WO2018109985A1 - Repeater, terminal device, communication system, communication method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

A first communication unit capable of using at least one of a plurality of networks, a second communication unit communicating with a terminal device, a control unit repeating data between the first communication unit and the second communication unit and exercising control in accordance with information received from the terminal device via the second communication unit so that the first communication unit does not use at least one of the networks. Several embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented as a repeater, a terminal device, a communication system, a communication method or a program.

Description

Relay device, terminal device, communication system, communication method, and program

Some embodiments of the present invention relate to a relay device, a terminal device, a communication system, a communication method, and a program.
This application claims priority on Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-243744 filed in Japan on December 15, 2016, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

With the spread of information processing technology and network technology, various functions are provided in wireless communication. One such function is tethering. Tethering is a function in which a relay device relays communication with a communication destination connected to a network such as a public wireless communication network (PLMN) via a PAN (Personal Area Network). A terminal device used as a relay device may be called a tethering terminal. The tethering terminal has a communication function with other terminal devices via the PAN. Communication via PAN is called PAN communication. Another terminal device serving as a communication source is called a client terminal.

On the other hand, provision of an unlicensed band is being studied in 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project). An unlicensed band means a frequency band that is not a dedicated frequency band based on a communication business license in each country. In other words, the unlicensed band is a frequency band that can be freely set and used even by a person who is not licensed. In contrast, a dedicated frequency band based on a communication business license is called a license band. Therefore, communication using the unlicensed band is advantageous in terms of charge, but communication speed and stability may be inferior to communication using the license band. In addition, a 5 GHz band radio wave is used as an unlicensed band.
Since this band is higher than the 800 MHz and 2 GHz radio waves used as the license band, the resistance to interference is relatively weak. Therefore, with 5 GHz band radio waves, the communication speed may decrease when the number of users increases suddenly, such as during congestion. An event similar to communication using an unlicensed band may occur in a public wireless LAN (Local Area Network). In addition, a spoofed access point or the like is generated in the public wireless LAN. Therefore, the reliability of public wireless LAN communication is not necessarily high. In consideration of these, when the user of the client terminal obtains a stable communication speed and desires highly reliable communication, the use of an unlicensed band or a public wireless LAN may not be desired. When communication speed is stable and reliable communication is desired, the user may think that it is better to reconnect to the license band and communicate even when using the unlicensed band. Communication with a stable communication speed and high reliability is suitable for, for example, video streaming playback and online games.
Furthermore, using the above-mentioned license band and unlicensed band in combination with the Carrier Aggregation (CA) technique is also under consideration. Even in this case, the user may think that it is better to stop only the communication of the unlicensed band with low reliability and switch to the communication of only the license band.

Japanese Patent No. 3940356

A router device such as a tethering terminal or mobile router determines whether to connect to an unlicensed band or a license band, or to connect both at the same time, depending on the user operation, radio wave environment, etc. May have a function to select. However, the selection is made by the base station or the router device, not the client terminal. For this reason, the client terminal that communicates with the communication destination through the router may use the unlicensed band even though it is not preferable to use the unlicensed band.

Some aspects of the present invention have been made in view of the above points, and a relay device, a terminal device, and a communication system that can select a network used for communication with a communication destination from a terminal device used as a client terminal , A communication method, and a program are provided.

One aspect of the present invention includes a first communication unit that can use at least one of a plurality of networks, a second communication unit that communicates with a terminal device, and a control unit, wherein the control unit includes the first communication unit. And the second communication unit relay data, and the first communication unit does not use at least one of the networks according to information received from the terminal device via the second communication unit It is a relay device to control to.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a network used for communication with a communication destination can be selected from a terminal device.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a communication system according to a first embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the structure of the router which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the structure of the terminal device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the network inquiry screen which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the network control which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the structure of the router which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the structure of the terminal device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the network display screen which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the network control which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the structure of the router which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the structure of the terminal device which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the network control which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a communication system 1 according to the present embodiment. The communication system 1 includes a router 10 and a terminal device 20. The number of terminal devices 20 is an arbitrary number of one or more. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the number of terminal devices 20 is two. The plurality of terminal devices 20 are distinguished by using codes such as 20-1, 20-2. When not distinguishing a plurality of terminal devices, they are collectively referred to as the terminal device 20.

The router 10 is a relay device that relays various data transmitted between a device connected to the network and the terminal device 20. The router 10 has a proxy function, and one address is assigned to the network. Even if there are a plurality of terminal devices 20, the communication destination device is notified of the one address as the address of the communication partner. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the router 10 is connected to networks NW11, NW12, and NW13, respectively. The network NW11 is a wireless network in which data is conveyed using a license band in accordance with, for example, a normal LTE-A (Long Term Evolution-Advanced) system. In the following description, this network may be simply referred to as a license band. The network NW 12 is a wireless network that conforms to, for example, the LAA (Licensed-Assisted Accessing LTE) system. In the following description, this network may be simply referred to as an unlicensed band. The LAA method is a method in which an unlicensed band is used in the LTE method or the LTE-A method. The network NW13 is, for example, a public wireless LAN that conforms to a method defined by IEEE 802.11. In the following description, this network may be referred to as a public wireless LAN. On the other hand, the router 10 is wirelessly connected to the terminal devices 20-1 and 20-2. A network NW 21 is configured by connecting the router 10 and the terminal devices 20-1 and 20-2. The router 10 transmits / receives data to / from the terminal devices 20-1 and 20-2 by a method defined by, for example, IEEE802.15.1, IEEE802.11, Wireless USB (Universal Serial Bus) Specification 1.0, or the like. To do. The router 10 may be, for example, a dedicated mobile router or various tethering devices. The tethering device that functions as the router 10 may be a terminal device that is separate from the terminal device 20.

