JP2003188886A - Radio communication device, radio communication method, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically select a radio communication device, that a user intends to make communication, as a communication opposite party among a plurality of devices. <P>SOLUTION: Relation between the largeness of transmission power and a distance for receiving reception power with a level being equal to a fixed level or more is the relation of monotonous increase in a case without an obstacle. Besides the establishment of an assumption is experientially obtained that the radio communication device, that the user wants to make communication, is positioned nearest is distance to the user's own radio communication device. Transmission power is controlled, so that the range for receiving reception power with the level being equal to the fixed level or more is controlled. Thus, only one candidate for the communication opposite party is decided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wireless communication device and a wireless communication method for wirelessly communicating with another communication terminal in a wireless communication network, and a storage medium, and more particularly to communication with a plurality of wireless communication terminals simultaneously. The present invention relates to a wireless communication device, a wireless communication method, and a storage medium that operate in a wireless communication environment.

More particularly, the present invention relates to a wireless communication device and a wireless communication method for selecting a communication partner from one or more wireless communication terminals existing in a wireless communication environment, and a storage medium, and particularly to a wireless communication environment. The present invention relates to a wireless communication device, a wireless communication method, and a storage medium for selecting, as a communication partner, a terminal which a user intends to communicate from among one or more wireless communication terminals existing in.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art With the development of information processing and information communication technology,
LAN by connecting multiple information terminals such as computers
(Local Area Network) is often used to share information such as files and data, to share peripheral devices such as printers, and to exchange information such as email and data transfer. Has been done.

In particular, recently, the introduction of a personal area network (PAN) has been studied in order to construct a small-scale wireless network between a plurality of electronic devices existing around the person and to carry out information communication. ing.

In a short-distance communication system represented by PAN, a wireless communication path using a transmission path other than a wire cable such as radio waves and infrared rays is promising. This is because most of the wired cables can be omitted in a work space such as an office, and the terminal can be moved relatively easily in the work space.

As a typical example of short-range wireless communication, "Blue
“Tooth” can be mentioned. Bluetooth
h is a standard that provides a wireless connection interface applicable to various industries.
uetothoth SIG (Special Interest Group) "
Is responsible for its operation and management.

Bluetooth has an I of 2.4 GHz.
It uses a global radio frequency called the SM (Industry Science Medical) band and has an overall data transmission rate of 1 Mbps, including a 64 kbps synchronous transmission channel available for telephone voice transmission and data transmission. Asynchronous transmission channels are provided. The former synchronous transmission channel is an SCO (Synchronous Conn
ection Oriented Link) transmission method is adopted and applied to line connection. In addition, the latter asynchronous transmission channel
The ACL (Asynchronous Connection Less Link) transmission method is adopted and applied to data transmission by packet exchange.

Bluetooth offers not only a one-to-one cable alternative connection, but also the construction of a one-to-many simple wireless network. For this reason, Bluetooth
A communication function is maintained by giving a control function to one of the devices involved in communication. A device given a control function is called a “master” device, and other devices are called “slave” devices. In addition, a network in which the master and slave device groups are in communication is referred to as a "piconet (piconet)".
onet) ".

The Bluetooth master device is allowed to connect with up to seven slave devices at the same time. However, in the case of such a communication device capable of performing unspecified number of communications, it may be difficult for the user to specify the communication partner. For example, when the connectable devices are scattered at a close range, the user tends to lose sight of which device the user is currently communicating with. If the devices are connected by wire, the other party can be searched by the cable, but the connection is invisible on the wireless network.

In addition, in order to specify the communication partner, infrared rays or other wireless systems can be used together, but in this case, new hardware must be added,
This results in an increase in equipment cost.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an excellent wireless communication apparatus and wireless communication method, which operate favorably in a wireless communication environment in which a plurality of wireless communication terminals can communicate simultaneously.
Another object is to provide a storage medium.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an excellent wireless communication apparatus, wireless communication method, and storage medium capable of suitably selecting a communication partner from one or more wireless communication terminals existing in a wireless communication environment. To provide.

[0013] A further object of the present invention is to provide an excellent radio which allows a user to select a terminal intended for communication from one or more radio communication terminals existing in a radio communication environment as a communication partner. A communication device, a wireless communication method, and a storage medium are provided.

[0014]

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and a first aspect thereof is that it operates in a wireless communication environment in which a plurality of wireless communication terminals can communicate at the same time. A wireless communication device that receives wireless data, a transmission system that transmits wireless data,
A data processing unit that processes data transmitted and received via the reception system and the transmission system; and a selection unit that selects a communication partner from one or more wireless communication terminals existing in a wireless communication environment. It is a characteristic wireless communication device.

Here, the selecting unit may select the wireless communication terminal having the shortest propagation distance from the wireless communication device as a communication partner.

A second aspect of the present invention is a wireless communication method under a wireless communication environment in which a plurality of wireless communication terminals can simultaneously communicate with each other, and one or more wireless communication terminals existing in the wireless communication environment. The wireless communication method is characterized in that a user selects a communication intention from among the communication partners.

The wireless communication device or wireless communication method according to the first or second aspect of the present invention employs a method that is intuitively understandable to the user that the other party with whom communication is desired is physically close. is doing. Therefore, the user of the wireless communication device has a high possibility of always being able to set the communication with the partner whom he / she wants to communicate with, even if there are many other parties around him / her.

Further, it is possible to omit the trouble of searching for a communication device intended by the user from among many candidates for the other wireless communication device. Of course, it is not necessary to collect information about the other communication device.

Further, even if an unintended terminal is selected as a communication partner by mistake in operation, it is easy to recognize the mistake and the recovery is easy.

For example, it is possible to respond by narrowing the transmission power gradually from the maximum value to narrow down the responseable wireless communication terminals and / or gradually increasing the transmission power from the minimum value. It is possible to search for a wireless communication terminal that has the following, and specify one wireless communication terminal as a communication partner having the shortest propagation distance.

