JP2005063116A - Wireless storage device, wireless storage system and method of wireless communication - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wireless network storage device as a wireless storage device that enables reading or writing of data via a wireless circuit according to priority matching the attributes of the data. <P>SOLUTION: The wireless storage device includes a storage part 15 for holding data along with their attributes by which the kinds of data can be distinguished; a control part 14 having a built-in table 16 of the data attributes and priority on a rewritable memory and determining priority on the basis of the attributes of the data for which there are read requests, to output the data priority along with the data transmitted; and a wireless communication part 12 which sends the data in accordance with the priority indicated by the control part 14. The data can be read or written in file units from another device via the wireless circuit. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to, for example, a wireless storage device, a wireless storage system, and a wireless communication method for communicating data stored via a wireless line.

  Conventionally, when sharing information such as still images, moving images, data files, etc. at home, a hard disk of a personal computer is generally used. Recently, network compatible hard disks have been sold, and it has become possible to share information without a personal computer.

  Thus, when information is to be shared in the home, how to wire-connect devices between the rooms is an important issue. Since wireless communication means can connect devices without performing construction work in existing houses, wireless LAN (local area network) has become widespread in recent years.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of solving a wiring problem between rooms by wireless communication by combining a conventional hard disk compatible with a network and a wireless LAN. In FIG. 13, a wireless LAN 133 is connected to a hard disk 131 by a LAN cable 132. Information can be shared by connecting a wireless LAN 133 to a notebook personal computer 135, a camera 134, etc., and accessing the hard disk 131 via the wireless LAN 133.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a network hard disk that can be connected to a conventional LAN in a stand-alone manner. In FIG. 14, a network hard disk 141 is provided with a LAN connection function with a stand-alone LAN cable 148, a television receiver 142, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) player 143, a game machine 144, an audio playback device 145, a notebook personal computer. Information can be shared by connecting a LAN cable 148 to a computer 146, a desktop personal computer 147, etc., and accessing the network hard disk 141 via the LAN cable 148.

In Patent Document 1, as a transmission example for coexisting with other systems using a wireless network, a source transmission device fragments information into a predetermined size to form a packet, and the packet is randomly timed. A wireless transmission device that performs transmission by performing hopping processing, sequentially receives packets, collects information transmitted by time hopping processing at random, and restores the original information is disclosed. Yes.
JP 2003-110571 A

  The shared information described above can be classified into two types. One is a file such as a moving image or music data that needs to guarantee a certain transfer speed, and the other is a file that does not need to guarantee a transfer speed like personal computer data or still images. .

  For files that do not need to guarantee the latter transfer speed, it is better if the transfer time is short. However, even if it takes a long time to transfer, the user may feel a long wait time, but the system may fail. Absent.

  However, in the case of a file that needs to guarantee the constant transfer speed of the former, it is not necessary to send it faster than necessary, but it is necessary to guarantee a minimum transfer speed. For example, in the case of a moving picture of MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) 2 standard, there is a problem that a reproduced picture is interrupted if a transfer rate of 2 to 20 Mbps cannot be secured.

  Further, when a plurality of files are read simultaneously, there is a disadvantage that it is difficult to guarantee the transfer speed unless a file such as a moving image is transmitted with priority.

  Patent Document 1 is similar to the present invention in that it has a buffer and processing differs depending on the type of information. However, in Patent Document 1, wireless communication is performed in accordance with the type of information. Multiple processes are provided for the protocol (a dedicated radio circuit is required). And even if a collision occurs, a time hopping method that focuses on sharing wireless resources among multiple terminals, and time hopping is not used to send information that does not want a collision to occur (does not cause an error). Two methods are used properly. Here, it is considered that a flag indicating whether or not to perform time hopping is added to the information stored in the buffer. In Patent Document 1, the transmission period is sorted according to whether or not there is a collision, not the transmission order, and whether or not there is hopping, and a buffer is used to temporarily store until a predetermined transmission time comes. .

  On the other hand, in the present invention, there is only one type of wireless communication protocol, and the conventional wireless communication method is used as it is, and packets are transmitted in the order according to the type of information (priority order). Yes. Here, either the priority (transmission order) flag is added to the information stored in the buffer, or the information is divided into buffers according to priority. In the present invention, the transmission order is changed. Using the buffer, it is not predetermined when information stored in the buffer (especially low priority) is transmitted.

