JP2005244345A - Wireless communications system, wireless communication method, and wireless communications terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wireless communications system, a wireless communication method, and a wireless communications terminal for easily grouping a plurality of wireless communications terminals, while avoiding leakage of information. <P>SOLUTION: In the wireless communications system wherein a first wireless communications terminal 10 and a second wireless communications terminal 20 conduct wireless communication, the first wireless communications terminal 10 is provided with: a storage means 12 for storing first unique information of the first wireless communications terminal; a transmission means 13 for transmitting the first unique information to the second wireless communications terminal by a near distance wireless communications system; and a communication means 11 for utilizing the first unique information to make wireless communication with the second wireless communications terminal, and the second wireless communications terminal 20 is provided with a reception means 23 for receiving the first unique information transmitted by the near distance wireless communications system; a generating means 28 for generating second unique information to attain wireless communication with the first wireless communications terminal 10 on the basis of the received first unique information; and a communication means 21 for utilizing the second unique information to conduct wireless communication with the first wireless communications terminal 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless communication system, a wireless communication method, and a wireless communication terminal using a wireless data transmission technique, and more particularly to a wireless communication system, a wireless communication method, and a wireless LAN access control information transmission technique. The present invention relates to a wireless communication terminal.

  Wireless communication terminals that perform data communication using a wireless LAN need to associate wireless communication terminals that perform communication. Conventionally, the association between wireless communication terminals is performed by the factory default setting. Therefore, if one of the two wireless communication terminals breaks down, both of the wireless communication terminals are carried to a service center operated by the seller of the terminal, where there are no broken wireless communication terminals and failed wireless communication terminals. It is necessary to associate with a new wireless communication terminal instead of the communication terminal.

In addition, in a wireless communication terminal that performs data communication using a wireless LAN, information for access control is transmitted using the wireless LAN in order to associate the wireless communication terminals with each other. In some cases (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 2002-198971 A

For example, when one of the two wireless communication terminals breaks down as in the prior art described above, it is necessary to carry both of the two wireless communication terminals to a service center operated by the seller of the terminal and to perform association therewith. In addition, the user has to spend a great deal of time, and the period until these wireless communication terminals can be used often becomes enormous.
Further, when information for access control is transmitted using a wireless LAN, there is a high risk of leakage of information for access control caused by using the wireless LAN.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem. A wireless communication system, a wireless communication method, and a wireless communication terminal for easily grouping a plurality of wireless communication terminals while avoiding information leakage are provided. The purpose is to provide.

The wireless communication system of the present invention is a wireless communication system that performs wireless communication between a first wireless communication terminal and a second wireless communication terminal,
The first wireless communication terminal stores storage means for storing the first unique information of the first wireless communication terminal, and transmission means for transmitting the first unique information to the second wireless communication terminal by a short-range wireless communication method. , Comprising communication means for performing wireless communication with the second wireless communication terminal using the first specific information,
The second wireless communication terminal performs wireless communication with the first wireless communication terminal based on the received first unique information received by the receiving unit that receives the first unique information transmitted by the short-range wireless communication method. It comprises generation means for generating second unique information for enabling and communication means for performing wireless communication with the first wireless communication terminal using the second unique information.

The wireless communication system of the present invention is a wireless communication system that performs wireless communication between a first wireless communication terminal and a second wireless communication terminal,
The first wireless communication terminal stores storage information necessary for performing wireless communication with the second wireless communication terminal, and short-range wireless communication of the necessary information to the second wireless communication terminal. A transmission means for transmitting by a communication method, and a communication means for performing wireless communication with the second wireless communication terminal using the necessary information,
The second wireless communication terminal includes a receiving unit that receives the necessary information transmitted by a short-range wireless communication method, and a communication unit that performs wireless communication with the first wireless communication terminal using the necessary information. It is characterized by comprising.

  The wireless communication terminal of the present invention includes a receiving means for receiving the first unique information of the other wireless communication terminal transmitted from the other wireless communication terminal by the short-range wireless communication method, and the received first unique information. And generating means for generating second unique information for enabling wireless communication with the other wireless communication terminal, and wireless communication between the other wireless communication terminal using the second unique information. It is characterized by comprising a communication means for performing.

  The wireless communication method of the present invention is a wireless communication method for performing wireless communication between a first wireless communication terminal and a second wireless communication terminal, storing first unique information of the first wireless communication terminal, Specific information is transmitted to the second wireless communication terminal by a short-range wireless communication method, wireless communication is performed with the second wireless communication terminal using the first specific information, and transmitted by a short-range wireless communication method. The second unique information of the second wireless communication terminal for enabling wireless communication with the first wireless communication terminal based on the received first unique information. Generating and performing wireless communication with the first wireless communication terminal using the second unique information.

