JP2008067121A - Automatic channel determination method and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a management device ME for concentratedly managing channel determination with a commercially available personal computer, and to prevent channel determination time from depending on the number of access points AP. <P>SOLUTION: The management device ME indicates measurement of electric wave interference amount from access points AP0 to 4 around access points AP0, 1, 2, and acquires an interference amount. The device calculates average signal intensity for every surrounding access point AP from the interference amount, and raises preference order of an access point AP of an object having the large total sum of the average signal intensity. Although a use channel is determined from an object access point having higher preference order, remeasurement of the interference amount at that time is not performed, and the average signal intensity calculated in the preference order determination is reused. The reutilization enables greater time shortening up to channel determination. This effect becomes obvious as the number of access points AP is increased. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic channel determination method and apparatus relating to channel allocation used at an access point of a wireless LAN system. More specifically, an inexpensive channel determination method and apparatus capable of automatically and quickly allocating a channel used at an access point which is a large number of wireless base stations scattered in a wireless LAN system. It is to be provided.

  FIG. 19 shows an arrangement of channels with low interference with access points AP (A) to AP (E), which are conventional radio base stations. Assume that there are five access points AP (A) to AP (E), and four wireless channels c1 to c4 can be used. Here, consider a case where the access point AP selects its own use channel c in the order of the access point AP (E), AP (A), AP (B), AP (C), AP (D).

  First, the access point AP (E) selects the channel c1. Since channel c1 has already been used by access point AP (E), access point AP (A) uses channel c2. Similarly, the access point AP (B) selects the channel c3, and the access point AP (C) selects the channel c4. The access point AP (D) has already used four channels, but it investigates the communication environment, examines the received signal strength, knows that the channel c2 is used farthest, and uses the channel c2. To decide.

  FIG. 20 shows an arrangement of channels having a large interference with the conventional access points AP (A) to AP (E). Consider a case where an access point AP selects its own use channel c in the order of access points AP (A), (B), (C), (D), and (E). First, the access point AP (A) selects the channel c1. Since channel c1 is already in use, access point AP (B) uses channel c2.

  Similarly, the access point AP (C) selects the channel c3, and the access point AP (D) selects the channel c4. The channels c1 to c4 are already used by the adjacent access points AP (A) to AP (D), and there is a possibility that large channel interference occurs. However, the access point AP (E) must select the channel having the best communication environment, for example, the channel c1, out of the channels c1, 2, 3, and 4. In the case of FIG. 19, the distance between the access points AP (A) and AP (D) that use the same channel c2 is large, and even if the same channel is used, the influence on the mutual communication is relatively small.

  From this, it can be seen that the order in which the channels are determined is important when determining the channels to be used by a plurality of access points. However, in the distributed control method, since each access point performs channel determination independently, the order of channel determination is indefinite. On the other hand, in the centralized control method, since a dedicated management device is used, the management device can determine the order, but it is expensive because there are many highly functional products.

  In a conventional general access point, a use channel of the access point may be manually set using a personal computer arranged in a communication network. In addition, it is difficult to manually set many access points one by one, and there is a method for automatic setting. There are a distributed control system and a centralized control system for automatic setting. In the distributed control method, the access point itself investigates the surrounding communication environment and determines the channel to be used by itself. In the centralized control method, a centralized management device is arranged on the communication network, information on the communication environment is collected from the access points, and channels used by the access points are assigned.

  Therefore, a method for realizing the management apparatus with an inexpensive commercially available personal computer or the like instead of an expensive dedicated centralized management apparatus has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1). However, in this method, first, the amount of radio wave interference received by the access point from neighboring access points is measured, and the priority order of the access points is determined based on the interference amount information. After the priority order is determined, the interference amount is measured again for each access point to obtain interference amount information, and the channel used by the access point is determined.

That is, the amount of interference is measured in order to determine the priority, and the amount of interference is measured again for each designated channel (claim 1 of Patent Document 1). Therefore, when the number of access points increases, the time required for channel determination also increases, which is not suitable for the configuration of a communication network having a large number of access points.
JP 2006-54849 A

  In the distributed control method related to the determination of the radio channel used by the access point, each access point performs channel determination independently, so the order of channel determination is indefinite, and optimal channel settings are set for the entire communication network. It is not possible. On the other hand, since a dedicated management device is used in the centralized control method, it is possible for the management device to determine the optimum channel setting, but it is expensive because there are many highly functional products.

  In a method for realizing a centralized management device with an inexpensive commercially available personal computer (for example, Patent Document 1), first, the amount of radio wave interference received by the access point from surrounding access points is measured, and based on the amount of interference. To determine the priority of access points. After the priority order is determined, the interference amount is measured again for each access point, and the channel used by the access point is determined. Therefore, when the number of access points increases, the time required for channel determination also increases, and there is a problem that must be solved that is not suitable for the configuration of a communication network having a large number of access points.

  In the present invention, in order to solve the above-described problem, a channel allocation device that does not depend on the number of access points is determined even when a management device that centrally manages channel allocation is realized by an inexpensive personal computer. It is intended to provide.

The basic operation means in the present invention is:
m1) interference amount acquisition means m2) priority order determination means m3) use channel determination means m4) channel notification means m5) access point search means m6) use channel determination management means having ME memory means and ME control means;
a1) Interference amount notification means a2) Interference amount measurement means a3) Beacon control means a4) Channel acquisition means a5) Channel control means a6) Multiple wireless access points having IP address notification means, AP memory means and AP control means The means are connected by an IP network according to the Internet Protocol (IP).

Method 1:
In management means,
The interference amount acquisition means transmits an interference amount measurement request message to instruct the access point to be measured searched by the access point search means to measure the interference amount from the peripheral access point, and is designated. After a predetermined time, an interference amount notification request message is transmitted to acquire the interference amount. The amount of interference is measured by obtaining the sum of the number of received beacons and the received signal strength for each beacon (geographical position indication signal) emitted by the peripheral access point.

  The priority determination means calculates the average signal strength of each peripheral access point from the amount of interference acquired from the measurement target access point, calculates the sum of the average signal strength for each target access point, and calculates the average signal. Increase the priority of access points that have a high strength sum. This is because a target access point having a large sum of average signal strength means that the amount of interference from the surrounding area is large, and the channel determination priority is increased to assign a channel that is not easily affected by interference.

  The channel determining means determines the channel to be used from the target access point having a higher priority, but does not remeasure the amount of interference at this time, and reuses the average signal strength calculated by the priority determining means. This reuse makes it possible to significantly reduce the time until channel determination. This effect becomes more prominent as the number of access points increases compared to the conventional example (Patent Document 1).

The average signal strength is reused as follows.
When determining the use channel of the target access point, the use channel is already determined for the peripheral access point having a higher priority than the target access point. Therefore, at the target access point, the average signal strength from the peripheral access point with a high priority measured on a channel different from the channel used by the peripheral access point with a high priority is calculated by the peripheral access point with a high priority. Reuse as the average signal strength of the beacons received on the used channel. At the target access point, the maximum value of the average signal strength is obtained for each channel, and the channel having the smallest maximum value is determined as the channel used by the target access point.

