unit) and the radio field intensity range associated with the ID of this external device (slave unit). By comparison, it is determined whether the radio wave intensity is within the radio wave intensity range (S540).

<S550>
When the radio field intensity detected by the radio field intensity detection unit 120 is within the radio field intensity range indicated by the radio field intensity range setting unit 130 (Y in S540), the communication control unit 140 accesses the external device (slave unit). Access to the point 10 (signal transmission / reception) is permitted (S550). As a result, the external device (slave device) is in a state where it can execute signal transmission / reception with the access point 10 wirelessly.

<S560>
When the radio field intensity detected by the radio field intensity detection unit 120 is outside the radio field intensity range indicated by the radio field intensity range setting unit 130 (N in S540), the communication control unit 140 accesses the external device (slave unit). Access to the point 10 (signal transmission / reception) is prohibited (S550). That is, the communication control unit 140 determines that the access by the external device is unauthorized access. The access restriction by the communication control unit 140 here is performed by setting to prohibit access once. When the user operates the access point 10 and cancels the prohibition of access to the external device, the access to the access point 10 becomes possible again. Note that when such an access that is suspected of unauthorized access occurs, the control unit 100 warns the user to change the password. The control unit 100 stores these access histories as an access log.

<S570>
When the transmission / reception of signals to / from the access point 10 by the external device is permitted (S550) or prohibited (S560) by the above processing, the access control processing by the access point 10 ends (S590).

<2. Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the wireless communication system of the present embodiment, the access point 10 is partially different from the configuration of the first embodiment. The contents of the access control process differ depending on this configuration. In the following description, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and description of the same contents as those in the first embodiment will be omitted.

<(1) Access point configuration example>
The access point 10 includes a control unit 100, a radio transmission / reception unit 110, a radio wave intensity detection unit 120, a radio wave intensity range setting unit 130, a communication control unit 140, a unique information management unit 150, and an authentication unit 160. That is, the access point 10 of the present embodiment has a unique information management unit 150 and an authentication unit 160 added as compared to the access point 10 of the first embodiment.

<Unique information management unit 150>
The unique information management unit 150 is configured to be able to manage unique information of the external device when a signal is received from the external device. In other words, the unique information management unit 150 manages the IDs of external devices that are in a state where wireless communication is possible at that time, and is there a situation in which external devices having the same ID are simultaneously connected? Is configured to be manageable. Here, the ID of the external device is, for example, a MAC address.

<Authentication unit 160>
The authentication unit 160 is configured to be able to execute authentication processing for a plurality of external devices when a plurality of external devices having the same unique information (ID) are detected by the unique information management unit 150. .

  Specifically, when a plurality of external devices having the same unique information (ID) try to execute transmission / reception of information with the access point 10 at the same time, the authentication unit 160 temporarily stops communication with both the devices. Then, the second password input request is made to both external devices. This second password is a password set in advance in the access point 10 by the user, and is used to eliminate unauthorized access. If the second password input by the user through the operation of the external device is correct, the authentication unit 160 determines access from the external device by performing regular access. As a result, access from the external device to the access point 10 is permitted. On the other hand, when the authentication by the second password input fails, the authentication unit 160 determines that the access from the external device is an unauthorized access and prohibits subsequent access. Note that there is a limit on the number of authentications by the authentication unit 160. For example, an external device that fails to input the second password three times or more is determined to be unauthorized access by the authentication unit 160.

<(2) Specific example of access control processing>
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the contents of the access control process of this embodiment. Since the flowchart of the present embodiment is different from the flowchart of the first embodiment in that the processes of S541 and S542 are added, this difference will be described in the following description.

<S541>
When the radio field intensity detected by the radio field intensity detection unit 120 is within the radio field intensity range indicated by the radio field intensity range setting unit 130 (Y in SS540), the unique information management unit 150 at this time uses the same MAC address ( It is confirmed whether or not there is an access by a slave (external device) having (ID) (S541). If there is no access by a slave unit having the same MAC address (N in S541), the process proceeds to S550.

<S542>
When there is an access from a slave unit having the same MAC address (Y in S541), the authentication unit 160 requests each slave unit having the same MAC address to input a second password. As a result, the access to the access point 10 is permitted for the slave that has been successfully authenticated by the input of the second password, and the access to the access point 10 is prohibited for the slave that has failed the authentication (S542).

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of unique information managed by the unique information management unit 150. FIG. 8 shows the handset number, MAC address, response time, radio wave intensity, and handset type. Among these, the number of the slave unit and the slave unit type are shown for easy understanding of the description in the present embodiment, and are not information managed by the unique information management unit 150.

  When the unique information (ID) as shown in FIG. 8 is confirmed, it can be seen that the MAC addresses are the same for the slave units number 3 and number 4. When such a situation is confirmed by the unique information management unit 150, it is determined that unauthorized access has occurred or is about to occur, and authentication using the second password is performed by the authentication unit 160. .

  Normally, in the plan of IEEE802.11, the access point 10 which is a parent device transmits a response request (Beacon) signal to the child device, and the child device returns a response signal thereto. Normally, the access point 10 starts wireless communication with the child device that has returned the earliest, but as described above, the access point 10 according to the present embodiment determines whether or not there is an unauthorized access and then determines whether there is an unauthorized access. Processing to start wireless communication with the machine.

