JP2010081019A - Communication system, wireless terminal, presence server, method of determining out-of-service state, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication system reducing time lag of a presence state when a terminal leaves a service area while minimizing traffic increase, and to provide a wireless terminal, a presence server, a method of determining an out-of-service state, and a program. <P>SOLUTION: The communication system relays communication between the wireless terminal and an information processor by the presence server when the information processor periodically checks the state of the wireless terminal. The wireless terminal stores a threshold value for sectioning areas such as a strong-electric-field area, a weak-electric-field, and an out-of-service area, determines an area where the terminal is present based on the level of an input radio signal and the threshold value, and notifies the presence server that the terminal exists in the weak-electric-field area when determined. When receiving the notification from the wireless terminal, the presence server transfers the notification to the information processor, and controls the information processor to increase the frequency of checking the state of the wireless terminal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication system, a wireless terminal, a presence server, an out-of-service determination method, and a program.

  In recent years, with the development of a LAN (Local Area Network) environment, there have been an increasing number of cases where corporate extension telephones are converted to IP (Internet Protocol) telephones. IP telephones often use, for example, SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) as call control, and the presence function that can be realized by this SIP is also being put into practical use. IP telephones are also being put into practical use as wireless telephones using wireless LAN.

On the other hand, as described above, for example, as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, in wireless communication, a wireless terminal (mobile communication terminal) such as a mobile phone is moved from an area where wireless communication is possible. It is necessary to deal with the outflow (out of service area).
JP 2004-015727 A JP 2007-251304 A

  However, in wireless communication, it is difficult to determine the outflow from the wireless communicable area of the wireless terminal, and regarding the presence function, the state of the wireless terminal grasped on the system (presence server etc.) side and the actual There are many cases in which a time that conflicts with the state of the wireless terminal occurs.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and can provide a communication system, a wireless terminal, and a presence server capable of shortening the presence state conflict time when out of service area while minimizing an increase in traffic. An object of the present invention is to provide an out-of-service determination method and program.

  In order to achieve such an object, the communication system of the present invention includes a wireless terminal, an information processing apparatus, and a presence server. When the state of the wireless terminal is periodically checked by the information processing apparatus, the wireless terminal The wireless terminal stores a threshold for dividing each of the strong electric field area, the weak electric field area, and the out-of-service area, and transmits the input wireless signal. Based on the level and the threshold, it is determined in which area the terminal is present, and if it is determined that the terminal is present in the weak electric field area, the presence server notifies the presence server, and the presence server receives the notification from the wireless terminal. The information processing apparatus is controlled to increase the frequency of checking the state of the wireless terminal while transferring the notification to the information processing apparatus.

  The wireless terminal of the present invention is used in the communication system of the present invention.

  The presence server of the present invention is used in the communication system of the present invention.

  The out-of-range determination method of the present invention is an out-of-range determination method performed in a communication system that relays communication between a wireless terminal and an information processing device using a presence server when the state of the wireless terminal is periodically checked by the information processing device. The wireless terminal stores a threshold value for separating each of the strong electric field area, the weak electric field area, and the out-of-service area, and determines in which area the terminal is present based on the level and threshold value of the input wireless signal. If the presence server determines that it exists in the weak electric field area, the presence server notifies the presence server. When the presence server receives the notification from the wireless terminal, the presence server transfers the notification to the information processing apparatus and confirms the state of the wireless terminal. The information processing apparatus is controlled so as to increase the frequency of the operation.

  As a first aspect, the program of the present invention automatically stores a threshold value for separating each of the strong electric field area, the weak electric field area, and the out-of-service area, based on the level and threshold value of the input radio signal. It is characterized in that the computer executes a process for determining in which area the terminal is located and a process for notifying the presence server to that effect when it is determined that the terminal exists in the weak electric field area.