  The channel notification means transmits a channel setting request message including a use channel and a beacon transmission or stop instruction to request a channel change to the target access point. In the above operation, the search for the target access point is performed in the access point search means, and various data such as average signal strength is written to or read from the ME memory means, and the ME control means is the management means. Control is performed so that the above-described processing is performed according to the procedure.

In access point means:
When the interference amount notification means receives the interference amount measurement request message from the management means, it notifies the AP control means that the interference amount measurement request message has been received. When the interference amount notification request message is received from the management unit, the interference amount information is acquired from the AP control unit after measurement of the interference amount, and is included in the interference amount notification response and transmitted to the management unit.

  When the interference control unit is instructed to start the interference measurement by the AP control unit, the interference measurement unit starts measuring the interference. When receiving a beacon emitted by a neighboring access point, the interference measurement unit receives a MAC address indicating the beacon transmission source and the reception. Signal strength is notified to the AP control means. Further, when the AP control unit instructs to stop measuring the interference amount, the measurement of the interference amount is stopped.

The beacon control unit controls transmission or stoppage of the beacon according to an instruction from the AP control unit.
When the channel acquisition unit receives the channel setting request message from the management unit, the channel acquisition unit notifies the AP control unit of reception of the message.
When the channel control means is instructed to change the channel from the AP control means, the channel control means changes to the designated channel.
When receiving the IP address notification request from the management means, the IP address notification means notifies the management means of the IP address of the access point means.
The AP memory means stores various data such as interference amount measurement data, and the AP control means controls each part in the access point.

Mean 2:
The following means can be used in place of the priority order determining means and channel determining means of means 1.

  When the measured interference amount is used in the priority order determination means in the management apparatus, the priority order determination means calculates the average signal strength for each peripheral access point from the interference amount acquired from the target access point, and calculates the average signal. The adjacent channel interference amount (influence on the channel other than the channel where the interference amount is measured) is calculated from the intensity. The sum of adjacent channel interference amounts is calculated for each target access point, and the priority of the target access point is increased as the total sum of adjacent channel interference amounts increases.

  When determining the channel used by the target access point, the average signal strength from the peripheral access point with high priority measured at a channel different from the channel used by the peripheral access point with high priority at the target access point is calculated. Reuse as the average signal strength of the beacon received on the channel used by the peripheral access point with higher priority, and calculate the adjacent channel interference amount from the average signal strength. At the target access point, the maximum value of the adjacent channel interference amount is obtained for each channel, and the channel having the smallest maximum value is determined as the channel used by the target access point.

Mean 3:
The following means can be used in place of the priority order determining means and channel determining means of means 1.

  When measuring the amount of interference at the time of priority determination, measure the amount of interference for all channels that can be used by the target access point, calculate the average signal strength for each peripheral access point received on each channel, and calculate the average signal strength from the average signal strength. Calculate the adjacent channel interference amount (influence on the channel other than the channel where the interference amount was measured). The sum of adjacent channel interference amounts is calculated for each target access point, and the priority is increased as the total sum of adjacent channel interference amounts increases.

  When determining the channel used by the target access point, the average signal strength from the higher priority peripheral access point, measured on a channel different from the channel used by the higher priority peripheral access point, is Reuse as the average signal strength of the beacons received on the channels used by the peripheral access points, and calculate the adjacent channel interference amount from the average signal strength for each peripheral access point of each channel. At the target access point, the maximum value of the adjacent channel interference amount is obtained for each channel, and the channel having the smallest maximum value is determined as the channel used by the target access point.

  By using the present invention, it becomes possible to determine the channels in the order in which results superior to those of the conventional distributed control method can be obtained. In addition, since a dedicated centralized management terminal used conventionally is unnecessary, it can be implemented at low cost. Further, by using the number of beacons and the signal strength, it becomes possible to investigate the communication environment in more detail and to select a better channel (means 1).

  Also, the amount of interference is measured only at the time of priority determination, and the amount of interference used at the time of priority determination is used as it is without measuring the amount of interference for each access point at the time of channel determination. Therefore, it can be applied to a network system including more access points (means 1). Also, better channel determination is possible by taking into account the adjacent channel interference amount (means 2). In addition, since it is possible to measure the amount of interference on all channels that can be used by the access point, it can be detected even if an access point that does not use the present invention operates using any channel. Thus, better channel determination is possible (means 3).

  FIG. 1 shows the best mode which is also an embodiment of the present invention. The network system is a management device ME, access points AP (0), AP (1), AP (2) using the present invention, and conventional access points AP (3), AP (4) not using the present invention. Consists of The management apparatus ME and the access points AP (0), AP (1), AP (2) and the conventional access point AP (3) are connected using the IP network IPN. The conventional access point AP (4) may not be connected to the IP network IPN.

  The management apparatus ME allocates and determines a radio channel for each of the access points AP (0), AP (1), and AP (2). Although the conventional access point AP (3) is connected to the IP network IPN, it does not operate according to the present invention and the channel is not determined by the management apparatus ME. The channel is determined. The conventional access point AP (4) is not connected to the IP network IPN, and the channel is not determined by the management apparatus ME.

  Prior to determining the channel, the amount of interference from the wireless channel used by neighboring access points AP at each access point AP (0), AP (1), AP (2) is measured. For example, when measuring the interference amount of the access point AP (1), the access point AP (4) that is not connected to the access point AP (0), AP (2), AP (3) and the IP network IPN. ) Is also measured. The access point AP (4) is not under the management of the management apparatus ME, but is in the vicinity of the managed access points AP (0), AP (2), AP (3), and is subject to radio wave interference. This is because there is a risk of it. From the measured amount of interference, the channel used by each access point AP (0), AP (1), AP (2) is determined by the management apparatus ME.

  The configuration and operation of the management apparatus ME and each access point AP (0), AP (1), AP (2) until the used channel is determined will be described.

The management device ME includes an interference amount acquisition unit, a priority order determination unit, a channel determination unit, and a channel notification unit. Each major part included in these management devices ME operates as described below.

  The interference amount acquisition unit performs peripheral access points (AP (0), AP (1), AP (1), AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)) with respect to target access points (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)) In order to instruct the measurement of the amount of interference from AP (2), AP (3), AP (4)), an interference amount measurement request message is transmitted, and after a predetermined time, an interference amount notification request message is transmitted. The interference amount information that is the measurement result is acquired.

  The priority determining unit uses the interference amount information acquired from the target access points (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)) for determining the channel to be used, to the peripheral access points (AP (0), Calculate the average signal strength for each AP (1), AP (2), AP (3), AP (4)), and for each target access point (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)) Then, the sum of the average signal strengths is calculated, and the priority in determining the channel to be used in the target access point having the large sum of the average signal strengths is determined.

