JP2003258809A - Radio communication equipment, controlling method thereof and program for realizing the controlling method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide radio communication equipment capable of easily grasping a communicating state with a plurality of radio communication equipment, its controlling method, and a program for realizing the controlling method. <P>SOLUTION: A printer 306 grasps connectable radio communication equipment and monitors and stores a communicating state with the radio communication equipment. If there is a request from, for example, an information terminal 301, the printer 306 transmits the stored communicating state to the information terminal 301. As a result, the information terminal 301 can grasp the communicating state of the printer 306. <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 capable of communicating with a plurality of wireless communication devices, a control method therefor, and a program for implementing the control method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, portable computers such as notebook PCs (personal computers), portable information terminals and portable printers have become widespread. Since such a portable device is small and lightweight and can carry out data communication making good use of portability, the wireless LA
Many can be connected to N (local area network). This is because if you use a wireless LAN, you do not have to lay cables like wires, and you can automatically configure the network regardless of where you place it in the same wireless area and instantly connect between wireless terminals. It is also possible to communicate.

Further, conventionally, the transmission speed on the wireless LAN was not so high and it was suitable only for the transmission of a small amount of data, but recently, the transmission speed has been improved,
Wireless LA with transmission speed comparable to conventional wired LAN
N has also appeared. Therefore, large-capacity data such as image data can be wirelessly transmitted at a higher speed than in the past.

[0004]

However, in such data communication on the wireless LAN, the existing wired LAN is used.
Unlike the above, since the transmission line is a space, the medium characteristics such as reflection and attenuation are complicated, and the state of the space is greatly affected, so that the transmission line quality is likely to fluctuate. , When wirelessly transmitting data, depending on the positional relationship between the transmitter and the receiver and the environment (for example, when there is an obstacle or a noise source of radio waves nearby),
It is very difficult to judge whether or not communication is possible, because the reception states are greatly different.

In the case of a wired LAN, the terminal is LA
If connected to N, with other terminals connected to this LAN,
Can communicate with each other regardless of distance, but wireless L
In the case of AN, there is a limitation that communication must be performed within a wireless communicable area, and it is very difficult to know how far the area is. Further, since the wireless terminal can be freely moved, there is a problem that the wireless terminal goes out of the wireless communicable area without knowing it.

[0006] In particular, a wireless communication device shared by each wireless communication device, such as a shared server or an access point, needs to be able to communicate with each wireless communication device.
You have to find such a communication area or consider the layout and environment of the wireless communication device.

For example, when arranging a wireless communication device, after the shared wireless communication device is temporarily installed, a communication test is performed on the shared wireless communication device from each wireless communication device arranged at every place. If there is a communication failure, either the wireless communication device or the shared wireless communication device is moved and the communication test is performed again. If the shared wireless communication device is moved, the communication test performed before the movement must be redone. Furthermore, if there are multiple shared wireless communication devices, it is necessary to perform more communication tests, and in order to find an area where all wireless terminals can communicate with the shared wireless communication device,
There is a problem that it is very difficult and difficult.

The present invention has been made in view of this point, and realizes a wireless communication device capable of easily grasping a communication state with a plurality of wireless communication devices, a control method thereof, and a control method thereof. The purpose is to provide a program to do so.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 is a search means for searching for a plurality of other wireless communication apparatuses capable of communicating with the wireless communication apparatus. Registration means for registering a wireless communication device selected from a plurality of other wireless communication devices searched by the searching means, monitoring means for monitoring the communication state of the registered wireless communication device registered by the registration means, and another wireless communication device. And a transmission unit that transmits the communication status of the registered wireless communication device to the other wireless communication device in response to a request from the communication device.

A radio communication apparatus according to a second aspect is the radio communication apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the transmitting means further comprises:
When the communication state of the registered wireless communication device changes,
The change in the communication state is transmitted to the wireless communication device.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the wireless communication device according to a third aspect is searched by the searching means for searching for a plurality of other wireless communication devices capable of communicating with the wireless communication device. Registration means for registering a wireless communication device selected from a plurality of other wireless communication devices, acquisition means for accessing the registered wireless communication device registered by the registration means, and acquiring terminal information of the registered wireless communication device; A monitoring unit for monitoring the communication state, and a transmitting unit for transmitting the communication state of the registered wireless communication device and terminal information to the other wireless communication device in response to a request from the other wireless communication device. To do.

In order to achieve the above object, the wireless communication device according to a fourth aspect of the invention is searched by the searching means for searching for a plurality of other wireless communication devices capable of communicating with the wireless communication device. Registration means for registering a wireless communication device selected from a plurality of other wireless communication devices, monitoring means for monitoring the communication state of the registered wireless communication device registered by the registration means, and a request for other wireless communication devices. And a specifying unit for specifying a wireless communication device from the registered wireless communication devices, and a transmitting unit for transmitting the communication state of the specified wireless communication device specified by the specifying unit to the other wireless communication device. Is characterized by.

A wireless communication device according to a fifth aspect is the wireless communication device according to the fourth aspect, wherein the transmitting means further comprises:
When the communication state of the designated wireless communication device changes,
It is characterized in that the change in the communication state is transmitted to the other wireless communication device.

In order to achieve the above object, a wireless communication apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is a reservation designating means for designating another wireless communication apparatus in advance, and a plurality of other wireless communication apparatuses capable of communicating with the wireless communication apparatus. Of the searching means for searching for, the registering means for registering the wireless communication device selected from the plurality of other wireless communication devices searched by the searching means, and the registration among the registered wireless communication devices registered by the registering means. A monitoring unit that monitors the communication state of the reservation-designated wireless communication device designated in advance by the designation unit, and the communication state of the reservation-designated wireless communication device in response to a request from another wireless communication device. And a transmitting means for transmitting to.

A wireless communication device according to claim 7 is the wireless communication device according to claim 6, wherein the transmitting means further comprises:
When the communication state of the reservation-designated wireless communication device changes, the change in the communication state is transmitted to the other wireless communication device.