The terminal device 20 is an electronic device that can transmit and receive various types of data to and from a communication destination device, and is used as a client terminal. The terminal device 20 is, for example, a multi-function mobile phone (including a so-called smartphone), a tablet terminal device, a PC (Personal Computer), or the like. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the terminal devices 20-1 and 20-2 can transmit and receive various types of data to and from a communication destination device via any of the networks NW11, NW12, and NW13 connected to the router 10, respectively. (Tethering). The communication destination device means a device that is a communication partner. In the following description, the communication destination device may be simply referred to as a communication destination.

(Router)
Next, the configuration of the router 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the router 10 according to the present embodiment.
The router 10 includes a first communication unit 11, a second communication unit 12, and a control unit 13.
The first communication unit 11 can be connected to a plurality of communication scheme networks, and transmits / receives various data to / from a communication destination via any one of the networks. The first communication unit 11 uses, for example, any of the networks NW11, NW12, and NW13 illustrated in FIG. 1 for communication between the terminal device 20 and a communication destination. The first communication unit 11 discovers a base station device (not shown) constituting the network, and connects to a network having radio resources that can be used at that time.
The 2nd communication part 12 transmits / receives various data between the terminal devices 20 connected via network NW21.

The control unit 13 includes a network processing unit 131, a communication control unit 132, and a data relay unit 133.

The network processing unit 131 detects the network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected, and transmits connection network information indicating the detected network to the terminal device 20.
The communication control unit 132 controls communication executed between the terminal device 20 and a communication destination.
The communication control unit 132 receives network instruction information as a response to the connection network information transmitted by the network processing unit 131. The network instruction information is information indicating whether or not the network indicated by the connection network information can be used. When the network instruction information indicates that the network can be used, the communication control unit 132 determines to continue communication using the network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected. When the network instruction information indicates that the network cannot be used, the communication control unit 132 determines to change the network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected to another network. At this time, the communication control unit 132 causes the first communication unit 11 to be disconnected from the currently connected network. Thereafter, the communication control unit 132 causes the first communication unit 11 to connect to the communication destination using a network that is different from the network that has been disconnected from the connectable networks. After completing the connection process, the communication control unit 132 causes the first communication unit 11 to start data transmission / reception between the data relay unit 133 and the communication destination.

Note that the communication control unit 132 may cause the second communication unit 12 to send a discovery signal for discovering its own device. The communication control unit 132 establishes a connection between the terminal device 20 that is the transmission source of the communication start request and the second communication unit 12, and enables transmission and reception of various control signals. Further, the communication control unit 132 extracts a communication destination address from the communication start request received from the terminal device 20, and communicates with the communication destination specified by the address extracted via the network connected to the first communication unit 11. Establish a connection.

The data relay unit 133 relays data between the first communication unit 11 and the second communication unit 12.
Here, the data relay unit 133 outputs the data input from the first communication unit 11 to the second communication unit 12, and outputs the data input from the second communication unit 12 to the first communication unit 11. Therefore, data is transmitted and received between the terminal device 20 connected to the second communication unit 12 and the other party connected to the first communication unit 11 via the network.

(Terminal device)
Next, the configuration of the terminal device 20 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a configuration of the terminal device 20 according to the present embodiment.
The terminal device 20 includes a communication unit 21, a control unit 23, an operation input unit 241 and a display unit 242.
The communication unit 21 transmits and receives various data to and from the router 10 connected via the network NW21.
The control unit 23 includes a network setting unit 231 and a communication control unit 232.

The network setting unit 231 performs processing for determining a network used for communication between the router 10 and a communication destination. More specifically, when receiving connection network information from the router 10, the network setting unit 231 generates a network inquiry screen. The network inquiry screen is an image for notifying the network indicated by the connection network information and inquiring whether the network can be used or image data indicating the image. The network inquiry screen may include, for example, an available (YES) button and an unavailable (NO) button for the network. The network setting unit 231 causes the display unit 242 to display the generated network inquiry screen. The network for generating and displaying the network inquiry screen may be a preset network, for example, an unlicensed band or a public wireless LAN.

The network setting unit 231 generates network instruction information indicating the use when the use is instructed by the operation signal input from the operation input unit 241. On the other hand, the network setting unit 231 generates network instruction information indicating the unusable when the unusable is indicated by the operation signal input from the operation input unit 241. The network setting unit 231 outputs the generated network instruction information to the communication control unit 232. The network instruction information is transmitted to the router 10 via the communication control unit 232 as will be described later.

The communication control unit 232 performs control related to communication with the own device via the router 10. For example, the communication control unit 232 detects a discovery signal transmitted from the router 10 and causes the communication unit 21 to establish a connection with the router 10. The communication control unit 232 transmits a communication start request to the router 10 when an instruction to start communication is given by an operation signal or processing of an application program executed in the control unit 23. The trigger for transmitting the communication start request is, for example, when the address of the communication destination is input via the address display field on the screen of the browser being executed. The communication control unit 232 includes the address of the communication destination specified by the communication start instruction in the communication start request. In addition, the communication control unit 232 transmits network instruction information input from the network setting unit 231 to the router 10. Then, the communication control unit 132 of the router 10 determines whether to use a network connected to the first communication unit 11 based on the network instruction information received from the terminal device 20.

The operation input unit 241 receives a user operation and outputs an operation signal corresponding to the received operation to the control unit 23. The operation input unit 241 may be a dedicated member such as a button or a knob, or may be a general-purpose member such as a touch panel or a mouse.
The display unit 242 displays an image based on the image data input from the control unit 23. The display unit 242 is, for example, a liquid crystal display.