  The present invention provides a wireless storage device, a wireless storage system, and a wireless storage device that can realize a wireless network storage device that is a wireless storage device capable of reading or writing data according to a priority order according to data attributes via a wireless line. An object is to realize a communication method.

  In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object of the present invention, a wireless storage device of the present invention includes a storage unit that holds data together with an attribute that can distinguish the type of data, and a rewritable memory. Built-in attribute / priority correspondence table, determines the priority from the attribute of the data requested to be read, outputs the data priority along with the transmission data, and according to the priority specified by the control unit A wireless communication unit that performs data transmission, and can read or write data in units of files from other devices via a wireless line.

  In addition, the wireless storage system of the present invention incorporates a storage unit that holds data together with attributes that can distinguish data types, and a correspondence table of data attributes and priorities on a rewritable memory for reading. A control unit that determines the priority order from the attribute of the requested data and outputs the data priority order together with the transmission data; and a wireless communication unit that transmits data according to the priority order specified by the control unit. , A wireless storage device capable of reading or writing data in units of files from other devices via a wireless line, and transmitting data when writing data to the wireless storage device via a wireless line, and reading a file when reading And a wireless terminal device that receives data transferred from the wireless storage device.

  The wireless communication method of the present invention also includes a step of receiving data by the wireless communication unit at the time of reception, and a control unit having a correspondence table of data attributes and priorities in a rewritable memory, Data is stored in the storage unit together with the step of determining the priority order from the attribute of the data that has been received, outputting the priority order of the data together with the received data, and the attribute capable of distinguishing the data type according to the priority order specified by the control unit A step of reading data held in the storage unit together with an attribute capable of distinguishing the type of data at the time of transmission, and a control unit having a correspondence table of data attributes and priorities in a rewritable memory To determine the priority order from the attribute of the data requested to be read, and to output the data priority order together with the transmission data; And a step of transmitting data by a wireless communication unit in accordance with the priority order instructed by the control unit, and a wireless storage device capable of reading or writing data in units of files from other devices via a wireless line .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a wireless network storage device that is a wireless storage device capable of reading or writing data according to the priority order according to the attribute of the data via a wireless line, and thereby, in order of priority of information to be read File transfer can be performed accordingly. Therefore, for files that do not need to guarantee the transfer speed, transfer them with a lower priority, and for files that need to guarantee a certain transfer speed, transfer them with a higher priority. Transfer rate can be guaranteed.

The following conditions are assumed to apply the present invention.
Data for which priority is given to the transfer order according to the present invention is limited to the case where audio and moving image files are read in real time. There is no need to guarantee the transmission speed in the case of reading audio, moving images and other files other than real-time transmission. In addition, although it is not without writing by real-time transmission of audio and moving images, it is common to transfer what is once recorded by a hard disk drive recorder or the like, and is excluded from the target.

  The transfer speed of wireless communication is not the speed at which the information speed of the read audio and moving images can be sent at last, but the speed at which other data can be transferred simultaneously. Otherwise, there is no need to preferentially transfer audio and moving image data.

  Hereinafter, a mechanism for preferentially transferring audio and moving image data will be described. At that time, in order to prioritize audio and moving image data, other data transmission is not stopped (waiting), but audio, It is intended to transmit other data using the transfer rate margin after transmitting moving image data.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a wireless network storage apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
In FIG. 1, in this wireless network storage device example, a digital still camera 2, a notebook personal computer 3, and a television receiver 4 share information in the wireless LAN / hard disk device 1 (wireless network hard disk; WNHDD). ing.

  Here, for example, when an MPEG file of a moving image is stored in the wireless LAN / hard disk 1 device, and this is reproduced and viewed on the television receiver 4, the moving image is normally reproduced. However, so-called real-time transmission is used in which the contents of the file are transferred as necessary. In this case, the transfer speed must be guaranteed. A method of eliminating the guarantee of the transfer speed of wireless communication by transferring the moving image file to the television receiver 4 once and then playing back can be considered, but the moving image file has a size of several GB to several tens GB in some cases. It takes a considerable amount of time to transfer this to the television receiver 4 once, and it is difficult to start watching it immediately when it is desired to watch it.

