JP2002112324A - Wireless communication system, connection device for the wireless communication system and wireless communication connection method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make communication with each of communication devices at a proper transmission rate in the case that the communication devices make communication with one connection device in a wireless communication system. SOLUTION: The wireless communication system of this invention properly adjusts the number of communication channels used in a specific area on the basis of the number of the communication devices connected to the connection device 10 or a communication data quantity in one channel. Thus, even when the number of the connected communication devices or the communication data quantity is increased in the specific area, the communication between the connection device and each communication device can be made at a proper transmission rate.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a radio communication system including a connection device having a radio communication function, for connecting a communication device located in a communicable area of the connection device to another communication device, and a radio communication system for the same. The present invention relates to a connection device for a system and a wireless communication connection method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, wireless LAN (Local Area Network)
In a wireless communication system such as k), when a plurality of communication devices are connected to a connection device, the connection device divides the transmission capacity of one communication channel by the number of connections (the number of communication with each communication device) to perform communication. It is carried out.

FIG. 7 shows a connection device 110 and a communication device 12 connected to the connection device 110 in a conventional wireless communication system 100.
It is a figure which shows the communication state with 0a-120e. As shown in the figure, in the conventional wireless communication system 100, the number of communication channels in one connection device is fixed to one channel. Therefore, even when a plurality of communication devices are connected to the connection device 110, communication with each communication device is performed by dividing the transmission capacity of one channel without changing the number of communication channels.

[0004]

However, according to the conventional method in which the number of communication channels in the connection device 110 is fixed, if the number of communication devices connected to the connection device 110 increases, the transmission per communication device is not possible. There has been a problem that the capacity is reduced and communication cannot be performed smoothly in each communication device.

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to perform communication with each communication device at an appropriate transmission speed when communication is performed from a plurality of communication devices to a single connection device in a wireless communication system.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 includes a connection device having a wireless communication function (for example, the connection device 10 in FIG. 1). A wireless communication system for connecting a communication device (for example, the communication devices 20a to 20e in FIG. 1) located in a communicable area to another communication device, wherein a communication amount in a specific communicable region (for example, the connection device 10 The number of communication channels to be allocated to the communicable area is changed according to the number of communication devices connected to the communication area or the amount of communication data in communication channels used by the connection device 10).

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wireless communication connection method for connecting a communication device located in a communicable area of the connection device to another communication device, including a connection device having a wireless communication function. And including a first step of changing the number of communication channels allocated to the communicable area according to the amount of communication in the specific communicable area.

According to the first and tenth aspects of the present invention, the number of communication channels is allocated according to the amount of communication. Therefore, even when the amount of communication in a specific communicable area increases, the number of communication channels is increased. It can communicate with each communication device at an appropriate transmission speed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the wireless communication system according to the first aspect, a single connection device is installed in the specific communicable area, and the number of communication channels used by the connection device is set. , The number of communication channels to be allocated to the communicable area is changed.

[0010] The invention according to claim 11 is the invention according to claim 1.
0, wherein in the first step, a single connection device is installed in the specific area, and by changing the number of communication channels used in the connection device, The number of communication channels allocated to the communicable area is changed.

According to the second and eleventh aspects of the present invention, the number of communication channels can be changed by a single connection device in accordance with the amount of communication in a specific communicable area.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the wireless communication system according to the first aspect, wherein a plurality of connection devices are installed in the specific communicable area, and communication is used by the plurality of connection devices as a whole. By changing the number of channels, the number of communication channels allocated to the communicable area is changed.

The invention according to claim 12 is the first invention.
0, wherein in the first step, a plurality of connection devices are installed in the specific communicable area, and the number of communication channels used by the plurality of connection devices is changed. This changes the number of communication channels allocated to the communicable area.

According to the third and twelfth aspects of the present invention, the number of communication channels can be changed by a plurality of connection devices in accordance with the traffic in a specific area.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the wireless communication system according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein a part of usable communication channels is used for wireless communication with another wireless communication system. It is characterized by being used.

The invention according to claim 13 is the first invention.
13. The wireless communication connection method according to any one of 0 to 12, including a second step of using a part of available communication channels for wireless communication with another wireless communication system.

According to the fourth and thirteenth aspects of the present invention, a part of the available communication channels is used for communication with another wireless communication system, so that a different wireless communication system can be easily and easily performed. Connection can be made with an appropriate transmission capacity.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connection device having a wireless communication function for connecting a communication device located in a communicable area to another communication device, wherein the communication amount in the communicable region of the own device is reduced. The number of communication channels used at the time of the connection is changed accordingly.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, by changing the number of used communication channels, communication can be performed at an appropriate transmission rate with each connected communication device even when the communication volume in the connection device increases. .

