JP2692633B2 - Automatic network ID setting method for wireless local area network - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a network I between devices in a wireless local area network (LAN).
Regarding D acquisition.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a new sub-network is constructed by a wired LAN or the like, which has conventionally constituted several sub-networks, it is possible to construct the sub-network locally without affecting the existing sub-network. . Further, when connecting to another sub-network, it is possible to minimize the influence on the existing network by connecting using a bridge device or a router device.

The network configuration of FIG. 2 will be described as an example. FIG. 2 shows an example in which a network A is in operation and a network B is newly added.

Although the networks A and B are mutually accessible, a bridge device is inserted in each of the networks A and B in order to prevent data packets from being transmitted to each other. Connecting.

When the bridge device transfers data between the terminals a1 and a2 in the network A, for example, no data packet is sent to the network B. When data transfer is performed between the terminals b1 and b2 on the network B, no data packet is sent to the network A.

Since a wireless LAN, which has recently been spotlighted as a new LAN product, does not require wiring work, the layout of the installation site can be easily changed. However, when a network is constructed in a wireless LAN, since radio waves are used, it is impossible to physically separate the network like a wired LAN.

Therefore, when the network is divided into sub-networks, it is necessary to give a network ID to each network and recognize them for each data packet.

When constructing a new network,
Although it is necessary to newly acquire the network ID, in the conventional wireless LAN, it is necessary to check the network ID which the installed terminal is not using in another network and set it in each terminal.

[0009]

In the conventional method for constructing a network in a wireless LAN, a network ID set by a person in charge of installation on a terminal belonging to a new network.
It took a lot of time to build the network because it was necessary to check the settings so that they did not overlap with those used in other networks, and to set them individually for the number of units to be installed.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to automatically recognize a network ID used by others on a wireless LAN terminal and set a vacant network ID. It is to save the trouble of. Therefore, in the network ID automatic setting method of the present invention, each wireless LAN terminal to be installed searches for a free ID by accumulating the network IDs of other networks for a certain period of time, and sets the self by achieving the above object. ing.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a wireless LAN terminal showing the present embodiment, and FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are explanatory views showing the present embodiment.

Now, as shown in FIG.
The operation when a subnetwork D is newly constructed in an environment in which one wireless LAN subnetwork exists will be described. However, terminals belonging to each of A, B, and C are assumed not to move in the mutual network. It is assumed that three terminals D1, D2, and D3 belong to the subnetwork D. It is assumed that the three devices cannot receive the IDs of the existing sub-networks under the same conditions as shown in FIG.

The internal configuration of the terminal is, as shown in FIG. 1, a wireless modem 25 for performing wireless modulation / demodulation, a LAN controller 24 for controlling data packets, and a CPU 2 for controlling them.
1 is the main component. ROM22 is CPU
A program for controlling the 21 is stored, and RA
M23 is a buffer of transmitted / received data packets and a memory table of network IDs. The network ID detection circuit 26 detects the network ID from the received data packet and transfers it to the ID memory table of the RAM 23. The external I / O 27 is an interface with the outside.

When the data packet is received by the wireless modem, the packet is normally transmitted to the LAN controller 24. The operation of the terminal in this normal mode is no different from that of the known technology. In the case of the network ID setting mode, not the LAN controller 24 but the network ID detection circuit 26 is notified and the network I
D is written in the RAM 23.

A series of operations will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5 together with FIGS. 3 and 4.

First, all the terminal modes of the terminals (D1, D2, D3) belonging to the sub-network D are set to the network ID setting mode. This allows network I
The D detection circuit 26 comes to function.

First, in step S1, each terminal starts a timer to store the network ID of another network in the RA.
Start with the memory table set in M23. The contents of the memory table are always searched, and the previously stored ID is not written in the memory table.

The established value of the timer sets the time until all existing networks are in operation. After the timer times out in step S2, each terminal searches for the maximum value of the network ID stored in the memory table. In the example of FIG. 4, the terminal D1 has an ID of 01 and a terminal D2.
Has an ID of 02, and the terminal D3 has an ID of 03.

After the timers of all the terminals constituting the network D have timed out, in step 2, each terminal transmits a dedicated frame in which one obtained by adding 1 to the maximum value is set as a provisional network ID (step S4). . Each terminal erases the contents of the memory table (step S5) and then starts a timer (step S6),
The other terminal receives the dedicated frame for a certain period of time, and stores the received network ID in the memory table (step S8). In step S7, after the timer times out, each terminal searches for the maximum value among the network IDs stored in the memory table and the IDs transmitted by the terminal itself. In the example of FIG. 4, the maximum value is ID: 04. Each terminal uses this value as the network ID of the sub-network D (step S8).

When the network ID is determined, the terminal mode is switched to the normal state after the automatic setting is performed in each terminal. When all three of D1, D2, and D3 finish the setting, the setting operation ends, and the construction of the network D is completed.

[0021]

As described above, in the network ID automatic setting method according to the present invention, the wireless LAN terminal itself stores another network ID, and the network I is vacant.
In order to find D,
Since there is no need to set D, it is possible to improve the efficiency of installation work when there are a plurality of wireless LAN networks.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a terminal block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional example of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram explaining an operation of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 21 CPU 22 ROM 23 RAM 24 LAN Controller 25 Wireless Modem 26 Network ID Detection Circuit 27 External I / O

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A subnet network that shares the same wireless channel.
A network ID in a wireless local area network system in which the terminals are grouped as constituent terminals of sub-networks independent of each other by a network ID uniquely given to each network, and the constituent terminals do not move between the sub-networks while the system is operating. This is an automatic setting method, in which each of the constituent terminals detects the network IDs of a plurality of sub-networks, stores the detected network IDs in a built-in memory table, and stores the maximum value of the network IDs stored in the memory table. Of the network ID, the temporary ID to be notified to other constituent terminals is uniquely determined from the maximum value of the network ID, and the determined temporary network ID is simultaneously notified to the other constituent terminals. The temporary network I notified from the terminal
A final network ID is determined from D and the network ID uniquely determined by the self terminal, and the final network ID is set to the self-terminal network I
A method of automatically setting a wireless local area network ID, characterized by setting as D.