  Therefore, in the wireless network storage apparatus to which the present invention is applied, the wireless communication unit and the storage device are combined into one and linked to each other so that the digital still camera 2, the notebook personal computer 3, the television can be connected from the wireless LAN / hard disk 1. The transfer speed to each apparatus such as the receiver 4 is guaranteed. In addition, when a moving image received by the built-in tuner of the television receiver 4 that is transmitting in the opposite direction is directly recorded on the wireless LAN / hard disk 1, the transfer speed cannot be guaranteed, but when recording a moving image, a tuner, etc. It is generally considered that the data is temporarily stored in the local recording medium and then transferred to the information sharing apparatus as necessary.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the wireless LAN / hard disk device.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of another wireless LAN / hard disk device.
As shown in FIG. 2, the wireless LAN / hard disk device to which the present invention is applied includes a wireless communication unit 12, a control unit 14, and a storage unit 15, and others via a wireless line via the antenna 11. A storage device capable of reading and writing files from the device is configured.

  As the storage device, those generally used for storing personal computer data and images, such as a hard disk and a semiconductor memory, can be used. The storage unit 15 holds data by combining attributes that can distinguish the type of data. Usually, the application software to be used is associated with the extension of the file name, so this extension can be used as an attribute. The control unit 14 incorporates a data attribute / priority correspondence table 16 (or an attribute list having a higher priority order or an expanded list having a higher priority order) in a rewritable memory.

  The control unit 14 determines the priority order from the attribute of the data when the file is read via the wireless communication unit 12. The priority order is determined using a data attribute / priority correspondence table. The control unit 14 outputs the read file data together with the priority order to the wireless communication unit 12. The wireless communication unit 12 performs data transmission according to the priority order instructed by the control unit.

  The following method can be considered as a method of transmitting the priority order from the control unit 14 to the wireless communication unit 12. First, priority information is added to transmission data and passed. This is temporarily stored in the buffer 13 of the wireless communication unit 12. Second, a plurality of buffers 13 are shared, and the buffers 13 are used properly according to priority. Third, the plurality of buffers 13 are shared, and the priority order (transmission order) is notified. In the first case, the configuration of FIG. 3 is adopted. In the second and third cases, the configuration shown in FIG. 2 is adopted.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a wireless LAN / hard disk device for adding priority to transmission data. FIG. 5 specifically shows the configuration of the buffer of FIG.
The wireless LAN / hard disk device shown in FIG. 2 has a storage unit 15 that holds data together with an attribute that can distinguish the type of data, and a data attribute / priority correspondence table 16 on a rewritable memory. And a control unit 14 for determining the priority order from the attribute of the data requested to be read out and outputting the data priority order together with the transmission data, and a wireless communication signal unit 12, and from the antenna 11 via the wireless line. Data can be read or written from other devices in units of files.

  Further, the wireless LAN / hard disk device is configured to include a buffer 13 that, when the priority order is transmitted from the control unit 14 to the wireless communication unit 12, is temporarily stored and then the priority level information is added to the transmission data. The Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the reception data is held in the buffer 13-4, and the transmission data is held in the buffer 13-4 in accordance with the priority order 13-5 and then output to the wireless communication unit 12.

The wireless LAN / hard disk device configured as shown in FIG. 2 operates as follows.
Request signals (file read signal, file write signal, file search signal, etc.) from other devices are received by the antenna 11 and sent to the control unit 14 through demodulation processing by the wireless communication unit 12 and the buffer 13-4. The control unit 14 classifies the received signal according to the type of data, and performs processing according to the content.

  In response to this, the response signal is transmitted from the antenna 11 via the wireless communication unit 12 from the control unit 14. In the case of a file read request, the control unit 14 reads the file from the storage unit 15 and determines the priority order 13-5 for the file to be read based on the attribute / priority comparison table 16. For example, if the extension of the file name is 'mpg', it means an MPEG file (moving image), and if it is real-time download, the priority 13-5 is increased. The priority information 13-5 is added to the read data and output to the wireless communication unit 12.

  On the other hand, as a result of examining the attribute / priority order comparison table 16, in the case of a response such as a file download or file search with a low priority, a low priority 13-5 is added and output to the wireless communication unit 12.