Alternatively, by gradually decreasing the strength of the error correction code from the strong one, the number of wireless communication terminals in which no information error occurs is narrowed down and / or the strength of the error correction code is gradually improved from the weak one. By doing so, it is possible to search for a wireless communication terminal in which an information error does not occur and specify one wireless communication terminal as a communication partner having the shortest propagation distance.

Alternatively, by gradually narrowing the antenna directivity from a wide range, it is possible to narrow down the wireless communication terminals that can respond and / or by gradually expanding the antenna directivity from a narrow range. By searching for possible wireless communication terminals, one wireless communication terminal can be specified as a communication partner having the shortest propagation distance.

Alternatively, by gradually changing the modulation method from one with strong noise resistance to one with weak noise, the number of wireless communication terminals in which information error does not occur is narrowed down and / or the modulation method is changed from one with weak noise resistance to strong. It is possible to search for a wireless communication terminal in which an information error does not occur by gradually switching to, and specify one wireless communication terminal as a communication partner having the shortest propagation distance.

Alternatively, by gradually narrowing the window of the multipath delay allowable time of the communication line from the wide one, the wireless communication terminals capable of responding are narrowed down and / or the window of the multipath delay allowable time of the communication line is narrowed down. It is possible to search for a wireless communication terminal capable of responding by gradually increasing the value from a narrow one to specify one wireless communication terminal as a communication partner having the shortest propagation distance.

Further, after once selecting a specific wireless communication terminal having the shortest propagation distance as a communication partner, the user may be inquired whether or not the wireless communication terminal intended for communication can be selected. If a negative response is received from the user, the selected wireless communication terminal is excluded and the communication partner is searched again, so that the desired communication partner can be efficiently found.

Further, if a history of past communication partners is held, weighting according to the contents of the history is given to each wireless communication terminal under the wireless communication environment, and the communication partner is selected. , It is possible to search for a communication partner in consideration of the user's habits and behavior patterns, and it is possible to reduce errors.

According to the wireless communication device or the wireless communication method according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, no special hardware is required for recognizing the communication device, and the existing hardware has some functions. The automatic recognition function can be realized just by adding it. As for software, the problem of insufficient processing capacity does not occur because it is not a function during communication, and because the processing is simple, it is easy to implement.

At present, there are some standardized and standardized communication protocols such as Bluetooth, but the operation of the wireless communication apparatus according to the present invention can operate completely independently of these protocol specifications. Yes, it does not modify the standardized protocol. Therefore, the present invention can be applied to various wireless networks and wireless communication devices.

Further, according to the wireless communication device or the wireless communication method according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, it is necessary to respond to a distant wireless communication device that is unlikely to perform communication. Disappears. Therefore, in the case of a mobile device or the like, it is possible to reduce power consumption as a whole.

Further, a third aspect of the present invention is a computer written so as to execute a process for controlling wireless communication under a wireless communication environment capable of simultaneously communicating with a plurality of wireless communication terminals. A storage medium physically storing software in a computer-readable format, wherein the computer software is a wireless communication terminal having a shortest propagation distance from one or more wireless communication terminals existing in a wireless communication environment. The storage medium is described so that the user can select it as a communication partner intended for communication.

Further, a fourth aspect of the present invention is a computer written to execute a process for controlling wireless communication under a wireless communication environment in which a plurality of wireless communication terminals can communicate at the same time. A storage medium that physically stores software in a computer-readable format, and the computer software narrows down the transmission power from a maximum value to narrow down the response wireless communication terminals, and / or It is described to search for a wireless communication terminal that can respond by gradually increasing the transmission power from the minimum value, and specify one wireless communication terminal as a communication partner. Is a storage medium.

Further, a fifth aspect of the present invention is a computer written so as to execute a process for controlling wireless communication in a wireless communication environment capable of simultaneously communicating with a plurality of wireless communication terminals. A storage medium that physically stores software in a computer-readable format, and the computer software is a wireless communication terminal in which an information error does not occur by gradually decreasing the strength of an error correction code from strong one. And / or gradually improving the strength of the error correction code from weak ones to search for a wireless communication terminal in which an information error does not occur and to identify one wireless communication terminal as a communication partner. The storage medium is characterized by being described as follows.

Further, a sixth aspect of the present invention is a computer written so as to execute a process for controlling wireless communication in a wireless communication environment capable of simultaneously communicating with a plurality of wireless communication terminals. A storage medium that physically stores software in a computer-readable format, and the computer software narrows down the antenna directivity from a wide range to narrow down the response wireless communication terminals, and / or Or, it is described to search for a wireless communication terminal that can respond by gradually expanding the antenna directivity from a narrow range and specify one wireless communication terminal as a communication partner. It is a storage medium characterized by.

Further, a seventh aspect of the present invention is a computer written to execute a process for controlling wireless communication under a wireless communication environment in which a plurality of wireless communication terminals can communicate at the same time. A storage medium that physically stores software in a computer-readable format, and the computer software is a wireless communication in which an information error does not occur by gradually changing a modulation method from one having strong noise resistance to one having weak noise resistance. Narrow down the terminals,
And / or, by gradually changing the modulation method from one with weak noise resistance to one with strong noise resistance, a wireless communication terminal in which an information error does not occur is searched for and one wireless communication terminal is specified as a communication partner. The storage medium is characterized in that

Further, an eighth aspect of the present invention is a computer written so as to execute a process for controlling wireless communication in a wireless communication environment in which a plurality of wireless communication terminals can communicate at the same time. A storage medium that physically stores software in a computer-readable format, the computer software being capable of responding by gradually narrowing the window of the allowable multipath delay time of the communication line from wide to narrow. One wireless communication terminal by searching for a wireless communication terminal that can respond by narrowing down the communication terminals and / or gradually widening the window of the allowable multipath delay time of the communication line from a narrow one The storage medium is described so as to identify the communication partner.

