JP2009182391A - Communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication system in which only communication terminals in a prescribed facility like a restaurant can be connected to the Internet. <P>SOLUTION: A user position authentication server 16 analyzes distance information and the like included in a result of communication with a communication terminal 12, which is received from a facility communication device 14 in a facility, to judge whether the communication terminal 12 is present within the prescribed facility or not, and decides a success of authentication in the case that the communication terminal 12 is judged to be within the facility. In the success of authentication, a connection information providing part 40 provides the communication terminal 12 with connection information required for connection to an access point 10, through the communication device 14 in the facility. Thus, only the communication terminal 12 being within the facility can be connected to the Internet through the access point 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication system that enables communication via a network when a communication terminal exists in a predetermined facility.

  In recent years, a so-called public wireless LAN service in which an unspecified number of communication terminals are connected to the Internet via a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) access point has been put into practical use. As security measures in such public wireless LAN services, for example, the access point SSID (Service Set Identifier) is concealed, the existence of the access point is concealed, communication between the communication terminal and the access point is encrypted, and access is performed by authentication processing. Limiting the communication terminals that can be connected to the point has been performed.

For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a technique related to authentication processing of an IP telephone terminal connected to a wireless LAN access point.
JP 2007-221481 A

  By the way, when the public wireless LAN service is performed at a restaurant such as a coffee shop or fast food, it is difficult to implement the above security measures in order to provide the public wireless LAN service to unspecified customers. In this case, the public wireless LAN service can be enjoyed even by a communication terminal outside the store as long as the radio waves of the access point can be received, and the public wireless LAN service cannot be limited only to the visitors.

  In addition, if a public wireless LAN provider's service is used and an access point of the provider is installed in the store, the public wireless LAN service can be limited to only the provider's use registrants. Even in this case, the public wireless LAN service can be enjoyed as long as the radio waves of the access point can be received. Therefore, in this case as well, the public wireless LAN service cannot be limited only to the store visitor.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide a communication system capable of connecting only communication terminals existing in a predetermined facility such as a restaurant to the Internet.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention of the communication system according to claim 1 is characterized in that a communication terminal having a wireless communication function and a network are connected to an access point as a wireless communication base station, Position information acquisition means for acquiring position information, which is information relating to whether or not it exists in a facility, authentication processing means for performing authentication processing of the communication terminal based on the position information, and the communication by the authentication processing means Connection information providing means for providing connection information necessary for connection to the access point to the communication terminal when authentication of the terminal is successful.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the communication system according to the first aspect, the encryption information included in the connection information is changed every predetermined time, and the authentication processing unit is configured to change the communication information when the encryption information is changed. Terminal authentication processing is performed, and the connection information providing means provides connection information including the changed encryption information to the communication terminal that has succeeded in the authentication.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the communication system according to claim 1, wherein the encryption information included in the connection information is changed when access from the communication terminal to the access point is lost, and the authentication processing means When the encryption information is changed, authentication processing of the communication terminal is performed, and the connection information providing means provides connection information including the changed encryption information to the communication terminal that has been successfully authenticated. And

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the communication system according to any one of the first to third aspects, the position information acquisition unit includes an ultra wideband wireless (UWB) device, a visible light communication device, a wireless LAN device, It is characterized by using either a short-range wireless communication device or a contactless IC card reader.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the communication system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the connection information providing means is an ultra-wideband wireless device, a visible light communication device, a short-range wireless communication device, or a non-wireless communication device. Any one of contact IC card lighters is used.

  The invention of the communication system according to claim 6, when an access point as a base station of wireless communication that connects a communication terminal having a wireless communication function and a network, and the communication terminal exists in a predetermined facility, Connection information providing means for providing connection information necessary for connection to the access point to the communication terminal.

  A seventh aspect of the present invention is the communication system according to the sixth aspect, wherein the connection information providing means uses a visible light communication device and connects the access point to the communication terminal capable of communicating with the visible light communication device. It is characterized by providing connection information necessary for.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the communication system according to claim 6, wherein the connection information providing means uses a reader / writer of a non-contact IC card, and the access point is connected to the communication terminal close to the reader / writer. It is characterized by providing connection information necessary for connection.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the communication system according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the communication terminal is a mobile phone terminal.

