JP2003284152A - Mobile routing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mobile routing apparatus capable of enhancing the portability even in the case of carrying the apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The mobile routing apparatus that can be carried, is characterized in that it includes: a first wireless interface section for making communication with a wireless base station connected to a first network; and a second wireless interface section using either of an access point function for interconnecting at least one network terminal and the first wireless interface section to make communication between the network terminal and the first network and a client function to make communication between the information processing section acting like a network terminal and a wireless base station connected to a second network. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable routing device that can be carried and carried around.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a wireless LAN which is a fixed wireless access point technology
While there are base stations for (local area networks) and mobile telephone networks, there are no mobile wireless access points that satisfy the request to connect to the network anytime, anywhere. For example, a technique of connecting a plurality of communication devices such as a wearable computer (for example, a watch) and a handset to the Internet by relaying one mobile phone has attracted attention. However, these communication devices are not directly connected to the network and are accessed only by using the functions of the mobile phone. Therefore, various restrictions are imposed by the mobile phone carrier and the mobile phone manufacturer, and they can be actually implemented. Compatible network terminal equipment is
Very limited. There is a demand for a portable routing device that can be connected to a network without this restriction and without going through a public line network.

In recent years, short-distance wireless communication technology has been developed. For example, in a building such as a coffee shop or a restaurant, a wireless base station that is connected to a network and performs short-range communication is provided, and the terminal is connected to the network by connecting with a terminal that a customer brings when visiting a store. A short-range communication system capable of performing communication is being realized.

A user who wants to use both the above-mentioned portable routing device and the short-range communication system needs to carry the plurality of wearable computers, the portable routing device, and the terminal for the short-range wireless communication system. .

However, when carrying a wearable computer, a portable routing device, and a terminal for a short-distance wireless communication system, it is necessary to carry a plurality of devices, which is troublesome for the user to manage. That is, when moving from one place to another when going out, it is necessary to confirm whether or not a plurality of devices are carried so that the above-mentioned devices are not lost or misplaced, resulting in poor portability. .

Further, since the portable communication device is an independent communication device without a power supply line when moving, the problem of power consumption is serious. Further, in a portable communication device, unlike a communication device having only a client function, power is constantly consumed for transmission output (antenna power), which is a more serious problem. Therefore, it is desired to reduce the power consumption even in the portable routing device.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a portable routing device capable of improving portability even when being carried. Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable routing device that can reduce power consumption.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a portable, portable routing device that communicates with a wireless base station connected to a first network. An interface unit, an access point function for connecting at least one network terminal device and the first wireless interface unit to perform communication between the network terminal device and the first network, or an information processing unit serving as a network terminal device. And a second wireless interface unit that performs communication by either one of a client function that communicates with a wireless base station connected to the second network.

According to the present invention, in the above-mentioned portable routing device, the second wireless interface unit is switched between communication by the access point function and communication by the client function according to an external instruction. It is characterized by having a switching unit.

Further, according to the present invention, in the above-mentioned portable routing device, the electric field intensity detecting unit for detecting the electric field intensity from the network terminal device connected to the second wireless interface unit and the electric field intensity detecting unit detect the electric field intensity. And a field strength controller for controlling a transmission output transmitted from the second wireless interface unit to the network terminal device according to the field strength.

The present invention further includes a first wireless interface unit, which is provided in a portable portable routing device, for communicating with a wireless base station connected to the first network, and at least one network terminal device. An access point function for connecting the first wireless interface unit to communicate between the network terminal device and the first network or an information processing unit serving as a network terminal device and a wireless base station connected to the second network Of the second wireless interface unit that communicates with either one of the client function that communicates with the client, the communication with the access point function or the communication with the client function is externally performed to the second wireless interface unit. It is characterized by switching according to the instruction of.

In the route selection method according to the present invention, the electric field strength from the network terminal device connected to the second wireless interface section is detected, and the electric field strength is detected according to the electric field strength detected by the electric field strength detecting section. The transmission output transmitted from the second wireless interface unit to the network terminal device is controlled.