  The channel determination unit re-uses the calculated average signal strength to determine the channel to be used in order from the target access point with the highest priority. The channel notification unit sends a channel setting request message to the target access point (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)) in order to request a setting change to the channel determined by determining the channel to be used. Send.

The access point (AP) is
When the interference amount measurement request message from the management device ME is received and then the interference amount notification request message from the management device ME is received, an interference amount notification response including interference amount information as a measurement result is received after the interference amount measurement. An interference amount notification unit for transmitting to the management device ME;
Interference amount information is received by instructing the start of interference amount measurement by receiving the interference amount measurement request message, starting measurement of interference amount, receiving beacons emitted by neighboring access points and measuring interference amount An interference amount measuring unit for obtaining
A beacon is transmitted by starting the interference amount measurement and is controlled to stop after a predetermined period; and
A channel acquisition control unit for changing to the channel specified by the channel setting request message by receiving the channel setting request message in the management apparatus ME is included.

  FIG. 2 is a circuit configuration diagram of an internal configuration showing an embodiment of the management device ME of the present invention. The management device ME includes an ME memory 10, a channel determination unit 11, a priority determination unit 12, an ME control unit 13, an access point search unit 14, an interference amount acquisition unit 15, a channel notification unit 16, and an ME wired communication unit 17. It is out.

  Prior to the channel determination operation, the access point search unit 14 sets target access points (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)) that are targets of channel determination and their peripheral access points ( AP (0), AP (1), AP (2), AP (3), AP (4)) are searched. Thereby, the amount of interference is measured, and the operation of channel determination is started.

  The interference amount acquisition unit 15 is connected to the peripheral access points (AP (0), AP (1)) for the target access points (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)) to be measured by radio wave interference. , AP (2), AP (3), AP (4)) in order to instruct measurement of the interference amount, an interference amount measurement request message is transmitted, and after a predetermined time, an interference amount notification request message is transmitted to cause interference. Interference amount information that is a measurement result of the amount is acquired.

  The priority order determination unit 12 uses the interference amount information acquired from the target access points (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)) to access the peripheral access points (AP (0), AP (1)). , AP (2), AP (3), AP (4)) is calculated for each target access point (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)). Is calculated so as to increase the priority in determining the channel to be used at the target access point having a large average signal strength sum.

  The channel determination unit 11 reuses the average signal strength calculated by the priority determination unit 12, and determines the channel to be used in order from the target access point with the highest priority. This reuse makes it possible to significantly reduce the time until channel determination. This effect becomes more prominent as the number of access points increases compared to the conventional example (Patent Document 1).

  The channel notification unit 16 requests the target access point (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)) to change the setting of the channel determined by determining the channel to be used. Send. The ME memory 10 stores or reads a lot of data based on the interference amount information under the control of the ME control unit 13. The ME wired communication unit 17 is connected to many access points AP via the IP network IPN, and exchanges data such as various kinds of interference information and various messages.

  FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of the internal configuration showing an embodiment of the access point AP of the present invention. The access point AP includes an AP memory 21, an AP control unit 22, a channel control unit 24, a beacon control unit 25, an interference amount measurement unit 26, a channel acquisition unit 27, an IP address notification unit 28, an interference amount notification unit 29, and wireless communication. Part 30 and AP wired communication part 31.

  When the interference amount notification unit 29 receives the interference amount measurement request message from the management device ME and then receives the interference amount notification request message from the management device ME, the interference amount information that is the measurement result after the interference amount measurement is received. Is transmitted to the management device ME.

  The interference amount measurement unit 26 receives the interference amount measurement request message, is instructed to start the interference amount measurement, starts the measurement of the interference amount, and transmits the beacon emitted by the peripheral access point AP to the wireless communication unit 30. Interference amount information is obtained by measuring the amount of interference.

  The beacon control unit 25 controls the emission of the beacon via the wireless communication unit 30 and the stop after a predetermined period when the interference amount measurement starts. The channel acquisition unit 27 receives a channel setting request message from the management apparatus ME via the AP wired communication unit 31 and obtains a channel to be set. The channel control unit 24 performs control for changing to a channel to be set.

  When receiving the IP address notification request from the management device ME, the IP address notification unit 28 notifies the management device ME of the IP address of the access point AP. The AP memory 21 stores or reads a lot of data related to the measured interference amount information under the control of the AP control unit 22. The AP wired communication unit 31 is connected to the management apparatus ME via the IP network IPN, and exchanges data such as various interference amount information and various messages under the control of the AP control unit 22.

The main operations in the present invention are as follows:
1) Access point search
2) Interference measurement
3) Determination of priority
4) Channel determination
5) Since this is a channel notification, these operations will be described in detail.

1) Access Point Search Channel allocation when an access point AP is installed will be described below using FIG. In the description, the number of installed access points AP using the present invention is represented by M, and the number of all access point APs including the number of installed access points not using the present invention is represented by N. In the case of FIG. 1, N = 5 and M = 3.

  The management device ME communicates with the access point AP (a) using the IP protocol in order to set the channel of the access point AP (a). Here, a = 0, 1,..., M−1. In order to perform communication using the IP protocol, the management apparatus ME needs to know the IP address of the access point AP (a). Therefore, the management apparatus ME first acquires the IP address of the access point AP (a) existing on the IP network IPN.

  FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram for obtaining the IP address of the access point AP (a) in the management apparatus ME. Here, a = 0, 1, and 2. In order to acquire the IP address of the access point AP (a), the ME control unit 13 of the management apparatus ME instructs the access point search unit 14 to perform a search. Upon receiving the instruction, the access point search unit 14 transmits an IP address notification request message QA to the access point AP (a) connected by the IP network IPN via the ME wired communication unit 17.

  Sending IP address notification request message QA is TCP (abbreviation of Transmission Control Protocol, network transport layer communication protocol) or UDP (User Datagram Protocol, transport layer communication protocol that does not guarantee reliability) Uses proprietary protocol or SNMP (short for Simple Network Management Protocol), specifies the IP address a of the management device ME as the source IP address and the broadcast IP address as the destination IP address To do. The access point search unit 14 in the management device ME waits for the arrival of the IP address notification response message A (a) for a certain period after the transmission of the IP address notification request message QA.

  The IP address notification request message QA transmitted from the management terminal ME reaches the access point AP (a). Finally, the IP address notification request message QA is sent to the IP address notification unit 28 in the access point AP (a).

  Upon receiving the IP address notification request message QA, the IP address notification unit 28 in the access point AP (a) acquires the IP address set in the access point AP (a) from the AP control unit 22 and acquires the IP address. An IP address notification response message A (a) including the IP address is transmitted. The IP address acquired from the AP control unit 22 is set as the source IP address of the IP address notification response message A (a) (a = 0, 1, 2), and the source IP of the IP address notification request message is set as the destination IP address. Specify the IP address listed in the address.