  A tenth aspect of the present invention is the communication system according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the communication terminal is a mobile phone terminal, and the mobile phone terminal transmits the connection information by short-range wireless communication. Is provided to a personal computer, and the access point connects the personal computer to a network.

  According to the invention of claim 1, claim 4 and claim 5, it is possible to provide connection information necessary for connection with an access point only to a communication terminal existing in a predetermined facility, and to enable connection to the Internet. it can.

  Moreover, according to the invention of Claim 2 and Claim 3, the communication terminal which can be connected to an access point can be selected more precisely by changing the encryption information.

  According to the inventions of claims 6 to 8, communication terminals existing in the facility can be selected with a simpler configuration.

  According to the ninth and tenth aspects of the present invention, a more convenient communication system can be provided by using a mobile phone terminal.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as an embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an apparatus configuration example of a communication system according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, the communication system includes an access point 10, a communication terminal 12, an in-facility communication device 14, a user location authentication server 16, and a connection information providing server 18.

  The access point 10 is a base station for wireless communication for connecting to the Internet 20, and is provided in a restaurant or other predetermined facility. The access point 10 performs wireless communication with a communication terminal 12 having a wireless communication function such as a portable terminal or a personal computer in a facility, and a connection service (public wireless LAN) between the communication terminal 12 and the Internet 20. Service). Examples of the mobile terminal include a mobile phone terminal and a personal digital assistant (PDA). The personal computer is equipped with a communication card for performing wireless communication.

  Here, the range (reception range) in which the communication terminal 12 can receive the radio waves of the access point 10 is determined by the function of the access point 10, but the reception range does not normally fit in the facility. That is, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 1, the reception range partially reaches outside the facility. The access point 10 may be an ultra-small base station device that covers an area called a “femtocell” having a radius of several tens of meters.

  The in-facility communication device 14 is also installed in the facility, wirelessly communicates with the communication terminal 12, and notifies the user location authentication server 16 of the communication result.

  The user location authentication server 16 operates on an appropriate computer, receives the communication result from the in-facility communication device 14, determines whether or not the communication terminal 12 exists in the facility, and performs a predetermined authentication process. Do. Details of the authentication process will be described later. The connection information providing server 18 also operates on an appropriate computer, and connects to the access point 10 to the communication terminal 12 via the in-facility communication device 14 according to the result of the authentication processing of the user location authentication server 16. Provide the connection information necessary for. This connection information includes, for example, the SSID of the access point 10, encryption information, and the like. The encryption information may be configured such that the encryption key is changed at predetermined time intervals or when access to the access point 10 is lost. The connection information providing server 18 may operate on the same computer as the user location authentication server 16 or may operate on a different computer.

  2A and 2B show a configuration example of the in-facility communication device 14. In FIG. 2A, the in-facility communication device 14 uses an ultra wideband (UWB) UWB wireless communication device 14a. In the ultra-wideband wireless system, in addition to information transmission / reception, distance measurement can also be performed. For this distance measurement, for example, a plurality of UWB wireless communication devices 14a are installed as a base station, and the base station and the communication terminal 12 are based on the difference in communication time (radio wave arrival time) between each base station and the communication terminal 12. It measures the distance to. For this reason, distance information between the communication terminal 12 and the UWB wireless communication device 14a can be transmitted to the user location authentication server 16 as the communication result. The user location authentication server 16 can calculate the location information of the communication terminal 12 from the distance information. Here, the position information is information regarding whether or not the communication terminal 12 exists in a predetermined facility, including the direction and distance from the wall of the facility, for example. If the user location authentication server 16 has the location information of the wall of the facility as authentication information in advance, the location information of the communication terminal 12 is compared to determine whether the communication terminal 12 exists in the facility. Can be determined.

  The in-facility communication device 14 may be a wireless LAN device or a short-range wireless communication device such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). In this case, for example, radio waves transmitted from the communication terminal 12 are received by a plurality of wireless LAN access points or short-range wireless communication devices installed as base stations, and the communication time between each base station and the communication terminal 12 ( The distance between the base station and the communication terminal 12 can be measured based on the difference in radio wave arrival time, radio wave phase difference, radio wave attenuation, and the like.