According to the present invention, a first wireless interface unit for communicating with a wireless base station connected to a first network, at least one network terminal device and the first wireless interface unit are connected. By either an access point function for communicating between the network terminal device and the first network or a client function for communicating with an information processing unit serving as a network terminal device and a wireless base station connected to the second network. In a portable routing device provided with a second wireless interface unit for performing communication, one of communication by an access point function and communication by a client function is provided to the second wireless interface unit according to an external instruction. To have the computer perform the switching steps And butterflies.

In the route selection program of the present invention, the step of detecting an electric field strength from a network terminal device connected to the second wireless interface section and the electric field strength detected by the electric field strength detecting section are included. Accordingly, the step of controlling the transmission output transmitted from the second wireless interface unit to the network terminal device is executed by the computer.

According to the present invention, a first wireless interface unit for communicating with a wireless base station connected to the first network, at least one network terminal device and the first wireless interface unit are connected. By either an access point function for communicating between the network terminal device and the first network or a client function for communicating with an information processing unit serving as a network terminal device and a wireless base station connected to the second network. In a portable routing device provided with a second wireless interface unit for performing communication, one of communication by an access point function and communication by a client function is provided to the second wireless interface unit according to an external instruction. Route selection that causes the computer to perform the steps to switch And characterized by recording a program.

The present invention also provides a step of detecting the electric field strength from a network terminal device connected to the second radio interface section, and the second radio section according to the electric field strength detected by the electric field strength detecting section. And controlling the transmission output transmitted from the interface unit to the network terminal device.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A portable routing device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a communication system to which a portable routing device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. In this figure, the communication system includes a portable communication device 1, a plurality of network terminal devices 20, and a fixed base station device 30. The network terminal device 20 is a short-range wireless communication standard Bluetooth.
H (registered trademark), IEEE802.11b, P equipped with a wireless communication interface for communication, etc.
DA (Personal Digital Assist)
It is an electric appliance such as a portable information terminal (tant), a CD player, a digital camera, a DVD player and the like.
In this embodiment, a case will be described where the network terminal device 20 communicates using Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The fixed base station device 30 is a digital MCA (MCA (Multi-Multi) to which a wide area wireless communication system is applied.
channel access) base station, public wireless LA
It is a fixed base station for public wireless Internet connection, which is set up by an Internet connection provider and covers a certain area with a wireless area such as N base stations. The Internet connected to the fixed base station device 30 corresponds to the above-mentioned first network. The fixed base station device 31 is a Blu
It is a fixed base station that performs short-range wireless communication according to the Ethernet (registered trademark) or the IEEE802.11b standard, and is provided in, for example, a coffee shop or a restaurant and connected to the short-range wireless network. The short-range wireless network connected to the fixed base station device 31 corresponds to the above-mentioned second network. In this embodiment,
A case of communicating using Bluetooth (registered trademark) will be described.

Next, the portable communication device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram for explaining the configuration of the portable communication device 1. In this figure, the first wireless interface unit 11 communicates with a wireless base station connected to the first network by a wide area wireless communication system. The second wireless interface unit 12 connects at least one network terminal device 20 and the first wireless interface unit 11 to each other to connect the network terminal device 2 to the network terminal device 2.
0 and the information processing unit 16 which serves as an access point function or a network terminal device for communicating with the Internet, and the fixed base station device 3 connected to the short-range wireless network.
The communication is performed by one of the client functions that communicate with 1. In this embodiment, the second wireless interface unit 12 communicates using Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The switching unit 13 switches to the second wireless interface unit 12 one of communication by the access point function and communication by the client function in accordance with an instruction from the input unit 15. As shown in FIG. 3, this switching is performed by a network A such as the Internet where the fixed base station device 30 is provided and a network B such as a short-distance wireless network where the fixed base station device 31 is provided.
It is possible to switch when the portable communication device 1 moves into both communication areas of and. Network A indicated by symbol a
When the user moves into the communication area of only the communication area B or when it moves into the communication area of only the network B indicated by reference numeral b, priority is given to connecting to the communicable network regardless of the instruction from the input unit 15. Switching is performed.

The electric field strength detection unit 17 detects the electric field strength from the network terminal device 20 connected to the second wireless interface unit 31. The electric field strength control unit 18 controls the transmission output to be transmitted from the second wireless interface unit 11 to the network terminal device 20 according to the electric field strength detected by the electric field strength detection unit 17 so as to be equal to or less than a preset set value. To do.