  The wireless communication method of the present invention is necessary for performing wireless communication with the second wireless communication terminal in the wireless communication method for performing wireless communication between the first wireless communication terminal and the second wireless communication terminal. Storing necessary information, transmitting the necessary information to the second wireless communication terminal by a short-range wireless communication method, and performing wireless communication with the second wireless communication terminal using the necessary information; Receiving the necessary information transmitted by a wireless communication method, and performing wireless communication with the first wireless communication terminal using the necessary information.

  The wireless communication method of the present invention receives the first specific information of the other wireless communication terminal transmitted from another wireless communication terminal by the short-range wireless communication method, and based on the received first specific information, Generate second unique information of the second wireless communication terminal for enabling wireless communication with another wireless communication terminal, and use the second unique information to communicate with the other wireless communication terminal It is characterized by comprising performing wireless communication.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily group a plurality of wireless communication terminals while avoiding information leakage caused by using a wireless LAN.

Hereinafter, a wireless communication system, a wireless communication method, and a wireless communication terminal according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
First, the configuration of the wireless communication terminal and the wireless communication system of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a radio communication terminal and a diagram showing a radio communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The wireless communication system according to this embodiment includes a first wireless communication terminal 10 and a second wireless communication terminal 20. The first wireless communication terminal 10 includes a wireless LAN module 11, a MAC ID (media access control ID) storage unit 12, an infrared light emitting unit 13, a control unit 14, a switch (SW) 15, a display unit 16, and a data transfer interface. 17 is provided. The second wireless communication terminal 20 includes a wireless LAN module 21, a MAC ID storage unit 22, an infrared light receiving unit 23, a control unit 24, a switch (SW) 25, a display unit 26, a data transfer interface 27, and a MAC ID changing unit. 28.

  The wireless LAN module 11 is used for data transmission / reception, that is, data communication, with the second wireless communication terminal 20. The wireless LAN module 11 transmits, for example, MPEG encoded data received from the outside by the data transfer interface 17 to the second wireless communication terminal 20.

  The MAC ID storage unit 12 stores a MAC ID that is unique information of the first wireless communication terminal 10. The MAC ID is a unique identifier for specifying a wireless LAN device. With this MAC ID, the first wireless communication terminal 10 can be identified from other wireless LAN devices. When the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 perform data communication, the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 recognize each other's identifier. Need to be. This is because data is transmitted by designating the identifier of the other party. That is, in data transmission using a wireless LAN, it is necessary to associate communication partners (hereinafter referred to as mapping). This mapping can be performed by the users of the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 following a procedure for mapping. Details thereof will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  The infrared light emitting unit 13 emits infrared light and transmits infrared light including information to the second wireless communication terminal 20. The infrared rays of the present embodiment include the MAC ID of the first wireless communication terminal 10 as information. Further, when it is not necessary to transmit the MAC ID, it is used for transmitting an infrared remote control command issued from the remote control, for example. Information handled by the infrared light emitting unit 13 is changed according to a mode set by the control unit 14 (that is, a mapping mode and a data communication mode described later).

The control unit 14 exchanges information with each block of the first wireless communication terminal 10 and controls each block.
The switch 15 is for the user to change the mode of the first wireless communication terminal 10. In the present embodiment, a mapping mode for mapping (grouping) the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 using the infrared light emitting unit 13 and a normal wireless LAN module 11 are used. Then, there is a data communication mode for data communication between the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20, and the switch 15 is used to switch between these modes.

  The display unit 16 is for displaying information related to the first wireless communication terminal 10. For example, when the second wireless communication terminal 20 receives the MAC ID transmitted from the first wireless communication terminal 10. The second wireless communication terminal 20 displays that the reception was successful. Specifically, the signal received by the infrared light receiving unit 23 is transmitted to the wireless LAN module 21 via the control unit 24, transmitted from the second wireless communication terminal 20 to the first wireless communication terminal 10, and the first In the wireless communication terminal 10, the wireless LAN module 11 receives this signal transmitted from the second wireless communication terminal 20 and passes it to the control unit 14. When receiving this signal, the control unit 14 controls the display unit 16 to display that the second wireless communication terminal 20 has been successfully received.

  The data transfer interface 17 is for the first wireless communication terminal 10 to exchange data with the outside. FIG. 1 shows a case where the data transfer interface 17 receives MPEG encoded data from the outside. This MPEG encoded data is, for example, video data encoded by a DVD player.