  The wireless communication unit 12 temporarily stores the received data in the buffer 13-4. When the wireless communication unit 12 has a plurality of pieces of transmission data in the buffer 13-4, the wireless communication unit 12 extracts the transmission data from the buffer 13-4 and transmits it according to the priority order 13-5. As a result, data transmitted in real time is preferentially transferred. Data that is not so is transferred using the interval between priority data transfers.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a wireless LAN / hard disk device that switches a plurality of buffers. FIG. 4 specifically shows the configuration of the buffer of FIG.
Further, the other wireless LAN / hard disk device shown in FIG. 3 has a storage unit 15 that holds data together with attributes that can distinguish data types, and a correspondence table of data attributes and priorities on a rewritable memory. 16 includes a control unit 14 that determines the priority order from the attribute of the data requested to be read and outputs the data priority order together with the transmission data, and a wireless communication signal unit 12. Data can be read or written in units of files from other devices via a line.

  Here, the wireless LAN / hard disk device shares a plurality of buffers 13-2 and 13-3 when the priority order is transmitted from the control unit 14 to the wireless communication unit 12, and the buffers 13-2 and 13- 3 is used, or a plurality of buffers 13-2 and 13-3 are shared, and buffers 13-2 and 13-3 for notifying priority are provided.

The other wireless LAN / hard disk device shown in FIG. 3 configured as described above operates as follows.
Signals (file read signal, file write signal, file search signal, etc.) from other devices are received by the antenna 11 and sent to the control unit 14 through the demodulation processing by the wireless communication unit 12 and the buffer 13-1. The control unit 14 classifies the received signal according to the type of data, and performs processing according to the content.

  On the other hand, the response signal is transmitted from the antenna 11 through the buffer 13 and the wireless communication unit 12 from the control unit 14. In the case of a file read request, the control unit 14 reads the file from the storage unit 15 and determines the priority order for the read file based on the attribute / priority comparison table 16. For example, if the file name extension is 'mpg', it means an MPEG file (moving image), and if it is real-time download, the priority order is increased. The priority order information is added to the read data and output to the buffers 13-2 and 13-3.

  On the other hand, as a result of checking the attribute / priority comparison table 16, in the case of a response such as a file download or file search with a low priority, a low priority is added and output to the buffers 13-2 and 13-3.

  The wireless communication unit 12 temporarily stores the received data in the buffers 13-2 and 13-3. When the wireless communication unit 12 holds a plurality of transmission data in the buffers 13-2 and 13-3, the wireless communication unit 12 extracts the transmission data from the buffers 13-2 and 13-3 according to the priority order and transmits the data. As a result, data transmitted in real time is preferentially transferred. Data that is not so is transferred using the interval between priority data transfers.

  As a method of transmitting the priority order to the wireless communication unit, a method of preparing the buffer 13 for each priority order and storing transmission data according to the priority order, or a method of separately transmitting the order of transmitting data in the buffer 13 can be considered. The wireless communication unit 12 takes out transmission data with high priority from the buffer 13 and transmits it.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the wireless communication unit.
A case where the buffer 22 is built in the wireless communication unit 12 and a case where the buffer 22 is not included are considered. The transmission data 31 is sent to the encoder 23 after being added with a header, error correction code CRC and the like by the communication control circuit 21. The encoder 23 applies an error correction code and outputs it to the modulator 24. In the modulator 24, it is converted into a modulated signal such as BPSK (Binary Phase Shift Keying), QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying), QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation), etc., and is converted into a desired carrier frequency by the high frequency circuit 25. A transmission signal is transmitted from the antenna 11 via the device 26.

  The received signal is demodulated through the antenna 11 and the antenna duplexer 26, demodulated through the high frequency circuit 28 and the demodulation circuit 29, subjected to error correction by the decoder 30, and sent to the communication control circuit 21. The communication control circuit 21 performs error correction code CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) check, and if there is no error, received data 32 is output.

