JP2007006157A - Radio communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily allow an ad-hoc connection between a terminal device (for example, a PC) provided with a radio communication means and a peripheral device (for example, a multifunction peripheral). <P>SOLUTION: A radio communication means 111 of the terminal device includes a report signal transmission part 311 for periodically originating a connection information report signal and a report signal transmission control part 312 for controlling transmission intervals of the connection information report signal. A radio communication means 121 of the peripheral device includes a report signal reception part 321 for receiving the connection information report signal, a report signal measurement part 322 for measuring reception intervals of the connection information report signal received by the report signal reception part, and a connection destination determination part 323 for determining whether the terminal device originating the connection information report signal is a terminal device to be connected or not on the basis of a measurement result of the report signal measurement part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless communication system, and more particularly, to a method for determining a terminal device as a connection destination when transmitting and receiving data by wireless communication.

  Conventionally, network communication using a wired LAN has been widely used, but recently, the wireless network environment is expanding due to improvements in the speed of wireless communication and the improvement of interoperability due to standardization. In particular, transmission / reception of data using short-range wireless communication such as IEEE802.11 wireless LAN or Bluetooth has begun to be used.

  This type of wireless communication function is installed in printers and other multifunction devices that have print / copy / scanner / fax functions, etc., so that notebook computers with wireless communication functions can be used in offices, stores, and public spaces. It is possible to wirelessly connect terminal devices such as a personal computer (PC), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, and the like to print information (such as an electronic document) held by the terminal device. In particular, when there is a need to print on the go, the convenience of wireless connection is great, and the use of wireless printing services is expected to expand further in the future.

  In places where there is no environment connected beforehand via a network, such as an outside location, it is necessary to connect a terminal device carried by the user and a printing device installed at the outside location etc. by ad hoc by wireless communication.

  For example, in Bluetooth, device search and service discovery (service discovery) functions are considered in advance, and devices equipped with the Bluetooth function are detected in the vicinity (about 10 m), and the services supported by the detected devices are detected. Is possible to get. However, the standard transfer rate in Bluetooth is about 1 Mbps (maximum execution speed 720 kbps), and the electronic document data held by the terminal device is output to the printer, or the data read from the scanner device of the multifunction device is imported to the terminal device. Is not sufficient in terms of ability.

  On the other hand, by using the wireless communication means of the IEEE802.11 wireless LAN, the transfer rate is expected to be 11 Mbps (execution speed 4 to 5 Mbps) or 54 Mbps (execution speed 20 Mbps), which is equivalent to a wired LAN. It will be possible to cope with the above scene. However, in the IEEE802.11 wireless LAN, a search function for an access point (base station) is prepared, but a search function for ad hoc connection between peripheral devices is not supported. Therefore, it is not easy to perform print processing or scan processing that effectively uses the bandwidth of the wireless LAN by making an ad hoc connection outside the office.

In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-305895, in order to enable a user to easily specify an appropriate communication partner in an ad hoc network environment, a communication device existing in the vicinity is detected, and the detected communication is detected. A communication device is disclosed that acquires attribute information of a device, and displays only a communication device selected from detected communication devices on a display unit as a communicable communication device according to the acquired attribute information. Yes.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-30585

  An object of the present invention is to enable easy ad hoc connection between a terminal device (for example, a PC) provided with wireless communication means and a peripheral device (for example, a multifunction device).

  A wireless communication system according to the present invention is a wireless communication system including a wirelessly connectable terminal device and a peripheral device, wherein the terminal device periodically transmits a connection information notification signal; A notification signal transmission control unit that controls a transmission interval of the connection information notification signal, and the peripheral device receives a notification signal reception unit that receives the connection information notification signal and the connection information received by the notification signal reception unit. Based on the measurement result by the notification signal measurement unit that measures the reception interval of the notification signal and the notification signal measurement unit, it is determined whether or not the terminal device that is transmitting the connection information notification signal is a terminal device to be connected And a connection destination determination unit.