  The wireless LAN module 21 is for data communication with the first wireless communication terminal 10. The wireless LAN module 21 receives, for example, MPEG encoded data from the wireless LAN module 11 and outputs it to the data transfer interface 27.

  The MAC ID storage unit 22 stores a MAC ID that is unique information of the second wireless communication terminal 20. With this MAC ID, the second wireless communication terminal 20 can be identified from other wireless LAN devices.

  The infrared light receiving unit 23 is for receiving infrared data included in infrared rays transmitted by the first wireless communication terminal 10. The infrared light receiving unit 23 receives infrared data from the first wireless communication terminal 10 and obtains the MAC ID of the first wireless communication terminal 10. Further, when it is not necessary to receive the MAC ID, it is used to receive an infrared remote control command issued from the remote control, for example. Information handled by the infrared light emitting unit 13 is changed according to a mode set by the control unit 14 (that is, a mapping mode and a data communication mode described later).

The control unit 24 exchanges information with each block of the second wireless communication terminal 20 and controls each block.
The switch 25 is for the user to change the mode of the second wireless communication terminal 20. In the present embodiment, a mapping mode for associating (grouping) the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 using the infrared light emitting unit 13 and a normal wireless LAN module 11 are used. There are data communication modes for the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 to perform data communication, and the switch 25 is used to switch between these modes. That is, the user sets the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 to the same mode of the mapping mode or the data communication mode, and the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal Reference numeral 20 executes processing specific to the set mode.

  The display unit 26 is for displaying information related to the second wireless communication terminal 20. For example, when the second wireless communication terminal 20 receives the MAC ID transmitted from the first wireless communication terminal 10. The second wireless communication terminal 20 displays that the reception was successful.

  The data transfer interface 27 is for the second wireless communication terminal 20 to exchange data with the outside. FIG. 1 shows a case where the data transfer interface 27 outputs MPEG encoded data to the outside. This MPEG encoded data is decoded and output to a monitor, for example.

  The MAC ID changing unit 28 changes the MAC ID of the second wireless communication terminal 20 based on the MAC ID of the first wireless communication terminal 10 received by the infrared light receiver 23 from the first wireless communication terminal 10. The MAC ID changing means 28 associates the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 by changing the MAC ID in this way.

Next, a specific example using the wireless communication system of FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of use of the wireless communication system of FIG. 1, and also shows the flow of image data signals and the flow of infrared remote command data.
The system shown in FIG. 2 includes a base unit 100 including a first wireless communication terminal 10, a television monitor 200 including a second wireless communication terminal 20, and a video source 300 that provides, for example, MPEG encoded data. Become. The video source 300 is, for example, a DVD player.
The user operates the remote control using infrared rays toward the infrared light receiving unit 23 of the second wireless communication terminal 20 provided in the television monitor 200 to transmit an instruction signal for reproduction or the like to the video source 300. . The television monitor 200 receives this instruction signal and transmits it to the video source 300 via the parent device 100. The video source 300 receives this instruction signal and operates according to the instruction indicated by this instruction signal. For example, playback of certain DVD content. When the instruction signal is reproduction of DVD content, the video source 300 transmits the moving image data of the DVD content to the television monitor 200 via the master unit 100. Then, the television monitor 200 decodes the moving image data and displays the moving image.

  Here, between the parent device 100 and the television monitor 200, for example, the wireless LAN module 11 and the wireless LAN module 21 shown in FIG. The master unit 100 and the video source 300 are connected by, for example, a wired connection.

  Further, the second wireless communication terminal provided in television monitor 200 may further include an infrared light emitting unit, and the first wireless communication terminal provided in base unit 100 may further include an infrared light receiving unit. In this case, the infrared remote control command received by the TV monitor 200 is radiated from the infrared light emitting unit of the second wireless communication terminal toward the parent device 100, and the parent device 100 is transmitted by the infrared light receiving unit of the first wireless communication terminal. An infrared remote control command is received, and moving image data is acquired from the video source 300 in accordance with the instruction of the command and played back. That is, the remote control command is transmitted from the TV monitor 200 to the parent device 100 by infrared rays. Other operations are the same as those of the wireless LAN described above.

Next, the operation of the wireless communication terminal when the wireless communication system of FIG. 1 is in the mapping mode will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the operation when the second wireless communication terminal 20 is in the mapping mode will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the second wireless communication terminal 20 of FIG. 1 in the mapping mode.
First, in order to perform mapping between the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20, the users of the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 perform the mapping of the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20. The infrared light emitting unit 13 and the infrared light receiving unit 23 are disposed close to each other so that the infrared light emitting unit 13 of the second wireless communication terminal 20 faces the infrared light receiving unit 23 of the second wireless communication terminal 20.

