JP2018107507A - Communication device, control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent occurrence of such a situation that a user desiring connection cannot be connected, or to reduce at least the probability of occurrence thereof, by preventing establishment of unnecessary connection.SOLUTION: A communication device having a reception unit for receiving request of connection establishment received from other device, and capable of establishing connection with multiple other devices acquires a value indicating the number of received times of request in a period of a first prescribed length or a value indicating the number of other devices of the transmitting source of the request, and when that number reaches a predetermined value, controls the reception unit so as to stop reception of at least some requests, for a period of a second prescribed length.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to connection control for wireless communication.

  In recent years, places where public wireless LAN can be used such as stations and commercial facilities are increasing. In a public wireless LAN, for example, an access point (AP) establishes a connection with a terminal in response to a connection request from a terminal that has been successfully authenticated, and provides a wireless communication service. Here, the AP lists and manages the terminals once connected, and provides a wireless communication service to the terminals included in the list.

  There is an upper limit to the number of terminals that can be included in the list managed by the AP, and the AP has reached a limit where the number of terminals established by establishing connections with a large number of terminals can be stored in the list. In this case, it becomes impossible to connect to other terminals and perform wireless communication. It should be noted that the number of terminals stored in such a list rarely reaches the upper limit during normal home use. However, an AP that covers a range through which many people pass, such as along a station or road, establishes a connection when receiving a connection request from a terminal owned by each of the many people. It can be said that the probability that the number reaches the upper limit is not low. Furthermore, for example, a smartphone may turn on the wireless LAN function and transmit a connection request even when there is no need for actual communication in a predetermined state such as when the backlight is on. Therefore, even if the terminal does not need to connect to the network for data transmission / reception and simply passes through the range covered by the AP, the terminal establishes a connection with the AP. It can be done. Therefore, a large number of terminals that do not actually communicate are registered in the list, and as a result, there is a problem that a user terminal that wants to communicate cannot establish a connection with the AP.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and prevents the establishment of an unnecessary connection, prevents the occurrence of a state where a connection from a user who desires the connection cannot be generated, or at least reduces the probability of the occurrence. With the goal.

  In order to achieve the above object, a communication apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is a communication apparatus that can establish a connection with a plurality of other apparatuses, and accepts a connection establishment request received from another apparatus. Receiving means, acquisition means for acquiring a value indicating the number of times the request has been received in a first predetermined length period, or a value indicating the number of other devices that have transmitted the request, and the value reaches a predetermined value. And a control means for controlling the accepting means so as to stop accepting at least a part of the request during the second predetermined length period.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, establishment of an unnecessary connection can be prevented, the state where the connection from the user who wants to connect cannot be prevented, or at least the probability of the occurrence can be reduced.

The figure which shows the structural example of a radio | wireless communications system. The figure which shows the hardware structural example of AP. The figure which shows the function structural example of AP. The flowchart which shows the example of the flow of the process which AP performs. The figure which shows the outline | summary of the process which AP performs. The figure which shows the example of the setting of the period of the 1st predetermined length. The figure for demonstrating acceptance control of the connection request in the period of the 2nd predetermined length. The figure which shows an example of the conditions for AP to perform a process.

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

(Wireless communication system)
FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a wireless communication system according to this embodiment. The wireless communication system in FIG. 1 includes one access point 101 of a wireless LAN based on WiFi (registered trademark), a terminal device 102 that stays in a communicable range of the access point (AP) 101 for at least a certain period, and passes through the range And a plurality of terminal devices 103. In addition, although this embodiment demonstrates the radio | wireless communications system containing the communication apparatus which communicates by wireless LAN based on WiFi (trademark), it is not restricted to this, Arbitrary communication apparatuses which perform radio | wireless communication by arbitrary systems The following arguments can be applied to: The AP 101 can be any communication device that can establish a connection with a plurality of other devices such as a terminal device having an access point function.

  For example, the AP 101 transmits a beacon for causing the AP 101 to discover itself, transmits a search response to the search request received from the terminal device that has found itself, and then authenticates the terminal device. The AP 101 establishes a connection with the terminal device by receiving a connection request from the terminal device that has been successfully authenticated and allowing it. Here, the terminal apparatuses 102 and 103 are communication apparatuses, such as a smart phone, and have a communication function in wireless LAN. The terminal devices 102 and 103 may be terminals having only a wireless LAN communication function as a communication function, for example, and may not necessarily be a smartphone. Here, when the terminal devices 102 and 103 search for and find an AP having an ESS-ID (Extended Service Set Identifier) set by itself, the terminal devices 102 and 103 transmit a connection request after authentication. The terminal devices 102 and 103 perform communication in a predetermined first state that is not in a low power consumption state, for example, when the backlight is on or when some predetermined application is operating. Even if it is not necessary, a connection request can be transmitted periodically. In addition, the terminal devices 102 and 103 can transmit a connection request even in a predetermined second case where the power consumption state is low, for example, the backlight is off. However, in the second case, the cycle in which the connection request is transmitted can be made longer than in the first case. Further, the terminal devices 102 and 103 can repeatedly transmit a connection request a predetermined number of times at least twice at a time. For example, the terminal devices 102 and 103 repeatedly transmit a connection request twice, for example, at the timing when a cycle for transmitting a connection request starts, and then again request a connection according to the arrival of the next cycle. The transmission may be repeated twice.