The storage medium according to each of the third to eighth aspects of the present invention provides computer software in a computer-readable format to a general-purpose computer system capable of executing various program codes, for example. It is a medium. Such a medium is, for example, a CD (Comp
act Disc), FD (Flexible Disk), MO (Magneto-O)
It is a removable and portable storage medium such as a ptical disc. Alternatively, it is technically possible to provide computer software to a specific computer system via a transmission medium such as a network (whether the network is wireless or wired).

Such a storage medium defines a structural or functional cooperative relationship between the computer software and the storage medium for realizing a predetermined computer software function on a computer system. Is. In other words, by installing the predetermined computer software in the computer system via the storage medium according to each of the third to eighth aspects of the present invention, a cooperative action is exerted on the computer system, The same effects as those of the wireless communication device or the wireless communication method according to the first and second aspects of the present invention can be obtained.

Still other objects, features and advantages of the present invention are as follows.
It will be clarified by a more detailed description based on embodiments of the present invention described below and the accompanying drawings.

[0039]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 schematically shows the configuration of a radio communication device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The wireless communication device 10 can operate on a short-distance wireless network such as a Bluetooth network that allows one-to-many communication.

As shown in the figure, the wireless communication device 10
Low noise amplifier 13, intermediate frequency converter 14, intermediate frequency amplifier 15, demodulation section 16, and digital signal processing section 1
7, a receiver block including a signal level detecting unit 19, a radio wave detector 24, a power amplifier 25, a frequency converting unit 26, an intermediate frequency amplifying unit 27, a modulating unit 28, and a transmitting unit including a comparator 29. The machine block is the antenna switching device 1
It is connected via 2 to a directional antenna composed of two antennas 11 and 18.

In the subsequent stage of the receiver block and the transmitter block, an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) 22,
A data processing block including a memory 30, a display device 21, an input device 13, and an external storage device 20 is connected.
The data processing block can be composed of, for example, a personal computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA) or other portable information terminal, or the like.

Here, the operation of the receiver block will be described.

The received signal received from the antenna 11 or 18 is transmitted to the receiver block by the antenna switcher 12. The received signal transmitted is the low noise amplifier 1
After being amplified by 3, the intermediate frequency converter 14 converts it to an intermediate frequency. The converted reception signal is amplified by the intermediate frequency amplifier 15 and then demodulated by the demodulation unit 16 into a digital signal.

The demodulated digital signal is subjected to digital signal processing such as framing and error correction in the digital signal processing section 7, and then sent to the MPU 22.
It is processed as received data.

Further, on the receiver side, the intermediate frequency amplifier 15 and the demodulation section 16 detect a signal related to the strength of the received signal, the signal level detection section 19 processes the signal, and the MPU 22 receives it as received signal strength data. It is processed.

The MPU 22 processes the data by using the received data and the received signal strength data. MPU22
The result of the data processing by (1) is appropriately displayed on the display device 21 (or may be externally output by another output device such as a printer (not shown)). The data processing result is temporarily held in the memory 23 or stored in the external storage device 20 such as a hard disk in a non-volatile manner.

Next, the operation of the transmitter block will be described.

The transmission data string generated by the MPU 22 is converted by the modulator 28 into a digital modulation signal.
In this case, the modulation unit 28 or the MPU 22 may perform processing in the reverse procedure to that of the digital signal processing unit 17.

The modulated signal converted by the modulator 28 is amplified by the intermediate frequency amplifier 27 and then converted into an RF signal by the frequency converter 26. Alternatively, the intermediate frequency amplification process may be omitted, and the output of the modulator 28 may be used to directly generate the RF signal in the frequency converter 26.

RF converted by the frequency converter 26
The signal is amplified in the power amplifier 25 to a level of power output from the antenna. Then, the amplified signal passes through the power detector 24, is selected by the antenna switching device 12 to be the antenna 11 or the antenna 18, and is then emitted into the air.

Further, the power detector 24 detects the transmission power, and the output signal related to the transmission power value is detected by the comparator 2.
9 is input. In the comparator 29, the transmission power value reference signal from the MPU 22 is compared with the output of the power detector 24, and the difference signal is used to control the gain of the power amplifier 25 or the intermediate frequency amplification unit 27 to output the output. The operation of keeping the power constant at the value instructed by the MPU 22 is performed.

The transmission data output from the transmitter block is a signal relating to data input by the user via the input device 23 such as a keyboard or a mouse, or an MPU.
22 is a signal relating to data communication generated inside.

Further, in the MPU 22, not only the processing of the transmission / reception signal in the wireless communication but also the function of the input device such as the external storage device 20, the display device 21, the input device 23, the memory 24, etc., which comprises the information terminal is used Stand-alone computer processing may be performed, such as processing user input via the memory or the contents of the memory, and outputting the processing result to the display device 21.

The wireless communication device 10 as shown in FIG.
It is widely used in PDAs, mobile phones, digital cameras and other devices, and can be used on convenient wireless networks. Here, Bluetooth
In a wireless communication network that allows one-to-many simultaneous communication as typified by 1), there is a situation in which the wireless communication device 10 must specify the other party of wireless communication.

Many wireless communication systems applied to a PAN (Personal Area Network) do not require a license,
It has the feature that the wireless communication partner is unspecified. As a result, it is possible to widely communicate with devices having a common wireless communication interface without being limited to a specific communication partner.

On the other hand, although the communication partner is not specified in advance, it is necessary to specify the communication partner within the receivable area (piconet) because only a limited number of partners can communicate at the same time.

For example, in the Bluetooth communication system, a procedure called "Inquiry" for requesting a response from a device in the piconet is defined. In this case, the wireless communication device operating as the master broadcasts an IQ packet for making an inquiry in the piconet when checking what kind of slave exists in the piconet. On the other hand, each wireless communication device operating as a slave receives its inquiry and receives its own Bluetooth.
It returns an FHS packet for notifying the OOTH address (BD_ADDR), clock information, and model attribute (Class of Device). Then, the master selects which slave to connect to based on the data of the FHS packet received from each slave.