  Next, the user presses the switch 25 of the second wireless communication terminal 20 (step S1). The control unit 24 detects pressing of the switch 25, and the control unit 24 sets the second wireless communication terminal 20 to the mapping mode (step S2). Then, the control unit 24 sets a timeout time for invalidating the mapping mode (step S3). That is, when the timeout time comes, the control unit 24 returns the mode of the second wireless communication terminal 20 to the normal data communication mode.

  The control unit 24 determines whether the infrared light receiving unit 23 has received a signal (step S4). The control unit 24 waits for the MAC ID of the first wireless communication terminal 10 to be transmitted from the first wireless communication terminal 10. If it is determined that the infrared light receiving unit 23 has received a signal, the process proceeds to step S5. On the other hand, if it is determined that the infrared light receiving unit 23 has not received a signal, the process proceeds to step S10. In step S10, the control unit 24 determines whether or not the timeout time set in step S3 has elapsed. If it is determined that the timeout time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S11. On the other hand, if it is determined that the timeout time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S4. In step S11, a reception error flag is set on the assumption that the timeout time has elapsed, and the process proceeds to step S12.

  In step S5, the control unit 24 analyzes the received signal. As a result of the analysis, the control unit 24 determines whether or not the received signal includes the MAC ID of the first wireless communication terminal 10 (step S6). If the MAC ID of the first wireless communication terminal 10 is included, the process proceeds to step S8 on the assumption that the MAC ID of the first wireless communication terminal 10 is correctly received. Since it was not possible to proceed to step S7. In step S7, the control unit 24 sets a reception error flag and proceeds to step S12. In addition, when the control unit 24 determines that the signal has been correctly received, the fact may be displayed on the display unit 26 to notify the user.

In step S12, an error indicating a reception error is displayed. When an error is displayed, the user needs to start again from step S1, and it is preferable that this be displayed together with the error display. In the case of an error due to the elapse of the timeout time, a message indicating that the error has occurred after the timeout time has elapsed may be displayed. Thus, by displaying the operation status in the mapping mode, the user can grasp whether or not the mapping between the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 has succeeded. This can prompt the user to perform mapping again.
Thereafter, the control unit 24 sets the second wireless communication terminal 20 to the data communication mode that is the normal mode (step S13).

On the other hand, in step S8, the MAC ID of the second wireless communication terminal 20 is generated based on the MAC ID of the first wireless communication terminal 10 included in the received signal. The first wireless communication terminal 10 is informed and set of this generation method in advance. Accordingly, the first wireless communication terminal 10 can grasp the MAC ID generated by the second wireless communication terminal 20 based on the MAC ID of the first wireless communication terminal 10. The generation of the MAC ID will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. Then, the MAC ID of the second wireless communication terminal 20 is changed to the MAC ID generated in step S8 (step S9), and the process proceeds to step S13. When the MAC ID of the second wireless communication terminal 20 is changed to the MAC ID generated in step S8, the fact is transmitted to the first wireless communication terminal 10 using the wireless LAN module 21. Also good. Thereby, in the first wireless communication terminal 10, it can be confirmed that the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the first wireless communication terminal 10 are grouped.
Through the above operation, the second wireless communication terminal 20 is associated (grouped) with the first wireless communication terminal 10.

Next, the operation of the first wireless communication terminal 10 in the mapping mode will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first wireless communication terminal 10 of FIG. 1 in the mapping mode.
First, the user presses the switch 15 of the first wireless communication terminal 10 (step S21). Then, the control unit 14 detects that the switch 15 is pressed, and the control unit 14 sets the first wireless communication terminal 10 to the mapping mode (step S22). If the user presses the switch 15 before the timeout time elapses after the switch 25 of the second wireless communication terminal 20 is pressed, the MAC ID mapping is successful, but this step S21 is performed immediately after step S1 in FIG. It is desirable to be done.

  Next, the control part 14 acquires MAC ID from the MAC ID memory | storage part 12, and passes it to the infrared rays light emission part 13 (step S23). The infrared light emitting unit 13 radiates information including the MAC ID with infrared rays according to a command from the control unit 14 (step S24). After the infrared light emitting unit 13 emits infrared rays, the control unit 14 sets the data communication mode, which is the normal mode of the first wireless communication terminal 10 (step S25).

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to easily perform mapping between the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20.