  The AP 101 registers and manages information of terminal devices that have established a connection in a list, and provides a wireless communication service to the terminal devices registered in the list. For example, in the state of FIG. 1, when the AP 101 establishes a connection with the terminal device 102, the wireless communication service is provided after registering information of the terminal device 102 in the list. Note that the AP 101 can delete the information of the terminal device 102 from the list when, for example, a period after the terminal device 102 is registered in the list and communication is not performed reaches a certain period. As a result, the AP 101 can provide wireless communication services to various terminal devices even if the number of terminal devices that can be registered in the list is limited as described above.

  However, when a large number of terminal devices 103 intrude into a range that can be connected to the AP 101 simultaneously, for example, when a train arrives at a station, many terminal devices transmit connection requests to the AP 101. It is expected to come. At this time, the user of the terminal device 103 leaves the range that can be connected to the AP 101 as the train departs or walks from the station toward the destination. In some cases, communication is not performed. For example, it is conceivable that when the user turns on the backlight to check the time on the terminal device 103 (for example, a smartphone), the terminal device 103 is not in the low power consumption state and transmits a connection request to the AP 101. . However, in this case, it is assumed that the user of the terminal device 103 does not want to actually perform communication, and the terminal device 103 is assumed to have no data to be transmitted / received. However, there is a case where communication is not performed after that. In addition, the terminal device 103 can transmit a connection request even in a low power consumption state. However, even in this case, communication may not be performed after the connection is established.

  On the other hand, even in such a case, the AP 101 registers information of the terminal device 103 with which the connection has been established in the list. For this reason, when a connection is established with each of the terminal devices that have intruded into the range in which the AP 101 can connect to the AP 101, the number of terminal devices registered in the list managed by the AP 101 increases accordingly, It is assumed that the upper limit of the number of possible terminal devices will be reached. In this case, even if another device enters a range where another device can connect to the AP 101 and transmits a connection request, the AP 101 cannot accept the request, and information on any terminal device is deleted from the list. Until that time, the other device cannot connect to the AP 101. For this reason, for example, even when there is no terminal device in communication with the AP 101, the AP 101 may not be able to provide a wireless communication service to another device. The convenience of the user of another desired device is impaired.

  The AP 101 according to the present embodiment executes processing for dealing with such a problem. Hereinafter, a configuration example of such an AP 101 and an outline of processing executed by the AP 101 will be described.

(Configuration of AP101)
FIG. 2 shows a hardware configuration example of the AP 101. For example, the AP 101 has a hardware configuration as illustrated in FIG. 2, and includes, for example, a CPU 201, a ROM 202, a RAM 203, an external storage device 204, and a communication device 205. In the AP 101, for example, a program that realizes each function of the AP 101, which will be described later, recorded in any of the ROM 202, the RAM 203, and the external storage device 204 is executed by the CPU 201. The CPU 201 may be replaced by one or more processors such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor).

  And AP101 controls the communication apparatus 205 by CPU201, for example, and performs communication between terminal devices. 2 shows a schematic diagram in which the AP 101 has one communication device 205, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, the AP 101 may include a communication device for wired communication and a communication device for wireless communication.

  Note that the AP 101 may include dedicated hardware that executes each function, or may execute other parts using a computer that executes a part of the hardware and operates the program. All functions may be executed by a computer and a program.

  FIG. 3 shows a functional configuration example of the AP 101. The AP 101 includes, for example, a communication unit 301, a connection request reception unit 302, a value acquisition unit 303, a reception control unit 304, and a setting control unit 305. Each of these functional units can be realized by, for example, the above-described CPU 201 executing a program recorded in any of the ROM 202, the RAM 203, and the external storage device 204, for example.

  The communication unit 301 has a wireless communication function capable of performing wireless communication with at least a plurality of terminal devices. Note that the communication unit 301 may have a communication function that can acquire information from, for example, an external information source. In this case, the communication unit 301 may have a wired communication function, for example. The connection request receiving unit 302 is a control unit that receives a connection request (for example, an association request) from the terminal device when the communication unit 301 receives the connection request. The connection request receiving unit 302 registers a terminal device that has received a connection request and established a connection in a list. The communication unit 301 can perform wireless communication with the terminal devices registered in the list.