FIG. 2 shows a Blue having a PDA function.
It illustrates a situation in which an inquiry procedure is performed from a tooth device. In the piconet shown in FIG.
Reaching distance from DA to Bluetooth (from several meters to 10
4 devices in about m) are responding to Inquiry.

Inquiry itself is Bluetooth
Only the 6-byte code called thID is acquired, but following this, UserFriendlyNam
e can be obtained. In the example shown in FIG.
On the display screen of each device, UserFriendlyN
A list of the results obtained by acquiring "ame" is displayed.

UserFriendlyName is B
It is a recognition character string of a device which can be discriminated by a human and is set in a Bluetooth terminal device. In the example shown in FIG. 2, UserFrie as shown near each device.
It is assumed that ndlyName is set for each.

On the display screen of the PDA located at the center of the piconet, UserFriendlyName of each of the four terminals responding to the inquiry is displayed in a list. "My mobile", "My CLI"
The three characters "E" and "VaioNote" are composed of a logical character string having a meaning and can be discriminated by the user. However, the remaining one UserFrie
The ndlyName "3Xh9abele" is composed of a meaningless inorganic character string, so that it is difficult for the user to specify the device only by looking at it.

In addition, the user independently uses UserFriend
It may be allowed to set dlyName. Therefore, in some cases, the same UserFree
A device having ndlyName may be duplicated in the piconet, and the user may be confused.

In short, when the user sees the screen as shown in FIG. 2 and has to select the wireless communication device with which he / she wants to communicate, in general, he / she surely intended. It seems that the possibility of choosing the other person is not so high. Furthermore, with the spread of Bluetooth devices, the density of Bluetooth devices in piconets will increase in work environments such as offices and homes, and the number of devices that respond to Inquiry will increase, with the possibility that there will be several tens of devices. To be done. In such a situation, there is almost no possibility that the other party can be correctly selected, which may result in that communication cannot be performed.

Conventionally conceivable methods of identifying a communication partner include (1) inputting the partner's information into one's own device in advance, and (2) using other identifying means.

However, in the method (1), the user needs to manually operate the device before starting communication, which is reliable but very primitive. In addition, the user is forced to perform a troublesome work, which greatly impairs convenience. In addition, a large number of devices may have to be stored, which is unrealistic.

In the method (2), the other party can be identified by using a means such as a bar code or RF-ID (radio tag). However, it is necessary to equip hardware different from the original function of wireless communication. It is very wasteful in terms of design to install the hardware only for the identification function. Further, in the barcode, there is a possibility that the barcode cannot be read because the pattern is damaged.

Therefore, the present inventor assumes that the wireless communication device that the user intends to communicate with is closest to the wireless communication device that the user himself has, and the propagation distance is the shortest. We propose a method to automatically select a terminal in a short position using the same wireless communication means as for data communication.

Generally, the relationship between the magnitude P of the power emitted from the wireless communication device and the distance D at which the wireless communication device of the other party receives the received power above a certain level is considered when there is no obstacle. , And there is a monotonically increasing relationship. Therefore, it is understood that the wireless communication device can control the range to be received with the received power of a certain level or higher by controlling the transmission power. Further, the assumption that the wireless communication device that the user intends to communicate with is the closest to the user's own wireless communication device is not so irrelevant.

A processing procedure for selecting the wireless communication device closest to the user as a communication partner by using such a characteristic between the received power and the propagation distance will be described in detail below.

FIG. 3 shows the time course of the number of terminals that can be recognized by the wireless communication device 10. FIG. 4 shows, in the form of a flowchart, an operation procedure for the wireless communication device 10 to select a communication partner.

However, in the radio communication device 10 shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that the maximum value and the minimum value of the transmission power control are defined, and an intermediate step of several steps or more is defined between them. Also,
The operation procedure shown in FIG. 4 can be realized, for example, in a form in which the MPU 22 executes a predetermined program code.

The wireless communication device 10 first sets the transmission power to the maximum (step S1), and the first Inqui
ry is executed (step S2). And Inqui
The number of terminals that responded to ry is counted (step S
3).

At this time, the number of communication partners that the wireless communication device 10 was able to recognize is shown as the first number in FIG. In the example shown in the figure, eight wireless communication devices could be recognized when the transmission power was maximum. Since the number of units is larger than one (step S4) and the transmission power is not the minimum (step S5), the wireless communication device 10 lowers the power control setting value by one step (step S6). Such power control is performed by the MPU.
22 is performed by controlling the gain of the power amplifier 25 or the intermediate frequency amplifier 27.

Then, after changing the set value of the electric power, the process returns to the step S2 to execute Inquiry again,
The number of terminals that responded to the inquiry is counted (step S3).

At the second trial, the reception power received by each communication partner is lower than at the first trial. As a result, the wireless communication device whose received power falls below a predetermined threshold does not respond to Inquiry. Therefore, in FIG. 3, the number of responding terminals is reduced to five at the second time.

In this way, when the above-described operation procedure is repeatedly executed, the transmission power becomes the minimum at the fourth trial (step S5), and the number of responding terminals becomes 0. (Step S7). Since it cannot communicate with any wireless communication device in this case, the transmission power is increased by one step (step S9) and the fifth trial is performed. More specifically, the transmission power is set to an intermediate value between the third transmission power and the fourth transmission power.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the number of terminals that respond in the fifth trial converge to one (step S4).
S7), on the assumption that the distance to the wireless communication device 10 is the shortest, this terminal is specified as the communication partner, and the entire processing routine ends.

In this way, while changing the transmission power, Inq
By continuously executing the errors, the wireless communication device 10 can narrow down the candidates of communication partners to one.

Of course, the radio communication device 10 must control such output power when selecting a communication partner, but thereafter, the data communication is performed while maintaining the transmission power set when the communication partner is selected. No need to communicate. When performing normal data communication with the device selected as the communication partner, the maximum power may be used to stabilize the communication, or the minimum power necessary to effectively use the radio wave resources.

Further, in the examples shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the wireless communication device 10 gradually narrows down from the maximum transmission power to narrow down the closest communication partner. On the contrary, by gradually increasing from the minimum transmission power, it is possible to narrow down the communication partner in the closest distance.