  In FIG. 2B, the visible light communication device 14 b is used as the in-facility communication device 14. In the case of the present embodiment, the visible light communication device 14b uses, for example, light from a lighting device such as a fluorescent lamp provided on the ceiling of a facility or a light emitting diode (LED) provided separately from the lighting device to human eyes. Communication is performed by blinking at a period that is not felt by the user. Here, if it is configured so that visible light does not leak outside the facility, the communication terminal 12 that can receive a signal from the visible light communication device 14b exists in the facility. Therefore, in the embodiment of FIG. 2B, the connection information providing server 18 transmits connection information necessary for connection with the access point 10 by flashing light through the visible light communication device 14b. As a result, connection information can be received, that is, only the communication terminal 12 existing in the facility can connect to the Internet 20 via the access point 10. In this case, since it means that the connection information can be received in the facility, the user location authentication server 16 can be dispensed with. In addition, if it is set as the structure which can radiate | emit the visible light for communication from the communication terminal 12, mutual communication can be performed between the visible light communication apparatuses 14b. Therefore, the user location authentication server 16 may determine whether or not the communication terminal 12 exists in the facility depending on whether or not the visible light communication between the visible light communication device 14b and the communication terminal 12 is possible.

  Further, as the in-facility communication device 14, a reader and writer for non-contact IC cards such as FeliCa (registered trademark) and NFC may be used. In this case, since the reader and writer are installed in the facility, it means that the communication terminal 12 close to the reader and writer exists in the facility. Accordingly, the connection information providing server 18 provides connection information necessary for connection to the access point 10 to the communication terminal 12 via the writer. In this case, the user location authentication server 16 can be omitted. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which the user location authentication server 16 determines that the communication terminal 12 close | similar to the said reader | leader exists in a facility.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of a hardware configuration of a computer that operates the user location authentication server 16 and the connection information providing server 18. In FIG. 3, the computer includes a processing unit 22, an input device 24, a display device 26, a storage device 28, and a communication device 30.

  The processing unit 22 includes a central processing unit (for example, a CPU can be used) 32, a memory 34, and the like. The processing unit 22 executes a program for controlling the processing operation of the CPU 32 to realize each function described later.

  The input device 24 includes a keyboard, a pointing device, and the like, and is used by a user to input operation instructions and the like.

  The display device 26 is configured by a liquid crystal display (LCD), a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), or the like, and displays information necessary for controlling the communication system.

  The input device 24 and the display device 26 may be omitted depending on the operation status of the user location authentication server 16 and the connection information providing server 18.

  The storage device 28 is configured by a hard disk device (HDD) device or the like, and stores a program for controlling the processing operation of the CPU 32 and other information necessary for controlling the communication system.

  The communication device 30 includes an appropriate communication interface such as a network card, and is used by the processing unit 22 to exchange data with an external device via communication means such as a network.

  FIG. 4 shows a functional block diagram of an embodiment of a communication system according to the present invention. In FIG. 4, the communication system includes the functions of the access point 10, the position information acquisition unit 36, the authentication processing unit 38, and the connection information providing unit 40. Among these, the access point 10 is as described in FIG. The functions of the position information acquisition unit 36, the authentication processing unit 38, and the connection information providing unit 40 are realized by the CPU 32 and a program that controls the processing operation of the CPU 32.

  The location information acquisition unit 36 is realized in the user location authentication server 16, receives a communication result with the communication terminal 12 from the in-facility communication device 14 via the communication device 30, and whether the communication terminal 12 exists in a predetermined facility. The position information which is information regarding whether or not is acquired. When the above-described UWB wireless communication device 14a is used as the in-facility communication device 14, the communication result received from the UWB wireless communication device 14a includes distance information between the communication terminal 12 and the UWB wireless communication device 14a. Therefore, the position information acquisition unit 36 calculates the position information of the communication terminal 12 from the distance information. If the location information of the facility wall is stored as authentication information in the storage device 28 or the like in advance, the location information acquisition unit 36 compares the location information of the communication terminal 12 with the location information of the facility wall, and the communication terminal 12 Can be determined in the facility.