Next, it will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 that a new MAC ID is generated based on the MAC ID transferred in the mapping mode as shown in step S8 of FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing that the first wireless communication terminal 10 of FIG. 1 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 of FIG. 1 are grouped using a MAC ID.
Based on the MAC ID of the first wireless communication terminal 10 included in the received signal, the MAC ID of the second wireless communication terminal 20 is generated. The first wireless communication terminal 10 is informed of this generation method in advance. Accordingly, since the first wireless communication terminal 10 is also known as the MAC ID generated by the second wireless communication terminal 20 based on the MAC ID of the first wireless communication terminal 10, the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 can be easily grouped.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of a MAC ID generation method. In this example, in the second wireless communication terminal 20 that has received the MAC ID of the first wireless communication terminal 10, the MAC ID changing means 28 changes the lower 1 bit of the MAC ID of the first wireless communication terminal 10. Thus, the MAC ID of the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the MAC ID of the second wireless communication terminal 20 are distinguished. That is, when the MAC ID of the first wireless communication terminal 10 is “00-12-34-56-78-90”, the MAC ID changing means 28 of the second wireless communication terminal 20 is “00-12−”. The lower 1 bit of “34-56-78-90” is changed, and the MAC ID is changed to “00-12-34-56-78-91”. Then, the changed MAC ID “00-12-34-56-78-91” is stored in the MAC ID storage unit 22 of the second wireless communication terminal 20 as a new MAC ID.

  In addition, when the MAC ID of the first wireless communication terminal 10 is changed, the MAC ID information is transmitted from the first wireless communication terminal 10 to the second wireless communication terminal 20 according to the above-described procedure. The users of the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 can perform mapping.

  The example of the MAC ID generation method shown here is merely an example, and it is not necessary to limit to this generation method. What is important is that when the first wireless communication terminal 10 generates the MAC ID of the second wireless communication terminal 20 based on the MAC ID of the first wireless communication terminal 10 included in the received signal. This means that the generation method to be used only needs to be known.

  As described above, according to the embodiment, mapping between the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 can be easily performed. According to the present embodiment, since the conventional complicated MAC ID setting operation is not required, for example, a system in which an initial setting method such as a home appliance that needs to be set by a general user is particularly simple is desired. Is effective.

Next, an example of mapping of wireless communication terminals when one of the first wireless communication terminal 10 or the second wireless communication terminal 20 fails will be described with reference to FIG. Here, an example when the second wireless communication terminal 20 fails will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing that the second wireless communication terminal 20 in FIG. 5 breaks down and the third wireless communication terminal 30 and the first wireless communication terminal 10 are newly grouped using the MAC ID. is there. The example of FIG. 6 corresponds to, for example, the case where the second wireless communication terminal 20 has failed and the user separately purchased device (third wireless communication terminal 30) is replaced with the failed second wireless communication terminal 20. To do.
A broken radio communication terminal is indicated by a cross in FIG. Here, the MAC ID of the failed second wireless communication terminal 20 corresponds to the MAC ID of the first wireless communication terminal 10, as described above with reference to FIG. 56-78-91 "is set. A third wireless communication terminal 30 newly introduced instead of the second wireless communication terminal 20 is assigned a MAC ID different from that of the second wireless communication terminal 20. The configuration of the third wireless communication terminal 30 is the same as that of the second wireless communication terminal 20.

  The user of the wireless communication terminal shown in FIG. 6 performs the mapping between the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the third wireless communication terminal 30 with the infrared light emitting unit 13 of the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the third wireless communication terminal 30. The first wireless communication terminal 10 and the third wireless communication terminal 30 are arranged close to each other so that an infrared light receiving unit (not shown; similar to the infrared light receiving unit 23) of the wireless communication terminal 30 faces each other. Then, the user presses a switch (not shown; similar to the switch 25) installed in the third wireless communication terminal 30 to change the operation mode to the mapping mode. Subsequently, the switch 15 of the first wireless communication terminal 10 is pressed to change the operation mode to the mapping mode. Since these processes and the subsequent processes are the same as those described with reference to FIGS. Through such a procedure, the MAC ID of the third wireless communication terminal 30 is further changed to 00-12-34-56-78-91 by the MAC ID generation method described with reference to FIG.

  Conversely, the case where the first wireless communication terminal 10 fails will be described below. A wireless communication terminal to be newly introduced instead of the first wireless communication terminal 10 is a fourth wireless communication terminal (not shown). The configuration of the fourth wireless communication terminal is the same as that of the first wireless communication terminal 10. The fourth wireless communication terminal is assigned a MAC ID at the time of factory shipment. Here, for explanation, the MAC ID of the fourth wireless communication terminal is assumed to be “00-12-34-56-22-20”.