  When there is a transmission buffer 13 between the control unit 14 and the wireless communication unit 12 of the wireless LAN / hard disk device, transmission data is input from the control unit 14 in the order of transmission. When the buffer 22 is built in the wireless communication unit 12, the priority information is stored together, the communication control circuit 21 takes out the transmission data in the order of transmission according to the priority, and the header, error correction code CRC, etc. It is added and output to the encoder 23.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of increasing the priority of streaming data having a streaming data extension with respect to file transfer.
In FIG. 9, the moving image data file “MPEG-1” 41 is input to the buffer 13 at the input time T1, the text file “TEXT” 42 is input at the input time T2, and the text file “TEXT” 43 is input at the input time T3. Is input, the text file “TEXT” 44 is input at the input time T4, and the moving image data file “MPEG-2” 45 is input at the input time T5.

  At this time, according to the data attribute and priority order comparison table 16, when the data file attribute is a streaming data extension 53 such as a moving image data file “MPEG-1” 41 or “MPEG-2” 45 and a real-time transfer 54, the priority is given. On the other hand, 51 becomes higher, and on the contrary, the priority order 51 becomes lower when the file transfer 56 of the text file “TEXT” 42, 43, 44 or the like is performed. The intermediate input order 55 is also an element for determining the priority order 51. That is, it is possible to transfer a file having a low input priority and a low input order while transferring a file having a high priority.

  Therefore, the moving image data file “MPEG-1” 41 is output at the output time T11, the text file “TEXT” 42 is output at the output time T12, and the moving image data file “MPEG-2” 45 is output at the output time T13. The text file “TEXT” 43 is output at the output time T14, and the text file “TEXT” 44 is output at the output time T15.

  The priority determination method can distinguish moving images (MPEG, AVI (Audio Video Interface), etc.) and music data (CD (Compact Disc), MP3, etc.) depending on the file extension. The priority is not always high in all cases issued. As described above, how to read (use) these files can be classified into the following two types. First, in the case of so-called real-time transmission in which a file content is transferred as necessary while reproducing a moving image, secondly, there is a case where the moving image file is once transferred to a television receiver and then reproduced.

  In the first case, it is necessary to guarantee the transfer rate. This is not necessary in the second case. Reflecting these matters, the priority order is determined as follows. In other words, when a file with an attribute classified as high priority is accessed and a fixed transfer speed is not determined such as file copy, the priority is lowered (in other words, the file is classified as high priority). If a file with a specific attribute is accessed and a fixed transfer rate is determined, the priority is increased).

  Further, the data attributes and the priority order comparison table 16 are updated as follows. The number of files that need to be given higher priority during transfer is expected to increase with time. Therefore, it is necessary to update the contents. As a method, the contents of the data attribute / priority correspondence table 16 are changed via a wireless line, or the storage device has a built-in wired communication means to change the contents of the data attribute / priority correspondence table. .

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control unit.
FIG. 7 is an operation flowchart of the control unit when reading a file. In step S101, when the control unit 14 receives data from the wireless communication unit 12, the control unit 14 determines whether it is file read information. If the file is not read in step S101 (file write, file search, etc.), the response data is transferred to the wireless communication unit in step S105 without increasing the priority.

  If the file is read in step S101, the priority order is determined in step S102 by confirming the attribute of the file. If the extension is a file that may be transmitted in real time, such as moving image or audio, such as “mpg”, “wmv”, “wav”, “mp3”, the process proceeds to step S103. In step S105, the read data is transferred to the wireless communication unit without increasing the priority.

  In step S103, it is determined whether the file reading is by real-time transmission. If it is not real-time transmission in step S103, read data is transferred to the wireless communication unit without increasing the priority in step S105. If the transmission is real-time transmission in step S103, the process proceeds to step S104, the priority is increased, and the read data is transferred to the wireless communication unit 12.