  Further, even when the above-described wireless LAN device or short-range wireless communication device is used as the in-facility communication device 14, distance information between the communication terminal 12 and the in-facility communication device 14 is included in the communication result received from the in-facility communication device 14. Can be included. Accordingly, in this case as well, the position information acquisition unit 36 can determine whether or not the communication terminal 12 exists in the facility in the same manner as when the UWB wireless communication device 14a is used.

  Further, when the visible light communication device 14b is used as the in-facility communication device 14, the user location authentication server 16 can be dispensed with as described above, so that the location information acquisition unit realized on the user location authentication server 16 36 can also be omitted. However, when the communication terminal 12 and the visible light communication device 14b can communicate with each other, the position information is acquired when visible light communication is possible between the visible light communication device 14b and the communication terminal 12. The unit 36 can acquire the position information that the communication terminal 12 exists in the facility.

  Furthermore, when a reader and writer for a non-contact IC card such as NFC is used as the in-facility communication device 14, the position information acquisition unit 36 can acquire position information from the reader. That is, since the leader is installed in the facility, the communication terminal 12 in the vicinity of the leader exists in the facility. Therefore, the position information acquisition unit 36 can acquire position information that the communication terminal 12 close to the reader exists in the facility.

  The devices used by the position information acquisition unit 36 to acquire position information include the UWB wireless communication device 14a, visible light communication device 14b, wireless LAN device, short-range wireless communication device, and contactless IC card. Any means / device having a function of acquiring position information can be used without being limited to the reader.

  The authentication processing unit 38 is also realized in the user location authentication server 16 and performs authentication processing of the communication terminal 12 based on the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 36. In this authentication process, if the communication terminal 12 is present in the facility as the location information, the authentication is successful, and if the communication terminal 12 is not present in the facility, the authentication fails. And When the result of the authentication processing is successful, the authentication processing unit 38 notifies the connection information providing unit 40 of the authentication result. As described above, in the configuration in which the user location authentication server 16 can be omitted, the authentication processing unit 38 can also be omitted.

  The connection information providing unit 40 is realized in the connection information providing server 18. When receiving a notification of successful authentication from the authentication processing unit 38, the connection information providing unit 40 is connected to the communication terminal 12 via the communication device 30 and the in-facility communication device 14. 10 provides connection information necessary for connection with the terminal 10. In the configuration in which the user location authentication server 16 can be omitted, the connection information providing unit 40 provides the connection information to the communication terminal 12 that can communicate with the in-facility communication device 14 via the in-facility communication device 14.

  In this case, the UWB wireless communication device 14a, the visible light communication device 14b, the short-range wireless communication device, the non-contact IC card lighter, and the like are used as the in-facility communication device 14. However, the in-facility communication device 14 used by the connection information providing unit 40 to provide connection information is not limited to these, and all means and devices having a function for communicating with the communication terminal 12 are used. be able to.

  The communication terminal 12 provided with the connection information from the connection information providing unit 40 sets the connection information and connects to the Internet 20 via the access point 10. The connection information may be set manually by the user, or may be automatically set by an appropriate program. When the communication terminal 12 is a personal computer, communication with the in-facility communication device 14 is performed by a portable terminal, and connection information provided by the portable terminal is personalized by short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). It is good also as a structure provided to a computer.

  FIG. 5 shows a flow of an operation example of the communication system according to the present invention. In FIG. 5, the position information acquisition unit 36 analyzes the distance information included in the communication result with the communication terminal 12 received from the in-facility communication device 14, and whether or not the communication terminal 12 exists in the predetermined facility. Position information, which is information relating to the above, is acquired (S101).

  The authentication processing unit 38 starts authentication processing of the communication terminal 12 based on the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 36 (S102). The authentication processing unit 38 confirms whether or not the communication terminal 12 is present in the facility as the position information (S103). (S104). The result of successful authentication is notified to the connection information providing unit 40. In this case, the connection information providing unit 40 provides the communication terminal 12 with connection information necessary for connection with the access point 10 via the in-facility communication device 14 (S105).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S103 that the communication terminal 12 does not exist in the facility, the authentication is failed (S106), and the process ends.