In order to achieve the above object, a wireless communication apparatus according to claim 8 searches for reservation specifying means for specifying a wireless communication apparatus in advance and a plurality of other wireless communication apparatuses capable of communicating with the wireless communication apparatus. Search means, a terminal information acquisition means for accessing the registered wireless communication device registered by the registration means, and acquiring the terminal information of the registered wireless communication device; Designating means for designating a wireless communication device that matches the reserved designated wireless communication device, monitoring means for monitoring the communication state of the designated wireless communication device designated by the designating device, and in response to a request from another wireless communication device. And a transmission unit that transmits the communication status of the designated wireless communication device monitored by the monitoring unit to the other wireless communication device.

A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 9 is the wireless communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the transmitting means further comprises:
When the communication state of the designated wireless communication device changes,
It is characterized in that the change in the communication state is transmitted to the other wireless communication device.

A radio communication apparatus according to a tenth aspect is the radio communication apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein the searching means uses a synchronization method by dispersion adjustment,
Another wireless communication device is searched by the transmission address of the synchronization signal.

A radio communication apparatus according to an eleventh aspect is the radio communication apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein when the searching means uses a synchronization method by centralized adjustment,
It is characterized in that another wireless communication device is searched by the reception address of the polling signal.

A radio communication apparatus according to a twelfth aspect is the radio communication apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein the searching means uses a synchronization method by centralized adjustment,
It is characterized in that a polling list is acquired from a wireless communication device that transmits polling, and another wireless communication device is searched based on the polling list.

A radio communication apparatus according to a thirteenth aspect is the radio communication apparatus according to the tenth aspect, wherein the dispersion adjustment is an adjustment in radio communication in which each radio communication apparatus sequentially generates a timing signal for timing synchronization. Is characterized in that.

A wireless communication apparatus according to a fourteenth aspect is the wireless communication apparatus according to the eleventh or twelfth aspect, wherein the centralized adjustment is an adjustment in wireless communication for polling.

A wireless communication apparatus according to a fifteenth aspect is the wireless communication apparatus according to the eighth or ninth aspect, wherein the reservation designating unit predesignates a terminal attribute of the wireless communication apparatus, and the designating unit is the registered wireless unit. The communication device is characterized in that a device having the previously specified terminal attributes that match is specified.

A radio communication apparatus according to a sixteenth aspect is the radio communication apparatus according to the eighth or ninth aspect, wherein the reservation designating means predesignates a terminal address of the radio communication apparatus, and the designating means sets the registered radio. The communication device is characterized in that a device that matches the specified terminal address is specified.

A radio communication apparatus according to claim 17 is the radio communication apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the plurality of other radio communication apparatuses are access points having a radio communication function and a gateway function. It is characterized by including a server having a file / application sharing function and a mail function, and a printer having an image forming function.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a method of controlling a wireless communication device according to a eighteenth aspect of the present invention is such that a search step of searching for a plurality of other wireless communication devices capable of communicating with the wireless communication device, and a searching step. A registration step of registering a wireless communication device selected from a plurality of other wireless communication devices searched for, a monitoring step of monitoring a communication state of the registered wireless communication device registered by the registration means, and a registration step of another wireless communication device. A transmission step of transmitting the communication status of the registered wireless communication device to the other wireless communication device in response to a request.

A method for controlling a wireless communication device according to a nineteenth aspect is the method for controlling a wireless communication device according to the eighteenth aspect.
In the transmitting step, when the communication state of the registered wireless communication device changes, the change of the communication state is transmitted to the wireless communication device.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a method of controlling a wireless communication device according to a twentieth aspect is such that a search step of searching for a plurality of other wireless communication devices capable of communicating with the wireless communication device, and a search step according to the searching step. Registration means for registering a wireless communication device selected from a plurality of other searched wireless communication devices; an acquisition step for accessing the registered wireless communication device registered by the registration step and acquiring terminal information thereof; A monitoring step of monitoring the communication state of the communication device, and a transmitting step of transmitting the communication state of the registered wireless communication device and terminal information to the other wireless communication device in response to a request from the other wireless communication device. Is characterized by.

In order to achieve the above object, a method of controlling a wireless communication device according to a twenty-first aspect of the invention is a search step of searching for a plurality of other wireless communication devices capable of communicating with the wireless communication device, and the searching step. A registration step of registering a wireless communication device selected from the other plurality of searched wireless communication devices, a monitoring step of monitoring a communication state of the registered wireless communication device registered by the registration step, and a registration step of another wireless communication device. A designating step of designating a wireless communication device from the registered wireless communication devices in response to a request; and a transmitting step of transmitting the communication state of the designated wireless communication device designated by the designating step to the other wireless communication device. It is characterized by having.

A method for controlling a wireless communication device according to a twenty-second aspect is the method for controlling a wireless communication device according to the twenty-first aspect.
In the transmitting step, when the communication state of the designated wireless communication device changes, the change in the communication state is transmitted to the other wireless communication device.

In order to achieve the above object, a control method of a wireless communication device according to a twenty-third aspect is such that a reservation designating step for designating another wireless communication device in advance and a plurality of other plurality of other wireless communication devices capable of communicating with the wireless communication device. Of a search step of searching for a wireless communication device, a registration step of registering a wireless communication device selected from a plurality of other wireless communication devices searched by the searching step, and a registered wireless communication device registered by the registration step A monitoring step of monitoring the communication state of the reservation-designated wireless communication device previously designated by the reservation-designating step, and in response to a request from another wireless communication device,
A transmission step of transmitting the communication state of the reservation-specified wireless communication device to the other wireless communication device.

A method for controlling a wireless communication device according to a twenty-fourth aspect is the method for controlling a wireless communication device according to the twenty-third aspect,
In the transmitting step, when the communication state of the reservation-designated wireless communication device changes, the change in the communication state is transmitted to the other wireless communication device.

In order to achieve the above object, a method for controlling a wireless communication device according to a twenty-fifth aspect of the invention is a reservation designating step for designating a wireless communication device in advance, and a plurality of other wireless communications capable of communicating with the wireless communication device. A search step of searching for a device, a terminal information acquisition step of accessing the registered wireless communication device registered in the registration step and acquiring terminal information thereof, and a registration specifying step from among the registered wireless communication devices in advance. A designating step of designating a wireless communication device that matches the designated reserved wireless communication device, a monitoring step of monitoring the communication state of the designated wireless communication device designated by the designating step, and a request from another wireless communication device According to the transmission, the communication state of the designated wireless communication device monitored by the monitoring step is transmitted to the other wireless communication device. And having a step.