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connection device having a wireless communication function for connecting a communication device located in a communicable area to another communication device, wherein the connection device has a communicable region of the own device and a communication device. The present invention is characterized in that the number of communication channels used by the other connection device is changed in accordance with the amount of communication in the communicable region of the other connection device whose communicable region overlaps.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the number of communication channels used by other connection devices can be changed in accordance with the traffic of the entire connection device having the overlapped communication possible region. It can communicate with each communication device at an appropriate transmission speed.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connection device having a wireless communication function for connecting a communication device located in a communicable area to another communication device, wherein the connection device has a communicable region of the own device and a communication device. The present invention is characterized in that the number of communication channels used by the own device is changed based on an instruction according to the communication amount in the communicable region of another connection device having the communicable region overlapping.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the number of communication channels used by the own apparatus can be changed based on an instruction according to the communication amount in the entire connection apparatus having an overlapped communicable area. Communication can be performed with each communication device within the available area at an appropriate transmission speed.

The invention according to claim 8 is the connection device according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein a part of usable communication channels is used for wireless communication with another wireless communication system. It is characterized by doing.

According to the invention described in claim 8, a part of the available communication channels is used for communication with another wireless communication system, so that different wireless communication systems can be easily and appropriately transmitted. Can be connected.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the connection device according to any one of the fifth to eighth aspects, wherein power is not supplied to an unused communication system in the connection device. I have.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, unnecessary power is not supplied to the communication system which is not used, so that the power consumption of the connection device can be reduced (driving cost can be reduced).

[0028]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a wireless communication system 1 according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, the configuration will be described.

FIGS. 1 to 6 show a wireless communication system 1 to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a connection example of communication devices at an access point of the wireless communication system 1. FIG.
, The wireless communication system 1 includes a connection device 10, communication devices 20a to 20e, and a LAN (Local Area Network).
k) 30. And the communication devices 20a-2
0e uses the connection device 10 as an access point and
30.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the connection device 10. 2, the connection device 10 includes antennas 11a and 11b, communication units 12a and 12b, a traffic control unit 13, an access control unit 14, and a route control unit 15. Further, the communication unit 12a includes a transmission unit 121a and a reception unit 122a, and the communication unit 12b includes a transmission unit 121b and a reception unit 122b. In FIG. 2, the connection device 10 includes a communication system (hereinafter, referred to as a “communication system A”) including an antenna 11a and a communication unit 12a, and a communication system (hereinafter, referred to as a “communication system B”) including an antenna 11b and a communication unit 12b. "
Say ) Are provided.

The number of communication systems provided in the connection device 10 is not limited to two, but may be any number. Further, the communication systems A and B may communicate with each other using carriers (carriers) in the same frequency band or different frequency bands.
Communication may be performed using the same communication method or different communication methods. In the present embodiment, these two
Since the respective components in the two communication systems A and B are the same, the communication system A will be described as a representative.

The antenna 11a transmits the signal input from the transmitting section 121a as a radio signal. Further, the antenna 11a receives a radio signal transmitted from the communication devices 20a to 20e and outputs the radio signal to the receiving unit 122a.

The transmission section 121a performs data conversion processing and modulation processing on communication data input from the access control section 14 into a predetermined format, and outputs the communication data to the antenna 11a.

The receiving section 122a performs demodulation processing and predetermined data conversion processing on the signal input from the antenna 11a, and outputs the signal to the access control section 14.

The traffic control unit 13 controls communication devices assigned to the communication systems A and B according to the number of communication devices connected to one communication system. That is, the traffic control unit 13 performs a channel number increase / decrease process P1 or P2 described later.
Is executed, the number of communication channels (communication channels of the communication system A and the communication system B) used in the connection device 10 is controlled.

The access control unit 14 performs a process related to obtaining the right to transmit via the communication systems A and B. For example,
When communicating with the communication devices 20a to 20c in the communication system A, these three communication devices have a right to transmit if other communication devices are unused. However, if another communication device is in use, the transmission is postponed.

The route control unit 15 manages the destination of communication data for each communication device, and transmits and receives communication data between the LAN 30 and the connection device 10. That is,
The route control unit 15 receives communication data addressed to a communication device used in the communicable area of the connection device 10 among the communication data transmitted via the LAN 30, and inputs the communication data to the access control unit 14. The communication data input from the access control unit 14 is transmitted to a predetermined communication destination via the LAN 30.