(Network inquiry screen)
Next, a display example of the network inquiry screen according to the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of the network inquiry screen according to the present embodiment.
In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, the network inquiry screen is displayed on the display unit 242 of the terminal device 20. The display functioning as the display unit 242 is integrated with the touch sensor functioning as the operation input unit 241 and configured as a single touch sensor.
The network inquiry screen is configured as a pop-up screen including an address field AD01, a message field MS01, a YES button BT01, and a NO button BT02. In the address column AD01, a character string “http://www.xxx.yyy.co.jp” is displayed as the address of the communication destination. In the message column MS01, a message for inquiring whether or not “Unlicensed Band” that is a network connected to the first communication unit 11 of the router 10 can be used is displayed. The displayed message includes a confirmation message to the user of the terminal device 20, “Currently connected with“ Unlicensed Band ”. Are you sure you want to connect as it is?”. In addition, the displayed message further includes the words “Unlicensed Band” may indicate that the communication is unstable.

The YES button BT01 is a button for answering that the network is used. When the YES button BT01 is pressed, the network setting unit 231 generates network instruction information indicating availability. Here, pressing means not only that the area is actually pressed, but also that an operation signal indicating a position in the area is input from the operation input unit 241. Therefore, when the YES button BT01 is pressed, the network related to “Unlicensed Band” is used for communication between the router 10 and the communication destination.
The NO button BT02 is a button for answering that the network is not used. When the NO button BT02 is pressed, the network related to “Unlicensed Band” is changed to another network.

(Network control)
Next, an example of network control according to the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of network control according to the present embodiment.
However, in the example shown below, there are two types of networks to which the first communication unit 11 can be connected: a network using a license band and a network using an unlicensed band.
In this example, a network using an unlicensed band is a target for generating and displaying a network inquiry screen. A network using a license band and a network using an unlicensed band are simply referred to as a license band and an unlicensed band, respectively.

(Step S101) Communication is started between the router 10 and the terminal device 20. Here, the communication control unit 232 of the terminal device 20 transmits a communication start request to the router 10. The communication control unit 132 of the router 10 receives a communication start request from the terminal device 20. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S102.
(Step S <b> 102) The network processing unit 131 of the router 10 transmits connection network information indicating the network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected to the terminal device 20.
The network setting unit 231 of the terminal device 20 determines whether the network indicated by the connection network information received from the router 10 is a license band. Here, it is determined whether or not the first communication unit 11 of the router 10 uses a license band. When it is determined that it is a license band (YES in step S102), the network setting unit 231 transmits network instruction information indicating that the network is usable to the router 10. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S107. When it is determined that it is not a license band (NO in step S102), the process proceeds to step S103.

(Step S103) The network setting unit 231 causes the display unit 242 to display a network inquiry screen for the connected network indicated by the connection network information. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S104.
(Step S104) The network setting unit 231 determines whether or not the operation signal input from the operation input unit 241 indicates that use is possible (YES) (NO). When it is determined that it can be used (YES in step S104), network instruction information indicating that the network is usable is transmitted to the router 10. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S107. When it is determined that the network cannot be used (NO in step S104), network instruction information indicating that the network is unusable is transmitted to the router 10. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S105.

(Step S105) Since the network instruction information received from the terminal device 20 indicates that the network control information received from the terminal device 20 is unusable, the communication control unit 132 of the router 10 causes the first communication unit 11 to disconnect from the currently connected network. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S106.
(Step S106) The communication control unit 132 of the router 10 causes the first communication unit 11 to connect to the license band as a network other than the network that has been disconnected.
Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S107.

(Step S <b> 107) The communication control unit 132 of the router 10 causes communication between the terminal device 20 and the communication destination using the network connected to the first communication unit 11. Here, the communication control unit 132 causes the data relay unit 133 to execute data transmission / reception between the second communication unit 12 and the communication destination. Thereafter, the process shown in FIG.

As described above, the router 10 according to the present embodiment includes the first communication unit 11 connected to any one of the plurality of networks, the second communication unit 12 connected to the terminal device, the first communication unit 11, and the first communication unit 11. A data relay unit 133 that relays data to and from the two communication units 12. In addition, the router 10 includes a network processing unit 131 that notifies the terminal device 20 of connection network information indicating a network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected. Further, when the router 10 receives from the terminal device 20 network instruction information indicating that the network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected is not usable, the router 10 transfers the network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected to another network. A communication control unit 132 to be changed is provided.

With this configuration, when network instruction information indicating that the network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected is received from the terminal device 20, the network is changed to another network and indicates that the network can be used. When the network instruction information is received, the network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected is changed to another network. Therefore, the network used for communication between the router 10 and the communication destination is selected by an instruction from the terminal device 20. Therefore, the user of the terminal device 20 can use a desired network according to the communication destination, and can avoid using an undesirable network.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. About the same structure as 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is used. In the following description, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described. A communication system 1a (not shown) according to the present embodiment includes a router 10a and a terminal device 20a.

(Router)
Next, the configuration of the router 10a according to the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the router 10a according to this embodiment.
The router 10a includes a first communication unit 11, a second communication unit 12, a control unit 13a, and a list storage unit 14a.

The control unit 13a includes a network processing unit 131a, a communication control unit 132a, and a data relay unit 133.
For the network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected, the network processing unit 131a stores, as a list, information that associates the address of the communication destination with whether or not the network instruction information received from the terminal device 20 can be used or not. It memorize | stores in the part 14a. Information stored by the network processing unit 131a is accumulated in the list storage unit 14a to form a network list. The network list includes a black list and a white list of each network. The black list is information indicating addresses of communication destinations that are not used for each network. The white list is information indicating addresses of communication destinations that can be used for each network.