  As a second aspect, the program of the present invention receives a notification from the wireless terminal that the wireless terminal exists in the weak electric field area defined by a predetermined threshold, and periodically notifies the notification of the state of the wireless terminal. It is characterized by causing a computer to execute a process of transferring to an information processing apparatus to be confirmed and a process of transmitting a radio signal for controlling the frequency of checking the state of a wireless terminal to the information processing apparatus.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to shorten the presence state conflict time when out of service area while minimizing an increase in traffic.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  The features of the communication system and out-of-service determination method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The out-of-service determination method of the present embodiment is performed in the presence system that is the communication system of the present embodiment. The communication system of the present embodiment includes a PC (Personal Computer) serving as a subscriber, a wireless terminal serving as a notifier, and a presence server. When a wireless terminal moves from a wireless communicable area to an area where wireless communication is not possible (out-of-service area), it detects that the wireless terminal itself has moved from a strong electric field area to a weak electric field area and Notify that you have moved to the area. When receiving the notification from the wireless terminal, the presence server notifies the PC of the notification. When the PC receives the notification from the presence server, the PC increases the frequency of status confirmation with respect to the wireless terminal so that the out-of-service state can be grasped with high accuracy. Note that the state confirmation frequency may be variable. Further, the thresholds for determining the strong electric field area, the weak electric field area, and the out-of-service area may be variable.

  The features described above will be specifically described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, when there is a wireless terminal 104 in a strong electric field area that is a wireless communicable area of the wireless LAN access point 103, the presence server 102 determines “online” because the wireless terminal 104 is in the area, The state is transmitted to the PC 105. The PC 105 periodically checks the state of the wireless terminal 104. When the wireless terminal 104 moves from the strong electric field area to the weak electric field area, it notifies the presence server 102 that it is in the weak electric field area. The presence server 102 notifies the received notification to the PC 105. The PC 105 increases the frequency of checking the status of the wireless terminal 104. After that, when the wireless terminal 104 moves further from the weak electric field area to the out-of-service area, the wireless terminal 104 recognizes that it has become “offline” because the state confirmation from the PC 105 fails.

  Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described in more detail.

First, the overall configuration of the communication system of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
As an example, the communication system according to the present embodiment is assumed to be a presence system using a wireless terminal, and a wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11) is assumed to be used as the wireless system. Further, as an example, it is assumed that the wired LAN uses IEEE 802.3, and it is assumed that IP is used as the network layer protocol. As the presence system, for example, it is assumed that SIP (RFC3261) is used.

  The SIP server 101 is responsible for registration management, call control, and the like of each device that implements a call and presence function using SIP. The presence function is a function for grasping the status of the wireless terminal 104 in real time.

  The presence server 102 manages the status of each device in order to realize the presence function.

  The wireless LAN access point 103 has a function of connecting the wireless terminal 104 to the wired LAN 106. With this function, the wireless LAN access point 103 can communicate with the SIP server 101, the presence server 102, and the PC 105 through a LAN connection. In FIG. 1, an area (wireless communicable area) where communication with the wireless LAN access point 103 is possible is a strong electric field area.

  In FIG. 1, the outside of the strong electric field area is a weak electric field area (wireless communication area). Furthermore, the outside of the weak electric field area is defined as an out-of-service area (an area where wireless communication is impossible). Note that FIG. 1 shows a state in which the wireless terminal 104 moves from a strong electric field area to a weak electric field area to an out-of-service area as indicated by an arrow.

  In this embodiment, it is assumed that the notifier in the presence system is the wireless terminal 104 and the subscriber is the PC 105. The PC 105 as a subscriber can recognize the current status of the wireless terminal 104 as a notifier (for example, “online”, “offline”, “busy”, etc.) via the presence server 102. A specific recognition method will be described later.

Next, the configuration of the wireless terminal 104 will be described with reference to FIG.
The wireless terminal 104 includes a control unit 201, a storage unit 202, an operation unit 203, a display unit 204, a wireless unit 205, and a wireless control unit 206. Examples of the wireless terminal 104 include a mobile phone. The control unit 201 controls the entire wireless terminal 104 according to a program stored in the storage unit 202. The storage unit 202 stores a program that defines the operation procedure of the control unit 201 and is also used as a temporary information holding area. The display unit 204 is an interface that notifies various types of information to the user of the wireless terminal 104. The operation unit 203 is an interface that transmits a request from the user of the wireless terminal 104 to the control unit 201. The wireless control unit 206 controls overall wireless communication, and specifically performs various communication processes based on IEEE 802.11. The radio unit 205 modulates / amplifies the radio signal from the radio control unit 206 and transmits the modulated signal to the antenna. The radio unit 205 amplifies / demodulates the radio signal input from the antenna and transmits the signal to the radio control unit 206.

