JP2008278170A - Wireless communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wireless communication system capable of connecting each terminal device which performs short distance wireless communication to a service providing unit at a remote location by using a mobile phone terminal and providing each terminal device with different services. <P>SOLUTION: The respective terminal devices 2 and 3 and the respective service providing units 4 and 5 transmit at least a part of the information of an application layer relating to the service provided by the service providing units 4 and 5 according to a mutually executable overlay protocol. The mobile phone terminal 6 is provided with a wireless communication part for performing wireless communication by the short distance wireless communication system of Bluetooth (R) or the like and relays the communication data by protocol-converting the information of a communication layer lower than the communication layer corresponding to the overlay protocol as needed in the communication data transmitted between the terminal devices 2 and 3 and the service providing units 4 and 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless communication system, and more particularly to a wireless communication system that connects a terminal device that performs short-range wireless communication to a device at a remote location.

Conventionally, a field device as a terminal device for performing short-distance wireless communication using a wireless communication or an infrared communication as a communication medium as a device for connecting a terminal device for performing short-range wireless communication to a remote device, and a mobile phone The relay station is configured by a terminal, and the relay station has a signal conversion function for communication, thereby reliably and stably communicating between field devices and service providing apparatuses such as monitors and control devices. There is something to do (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-70079

  However, although the conventional technology described above can provide a single service to each terminal device using a mobile phone terminal, the memory has a sufficient capacity to store an application corresponding to a plurality of service protocols. Since it is difficult to mount the mobile phone on a mobile phone terminal, there is a problem that it is impossible to provide different services to each terminal device.

  The present invention has been made to solve the conventional problems, and connects each terminal device that performs short-range wireless communication to a service providing device at a remote location using a mobile phone terminal, and provides different services to each terminal device. An object of the present invention is to provide a wireless communication system capable of providing

  A wireless communication system according to the present invention performs a mobile phone terminal, at least one service providing apparatus that performs wireless communication using a first communication method used for mobile communication performed by the mobile phone terminal, and the first communication method. In each of the wireless communication systems including at least one terminal device that performs wireless communication by the second communication method defined for wireless communication having a communication distance shorter than that of wireless communication, each terminal device and each service provision The apparatus transmits at least a part of application layer information related to the service provided by the service providing apparatus according to a mutually executable overlay protocol, and the mobile phone terminal performs wireless communication using the second communication method. Among communication data transmitted between the terminal device and the service providing device, Serial has a configuration for relaying the communication data by the protocol conversion in accordance with the required information lower communication layer than a communication layer corresponding overlay protocol.

  With this configuration, the wireless communication system of the present invention enables each terminal apparatus and each service providing apparatus to execute at least a part of application layer information related to the service provided by the service providing apparatus according to an overlay protocol. Therefore, different services can be provided to each terminal device without storing an application corresponding to the protocol of each service in the mobile phone terminal.

  The present invention provides a wireless communication system capable of providing each terminal device with a different service by connecting each terminal device performing short-range wireless communication to a service providing device at a remote location using a mobile phone terminal. Can do.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication system 1 transmits communication data transmitted between terminal devices 2 and 3, service providing devices 4 and 5, and terminal devices 2 and 3 and service providing devices 4 and 5. And a mobile phone terminal 6 to be relayed.

  In FIG. 1, two terminal devices, two service providing devices, and one mobile phone terminal are shown. However, the terminal device, the service providing device, and the mobile phone terminal that constitute the wireless communication system according to the present invention. The number of is not limited.

  Various messages are transmitted according to the overlay protocol between the terminal devices 2 and 3, the service providing devices 4 and 5, and the mobile phone terminal 6. In this overlay protocol, HELLO indicating setting information and survival information related to communication performed by each node of the terminal devices 2 and 3, the service providing devices 4 and 5, and the mobile phone terminal 6, a HELLO response indicating a response of HELLO (hereinafter, “HELLO” Response ”), a service request (hereinafter referred to as“ Discover Request ”) indicating a service request and a request for detection of the service provider, and a service response (hereinafter referred to as“ Discover Request ”). "Discover Response"), a service activation request (hereinafter referred to as "Invoke Request") indicating a service activation request, and a service activation response (hereinafter "Invoke Response") indicating an Invoke Request response. ") Is specified.

  The terminal device 2 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 10 and a wireless communication unit 11 that performs wireless communication using a short-range wireless communication method. In addition, the terminal device 3 includes a CPU 20 and a wireless communication unit 21 that performs wireless communication using a short-range wireless communication method. The short-range wireless communication system corresponds to the second communication system in the present invention.