The router 10a includes an operation input unit (not shown) that outputs an operation signal corresponding to the user's operation to the control unit 13a, and a display unit that displays an image based on the image data input from the control unit 13a (see FIG. (Not shown). In that case, the network processing unit 131a adds the address of the communication destination and information indicating availability for each network in association with each other as a network list update request instructed by an operation signal input from the operation input unit, and adds it to the network list. May be. Further, the network processing unit 131a may change or delete part of the information included in the network list as the network list update request. When an operation signal indicating a network list request indicated by the operation signal is input from the operation input unit, the network processing unit 131a reads the network list from the list storage unit 14a. The network processing unit 131a generates a network list screen indicating the read network list, and outputs the generated network list screen to the display unit. With this configuration, the user of the router 10a can edit the contents while viewing the displayed network list.

Also, the network processing unit 131a extracts the address of the communication destination from the communication start request received from the terminal device 20. When the same address as the address of the communication destination is not included in the network list stored in the list storage unit 14a, the network processing unit 131a detects the network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected. Then, connection network information indicating the detected network is transmitted to the terminal device 20a.

When receiving a network list request from the terminal device 20a, the network processing unit 131a reads the network list from the list storage unit 14a and transmits the read network list to the terminal device 20a.
When receiving the network list update request from the terminal device 20a, the network processing unit 131a stores, in the list storage unit 14a, the communication destination address indicated by the network list update request and information indicating whether or not the specific network can be used. . The newly stored information is accumulated in the network list stored in the list storage unit 14a. If the network list already contains information indicating whether the address and the specific network can be used or not, the network processing unit 131a deletes the already contained information and newly stores information. May be replaced.

In addition, as information of an inquiry for confirming whether or not the information of the network list may be overwritten (updated) to the user of the terminal device 20a, the network processing unit 131a receives the terminal device via the second communication unit 12. Update confirmation information may be transmitted to 20a. The network setting unit 231a of the terminal device 20a causes the display unit 242 to display the update confirmation information received from the router 10a. Thereafter, the network setting unit 231a generates update response information instructing whether or not to update based on the operation signal input from the operation input unit 241. The network setting unit 231a transmits the generated update response information to the router 10a via the communication unit 21. When the update response information received from the terminal device 20a indicates that update is possible, the network processing unit 131a of the router 10a stores a new address and information on a specific network in association with each other, and stores information on the network corresponding to the address. to erase. When the update response information indicates that updating is not possible, the network processing unit 131a does not store the new address and the specific network information in association with each other, and maintains the network information corresponding to the address.

The communication control unit 132a performs processing similar to that performed by the communication control unit 132 (FIG. 2) and further performs processing described below.
The communication control unit 132a refers to the network list stored in the list storage unit 14a and determines whether or not the network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected can be used. When the address of the communication destination is included in the white list, the communication control unit 132a determines to continue communication using the network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected. When the address of the communication destination is included in the black list, the communication control unit 132a determines to change the network to another network without performing communication using the network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected. To do. At this time, the communication control unit 132a releases the connection with the currently connected network with respect to the first communication unit 11. Thereafter, the communication control unit 132a connects to the first communication unit 11 using a network that is connectable and is different from the network that has been disconnected. After the connection process is completed, the communication control unit 132a causes the first communication unit 11 to start data transmission / reception between the data relay unit 133 and the communication destination.
The list storage unit 14a stores the network list as described above.

(Terminal device)
Next, the configuration of the terminal device 20a according to the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the terminal device 20a according to this embodiment.
The terminal device 20a includes a communication unit 21, a control unit 23a, an operation input unit 241, and a display unit 242.
The control unit 23a includes a network setting unit 231a and a communication control unit 232.

The network setting unit 231a performs processing similar to that of the network setting unit 231 (FIG. 3) and further performs processing described below.
When the operation signal input from the operation input unit 241 instructs display of the network list, the network setting unit 231a transmits a network list request to the router 10a.
The network setting unit 231a receives the network list from the router 10a as a response to the network list request. The network setting unit 231a generates a network list display screen representing the network list. In addition to the black list and the white list for each network, an edit button may be displayed on the network list display screen. The edit button is a button for instructing addition, change, or deletion (editing) of a communication destination address included in the black list and a communication destination address included in the white list that is enabled. The network setting unit 231a outputs the generated network display screen to the display unit 242.

When the network input is instructed by the operation input from the operation input unit 241, the network setting unit 231 a receives from the operation input unit 241 an operation signal indicating the communication destination address, the network, and whether the network can be used or not. . When the end of editing is instructed by the operation signal, the address of the communication destination instructed by the received operation signal, the network, and information indicating whether or not the network can be used are transmitted to the router 10a as a network list update request. Therefore, the availability of each network by the communication destination is set in the router 10a by the user's operation.

(Network display screen)
Next, a display example of the network display screen according to the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display example of the network display screen according to the present embodiment.
In the example illustrated in FIG. 8, the network display screen is displayed on the display unit 242 of the terminal device 20a.
The network display screen is configured as a setting screen including a network display field TN01, a black list BL01, an edit button BT03, a white list WL01, and an edit button BT04. In the network display field TN01, a message “Unlicensed Band use setting during tethering” is displayed. This message indicates that the network to be set for availability in the first communication unit 11 of the router 10 is an unlicensed band.