  FIG. 6 shows a flow of another operation example of the communication system according to the present invention. In FIG. 6, the steps from S201 to S206 are the same as the steps from S101 to S106 in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, for example, WPA or the like is used as encryption information, and the access point 10 itself or the connection information providing unit 40 changes the encryption key of the encryption information. The encryption key can be changed at an appropriate timing such as every predetermined time or when access from the communication terminal 12 to the access point 10 is lost.

  After the connection information is provided to the communication terminal 12 in S205, the authentication processing unit 38 monitors whether or not the encryption key of the encryption information included in the connection information has been changed (S207). If the encryption key has been changed, the steps from S201 are repeated. Thereby, the acquisition and authentication processing of the position information is performed again, and the connection information providing unit 40 provides the connection information including the changed encryption key to the communication terminal that has been successfully authenticated.

  In the present embodiment, since the encryption key is changed at a predetermined timing, the connection to the access point 10 can be refused when the communication terminal 12 existing in the facility at a certain time is subsequently moved out of the facility. Thereby, the communication terminals 12 that exist in the facility and can be connected to the access point 10 can be more precisely selected.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been introduced above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

It is a figure which shows the apparatus structural example of the communication system concerning this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the communication apparatus in a facility. It is a figure which shows the example of the hardware constitutions of the computer which operates a user position authentication server and a connection information provision server. It is a functional block diagram of one Embodiment of the communication system concerning this invention. It is a flowchart of the operation example of the communication system concerning this invention. It is a flowchart of the other operation example of the communication system concerning this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Access point, 12 Communication terminal, 14 In-facility communication apparatus, 14a UWB wireless communication apparatus, 14b Visible light communication apparatus, 16 User location authentication server, 18 Connection information provision server, 20 Internet, 22 processing part, 24 input device, 26 Display device, 28 storage device, 30 communication device, 32 CPU, 34 memory, 36 position information acquisition unit, 38 authentication processing unit, 40 connection information providing unit.

Claims (10)

An access point as a base station for wireless communication, connecting a communication terminal having a wireless communication function and a network;
Position information acquisition means for acquiring position information that is information regarding whether or not the communication terminal is present in a predetermined facility;
Authentication processing means for performing authentication processing of the communication terminal based on the position information;
Connection information providing means for providing connection information necessary for connection with the access point to the communication terminal when authentication of the communication terminal by the authentication processing means is successful;
A communication system comprising:   2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the encryption information included in the connection information is changed every predetermined time, and the authentication processing means performs authentication processing of the communication terminal when the encryption information is changed, The connection information providing means provides the connection information including the changed encryption information to the communication terminal that has succeeded in the authentication.   2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the encryption information included in the connection information is changed when access from the communication terminal to the access point is lost, and the authentication processing means changes the encryption information. The communication terminal performs authentication processing of the communication terminal, and the connection information providing means provides the connection information including the changed encryption information to the communication terminal that has succeeded in the authentication.   4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the position information acquisition unit is an ultra wideband wireless device, a visible light communication device, a wireless LAN device, a short-range wireless communication device, or a contactless IC card. A communication system characterized by using any one of readers.   5. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the connection information providing unit is one of an ultra-wideband wireless device, a visible light communication device, a short-range wireless communication device, and a non-contact IC card writer. A communication system characterized by using An access point as a base station for wireless communication, connecting a communication terminal having a wireless communication function and a network;
Connection information providing means for providing connection information necessary for connection to the access point to the communication terminal when the communication terminal exists in a predetermined facility;
A communication system comprising:   7. The communication system according to claim 6, wherein the connection information providing means uses a visible light communication device and provides connection information necessary for connection with the access point to the communication terminal capable of communicating with the visible light communication device. A communication system characterized by the above.   7. The communication system according to claim 6, wherein the connection information providing means uses a contactless IC card reader and writer, and the connection information necessary for connecting the access point to the communication terminal adjacent to the reader and writer. A communication system characterized by providing   The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the communication terminal is a mobile phone terminal.   The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the communication terminal is a mobile phone terminal, and the mobile phone terminal provides the connection information to a personal computer by short-range wireless communication, The access point connects the personal computer and a network.

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