JP2010081412A - Wireless communication device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wireless communication device which can improve convenience for a user to transfer to a destination. <P>SOLUTION: There is provided a wireless communication device 4 capable of wirelessly communicating with an access point 3 of a wireless LAN connected with a server 1. The wireless communication device includes an input means 43 for receiving an operated input for setting a destination, an obtaining means 44 for obtaining, from the access point 3, a beacon containing information on a station location which shows the position of the access point 3, a determination means 41 for referring to the information on a station location to determine whether or not the present position is an adjacent area of the destination, and an output means 49 for outputting an alarm tone when having determined that the present position is the adjacent area of the destination in the determination means 41. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless communication apparatus.

  In wireless communication, a wide service area is constituted by a set of small areas called BSS (Base Service Set). One BSS manages one BSS, and the wireless communication terminal uses a communication service connected to the wired network via the access point.

Among these wireless communication devices, there is a device having a function of acquiring a current position from an access point. For example, in Patent Document 1, when it is known that a user passes a predetermined route (such as an expressway or a railroad) in advance, information on a base station (access point) to be wirelessly connected is provided in advance, and GPS (Global Positioning) An apparatus is disclosed that can acquire information on a base station that performs wireless communication with priority based on position information acquired by a (System) function or the like.
JP 2002-165253 A

  However, in the conventional apparatus such as Patent Document 1, it is not considered to notify that the current position is near the destination before arrival at the desired destination. Therefore, it is necessary for the user to check at what time the destination arrives, which is not convenient.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a wireless communication device that can improve the convenience of a user regarding movement to a destination.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a wireless communication apparatus capable of wireless communication with a wireless LAN access point connected to a server, the input means for receiving an operation input for setting a destination, An acquisition means for acquiring a beacon including station position information indicating the position of the access point from the access point, and a determination to determine whether the current position is a peripheral area of the destination with reference to the station position information And an output means for outputting an alarm sound when the determination means determines that the current position is an area around the destination.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the radio | wireless communication apparatus which improves the convenience of the user regarding the movement to the destination can be provided.

Embodiments of a wireless communication apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a wireless communication system including an information device (wireless communication apparatus) having a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) communication function according to an embodiment of a wireless communication apparatus of the present invention. As the wireless communication device, for example, a portable navigation system device or the like is used.

  In FIG. 1, in the wireless communication system according to the present embodiment, a server device 1, a network 2, an access point 3 connected to the server device 1 via the network 2, and a wireless communication device 4 that performs wireless LAN communication with the access point 3. It has. The wireless communication device 4 has a function of accessing the server device 3 via the access point 3 and the network 2.

  In this embodiment, wireless LAN communication is performed between the access point 3 and the wireless communication device 4 according to, for example, the IEEE 802.11 communication protocol that is an international standard. The server device 1 generates and transmits a data packet to the wireless communication device 4 via the access point 3. The server device 1 sends station information to an access point 3 installed in a railway, bus, or transportation facility such as each station. Here, the station information is information regarding the nearest station existing around the current position of the access point, the stations before and after the station, and the timetable of each station.

  The access point 3 transmits and receives data packets as a packet transmission bridge with each wireless communication device 4, and also includes a beacon radio wave (hereinafter referred to as “beacon radio wave” that includes information for notifying the current position received from the server device 1. Simply referred to as a beacon) at a predetermined time interval. The wireless communication device 4 according to the present embodiment refers to information included in the beacon acquired from the access point 3 and determines whether or not the current position is in the vicinity of the set destination, and the current position is desired. When it is determined that the vehicle is near the destination, it has a function of notifying that effect.

  As a result, in a situation where the user is moving to the destination, the user can be informed that the user is currently arriving around the desired destination, and the convenience of the user regarding the movement to the destination is improved. be able to.

  Next, the configuration of the configuration of the wireless communication device 4 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the wireless communication device 4 according to the present embodiment. The wireless communication device 4 of this embodiment includes a control unit 41, a storage unit 42, an input unit 43, a wireless communication unit 44, an external device connection unit 45, a timer 46, an alarm sound generation unit 47, a display unit 48, a speaker 49, and the like. Consists of

  The control unit 41 controls the operation of the wireless communication device 4 according to the program stored in the storage unit 42. The storage unit 42 reads and writes electrical signals, and provides a RAM (not shown) used as a main memory of a storage device that provides a work area to the control unit 41, various programs, the access point 3, or an external device And a memory (not shown) for storing information acquired from, content data and the like.

  The input unit 43 includes operation keys that receive operation inputs from the user. The input unit 43 receives operation inputs such as an input of a destination, a departure place, and a departure time, and an input of a travel time calculation request. The input unit 43 may be an input method using a touch panel or voice recognition as long as it can receive an operation input from the user.

  The wireless communication unit 44 acquires a beacon output from the access point 3 by the wireless LAN. The wireless communication unit 44 connects to the server device 1 via the access point 3 and acquires information such as route search information to the destination and travel time calculation information.