  Note that the determination of whether or not the transmission is in real time in step S103 can be performed in one of the following two ways. First, the difference between the case of transferring at a stroke like file copying and the case of reading in accordance with the processing on the receiving side is determined in the data reading procedure. Second, it is checked whether data is being read at a substantially constant speed lower than the upper limit of the communication speed of the line communication path.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing real-time transfer, in which FIG. 10A shows received read access and FIG. 10B shows transmitted transfer data. When the received read access shown in FIG. 10A is intermittent from Tr time to T2 time, from T5 time to T6 time, and from T9 time to T10 time at regular intervals Tr, the transmission shown in FIG. 10B is sent accordingly. When the transfer data is transferred with a length of Ts from the time T3 to the time T4, from the time T7 to the time T8, and from the time T11 to the time T12, it can be determined to be real-time transfer.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the wireless communication unit.
When transmission is started in step S200, it is first checked in step S201 whether there is transmission data. If there is no transmission data in step S201, the process ends in step S205. If there is transmission data in step S201, it is next checked in step S202 whether there is transmission data with a high priority. If there is transmission data with high priority in step S202, the data with high priority is transmitted in step S203, and the process returns to step S201. If there is no transmission data with a high priority in step S202, transmission data with a low priority is transmitted in step S204, and the process returns to step S201.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a usage example of the wireless network storage device.
In FIG. 11, the wireless network hard disk 111 is provided with the functions of the wireless LAN and hard disk device described above, and wirelessly transmitted from a notebook personal computer 112, a camera 113, a notebook personal computer 114, a desktop personal computer 115 connected to a printer, and the like. The wireless network hard disk 111 is accessed for data file transfer via the LAN. This gives priority to transfer from the wireless network hard disk 111 according to the type of data file, and in particular gives higher priority to streaming data and real-time transfer data, so that the notebook personal computer 112, camera 113, notebook The requested data can be transferred to each device such as a personal computer 114 and a desktop personal computer 115 connected to a printer.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating another usage example of the wireless network storage device.
In FIG. 12, a wireless network hard disk 121 carried by a user in a bag 122 is provided with the functions of the wireless LAN / hard disk device described above, and a mobile phone 123, a personal digital assistance 124, a camera 125, a notebook personal computer 126, etc. To the wireless network hard disk 111 via the wireless LAN for data file transfer. This gives priority to transfer from the wireless network hard disk 121 according to the type of the data file, in particular, gives higher priority to streaming data and real-time transfer data, the mobile phone 123, the personal digital assistance 124, the camera 125, the requested data can be transferred to each device such as the notebook personal computer 126.

  When data is transmitted in the order of being buffered by the wireless LAN as in the conventional case, the transmission order can be changed if priority is given to the data, but the storage device and the wireless communication unit are separated. However, when connected via a network, it is difficult to prioritize wireless LANs.

  Therefore, in the storage device of the wireless LAN / hard disk device described above, the control unit 14 checks the file format (extension) to determine whether the information may be transmitted in real time, the reading procedure, and the actual It can be determined whether or not real-time transmission is performed based on the reading speed.

  When the storage device of the wireless LAN / hard disk device and the wireless communication unit are arranged in the same device, the storage unit 15 controls the data transmission order or selects the buffer 13 to be transferred according to the priority order. The order of data transmitted from the wireless communication unit 12 can be controlled.

  For example, if a streaming request for a moving image file (10 minutes) from terminal A competes with a normal file (about 1M) request from terminal B, transmission to terminal A is prioritized, but terminal B does not wait for 10 minutes. .

  Assuming that the upper limit of the communication speed of the network is 20 Mbps, for example, when trying to transmit a moving image file at a speed close to 20 Mbps in real time, the moving image transmission fails. When transferring a file, the receiving side generally returns an ACK (acknowledgment), but the ACK can no longer be returned. Not only ACK but also exchange of commands such as stopping transmission of moving images is necessary, and moving image transmission needs to be performed with a margin for transmitting other packets.

  From the above, terminal B does not wait for 10 minutes, and transmission is possible using the idle time. The purpose of the present invention is to ensure the transfer speed of a moving image file and the temporal fluctuation of data within an allowable range, and the purpose of the present invention is not to wait for transmission from another device, It is only given priority.

  Further, the present invention does not apply except when a file request is made with an explicit file name. A method in which the upper layer (application) specifies the priority order is also conceivable, but it is necessary for the device and software to cope with it. In the present invention, when a moving image file is transferred via a network by a standard method, a determination based on an explicit file name is used in order to give some priority.

  The present invention can be used when audio and moving image files are read in real time as data giving priority to the transfer order.