The channel search unit 19 searches whether or not communication is being performed using the same channel as the channel of the second wireless interface 12, and outputs the search result to the electric field strength control unit 18. The input unit 15 is a keyboard,
An input device such as a mouse. The display unit 14 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display device. The information processing unit 16 is connected to the short-range wireless network by the second wireless interface unit 12, transmits and receives various data, and outputs the data to the display unit 14. The information processing unit 16 causes the portable communication device 1 to function as a terminal.

Next, the operation of the above-mentioned portable communication device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the portable communication device 1
When the power is turned on after moving to the position indicated by reference numeral b in FIG. 3, the first wireless interface unit 11 and the second wireless interface unit 12 detect whether or not communication is possible, and the detection result To the switching unit 13. In this case, since it is within the communication area of the network B, the control signal indicating that the second wireless interface unit 12 can communicate is output to the switching unit 13. Since the switching unit 13 can communicate with the second wireless interface unit 12, the switching unit 13 sets the second wireless interface unit 13 to the client function. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5, the connection between the second wireless interface unit 12 and the fixed base station device 31 is established, and the information processing unit 16 and the fixed base station device 31 can communicate with each other. This allows the user to use the portable communication device 1 as a network terminal device. If there are multiple short-range wireless networks, the service area, data transmission speed, and
A fixed base station is selected based on a connection fee based on an instruction from a user, and communication is performed.

Next, the portable communication device 1 is connected to the network A.
When moving into both communication areas of the network B and the network B, the first wireless interface unit 11 outputs a control signal indicating that the network A can be connected to the switching unit 13 via the second wireless interface unit 12. . When the control signal is output, the switching unit 13 causes the display unit 14 to display that the network A can be connected. When the user confirms the content displayed on the display unit 14 and inputs an instruction to switch to communication using the network A from the input unit 15, the switching unit 13 accesses the client function of the second wireless interface unit 12. While switching to the point function, the control signal for establishing the connection between the first wireless interface unit 11 and the fixed base station device 30 is output to the first wireless interface unit 11 via the second wireless interface. Based on this control signal, the connection between the first wireless interface unit 11 and the fixed base station device 30 is established.

When this switching is performed, the second wireless interface unit 12 disconnects the connection with the fixed base station device 31 and establishes the connection with the network terminal device 20 within the communication area where short-distance wireless communication is possible. To do. As a result, the network terminal device 20 can connect to the fixed base station 30 via the second wireless interface 12 and the first wireless interface unit 11 and can communicate with the network A.

The communication between the network terminal device 20 and the second wireless interface unit 12 is established by UPnP (Uni) which is provided in the second wireless interface unit 12 in advance and which authenticates the communication with the network terminal device 20.
It is performed by using a versatile plug and play) function. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the switching is performed based on the instruction from the input unit 15 has been described, but the network B is moved to a place where both the network A and the network B can communicate. In the case where the network terminal device 20 is brought close to the portable communication device 1 and authenticated by the UPnP function in the case of being connected to, the switching unit 13 causes the second wireless interface unit to operate regardless of the instruction from the input unit 15. 12 may be switched to the access point function.

Next, when communication is performed by the access point function, the electric field strength detection unit 17 is connected to the second wireless interface unit 31 by the network terminal device 2
The electric field strength of the radio wave transmitted from 0 is detected and output to the electric field strength control unit 18. The electric field strength control unit 18 controls the transmission output to be transmitted from the second wireless interface unit 11 to the network terminal device 20 according to the electric field strength detected by the electric field strength detection unit 17 so as to be equal to or less than a preset set value. To do.