In addition, one or more connecting devices are additionally installed in the communicable area of the connecting device 10, and the communication channel (communication system to be used) in each connecting device 10 is set according to the communication traffic in the communicable region. ) May be assigned.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a connection example when a plurality of connection devices 10A to 10C are installed in the same communicable area. In FIG. 3, one connection device 10A is a master (main connection device 10), and other connection devices 10B and 10B.
C is a slave (subordinate connection device), and connection device 1
0A indicates the communication channel used by the other connection devices 10B and 10C. In this case, information indicating the communication traffic of each connection device is transmitted to the connection device 10A from the traffic control units of the other connection devices 10B and 10C. Then, based on the communication traffic information, the traffic control unit 13A of the connection device 10A transmits an instruction of the communication channel to be used to the traffic control unit of another connection device, so that the connection device 10A can connect to the other connection device 10B,
The communication channel used for 10C can be controlled.

Returning to FIG. 1, the communication devices 20a to 2 in FIG.
0e is a notebook PC (Personal) having a wireless communication function.
A communication device that can wirelessly communicate with the connection device 10, such as a computer, a desktop PC, and a printer.

The LAN 30 is a communication network constituted by an optical communication cable, a coaxial cable, and the like. A plurality of connection devices or connection devices capable of communicating with communication devices through wired communication are connected to the LAN 30.
A plurality of communication devices are connected to this connection device.

Next, the operation will be described.

The connection device 10 performs the channel number increase / decrease process P
The number of used communication channels is appropriately increased or decreased by executing any one of P1 and P2 or a combination of both. Hereinafter, each process will be described.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the channel number increasing / decreasing process P1 executed by the traffic control unit 13 of the connection device 10. The channel number increasing / decreasing process P1
It is started when the power of 0 is turned on. The channel number increase / decrease process P1 is performed by the communication devices 20a to 20
This is a process for controlling the number of communication channels used by the connection device 10 based on the number of communication channels 20e.

In FIG. 4, when the channel number increasing / decreasing process P1 is started, first, the traffic control unit 13 sets the parameter “number of connections” indicating the number of communication devices connected to the connection device 10 to “0”. And the parameter “number of used channels” indicating the number of currently used communication channels is set to “0” (step S101).

Next, the traffic control unit 13 determines whether a connection request or a disconnection request has been transmitted from the communication devices 20a to 20e to the connection device 10 (step S102). If it is determined that it has not been transmitted, the process moves to step S109.

If it is determined in step S102 that a connection request has been transmitted, the traffic control unit 13
Increases the “number of connections” by “1” (step S103),
It is determined whether the “number of connections” exceeds the increase threshold (step S104). Here, the increase threshold value is a value serving as a criterion for determining whether or not the number of permissible connections per channel in the currently used communication channel is exceeded.

If it is determined in step S104 that the “number of connections” does not exceed the increase threshold, the process in the traffic control unit 13 proceeds to step S109.

When it is determined in step S104 that the “number of connections” exceeds the increase threshold, the number of connected communication devices is too large with respect to the number of used communication channels. For one of the channel processing parts (unused communication systems), power supply is started to start using the communication channel, and the “number of used channels” is increased by 1 (step S105). Then, the processing in the traffic control unit 13 is performed in step S
Move to 109.

If it is determined in step S102 that the disconnection request has been transmitted, the traffic control unit 13
Reduces the “number of connections” by “1” (step S106),
It is determined whether or not the “number of connections” is less than the decrease threshold (step S107). Here, the decrease threshold is a value that is a criterion for determining whether or not the number of permissible connections per channel is lower than the currently used communication channel.

If it is determined in step S107 that the “number of connections” is not smaller than the decrease threshold, the process in the traffic control unit 13 proceeds to step S109.

If it is determined in step S107 that the “number of connections” is less than the decrease threshold, the number of connected communication devices is too small relative to the number of used communication channels. The power supply to one of the channel processing parts (unused communication systems) is cut off, and the “number of used channels” is reduced by “1” (step S108). And the traffic control unit 1
The process at 3 shifts to step S109.

Subsequently, the traffic control unit 13 determines whether or not the end of the channel number increase / decrease process P1 has been instructed (step S109), and determines that the end of the channel number increase / decrease process P1 has not been instructed. The processing in the traffic control unit 13 proceeds to step S102.
On the other hand, when it is determined that the end of the channel number increase / decrease process P1 has been instructed, the traffic control unit 13 ends the channel number increase / decrease process P1.

Next, the channel number increase / decrease process P2 will be described.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the channel number increasing / decreasing process P2 executed by the traffic control unit 13.
The channel number increase / decrease process P2 is started when the power of the connection device 10 is turned on. The channel number increase / decrease process P2 is a process for controlling the number of communication channels used by the connection device 10 based on the amount of communication data per unit time in the communication channel used by the connection device 10.