  The IP address notification response message A (a) transmitted from the access point AP (a) reaches the management device ME and is sent to the access point search unit 14 in the management device ME. When receiving the IP address notification response message A (a), the access point search unit 14 in the management device ME extracts the source IP address in the IP address notification response message A (a) and notifies the ME control unit 13 To do. Upon receiving the notification, the ME control unit 13 holds the IP address in the ME memory 10.

2) The measurement management device ME of the interference amount needs to acquire the interference amount in order to determine and assign a channel using the interference amount of the radio wave received by each access point AP (a). Therefore, the management apparatus ME acquires the amount of interference received by each access point AP (a) that has returned the IP address notification response message A (a).

  Each of FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure for performing the first, second,..., Thirteenth measurement of the interchannel interference amount used by the access point AP (a). . In order to acquire the interference amount of each access point AP (a), the ME control unit 13 of the management apparatus ME instructs the interference amount acquisition unit 15 to acquire the interference amount. Upon receiving the instruction, the interference amount acquisition unit 15 sends the channel number H to be set to the access point AP (a) to the channel notification unit 16 in order to operate each access point AP (a) with the same channel number H. Notice. However, H is 1, 2, ..., C.

  Receiving the notification, the channel notification unit 16 transmits a channel setting request S (a, H) including the channel number H to be set. Further, the interference amount acquisition unit 15 transmits an interference amount measurement request message M (a) to cause the access point AP (a) to start measuring the interference amount.

  In FIG. 5, the channel number H = 1 is set at the first measurement, and the channel setting request message S (a, H) and the interference amount measurement request message M (a) transmitted from the management terminal ME are the access points AP (a). To reach. The channel setting request message S (a, H) is sent to the channel acquisition unit 27 in the access point AP (a), and the interference amount measurement request message M (a) is sent to the interference amount notification unit 29. .

  When the channel acquisition unit 27 in the access point AP (a) receives the channel setting request message S (s, H), it acquires the channel number H to be set included in the channel setting request message S (a, H). , Notify the AP control unit 22. Upon receiving the notification, the AP control unit 22 instructs the channel control unit 24 to change to the channel number H. Receiving the instruction, the channel control unit 24 changes the channel used by the wireless communication unit 30.

  When receiving the interference amount measurement request message M (a), the interference amount notification unit 29 of the access point AP (a) notifies the AP control unit 22 of the reception of the message. Upon receiving the notification, the AP control unit 22 erases the interference amount information in the AP memory 21 of the access point AP (a).

  FIG. 8 shows an example of interference amount information in the AP memory 21 of the access point AP (a). The interference amount information stores the MAC address MAC of the peripheral access point, the number of received beacons num for each MAC address, and the total signal strength ps of received beacons corresponding to the memory number n. Here, MAC is an abbreviation for Media Access Control, and is access control essential for private communication.

  Upon receiving the interference amount measurement request message M (a), the AP control unit 22 instructs the beacon control unit 25 to transmit a beacon, and instructs the interference amount measurement unit 26 to measure the interference amount. Upon receiving the instruction, the beacon control unit 25 emits a beacon via the wireless communication unit 30. When the interference amount measuring unit 26 receives the beacon packet emitted from the peripheral access point AP (a), the interference amount measuring unit 26 determines the source MAC address and signal strength of the access point AP (a) that is the source of the beacon packet as AP. Notify the control unit 22.

  In FIG. 8, if the same MAC address is registered in the AP memory 21, the AP control unit 22 adds 1 to the beacon number num corresponding to the MAC address that is the interference amount information in the AP memory 21, and simultaneously the signal strength. The signal strength of the beacon is added to the sum of ps. If not registered, the MAC address is registered in the AP memory 21, the beacon number num corresponding to the MAC address is set to 1, and at the same time, the signal strength of the beacon is substituted for the total signal strength ps.

  In the first measurement of the interference amount in FIG. 5, the interference amount acquisition unit 15 of the management device ME transmits an interference amount notification request message R (a) after a predetermined time has elapsed. The interference amount acquisition unit 15 in the management apparatus ME waits for the arrival of the interference amount notification response message T (a) after transmitting the interference amount notification request message R (a) (a = 0, 1, 2). The interference amount notification request message R (a) transmitted from the management terminal ME reaches the access point AP (a). Finally, the interference amount notification request message R (a) is sent to the interference amount notification unit 29 in the access point AP (a).

  When receiving the interference amount notification request message R (a), the interference amount notification unit 29 in the access point AP (a) notifies the AP control unit 22 of the reception of the message. The AP control unit 22 instructs the interference amount measurement unit 26 to stop measuring the interference amount, and instructs the beacon control unit 25 to stop beacon transmission. Further, the interference amount notification unit 29 is notified of the interference amount information in the AP memory 21. The interference amount notification unit 29 transmits an interference amount notification response message T (a) (a = 0, 1, 2) including interference amount information to the management apparatus ME. The interference amount notification response message T (a) transmitted from the access point AP (a) reaches the management device ME and is sent to the interference amount acquisition unit 15. This completes the first interference measurement.

  The second measurement in Fig. 6 begins. When the interference amount acquisition unit 15 in the management apparatus ME receives the channel setting request message S (a, H) from the ME control unit 13, the channel number H is changed to a channel number different from H = 1 for the first measurement, for example, H Change to = 2 and request interference measurement again. In the second and subsequent interference amount measurements, beacon transmission stops. When the interference amount acquisition unit 15 completes the acquisition of the interference amount information on all channels (H = 1 to C, here C = 13 in FIG. 7) that can be used by the access point AP (a), The acquired interference amount information is notified to the ME control unit 13. The ME control unit 13 records the notified interference amount information in the ME memory 10.

  In the examples of FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, for the first measurement, for example, the channel number H = 1 (FIG. 5) is measured. Measurement is performed up to H = 13 (FIG. 7). What is characteristic here is that the beacon was fired only in the first measurement, but the beacon was not fired from the second measurement to the final thirteenth measurement. The interference amount data acquired in the first measurement is used thereafter, and the time until channel determination is shortened by the omitted interference amount measurement time.

  FIG. 9 is a memory configuration diagram showing an example of interference amount information stored in the ME memory 10 in the management apparatus ME. The items corresponding to the numbers a = 0, 1,..., M-1 of the access point AP (a) include interference at the access points AP (0),. The quantity measurement result is stored. Of the numbers m = 0, 1..., M-1,..., N−1 of the beacon launch access point AP (m), the access point AP (a) with m = 0 to M−1 is Although managed by the management apparatus ME, the beacon launch access points AP (m) of m = M to N−1 are not under the management of the management apparatus ME.

  Also, the beacon signal strength sum P (a, m, H) in the range of m = 0 to M−1 is the access point AP (0) received by the access point AP (a) using the present invention on the channel H. ),..., The sum of received power of beacons from AP (M-1). The beacon reception number L (a, m, H) includes the total number of beacons from the access point AP (0),..., AP (M-1) received by the access point AP (a) on the channel H. Is stored.