  The wireless unit 205 has a function of detecting the input level of the wireless signal when amplifying the wireless signal input from the antenna. Information indicating the input level of the wireless signal (wireless signal input level information) is notified to the control unit 201 via the wireless control unit 206. Based on the radio signal input level information and the threshold value, the control unit 201 determines whether the radio terminal 104, that is, the situation where the own terminal is placed is a strong electric field area, a weak electric field area, or an out-of-service area. Note that these threshold values are values for separating the areas, and are recorded in the storage unit 202 in advance. These threshold values are preset values and can be changed.

  A specific example of the determination performed by the control unit 201 will be described. For example, assume that x is set as the threshold value of the boundary between the strong electric field area and the weak electric field area, and y is set as the threshold value of the boundary between the weak electric field area and the out-of-service area, and both are stored in the storage unit 202. . When receiving the wireless signal input level information, the control unit 201 refers to the threshold value of the storage unit 202 and determines the received wireless signal input level information. For example, when the value indicated by the wireless signal input level information is larger than the threshold value x, the control unit 201 determines that the wireless terminal 104 exists in the strong electric field area. Further, when the value indicated by the wireless signal input level information is, for example, equal to or less than the threshold value x and greater than the threshold value y, the control unit 201 determines that the wireless terminal 104 exists in the weak electric field area. If the value indicated by the wireless signal input level information is, for example, equal to or less than the threshold value y, the control unit 201 determines that the wireless terminal 104 exists in the out-of-service area. These determination results are notified to the presence server 102 by radio signals.

  First, a general presence operation and out-of-service outflow operation to which the out-of-service determination method of the present embodiment is not applied will be described with reference to FIG. The sequence in FIG. 3 is assumed to be performed by the communication system shown in FIG.

  Here, it is assumed that the power supply of the wireless terminal 104 serving as the notifier is turned on in the strong electric field area. When the wireless terminal 104 is powered on, it immediately sends a REGISTER signal (1) to the SIP server 101. In response to this, the SIP server 101 returns an OK signal (2) to the wireless terminal 104 in the sense of reception confirmation. By this operation, the SIP server 101 registers and manages that the wireless terminal 104 is turned on, and notifies the presence server 102 of the status (3).

  The presence server 102 sends a NOTIFY signal (4) to the PC 105 as a subscriber, notifying that the notifier has changed from offline to online. The PC 105 returns an OK signal (5) to the presence server 102 in order to confirm reception. In the following, description of the OK signal is omitted.

  The PC 105 periodically checks the status of the notifier by the SUBSCRIBE signal (6). The confirmation interval (state confirmation frequency) depends on the numerical value described in the OK signal (7) for the SUBSCRIBE signal. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the OK signal. In FIG. 5, the underlined portion corresponds to the above numerical value, and is described as “3600 s” as an example here. In general, considering the margin, the SUBSCRIBE signal is transmitted at a time interval that is half of the described numerical value. Therefore, here, it is sent every 1800 s (= 30 minutes), which is half of 3600 s. This time corresponds to period A in FIG.

  The presence server 102 that has received the SUBSCRIBE signal (6) from the subscriber similarly sends the SUBSCRIBE signal (8) to the wireless terminal 104. Receiving this, the wireless terminal 104 notifies the presence server 102 of a NOTIFY signal (10) describing the current state. The presence server 102 notifies the PC 105 of the content of the received NOTIFY signal using the same NOTIFY signal (12). The PC 105 recognizes that the state of the wireless terminal 104 is continuously online.

  The above is the presence operation in the steady state. The state of the notifier can be changed to a state such as “meeting” or “mealing” by the user of the wireless terminal 104. At this time, by sending a NOTIFY signal describing the current state to the presence server 102, it is possible to notify the subscriber of the state change. Specifically, it is performed in the sequence of (10) to (13).