  The user of the wireless communication terminal performs mapping between the fourth wireless communication terminal and the second wireless communication terminal 20, so that the infrared light emitting unit of the fourth wireless communication terminal (not shown; similar to the infrared light emitting unit 13). The fourth wireless communication terminal and the second wireless communication terminal 20 are arranged close to each other so that the infrared light receiving unit 23 of the second wireless communication terminal 20 faces. Then, the user presses the switch 25 of the second wireless communication terminal 20 to change the operation mode to the mapping mode. Subsequently, a switch (not shown, similar to the switch 15) of the fourth wireless communication terminal is pressed to change the operation mode to the mapping mode. Then, according to the procedure described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 and the MAC ID generation method described with reference to FIG. 34-56-22-21 ". As a result, the fourth wireless communication terminal and the second wireless communication terminal 20 are grouped.

  Note that the configuration of the wireless communication system including the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 shown in FIG. 1 shows the minimum necessary blocks. For example, the first wireless communication terminal 10 may include an infrared light receiving unit in addition to the blocks shown in FIG. Similarly, the second wireless communication terminal 20 may include an infrared light emitting unit in addition to the block shown in FIG. The direction of signal input / output to the data transfer interface 17 and the data transfer interface 27 may be bidirectional. For example, when all of these are realized, the configurations of the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 are the same.

  That is, the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 may be configured so that the other can be the information transmitting side and the other can be the information receiving side. In such a case, the mapping of the wireless communication terminal is performed by changing the MAC ID of the wireless communication terminal set as the reception side to the ID corresponding to the MAC ID of the wireless communication terminal set as the transmission side according to the above-described embodiment. You only have to set it.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, mapping of wireless communication terminals can be performed without imposing a burden on the user of the wireless communication terminal. Furthermore, even if one of the wireless communication terminals breaks down, the wireless communication terminal can be easily mapped without placing a burden on the user of the wireless communication terminal.

  In the above embodiment, control for selecting a communication partner in a wireless LAN is called access control. Up to this point, the MAC ID has been described as an example of information used for access control (hereinafter referred to as access control information), but the access control information does not necessarily have to be the MAC ID. An example in which other information may be used will be described below.

  In the wireless LAN terminal, a sequence for accepting a terminal that has made a communication request is defined. In addition, when communicating via a wireless LAN, a method for performing encryption is often defined in order to conceal information.

  As the access control information, for example, information used in an encryption algorithm when encrypting a data frame transmitted / received by this wireless LAN can be mentioned. The information used in this encryption algorithm is a common key for the common key cryptosystem, a secret key for the public key cryptosystem (a key paired with the public key), and in this case, the common key is incorporated in each wireless communication terminal in advance. Then, the infrared light emitting unit 13 transmits the secret key to the infrared light receiving unit 23, and the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 have the common key information. The communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 are grouped.

  In addition, for example, there is a key (master key) for securely exchanging a session key when dynamically exchanging a key (session key) used for encrypting communication contents. That is, in this case, the session key is switched during communication, and the information is encrypted with the key. In this case, the infrared light emitting unit 13 transmits the session key and the master key to the infrared light receiving unit 23, so that the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 have common key information, The first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 are grouped.

  Specifically, these keys include WEP_KEY when using WEP in IEEE 802.11, (X.509) public key certificate in IEEE 802.11i, Pre-Shared_Key when using PSK (Pre-Shared_Key) method, and the like. It is. In addition, index information that clearly indicates which one of a plurality of encryption keys to use, a key for generating an MIC code for performing MIC (Message_Integrity_Check), and the like can also be used as access control information. .

For example, when performing access control using WEP in IEEE 802.11, the WEP_KEY and index information are transmitted from the first wireless communication terminal 10 to the second by the above-described infrared communication procedure described with reference to FIGS. To the wireless communication terminal 20. Thereby, the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 have the same common key information, and it becomes possible to realize encrypted communication using WEP by subsequent communication. . In this case, even if both wireless communication terminals do not know each other's MAC ID, it is correct if the data that has been encrypted using WEP_KEY and transmitted over the wireless LAN is correctly decrypted with the common WEP_KEY. (Pairing) It is possible to recognize that it is transmitted from the other party.
On the other hand, even if the data from the fifth wireless communication terminal that does not know this WEP_KEY is encrypted with some WEP_KEY, the first wireless communication terminal 10 or the second wireless communication terminal 20 that does not have the corresponding WEP_KEY. Fails to decrypt, recognizes that the data is received from an unauthorized (unpaired) wireless communication terminal, and discards the data.