  The external device connection unit 45 has a connection interface (not shown) for connecting to an external device such as a personal computer, and exchanges information with the external device. The timer 46 measures the elapsed time under the control of the control unit 41. In response to an instruction from the control unit 41, the alarm sound generation unit 47 generates alarm sound data and outputs the generated alarm sound data to the speaker 49.

  The display unit 48 is an image display device such as a liquid crystal display, and displays a current position, a route search result to the destination, a destination arrival prediction time, a travel time, and the like on the screen. Further, the display unit 48 displays the video content data reproduced by the reproduction processing unit 50 on the display screen. The speaker 49 outputs the audio content data reproduced by the reproduction processing unit 50 and the alarm sound data generated by the alarm sound generation unit 47. The reproduction processing unit 50 decodes, for example, encoded content data stored in the storage unit 42 and outputs the decoded content data to the display unit 48 or the speaker 49.

  Next, the configuration of the configuration of the access point 3 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the access point 3 of this embodiment. The access point 3 according to this embodiment includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, a beacon generation unit 33, a wireless communication unit 34, a network interface 36, and the like.

  The control unit 31 controls the operation of the access point 3 according to the program stored in the storage unit 32. The storage unit 32 reads and writes electrical signals, and is obtained from a RAM (not shown) used as a main memory of a storage device that provides a work area to the control unit 31, various programs, and the server device 1. A memory (not shown) for storing station information and the like is provided.

  The beacon generation unit 33 generates a beacon to be transmitted to the wireless communication device 4 wirelessly connected by the wireless communication unit 34 under the instruction of the control unit 31. The data structure of the beacon generated here will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The wireless communication unit 44 wirelessly connects to the wireless communication device 4 via a wireless LAN, and transmits the beacon generated by the beacon generation unit 33 to the wireless communication device 4. The network interface is connected to the server apparatus 1 by accessing the network 2 where communication is performed by TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) / IP (Internet Protocol) or the like.

  Next, a data structure of a beacon transmitted from the access point 3 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the data structure of the beacon according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating the entire data structure of the beacon according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating the entire data structure of the beacon according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating a data structure of a MAC (Media Access Control) header according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4C shows the data structure of the information element of this embodiment. FIG. 4D is a diagram illustrating the structure of user data according to the present embodiment. Note that the beacon according to the present embodiment is generated in accordance with, for example, a packet format defined in IEEE 802.11.

  In FIG. 4, a transmitted beacon packet includes a MAC header MH, a frame body FB, and a frame check FCS (Frame Check Sum). The MAC header MH includes a frame control field f1 and the like. In this frame control field f1, a description indicating that the packet is a beacon, that is, “00001000” is described from the first 8 bits.

  The frame check FCS indicates a frame checksum for confirming an error of the transmitted frame. The frame body FB of the packet includes an information element and user data. In the information element, a time stamp is described in units of microseconds, and is reset and repeated every 100 ms, for example.

  Here, in the access point 3 of the present embodiment, information on the current nearest station and the like is written in the user data in the frame body FB. Specifically, a station code, transfer time information, and arrival time information are written in the user data. The user data includes not only information related to the current nearest station but also information indicating the next scheduled arrival station, the estimated arrival time at the scheduled arrival station, and the like.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the wireless communication device 4 that has acquired the beacon from the access point 3 refers to the user data in the beacon so that the current nearest station, the stations before and after this nearest station, and the transfer time Information indicating arrival time and the like can be obtained. Further, in the wireless communication device 4 of the present embodiment, it is possible to determine whether or not the user has arrived at the peripheral area of the destination set by the user by referring to the beacon periodically acquired from the access point 3.

  Hereinafter, the alarm sound setting in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the alarm setting screen of the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an alarm occurrence area in the present embodiment. Here, it is assumed that the wireless communication device 4 wirelessly communicates with the access point 3 installed in the railway vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the wireless communication device 4 of the present embodiment, the alarm sound can be set based on the alarm setting screen displayed on the display unit 48. For example, the display unit 48 of the present embodiment displays the name of the destination station, the name of the station to be transferred, and an input screen for determining how many minutes before the arrival of the destination / transfer station the alarm sound is generated. . By inputting desired information into the input frame of this screen, the user can preferably set an alarm. In the example of FIG. 5, for example, E station is input as a destination, and a state is set such that an alarm sound is generated 2 minutes before arrival at E station. It should be noted that no setting is made for the transfer station and the alarm that is generated before arrival at the transfer station.

  Note that the wireless communication device 4 of this embodiment can be connected to an arbitrary server (not shown) on the Internet via the access point 3. By connecting to these servers, the user of the wireless communication device 4 can grasp the desired route and arrival time by inputting the departure station, the current time, the destination station, and the like. Further, in the method of acquiring the route route, arrival time, and the like, a method of acquiring from an external device connected by the external device connection unit 45 may be used. Further, in the wireless communication device 4 according to the present embodiment, when acquiring information on a route route and arrival time from a server on the Internet, an external device, or the like, the route is the same as the route selected by the user, and the selected arrival About two pieces of time information before and after the time may be acquired. This makes it possible to refer to the information stored in the user's own device even if the user has overtaken the train or bus that the user planned, without reconnecting to a server or external device on the Internet. Can be adjusted.