In FIG. 5, when the channel number increasing / decreasing process P2 is started, the traffic control unit 13 first sets the parameter “number of connections” indicating the number of communication devices connected to the connection device 10 to “0”. And the parameter “number of used channels” indicating the number of currently used communication channels is set to “0” (step S201).

Next, the traffic control unit 13 measures the amount of communication data per unit time in the used communication channel (hereinafter, referred to as “unit time data amount”) (step S202), and It is determined whether the amount has exceeded the increase threshold (step S203).
Here, the increase threshold is a value used as a criterion for determining whether or not the communication channel currently used is exceeding the allowable communication data amount per channel.

If it is determined in step S203 that the unit time data amount exceeds the increase threshold value, the amount of data to be communicated is too large for one channel being used. For one of the processing portions (unused communication systems) of the communication channel, power supply is started to start using the communication channel, and the “number of used channels” is increased by “1” (step S204). . Then, the process in the traffic control unit 13 proceeds to step S207.

If it is determined in step S203 that the unit time data amount does not exceed the increase threshold,
The traffic control unit 13 determines whether the data amount per unit time is below the decrease threshold (Step S20).
5).

If it is determined that the unit time data amount is not less than the decrease threshold, the process proceeds to step S207. If it is determined that the unit time data amount is less than the decrease threshold, the number of channels used is reduced. On the other hand, since the amount of data to be communicated is too small, the traffic control unit 13
The power supply to one of the unused communication channel processing parts (unused communication system) is cut off, and the “number of used channels” is reduced by “1” (step S206). Then, the processing in the traffic control unit 13 is performed in step S
Move to 207.

Subsequently, the traffic control unit 13 determines whether or not the end of the channel number increase / decrease process P2 has been instructed (step S207), and determines that the end of the channel number increase / decrease process P2 has not been instructed. The processing in the traffic control unit 13 proceeds to step S202.
On the other hand, when it is determined that the end of the channel number increase / decrease process P2 has been instructed, the traffic control unit 13 ends the channel number increase / decrease process P2.

The channel number increase / decrease processing P1 and P2
In, the power is not supplied to the processing part of the unused communication channel (unused communication system), so that the power saving of the connection device 10 (reduction of the driving cost) can be achieved.

As described above, in the wireless communication system to which the present invention is applied, the number of communication channels used in a specific area is determined based on the number of communication devices connected to the connection device 10 or the amount of communication data in one channel. Is appropriately increased or decreased.

Therefore, even if the number of connected communication devices or the amount of communication data increases in a specific area, communication between the connection device and each communication device can be performed at an appropriate transmission speed. Note that, in the present embodiment, each processing system of the connection device 10 includes communication devices 20a to 20e within the communicable area.
Although it has been described that wireless communication is performed with only the wireless LAN system, a part of the processing system may be used for communication with a connection device of another wireless LAN system. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state where one of the communication systems of the connection device 10 is used for communication with the connection device of another wireless LAN system. In this case, the wireless L
Communication between AN systems can be performed by one or more communication channels. Therefore,
Different wireless LAN systems can be easily connected with an appropriate transmission capacity.

Regarding the description of the claims, the present invention can further adopt the following aspects.

(1) A wireless communication system for connecting a wireless communication device located in a wireless communication area by a wireless communication access point to another communication device via the access point, wherein Wireless communication system, wherein the number of communication channels to be allocated to the area is changed according to the amount of communication in.

(2) A single connection device is installed at the access point, and the number of communication channels allocated to the area is changed by changing the number of communication channels used in the connection device. (1) The wireless communication system according to (1).

(3) A plurality of connection devices are installed at the access point, and by changing the number of communication channels used in the plurality of connection devices as a whole, the number of communication channels allocated to the area is changed. The wireless communication system according to (1), wherein:

(4) The wireless communication system according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein a part of available communication channels is used for communication with another access point.

[0072]

According to the first and tenth aspects of the present invention, the number of communication channels according to the traffic is allocated, so that even if the traffic in a specific communicable area increases, the communication is possible. Communication with each communication device located in the area can be performed at an appropriate transmission speed.

According to the second and eleventh aspects of the present invention, the number of communication channels can be changed by a single connection device according to the traffic in a specific communicable area.

According to the third and twelfth aspects of the present invention, the number of communication channels can be changed by a plurality of connection devices according to the traffic in a specific area.

According to the fourth and thirteenth aspects of the present invention, by using a part of the available communication channels for communication with another wireless communication system, it is possible to easily and differently use different wireless communication systems. Connection can be made with an appropriate transmission capacity.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, by changing the number of used communication channels, communication can be performed at an appropriate transmission speed with each connected communication device even when the communication volume in the connection device increases. .