  Also, the beacon signal strength sum P (a, n, c) in the range of n = M to N−1 is an access point AP (not using the present invention) measured on the channel c at the access point AP (a) ( n) The sum of the received power of beacons from (AP (3) and AP (4) in FIG. 1). The total number of beacons received from AP (n) received by the access point AP (a) on the channel c is stored in the beacon reception number L (a, n, c). “*” Indicates that the distance between the access points AP (a) is far and no beacon is received, or that a beacon emitted by the access point AP (a) itself is not a reception target. .

3) Determination of priority When the interference amount information is acquired by measuring the interference amount, the ME control unit 13 in the management apparatus ME instructs the priority determination unit 12 to determine the priority of the access point AP (a). To do. Upon receiving the instruction, the priority order determination unit 12 calculates the priority order and determines the priority order of the access point AP (a).

  FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 show steps SA1, SA2, and priority calculation steps for determining the priority for determining the channel of the access point AP (0), AP (1) and AP (2), respectively. SA3 is represented. Here, the access points AP (0), AP (1), AP (2) are assumed to be the access points AP (0), AP (1), AP (2) in FIG.

Steps SA1-1, SA2-1, SA3-1
The ME control unit 13 in the management device ME receives the beacon signal intensity sum P (a, i, c) and the beacon received as the interference amount measurement result received from the access point AP (a) as interference amount information. The number L (a, i, c) is read from the ME memory 10 and the identification numbers i = 0, 1,..., N−1 (in FIG. 1, i = Since 0 to 4, the average signal strength PA (a, i, c) is calculated for N = 5).

Here, a = 0 (FIG. 10), a = 1 (FIG. 11), and a = 2 (FIG. 12) are the access points AP (0), AP (1), AP (2) that received the beacon. Indicates an identification number. c (1 to 13) represents a used channel. The average signal intensity PA (a, i, c) for each of a, i, c is calculated by the following equation (1).
(1)
However,

Steps SA1-2, SA2-2, SA3-2
For example, the communication performed with the channel number c1 may affect the communication with another channel number c2 different from the channel number c1. This is likely to occur when the radio frequencies of the channel numbers c1 and c2 are adjacent, that is, when the channel interval | c1-c2 | is small, and is called adjacent channel interference. In order to consider the influence of this adjacent channel interference, the adjacent channel interference amount PB (a, i, cb) from the adjacent channel number cb with respect to the channel number c being used is calculated.

  FIG. 13 shows the inter-channel distance d used for calculating the adjacent channel interference amount PB (a, i, cb) in steps SA1-2, SA2-2, and SA2-3 of FIGS. It is an attenuation figure which shows the relationship of the attenuation amount W (d) for the calculation. Here, W (d) is an attenuation amount that depends on the channel interval d = | c−cb | and the characteristics of the filter used in the wireless communication unit 30 of the access point AP (a). For example, when the inter-channel distance d = 0, the attenuation W (d) is 0. As the inter-channel distance d increases, the attenuation amount W (d) increases (w1 <w2 <w3), and the attenuation amount becomes infinite beyond a certain inter-channel distance d.

i: identification number of the access point AP (i) that emitted the beacon (i = 0, 1,..., N−1)
a: identification number of the access point AP (a) that received the beacon, (a = 0, 1,..., M−1)
cb: channel number adjacent to reception channel c, (cb = 1, 2,..., C)
Then, the average signal intensity PA (a, i, c) of equation (1) and the attenuation amount W (d) = W (| c−cb |) for calculation are displayed in decibels.

  At that time, when the average signal strength PA (a, i, c) is not larger than the predetermined attenuation W (| c−cb |), that is, PA (a, i, c) ≦ W (| c− In cb |), the adjacent channel interference amount PB (a, i, cb) = 0. When PA (a, i, c)> W (| c−cb |), the adjacent channel interference amount PB (a, i, cb) is equal to the average signal strength PA (a, i, c) in the priority determination. It is represented by the difference in the reduction amount W (| c-cb |).

Therefore, the adjacent channel interference amount PB (a, i, cb) in the priority determination in steps SA1-2, SA2-2, and SA3-2 is calculated by the following equation (2).
(2) However,

Steps SA1-3, SA2-3, SA3-3
i: identification number of the access point AP (i) that emitted the beacon (i = 0, 1,..., N−1)
a: identification number of the access point AP (a) that received the beacon, (a = 0, 1,..., M−1)
cb: channel number adjacent to reception channel c, (cb = 1, 2,..., C)
Then, using the adjacent channel interference amount PB (a, i, cb) of Equation (2),
For each adjacent channel number cb, the sum PC (a, cb) of the adjacent channel interference amount is calculated by the following equation (3).

(3)
However,
Here, Σ represents the sum of i = 0, 1,..., N−1, and PC (a, cb) is obtained for each cb = 1, 2,.

Steps SA1-4, SA2-4, SA3-4
a: identification number of the access point AP (a) that received the beacon, (a = 0, 1,..., M−1)
cb: channel number adjacent to reception channel c, (cb = 1, 2,..., C)
It expresses. In steps SA1-4, SA2-4, and SA3-4, a candidate is selected from the available channels c (= 1 to 13). Here, the candidate narrowing-down coefficient X (cb) for narrowing down channels 1, 5, and 9 as candidates is X (cb) = 1 when cb = 1, 5, and 9, and cb is 1, 5, and 9 Otherwise, set X (cb) = 0.

  To advance the priority calculation by enabling the sum PC (a, cb) of the adjacent channel interference amount only in the adjacent channel (cb = 1, 5, 9) of the specific channel (c = 1, 5, 9). When the sum PD (a, cb) of the adjacent channel interference amount in the adjacent channel (cb = 1, 5, 9) of the specific channel is defined, the total PD (a, cb) of the adjacent channel interference amount in the specific channel is Formula (4) and Formula (5) representing X (cb).

(Four)
(Five)

  The sum PD (a, cb) of adjacent channel interference amounts in steps SA1-4, SA2-4, and SA3-4 of FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 is the adjacent channel (c = 1, 5, 9) Since it is effective only in cb = 1, 5, 9), the PD (a, cb) of steps SA1-4, SA2-4, SA3-4 is the step for a specific channel (c = 1, 5, 9). This is equal to the PC (a, cb) of SA1-3, SA2-3, and SA3-3.

Steps SA1-5, SA2-5, SA3-5
The sum PE (a) of adjacent channel interference obtained from the PD received by the access point AP (a) from the total PD (a, cb) of adjacent channel interference in the specific channel is calculated by the following equation (6). .
(6)
Here, Σ represents the accumulation of PD (a, cb) at cb = 1,..., C (cb = 1, 5, 9 in FIGS. 10, 11, and 12).

  Steps SA1-5, SA2-5, and SA3-5 in FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 are respectively the sum PE (0), adjacent channel interference amounts of access points AP (0), (1) and (2). The calculation results of (1) and (2) are shown.