  Further, another wireless communication system according to the present invention is a wireless communication system including a wirelessly connectable terminal device and a peripheral device, and the terminal device periodically transmits a connection information notification signal. A transmission unit, and a notification signal transmission control unit that controls a transmission level of the connection information notification signal, wherein the peripheral device receives the connection information notification signal by the notification signal reception unit and the notification signal reception unit. A notification signal measuring unit that measures the reception level of the connection information notification signal, and whether the terminal device that is transmitting the connection information notification signal is a terminal device to be connected based on a measurement result by the notification signal measurement unit And a connection destination discriminating unit for discriminating whether or not.

  Still another wireless communication system according to the present invention is a wireless communication system including a wirelessly connectable terminal device and a peripheral device, and the terminal device includes connection information including a specific network ID as connection information. A notification signal transmission unit that periodically transmits a notification signal, the peripheral device receiving a connection information notification signal transmitted by the terminal device, and a connection received by the notification signal reception unit A connection destination determination unit that determines whether the terminal device that is transmitting the connection information notification signal is a terminal device to be connected based on the network ID included in the information notification signal as connection information; It is characterized by that.

  A peripheral device according to the present invention is a peripheral device that is used by being wirelessly connected to a terminal device, and includes a notification signal receiving unit that receives a connection information notification signal transmitted by the terminal device, and the notification signal receiving unit. A notification signal measuring unit that measures a reception interval of the received connection information notification signal, and a terminal device to which the terminal device that is transmitting the connection information notification signal is connected based on a measurement result by the notification signal measurement unit And a connection destination discriminating unit for discriminating whether or not.

  Another peripheral device according to the present invention is a peripheral device that is used while being wirelessly connected to a terminal device, and includes a notification signal receiving unit that receives a connection information notification signal transmitted by the terminal device, and the notification A notification signal measurement unit that measures the reception level of the connection information notification signal received by the signal reception unit, and a terminal device that transmits the connection information notification signal based on the measurement result by the notification signal measurement unit And a connection destination discriminating unit that discriminates whether or not the terminal device is to be used.

  Further, another peripheral device according to the present invention is a peripheral device used by being wirelessly connected to a terminal device, and a notification signal receiving unit that receives a connection information notification signal transmitted by the terminal device; Based on the network ID included as connection information in the connection information notification signal received by the notification signal receiver, it is determined whether or not the terminal device that is transmitting the connection information notification signal is a terminal device to be connected. And a connection destination determination unit.

  The terminal device according to the present invention includes a notification signal transmission unit that periodically transmits a connection information notification signal and a notification signal transmission control unit that controls a transmission interval of the connection information notification signal.

  In addition, another terminal device according to the present invention includes a notification signal transmission unit that periodically transmits a connection information notification signal, and a notification signal transmission control unit that controls a transmission level of the connection information notification signal. Features.

  The terminal device determination method according to the present invention receives a connection information notification signal transmitted by a terminal device, measures a reception interval of the received connection information notification signal, and determines the connection information notification signal based on the measurement result. It is characterized in that it is determined whether or not the terminal device that is transmitting is a terminal device to be connected.

  Further, another terminal device determination method according to the present invention receives a connection information notification signal transmitted by a terminal device, measures a reception level of the received connection information notification signal, and based on the measurement result, It is characterized by determining whether the terminal device which has transmitted the connection information notification signal is a terminal device to be connected.

  In addition, another terminal device determination method according to the present invention receives a connection information notification signal transmitted by a terminal device, and based on a network ID included as connection information in the received connection information notification signal, It is characterized by determining whether the terminal device which has transmitted the connection information notification signal is a terminal device to be connected.

  According to the present invention, the peripheral device can determine the terminal device to be connected, and the terminal device and the peripheral device can be easily connected by ad hoc.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a wireless communication system to which the present invention is applied. As shown in the figure, a wireless communication system 100 to which the present invention is applied includes a terminal device 110 and a peripheral device 120.

  The terminal device 110 includes a wireless communication unit 111, is wirelessly connected to the peripheral device 120, and uses a function provided by the peripheral device 120. The terminal device 110 corresponds to, for example, a personal computer (PC) or PDA having a wireless communication function.