  The value acquisition unit 303 acquires a value indicating the number of times that the connection request is received from the terminal device or the number of terminal devices that are the transmission source of the connection request during the first predetermined length period. The first predetermined length period may be a period that starts from the timing at which the connection request is received, or may be a period that starts at a predetermined interval such as 1 second. The value acquisition unit 303 can acquire the above-described values for a plurality of first predetermined length periods. For example, when the first predetermined length is 5 seconds and the first predetermined length period is started at 1 second intervals, the first period is 0 to 5 seconds, the second period is 1 to 6 seconds, Five periods can be set in parallel, such as a third period of 2-7 seconds. In this case, the value acquisition unit 303 can acquire the above values for each of the five periods. For example, when the connection request is received at timings of 0.2 seconds, 1.4 seconds, 4.2 seconds, 5.2 seconds, 5.4 seconds, and 6.2 seconds, the value acquisition unit 303 In the first period, three times of 0.2 seconds, 1.4 seconds, and 4.2 seconds are acquired as the number of times the connection request is received. On the other hand, the value acquisition unit 303 performs four times of 1.4 seconds, 4.2 seconds, 5.2 seconds, and 5.4 seconds for the above-described second period, and 4 for the above-described third period. .4 seconds, 5.2 seconds, 5.4 seconds, and 6.2 seconds are acquired as the number of times the connection request is received.

  When the value acquired by the value acquisition unit 303 reaches a predetermined value, the reception control unit 304 stops receiving at least a part of the connection request received by the communication unit 301 during the second predetermined length period. In this way, the connection request receiving unit 302 is controlled. In addition, in the present specification and the appended claims, the stop of reception is not only blocking the reception of a physical connection request, but physically accepting a connection request by receiving the connection request itself, It also includes not performing subsequent processing such as not responding to the received connection request. For example, while the connection request receiving unit 302 is controlled by the reception control unit 304 to stop receiving at least a part of the connection request, the connection request receiving unit 302 does not respond to the connection request by connecting at least a part thereof. Do not accept requests. Note that the reception control unit 304 may control the connection request reception unit 302 so as not to accept any connection request for a period of the second predetermined length, for example, or accept only a part of connection requests. In this way, the connection request receiving unit 302 may be controlled. When the connection control unit 304 controls the connection request reception unit 302 to receive only a part of the connection requests, for example, only a predetermined number of connection requests for each period of a third predetermined length shorter than the second predetermined length. Can be accepted. For example, the reception control unit 304 can perform control so that only one connection request is received every second.

  The setting control unit 305 performs control for setting the first predetermined length, the second predetermined length, and the predetermined value described above. For example, when the setting control unit 305 strongly restricts the reception of connection requests (that is, does not accept more connection requests), the setting control unit 305 increases the first predetermined length and the second predetermined length to a predetermined value. The value can be set small. On the other hand, the setting control unit 305 shortens the first predetermined length and the second predetermined length and decreases the predetermined value, for example, when the restriction on accepting connection requests is weakened (that is, the number of connection requests not accepted is reduced). Large and configurable. The setting control unit 305 can set at least one of the first predetermined length, the second predetermined length, and the predetermined value, and does not necessarily need to set all of them. The setting control unit 305 may set the third predetermined length. For example, as the third predetermined length is shortened, the number of connection requests accepted in the second predetermined length period increases, and as the third predetermined length is increased, the connection requests accepted in the second predetermined length period The number of decreases. Therefore, the setting control unit 305 can set the third predetermined length according to the number of connection requests to be accepted.

(Process flow)
Next, the flow of processing executed by the AP 101 will be described with reference to FIG. When the AP 101 starts processing, first, the value acquisition unit 303 starts acquiring a value indicating the number of times that the connection request has been received or the number of terminal devices that have transmitted the connection request within the first predetermined length period. (S401). As described above, a plurality of first predetermined length periods can be set in parallel, and the value acquisition unit 303 acquires the above-described values for each of those periods. Note that the value acquisition unit 303 continues to acquire this value during execution of this process.

  Thereafter, the reception control unit 304 monitors whether or not the value acquired by the value acquisition unit 303 has reached a predetermined value (S402). Then, when the acquired value reaches a predetermined value (YES in S402), the reception control unit 304 connects so as to stop receiving at least a part of the connection request for the second predetermined length period. The request receiving unit 302 is controlled (S403). When the value acquisition unit 303 acquires the above-described values for each of a plurality of first predetermined length periods, the reception control unit 304 selects one of the values for each of the plurality of periods as a predetermined value. It is possible to determine whether or not That is, the reception control unit 304 can execute control for stopping reception of a connection request when at least one of a plurality of values regarding each of a plurality of periods reaches a predetermined value. Thereafter, the reception control unit 304 continues the above-described control until the second predetermined length period expires (S404), and in response to the expiration of the second predetermined length period (YES in S404), the above-described control is performed. (S405) and the process returns to S402.