FIG. 5 shows the time course of the number of terminals that can be recognized in the wireless communication device 10 when the inquiry is repeated while gradually increasing from the minimum transmission power. Further, FIG. 6 shows, in the form of a flowchart, an operation procedure for the wireless communication device 10 to select a communication partner by repeating Inquiry while gradually increasing from the minimum transmission power.

However, in the radio communication device 10 shown in FIG. 1, the maximum value and the minimum value of the transmission power control are defined, and an intermediate step of several steps or more is defined therebetween. Also,
The operation procedure shown in FIG. 6 can be realized, for example, in a form in which the MPU 22 executes a predetermined program code.

The radio communication device 10 first sets the transmission power to the minimum (step S11), and the first Inq.
The iry is executed (step S12). And Inq
The number of terminals that responded to the inquiry is counted (step S13).

At this time, the number of communication partners that the wireless communication device 10 was able to recognize is shown as the first time in FIG. In the example shown in the figure, the wireless communication device cannot be recognized at all when the transmission power is minimum. The number of responding terminals is 0 (step S1
4, S17) and the transmission power is not the maximum (step S18), the wireless communication device 10 increases the power control set value by one step (step S19). Such power control is performed by the MPU 22 controlling the gain of the power amplifier 25 or the intermediate frequency amplifier 27.

Then, after changing the set value of the electric power, the process returns to step S12, Inquiry is executed again, and I
The number of terminals responding to nquiry is counted (step S13).

At the second trial, the reception power received by each communication partner is larger than at the first trial. As a result, the wireless communication device whose received power exceeds the predetermined threshold starts to respond to Inquiry. Therefore, in FIG. 5, the number of terminals responding to the second time increases to two. Therefore, since the number of responding terminals is 1 or more (step S14) and the transmission power is not the minimum (step S15), the transmission power is reduced by one step (step S16) and the third trial is performed.
More specifically, the transmission power is set to an intermediate value between the first transmission power and the second transmission power.

Then, after changing the set value of the electric power, the process returns to step S12 to execute Inquiry again, and I
The number of terminals responding to nquiry is counted (step S13).

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the number of terminals that responded by the third trial becomes 0 again. That is, the number of responding terminals is 0 (steps S14 and S1).
7) and the transmission power is not the maximum (step S
18), the wireless communication device 10 increases the set value of power control by one step (step S19). here,
The transmission power is set to an intermediate level between the first transmission and the second transmission.

Then, after changing the set value of the electric power, the process returns to step S12, the inquiry is executed again, and I
The number of terminals responding to nquiry is counted (step S13).

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the number of terminals that respond in the fifth trial converge to one (step S1).
4, S17), on the assumption that the distance to the wireless communication device is the shortest, this terminal is specified as the communication partner, and the entire processing routine ends.

Also, the radio communication device 10 can narrow down the communication partners at the shortest distance by a method other than controlling the transmission power. For example, the communication partner can be selected by using the strength (smallness) of the error correction code (redundancy). In this case, (1) the wireless communication device 10
First, a strong error correction code is used, and the degree of error correction is weakened as the target is narrowed down. Deleted from the search list in the order in which the information error occurred, and the last remaining 1
Devices are used as communication partners. Alternatively, (2) the weakest (no error correction) communication method is used first, and the terminal that can communicate first without error is selected as the communication partner. Alternatively, the communication partner is selected by the combination of (1) and (2).

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation procedure for the radio communication apparatus 10 to select a communication partner by controlling the strength of the error correction code. However, in the wireless communication device 10 shown in FIG. 1, the maximum value and the minimum value of the strength of the error correction code are defined, and an intermediate stage of several steps or more is defined therebetween. Further, the operation procedure shown in FIG. 7 can be realized, for example, in a form in which the MPU 22 executes a predetermined program code.

The radio communication device 10 first sets the strength of the error correction code to the maximum (step S21) and executes the first inquiry (step S22). Then, the number of terminals in which no information error has occurred is counted (step S23).

When the number of terminals counted is larger than one (step S24), it is further checked whether or not the strength of the error correction code is the minimum (step S25). If not, the strength of the error correction code is determined. It is lowered by one step (step S26). Then, returning to step S22, the next trial is performed.

If it is determined in step S24 that the number of terminals in which no information error has occurred is one or less, it is further determined whether or not there is 0 terminal (step S2).
7). If it is 0, it is further checked whether or not the strength of the error correction code is maximum (step S28), and if it is not the maximum, the strength of the error correction code is increased by one step (step S29). Then, returning to step S22, the next trial is performed.

On the other hand, the number of terminals that did not generate an information error is 1.
When narrowed down to the table, this terminal is specified as the communication partner, and the entire processing routine is ended.

The radio communication device 10 can also select a communication partner by changing the directivity of the antenna used for communication. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, when the antennas 11 and 18 are array antennas, directivity can be added to the transmission power viewed from the wireless communication device 10 by electrical control, and It is also possible to spatially control the received power received by the wireless communication device.

When the communication partner is selected by controlling the directivity of the antenna, (1) the radio communication device 10
At first, radio waves are emitted over a relatively wide range centered on omnidirectionality or a specific direction, and as the target is narrowed down, the range of emission of radio waves is narrowed around a specific direction. A search list is set according to the strength of the received electric field from the other party and the degree of error, and the last remaining one is set as the communication partner.
Alternatively, (2) the antenna characteristic shape having the narrowest communication range is used first, and gradually widened. The one received first is the communication partner. Alternatively, the communication partner is selected by the combination of (1) and (2).

In this case, the number of terminals for each directivity can be narrowed down by electrically switching the antenna directivity direction as shown in FIG. For example, when the communication partner is in the vertical direction with respect to the screen of the PDA as the wireless communication device 10, guidance is given from the operability of the PDA so that the possibility that the terminal is the most intended by the user is high. It is also possible to apply the method of.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation procedure for the radio communication apparatus 10 to select a communication partner by controlling the antenna directivity. However, in the wireless communication device 10 shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that the maximum value and the minimum value of the antenna directivity are defined, and an intermediate stage of several steps or more is defined therebetween. Further, the operation procedure shown in FIG.
It can be implemented in the form of executing code.