In the black list BL01, in addition to the title “black list”, the edit button BT03 and the following two addresses are displayed as addresses of communication destinations that are unusable for the unlicensed band. Http: // www. xxx. yyy. co. jp, http: // www. zzz. co. The “jp” edit button BT03 is a button for instructing to edit the black list when pressed. When the edit button BT03 is pressed, it becomes possible to instruct an address of a communication destination to be rejected for the unlicensed band by an operation signal.

In the white list WL01, in addition to the title “white list”, an edit button BT04 and the following two addresses as communication destination addresses that can be used for the unlicensed band are displayed. Http: // www. abc. jp, http: // www. def. The com edit button BT04 is a button for instructing editing of the white list when pressed. When the edit button BT04 is pressed, the address of the communication destination that can be used for the unlicensed band can be designated by an operation signal.

(Network control)
Next, an example of network control according to the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of network control according to the present embodiment. In the process shown in this figure, the case where the list storage unit 14a in the router 10a holds the network list is taken as an example.
The process shown in FIG. 9 includes steps S101 to S107 and steps S111 and S112. Steps S101 to S107 are the same as steps S101 to S107 shown in FIG.
In the process shown in FIG. 9, when the network setting unit 231a of the terminal device 20a determines in step S102 that the network indicated by the connection network information received from the router 10a is not a license band (NO in step S102), step S111. Proceed to the process.

(Step S111) The communication control unit 132a determines whether the address of the communication destination is registered in the white list related to the unlicensed band of the network list stored in the list storage unit 14a. With this determination, it is determined whether or not the unlicensed band to which the first communication unit 11 is connected can be used for the communication destination address. When it is determined that it is registered (step S111: YES), the process proceeds to step S107. When it is determined that it is not registered (step S111: NO), the process proceeds to step S112.

(Step S112) The communication control unit 132a determines whether or not the communication destination address is registered in the black list related to the unlicensed band of the network list stored in the list storage unit 14a. With this determination, it is determined whether or not to use the unlicensed band to which the first communication unit 11 is connected for the address of the communication destination. When it is determined that it is registered (YES in step S112), the process proceeds to step S105. When it is determined that it is not registered (NO in step S112), the network processing unit 131a transmits a network inquiry screen display instruction to the terminal device 20a. The network inquiry screen display instruction is a control signal for instructing the network setting unit 231a of the terminal device 20a to display the network inquiry screen related to the connected network. After the network setting unit 231a of the terminal device 20a receives the network inquiry screen display instruction from the router 10a, the process proceeds to step S103.

In step S104 in FIG. 9, when network instruction information indicating that the network is available is received from the network setting unit 231a of the terminal device 20a (YES in step S104), the network processing unit 131a displays the white list of the network. You may register with. Further, when network instruction information indicating that the network cannot be used is received from the network setting unit 231 of the terminal device 20a (NO in step S104), the network processing unit 131a may be registered in the black list of the network. Therefore, when the terminal device 20a accesses the communication destination from the next time onward, the network list is referred to and the same determination is made when the network is used.

As described above, in the router 10a according to the present embodiment, when the network processing unit 131a receives the network instruction information indicating that the network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected is unavailable, the network processing unit 131a receives from the terminal device 20a. A network list is generated by associating the notified communication destination address with information indicating that the network cannot be used. When the communication control unit 132a determines that the network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected is an unusable network corresponding to the communication destination address notified from the terminal device 20a with reference to the network list The network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected is changed to another network.

With this configuration, the network list indicating the address of the communication destination notified from the terminal device 20a is generated for the network instructed to be unusable without any special operation in the terminal device 20a. Further, referring to the generated network list, use of the network is avoided according to the notified address of the communication destination. Therefore, the user of the terminal device 20a can use a desired network according to a communication destination without responding each time about whether or not the network can be used, and can avoid using an undesirable network.

In the above description, the list storage unit 14a of the router 10a holds the network list as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. A storage unit (not shown) of the terminal device 20a may hold the network list. In this case, the communication control unit 232 of the terminal device 20a may determine whether or not the network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected can be used with reference to the network list. Based on this determination, the communication control unit 132a of the router 10a controls the network connection to the first communication unit 11. In the example shown in FIG. 9, in step S111, the communication control unit 132a of the router 10a transmits connection network information indicating the network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected to the terminal device 20a. The communication control unit 232 of the terminal device 20a refers to the network list and determines whether or not the communication destination address is registered in the white list related to the unlicensed band indicated by the connection network information received from the router 10a. . When it is determined that it is registered (YES in step S111), the process proceeds to step S107. When it is determined that it is not registered (NO in step S111), the process proceeds to step S112. In step S112, the communication control unit 232 of the terminal device 20a refers to the network list and determines whether or not the communication destination address is registered in the black list related to the unlicensed band indicated by the connection network information. When it is determined that it is registered (YES in step S112), the communication control unit 232 of the terminal device 20a transmits network instruction information indicating that the network is unusable to the router 10a. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S105. When it is determined that it is not registered (NO in step S112), the process proceeds to step S103. In step S103, the network setting unit 231a of the terminal device 20a generates a network inquiry screen related to the currently connected network, and outputs the generated network inquiry screen to the display unit 242. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S104.
Therefore, even with this configuration, the user of the terminal device 20a can use the desired network according to the communication destination without having to respond to the availability of the network each time, and avoids the use of an undesirable network. Can do.