  Here, FIG. 5 shows an example in which the first predetermined length is 5 seconds, the second predetermined length is 10 seconds, the connection target is a connection request, and the predetermined value is 5 times. The AP 101 counts the number of connection requests while accepting the connection request during the first predetermined length period. In the example of FIG. 5, the AP 101 starts a first predetermined length period 501 of 5 seconds from the timing when the first connection request is received. In addition, the AP 101 starts the first predetermined length period 502 in response to the second connection request received during the period 501. Similarly, the third and subsequent connection requests also have the first predetermined length. Period 503 begins. As shown in FIG. 5, the AP 101 may start the first predetermined length period from the timing when the connection request is received, but the first predetermined time is determined from a predetermined timing such as every second. A long period may be started. FIG. 6 shows an example in which a first predetermined length of 5 seconds is set every second. As shown in FIG. 6, the first predetermined length period can be set regardless of the connection request reception timing.

  In FIG. 5, the AP 101 counts the number of times the connection request is received in each of the periods 501 to 503. If the second predetermined length period during which the response to the connection request is restricted is not set, the AP 101 does not receive the connection request until the number of connection requests reaches a predetermined value of 5 in each period. Does not restrict the acceptance of connection requests. For example, since the AP 101 has received only four connection requests in the period 501, it accepts all of them and establishes a connection. On the other hand, in the period 502, the AP 101 receives six connection requests. In this case, it accepts up to the fifth connection request, and thereafter starts a second predetermined length period 504 (acceptance restriction period) for 10 seconds for restricting acceptance of the connection request. FIG. 5 shows an example in which the second predetermined length period is started immediately when the number of connection requests within the first predetermined length period reaches a predetermined value. The second predetermined length period may be started in response to the end of the one predetermined length period. That is, the second predetermined length period may be started before the expiration of the first predetermined length period, or after the first predetermined length period has expired, May be started. The AP 101 does not accept the connection request, for example, by not responding to at least a part of the connection request 505 received during the period 504.

  According to such control, when a large number of terminal devices intrude into a range that can be connected to the AP 101 and transmit a connection request at a time during a certain period, the AP 101 does not accept the connection request temporarily. become. This reduces the probability that APs installed in a station or the like will intrude in a range that can be connected to itself at the same time but establish connections with a large number of terminal devices that pass without performing communication, and are managed by the AP. The probability that those terminal devices are registered in the list of devices can be reduced.

  Note that the AP 101 can continue counting the number of connection requests even after setting the second predetermined length period 504 in which reception of connection requests is restricted. Here, for example, the AP 101 does not extend the second predetermined length period even when the number of connection requests counted during the second predetermined length period reaches a predetermined value. This is to prevent any terminal device from becoming unable to connect to the AP 101 by continuing to extend the period of the second predetermined length. For example, in the first predetermined length period 506 started during the second predetermined length period, when the number of connection requests reaches a predetermined value after the end of the second predetermined length period, A second predetermined length period 507 can be started separately from that time. At this time, the AP 101 can accept the connection request for the connection request 508 when the number of connection requests reaches a predetermined value. The AP 101 stops counting the number of connection requests during the second predetermined length period, for example, until the remaining time length of the period becomes a predetermined time length equal to or less than the first predetermined length. Also good. That is, if the period of the first predetermined length does not end within the period of the second predetermined length, the AP 101 stops the count because the number of connection requests counted in that period is only ignored. can do. In addition, when the number of connection requests counted during the second predetermined length period reaches a predetermined value, the second predetermined length period may be extended. In this case, the AP 101 Even when the predetermined length period does not end within the second predetermined length period, the connection request count is continued.

  Note that the AP 101 may accept connection requests from a certain number of terminal devices even during the second predetermined length period. For example, the AP 101 may accept a predetermined number of connection requests for each period of a third predetermined length shorter than the second predetermined length. For example, if the third predetermined length is 1 second and the predetermined number is 1, the AP 101 may accept one connection request every second during the second predetermined length period. FIG. 7 shows an example of this processing. The second predetermined length period (acceptance restriction period) is divided into third predetermined length 701 periods (for example, 1 second), and only a predetermined number (for example, one) of connection requests are received in each period. For example, when N is an integer of 1 or more, the AP 101 accepts a connection request that has been successfully received first after N seconds have elapsed since the start of the second predetermined length period. In the example of FIG. 7, the connection request 702 that triggered the start of the reception restriction period is accepted, and the connection request 703 received only in the second period is also accepted. On the other hand, in the fifth period, two connection requests 704 and connection request 705 are received, but connection request 704 received earlier is accepted, and connection request 705 received later is not accepted. In this way, for example, when the second predetermined length is 10 seconds, a maximum of nine connection requests can be accepted, except for connection requests that trigger an acceptance restriction period. The AP 101 may accept a connection request that has been successfully received first after N + K−1 seconds have elapsed since the start of the second predetermined length period when K is a constant equal to or greater than 0. For example, by setting K to a length corresponding to a period of a predetermined ratio (for example, half) of the second predetermined length, the time length K elapses after the period of the second predetermined length starts. Can not accept a connection request and can accept a predetermined number of connection requests every second thereafter. For example, by setting K = 5 and N = 1 when the second predetermined length is 10 seconds, the AP 101 does not accept a connection request during the first 5 seconds of the second predetermined length. Thereafter, one connection request can be accepted every second.