  The peripheral device 120 includes a wireless communication unit 121 and is wirelessly connected to the terminal device 110 to provide a predetermined function (for example, a print function or a scanner function) to the terminal device 110. The peripheral device 120 corresponds to, for example, a printer or a multifunction device having a wireless communication function.

  Note that the wireless standard implemented by the wireless communication units 111 and 121 includes, for example, IEEE 802.11b wireless LAN such as IEEE802.11b or 11g.

  The terminal device 110 periodically broadcasts a signal for notifying the surroundings of information necessary for wireless connection (hereinafter referred to as a connection information notification signal), and the peripheral device 120 is based on the connection information notification signal. The terminal device 110 determines whether it is a terminal device to be connected. Details of operations of the terminal device 110 and the peripheral device 120 will be described later.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the wireless communication units 111 and 121.

  As shown in the figure, the wireless communication means 111 and 121 include an antenna unit 201, an RF processing unit 202, a media access control (MAC) unit 203, an interface unit 204, a CPU 205, a ROM 206, and a RAM 207. With.

  The antenna unit 201 is connected to the RF processing unit 202, the RF processing unit 202 is connected to the MAC unit 203, and the MAC unit 203 is connected to the interface unit 204. Further, the CPU 205, ROM 206, RAM 207, and interface unit 204 are each connected to the bus 210.

  The antenna unit 201 transmits and receives radio waves. The RF processing unit 202 performs modulation / demodulation of transmission / reception signals. The MAC unit 203 performs, for example, IEEE 802.11 protocol processing. The interface unit 204 controls data exchange between the bus 210 and the MAC unit 203.

  The CPU 205 is a main control unit that controls various operations of the wireless communication units 111 and 121. The ROM 206 is a memory that stores programs executed by the CPU 205, and the RAM 207 is a memory that temporarily stores data used by the CPU 205.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the wireless communication units 111 and 121.

  As shown in the figure, the wireless communication unit 111 includes a notification signal transmission unit 311 and a notification signal transmission control unit 312. The notification signal transmission unit 311 and the notification signal transmission control unit 312 are basically realized by the MAC unit 203 and the RF processing unit 202 controlled by a predetermined program (firmware).

  The notification signal transmitting unit 311 periodically transmits a connection information notification signal by broadcasting. This connection information notification signal is normally transmitted at a predetermined interval (for example, every 100 msec), and as a connection information for wireless connection to the terminal device of the transmission source, a network ID Use frequency band information, communication mode, encryption flag information, and the like.

  The notification signal transmission control unit 312 controls transmission of the connection information notification signal performed by the notification signal transmission unit 311. For example, the notification signal transmission control unit 312 changes the transmission interval of the connection information notification signal transmitted by the notification signal transmission unit 311. In this case, the notification signal transmission control unit 312 may be configured to make a transmission at a specific interval (different from normal) determined in advance with the peripheral device 120 (wireless communication unit 121), or set the transmission interval in advance. You may make it change periodically according to the defined pattern.

  As shown in the figure, the wireless communication unit 121 includes a notification signal reception unit 321, a notification signal measurement unit 322, a connection destination determination unit 323, and a wireless connection setting unit 324. The notification signal reception unit 321 and the notification signal measurement unit 322 are basically realized by the MAC unit 203 and the RF processing unit 202 controlled by a predetermined program (firmware). Further, the connection destination determination unit 323 and the wireless connection setting unit 324 are basically realized by the CPU 205 executing a program stored in the ROM 206.

  The notification signal receiving unit 321 receives a connection information notification signal transmitted from the wireless communication unit 111. The notification signal measurement unit 322 measures the connection information notification signal received by the notification signal reception unit 321. For example, the notification signal measurement unit 322 measures the reception interval of the connection information notification signal received by the notification signal reception unit 321.