Here, since the electric field strength of the radio wave output from the network terminal device 20 is substantially constant, the detection result of the electric field strength transmitted from the network terminal device 20 indicates that the distance from the portable communication device 1 is large. It becomes smaller as it becomes. Therefore, the electric field strength control unit 18 estimates the distance between the network terminal device 20 and the portable communication device 1 based on the detection result of the electric field strength, and calculates the estimated distance.
Then, the transmission power table indicating the relationship between the distance and the transmission power stored in advance in a predetermined memory is referred to, the transmission power of the distance corresponding to the estimated distance is selected, and the transmission power is selected according to the selected transmission power. Second wireless interface unit 12
Control signal is output to. Thereby, the portable communication device 1
Can perform transmission with the transmission power according to the distance between the network terminal device 20 and the portable communication device 1,
Even though the network terminal device 20 and the portable communication device 1 are close to each other, it is possible to prevent transmission with large transmission power and reduce power consumption.

In the transmission power table described above, a plurality of transmission power modes for setting the transmission power to “high”, “medium”, and “small”, and distances of, for example, 0 m to 3 m, 4 m to 6
Data in which a range of m or 7 m or more is set and stored in association with each other, a distance according to the estimated distance is selected, a transmission power mode according to the selected distance is selected, and transmission power is determined. You may do it. Thereby, the transmission power can be controlled in stages.

On the other hand, the channel search unit 19 searches whether or not communication is performed using the same channel as the channel of the second wireless interface 12, and when communication is performed using the same channel, The electric field strength controller 18 is instructed to reduce the electric field strength. When receiving this instruction, the electric field strength control unit 18 performs the above-described processing for reducing the transmission power.

As a result, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of interference during radio wave propagation when moving, not connected, or due to the communication distance.

When a mobile phone base station or a simplified mobile phone base station is applied as the fixed base station device 30 described above, the first wireless interface unit 11 is used as a mobile phone base station or a simplified mobile phone base station. The mobile communication device 1 described above can be applied by communicating with the mobile communication device 1.

In order to connect various network terminal devices of various manufacturers to the network, the interface required on the manufacturer side of the network terminal device is driver software capable of managing the IP address. Simply incorporate it into
On the other hand, the telecommunications carrier has the great advantage of being able to reduce the communication protocol development cost to support a large number of applications from manufacturers, and furthermore, the user provides an environment that can be used by anyone with only standard network connection settings. It becomes possible to do.

Further, the first wireless interface unit 11, the second wireless interface unit 12, and the switching unit 1 in FIG.
3, a program for realizing the functions of the electric field strength detection unit 17, the electric field strength control unit 18, and the channel search unit 19 is recorded in a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded in this recording medium is stored in a computer system. The switching between the access point function and the client function may be managed by reading and executing the function. The term "computer system" used here means
It includes an OS and hardware such as peripheral devices.

The "computer system" is a WW.
If the W system is used, the homepage providing environment (or display environment) is also included. The "computer-readable recording medium" means a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, a CD-
A portable medium such as a ROM or a storage device such as a hard disk built in a computer system. Further, the "computer-readable recording medium" means to hold a program dynamically for a short time like a communication line when transmitting the program through a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. In this case, a volatile memory inside a computer system that serves as a server or a client in that case holds a program for a certain period of time. Also, the program above
It may be for realizing some of the above-mentioned functions, or may be for realizing the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific structure is not limited to this embodiment, and includes a design etc. within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention. Be done.

[0037]

As described above, according to the present invention, the first wireless interface section for communicating with the wireless base station connected to the first network, at least one network terminal device, and the first wireless interface. An access point function for connecting an interface unit to communicate between a network terminal device and a first network, or a client function for communicating between an information processing unit serving as a network terminal device and a wireless base station connected to a second network. Since the second wireless interface unit that performs communication by either one of the above is provided, it is not necessary to carry separate communication devices such as a communication device having an access point function and a communication device having a client function. The portability for the user can be improved.

Further, according to the present invention, the access point function and the client function of the second wireless interface section are switched according to an instruction from the outside, so that the user can easily switch between the access point function and the client function. The effect that it is possible to switch and use properly is obtained.