Further, the network setting unit 231a of the terminal device 20a may perform processing related to display and editing of the network held by the storage unit of the own device. More specifically, the network setting unit 231a of the terminal device 20a uses the address specified by the operation signal input from the operation input unit 241 for the address specified as the communication destination and the network indicated by the connection network information. May be added to the network list. In addition, the network setting unit 231a adds a communication destination address and information indicating availability for each network in association with each other as a network list update request instructed by an operation signal input from the operation input unit 241, and adds it to the network list. May be. Further, the network setting unit 231a may change or delete part of the information included in the network list as the network list update request. When an operation signal indicating a network list request instructed by the operation signal is input from the operation input unit, the network setting unit 231a generates a network list screen indicating the network list read from the storage unit, and the generated network list screen May be output to the display unit. As a result, the user of the terminal device 20a can directly edit the contents while viewing the displayed network list.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. About the same structure as embodiment mentioned above, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is used. In the following description, differences from the second embodiment will be mainly described. A communication system 1b (not shown) according to the present embodiment includes a router 10b and a terminal device 20b. The main difference from the second embodiment is that the terminal device 20b includes a network setting unit 231b (FIG. 11) instead of the network setting unit 231a (FIG. 7), and the router 10b includes a network processing unit 131a (FIG. 6). The network processing part 131b (FIG. 10) is provided instead of. The terminal device 20b is, for example, an IoT (Internet of Things) device. Devices functioning as IoT devices include household appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners, office equipment such as copying machines and printing machines, transportation equipment such as vehicles, and measurement stations.

(Router)
Next, the configuration of the router 10b according to the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the router 10b according to this embodiment.
The router 10b includes a first communication unit 11, a second communication unit 12, a control unit 13b, and a list storage unit 14a.
The control unit 13b includes a network processing unit 131b, a communication control unit 132b, and a data relay unit 133.

Similar to the network processing unit 131a (FIG. 6), the network processing unit 131b edits the black list (FIG. 8) stored in the list storage unit 14a based on the network list update request received from the terminal device 20b. It is possible to add, delete, or change a communication destination address for each network that is not used in editing. In the present embodiment, the network list stored in the list storage unit 14a does not necessarily include a white list. Further, unlike the network processing unit 131a, the network processing unit 131b may not transmit connection network information indicating the network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected to the terminal device 20b.

The communication control unit 132b receives a communication start request received from the terminal device 20b. The communication control unit 132b refers to the network list stored in the list storage unit 14a for the address of the communication destination indicated in the communication start request, and determines whether the network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected can be used. judge. When the address of the communication destination is included in the black list, the communication control unit 132b determines to change the network to another network without performing communication using the network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected. To do. At this time, the communication control unit 132b causes the first communication unit 11 to be disconnected from the currently connected network. Thereafter, the communication control unit 132b connects to the first communication unit 11 using a network that is connectable and that is different from the network that has been disconnected. After the connection process is completed, the communication control unit 132b causes the first communication unit 11 to start data transmission / reception between the data relay unit 133 and the communication destination.

(Terminal device)
Next, the configuration of the terminal device 20b according to the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the configuration of the terminal device 20b according to the present embodiment.
The terminal device 20 includes a communication unit 21, a control unit 23b, an operation input unit 241, and a display unit 242. The control unit 23b includes a network setting unit 231b and a communication control unit 232.

Similarly to the network setting unit 231a (FIG. 7), the network setting unit 231b requests a network list update request based on the operation signal input from the operation input unit 241 with information indicating the communication destination address, the network, and that network cannot be used. To the router 10b. Thereby, the black list included in the network list stored in the list storage unit 14a can be edited. However, unlike the network setting unit 231a (FIG. 7), the network setting unit 231b may not transmit the network instruction information generated based on the operation signal to the router 10b via the communication control unit 232.

The communication control unit 232 controls the communication executed through the own device and the router 10b. For example, the communication control unit 232 discovers the router 10b and causes the communication unit 21 to establish a connection with the discovered router 10b. The communication control unit 232 transmits a communication start request to the router 10 when communication start is instructed by processing of the application program executed in the control unit 23b.

(Network control)
Next, an example of network control according to the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of network control according to the present embodiment.
The process shown in FIG. 12 includes the processes of steps S101, S102, S105-S107, and S112. That is, in the process shown in FIG. 12, the processes in steps S103, S104, and S111 are omitted from the process shown in FIG. In the process of step S112, the communication control unit 132b determines that the address of the communication destination is registered in the black list related to the unlicensed band of the network list stored in the list storage unit 14a (step S112). YES), the process proceeds to step S105. When it is determined that the communication destination address is not registered (NO in step S112), the process proceeds to step S107.

It should be noted that the network list stored in the list storage unit 14a includes the white list related to the unlicensed band and does not need to include the black list. In that case, in the process of step S112, when it is determined that the communication destination address is registered in the white list, the communication control unit 132b proceeds to the process of step S107. At this time, the communication control unit 132b keeps the connection with the network of the unlicensed band being connected to the first communication unit 11 being continued. When it is determined that the communication destination address is not registered, the process proceeds to step S105. At this time, the communication control unit 132b releases the connection with the network of the unlicensed band being connected to the first communication unit 11. Thereafter, the communication control unit 132b connects to the first communication unit 11 using a network of a license band that is connectable and is different from the network that has been disconnected.

The router 10b may include an operation input unit (not shown) and a display unit (not shown). In that case, the network processing unit 131b may edit the black list or the white list stored in the list storage unit 14a based on the network list update request instructed by the operation signal input from the operation input unit. . In that case, the network list update request received from the terminal device 20a may or may not be accepted.
When the router 10b includes an operation input unit and a display unit, the network setting unit 231b may be omitted from the terminal device 20b. Accordingly, the network processing unit 131b of the router 10b does not receive a network list update request from the terminal device 20b. In that case, the blacklist or whitelist held in the router 10b is not edited based on the operation accepted in the terminal device 20b. Accordingly, in this case, the network list is edited exclusively in the router 10b.