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the number of communication channels used by other connection devices can be changed in accordance with the traffic of the entire connection device having overlapping communication available regions. It can communicate with each communication device at an appropriate transmission speed.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the number of communication channels used by the own device can be changed based on an instruction corresponding to the communication amount in the entire connection device having an overlapped communicable area. Communication can be performed with each communication device within the available area at an appropriate transmission speed.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, by using a part of the available communication channels for communication with another wireless communication system, a different wireless communication system can be easily and appropriately transmitted. Can be connected.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, unnecessary power is not supplied to the control part of the communication channel that is not used, so that the power consumption of the connection device is reduced (driving cost is reduced).
Can be achieved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a connection example of communication devices at an access point according to an embodiment of a wireless communication system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a connection device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a connection example when a plurality of connection devices are installed in the same communicable area.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a channel number increase / decrease process P1 executed by a traffic control unit in the connection device;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a channel number increase / decrease process P2 executed by a traffic control unit.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state in which one of the communication systems of the connection device is used for communication with the connection device of another wireless LAN system.

FIG. 7 shows a connection device in a conventional wireless communication system;
It is a figure showing the state of communication with the communication equipment connected to this.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 wireless communication system 10 connecting device 11a, 11b control unit 12a, 12b communication unit 121a, 121b transmission unit 122a, 122b reception unit 13 traffic control unit 14 access control unit 15 route control unit 20a to 20e communication device 30 LAN

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Isuke Karaki 3-5-5 Yamato, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture Inside Seiko Epson Corporation (72) Inventor Masahiro Kitano 3-3-5 Yamato Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture Seiko Epson F term in the corporation (reference) 5K033 AA01 AA03 CB06 DA01 DA17 5K035 AA02 AA06 BB03 CC05 CC08 DD01 EE25 FF01 FF02 JJ05 5K067 AA12 BB21 DD34 EE02 EE10 EE65 JJ12

Claims (13)

[Claims] A connection device having a wireless communication function;
A wireless communication system for connecting a communication device located in a communicable area of the connection device and another communication device, wherein the number of communication channels to be allocated to the communicable region is determined according to a communication amount in a specific communicable region. A wireless communication system characterized by changing. 2. A single connection device is installed in the specific communicable area, and the number of communication channels allocated to the communicable area is changed by changing the number of communication channels used by the connection apparatus. 2. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein: 3. A plurality of connection devices are installed in the specific communicable area, and the number of communication channels allocated to the communicable area is changed by changing the number of communication channels used by the plurality of connection devices as a whole. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the value is changed. 4. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein a part of available communication channels is used for wireless communication with another wireless communication system. 5. A connection device having a wireless communication function for connecting a communication device located in a communicable area and another communication device, wherein the connection device is connected to the communication device in accordance with a communication amount in the communicable region of the own device. A connection device characterized by changing the number of communication channels used at the time. 6. A connection device having a wireless communication function for connecting a communication device located in a communicable region to another communication device, wherein a communicable region of the own device and a communicable region overlap with the own device. A connection device, wherein the number of communication channels used by the other connection device is changed according to the amount of communication in the communicable area of the other connection device. 7. A connection device having a wireless communication function for connecting a communication device located in a communicable area to another communication device, wherein a communicable region of the own device and a communicable region overlap with the own device. A connection device, wherein the number of communication channels used by the own device is changed based on an instruction according to a communication amount in a communicable area of another connection device. 8. The connection device according to claim 5, wherein a part of available communication channels is used for wireless communication with another wireless communication system. 9. The connection device according to claim 5, wherein power is not supplied to an unused communication system in the connection device. 10. A wireless communication connection method that includes a connection device having a wireless communication function, and connects a communication device located in a communicable area of the connection device to another communication device, the method comprising: Changing the number of communication channels allocated to the communicable area in accordance with the amount of communication in
A wireless communication connection method, comprising the steps of: 11. In the first step, a single connection device is installed in the specific communicable area, and communication assigned to the area is changed by changing the number of communication channels used in the connection apparatus. The wireless communication connection method according to claim 10, wherein the number of channels is changed. 12. In the first step, a plurality of connection devices are installed in the specific communicable area, and the number of communication channels used by the plurality of connection devices as a whole is changed to enable the communication. The wireless communication connection method according to claim 10, wherein the number of communication channels allocated to the area is changed. 13. The radio according to claim 10, further comprising a second step of using a part of the available communication channels for radio communication with another radio communication system. Communication connection method.