It is a figure which shows the wireless network storage apparatus with which this invention is applied. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a wireless LAN and hard disk apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of another wireless LAN and hard disk drive. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the wireless LAN and hard disk apparatus which switches a some buffer. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the wireless LAN and hard disk apparatus which gives priority to transmission data. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a radio | wireless communication part. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of a control part. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of a radio | wireless communication part. It is a figure which shows the example which raises the priority with respect to the file transfer of the streaming data which has a streaming data extension. FIG. 10A shows real-time transfer, FIG. 10A shows received read access, and FIG. 10B shows transferred data. It is a figure which shows the usage example of a wireless network storage apparatus. It is a figure which shows the other usage example of a wireless network storage apparatus. It is a figure which shows the radio | wireless communication which combined the conventional hard disk corresponding to a network, and wireless LAN. It is a figure which shows the network hard disk which can be connected with the conventional LAN stand-alone.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Wireless LAN and hard disk drive, 2 ... Digital still camera, 3 ... Notebook personal computer, 4 ... Television receiver, 11 ... Antenna, 12 ... Wireless communication part, 13 ... Buffer, 13-1, 13-2, 13-3, 13-4: Buffer, 13-5: Priority, 14 ... Control unit, 15 ... Storage unit, 16 ... Attribute / priority comparison table

Claims (9)

A storage unit that holds data together with attributes that can distinguish the type of data;
On the rewritable memory, a data attribute / priority correspondence table is built-in, the priority is determined from the attribute of the data requested to be read, and the control unit outputs the data priority together with the transmission data;
A wireless communication unit that performs data transmission according to the priority order instructed by the control unit;
A wireless storage device capable of reading or writing data in units of files from other devices via a wireless line. The wireless storage device according to claim 1,
The wireless storage device, wherein the storage unit stores data having an extension of a file name as an attribute, and the correspondence table includes a list of file extensions and a priority order. The wireless storage device according to claim 1,
When the priority is transmitted from the control unit to the wireless communication unit, priority information is added to the transmission data, or a plurality of buffers are shared, and the buffers are used properly according to the priority, or a plurality of buffers are shared. And a priority order is notified. The wireless storage device according to claim 1,
In determining the priority, when a file having an attribute classified as high priority is accessed and a fixed transfer rate is not determined in advance, the priority is lowered or classified as high priority. A wireless storage device characterized in that, when an attribute file is accessed and a fixed transfer rate is determined, the priority is increased. The wireless storage device according to claim 1,
The wireless storage device, wherein the data attributes and the correspondence table are updated via a wireless line or a built-in wired communication means. The wireless storage device according to claim 1,
In the determination of the priority, the file name data whose attribute is the streaming data extension indicating the compressed data is given a relatively high priority, and the file name data whose attribute is the extension indicating the uncompressed data is relatively low. A wireless storage device having priority. The wireless storage device according to claim 1,
The wireless storage device according to claim 1, wherein the priority order is determined by setting a file name data to be transferred in real time to a relatively high priority order and setting a file name data to be transferred to a relatively low priority order. Storing data together with attributes that can distinguish data types, and a rewritable memory with a built-in correspondence table of data attributes and priorities, and priorities based on the data attributes requested to be read And a control unit that outputs the priority order of the data together with the transmission data, and a wireless communication unit that performs data transmission according to the priority order instructed by the control unit, from another device via a wireless line A wireless storage device capable of reading or writing data in units of files;
A wireless terminal device that transmits data when writing data to the wireless storage device via the wireless line, accesses file read when reading data, and receives data transferred from the wireless storage device. Wireless storage system. When receiving
Receiving data by the wireless communication unit;
A step of determining the priority order from the attribute of the data requested to be written by the control unit having a correspondence table of the data attribute and the priority order in the rewritable memory, and outputting the data priority order together with the received data; ,
Holding the data in the storage unit together with an attribute capable of distinguishing the type of data according to the priority order instructed from the control unit;
When sending
A step of reading data held in the storage unit together with an attribute capable of distinguishing the type of data;
A step of determining the priority order from the attribute of the data requested to be read by the control unit having a correspondence table of the data attribute and the priority order in the rewritable memory, and outputting the data priority order together with the transmission data; ,
Performing data transmission by the wireless communication unit according to the priority order instructed by the control unit;
And a wireless communication method in a wireless storage device capable of reading or writing data in units of files from other devices via a wireless line.

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