The operation input unit 241 may be omitted from the terminal device 20b. However, a black list or a white list may be set in advance in the network setting unit 231b before shipping (pre-installation). Therefore, the network setting unit 231b transmits the set blacklist or whitelist to the router 10b when connecting to the router 10b for the first time (during initial communication). The network processing unit 131b of the router 10b stores the black list or white list received from the terminal device 20b in the list storage unit 14a.
Further, when updating the software that realizes the function of the terminal device 20b, the control unit 23b of the terminal device 20b may extract network update information attached to the software from the updated software. This network list update information is information indicating a set of networks and addresses to be added, deleted or changed. Thereafter, when connecting to the router 10b for the first time (immediately after the update), the network setting unit 231b transmits the extracted network update information to the router 10b. The network processing unit 131b of the router 10b may update the black list or the white list stored in the list storage unit 14a based on the network update information received from the terminal device 20b.

In the router 10b, the network processing unit 131b may be omitted. In this case, the black list or white list is not edited based on the user operation. However, when updating the software that realizes the function of the router 10b, the control unit 13b, based on the network list update information acquired along with the updated software, the black list stored in the list storage unit 14a or The white list may be updated.

As described above, the router 10b according to the present embodiment includes the first communication unit 11 connected to any of the plurality of networks, the second communication unit 12 connected to the terminal device 20b, and the first communication unit 11. A data relay unit 133 that relays data to and from the second communication unit 12 is provided. Also, the router 10b refers to the network list indicating whether or not the network can be used for each communication destination address, and determines that the network corresponding to the communication destination address notified from the terminal device 20b is an unusable network. A communication control unit 132b that changes the network to which the first communication unit 11 is connected to another network.
With this configuration, whether or not the network can be used is determined according to the notified communication destination address with reference to the network list. The use of the unavailable network is avoided and the available network is used. Accordingly, by setting a network list in which a desired network is an available network and an undesired network is registered as an unusable network according to the address of the communication destination, the communication destination designated by the terminal device 20b is set. Accordingly, the desired network is used, and the use of an undesirable network can be avoided.

As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to the above, and various design changes and the like can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is possible to
For example, in the processes shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 9, and FIG. Although the case where it is a license band was taken as an example, it is not limited to this. The first communication unit 11 of the routers 10, 10 a, and 10 b may be a target for determining whether or not another network, for example, a public wireless LAN can be used.
When there are a plurality of determination target networks, the processes in steps S102 to S105 in FIG. 5, the processes in steps S111, S112, and S102 to S105 in FIG. 9, or the steps S107, S112, and S105 in FIG. It is sufficient to repeat the process. The process is repeated until a network that is determined to be usable is determined, or until the process is completed for all the determination target networks. A processing order may be determined in advance between a plurality of determination target networks. For example, the first processing order is defined as an unlicensed band and the second is defined as a public wireless LAN. The determination target network may also include a license band.

If there is a network determined to be usable, the communication control units 132, 132a, and 132b cause the first communication unit 11 to connect to the network determined to be usable. In addition, there may be a case where there is no network determined to be usable even if the processing is completed for all the determination target networks. In that case, the communication control units 132, 132a, and 132b may connect the first communication unit 11 to a predetermined default network as another network, or determine that the connection has failed. May be. The default network is, for example, a license band.

Further, the number of communication paths used for communication between the routers 10, 10a, and 10b and the communication destination device is not limited to one and may be plural. The above-described embodiments and modifications may be applied to CA. By applying the CA technology, the routers 10, 10a, and 10b can communicate with each other using a plurality of component carriers (CC: Component Carrier). At this time, the network control described above may be applied to all or some of the CCs. For example, when reliability is required, the communication control units 132, 132a, and 132b can stop communication using an unlicensed band with low reliability and change to communication using only the license band. In addition, when the decrease in reliability is allowed and the economy is prioritized, the communication control units 132, 132a, and 132b stop communication using the license band and change to communication using only the unlicensed band. be able to. Further, when the communication capacity is given priority, the communication control units 132, 132a, and 132b can realize communication using a network in a frequency band that can be used at that time regardless of the type of network.

In the routers 10, 10 a, and 10 b, some members, for example, antennas may be common between the first communication unit 11 and the second communication unit 12.
In the terminal devices 20 and 20a, either one or both of the operation input unit 241 and the display unit 242 may be separate from other parts.

The embodiment described above can also be implemented in the following manner.
(1) A first communication unit that can use at least one of a plurality of networks, a second communication unit that communicates with a terminal device, and a control unit, wherein the control unit includes the first communication unit and the second communication unit. Relay data to and from a communication unit, and control the first communication unit not to use at least one of the networks according to information received from the terminal device via the second communication unit; Relay device.

(2) The control unit prevents the first communication unit from using the network when network instruction information indicating that the network cannot be used is received from the terminal device via the second communication unit. The relay device of (1) to be controlled.

(3) A storage unit that holds a network list in which address information and a network are associated with each other is further provided, and the control unit includes a communication destination address information received from the terminal device when the network list includes the communication destination address information. The relay device according to (1), wherein the first communication unit is controlled not to use the network corresponding to the address information.

(4) A communication unit that communicates with a relay device that can use at least one of a plurality of networks, an input unit that receives a user input, and a control unit, wherein the control unit is configured based on the user input. A terminal device that transmits network instruction information indicating that at least one of the networks cannot be used to the relay device via the communication unit.