  The access point 3 according to this embodiment generates a beacon including station information acquired from the server device 1 and periodically transmits the beacon to the wireless communication device 4. The wireless communication device 4 can grasp the current position (nearest station) by referring to the station information included in the beacon.

  Further, the beacon may include not only information on the current nearest station but also information indicating the next arrival station and the arrival time at the arrival station. Thereby, in the radio | wireless communication apparatus 4 of a present Example, while being able to determine whether the station which is scheduled to arrive next is a station set to the destination, it is possible to measure the remaining arrival time to the destination It becomes.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, for example, an alarm generation area can be set between a station set as a destination and a station in front of the destination. By setting this alarm generation area, even if the alarm sound start time is not entered, an alarm sound can be generated after passing the station in front of the destination, prompting the user to get off be able to.

  Further, in the wireless communication device 4 of the present embodiment, when an alarm sound is output during the reproduction of content data, the alarm sound is generated by lowering the output volume of the content data being reproduced or by stopping the reproduction of the content data. Has a function to emphasize.

  Next, a processing flow of the wireless communication apparatus 4 from destination setting to destination arrival in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow of the wireless communication device 4 from destination setting to destination arrival in the present embodiment.

  First, the wireless communication device 4 performs a setting process regarding the destination and the alarm sound timer (S101). Next, the wireless communication unit 44 of the wireless communication device 4 periodically receives a beacon from the access point 3 (S102). When a beacon is received, the control unit 41 reads information included in the beacon and determines whether or not the current position is the station immediately before the destination (S103). When the current position is not the station immediately before the destination (No in S103), the control unit 41 returns the process to S102.

  When it is determined in S103 that the current position is the station immediately before the destination (Yes in S103), the control unit 41 confirms whether or not the alarm sound timer has been set in S101 (S104). When the timer is not set (No in S104), the control unit 41 moves the process to S107.

  On the other hand, when the timer is set (Yes in S104), the control unit 41 causes the timer 46 to count the time that has elapsed since receiving information indicating that the current position is the station immediately before the destination. (S105). Here, the control unit 41 periodically checks whether or not the timer 46 has finished counting (S106). When the count is continuing (No in S106), the control unit 41 repeats the process of S106.

  In S106, when the counting of the timer 46 is completed (Yes in S106), the control unit 41 confirms whether or not the content data is currently being reproduced (S107). When the content data is not reproduced (No in S107), the control unit 41 moves the process to S109.

  On the other hand, if the content data is currently being played back (Yes in S107), the control unit 41 controls the output volume from the speaker by lowering the output volume of the content data or stopping the playback of the content data (S108). ), An alarm sound is generated (S109), and the process ends.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a wireless communication device that can improve the convenience of the user regarding the movement to the destination.
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine a component suitably in different embodiment.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the radio | wireless communications system containing the radio | wireless communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the radio | wireless communication apparatus of a present Example. It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the access point of a present Example. It is the figure which showed the data structure of the beacon of a present Example. It is the figure shown about the alarm setting screen of a present Example. It is the figure shown about the alarm generation area of a present Example. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the radio | wireless communication apparatus 4 from the destination setting in this Example to the destination arrival.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Server apparatus 2 Network network 3 Access point 4 Wireless communication apparatus 31, 41 Control part 32, 42 Storage part 33 Beacon generation part 34, 44 Wireless communication part 35 Network interface 43 Input part 45 External apparatus connection part 46 Timer 47 Alarm sound generation Part 48 Display part 49 Speaker

Claims (7)

A wireless communication device capable of wireless communication with a wireless LAN access point connected to a server,
An input means for receiving an operation input for setting a destination;
An acquisition means for acquiring a beacon including station position information indicating the position of the access point from the access point;
A determination unit that refers to the station position information and determines whether the current position is a peripheral area of the destination;
An output means for outputting an alarm sound when the determination means determines that the current position is a peripheral area of the destination;
A wireless communication apparatus comprising: The acquisition means acquires station information notifying the next scheduled arrival station from the access point provided in the transportation facility,
The determination means determines whether or not the station information acquired by the acquisition means matches the destination received the operation input by the input means, so that the current position is the peripheral area of the destination The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether or not. The acquisition means acquires the nearest station information to notify the current nearest station from the access point provided in the transportation facility,
The determination means determines whether or not the current nearest station indicated by the nearest station information is a station immediately before the destination for which an operation input has been received by the input means. 2. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether or not the area is a peripheral area of the destination. The input means receives an operation input for setting an output start time of the alarm sound,
The output means outputs the alarm sound with a lapse of a predetermined time determined by the set output start time after the determination means determines that the current position is the peripheral area of the destination. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: Reproducing means for reproducing audio data and outputting content audio by the output means,
The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the output unit decreases an output volume of the content sound in accordance with the output of the alarm sound.   6. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the reproduction unit stops the reproduction process of the audio data in accordance with the output of the alarm sound.   The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the station location information is written in a user data area of the beacon.

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