  Here, the short-range wireless communication methods include Bluetooth (registered trademark), IrDA (Infrared Data Association), DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), Zigbee (registered trademark), UWB (Ultra Wide Band), WLAN (Wireless LAN). NFC (Near Field Communication), RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification), and communication systems defined for wireless communication using weak radio waves are included. The wireless communication units 11 and 21 may perform wireless communication using different communication methods.

  Each terminal device 2, 3 further includes device information storage units 14, 24 configured by a nonvolatile storage medium for storing device information representing information related to the terminal device. Here, the device information stored in the device information storage units 14 and 24 includes identification information such as addresses and names of the terminal devices 2 and 3, type information, identification information of each function of the required service, and the like. Contains.

  In the present embodiment, the terminal device 2 is attached to a part of the user's body, and a warning output comprising a heart rate sensor 12 for detecting the user's heart rate, a display device, a light emitter, an eccentric motor, a buzzer, or the like It is assumed that the Invoke Request message including the heart rate information related to the user's heartbeat is periodically transmitted to the service provider via the wireless communication unit 11.

  The terminal device 3 includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor 22 and periodically transmits an Invoke Request message including the position information of the terminal device 3 to the service provider via the wireless communication unit 21. It shall be.

  The service providing apparatus 4 includes a CPU 30 and a wireless communication unit 31 that performs wireless communication using a long-distance wireless communication method. The service providing apparatus 5 includes a CPU 40 and a wireless communication unit 41 that performs wireless communication using a long-distance wireless communication method. Here, the long-distance wireless communication method is defined for wireless communication having a longer communication distance than wireless communication performed by the short-range wireless communication method. The long-distance wireless communication system corresponds to the first communication system in the present invention.

  The long-distance wireless communication system includes a communication system defined for mobile communication such as GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), CdmaOne, Cdma2000, and W-CDMA. Note that the wireless communication units 31 and 41 may perform wireless communication using different communication methods.

  Each of the service providing apparatuses 4 and 5 further includes device information storage units 32 and 42 configured by a non-volatile storage medium for storing device information representing information related to the service providing apparatus. Here, the device information stored in the device information storage units 32 and 42 includes identification information such as addresses and names of the service providing apparatuses 4 and 5, type information, identification information of each function of the service to be provided, and the like. Contains.

  In the present embodiment, the service providing device 4 sends an Invoke Response message including the health status information indicating the health status of the user based on the heart rate information included in the Invoke Request message transmitted by the terminal device 2 to the Invoke Request message. It shall provide a service to send to the sender.

  In addition, the service providing apparatus 5 predetermines an Invoke Response message including the position information of the terminal apparatus 3 when the position information included in the Invoke Request message transmitted by the terminal apparatus 2 indicates that the position information is out of the specific area. It is assumed that a service for transmission to a connected device is provided.

  The cellular phone terminal 6 includes a CPU 50, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 51, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 52, a short-range wireless communication unit 53, a long-range wireless communication unit 54, and a display unit 55.

  The short-range wireless communication unit 53 includes a tag reader / writer for implementing the short-range wireless communication system, an infrared transmitter / receiver, a wireless antenna, a wireless transmitter / receiver, and the like. The long-distance wireless communication unit 54 has the same configuration as that provided in a general mobile phone terminal for calls and data communication, and includes a wireless antenna and a wireless transmission / reception for implementing a long-distance wireless communication system It consists of a machine.

  The CPU 50 reads each program stored in the ROM 52 into the RAM 51 and executes it, thereby controlling each part of the mobile phone terminal 6 such as the short-range wireless communication unit 53 and the long-range wireless communication unit 54.

  For example, the CPU 50 performs protocol conversion on information of a communication layer lower than the communication layer corresponding to the overlay protocol in communication data transmitted between the terminal devices 2 and 3 and the service providing devices 4 and 5 as necessary. It is like that.

  Further, the CPU 50 receives the Discover Request message including the device information of the terminal devices 2 and 3 via the short-range wireless communication unit 53, and detects the service providing device corresponding to the service requested by the device information. It has become.

  Specifically, the CPU 50 has device information indicating that the requested service can be provided by transferring a Discover Request message to each communicable service providing apparatus via the long-range wireless communication unit 54. A Discover Response message returned only from the service providing apparatus is received via the short-range wireless communication unit 53.