  As described above, the AP 101 can accept some connection requests even in the second predetermined length period. As a result, when the second predetermined length period is set, it is possible to prevent all the terminal devices from becoming unable to establish a connection. Of course, the AP 101 may not accept any connection request during the second predetermined length period.

  Further, the AP 101 can set and change the first predetermined length, the second predetermined length, and the predetermined value according to the situation by the setting control unit 305. Note that the AP 101 can also set and change a parameter for accepting a connection request in the period of the second predetermined length, such as the above-described third predetermined length, by the setting control unit 305.

  As the first predetermined length is set longer, the acceptance of connection requests is more likely to be restricted, and as the first predetermined length is set shorter, such restriction is less likely to be made. The longer the second predetermined length is set, the higher the probability that the connection request is restricted, and the shorter the second predetermined length is, the lower the probability that the connection request is restricted. Also, as the predetermined value is set smaller, acceptance of connection requests is more likely to be restricted, and as the predetermined value is larger, such restriction is less likely to be made. In consideration of such characteristics, the setting control unit 305, when the connection request acceptance should be more strongly restricted, (1) the setting to increase the first predetermined length, and (2) the second At least one of setting to increase the predetermined length and (3) setting to decrease the predetermined value is performed. On the other hand, when the setting control unit 305 weakens the restriction on accepting connection requests, (1) a setting for shortening the first predetermined length, (2) a setting for shortening the second predetermined length, and (3 ) At least one of setting to increase the predetermined value can be performed.

  For example, as the number of terminal devices registered in the list increases, the setting control unit 305 executes control for restricting connection request acceptance more strongly, and then the number of terminal devices registered in the list decreases. Then, control can be performed to weaken the restriction. That is, the setting control unit 305 can reinforce the above limit as the number of registered terminal devices is closer to the upper limit of the number of terminal devices that can be registered in the list.

  In addition, the setting control unit 305 limits the above-described restriction to a time zone in which it is estimated that the number of terminal devices existing in the range is large according to the time variation of the terminal devices existing in the range connectable to the communication device. It can be strengthened and control can be performed so that the above-mentioned restriction is weakened in a time zone estimated to be small. For example, when the AP 101 is installed at a station, the setting control unit 305 can reinforce the above-described restriction during the commuting / return home rush hour and can weaken the above-mentioned restriction during the daytime. Also, for example, there are many times when there are many people on weekdays and holidays in each area, for example, holidays are more crowded than holidays on weekdays, and weekdays are crowded on holidays in office districts. Can be different. For this reason, the setting control unit 305 can perform setting control so as to strengthen and weaken the restriction in consideration of circumstances such as the region, weekdays, and holidays. Similarly, for example, when the AP 101 is installed in a store, the setting control unit 305 reinforces the above restriction during a time zone when there are many people passing through the neighborhood of the store, and passes through the neighborhood of the store. The above limitation can be weakened in a time zone when the number of people who do so is small.

  In addition, the setting control unit 305 obtains notification of some event from which the number of terminal devices existing around the information such as information indicating the arrival time of the train is expected to increase from the outside via the communication unit 301, for example. In response to the notification of the event, the above limitation can be strengthened. In other words, the setting control unit 305 can recognize with high accuracy that persons having terminal devices intrude into a range that can be connected to the AP 101 all at once, based on information obtained from an external information source. And the setting control part 305 pinpoints the timing which a terminal device increases with high precision, strengthens a restriction | limiting at such timing, and suppresses the number of terminal devices with which a connection is established although it does not communicate. be able to. Note that the setting control unit 305 weakens the above limitation when the estimated time from the timing of an event such as the arrival of a train, etc., until the terminal device leaves the range that can be connected to the AP 101 has elapsed. Also good.

  In addition, the setting control unit 305 strengthens the above-described restriction as the ratio of the second predetermined-length period that restricts acceptance of connection requests in a predetermined period increases, and weakens the above-described restriction as the ratio decreases. sell. That is, when the time ratio in which the acceptance of connection requests is restricted is high, the restriction strength may be insufficient. For this reason, the setting control unit 305 can perform control so that the restriction is strengthened from that point when the time ratio in which the acceptance of connection requests is restricted is higher than, for example, a predetermined ratio.