A method for controlling a wireless communication device according to a twenty-sixth aspect is the method for controlling a wireless communication device according to the twenty-fifth aspect.
In the transmitting step, when the communication state of the designated wireless communication device changes, the change in the communication state is transmitted to the other wireless communication device.

In order to achieve the above object, a program according to a twenty-seventh aspect of the present invention is a program for searching for a plurality of other wireless communication devices capable of communicating with the wireless communication device, and a search procedure for searching for another wireless communication device. A registration procedure for registering a wireless communication device selected from a plurality of wireless communication devices, a monitoring procedure for monitoring a communication state of the registered wireless communication device registered by the registration means, and a request from another wireless communication device, And a transmission procedure for transmitting the communication status of the registered wireless communication device to the other wireless communication device.

A program according to a twenty-eighth aspect is the program according to the twenty-seventh aspect, wherein in the transmission procedure, when the communication state of the registered wireless communication device changes, the change in the communication state is changed. It is characterized by transmitting to the device.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a program according to a twenty-ninth aspect of the invention is a program for searching for a plurality of other wireless communication devices capable of communicating with the wireless communication device, and another program searched by the searching procedure. Registration means for registering a wireless communication device selected from a plurality of wireless communication devices, an acquisition procedure for accessing the registered wireless communication device registered by the registration procedure, and acquiring terminal information of the registered wireless communication device, and a communication state of the wireless communication device. And a transmission procedure for transmitting a communication state of the registered wireless communication device and terminal information to the other wireless communication device in response to a request from the other wireless communication device. And

In order to achieve the above object, a program according to a thirtieth aspect of the present invention is a program for searching for a plurality of other wireless communication devices capable of communicating with the wireless communication device, and for searching other wireless communication devices by the searching procedure. A registration procedure for registering a wireless communication device selected from a plurality of wireless communication devices, a monitoring procedure for monitoring a communication state of the registered wireless communication device registered by the registration procedure, and a request from another wireless communication device, A computer realizes a designation procedure for designating a wireless communication device from the registered wireless communication devices and a transmission procedure for transmitting the communication status of the designated wireless communication device designated by the designation procedure to the other wireless communication device. It is characterized by

According to a thirty-first aspect of the invention, in the program of the thirtieth aspect, in the transmission procedure, when the communication state of the designated wireless communication device is changed, the change of the communication state is changed to the other one. It is characterized by transmitting to a wireless communication device.

In order to achieve the above object, a program according to a thirty-second aspect of the invention is a program for designating a reservation for previously designating another wireless communication device, and searching for a plurality of other wireless communication devices capable of communicating with the wireless communication device. The search procedure, the registration procedure for registering a wireless communication device selected from a plurality of other wireless communication devices searched by the search procedure, and the reservation specifying procedure among the registered wireless communication devices registered by the registration procedure. A monitoring procedure for monitoring the communication state of the reservation-designated wireless communication device designated in advance by the above, and the communication state of the reservation-designated wireless communication device is transmitted to the other wireless communication device in response to a request from the other wireless communication device. And a transmission procedure to be performed by a computer.

According to a thirty-third aspect of the present invention, in the program of the thirty-second aspect, in the transmission procedure, when the communication state of the reservation-designated wireless communication device is changed, the change of the communication state is caused by other factors. It is transmitted to the wireless communication device.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a program according to a thirty-fourth aspect of the invention is a reservation designating procedure for designating a wireless communication device in advance and a search for searching for a plurality of other wireless communication devices capable of communicating with the wireless communication device. A procedure, a terminal information acquisition procedure for accessing a registered wireless communication device registered by the registration procedure and acquiring the terminal information thereof, and a reservation designation specified in advance by the reservation designation procedure from the registered wireless communication devices. A designation procedure for designating a radio communication device that matches the radio communication device, a monitoring procedure for monitoring the communication state of the designated radio communication device designated by the designation procedure, and a request procedure from another radio communication device A transmission procedure for transmitting the communication status of the designated wireless communication device monitored by the monitoring procedure to the other wireless communication device.

According to a thirty-fifth aspect of the present invention, in the program of the thirty-fourth aspect, in the transmission procedure, when the communication state of the designated wireless communication device changes, the change of the communication state is changed to the other one. It is characterized by transmitting to a wireless communication device.

[0044]

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

Before describing the detailed structure of the present invention, first, an outline of the present invention will be described.

According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently specify the installation location of the shared wireless communication device required by each wireless communication device or grasp that the wireless communication device is within the wireless communicable area without using special equipment. By doing so, the convenience of the operator is improved. More specifically, a communicable wireless communication device is registered, its communication state is monitored, and the communication state of the registered wireless communication device is transmitted in response to a request from another wireless communication device.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a radio communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the radio communication apparatus according to this embodiment has an antenna 100, a modulator 102 and a demodulator 10.
3, the wireless transmission / reception unit 101, the transmission control unit 104, the reception control unit 105, the data processing unit 107, and the data storage unit 1
08 / data input / output unit 109 / transmission message generation unit 1
10 (communication status transmission means) / wireless terminal information management unit 111
(Communication management means, search means, registration means, terminal information acquisition means, wireless communication device reservation designation means) designated terminal list 112
An overall control unit 106 having a wireless reception quality monitoring unit 119 (monitoring unit), an I / O (Input / Output) unit 113, an operation unit 114, a reception level detection unit 117, and a wireless control unit 116 having a modulation method setting unit 118. Is equipped with.

The above-mentioned configuration will be described in detail.
1 is connected to the antenna 100, and the antenna 10
Sends and receives signals to and from 0. In the wireless transmission / reception unit 101, the modulation unit 102 band-limits the transmission data supplied from the transmission control unit 104 within the radio frequency region and converts the transmission data into a modulation signal based on a predetermined modulation method. The demodulation unit 103 demodulates the modulated signal received from the antenna 100 and converts it into received data.

The transmission control unit 104 assembles the data supplied from the overall control unit 106 into a frame structure of transmission data, and a CRC (Cyclic Redunda) for data check.
ncyCheck) and error correction bits to correct data errors.