  Next, in the above state, it is assumed that the wireless terminal 104 is gradually moved from the wireless LAN access point 103. That is, it is assumed that the wireless terminal 104 reaches from the strong electric field area to the weak electric field area and finally to the out-of-service area where wireless communication is impossible. In the situation of being outside the service area, the state of the wireless terminal 104 is substantially “offline”. However, since the wireless communication is not possible in the service area, the wireless terminal 104 cannot notify the presence server 102. For this reason, there is a discrepancy between the state of the wireless terminal 104 in the presence server 102 and the PC 105 and the actual state of the wireless terminal 104.

  The above-described situation is maintained until it is confirmed that communication with the wireless terminal 104 is impossible in the periodic SUBSCRIBE transmission sequence. Specifically, since the SUBSCRIBE signal (16) does not reach the wireless terminal 104, the OK signal (17) cannot be received, and at this point, the presence server 102 detects that the wireless terminal has gone “offline” due to out-of-service outflow. Then, the state is notified to the PC 105 by the NOTIFY signal (18). The time when the discrepancy occurs corresponds to the period B in the figure.

  Next, a presence operation and an out-of-service outflow operation to which the out-of-service determination method of the present embodiment is applied will be described with reference to FIG. The sequence in FIG. 4 is assumed to be performed by the communication system shown in FIG. Note that (1) to (13) in FIG. 4 are the same as those in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, when the wireless terminal 104 moves from the strong electric field area to the weak electric field area, the presence server 102 is notified of this by a NOTIFY signal (14). FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the NOTIFY signal. In FIG. 6, the description “Rx_Down” in the underlined portion is a keyword meaning that a weak electric field area has been entered.

  Upon receiving the NOTIFY signal (14) shown in FIG. 6, the presence server 102 immediately notifies the PC 105 of this with the NOTIFY signal (16). When the PC 105 receives the NOTIFY signal (16), it immediately sends a SUBSCRIBE signal (18). In response to this, the OK signal (19) from the presence server 102 is substantially the same as the content described in FIG. 5, but a short numerical value is described for the SUBSCRIBE interval. This numerical value is a preset value and can be changed. As an example of this numerical value, a numerical value such as 120 s is described. In that case, the status is confirmed by the SUBSCRIBE signal every minute. That is, the state confirmation frequency increases. This time corresponds to period C in FIG. Further, as described above, the discrepancy time between the actual state corresponds to the period D in the figure.

  When the wireless terminal 104 returns to the strong electric field area again from the above state, this is also notified by the NOTIFY signal. Specifically, the description “Rx_Up” indicated by the underline in FIG. 7 is a keyword meaning that the strong electric field area has been entered. Upon receiving the NOTIFY signal shown in FIG. 7, the presence server 102 returns the SUBSCRIBE interval to the original state, specifically 3600 s. That is, the state confirmation frequency is restored.

The effect which this embodiment demonstrated above has is demonstrated.
As described above, when the wireless terminal 104 serving as a notifier leaks out of service area, it is not possible to notify the out-of-service service outflow at that time, so there is a discrepancy between the status recognition of the presence server 102 and the subscriber and the actual situation. According to the present embodiment, it is possible to shorten the discrepancy period. Specifically, in FIG. 3 which is a general example, the period B in FIG. 3 is a period of misalignment, and the misalignment state is maintained for a maximum of 30 minutes. On the other hand, in FIG. 4 which is the present embodiment, the period D in FIG. 4 is a conflict period, and the time for which the conflict is maintained is 1 minute at the longest.

  If the SUBSCRIBE interval in the steady state is shortened uniformly, the same effect can be achieved in reducing the discrepancy time. In this case, however, the status confirmation is performed for all wireless terminals in a short time, so traffic within the LAN is reduced. There is a demerit that greatly increases.

  From the above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to shorten the presence state discrepancy time when out of service area while minimizing an increase in traffic.

  In the above-described embodiment, the SUBSCRIBE interval is set to 30 minutes for the steady state and 1 minute for the weak electric field, but these values can be changed depending on the operation policy.

  In the above-described embodiment, the SIP is used, but the present invention can be applied to an operation that does not use the SIP. In this case, according to the message format of the presence system to be used, if the signal when the state changes to each of the weak electric field and the strong electric field is specified and the confirmation interval is made variable on the system side receiving this, the same effect as described above can be obtained. Obtainable.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, it is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary.