(5) A communication system including a terminal device and a relay device, wherein the relay device can use any one of a plurality of networks, a second communication unit that communicates with the terminal device,
A network processing unit that relays data between the first communication unit and the second communication unit and notifies the terminal device of connection network information indicating a network used by the first communication unit; and address information And a storage unit that holds a network list in which the network is associated, and when the address information of the communication destination received from the terminal device is included in the network list, the network corresponding to the address information is A communication control unit that controls the first communication unit not to use.

(6) A communication method in a relay device that relays data between a first communication unit that can use at least one of a plurality of networks and a second communication unit that communicates with a terminal device, the communication method comprising: The first communication unit determines at least one of the networks according to a network processing process for relaying data to and from the second communication unit and information received from the terminal device via the second communication unit. And a communication control process for controlling not to use.

(7) In the computer of the relay device that relays data between the first communication unit that can use at least one of a plurality of networks and the second communication unit that communicates with the terminal device, the first communication unit and the second communication unit The first communication unit does not use at least one of the networks according to a network processing procedure for relaying data to and from the communication unit and information received from the terminal device via the second communication unit. A program for executing a communication control procedure to be controlled.

Note that a part of the routers 10, 10a, and 10b in the above-described embodiment, for example, the control units 13, 13a, and 13b, a part of the terminal devices 20, 20a, and 20b, for example, the control units 23, 23a, and 23b are realized by computers. You may make it do. In that case, the program for realizing the control function may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read by the computer system and executed. Here, the “computer system” is a computer system built in the routers 10, 10 a, 10 b and the terminal devices 20, 20 a, 20 b and includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. The “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a storage device such as a flexible medium, a magneto-optical disk, a portable medium such as a ROM or a CD-ROM, and a hard disk incorporated in a computer system.
Furthermore, the “computer-readable recording medium” is a medium that dynamically holds a program for a short time, such as a communication line when transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, In such a case, a volatile memory inside a computer system serving as a server or a client may be included and a program that holds a program for a certain period of time. The program may be a program for realizing a part of the functions described above, and may be a program capable of realizing the functions described above in combination with a program already recorded in a computer system.
Moreover, you may implement | achieve a part or all of the routers 10, 10a, 10b and the terminal devices 20, 20a, 20b in the above-described embodiments as an integrated circuit such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration). Each functional block of the routers 10, 10 a, 10 b and the terminal devices 20, 20 a, 20 b may be individually made into a processor, or a part or all of them may be integrated into a processor. Further, the method of circuit integration is not limited to LSI, and may be realized by a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. In addition, when an integrated circuit technology that replaces LSI appears due to the advancement of semiconductor technology, an integrated circuit based on the technology may be used.

As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to the above, and various design changes and the like can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is possible to

Some aspects of the present invention can be applied to a relay device, a terminal device, a communication system, a communication method, a program, and the like that need to select a network used for communication with a communication destination from the terminal device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1a, 1b ... Communication system 10, 10a, 10b ... Router, 11 ... 1st communication part, 12 ... 2nd communication part, 13, 13a, 13b ... Control part, 14a ... List memory | storage part, 131, 131a, 131b: Network processing unit, 132, 132a, 132b ... Communication control unit, 20, 20a, 20b ... Terminal device, 21 ... Communication unit, 23, 23a, 23b ... Control unit, 231, 231a, 231b ... Network setting unit, 232 ... Communication control unit, 241 ... Operation input unit, 242 ... Display unit

Claims (7)

1. A first communication unit that can use at least one of a plurality of networks;
   A second communication unit that communicates with the terminal device;
   A control unit,
   The controller is
   Relay data between the first communication unit and the second communication unit;
   Control so that the first communication unit does not use at least one of the networks according to the information received from the terminal device via the second communication unit.
   Relay device.
2. The controller is
   Controlling the network so that the first communication unit does not use the network instruction information indicating that the network cannot be used from the terminal device via the second communication unit.
   The relay device according to claim 1.
3. A storage unit for storing a network list in which address information and a network are associated with each other;
   The controller is
   When the address information of the communication destination received from the terminal device is included in the network list, control is performed so that the first communication unit does not use the network corresponding to the address information.
   The relay device according to claim 1.
4. A communication unit that communicates with a relay device that can use at least one of a plurality of networks;
   An input unit that accepts user input;
   A control unit,
   The controller is
   Based on the user input, transmits network instruction information indicating the unavailability of at least one of the plurality of networks to the relay device via the communication unit.
   Terminal device.
5. A communication system comprising a terminal device and a relay device,
   The relay device is
   A first communication unit that can use any of a plurality of networks;
   A second communication unit that communicates with the terminal device;
   Relay data between the first communication unit and the second communication unit;
   A network processing unit for notifying the terminal device of connection network information indicating a network used by the first communication unit;
   A storage unit for storing a network list in which address information and networks are associated;
   A communication control unit configured to control the first communication unit not to use the network corresponding to the address information when address information of a communication destination received from the terminal device is included in the network list;
   A communication system comprising:
6. A communication method in a relay device that relays data between a first communication unit that can use at least one of a plurality of networks and a second communication unit that communicates with a terminal device, wherein the first communication unit and the second communication A network processing process for relaying data to and from the department,
   A communication control process for controlling the first communication unit not to use at least one of the networks according to information received from the terminal device via the second communication unit;
   A communication method comprising:
7. A computer of a relay device that relays data between a first communication unit that can use at least one of a plurality of networks and a second communication unit that communicates with a terminal device, the first communication unit and the second communication unit Network processing procedure to relay data between,
   A communication control procedure for controlling the first communication unit not to use at least one of the networks according to information received from the terminal device via the second communication unit;
   A program for running

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