The reception control section 105 includes a radio transmission / reception section 101.
The data frame of the received data supplied from the demodulation unit 103 is decomposed, frame header analysis, data extraction from the frame, CRC check, and error correction for correcting data error are performed.

The overall control unit 106 controls the entire wireless communication apparatus, and will be described later with reference to FIGS.
The transmission / reception processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. In the overall control unit 106, the data processing unit 107 performs processing such as data processing, deletion, editing, addition and calculation.
The data storage unit 108 performs writing / reading of a large amount of data and memory management. Data input / output unit 109
Performs input / output processing of voice data and image data, output processing such as printing by a printer (not shown) outside the wireless communication device, and control. However, as for the data input / output unit 109, there is a wireless communication device that is specialized in some functions or is not equipped at all. For example, it is a shared wireless communication device (shared server, shared printer, access point, etc.) shared and used by each wireless communication device.

The wireless terminal information management section 111 performs registration, deletion, recording and management of the terminal information of this wireless communication apparatus, and is provided with a terminal information management table shown in FIG. 4 described later. The designated terminal list 112 is a list referred to when there is a designated terminal. The wireless reception quality monitoring unit 119 acquires the wireless reception state from the wireless control unit 116 and monitors the wireless reception quality.

The I / O unit 113 includes an input / output unit for inputting / outputting voice and video, an output unit for outputting print data for a printer, and the like.

The operation unit 114 is provided with keys, and the key operation is input to the overall control unit 106.

The radio control unit 116 has the radio transmission / reception unit 10
1. Controls the transmission control unit 104 and the reception control unit 105. In the radio control unit 116, the reception level detection unit 1
Reference numeral 17 detects the reception level based on the signal supplied from the wireless transmission / reception unit 101. The modulation method setting unit 118
Set the modulation method.

With the above configuration, the wireless communication device of this embodiment transmits the known communication state of the wireless communication device to another wireless communication device, or when the communication state changes, Notify of changes.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the demodulation section 103 of the wireless transmission / reception section 101 of FIG.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the demodulation unit 103 in the case where a spread spectrum system is adopted as a wireless communication system, and (b) is a narrow band for performing wireless communication by narrowing a normal frequency band as much as possible as the wireless communication system. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a demodulation unit 103 when the method is adopted.

In FIG. 2A, the demodulation section 103 is composed of a bandpass filter (BPF) 201, a spread demodulation section 202, a spread code generation section 203 and a narrow band demodulation section 204. In FIG. 2B, the demodulation unit 103 includes a bandpass filter (BPF) 205 and a narrow band demodulation unit 206.

The above structure will be described in detail. First, FIG.
In the above, the narrow band demodulation section 206 demodulates the narrow band demodulation section 206 to demodulate the narrow band demodulation section 206 to receive the narrow band modulated signal received by the antenna 100, and the band pass filter 205 band-limits the frequency band to the required frequency component, Transfer to the control unit 105.

As narrow band modulation, AM of analog modulation is used.
There are also modulation (amplitude modulation) and FM modulation (frequency modulation),
Here, since the digital data is modulated, the digital modulation is performed. The FSK modulation (frequency shift keying modulation) transmits digital information by switching a plurality of frequencies, and the PSK modulation transmits digital information by switching a plurality of phases. (Phase shift keying modulation), QAM modulation (quadrature amplitude modulation), which suppresses errors by arranging signal points of quadrature components at positions where two-dimensional interference is unlikely, is used. Here, the reception level can be detected by detecting the power component of the narrowband modulation signal in the effective frequency band.

Next, in FIG. 2A, the spread spectrum demodulation unit 202 receives the spread spectrum modulated signal received by the antenna 100 and band-limited to the frequency component of the required band by the band pass filter 201.
Then, based on the spreading code generated by the spreading code generation unit 203, it is demodulated into a narrow band modulation signal, and further, the signal is demodulated by the narrow band demodulation unit 204, returned to a digital signal, and transferred to the reception control unit 105. .

Unlike the narrow band modulation, the spread spectrum modulation method is a modulation method that widens the band as much as possible and enables wireless communication with a small amount of power. There are roughly two types of spread spectrum modulation methods. One is the DS method (direct spread method), which is PSK in the narrow band modulation method.
The modulation method is used, and the phase modulation by the pseudo-random sequence which is a wideband spreading code is used by the spreading modulation. The other is the FH method (frequency hopping method), which uses the FSK modulation method or the PSK modulation method as the narrow band modulation method, and the spreading is performed by hopping the carrier frequency with a pseudo random sequence.

In both of the above methods, in the DS method, a spreading sequence pattern having a low correlation is selected, and in the FH method, a sequence having a small frequency of hits is selected. Allows simultaneous channel communication. Here, the reception level can be detected by detecting the power component of the spread spectrum modulation signal in the effective frequency band or by detecting the power component of the narrow band modulation signal after spread demodulation.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a wireless communication system using the wireless communication apparatus of this embodiment.

As shown in the figure, the present wireless communication system includes information terminals 301 to 303 such as PCs, APs (access points) 304, servers 305 and printers 306.
It is composed by.

The AP 304 is connected to the wired LAN 307, a public network, etc., and has a wireless communication function and a gateway function.

The server 305 has a function of sharing files and applications, a mail function, and the like.

The printer 306 is shared by devices connected to other networks via the AP 304, information terminals 301 to 303 such as PCs, the server 305, and the like.

In this wireless communication system, the wireless communication device of the present invention is applied to the printer 306. The printer 306 recognizes a connectable wireless communication device and monitors and stores the communication state with the wireless communication device. Then, for example, when there is a request from the information terminal 301, the printer 306
Transmits the stored communication status to the information terminal 301. As a result, the information terminal 301 becomes the printer 306.
It is possible to understand the communication status of the.

As described above, in the above system configuration, the present invention is applied to the printer 306. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a display unit capable of displaying a list of wireless communication devices is not provided. Alternatively, the present invention can be applied to any wireless communication device that is not equipped with an operation unit that can specify the wireless communication device.

FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of the terminal information management table of the wireless terminal information management unit 111 of the overall control unit 106 of FIG. 1, a configuration example of the designated terminal list 112, and a request example of the designated terminal list 112. It is a figure, (a) shows the structural example of a terminal information management table, (b) shows the structural example of the designated terminal list 112, (c) has designated request from another wireless communication apparatus. A configuration example of the designated terminal list 112 in this case is shown.

In the terminal information management table of (a), the reception status and transmission rate of data from the transmission terminal currently registered with the terminal number, the terminal attribute, the designation of the designated terminal, and the reception state are notified. The message is stored.

In the designated terminal list 112 of (b), the terminal number and the terminal attribute are registered. When the terminal is automatically designated, the designated terminal list 112 is referred to and the corresponding terminal is automatically designated. To be done.

In the request designated terminal list 112 of (c),
When the terminal number and the terminal attribute are registered and another device specifies the terminal, this list is referred to and the corresponding terminal is specified.

As shown in FIG. 4, as the designated terminal, one having a terminal attribute in which this device is supposed to be used,
For example, by designating an AP or an information terminal (PC here) that communicates well and registering it in the designated terminal list 112, a wireless communication device which is indispensable in the system configuration shown in FIG. It constantly monitors that it is possible to communicate with the AP 304 or the server 305, which is the wireless communication device (own terminal), and responds to requests from other devices.
Sending the communication status of the wireless communication device capable of communicating,
If there is a change, it is possible to send a message to that effect.

The transmission / reception processing operation executed by the wireless communication apparatus configured as described above will be described below in detail with reference to the terminal information management table of FIG. 4 and the flowcharts of FIGS. The transmission / reception process is executed by the overall control unit 106 of the wireless communication device.

First, when the operator turns on the power of the transmission wireless communication device (transmitting side wireless communication device), the overall control unit 106 determines whether or not to connect to the wireless communication device existing in the wireless communication enabled area. Is checked (step S1). If not connected, the process proceeds to step S64 in FIG. 9, and if connected, a connection process is performed (step S64).
2). The connection process is a process required to participate in the network and receive polling when centrally adjusted by polling by an access point or the like.
Further, even in the case of distributed adjustment in which each device sequentially generates a timing signal for timing synchronization, processing such as participation in the network to participate in the generation of the timing signal is required.

Next, it is checked whether the access algorithm is the polling method (step S3). In the case of the polling method, it is checked whether or not a request is made for a list of wireless communication devices participating in centralized adjustment by polling, to the wireless communication device performing polling (step S).
4). If the polling list is requested, the polling list is received and the listed terminal addresses are registered in the terminal information management table (step S
5) If the polling list is not requested, the polling data polling the wireless communication device is received, the destination address is checked, and the terminal address of the polled wireless communication device is registered in the terminal information management table. Then (step S6), the process proceeds to step S8.

On the other hand, if the polling method is not determined in the above step S3, the synchronization timing generation data is received and the terminal address of the transmission wireless communication device of the synchronization timing generation data is registered in the terminal information management table (step S7). , Transition to step S8. That is, the wireless communication device having the terminal address registered in the terminal information management table is accessed, the terminal information is acquired and stored (step S8), and the terminal is automatically selected from the terminal addresses registered in the terminal information management table. It is checked whether or not to specify (step S9). If the terminal is not automatically specified, the process proceeds to step S10. If the terminal is automatically specified, the wireless communication device to be automatically specified is specified from the terminals registered in the terminal information management table and specified. Register in the terminal list (step S10).

The terminals to be automatically designated are terminals shared by most wireless terminals such as access points, servers and printers. For such terminals,
It can be recognized from the terminal information stored in the terminal information management table. Furthermore, it is convenient to specify the frequently accessed terminal automatically, as it is not necessary to set it each time, but in this case, it is possible to register the terminal address in the terminal information management table as the specified terminal in advance. .

Next, it is checked whether or not there is a designated terminal list (step S11). If there is no designated terminal list, the process proceeds to step S13 in FIG. 6, and if there is a designated terminal list, the registered terminal is read from the designated terminal list (step S12) and whether or not the designated list is updated. Is checked (step S13).

If the designated list is not updated, the process proceeds to step S15. If the designated list is updated, the designated terminal list is updated (step S14) and it is checked whether there is a designation by a remote request (step S14). Step S1
5).

If not specified by the remote request,
The process proceeds to step S18, and if designated by a remote request, the request designation list is received (step 16),
The request designation list is stored in the designation list (step S1
7) Check whether or not there is previous terminal information (step S1).
8).

If there is no previous terminal information, step S2
6. If there is previous terminal information, the previous terminal information is read (step S19), the previous terminal information and the current terminal information are compared (step S20), and the previous terminal information and the current terminal information are the same. It is checked whether or not there is (step S21).

If the previous terminal information and the current terminal information are the same, the process proceeds to step S28 in FIG. 7. If the previous terminal information and the current terminal information are not the same, the non-identical terminal information is updated ( In step S22), it is checked whether or not there is a terminal designation (step S23).

If the terminal is not designated, the process proceeds to step S28 in FIG. 7. If the terminal is designated, it is checked whether or not the designated terminal is changed (step S24).

If there is no change in the designated terminal, the process proceeds to step S28 in FIG. 7, and if there is a change in the designated terminal,
The designation of the terminal information management table is changed and registered (step S25), and the process proceeds to step S26.

On the other hand, if there is no previous terminal information in the judgment of step S18, it is checked whether or not there is a terminal designation (step S26).

If there is no terminal designation, the process proceeds to step S28 in FIG. 7. If there is a terminal designation, the designation in the terminal information management table is registered (step S27), and the process proceeds to step S28.

Next, it is checked whether or not the data is received (step S28). If the data is not received, the process proceeds to step S38 in FIG. 8. If the data is received, it is checked whether or not the data is from the designated terminal. (Step S29).

If it is not the data of the designated terminal, the process proceeds to step S38 in FIG. 8. If it is the data of the designated terminal, the reception state is analyzed (step S30), and it is checked whether the reception state is good (step S30). Step S31).

If the reception state is good, the fact that the reception state is good is stored and compared with the previous state (step S32), and it is checked whether or not the comparison result is the same (step S33). If the comparison results are the same, the process proceeds to step S38 in FIG. 8. If the comparison results are not the same, it is stored that the reception state of the designated terminal has changed favorably (step S34).