  Further, the setting control unit 305 determines the number of connection requests within the first predetermined length period within a predetermined period after setting at least one of the first predetermined length, the second predetermined length, and the predetermined value. If the value reaches a predetermined value, the above-mentioned limitation can be strengthened. In other words, immediately after the setting is made, if the number of connection requests within the first predetermined length period reaches a predetermined value and the second predetermined length period starts, the strength of the restriction is insufficient. It is possible. For this reason, the setting control unit 305 can perform control so that the restriction is strengthened from that point in time when the period of the second predetermined length is started immediately after the setting is performed.

  The AP 101 may always execute the above-described processing (at least one of the number of connection requests or the number of connection request transmission sources and control that does not accept connection requests), or a predetermined condition. If the above is satisfied, the above-described processing may be executed. For example, the AP 101 can determine whether to execute the above-described processing based on the number of terminal devices that have established connections registered in the list. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the AP 101 can start the above-described processing when the number of terminal devices registered in the list increases to a predetermined first value. In addition, after starting the above-described processing, the AP 101 executes the process when the information on the terminal device registered in the list is deleted with time and decreases to a second value smaller than the first value. The above-described process may be stopped.

  As described above, when the AP 101 according to the present embodiment receives connection requests from a large number of terminal devices in a short period, the AP 101 performs control to stop accepting at least a part of the connection requests. According to this, the opportunity for the AP 101 to establish a connection with, for example, a terminal device that only passes through a range that can be connected to the AP 101 decreases. Note that the AP 101 releases the restriction on accepting such a connection request after many terminal devices have passed. At this time, since the number of terminal devices registered in the list is suppressed due to the restriction, the AP 101 is connected to a terminal device in a stationary state or a quasi-stationary state within a range that can be connected to itself. In between, a connection can be established. As described above, according to the feature of the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent unnecessary connection from being established, to prevent a state in which a connection from a user who desires connection cannot be made, or at least reduce the probability of the occurrence. it can.

  Note that control for preventing the establishment of an unnecessary connection can also be executed in the terminal device. For example, the terminal device may be configured not to transmit a connection request to the AP when a predetermined condition is satisfied (such that the user's bodily sensible communication quality is expected to deteriorate even when connected to the AP).

  For example, when the terminal device switches the connection to the AP during communication by LTE or the like, an event may occur in which the sensible communication quality for the user of the terminal device deteriorates, such as communication being interrupted due to the switching of the connection. For this reason, in such a case, the terminal device may not transmit a connection request to the AP. For example, the terminal device acquires backlight lighting state information (for example, a lighting / extinguishing flag) from the inside of the terminal device (for example, an operating system (OS)) by an application that operates in the background. Then, the terminal device transmits the information to a predetermined server. When the information received from the terminal device indicates that the backlight of the terminal device is lit, the server operates the terminal device, and the communication quality experienced by the user is deteriorated even when connected to the AP. Judge that. Then, the server can transmit the determination result to the terminal device (for example, through a cellular network such as 3G or LTE). When the terminal device receives such a determination result from the server, the terminal device may not transmit a connection request to the AP. Further, the terminal device may acquire information on an application type (such as a video streaming viewing application) displayed at the top of the display screen of the terminal device, and transmit the information to the server. In this case, for example, the server determines whether or not the notified type of application has resistance to communication interruption. If the server has tolerance, the server can determine that the communication quality is not deteriorated even when connected to the AP. If the server does not have resistance, the server can determine that the communication quality is deteriorated when connected to the AP. In addition, the terminal device acquires, for example, throughput information related to communication performed by the terminal device itself (for example, a statistical value such as an average value or a moving average value for a predetermined period) instead of the application type, and sends the information to the server. You may send it. In this case, for example, when the throughput is higher than a predetermined value, the server can determine that the sensible communication quality due to connection switching may be deteriorated. The server transmits a determination result to the terminal device, and the terminal device determines whether or not to transmit a connection request to the AP according to the determination result. Note that the server may transmit, to the terminal device, an instruction as to whether or not to transmit a connection request instead of the determination result. In this case, the terminal device can determine whether or not to transmit a connection request to the AP according to an instruction from the server.

  Also, the terminal device can transmit its own location information (obtained using, for example, GPS) to the server. For the transmission of the location information, for example, positioning and reporting procedures used in the LTE standard may be used, or separate location information acquisition and reporting procedures may be defined. The server can determine whether the terminal device exists in a predetermined geographical area based on the notification of the position information from the terminal device, and can estimate the user's behavior pattern. For example, when the server determines that the terminal device exists in the vicinity of a predetermined railway line, the server can estimate that the user is traveling on the train with the terminal device. In addition, when the server determines that the terminal device exists in the vicinity of the predetermined automobile road, the server can estimate that the user is traveling with the automobile carrying the terminal device. In other cases, based on the same determination, the server can estimate the behavior pattern as to whether or not the terminal device only passes through the communicable range of the AP based on the position information notified from the terminal device. . In this case, the server determines that the communication quality experienced by the user of the terminal device is deteriorated (or at least not improved) even if the server is connected to the AP arranged in the vicinity of the position where the terminal device exists. Determination) and the determination result can be notified to the terminal device. The terminal device determines whether or not to transmit a connection request to the AP according to the determination result. In this case as well, the server sends an instruction as to whether or not to send a connection request, not a determination result, to the terminal device, and the terminal device sends a connection request to the AP according to the instruction from the server. You may decide whether to transmit.