  Based on the measurement value measured by the notification signal measurement unit 322, the connection destination determination unit 323 determines whether the terminal device that is transmitting the connection information notification signal is a terminal device to be connected. . For example, the connection destination determination unit 323 has a determination table in which the transmission interval of the terminal device that is the connection destination is registered. Based on the value registered in the determination table, the connection destination determination unit 323 is a terminal device to be connected. Determine whether or not. Note that a plurality of values (determination criteria) can be registered in the determination table. Further, when a plurality of values are registered in the determination table, each value may be registered in association with its priority. By registering each value in association with the priority order, even when a plurality of terminal devices are detected as connection destination terminal devices, it is possible to identify the terminal device to be connected according to the priority order.

  The wireless connection setting unit 324 performs connection setting of the wireless communication unit 121 based on the connection information of the terminal device determined as the connection destination by the connection destination determination unit 323, and establishes the wireless connection with the terminal device 110 as the connection destination. To establish.

  In the above-described notification signal transmission control unit 312, the transmission interval of the connection information notification signal is changed, but instead of changing the transmission interval of the connection information notification signal, the connection information transmitted by the notification signal transmission unit 311. The transmission level (intensity) of the notification signal may be changed. For example, the notification signal transmission control unit 312 may be configured to make a transmission at a specific transmission level that is predetermined (different from normal) with the peripheral device 120 in advance, or the transmission level is periodically changed according to a predetermined pattern. (For example, strong to weak, weak to strong, etc.). In this case, the notification signal measurement unit 322 measures the reception level of the connection information notification signal received by the notification signal reception unit 321 instead of the reception interval of the connection information notification signal, and the connection destination determination unit 323 performs the measurement. Based on the measured value, it is determined whether or not the terminal device transmitting the connection information notification signal is a terminal device to be connected.

  Further, the notification signal transmission control unit 312 does not change the transmission interval or transmission level of the connection information notification signal, but instead includes a specific network ID determined in advance with the peripheral device 120 in the connection information notification signal. Information may be set. In this case, the connection destination determination unit 323 determines whether the terminal device that is transmitting the connection information notification signal is a terminal device to be connected based on the network ID included as connection information in the received connection information notification signal. Determine whether or not.

  Next, the operation of the wireless communication system 100 having the above configuration will be described.

  Here, it is assumed that the peripheral device 120 includes a scanner device (image reading device), the peripheral device 120 including the scanner device is used to convert a paper document into electronic data, and the electronic data is converted into the peripheral device. A case where data is transferred from 120 to the terminal device 110 will be described. Here, a case where the notification signal transmission control unit 312 of the wireless communication unit 111 changes the transmission interval of the connection information notification signal will be described. The same applies to the operation when the notification signal transmission control unit 312 changes the transmission level or when a specific network ID is set in the connection information included in the connection information notification signal. Further, here, it is assumed that the peripheral device 120 has a DHCP server function, and the terminal device 110 has a DHCP client function.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation flow in the wireless communication system 100.

  When capturing electronic data read by the peripheral device 120 into the terminal device 110, first, the wireless communication unit 111 of the terminal device 110 is activated in the data capturing mode. The terminal device 110 activated in the data capture mode performs broadcast transmission of a connection information notification signal at a specific transmission interval different from normal (for example, every 80 msec).

  Next, the wireless communication unit 121 of the peripheral device 120 is activated in the search mode, and the search for the terminal device to be connected is started. The wireless communication means 121 activated in the search mode receives the connection information notification signal in each frequency band, analyzes the information, and measures the reception interval of the connection information notification signal. Then, it is determined whether or not the terminal device that is transmitting the connection information notification signal is a terminal device that is a connection destination, depending on whether or not the measured reception interval is a specific interval (for example, every 80 msec). To do. As a result of the determination, if the terminal device is the connection destination, the peripheral device 120 changes the connection setting of the wireless communication unit 121 to the connection setting for the terminal device 110 based on the specified connection setting information of the terminal device 110. Rewrite and establish a wireless connection with the terminal device 110.