  Note that authentication by the authentication unit 160 is not necessarily limited to that using the second password. For example, the authentication unit 160 may perform authentication by requesting user information that only a preset user can know, or by requesting an operation by a preset user. As an example of user information that only the user can know, for example, information requesting information such as the name of the user's parents or the name of the pet may be employed. In addition, as an example of an operation performed by a user set in advance, one-stroke operation information that can only be known by the user with respect to the touch panel included in the slave unit may be employed. Even in these cases, the number of times of authentication is limited, and if the authentication fails more than a predetermined number (three times), the access is regarded as unauthorized access and the process is executed.

<3. Supplementary items>
The specific description of the embodiment of the present invention has been given above. The above description is merely an embodiment, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, but should be broadly interpreted to the extent that a person skilled in the art can grasp.

  The above embodiments can be executed in combination with each other. For example, in the access control process executed in the first embodiment, authentication using the second password has not been performed, but such authentication process may be executed. In this case, the access point 10 needs to be configured including the authentication unit 160.

  The setting of the radio field intensity range by the radio field intensity range setting unit 130 using the radio field intensity detected by the radio field intensity detection unit 120 can be set at an arbitrary time interval, the number of samples, and the like. For example, a radio wave intensity sample may be acquired every time the access point 10 serving as a base unit performs a process of transmitting a response request (Beacon) signal, or once every 10 response request signal transmission processes. A sample of radio wave intensity may be acquired.

<4. Features of the present invention>
The wireless signal transmission / reception apparatus (access point 10) or the wireless signal transmission / reception control method configured as described above has the following characteristics.

  The wireless signal transmission / reception apparatus (access point 10) of the present invention includes a wireless transmission / reception unit 110 configured to be able to transmit and receive signals wirelessly with external devices (slave devices such as the smartphone 20, the TV 21, and the STB 22), and an external device (child device). Radio wave intensity detection unit 120 configured to be able to detect the radio wave intensity of a signal received from the mobile device), and radio field intensity range information regarding the external device (slave unit) based on the radio wave intensity detected multiple times by the radio wave intensity detection unit When the radio field intensity detected for the signal received from the external device is outside the range indicated by the radio field strength range information regarding the external device, And a communication control unit 140 configured to be controllable to limit transmission / reception of signals to / from the device.

  The wireless signal transmission / reception control method of the present invention includes a first step (S510) for receiving a signal wirelessly from an external device (slave unit), and a second step (S520) for detecting the radio wave intensity of the signal received from the external device. ) And a third step (S530) for setting radio field intensity range information regarding the external device based on the radio field intensity detected a plurality of times, and the radio field intensity detected for the signal received from the external device And a fourth step (S560) for restricting transmission / reception of signals to / from the external device when the radio wave intensity range information regarding the device is outside the range indicated by the information (N in S540).

  According to the wireless signal transmission / reception apparatus (access point 10) or the wireless signal transmission / reception control method configured as described above, wireless communication with an external device is possible when there is a doubt about the strength of the radio wave received from the external device (child device). Can be prohibited. Thereby, the unauthorized access prevention function by a third party can be improved.

  The wireless signal transmitting / receiving apparatus (access point 10) of the present invention is identical to the unique information management unit 150 configured to be able to manage the detected unique information of the external device when receiving a signal from the external device. And an authentication unit (160) that executes an authentication process for the plurality of external devices when a plurality of external devices having specific information is detected.

  According to the radio signal transmitting / receiving apparatus (access point 10) having the above-described configuration, it is possible to identify an access suspected of unauthorized access based on not only the radio field intensity of a signal received from an external device but also unique information of the external device. It becomes possible. Thereby, the unauthorized access prevention function by a third party can be further improved.

  The present invention is preferably applied to a wireless communication system in which a plurality of slave units can be connected to a master unit that is an access point.

10 ... Access point 20 ... Smartphone 21 ... TV
22 ... STB
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Control part 110 ... Wireless transmission / reception part 120 ... Radio wave intensity detection part 130 ... Radio wave intensity range setting part 140 ... Communication control part 150 ... Specific information management part 160 ... Authentication part

Claims (3)

A wireless transmission / reception unit configured to be able to transmit / receive signals wirelessly to / from an external device;
A radio field intensity detector configured to detect the radio field intensity of the signal received from the external device;
A radio field intensity range setting unit configured to be able to set radio field intensity range information regarding the external device based on the radio field intensity detected a plurality of times by the radio field intensity detection unit;
When the radio field intensity detected for a signal received from an external device is outside the range indicated by the radio field intensity range information related to the external device, control can be performed to limit transmission / reception of signals to / from the external device. A wireless signal transmitting / receiving apparatus. A unique information management unit configured to be able to manage the unique information of the detected external device when a signal is received from the external device;
The wireless signal transmitting / receiving apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an authentication unit that executes authentication processing for the plurality of external devices when a plurality of external devices having the same unique information is detected. A first step of receiving a signal wirelessly from an external device;
A second step of detecting a radio field intensity of a signal received from the external device;
A third step of setting radio field intensity range information regarding the external device based on the radio field intensity detected a plurality of times;
A fourth step of restricting transmission / reception of signals with the external device when the radio field intensity detected for the signal received from the external device is outside the range indicated by the radio field intensity range information regarding the external device; A wireless signal transmission / reception control method comprising:

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