The present invention also detects the electric field strength from the network terminal device connected to the second wireless interface unit, and transmits from the second wireless interface unit to the network terminal device according to the detected electric field strength. Since the output is controlled, it is possible to obtain the effect of suppressing the power consumption during communication.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration of a communication system to which a portable routing device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram for explaining a configuration of a portable communication device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a communication area in which the portable communication device 1 can communicate.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an operation of the portable communication device 1.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an operation of the portable communication device 1.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Portable communication device 11 1st wireless interface part 12 2nd wireless interface part 13 Switching part 14 Display part 15 Input part 16 Information processing part 17 Electric field strength detection part 18 Electric field strength control part 19 Channel search part 20 Network terminal device 30, 31 Fixed base station equipment

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Kenichiro Hosobuchi             1-12-14 Koishikawa, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo Mitsubishi             Materials Corporation Mobile Business Promotion Division (72) Inventor Shigeki Kokubun             1-12-14 Koishikawa, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo Mitsubishi             Materials Corporation Mobile Business Promotion Division F term (reference) 5K033 AA09 CB08 DA01 DA05 DA17                       EA02 EA06 EC02 EC03                 5K067 AA34 AA42 AA43 BB04 BB21                       DD51 EE02 EE10 EE12 EE16                       FF02 GG08 HH11

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A portable routing device that is portable, comprising: a first wireless interface unit that communicates with a wireless base station connected to a first network; at least one network terminal device; and the first wireless device. An access point function for connecting an interface unit to communicate between the network terminal device and the first network or an information processing unit serving as a network terminal device and communicating with a wireless base station connected to the second network A portable routing device comprising: a second wireless interface unit that performs communication by using one of client functions. 2. The second wireless interface unit,
2. The portable routing device according to claim 1, further comprising a switching unit that switches either one of communication by the access point function and communication by the client function according to an instruction from the outside. 3. The electric field strength detecting unit for detecting electric field strength from a network terminal device connected to the second wireless interface unit, and the second wireless interface according to the electric field strength detected by the electric field strength detecting unit. 3. The portable routing device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: an electric field strength control unit that controls a transmission output transmitted from the unit to the network terminal device. 4. A first wireless interface unit provided in a portable portable routing device for communicating with a wireless base station connected to a first network, at least one network terminal device, and the first wireless device. An access point function for connecting an interface unit to communicate between the network terminal device and the first network or an information processing unit serving as a network terminal device and communicating with a wireless base station connected to the second network Of the second wireless interface unit that performs communication using either one of the client functions, the second wireless interface unit performs either one of the communication by the access point function and the communication by the client function according to an external instruction. A route selection method characterized by switching by. 5. An electric field strength from a network terminal device connected to the second wireless interface unit is detected, and the second wireless interface unit detects the electric field strength according to the electric field strength detected by the electric field strength detecting unit. The route selection method according to claim 4, further comprising controlling a transmission output transmitted to the device. 6. The network terminal device, wherein a first wireless interface unit for communicating with a wireless base station connected to a first network, at least one network terminal device and the first wireless interface unit are connected to each other. And an access point function for communicating with the first network, or an information processing unit serving as a network terminal device, and a client function for communicating with a wireless base station connected to the second network. In a portable routing device provided with two wireless interface units, a step of switching, to the second wireless interface unit, one of communication by an access point function and communication by a client function according to an instruction from the outside The routing program that you want to run. 7. The step of detecting the electric field strength from a network terminal device connected to the second wireless interface section, and the step of detecting the electric field strength from the second wireless interface section according to the electric field strength detected by the electric field strength detecting section. 7. The route selection program according to claim 6, which causes a computer to execute a step of controlling a transmission output to be transmitted to the network terminal device. 8. The network terminal device, wherein a first wireless interface unit for communicating with a wireless base station connected to a first network, at least one network terminal device and the first wireless interface unit are connected to each other. And an access point function for communicating with the first network, or an information processing unit serving as a network terminal device, and a client function for communicating with a wireless base station connected to the second network. In a portable routing device provided with two wireless interface units, a step of switching, to the second wireless interface unit, one of communication by an access point function and communication by a client function according to an instruction from the outside A route selection program that Recording a computer-readable recording medium. 9. The step of detecting the electric field strength from a network terminal device connected to the second wireless interface section, and the step of detecting the electric field strength from the second wireless interface section according to the electric field strength detected by the electric field strength detecting section. The recording medium according to claim 8, wherein a route selection program for causing a computer to execute the step of controlling the transmission output transmitted to the network terminal device is recorded.