  The above description is summarized using the operation of the access point AP (0) in FIG. In step SA1-1, the average signal strength PA (0, 1, 1) by the reception channel 1 from the adjacent access point AP (1) and the average signal strength PA by the reception channel 7 from the access point AP (3) (0,3,7) is calculated.

  In step SA1-2, a beacon emitted from the adjacent access point AP (i) (where i = 1) through the channel c = 1, 2, 3 and the adjacent access point AP (i) ( Here, from i = 3), the adjacent channel interference amount PB (a, i, cb) is calculated by receiving the beacon emitted by the channels c = 5 to 9.

  In Step SA1-3, the adjacent channel interference amount PB (a, i, cb) is added for each of the adjacent channels 1 to 3, 5 to 9, and the total PC (a, cb) of the adjacent channel interference amounts is calculated. By step SA1-4, the sum PD (0,1), PD (0,5), PD (0,9) of the adjacent channel interference amounts of the adjacent channels 1,5,9 is left. Finally, the sum PD (0,1), PD (0,5), PD (0,9) of the adjacent channel interference amounts of the adjacent channels 1,5,9 is added, and the adjacent channels 1,5 obtained from the PD are added. Therefore, the total PE (0) of 9 adjacent channel interference amounts is obtained.

  FIGS. 11 and 12 are examples of calculation steps SA2 and SA3 for obtaining the total PE (1) and PE (2) of adjacent channel interference amounts of the access points AP (1) and AP (2), respectively. The calculation is performed in the same manner as in step SA1 of ten access points AP (0).

  After obtaining the sum PE (a) of adjacent channel interference amounts of all access points AP (a) where a = 1, 2,..., M−1, the access point AP having a large PE (a) Increase the priority of (a). The priority pri (a) of the access point AP (a) is represented by 0 ≦ pri (a) <M, and the priority pri (a) = 0 is the highest priority. In the following explanation, PE (1)> PE (2)> PE (0), that is, the highest priority pri (a) pri (1) = 0, the middle pri (2) = 1, and the lowest pri ( The priority determination unit 12 determines that 0) = 2, and the determined content is stored in the ME memory 10. An example in which priority is obtained from the sum PE (a) of adjacent channel interference amounts shown in steps SA1-5, SA2-5, and SA3-5 in FIGS.

  FIG. 14 illustrates the priority order pri (a) of each access point AP (a) stored in the ME memory 10 of the management apparatus ME. Here, the access point AP (1) having the largest adjacent channel interference amount PE (1) has the largest adjacent channel interference amount, so that the channel having the highest priority and the smaller adjacent channel interference amount is allocated. Must be decided. That is, pri (1) = 0.

  Since the access point AP (0) with the smallest total PE (0) of adjacent channel interference amount has the smallest adjacent channel interference amount, the channel may be allocated and determined last. That is, pri (0) = 2. The access point AP (2) with the adjacent PE interference amount total PE (2) in the middle is determined to allocate an intermediate channel of the adjacent channel interference amount with an intermediate priority because the adjacent channel interference amount is also intermediate. Must. That is, pri (2) = 1.

4) Channel determination When the priority pri (a) of the access point AP (a) is determined, the ME control unit 13 in the management apparatus ME determines the channel c used by the access point AP (a). Direct to 11. Receiving the instruction, the channel determination unit 11 determines the channel of the access point AP (a). In channel determination, a channel is first determined from the highest priority access point AP (1) with priority pri (1) = 0.

  When the channel used by the highest priority access point AP (1) is determined, the channel is similarly determined for the access point AP (2) having the second lowest priority. Next, the channel is similarly determined for the access point AP (0) having the lowest priority. When the channel to be used is determined in all the access points AP (a), the channel determination unit 11 notifies the ME control unit 13 of the result.

  FIGS. 15, 16 and 17 show channel determination steps SB1-1 to SB2-1 to SB2-1 to SB5 in the case of determining the channels of the access points AP (1), AP (2) and AP (0), respectively. SB3-1 to SB5 are shown. It is assumed that the access point AP (1) has the highest priority, the access point AP (2) has the middle priority, and the access point AP (0) has the lowest priority (FIG. 14).

Steps SB1-1, SB2-1, SB3-1
The access point AP (1) with higher priority than the access point AP (2) that determines the channel has already been used, and the access point AP (0) with lower priority still has a use channel. Since it is not assigned, the average signal strength PF (a, m, h (m)) of each channel in channel determination is obtained as follows.

  Here, a is the identification number of the access point AP (a) that receives the beacon and is subject to channel determination, and h (m) is assigned to the access point AP (m) adjacent to the access point AP (a). Represents the assigned channel number. If the channel number is not yet assigned, it is assumed to be H. m is an identification number of an adjacent access point AP (m), and m = 0, 1,..., M−1.

Pri (a) is not greater than pri (m), pri (a) ≦ pri (m), that is, the priority of access point AP (a) is the priority of access point AP (m) Is higher than the average signal strength PF (a, m, h (m)) of each channel in the channel determination, i = the average signal strength PA (a, i, c) calculated by the equation (1). m, c = H,
PF (a, m, h (m)) = PA (a, m, H)
And

Pri (a) is higher than pri (m), pri (a)> pri (m), that is, the priority of access point AP (a) is higher than the priority of access point AP (m) When it is low, the amount of radio interference is small, and the average signal strength PF (a, m, h (m)) of each channel in channel determination is
PF (a, m, h (m)) = 0
It does not matter.

Then, the average signal strength PF (a, m, h (m)) of each channel in channel determination is expressed by the following equation (7).
(7)
However,

  Further, the access points AP (M),..., AP (N-1) not using the present invention are the conventional access points AP (3) and AP (4) of FIG. Since the beacon signal intensity sum P (a, n, c), which is the amount measurement result, is measured and operating in the channel number c stored in the ME memory 10, the access point AP (M), ..Reading the beacon signal strength sum P (a, n, c), which is the interference amount measurement result from AP (N-1), from the ME memory 10 and determining the average signal strength of each channel in channel determination from the interference amount measurement result Calculate PF (a, n, c).

Here, in the right side of equation (1), P (a, i, c) / L (a, i, c), i = n = M,. The average signal strength PF (a, n, c) is calculated by the following equation (8).
(8)
However,

Steps SB1-2, SB2-2, SB3-2
The adjacent channel interference amount PG (a, i, cb) in channel determination is calculated by equation (9) in the same manner as the operation in the priority determining unit 12 shown in equation (2). Here, since cb is an adjacent channel of c, cb = 1 to 13 and i is an identification number of the beacon launch access point AP (i) in the equation (1) at the time of determining the priority.
(9)
However,

Steps SB1-3, SB2-3, SB3-3
The maximum value of the adjacent channel interference amount PG (a, i, cb) is selected for each channel, and is set as PH (a, cb). Also, the number Y of access points PA (a) that cause interference for each channel is calculated.