The radio communication device 10 first sets the antenna directivity to the widest (step S31) and executes the first inquiry (step S32). Then, the number of terminals that respond to the inquiry is counted (step S33).

When the number of responding terminals is larger than one (step S34), it is further checked whether or not the antenna directivity is the narrowest (step S35). If it is not the narrowest, the antenna directivity is narrowed by one step. (Step S36). Then, returning to step S32, the next trial is performed.

In step S34, Inqu
If it is determined that the number of terminals that responded to the iry is one or less, it is further determined whether or not there are 0 terminals (step S3).
7). If the number is zero, it is checked whether or not the antenna directivity is the widest (step S38), and if not, the antenna directivity is widened by one step (step S39). Then, returning to step S32, the next trial is performed.

On the other hand, the number of terminals that responded to Inquiry is 1
If narrowed down to the table (step S37), this terminal is specified as the communication partner, and the entire processing routine is ended.

The wireless communication device 10 can also select a communication partner by changing the modulation method used for communication. In this case, (1) the wireless communication device 10
First uses a modulation method that is highly resistant to noise,
As the target is narrowed down, it will be switched to a modulation method with low noise resistance. The information is deleted from the search list in the order in which the information error occurs, and the last remaining one terminal is used as the communication partner. Alternatively, (2) the communication method with the least noise resistance is used first, and the communication partner that can communicate first without error is the communication partner. Alternatively, the communication partner is selected by the combination of (1) and (2).

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation procedure for the radio communication apparatus 10 to select a communication partner by controlling the modulation method used for communication. However, in the wireless communication device 10 shown in FIG.
A plurality of modulation methods are defined according to the strength of noise resistance. In addition, the operation procedure shown in FIG.
It can be realized in the form in which 22 executes a predetermined program code.

The radio communication device 10 first sets the modulation method having the strongest noise resistance (step S41), and
The Inquiry for the second time is executed (step S42).
Then, the number of terminals that responded without generating an information error is counted (step S43).

When the number of terminals that responded without generating an information error is larger than one (step S44), it is further checked whether or not the current modulation method has the weakest noise resistance (step S45), If it is not weak, the modulation method is set so that the noise resistance is weak by one step (step S46). Then, returning to step S42, the next trial is performed.

In step S44, the number of terminals that responded to Inquiry without causing an information error is 1
When it is determined that the number is less than or equal to the number of units, it is further determined whether or not the number is 0 (step S47). If the number is 0, it is further checked whether or not the noise resistance of the current modulation method is the strongest (step S48), and if it is not the strongest, the noise resistance is set to one weak step (step S49). Then, returning to step S32, the next trial is performed.

On the other hand, Inq
If only one terminal responds to the inquiry (step S47), this terminal is specified as the communication partner, and the entire processing routine is ended.

The wireless communication device 10 can also select a communication partner depending on the allowable value of the multipath delay time of the communication line. In this case, (1) the wireless communication device 10
First, in the demodulation unit 16, the window of the multipath delay allowable time of the received signal is widened to start the communication, and the window of the delay allowable time is gradually narrowed. The last one left is the communication partner. Or (2) set the narrowest (or 0) window first,
Gradually increase the allowable delay time. The terminal that was able to receive first is the communication partner. Alternatively, the communication partner is selected by the combination of (1) and (2).

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation procedure for the radio communication device 10 to select a communication partner according to the allowable value of the multipath delay time of the communication line. However, in the wireless communication device 10 shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that the maximum value and the minimum value of the allowable value of the multipath delay time are defined, and an intermediate step of several steps or more is defined therebetween. Also, the operation procedure shown in FIG.
It can be realized in a form in which U22 executes a predetermined program code.

The radio communication device 10 first sets the window of the allowable multipath delay time to the widest (step S51) and executes the first inquiry (step S52). Then, the number of terminals that responded to the inquiry is counted (step S53).

When the number of responding terminals is larger than one (step S54), it is further checked whether or not the window of the multipath delay allowable time is the narrowest (step S55). The time window is narrowed by one step (step S5
6). Then, returning to step S52, the next trial is performed.

In addition, in step S54, Inqu
When it is determined that the number of terminals that responded to the iry is one or less, it is further determined whether or not there are 0 terminals (step S5).
7). If it is 0, it is checked whether or not the window of the multipath delay allowable time is the widest (step S58), and if it is not the widest, the window of the multipath delay allowable time is widened by one step (step S5).
9). Then, returning to step S52, the next trial is performed.

On the other hand, the number of terminals that responded to Inquiry is 1
If narrowed down to the table (step S57), this terminal is specified as the communication partner, and the entire processing routine is ended.

Even if any of the above methods is adopted, there is a possibility that a device different from the wireless communication device intended by the user may be finally selected. In this case, the user may be inquired via the user interface such as the display device 21 and the input device 23 whether or not the selected communication partner is correct. If it is not correct, the search may be performed again by the above operation to narrow down the candidates. When searching again, by excluding the device selected first, the process is accurate and speeded up.

Further, since the wireless communication device possessed by the user holds the history regarding the past communication partner, it can be added as a weight to the judgment criterion when searching for the communication partner. In this case, an evaluation function that uses the transmission power of itself when the communication device of the other party can recognize it and past history data as a function is created, and the combination in which the output of the evaluation function is maximum or minimum is the most likely communication. You may assume that it is a partner.

[Supplement] The present invention has been described in detail with reference to the specific embodiments. However, it is obvious that those skilled in the art can modify or substitute the embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. That is, the present invention has been disclosed in the form of exemplification, and the contents of this specification should not be construed in a limited manner. In order to determine the gist of the present invention, the section of the claims described at the beginning should be taken into consideration.