On the other hand, if the reception state is not good in the determination in step S31, the reception failure is stored and compared with the previous state (step S35) to check whether the comparison result is the same (step S36). ). If the comparison results are the same, the process proceeds to step S38 in FIG. 8, and if the comparison results are not the same, it is stored that the reception state of the designated terminal has changed to the defective state (step S37).

Next, it is checked whether or not to access the designated terminal (step S38). If the designated terminal is not accessed, the process proceeds to step S51 in FIG. 9. If the designated terminal is accessed, the data is transmitted to the designated terminal (step S39), and then the response from the designated terminal is sent. It is checked whether there is any (step S40).

If there is no response from the designated terminal, the process proceeds to step S42, and if there is a response from the designated terminal, the response from the designated terminal is ACK (Acknowledgement: After one operation is completed, the caller is operated. It is checked whether or not it is a signal for notifying completion (step S41).

If the response from the designated terminal is not ACK,
The process proceeds to step S42, and the response from the designated terminal is ACK.
If so, it stores the good reception and compares it with the previous state (step S48), and checks whether or not the comparison result is the same (step S49).

If the comparison result is the same, the process proceeds to step S51 in FIG. 9, and if the comparison result is not the same, it is stored that the reception state of the designated terminal has changed favorably (step S50), and FIG. To step S51.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S41 is made, ACK
If not, it is checked whether or not the number of retries has been exceeded (step S42).

If the number of retries has not been exceeded,
Retransmitted data that failed to be transmitted (step S43)
After that, the process proceeds to step S40, and if the number of retries is exceeded, error processing is performed (step S44), and the reception failure is stored and compared with the previous state (step S44).
45) and it is checked whether the comparison results are the same (step S46).

If the comparison results are the same, the process proceeds to step S51 in FIG. 9, and if the comparison results are not the same,
The fact that the reception state of the designated terminal has changed to bad is stored (step S47).

Then, it is checked whether or not the monitoring request is registered (step S51). If there is no monitoring request, the process proceeds to step S54, and if there is a monitoring request, it is checked whether or not the communication state has changed (step S52).

If the communication state has not changed, step S54
Transition to. If the communication state has changed, the communication state is transmitted to the registered wireless communication device (step S5).
3) It is checked whether or not there is an access from another terminal (step S54).

If there is no access from another terminal, the process proceeds to step S64. If there is an access from another terminal, the received data is analyzed (step 55) and it is checked whether it is a request command (step S56). .

If it is not a request command, other received data processing is performed (step S57), then the process proceeds to step S64, and if it is a request command, it is checked whether it is a monitoring request (step S58).

If it is not a monitoring request, step S60.
If it is a monitoring request, the accessed terminal is registered as a monitoring request terminal (step S59), and it is checked whether or not it is a communication state request (step S60).

If the request for the communication state is not made, the process proceeds to step S62. If the request for the communication state is made, the communication state is transmitted to the accessed terminal (step S61),
It is checked whether the request is for terminal information (step S62).

If the terminal information is not requested, the process proceeds to step S64. If the terminal information is requested, the terminal information is transmitted to the accessed terminal (step S63).
It is checked whether the power of the wireless communication device is OFF (step S
64).

If the power supply is off, the power supply is turned off (step S66) and then this processing is terminated.
If not FF, it is checked whether or not to disconnect (step S65).

If the cutting is to be performed, after performing the cutting process (step S67), the process proceeds to step S1 of FIG.
If it is not disconnected, the process proceeds to step S3 of FIG.

A storage medium recording the program code of software for implementing the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to the system or apparatus, and the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus stores the storage medium in the storage medium. It goes without saying that the object of the present invention can also be achieved by reading and executing the executed program code.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the novel function of the present invention, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As the storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-RO.
M, CD-R, magnetic tape, non-volatile memory card,
A ROM or the like can be used. Further, the program code may be supplied from the server computer via the communication network.

Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also the OS or the like running on the computer is executed based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a case where some or all of the actual processing is performed and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing is also included.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written in the memory provided in the function expansion board inserted in the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instruction of the program code, It goes without saying that a case where a CPU or the like included in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs a part or all of the actual processing and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is also included.

[0116]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Search for a wireless communication device that can communicate, register the obtained wireless terminal that can communicate, monitor the communication status of the registered wireless communication device, and register wireless communication in response to a request from any wireless communication device. Since the communication status of the device can be transmitted to the arbitrary wireless communication device, the following effects are achieved.

That is, from any wireless communication device having the function of outputting to the operator the communication states of all wireless communication devices capable of communicating in response to the operation of the operator, the wireless communication device not having the above-mentioned operation and output functions. Monitor the communication status of
It can be grasped immediately.

Therefore, even when the functions of the present invention are realized, it is not necessary to provide the above-mentioned operation unit and output unit in the wireless communication device, so that there is an effect that cost is not increased and it is economical.

Further, it is not necessary to simulate the communication state in a wireless communication device having an operation and output function as in the prior art, and a wireless communication device which does not have an operation and output function to be actually used is installed for communication. Since it is possible to grasp the state, it is effective in improving the certainty of the obtained information.

In addition, searching for a communicable wireless communication device,
The obtained wireless terminal capable of communication is registered, the communication state of the registered wireless communication apparatus is monitored, the wireless communication apparatus is designated according to the request of the arbitrary wireless communication apparatus, and the designated wireless communication apparatus is specified. Since it becomes possible to transmit the communication state of (1) to any wireless communication device, the following effects are achieved.

That is, by designating the wireless communication device whose communication state is to be grasped from any wireless communication device having a function of outputting to the operator the communication state of all the wireless communication devices capable of communicating according to the operation of the operator. A wireless communication device that does not have the function of operating and outputting can monitor and immediately grasp the communication state of only the wireless communication device required by any wireless communication device.

Therefore, it is only necessary to know the communication state of the required wireless communication device, which reduces the load on the wireless communication device, and the amount of data transmitted from the wireless communication device to any wireless communication device is small. Economical because it's done,
The operator can also grasp the communication status of only the required wireless communication device, which has the effect of improving convenience.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of a demodulation unit of the wireless transmission / reception unit of FIG.