  When the wireless connection with the peripheral device 120 is established, the terminal device 110 requests setting information such as an IP address from the peripheral device 120 using DHCP. Then, by setting an IP address or the like notified from the peripheral device 120 in response to the request, the terminal device 110 can communicate with the peripheral device 120 using TCP / IP. Next, the peripheral device 120 shares a specific folder with the terminal device 110 using a file sharing protocol such as SMB. Then, the paper document is converted into electronic data using the scanner device of the peripheral device 120, and the converted electronic data is transferred to the terminal device 110 by storing it in a shared folder. When the transfer is completed, the peripheral device 120 disconnects the wireless connection with the terminal device 110 and returns to the default connection setting.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the peripheral device 120.

  As shown in the figure, first, when searching for surrounding terminal devices is started, the peripheral device 120 measures the reception interval of the connection information notification signal (S501). Then, it is determined whether or not the measured reception interval is a specific interval (for example, every 80 msec) (S502).

  As a result of the determination, if the measured reception interval is a normal interval (for example, every 100 msec) (S502: No), the terminal device that transmits the connection information notification signal is not a terminal device to be connected. The connection setting included in the connection information notification signal is only displayed on the operation panel (S503), and the process ends.

  On the other hand, when the measured reception interval is a specific interval (for example, every 80 msec) (S502: Yes), it is determined that the terminal device that is transmitting the connection information notification signal is a terminal device to be connected. Then, based on the connection information of the terminal device included in the connection information notification signal, the connection setting of the wireless communication unit 121 is performed (S504), and the wireless connection with the terminal device 110 as the connection destination is established (S505). ).

  When the wireless connection with the terminal device 110 is established, the peripheral device 120 performs a predetermined process (for example, data transfer) with the terminal device 110 using the established wireless connection (S506). When the predetermined process is completed, the wireless connection with the terminal device 110 is disconnected (S507), the connection setting of the wireless communication unit 121 is returned to the default connection setting, and the process is terminated.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation screen displayed on the operation panel (user interface unit) of the peripheral device 120.

  FIG. 5A is an example of an operation screen showing the result of searching for surrounding terminal devices. As shown in FIG. 5A, in this case, the peripheral device 120 has detected three terminal devices as a result of searching for peripheral terminal devices. In this state, when the “connection start” key 601 is pressed, the peripheral device 120 establishes a wireless connection with the terminal device determined to be connected among the detected three terminal devices. When there are a plurality of terminal devices that are determined to be connected, one terminal device is selected according to a predetermined priority order (or according to a user instruction), and a wireless connection is established. The

  FIG. 5B is an example of an operation screen displayed after establishing a wireless connection. As shown in FIG. 5B, here, connection destination information and a connection destination folder as a data transfer destination are displayed. In this state, when the “transfer start” key 602 is pressed, electronic data read by the peripheral device 120 is transferred from the peripheral device 120 to a designated folder (for example, folder A) in the terminal device 110. When the “complete” key 603 is pressed, the peripheral device 120 disconnects the wireless connection with the terminal device 110.

  As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, the peripheral device can determine the terminal device that is the connection destination, and the terminal device and the peripheral device can be easily connected by ad hoc. Further, since the terminal device search and connection processing is executed on the peripheral device side, for example, when electronic data read by the scanner device provided in the peripheral device is taken into the terminal device, the work can be performed efficiently.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the radio | wireless communications system to which this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of the radio | wireless communication means 111,121. It is a figure which shows the function structure of the radio | wireless communication means 111 and 121. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an operation flow in the wireless communication system 100. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing in a peripheral device 120. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen displayed on the operation panel of the peripheral device 120. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Wireless communication system 110 Terminal device 111 Wireless communication means 120 Peripheral device 121 Wireless communication means 201 Antenna part 202 RF processing part 203 MAC part 204 Interface part 210 Bus 311 Information signal transmission part 312 Information signal transmission control part 321 Information signal reception part 322 Notification signal measurement unit 323 Connection destination determination unit 324 Wireless connection setting unit

Claims (11)