  Note that a database in which service providing devices corresponding to each service are registered is stored in a storage medium such as the ROM 52, and the CPU 50 determines the service providing devices corresponding to the services requested from the terminal devices 2 and 3 from the database. You may make it detect.

  Further, the CPU 50 accesses a database stored in an external device via the long-distance wireless communication unit 54 and detects a service providing device corresponding to the service requested from the terminal device 2 or 3 from the database. May be.

  Further, the CPU 50 may process information included in the Invoke Request message transmitted from the terminal devices 2 and 3 toward the service providing devices 4 and 5. Specifically, the CPU 50 accumulates heart rate information included in the Invoke Request message transmitted from the terminal device 2 for a certain period of time, and processes the accumulated information into statistical information, for example, heart rate information representing an average heart rate for 10 minutes. You may make it do.

  Further, the CPU 50 may process the information transmitted from the service providing devices 4 and 5 to the terminal devices 2 and 3. For example, the CPU 50 may process the health state information included in the Invoke Response message transmitted from the service providing apparatus 4 so as to binarize the warning state value and the non-warning state value.

  Further, the CPU 50 may cause the display unit 55 to display information included in a message transmitted from the service providing devices 4 and 5 to the terminal devices 2 and 3. For example, the CPU 50 may cause the display unit 55 to display the health condition information included in the Invoke Response message transmitted from the service providing device 4 to the terminal device 2.

  The operation of the wireless communication system 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, it is assumed that the terminal device 2 having the heart rate sensor 12 is attached to the human body of the user who carries the mobile phone terminal 6.

  First, a terminal device is detected by the mobile phone terminal 6 (S1). Specifically, the mobile phone terminal 6 detects a hello message periodically transmitted from each terminal device, so that the terminal device within the communication distance of the short-range wireless communication unit 53 is carried by the mobile phone terminal 6. It is detected by the telephone terminal 6. Note that the mobile phone terminal 6 may start detection of the terminal device in response to an operation on the mobile phone terminal 6 by the user. Here, it is assumed that the terminal device 2 has been detected.

  Next, a HELLO Response message indicating that the terminal device 2 has been detected by the mobile phone terminal 6 is transmitted from the mobile phone terminal 6 to the terminal device 2 (S2). In response to this message, a Discover Request message including device information of the terminal device 2 is transmitted from the terminal device 2 to the mobile phone terminal 6 (S3).

  Here, the mobile phone terminal 6 detects a service providing device that can provide the service requested by the terminal device 2 (S4). Specifically, the Discover Request message transmitted by the terminal device 2 is transferred to each service providing device by the mobile phone terminal 6, and the service providing device capable of providing the service requested by the terminal device 2 provides the service. A Discover Response message including the device identification information is returned. Here, it is assumed that the service providing apparatus 4 is detected.

  When the service providing device 4 is detected, a Discover Response message including identification information of the service providing device 4 is transmitted from the mobile phone terminal 6 to the terminal device 2 (S5). In response to this message, an Invoke Request message is sent to the terminal device. 2 to the service providing apparatus 4 (S6). Here, it is assumed that an Invoke Request message including heart rate information is transmitted by the terminal device 2.

  The Invoke Request message transmitted from the terminal device 2 is transferred to the service providing device 4 by the mobile phone terminal 6 (S7). In response to this message, an Invoke Response message in response to the Invoke Request message is generated by the service providing device 4 and transmitted to the terminal device 2 (S8). Here, it is assumed that an Invoke Response message including health condition information generated by the service providing device 4 based on the heartbeat information included in the Invoke Request message is transmitted by the service providing device 4.

  The Invoke Response message transmitted from the service providing device 4 is transferred to the terminal device 2 by the mobile phone terminal 6 (S9). Here, the cellular phone terminal 6 may display the health state information included in the Invoke Response message on the display unit 55.

  Next, warning processing for issuing a warning from the warning output unit 13 based on the health condition information included in the Invoke Response message transferred by the mobile phone terminal 6 is executed by the terminal device 2 (S10). Here, when the Invoke Request message is transmitted again from the terminal device 2, the operation of the wireless communication system 1 returns to Step S6.

  In such a wireless communication system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, each of the terminal devices 2 and 3 and each of the service providing devices 4 and 5 is an overlay protocol that can execute at least part of application layer information. Therefore, different services can be provided to the terminal devices 2 and 3 without storing the application corresponding to the protocol of each service in the mobile phone terminal 6.