Steps SB1-4, SB2-4, SB3-4
Similar to the operations in steps SA1-4, SA2-4, and SA3-4 in the priority determining unit 12, the channel determining unit 11 also operates, and the adjacent channel interference amount in the specific channel of the equations (4) and (5) Is used to obtain a use channel candidate determination value PI (a, cb). Calculate the number Y of access points PA (a) that interfere with a particular channel in equations (4) and (5).

In steps SB1-4, SB2-4, and SB3-4 in this channel determination, the same operations as in steps SA1-4, SA2-4, and SA3-4 of the priority calculation are performed, so steps SA1-4, SA2-4, Data stored in the ME memory 10 obtained in SA3-4, that is, PC (a, cb) and X (cb) can be reused. Thus, the use channel candidate determination value PI (a, cb) is obtained by the equation (10).
(Ten)

Steps SB1-5, SB2-5, SB3-5
In equation (10), among cb = 1, 2,... C, cb having the smallest use channel candidate determination value PI (a, cb) is determined as the use channel, and the assigned channel number h (a) = It is held in the ME memory unit 10 as cb. In addition, when there are a plurality of cb having the minimum use channel candidate determination value PI (a, cb), a channel cb having a small number of access points Y is selected. In each of steps SB1-5, SB2-5, and SB3-5, allocation channel numbers h (1) = 1, h (2) = 9, and h (0) = 13 are determined.

5) When the assigned channel number h (a) used by the channel notification access point AP (a) is determined, the ME control unit 13 of the management apparatus ME sends the channel notification unit 16 to the access point AP (a). Notification of the assigned channel number h (a). Upon receiving the instruction, the channel notification unit 16 transmits a channel setting request message S (a, h (a)) including the assigned channel number h (a).

  FIG. 18 shows a channel determination sequence. The channel setting request message S (a, h (a)) (a = 0, 1, 2) transmitted from the management terminal ME reaches the access point AP (a) and is within the access point AP (a). To the channel acquisition unit 27. When the channel acquisition unit 27 in the access point AP (a) receives the channel setting request message S (a, h (a)), the channel control unit 22 receives the channel setting request message S (a, h ( Use channel number h (a) instructed by a)) is notified. The AP control unit 22 notifies the channel control unit 24, and the channel control unit 24 changes to the used channel number h (a) that received the notification. Using this use channel number h (a), the access point AP (a) launches a beacon for a predetermined period of time while continuing wireless communication.

It is the network block diagram which showed one Embodiment of this invention. (Example 1) FIG. 2 is a circuit configuration diagram showing an internal configuration of a management apparatus that is an important component of FIG. FIG. 2 is a circuit configuration diagram showing an internal configuration of an access point, which is an important component of FIG. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram for the management apparatus of FIG. 1 to obtain an IP address of an access point. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure for performing a first measurement of an interchannel interference amount used by an access point. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure for performing a second measurement of an inter-channel interference amount used by an access point. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure for performing a thirteenth measurement of an inter-channel interference amount used by an access point. It is a memory block diagram of the interference amount information stored in the access point. It is a memory block diagram of the interference amount information stored in the management apparatus. It is a priority calculation step figure in the case of determining the channel determination priority of access point AP (0). It is a priority calculation step figure in the case of determining the channel determination priority of access point AP (1). It is a priority calculation step figure in the case of determining the channel determination priority of access point AP (2). It is an attenuation figure which shows the relationship between the distance between channels used when calculating an adjacent channel interference amount, and attenuation amount. It is a priority figure which shows the example which determined the priority of channel determination from the adjacent channel interference amount of the access point. It is a channel determination step figure in the case of determining the channel of access point AP (1). It is a channel determination step figure in the case of determining the channel of access point AP (2). It is a channel determination step figure in the case of determining the channel of access point AP (0). It is a sequence diagram for a management apparatus to set the channel of an access point. It is a channel arrangement | positioning figure which shows arrangement | positioning of the channel with small interference with the conventional access points AP (A) -AP (E). It is a channel arrangement | positioning figure which shows arrangement | positioning of the channel with a large interference with the conventional access points AP (A) -AP (E).

Explanation of symbols

10 ME memory
11 Channel decision part
12 Priority determination unit
13 ME control unit
14 Access point search section
15 Interference amount acquisition unit
16 Channel notification unit 17 ME wired communication unit
21 AP memory
22 AP controller
24 channel controller
25 Beacon controller
26 Interference measurement unit
27 Channel acquisition unit
28 IP address notification section
29 Interference amount notification section
30 Wireless communication unit
31 AP wired communication part A IP address notification response a Received AP number AP Access point B Beacon signal strength sum c Channel number cb Channel number adjacent to c d Channel distance h Assigned channel number IPN IP network L Beacon reception number M Interference Amount measurement request m Calculated (measurement) AP number MAC MAC address ME Management device num Number of beacons P Beacon signal strength sum PA Average signal strength PB in priority determination Adjacent channel interference amount PC in priority determination Total sum PD of adjacent channel interference amount PD Sum of adjacent channel interference amount in specific channel Total sum of adjacent channel interference amount obtained from PE PD PF Average signal strength PG of each channel in channel determination Maximum adjacent channel interference amount PH PG in channel determination PI Use channel candidate determination value pri Priority p Total R interference amount notification request S channel setting request T interference amount notification response W attenuation w attenuation value Y number of access points of the beacon signal strength

Claims (10)