A wireless communication system including a terminal device and a peripheral device capable of wireless connection,
The terminal device
A notification signal transmitter that periodically transmits a connection information notification signal;
A notification signal transmission control unit for controlling a transmission interval of the connection information notification signal,
The peripheral device is:
A notification signal receiving unit for receiving the connection information notification signal;
A notification signal measuring unit for measuring a reception interval of the connection information notification signal received by the notification signal receiving unit;
A terminal device that transmits the connection information notification signal includes a connection destination determination unit that determines whether or not the terminal device that is to be connected is based on a measurement result by the notification signal measurement unit. Wireless communication system. A wireless communication system including a terminal device and a peripheral device capable of wireless connection,
The terminal device
A notification signal transmitter that periodically transmits a connection information notification signal;
A notification signal transmission control unit for controlling a transmission level of the connection information notification signal,
The peripheral device is:
A notification signal receiving unit for receiving the connection information notification signal;
A notification signal measuring unit for measuring a reception level of the connection information notification signal received by the notification signal receiving unit;
A terminal device that transmits the connection information notification signal includes a connection destination determination unit that determines whether or not the terminal device that is to be connected is based on a measurement result by the notification signal measurement unit. Wireless communication system. A wireless communication system including a terminal device and a peripheral device capable of wireless connection,
The terminal device
A notification signal transmitter that periodically transmits a connection information notification signal including a specific network ID as connection information;
The peripheral device is:
A notification signal receiving unit for receiving a connection information notification signal transmitted by the terminal device;
Based on the network ID included as connection information in the connection information notification signal received by the notification signal receiver, whether or not the terminal device that is transmitting the connection information notification signal is a terminal device to be connected is determined. A wireless communication system comprising a connection destination determination unit for determination. A peripheral device that is used by wireless connection with a terminal device,
A notification signal receiving unit for receiving a connection information notification signal transmitted by the terminal device;
A notification signal measuring unit for measuring a reception interval of the connection information notification signal received by the notification signal receiving unit;
A terminal device that transmits the connection information notification signal includes a connection destination determination unit that determines whether or not the terminal device that is to be connected is based on a measurement result by the notification signal measurement unit. Peripheral device. A peripheral device that is used by wireless connection with a terminal device,
A notification signal receiving unit for receiving a connection information notification signal transmitted by the terminal device;
A notification signal measuring unit for measuring a reception level of the connection information notification signal received by the notification signal receiving unit;
A terminal device that transmits the connection information notification signal includes a connection destination determination unit that determines whether or not the terminal device that is to be connected is based on a measurement result by the notification signal measurement unit. Peripheral device. A peripheral device that is used by wireless connection with a terminal device,
A notification signal receiving unit for receiving a connection information notification signal transmitted by the terminal device;
Based on the network ID included as connection information in the connection information notification signal received by the notification signal receiver, whether or not the terminal device that is transmitting the connection information notification signal is a terminal device to be connected is determined. A peripheral device comprising a connection destination discriminating unit for discriminating. A notification signal transmitter that periodically transmits a connection information notification signal;
A terminal device comprising: a notification signal transmission control unit that controls a transmission interval of the connection information notification signal. A notification signal transmitter that periodically transmits a connection information notification signal;
A terminal device comprising: a notification signal transmission control unit that controls a transmission level of the connection information notification signal. Receiving a connection information notification signal transmitted by the terminal device;
Measure the reception interval of the received connection information broadcast signal,
A terminal device determination method, characterized in that, based on the measurement result, it is determined whether or not the terminal device that is transmitting the connection information notification signal is a terminal device to be connected. Receiving a connection information notification signal transmitted by the terminal device;
Measure the reception level of the received connection information broadcast signal,
A terminal device determination method, characterized in that, based on the measurement result, it is determined whether or not the terminal device that is transmitting the connection information notification signal is a terminal device to be connected. Receiving a connection information notification signal transmitted by the terminal device;
Based on the network ID included as connection information in the received connection information notification signal, it is determined whether or not the terminal device that is transmitting the connection information notification signal is a terminal device to be connected. A method for determining a terminal device.

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