In addition, for example, when using PSK encryption communication in IEEE802.11i, the Pre-Shared_Key and index information are obtained from the first wireless communication terminal by the above-described infrared communication procedure described with reference to FIGS. If transmission is performed from 10 to the second wireless communication terminal 20, access control can be performed by the same mechanism as in the case of using WEP.
By transmitting such information in place of the MAC ID in the mapping mode described above, the wireless communication terminal can be mapped.

  Here, some specific examples have been described as the access control information. However, the access control information indicates that the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 are associated with each other (that is, the same group). )) As long as it can be recognized. For this reason, any common information that can be recognized in advance by the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 may be used. In this case as well, since the information is exchanged via wireless, the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 can be recognized in order to prevent information leakage by a malicious third party. It is desirable that the common information is encrypted.

  In the present embodiment, access control information is transmitted via an infrared light emitting unit and an infrared light receiving unit provided in the wireless communication terminal. Infrared communication has a narrow infrared reach compared to wireless LAN communication, so that information is less likely to leak to the outside, and the risk of information leakage can be reduced.

Furthermore, in order to reduce the risk of information leakage, it is preferable to set the output level of the infrared signal in the mapping mode to be lower than the output level during the infrared communication in the normal mode (that is, in the data communication mode).
That is, when the operation mode of the first wireless communication terminal 10 is the mapping mode, the control unit 14 of the first wireless communication terminal 10 sets the output level of the infrared light emitting unit 13 to be higher than the output level in the data communication mode. Set to lower. The control unit 14 instructs the infrared light emitting unit 13 to transmit the access control information included in the first wireless communication terminal 10 at a set low output level. Thereafter, when detecting that the access control information has been transmitted from the infrared light emitting unit 13, the control unit 14 returns the output level of the infrared light emitting unit 13 to the output level of the normal data communication mode.

  When performing mapping of wireless communication terminals, a user of the wireless communication terminal places the wireless communication terminal that performs mapping in a close position in order to prevent information leakage. Therefore, transmission of information is possible even if the output level of the infrared light emitting unit 13 is lower than normal.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, since access control information is transmitted via infrared rays provided in a wireless communication terminal, it is possible to reduce the risk of information leakage. Furthermore, since the infrared output level in the mapping mode can be suppressed, the risk of information leakage can be further reduced.

  The above-described embodiment can be variously modified. For example, in the present embodiment, the wireless LAN is described as a simple wireless LAN, but a wireless LAN such as IEEE802.11a or IEEE802.11g or UWB (Ultra Wide-Band) may be used. The wireless system is not limited as long as the data communication speed is high.

  In the above embodiment, the mapping between the two wireless communication terminals of the first wireless communication terminal 10 and the second wireless communication terminal 20 has been described. It is also possible to perform wireless LAN communication between the plurality of wireless communication terminals performed between the terminals. That is, a plurality of wireless communication terminals can be grouped.

  In the present embodiment, the access control information such as MAC ID is executed by infrared communication. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other short-range wireless communication methods can be used. As such a short-range wireless communication system, for example, there is Bluetooth (registered trademark).

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

The figure which shows the block diagram and radio | wireless communications system of the radio | wireless communication terminal which concern on embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the usage example of the radio | wireless communications system of FIG. The flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of the mapping mode of the 2nd radio | wireless communication terminal of FIG. The flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of the mapping mode of the 1st radio | wireless communication terminal of FIG. The figure which shows grouping the 1st radio | wireless communication terminal of FIG. 1 and the 2nd radio | wireless communication terminal of FIG. 1 using MAC ID. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating that the second wireless communication terminal in FIG. 5 breaks down and the third wireless communication terminal 30 and the first wireless communication terminal are newly grouped using the MAC ID.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... 1st wireless communication terminal, 11 ... Wireless LAN module, 12 ... MAC ID memory | storage part, 13 ... Infrared light emission part, 14 ... Control part, 15 ... Switch (SW ), 16... Display unit, 17... Data transfer interface, 20... Second wireless communication terminal, 21... Wireless LAN module, 22. Light receiving unit, 24 ... control unit, 25 ... switch (SW), 26 ... display unit, 27 ... data transfer interface, 28 ... MAC ID changing means, 30 ... third Wireless communication terminal, 100 ... base unit, 200 ... TV monitor, 300 ... video source

Claims (16)