When a management process (ME) for determining a channel to be used in a plurality of wireless access point processes (AP) is performed via an IP network (IPN) based on the Internet protocol,
In the management process (ME),
Peripheral access point processing (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)) for target access point processing (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)) that is subject to radio wave interference measurement , AP (3), AP (4)) in order to instruct the measurement of the amount of interference by a beacon, an interference amount measurement request message is transmitted, and after a predetermined time, an interference amount notification request message is transmitted. Perform interference amount acquisition processing (15) to acquire the interference amount information that is the measurement result,
Using the interference amount information acquired from the target access point processing (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)), the peripheral access point processing (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2), AP (3), AP (4)) average signal strength is calculated, and the average signal is calculated for each target access point process (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)). A priority determination process (12) is performed to calculate a sum of strengths and to determine a higher priority when determining a channel to be used for target access point processing with a large sum of the average signal strengths. ,
Channel determination processing (11) for reusing the calculated average signal strength to determine the channel to be used in order from the target access point processing with the highest priority,
A channel setting request message is transmitted to request the target access point processing (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)) to change the setting of the channel determined by the determination of the channel to be used. Channel notification processing (16)
In the access point processing (AP),
When the interference amount measurement request message from the management process (ME) is received and then the interference amount notification request message from the management process (ME) is received, the interference amount information, which is a measurement result, is measured after the interference amount measurement. An interference amount notification process (29) for transmitting an interference amount notification response including the information to the management process (ME),
By receiving the interference amount measurement request message, the start of interference amount measurement is instructed and measurement of the interference amount is started, and a beacon emitted in the peripheral access point processing is received and the interference amount is measured and the interference amount is measured. Perform interference amount measurement processing (26) to obtain interference amount information,
The beacon is transmitted by the start of the interference amount measurement, and a beacon control process (25) for controlling to stop after a predetermined period,
An automatic channel determination method for performing channel acquisition change processing (27, 24) for changing to a channel designated by the channel setting request message by receiving a channel setting request message in the management processing (ME). In the channel determination process (11),
In the target access point processing (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)), the peripheral access point processing (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2), The peripheral access point processing (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2), AP (AP (0), AP (0), AP (4)) having a higher priority measured in a channel different from the channel in use in AP (3), AP (4)). 3), the average signal strength in AP (4)) in the peripheral access point processing (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2), AP (3), AP (4)) with high priority It is reused as the average signal strength of the beacon received on the channel in use, and the maximum value of the average signal strength for each channel in the target access point processing (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)) The channel with the smallest maximum value Automatic channel determination method according to claim 1 for determining a channel to be used for elephant access point processing. In the priority determination process (12),
Using the interference amount information acquired from the target access point processing (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)), the peripheral access point processing (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2), AP (3), AP (4))
An average signal strength for each is calculated, an adjacent channel interference amount is calculated from the calculated average signal strength, and the adjacent channel is calculated for each target access point process (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)). When calculating the total amount of interference, and determining the channel to be used to be used in the target access point processing (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)) as the total of adjacent channel interference amount is larger Increase the priority of
2. The automatic channel determination method according to claim 1. In the priority determination process (12),
The amount of interference is measured in all channels usable in the target access point processing (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)), and the peripheral access point processing (AP ( 0), AP (1), AP (2), AP (3), AP (4)), and calculates the adjacent channel interference amount from the average signal strength, and the target access point Priorities for determining the use channel as the sum of the adjacent channel interference amounts is calculated for each processing (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)). To increase the
2. The automatic channel determination method according to claim 1. In the priority determination process (12),
The priority of the peripheral access point processing (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2), AP (3), AP (4)) having a higher priority is measured on a channel different from the channel used. The average signal strength obtained from the high peripheral access point processing (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2), AP (3), AP (4)) is used as the peripheral access point having a high priority. Reused as the average signal strength of the beacons received on the channel used in the processing (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2), AP (3), AP (4)),
Adjacent channel interference amount from the average signal strength of each used channel for each of the peripheral access point processes (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2), AP (3), AP (4)) with high priority Calculate
In the target access point processing (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)), the maximum value of the adjacent channel interference amount is obtained for every usable channel,
The channel having the smallest adjacent channel interference amount is determined as the channel used by the target access point.
2. The automatic channel determination method according to claim 1. A management means (ME) for determining a channel to be used and a plurality of wireless access point means (AP) are connected by an IP network (IPN) based on the Internet protocol,
The management means (ME)
Peripheral access point means (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)) for the target access point means (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)) subject to radio wave interference measurement , AP (3), AP (4)) in order to instruct the measurement of the amount of interference by a beacon, an interference amount measurement request message is transmitted, and after a predetermined time, an interference amount notification request message is transmitted. Interference amount acquisition means (15) for acquiring interference amount information as a measurement result;
Using the interference amount information acquired from the target access point means (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)), the peripheral access point means (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2), the average signal strength for each AP (3), AP (4)) is calculated, and the average signal for each target access point means (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)). Priority determining means (12) for calculating a sum of strengths, and for determining a higher priority when determining a channel to be used in a target access point means having a large sum of the average signal strengths;
Channel determining means (11) for reusing the calculated average signal strength and determining the channel to be used in order from the target access point means having a higher priority.
In order to request the target access point means (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)) to change the setting of the channel determined by the determination of the channel to be used, a channel setting request message is transmitted. Channel notification means (16),
The access point means (AP)
When an interference amount measurement request message is received from the management means (ME) and thereafter an interference amount notification request message is received from the management means (ME), the interference amount information as a measurement result is obtained after the interference amount measurement. An interference amount notification means (29) for transmitting an interference amount notification response including: to the management means (ME);
By receiving the interference amount measurement request message, the start of interference amount measurement is instructed to start measuring the interference amount, the beacon emitted by the peripheral access point means is received, the interference amount is measured, and the interference amount is measured. Interference amount measuring means (26) for obtaining interference amount information;
Beacon transmission by the start of the interference amount measurement, beacon control means (25) for controlling to stop after a predetermined period;
Channel acquisition change means (27, 24) for changing to a channel designated by the channel setting request message by receiving a channel setting request message in the management means (ME),
Automatic channel determination device. The channel determining means (11)
In the target access point means (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)), the peripheral access point means (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2), The peripheral access point means (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2), AP (AP (0), AP (0), AP (2), AP (2), AP (2), AP (2), AP (4)) having a higher priority measured on a channel different from the channel in use of AP (3), AP (4)) 3), the average signal strength in AP (4)) of the peripheral access point means (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2), AP (3), AP (4)) with high priority Reuse as the average signal strength of the beacons received on the channel in use, and at the target access point means (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)), the maximum value of the average signal strength for each channel And the channel with the smallest maximum value is accessed Determining a channel to be used for point means,
7. The automatic channel determination device according to claim 6. The priority determining means (12)
Using the interference amount information acquired from the target access point means (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)), the peripheral access point means (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2), AP (3), AP (4))
An average signal strength for each is calculated, an adjacent channel interference amount is calculated from the calculated average signal strength, and the adjacent channel is calculated for each target access point means (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)). When calculating the total amount of interference and determining the channel to be used in the target access point means (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)) as the sum of the adjacent channel interference amount increases. Works to increase the priority of
7. The automatic channel determination device according to claim 6. The priority determining means (12)
The amount of interference is measured in all channels usable in the target access point means (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)), and the peripheral access point means (AP ( 0), AP (1), AP (2), AP (3), AP (4)), and calculates the adjacent channel interference amount from the average signal strength, and the target access point Priority is calculated when the sum of the adjacent channel interference amounts is calculated for each means (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)), and the channel to be used is determined as the sum of the adjacent channel interference amounts increases. Increase the
7. The automatic channel determination device according to claim 6. The priority determining means (12)
The priority of the peripheral access point means (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2), AP (3), AP (4)) having a higher priority is measured on a channel different from the channel used. The average signal strength obtained from the high peripheral access point means (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2), AP (3), AP (4)) Reused as the average signal strength of the beacons received on the channel used in the means (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2), AP (3), AP (4)),
The adjacent channel interference amount from the average signal strength of each used channel for each of the peripheral access point means (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2), AP (3), AP (4)) having a high priority. Calculate
In the target access point means (AP (0), AP (1), AP (2)), the maximum value of the adjacent channel interference amount is obtained for every usable channel,
It operates to determine the channel with the smallest adjacent channel interference amount as the channel used by the target access point,
7. The automatic channel determination device according to claim 6.