  In the present embodiment, the service providing apparatuses 4 and 5 have been described as providing services. However, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, the service providing apparatuses include a radio base station 60, a mobile phone network, and the like. The server apparatus 4a may be configured to be connected to the radio base station 60 via a wide area network such as the Internet network or a closed network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) and provide services.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the mobile phone terminal 6 relays communication data transmitted between the terminal apparatuses 2 and 3 and the service providing apparatuses 4 and 5 has been shown. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of mobile phone terminals 6a to 6c may relay the communication data by multi-hopping.

  Further, in the present invention, the mobile phone terminal 6 may constitute a proxy server acting as a proxy for the communication of the service providing devices 4 and 5 with the terminal devices 2 and 3. Further, in the present invention, the mobile phone terminal 6 may constitute a proxy server that proxy the communication of the terminal devices 2 and 3 to the service providing devices 4 and 5.

  The wireless communication system according to the present invention is useful for a system for the purpose of health care, crime prevention, or the like that transmits information on the state of the user and the situation where the user is placed.

1 is a block diagram of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The sequence diagram of the radio | wireless communications system in one embodiment of this invention The block diagram which shows the other 1st aspect of the radio | wireless communications system in one embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the other 2nd aspect of the radio | wireless communications system in one embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wireless communication system 2, 3 Terminal device 4, 5 Service providing device 6 Mobile phone terminal 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 CPU
11, 21, 31, 41, 53, 54 Wireless communication unit 12, 22 Sensor 13 Warning output unit 14, 24, 32, 42 Device information storage unit 51 RAM
52 ROM
55 Display 60 Radio base station

Claims (8)

A mobile phone terminal,
At least one service providing apparatus that performs wireless communication in a first communication method used for mobile communication performed by the mobile phone terminal;
In a wireless communication system comprising at least one terminal device that performs wireless communication by a second communication method defined for wireless communication having a short communication distance compared to wireless communication performed by the first communication method,
The terminal devices and the service providing devices transmit at least part of application layer information related to services provided by the service providing devices according to a mutually executable overlay protocol,
The mobile phone terminal includes a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication using the second communication method, and supports the overlay protocol in communication data transmitted between the terminal device and the service providing device. A wireless communication system that relays communication data by performing protocol conversion on information of a communication layer lower than the communication layer as necessary. The terminal device transmits a service request message representing the request for the service to the mobile phone terminal according to the overlay protocol;
2. The mobile phone terminal according to claim 1, wherein the mobile phone terminal receives the service request message and transmits a service response message including identification information of a service providing apparatus responding to the service request to the terminal apparatus according to the overlay protocol. Wireless communication system. The mobile phone terminal receives the service request message and transmits the service request message to the service providing apparatus according to the overlay protocol.
When the service providing device receives the service request message and responds to the request for the service, the service providing device transmits a service response message including identification information of the service providing device to the mobile phone terminal according to the overlay protocol,
The wireless communication system according to claim 2, wherein the mobile phone terminal receives the service response message and transmits the service response message to the terminal device according to the overlay protocol.   The mobile phone terminal can access a database in which service providing devices that respond to requests for each service are registered, and the service providing device that responds to requests for services can be received from the database in response to the service request message. The wireless communication system according to claim 2, wherein the wireless communication system detects and transmits a service response message including identification information of the detected service providing apparatus to the terminal apparatus according to the overlay protocol. After the terminal device receives the service response message including identification information of a service providing device that responds to the service request, the terminal device sends a service activation request message representing the service activation request according to the overlay protocol. Send to
The wireless communication system according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the mobile phone terminal receives the service activation request message and transmits the service activation request message to the service providing apparatus according to the overlay protocol.   The mobile phone terminal has a display unit, and at least a part of information included in a message transmitted from the service providing apparatus to the terminal apparatus with respect to a service started in response to the service activation request message. The radio | wireless communications system of Claim 5 displayed on a display part.   6. The wireless communication system according to claim 5, wherein the mobile phone terminal processes information included in a message transmitted from the terminal device toward the service providing device regarding a service started in response to the service activation request message. . At least one service providing apparatus that performs wireless communication in a first communication method defined for mobile communication;
Communication data transmitted between at least one terminal device that performs wireless communication using the second communication method defined for wireless communication with a short communication distance compared to wireless communication performed using the first communication method. In mobile phone terminals that relay,
A wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication in the first communication method and the second communication method;
In communication data including information transmitted according to an overlay protocol that can be executed mutually by each terminal device and each service providing device, information on a communication layer lower than the communication layer corresponding to the overlay protocol is used as necessary. A mobile phone terminal that relays the communication data by converting the protocol.

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