In a wireless communication system that performs wireless communication between a first wireless communication terminal and a second wireless communication terminal,
The first wireless communication terminal stores storage means for storing the first unique information of the first wireless communication terminal, and transmission means for transmitting the first unique information to the second wireless communication terminal by a short-range wireless communication method. , Comprising communication means for performing wireless communication with the second wireless communication terminal using the first specific information,
The second wireless communication terminal performs wireless communication with the first wireless communication terminal based on the received first unique information received by the receiving unit that receives the first unique information transmitted by the short-range wireless communication method. A radio comprising: generating means for generating second unique information for enabling; and communication means for performing wireless communication with the first wireless communication terminal using the second unique information. Communications system. The transmission means transmits the first unique information by an infrared communication method as a short-range wireless communication method,
The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving unit receives the first unique information by a communication method using infrared as a short-range wireless communication method. The first wireless communication terminal further includes:
Variable means for varying the transmission intensity of the transmission means;
The control means for controlling the variable means so that the transmission intensity is lower when transmitting the first specific information than when transmitting other information. Item 3. The wireless communication system according to Item 2. The second wireless communication terminal further includes:
Determining means for determining whether or not the receiving means has successfully received the first specific information;
4. The wireless device according to claim 1, further comprising: a display unit that displays that the reception is successful when it is determined that the first unique information has been successfully received. Communications system.   The first unique information is a MAC ID (media access control ID) of the first wireless communication terminal, and the second unique information is a MAC ID of the second wireless communication terminal. The radio | wireless communications system in any one of Claim 4. In a wireless communication system that performs wireless communication between a first wireless communication terminal and a second wireless communication terminal,
The first wireless communication terminal stores storage information necessary for performing wireless communication with the second wireless communication terminal, and short-range wireless communication of the necessary information to the second wireless communication terminal. A transmission means for transmitting by a communication method, and a communication means for performing wireless communication with the second wireless communication terminal using the necessary information,
The second wireless communication terminal includes a receiving unit that receives the necessary information transmitted by a short-range wireless communication method, and a communication unit that performs wireless communication with the first wireless communication terminal using the necessary information. A wireless communication system comprising: The transmission means transmits the necessary information by an infrared communication system as a short-range wireless communication system,
The wireless communication system according to claim 6, wherein the receiving unit receives the necessary information by an infrared communication method as a short-range wireless communication method. The first wireless communication terminal further includes:
Variable means for varying the transmission intensity of the transmission means;
8. The control means for controlling the variable means so that the transmission intensity is lower when transmitting the necessary information than when transmitting other information. The wireless communication system according to 1. The second wireless communication terminal further includes:
Determining means for determining whether or not the receiving means has successfully received the necessary information;
9. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, further comprising display means for displaying that the reception is successful when it is determined that the necessary information has been successfully received. . Receiving means for receiving the first unique information of the other wireless communication terminal transmitted from the other wireless communication terminal by the short-range wireless communication method;
Generating means for generating second unique information for enabling wireless communication with the other wireless communication terminal based on the received first unique information;
A wireless communication terminal comprising communication means for performing wireless communication with the other wireless communication terminal using the second unique information.   The wireless communication terminal according to claim 10, wherein the receiving unit receives the first unique information by an infrared communication method as a short-range wireless communication method. further,
Determining means for determining whether or not the receiving means has successfully received the first specific information;
The wireless communication terminal according to claim 10 or 11, further comprising: a display unit that displays that the reception is successful when it is determined that the first unique information has been successfully received.   The first unique information is a MAC ID (media access control ID) of the other wireless communication terminal, and the second unique information is a MAC ID of the wireless communication terminal. The wireless communication terminal according to any one of 12. In a wireless communication method for performing wireless communication between a first wireless communication terminal and a second wireless communication terminal,
Storing first unique information of the first wireless communication terminal;
Transmitting the first unique information to the second wireless communication terminal by a short-range wireless communication method;
Perform wireless communication with the second wireless communication terminal using the first unique information,
Receiving the first specific information transmitted by the short-range wireless communication method;
Generating second unique information of the second wireless communication terminal for enabling wireless communication with the first wireless communication terminal based on the received first unique information;
A wireless communication method comprising performing wireless communication with the first wireless communication terminal using the second unique information. In a wireless communication method for performing wireless communication between a first wireless communication terminal and a second wireless communication terminal,
Storing necessary information necessary for wireless communication with the second wireless communication terminal;
Transmitting the necessary information to the second wireless communication terminal by a short-range wireless communication method;
Perform wireless communication with the second wireless communication terminal using the necessary information,
Receiving the necessary information transmitted by the short-range wireless communication method;
A wireless communication method comprising performing wireless communication with the first wireless communication terminal using the necessary information. Receiving the first unique information of the other wireless communication terminal transmitted by the short-range wireless communication method from the other wireless communication terminal;
Generating second unique information of the second wireless communication terminal for enabling wireless communication with the other wireless communication terminal based on the received first unique information;
A wireless communication method comprising performing wireless communication with the other wireless communication terminal using the second specific information.

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