  Note that the terminal device may transmit its own location information to the server when it can connect to the AP (when it can transmit a connection request), or it may transmit the location information at multiple times to the server. May be. For example, when the terminal device can connect to the AP, the terminal device may notify only the position information at that time to the server, or collect the position information for a predetermined period in the past from that time to the server. You may be notified. Further, the terminal device may periodically notify the server of its own location information at that time. Thereby, the server can estimate the action pattern of the user of the terminal device more accurately than the case of acquiring only the position information of one time acquired from the terminal device. And according to this, it becomes possible to control more appropriately whether a terminal device transmits a connection request to AP.

  Further, the terminal device may transmit not only the position information but also the time information when the position information is acquired to the server. The server can calculate, for example, the moving speed of the terminal device based on the position information of the terminal device and the corresponding time information, and can estimate the behavior pattern of the user of the terminal device based on the moving speed. For example, the server compares the calculated moving speed with the speed of a train traveling on a predetermined railway line registered in advance in the server, and if the difference is within a predetermined range, the user You can determine that you are traveling by train. Similarly, the server compares the calculated moving speed with the moving speed of a car on a predetermined motorway, the average moving speed of a pedestrian, or the like, so that the user is walking or moving by car. It is possible to estimate an action pattern such as Note that the terminal device may execute the calculation of the moving speed based on the information acquired from the acceleration sensor that the terminal device has and transmit the calculation result to the server.

  Further, the server estimates that the user of the terminal device is in a stationary state or a quasi-stationary state when the position of the terminal device at a plurality of time points remains within the same position or a predetermined region for a predetermined period of time. can do. For example, when the terminal device continues to stay in a predetermined area in the station beyond the train arrival / departure time interval, the server estimates that the terminal device is staying in the platform or waiting room of the station. Can do. In this case, the server can determine that the terminal device is present at a position where the terminal device can be connected to the AP for a certain period of time (for example, at least until the arrival of the train) and is not at least a terminal that only passes through the station. For this reason, the server can determine that this terminal apparatus should transmit (or may transmit) a connection request to the AP. In this case, the server transmits predetermined authentication information (for example, ID / password, electronic certificate, etc.) to the terminal device. Then, the terminal device transmits the predetermined authentication information to the AP, and when the AP receives the predetermined authentication information from the terminal device, the AP permits the response to the terminal device. You may remove from a control object. As a result, it is possible to select a terminal device that should not only pass through the vicinity of the AP but also allow the connection to the AP from among the terminal devices of the users who stay in the vicinity of the AP for a short period of time.

  Thus, although the example of the process by the terminal device side was demonstrated, these are examples, and the terminal device with respect to AP is based on determination whether the sensible communication quality of the user of a terminal device can deteriorate. Any method for determining whether a connection request may be transmitted may be used. Moreover, the example of the above-mentioned process may be used individually or may be used as a combination. For example, when the backlight is on and the terminal device is in a stationary state or a semi-static state, the terminal device may be permitted to transmit a connection request. Further, when transmission of the connection request of the terminal device is permitted, the predetermined authentication information may be transmitted from the terminal device to the server as described above, but is not limited thereto. For example, when the transmission of the connection request of the terminal device is allowed, the server may simply transmit (or transmit) the connection request to the terminal device without using such predetermined authentication information. )). In this case, the server may instruct the terminal device not to transmit the connection request when transmission of the connection request of the terminal device is not permitted.

  In the above description, an example has been described in which the terminal device transmits information to the server, and the server performs determination regarding whether or not the terminal device should transmit a connection request to the AP. According to this process, since the terminal device only needs to notify the server of predetermined information, it is possible to suppress the installation of an additional application and the generation of an additional processing burden. Here, the server may be a device on a network that can be connected via cellular communication such as LTE or 3G, but the function may be provided in the AP. In this case, for example, transmission of predetermined information from the terminal device to the server described above or transmission of a determination result or instruction from the server to the terminal device by a signal transmitted / received before the connection request to the AP is transmitted. It may be done. Further, the above-described server does not need to be configured by a single device, and may be configured by a plurality of devices. Further, the determination of the above server may be executed by the terminal device, and the above server may not exist. That is, the terminal device estimates the behavior pattern of the user of the terminal device based on, for example, backlight on / off, the application being executed, the throughput related to the executed communication, the moving speed, and transmits a connection request to the AP. Whether or not to do so may be determined autonomously. Furthermore, the above-described processing is an example, and the division of roles may be changed from the above-described configuration. For example, the terminal device estimates the behavior pattern and transmits the behavior pattern information to the server. Based on the behavior pattern information, the server should transmit a connection request to the AP. It may be determined whether or not. According to this, only by adjusting the setting on the server side, a terminal device to which a connection request should be transmitted can be appropriately selected according to the state at that time.