[0121]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention,
It is possible to provide an excellent wireless communication device, wireless communication method, and storage medium that operate favorably in a wireless communication environment in which a plurality of wireless communication terminals can communicate at the same time.

Further, according to the present invention, an excellent wireless communication apparatus, wireless communication method, and storage medium capable of suitably selecting a communication partner from one or more wireless communication terminals existing in a wireless communication environment. Can be provided.

Further, according to the present invention, an excellent wireless communication system capable of selecting a terminal, which the user intends to communicate with, as a communication partner from one or more wireless communication terminals existing in the wireless communication environment. A communication device, a wireless communication method, and a storage medium can be provided.

The present invention employs a method that is intuitively understandable for the user that the other party with whom communication is desired is physically close.

Therefore, even if there are many other parties around him / her, the user of the wireless communication apparatus is more likely to be able to always set the communication with the other party he / she wants to communicate with.

Further, it is possible to omit the trouble of searching for a communication device intended by the user from among many candidates for the partner radio communication device. Of course, it is not necessary to collect information about the other communication device.

Even if an unintended terminal is selected by mistake as the communication partner, it is easy to recognize the mistake and the recovery is easy.

Further, regarding the recognition of the communication device, no special hardware is required, and the automatic recognition function can be realized by adding some functions to the current hardware. As for software, the problem of insufficient processing capacity does not occur because it is not a function during communication, and because the processing is simple, it is easy to implement.

At present, there are some standardized and standardized communication protocols such as Bluetooth. However, the operation of the wireless communication apparatus according to the present invention can operate independently of these protocol specifications. Yes, it does not modify the standardized protocol. Therefore, the present invention can be applied to various wireless networks and wireless communication devices.

According to the present invention, there is no need to respond to a distant wireless communication device that is unlikely to communicate. Therefore, in the case of a mobile device or the like, it is possible to reduce power consumption as a whole.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a wireless communication device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which an Inquiry procedure is performed from a Bluetooth device equipped with a PDA function.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a time course of the number of terminals that can be recognized in the wireless communication device 10 when Inquiry is repeatedly executed while controlling transmission power.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a method in which the wireless communication device 10 controls I while controlling transmission power.
9 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure for selecting a communication partner by repeatedly executing nquiry.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a time course of the number of terminals that can be recognized in the wireless communication device 10 when Inquiry is repeatedly executed while controlling transmission power.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing how the wireless communication device 10 controls transmission power I
9 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure for selecting a communication partner by repeatedly executing nquiry.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation procedure for the wireless communication device 10 to select a communication partner by controlling the strength of the error correction code.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing how the wireless communication device 10 electrically narrows the number of terminals for each directivity by electrically switching the antenna directivity direction.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation procedure for the wireless communication device 10 to select a communication partner by controlling the antenna directivity direction.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation procedure for the wireless communication device 10 to select a communication partner by switching the modulation method used for communication.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation procedure for the wireless communication device 10 to select a communication partner according to the allowable value of the multipath delay time of the communication line.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Wireless communication device 11, 18 ... Antenna 12 ... Antenna switch 13 ... Low noise amplifier 14 ... Intermediate frequency converter 15 ... Intermediate frequency amplifier 16 ... Demodulation unit 17 ... Digital signal processing unit 19 ... Signal level detector 20 ... External storage device 21 ... Display device 22 ... MPU 23 ... Input device 24 ... Radio wave detector 25 ... Power amplifier 26 ... Frequency converter 27 ... Intermediate frequency amplifier 28 ... Modulator 29 ... Comparator 30 ... Memory

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F term (reference) 5K033 CB01 CC01 DA17 DB12 DB14                       EA02                 5K067 AA34 AA43 BB04 CC24 DD13                       DD24 DD45 DD46 EE02 EE25                       EE35 GG08 HH23 HH26 KK02                       KK03

Claims (26)