3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a wireless communication system using the wireless communication device of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a terminal information management table and a designated terminal list of the overall control unit of FIG.

5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of transmission / reception processing executed by the wireless communication apparatus of FIG. 1, particularly an overall control unit.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure following the transmission / reception processing of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure following the transmission / reception processing of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a procedure following the transmission / reception processing of FIG.

9 is a flowchart showing a procedure following the transmission / reception processing of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

101 wireless transceiver 104 Transmission control unit 105 reception control unit 106 Overall control unit 110 Message generator 111 Wireless terminal information management unit 112 List of designated terminals 114 Operation part 301-303 Information terminal 304 AP 305 server 306 printer

Claims (36)

[Claims] 1. A search unit for searching for a plurality of other wireless communication devices capable of communicating with the wireless communication device, and a wireless communication device selected from the plurality of other wireless communication devices searched by the searching unit. Registration means, monitoring means for monitoring the communication state of the registered wireless communication device registered by the registration means, and the communication state of the registered wireless communication device in response to a request from another wireless communication device. A wireless communication device, comprising: a transmitting unit that transmits to the device. 2. The transmission unit further transmits the change in the communication state to the wireless communication device when the communication state of the registered wireless communication device changes. Wireless communication device. 3. A search unit that searches for a plurality of other wireless communication devices capable of communicating with the wireless communication device, and a wireless communication device selected from the plurality of other wireless communication devices searched by the searching unit. Registration means, acquisition means for accessing the registered wireless communication device registered by the registration means and acquiring terminal information of the registered wireless communication device, monitoring means for monitoring the communication state of the wireless communication device, and a request from another wireless communication device In accordance with the above, the wireless communication device further comprises: a transmission means for transmitting the communication state and the terminal information of the registered wireless communication device to the other wireless communication device. 4. A search unit that searches for a plurality of other wireless communication devices capable of communicating with the wireless communication device, and a wireless communication device selected from the plurality of other wireless communication devices searched by the searching unit. Registration means, monitoring means for monitoring the communication status of the registered wireless communication device registered by the registration means, and a wireless communication device is designated from the registered wireless communication devices in response to a request from another wireless communication device. A wireless communication device comprising: a designating unit and a transmitting unit for transmitting the communication state of the designated wireless communication device designated by the designating unit to the other wireless communication device. 5. The transmission means further transmits, when the communication state of the designated wireless communication device changes, the change in the communication state to the other wireless communication device. The wireless communication device according to. 6. A reservation designating unit for designating another wireless communication device in advance, a searching unit for searching for a plurality of other wireless communication devices capable of communicating with the wireless communication device, and another searching unit searched by the searching unit. Registration means for registering a wireless communication device selected from a plurality of wireless communication devices, and among the registered wireless communication devices registered by the registration means, a communication state of a reservation designated wireless communication device previously designated by the reservation designating means. A wireless communication device, comprising: monitoring means for monitoring; and transmitting means for transmitting the communication state of the reservation-specified wireless communication device to the other wireless communication device in response to a request from the other wireless communication device. . 7. The transmission means further transmits, when the communication state of the reservation-designated wireless communication device changes, the change in the communication state to the other wireless communication device. 6. The wireless communication device according to item 6. 8. A reservation specifying unit for specifying a wireless communication device in advance, a searching unit for searching for a plurality of other wireless communication devices capable of communicating with the wireless communication device, and a registered wireless communication device registered by the registration unit. A terminal information acquisition unit that accesses the terminal and acquires the terminal information, and a designation unit that designates, from the registered wireless communication devices, a wireless communication device that matches the reservation-designated wireless communication device previously designated by the reservation designation unit. A monitoring unit for monitoring the communication state of the designated wireless communication device designated by the designating unit, and a communication state of the designated wireless communication device monitored by the monitoring unit in response to a request from another wireless communication device. And a transmitting means for transmitting the same to the other wireless communication device. 9. The transmission means further transmits the change in the communication state to the other wireless communication apparatus when the communication state of the designated wireless communication apparatus changes. The wireless communication device according to. 10. The search means searches for another wireless communication device by a transmission address of a synchronization signal when using a synchronization method by dispersion adjustment. Wireless communication device. 11. The searching means searches for another wireless communication device by using a reception address of a polling signal when using a synchronization method by centralized adjustment. The wireless communication device described. 12. The search means acquires a polling list from a wireless communication device that transmits polling and searches for another wireless communication device based on the polling list when using a synchronization method by centralized adjustment. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is a wireless communication device. 13. The wireless communication device according to claim 10, wherein the dispersion adjustment is an adjustment in wireless communication in which each wireless communication device sequentially generates a timing signal for timing synchronization. 14. The centralized adjustment is an adjustment in wireless communication that performs polling.
The wireless communication device according to 1 or 12. 15. The reservation designating unit predesignates a terminal attribute of a wireless communication device, and the designating unit designates one of the registered wireless communication devices with which the predesignated terminal attribute matches. The wireless communication device according to claim 8, wherein the wireless communication device is a wireless communication device. 16. The reservation designating unit predesignates a terminal address of a wireless communication device, and the designating unit designates one of the registered wireless communication devices to which the designated terminal address matches. The wireless communication device according to claim 8 or 9. 17. The plurality of other wireless communication devices include an access point having a wireless communication function and a gateway function, a server having a file / application sharing function and a mail function, and a printer having an image forming function. The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 9. 18. A search step of searching for a plurality of other wireless communication devices capable of communicating with the wireless communication device, and a wireless communication device selected from the plurality of other wireless communication devices searched by the searching step. A registration step, a monitoring step for monitoring the communication state of the registered wireless communication device registered by the registration means, and a communication state of the registered wireless communication device in response to a request from another wireless communication device. And a transmitting step of transmitting the wireless communication device to the device. 19. The transmission step further comprises, when the communication state of the registered wireless communication device changes, transmit the change of the communication state to the wireless communication device. Method for controlling wireless communication device of the above. 