  Note that the above-described control on the terminal device side may be performed independently or may be performed together with the above-described control on the AP side. As a result, the terminal device does not unnecessarily transmit a connection request to the AP, and the AP prevents or at least the probability of occurrence of a state in which a connection from a user who desires connection cannot be made. Can be reduced.

Claims (15)

A communication device capable of establishing a connection with a plurality of other devices,
Accepting means for accepting a connection establishment request received from another device;
Obtaining means for obtaining a value indicating the number of times the request has been received in a first predetermined length period or a value indicating the number of other devices that have transmitted the request;
Control means for controlling the accepting means to stop accepting at least a part of the request during a second predetermined length period when the value reaches a predetermined value;
A communication apparatus comprising: The control means controls the accepting means to accept a predetermined number of the requests every third predetermined length period shorter than the second predetermined length during the second predetermined length period.
The communication apparatus according to claim 1. The control means controls the receiving means so as not to accept all of the requests during the second predetermined length period.
The communication apparatus according to claim 1. When the number of other devices that have established a connection with the communication device has increased to a first value, at least one of acquisition of the value by the acquisition unit and control of the reception unit by the control unit is started ,
The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein Since at least one of acquisition of the value by the acquisition unit and control of the reception unit by the control unit is started, the number of other devices that have established a connection with the communication device is smaller than the first value When at least one of the acquisition of the value by the acquisition unit and the control of the reception unit by the control unit is stopped when the value decreases to a second value;
The communication apparatus according to claim 4. Setting means for setting at least one of the first predetermined length, the second predetermined length, and the predetermined value;
The communication apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The setting means includes (1) a setting in which the first predetermined length is increased as the number of other devices that establish a connection with the communication device increases, and (2) the second predetermined device. Setting at least one of a setting to increase the length and (3) a setting to decrease the predetermined value;
The communication apparatus according to claim 6. The setting means is configured such that (1) the first time period is a time zone in which the number of other devices is estimated to be large based on a time variation of the number of other devices existing in a range connectable to the communication device. At least a setting to increase the predetermined length, (2) a setting to increase the second predetermined length, and (3) a setting to decrease the predetermined value. Set one of the settings,
The communication apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein Means for receiving notification of an event scheduled to increase the number of other devices existing in a range connectable with the communication device;
The setting means sets (1) the first predetermined length to be longer in response to the notification of the event, and (2) makes the second predetermined length longer. And / or (3) a setting for reducing the predetermined value.
The communication apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the communication apparatus is configured as described above. The setting means is configured such that (1) the first predetermined length increases as the ratio of the period during which the control means in the predetermined period controls the reception means to stop accepting at least a part of the request. At least one of a setting that makes the second predetermined length longer, a setting that makes the second predetermined length longer, and a setting that makes the predetermined value smaller (3) Set,
The communication device according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein The setting means allows the control means to accept at least a part of the request within a certain period after setting at least one of the first predetermined length, the second predetermined length, and the predetermined value. When the receiving means is controlled to stop, (1) a setting for making the first predetermined length longer than a set value, and (2) a setting for making the second predetermined length longer than a set value. And (3) a setting for making the predetermined value smaller than a set value.
The communication apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein The control means starts the control when the value reaches a predetermined value, even before the expiration of the period of the first predetermined length when the value reaches the predetermined value.
The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device is a device. The acquisition unit continues to acquire the value in the first predetermined length period even when the control unit is executing the control.
The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein A control method for a communication device that has a reception unit that receives a connection establishment request received from another device and can establish a connection with a plurality of other devices,
An acquisition step of acquiring a value indicating the number of times the request has been received in a first predetermined length period or a value indicating the number of other devices that have transmitted the request;
A control step of controlling the accepting means to stop accepting at least a part of the request during a second predetermined length period when the value reaches a predetermined value;
A control method characterized by comprising: A computer provided in a communication device that has a reception unit that receives a connection establishment request received from another device and can establish a connection with a plurality of other devices,
Obtaining a value indicating the number of times the request has been received in a first predetermined length period or a value indicating the number of other devices that have transmitted the request;
When the value reaches a predetermined value, the reception unit is controlled to stop receiving at least a part of the request during a second predetermined length period;
Program for.

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