[Claims] 1. A wireless communication device operating in a wireless communication environment capable of simultaneously communicating with a plurality of wireless communication terminals, the receiving system receiving wireless data, the transmitting system transmitting wireless data, and the receiving system. And a data processing unit that processes data transmitted and received via the transmission system, and a selection unit that selects a communication partner from one or more wireless communication terminals existing in a wireless communication environment. Wireless communication device. 2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit selects a wireless communication terminal having the shortest propagation distance from the wireless communication device as a communication partner. 3. The selecting unit narrows down the transmission power from a maximum value to narrow down the wireless communication terminals that can respond and / or gradually increase the transmission power from a minimum value. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein a wireless communication terminal that can respond is searched for and one wireless communication terminal is specified as a communication partner. 4. The selection unit narrows down the wireless communication terminals in which no information error occurs by gradually decreasing the strength of the error correction code from the strong one, and / or weakens the strength of the error correction code. By searching for a wireless communication terminal in which information error does not occur by gradually improving from one, one wireless communication terminal is specified as a communication partner,
The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein: 5. The selection unit narrows down the antenna directivity from a wide range to narrow down the response wireless communication terminals, and / or gradually expands the antenna directivity from a narrow range. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a wireless communication terminal that can respond by searching is searched for and one wireless communication terminal is specified as a communication partner. 6. The selection unit narrows down wireless communication terminals in which no information error occurs by gradually switching a modulation system from one having strong noise immunity to one having weak noise immunity, and / or
Alternatively, by gradually switching the modulation method from one with weak noise resistance to one with strong noise resistance, a wireless communication terminal in which an information error does not occur is searched for and one wireless communication terminal is specified as a communication partner. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is a wireless communication device. 7. The selecting unit narrows down a window of a multipath delay allowable time of a communication line from a wide one to gradually narrow a range of wireless communication terminals capable of responding, and / or multipath of the communication line. The wireless communication terminal capable of responding is searched for by gradually widening the window of the allowable delay time from a narrow one, and one wireless communication terminal is specified as a communication partner. 1. The wireless communication device according to 1. 8. A user input / output unit is further provided, and the selection unit inquires of the user via the user input / output unit whether or not the user has selected a wireless communication terminal intended for communication. The wireless communication device according to claim 1. 9. The selecting unit, when receiving a negative response from the user, excludes the selected wireless communication terminal,
The wireless communication device according to claim 8, wherein the communication partner is searched again. 10. A history holding unit for holding a history of past communication partners, wherein the selection unit gives weight to each wireless communication terminal under a wireless communication environment according to the contents of the history. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication partner is selected. 11. A wireless communication method under a wireless communication environment capable of simultaneously communicating with a plurality of wireless communication terminals, wherein a user intends to communicate from one or more wireless communication terminals existing in the wireless communication environment. A wireless communication method, characterized in that an object is selected as a communication partner. 12. The wireless communication terminal having the shortest propagation distance is selected as a communication partner.
The wireless communication method described in. 13. A radio communication terminal capable of responding is narrowed down by gradually decreasing the transmission power from the maximum value, and / or a response is possible by gradually increasing the transmission power from the minimum value. Search for a wireless communication terminal that
The wireless communication method according to claim 11, wherein one wireless communication terminal is specified as a communication partner. 14. A wireless communication terminal in which an information error does not occur is gradually narrowed by gradually decreasing the strength of an error correction code from a strong one, and / or the strength of an error correction code is gradually improved from a weak one. The wireless communication method according to claim 11, further comprising: searching for a wireless communication terminal in which an information error does not occur by performing the search, and specifying one wireless communication terminal as a communication partner. 15. A radio communication terminal capable of responding is narrowed down by gradually narrowing the antenna directivity from a wide range, and / or a response is obtained by gradually expanding the antenna directivity from a narrow range. The wireless communication method according to claim 11, further comprising: searching for a possible wireless communication terminal and specifying one wireless communication terminal as a communication partner. 16. A wireless communication terminal in which an information error does not occur by gradually changing a modulation method from one having strong noise resistance to weak one, and / or a modulation method having strong noise resistance to strong. 12. The wireless communication method according to claim 11, further comprising: searching for a wireless communication terminal in which an information error does not occur by gradually switching to, and specifying one wireless communication terminal as a communication partner. 17. A wireless communication terminal capable of responding is narrowed down by gradually narrowing a window of allowable multipath delay time of a communication line, and / or a window of allowable delay time of multipath of the communication line. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 11, wherein a wireless communication terminal capable of responding is searched by gradually increasing the wireless communication terminal from one to identify one wireless communication terminal as a communication partner. Communication method. 18. The wireless communication method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of inquiring of the user whether or not the user has selected a wireless communication terminal intended for communication. 19. The wireless communication method according to claim 18, wherein when a negative response is received from the user, the selected wireless communication terminal is excluded and the communication partner is searched again. . 20. A history holding step of holding a history of past communication partners is provided, weighting is given to each wireless communication terminal in a wireless communication environment according to the contents of the history, and a communication partner is selected. The wireless communication method according to claim 11, wherein: 21. A computer-readable physical form of computer software written to execute a process for controlling wireless communication in a wireless communication environment capable of simultaneously communicating with a plurality of wireless communication terminals on a computer. The computer software stores the wireless communication terminal having the shortest propagation distance from among one or more wireless communication terminals existing in the wireless communication environment as a communication partner with which the user intends to communicate. A storage medium, characterized in that it is described to be selected. 22. A computer software physically written in a computer-readable format so as to execute a process for controlling wireless communication under a wireless communication environment capable of simultaneously communicating with a plurality of wireless communication terminals on a computer. In the storage medium stored in, the computer software narrows down the transmission power from the maximum value to narrow down the wireless communication terminals that can respond and / or gradually reduce the transmission power from the minimum value. It is described that a wireless communication terminal that can respond by increasing the number is searched for and one wireless communication terminal is specified as a communication partner.
A storage medium characterized by the above. 23. Computer software readable in a computer-readable format to execute computer software for controlling a wireless communication under a wireless communication environment capable of simultaneously communicating with a plurality of wireless communication terminals. The storage medium stored in the computer software, wherein the computer software narrows down the wireless communication terminals in which no information error occurs by gradually decreasing the strength of the error correction code from strong one, and / or error correction. It is described that a wireless communication terminal in which an information error does not occur is gradually searched by gradually increasing the strength of the code from a weak one, and one wireless communication terminal is specified as a communication partner. Characteristic storage medium. 24. Computer software physically written in a computer-readable format to execute a process for controlling wireless communication under a wireless communication environment capable of simultaneously communicating with a plurality of wireless communication terminals on a computer. In the storage medium stored in the computer software, the computer software narrows down the antenna directivity from a wide range to narrow down the wireless communication terminals that can respond and / or narrows the antenna directivity from a narrow range. A storage medium, which is described as searching for a wireless communication terminal that can respond by gradually expanding it and identifying one wireless communication terminal as a communication partner. 25. Computer software physically written in a computer-readable format to execute processing for controlling wireless communication in a wireless communication environment capable of simultaneously communicating with a plurality of wireless communication terminals on a computer. The storage medium stored in the computer software, wherein the computer software narrows down and / or modulates the wireless communication terminals in which no information error occurs by gradually changing the modulation method from one with strong noise resistance to one with weak noise resistance. It is described to search for a wireless communication terminal in which an information error does not occur by gradually switching the method from one with low noise resistance to one with strong noise resistance, and to specify one wireless communication terminal as a communication partner. A storage medium characterized by the above. 26. Computer software physically written in a computer-readable format so as to execute processing for controlling wireless communication under a wireless communication environment capable of simultaneously communicating with a plurality of wireless communication terminals on a computer. The storage medium stored in the computer software, wherein the computer software narrows the window of the allowable multipath delay time of the communication line from a wide one to narrow down the wireless communication terminals capable of responding, and / or Described to search for a wireless communication terminal that can respond by gradually widening the window of the multipath delay allowable time of the communication line from a narrow one, and specify one wireless communication terminal as a communication partner A storage medium that is characterized by being.