20. A search step of searching for a plurality of other wireless communication devices that can communicate with the wireless communication device, and a wireless communication device selected from the plurality of other wireless communication devices searched by the searching step are registered. Registration means, an acquisition step of accessing the registered wireless communication device registered by the registration step and acquiring terminal information thereof, a monitoring step of monitoring the communication state of the wireless communication device, and a request of another wireless communication device And a transmission step of transmitting the communication status of the registered wireless communication device and the terminal information to the other wireless communication device. 21. A search step of searching for a plurality of other wireless communication devices capable of communicating with the wireless communication device, and a wireless communication device selected from the plurality of other wireless communication devices searched by the searching step are registered. A registration step, a monitoring step of monitoring the communication state of the registered wireless communication device registered by the registration step, and a wireless communication device is designated from the registered wireless communication devices in response to a request from another wireless communication device. A method of controlling a wireless communication device, comprising: a designating step; and a transmitting step of transmitting a communication state of the designated wireless communication device designated by the designating step to the other wireless communication device. 22. In the transmitting step, when the communication state of the designated wireless communication device changes, the change of the communication state is further transmitted to the other wireless communication device. A method for controlling a wireless communication device according to claim 1. 23. A reservation designating step of designating another wireless communication device in advance, a searching step of searching for a plurality of other wireless communication devices capable of communicating with the wireless communication device, and another searching process performed by the searching step. A registration step of registering a wireless communication device selected from a plurality of wireless communication devices, and a communication state of a reservation-designated wireless communication device pre-designated in the reservation designation step among the registered wireless communication devices registered in the registration step A wireless communication device comprising: a monitoring step of monitoring, and a transmission step of transmitting the communication state of the reservation-designated wireless communication device to the other wireless communication device in response to a request from the other wireless communication device. Control method. 24. In the transmitting step, further, when the communication state of the reservation-designated wireless communication device changes,
24. The method for controlling a wireless communication device according to claim 23, wherein the change in the communication state is transmitted to the other wireless communication device. 25. A reservation specifying step of specifying a wireless communication device in advance, a searching step of searching for a plurality of other wireless communication devices capable of communicating with the wireless communication device, and a registered wireless communication device registered by the registration step. And a terminal information acquisition step of acquiring the terminal information, and a step of designating a wireless communication apparatus that matches the reservation-designated wireless communication apparatus previously designated by the reservation designation step from the registered wireless communication apparatuses. And a monitoring step of monitoring the communication state of the designated wireless communication device designated by the designating step, and a communication state of the designated wireless communication device monitored by the monitoring step in response to a request from another wireless communication device. Is transmitted to the other wireless communication device. 26. In the transmitting step, further, when the communication state of the designated wireless communication device changes, the change of the communication state is transmitted to the other wireless communication device. A method for controlling a wireless communication device according to claim 1. 27. A search procedure for searching for a plurality of other wireless communication apparatuses capable of communicating with the wireless communication apparatus, and a wireless communication apparatus selected from the plurality of other wireless communication apparatuses searched by the search procedure are registered. A registration procedure, a monitoring procedure for monitoring the communication state of the registered wireless communication device registered by the registration means, and a communication state of the registered wireless communication device in response to a request from another wireless communication device. A program that causes a computer to realize a transmission procedure for transmitting to a device. 28. The transmission procedure according to claim 27, further comprising: when the communication state of the registered wireless communication device changes, transmit the change in the communication state to the wireless communication device. Program of. 29. A search procedure for searching for a plurality of other wireless communication apparatuses capable of communicating with the wireless communication apparatus, and a wireless communication apparatus selected from the plurality of other wireless communication apparatuses searched by the search procedure are registered. Registration means, an acquisition procedure for accessing the registered wireless communication device registered by the registration procedure and acquiring terminal information thereof, a monitoring procedure for monitoring the communication state of the wireless communication device, and a request from another wireless communication device. A program for causing a computer to realize a communication state of the registered wireless communication device and a transmission procedure of transmitting terminal information to the other wireless communication device according to the above. 30. A search procedure for searching for a plurality of other wireless communication apparatuses capable of communicating with the wireless communication apparatus, and a wireless communication apparatus selected from the plurality of other wireless communication apparatuses searched by the searching procedure are registered. A registration procedure, a monitoring procedure for monitoring the communication state of the registered wireless communication apparatus registered by the registration procedure, and a wireless communication apparatus is designated from the registered wireless communication apparatuses in response to a request from another wireless communication apparatus. A program for causing a computer to realize a designation procedure and a transmission procedure for transmitting a communication state of a designated wireless communication apparatus designated by the designated procedure to the other wireless communication apparatus. 31. The transmission procedure further comprises, when the communication state of the designated wireless communication device changes, transmits the change in the communication state to the other wireless communication device. The program described in. 32. A reservation designating procedure for designating another wireless communication apparatus in advance, a search procedure for searching for a plurality of other wireless communication apparatuses capable of communicating with the wireless communication apparatus, and another search procedure performed by the searching procedure. A registration procedure for registering a wireless communication device selected from a plurality of wireless communication devices, and among the registered wireless communication devices registered by the registration procedure, a communication state of a reservation designated wireless communication device previously designated by the reservation designation procedure is displayed. A program for causing a computer to realize a monitoring procedure for monitoring and a transmission procedure for transmitting the communication state of the reservation-designated wireless communication device to the other wireless communication device in response to a request from the other wireless communication device. 33. The transmission procedure further includes, when the communication state of the reservation-designated wireless communication device changes, transmitting the change in the communication state to the other wireless communication device. 32. The program according to 32. 34. A reservation designation procedure for designating a wireless communication device in advance, a search procedure for searching for a plurality of other wireless communication devices capable of communicating with the wireless communication device, and a registered wireless communication device registered by the registration procedure. And a terminal information acquisition procedure for acquiring the terminal information, and a designation procedure for designating a wireless communication apparatus that matches the reservation-designated wireless communication apparatus previously designated by the reservation designation procedure from the registered wireless communication apparatus. And a monitoring procedure for monitoring the communication state of the designated wireless communication device designated by the designated procedure, and a communication state of the designated wireless communication device monitored by the monitoring procedure in response to a request from another wireless communication device. A program for causing a computer to realize a transmission procedure for transmitting the data to the other wireless communication device. 35. The transmission procedure further comprises, when the communication state of the designated wireless communication device changes, transmits the change in the communication state to the other wireless communication device. The program described in. 36. A storage medium storing the program according to claim 27.