  For example, the operation (the operation shown in the sequence chart) in the above-described embodiment can be executed by hardware, software, or a combined configuration of both.

  When executing processing by software, a program in which a processing sequence is recorded may be installed and executed in a memory in a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware. Or you may install and run a program in the general purpose computer which can perform various processes.

  For example, the program can be recorded in advance on a hard disk or a ROM (Read Only Memory) as a recording medium. Alternatively, the program is temporarily or permanently stored on a removable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), an MO (Magneto optical) disc, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a magnetic disc, or a semiconductor memory. It can be stored (recorded). Such a removable recording medium can be provided as so-called package software.

  The program may be wirelessly transferred from the download site to the computer in addition to being installed on the computer from the removable recording medium as described above. Alternatively, the data may be transferred to the computer by a wire via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet. The computer can receive the transferred program and install it on a recording medium such as a built-in hard disk.

  In addition to being executed in time series in accordance with the processing operations described in the above embodiment, the processing capability of the apparatus that executes the processing, or a configuration to execute in parallel or individually as necessary Is also possible.

  In addition, the system described in the above embodiment can be configured to have a logical set configuration of a plurality of devices or to mix the functions of each device.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the communication system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the radio | wireless terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence chart which shows general presence operation and out-of-service outflow operation. It is a sequence chart which shows the presence operation | movement and out-of-service outflow operation | movement which concern on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the content of the OK signal which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the content of the NOTIFY signal which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the content of the NOTIFY signal which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

101 SIP server 102 Presence server 103 Wireless LAN access point 104 Wireless terminal 105 PC
106 wired bus 201 control unit 202 storage unit 203 operation unit 204 display unit 205 wireless unit 206 wireless control unit

Claims (9)

A wireless terminal, an information processing apparatus, and a presence server, and when the information processing apparatus periodically checks the state of the wireless terminal, communication between the wireless terminal and the information processing apparatus is performed by the presence server. A communication system relayed by
The wireless terminal is
Stores the threshold value for separating each of the strong electric field area, weak electric field area, and out-of-service area area,
Based on the level of the input radio signal and the threshold value, it is determined in which area the terminal exists,
If it is determined that it exists in the weak electric field area, notify the presence server to that effect,
The presence server
When a notification is received from the wireless terminal, the communication is transferred to the information processing apparatus, and the information processing apparatus is controlled to increase the frequency of checking the state of the wireless terminal.   The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the threshold value is a preset value and can be changed.   3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the frequency is a preset value and can be changed. A SIP server,
The wireless terminal is
When the power is turned on, it notifies the SIP server to that effect,
The SIP server
Upon receiving notification from the wireless terminal, it registers that the wireless terminal is in a power ON state, and notifies the presence server,
The presence server
The communication according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein upon receiving a notification from the SIP server, the information processing device is notified that the wireless terminal has changed from offline to online. system.   A wireless terminal used in the communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   A presence server used in the communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. An out-of-service determination method performed in a communication system that relays communication between the wireless terminal and the information processing device using a presence server when the information processing device periodically checks the state of the wireless terminal,
The wireless terminal is
Stores the threshold value for separating each of the strong electric field area, weak electric field area, and out-of-service area area,
Based on the level of the input radio signal and the threshold value, it is determined in which area the terminal exists,
If it is determined that it exists in the weak electric field area, notify the presence server to that effect,
The presence server
Upon receiving a notification from the wireless terminal, the notification is transferred to the information processing apparatus, and the information processing apparatus is controlled so as to increase the frequency of checking the state of the wireless terminal. A process for preliminarily storing a threshold value for dividing each area of the strong electric field area, the weak electric field area, and the out-of-service area;
Based on the level of the input radio signal and the threshold value, a process for determining in which area the own terminal exists;
If it is determined that it exists in the weak electric field area, processing to notify the presence server to that effect,
A program that causes a computer to execute. When receiving a notification from the wireless terminal that the wireless terminal exists in a weak electric field area defined by a predetermined threshold, the notification is transferred to an information processing apparatus that periodically checks the state of the wireless terminal. Processing to
A process of transmitting a wireless signal to control the frequency of checking the state of the wireless terminal to the information processing apparatus;
A program that causes a computer to execute.

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