JP2011146945A - Radio communication apparatus and channel change method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a radio communication apparatus capable of changing a channel without interrupting data communication, even without any radio unit dedicated to specific priority radio wave detection when changing the channel to a frequency at which a specific priority radio wave is present. <P>SOLUTION: A radio LAN access point 20 as a radio communication apparatus includes two radio units 21-1, 21-2 as a transmitting/receiving circuit and includes a control unit for controlling them. The two radio units 21-1, 21-2 are capable of operating at separate frequencies under control of the control unit. Each of the two radio units 21-1, 21-2 has a specific priority radio wave detection function and a data communication function and is operated in parallel so that, when changing a channel, one radio unit temporarily performs a data communication operation and the other radio unit performs a specific priority radio wave detection operation, respectively, under the control of the control unit. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless communication device and a channel changing method thereof.

  At present, in 5 GHz band wireless LAN (IEEE802.11a, IEEE802.11n), 5.25 to 5.35 GHz band channel (52 ch, 56 ch, 60 ch, 64 ch) and 5.5 to 5.7 GHz band channel (100 ch, 104 ch) , 108 ch, 112 ch, 116 ch, 120 ch, 124 ch, 128 ch, 132 ch, 136 ch, 140 ch) can be used (hereinafter, 5.25 to 5.35 GHz band channel is W53 band channel, 5.5 to 5.7 GHz band channel is W56. Abbreviated as band channel). However, when using the frequency band, there is a possibility that a specific priority radio wave such as a weather radar may exist. Therefore, a radio communication device functioning as a wireless LAN access point has a dynamic frequency selection (DFS: Dynamic Frequency Selection) is required. One type of DFS is CAC (Channel Availability Check). This is because when a wireless communication device uses a channel in which a specific priority radio wave exists, the specific priority radio wave is detected for one minute for the frequency of the channel before starting data communication. This is a function to confirm that it is not in operation. That is, when the channel is changed to the W53 band channel or the W56 band channel in the middle of data communication, data communication cannot be started for one minute because the specific priority radio wave is detected.

  An operation example when the wireless LAN communication device uses the W53 band channel and the W56 band channel will be described with reference to the system diagram of FIG. 10 and the flowchart of FIG.

  In FIG. 10, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) access point 50 is a wireless LAN apparatus having two or more transmission / reception circuits. The wireless LAN handset 52 performs data communication (55 in FIG. 10) with the wireless LAN access point 50. The transmission / reception circuit 51-1 and the transmission / reception circuit 51-2 are wireless units including a wireless transmission / reception circuit of the wireless LAN access point 50 and an antenna. The specific priority radio wave 53 is a specific priority radio wave such as a weather radar existing in the frequency bands of W53 and W56. When the wireless LAN access point 50 is used in the W53 band channel and the W56 band channel, the specific priority radio wave is detected for one minute for the frequency of the channel before starting data communication. It is necessary to confirm that it is not operated (54 in FIG. 10). This is stipulated in the Radio Law.

  An example of channel change operation will be described with reference to FIG. First, a channel to be used for data communication is selected (step 601). Here, for explanation, it is assumed that the channel is set to a channel (W53 band channel, W56 band channel) in which specific priority radio waves exist. When the channel is set, as specified by the Radio Law, the specific priority radio wave is detected for one minute before starting data communication (step 602). If a specific priority radio wave is detected (step 603: Y), data communication cannot be performed using the selected channel, and another channel of the W53 band channel and the W56 band channel is selected (step 604). The specific priority radio wave is detected again for 1 minute (step 602). The above operation is repeated until a channel in which the specific priority radio wave is not operated is found.

  Next, when the specific priority radio wave is not detected for one minute (step 603: N), data communication with the wireless LAN slave unit 52 is started (step 605). If the channel is changed to another W53 band channel or W56 band channel during data communication (step 606), the data communication is temporarily stopped (step 607). Then, the presence / absence detection of the specific priority radio wave is performed again for one minute (step 602). If no specific priority radio wave is detected, the data communication is resumed. Thus, when changing to a channel in which a specific priority radio wave exists, it is necessary to detect the specific priority radio wave for one minute each time the change is made, and data communication stops each time.

  In the operation example described above, when the wireless communication device changes the channel to a channel in which the specific priority radio wave exists, there are the following problems.

  The first problem is that when a wireless communication device changes its channel to a channel in which a specific priority radio wave exists, the presence or absence of the specific priority radio wave for one minute for the channel for CAC (Channel Availability Check) in the Radio Law. It is necessary to confirm that the specific priority radio wave is not operated, and during that time, data communication cannot be performed and data communication is stopped.

  Patent Document 1 describes a wireless communication device intended to solve the above-described problems. This wireless communication apparatus has two wireless units, and performs data communication with one wireless unit, while detecting radar (specific priority radio wave) with the other wireless unit, thereby performing radar detection while performing data communication. be able to.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-210616 (FIGS. 1 and 4, paragraphs [0016], [0022], [0023])

  However, the wireless communication device described in Patent Document 1 needs to separately include a wireless unit dedicated to data communication and a wireless unit dedicated to radar detection. In other words, in the wireless communication device described in Patent Document 1, the radio unit dedicated to radar detection is used only when detecting radar.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a radio communication device capable of changing a channel without interrupting data communication for one minute without a radio unit dedicated to detection of a specific priority radio wave when the channel is changed to a frequency where a specific priority radio wave exists such as a weather radar. And providing a channel change method.

  According to the aspect of the present invention, at least two radio units and a control unit that controls these units are provided, and each radio unit can operate at different frequencies under the control of the control unit. In the device, each of the at least two radio units has a specific priority radio wave detection function and a data communication function, and when the channel is changed under the control of the control unit, one radio unit temporarily performs data communication operation. A wireless communication device is provided that operates in parallel so that the other wireless unit performs a specific priority radio wave detection operation.

  In the wireless communication device according to the above aspect, the control unit monitors the radio wave environment using one of the at least two radio units during data communication, and executes channel change when the radio wave environment deteriorates When the channel is changed during data communication, the one radio unit continues data communication using the previous channel, while the other radio unit performs the specific priority radio wave detection operation for one minute on the channel to be changed. Preferably, when the specific priority radio wave is not detected, the one radio unit changes to the channel to be changed and performs data communication.

  In the wireless communication device according to the above aspect, when the specific priority radio wave is detected as a result of performing the specific priority radio wave detection operation for 1 minute on the channel to be changed, the other radio unit attempts to change the specific priority radio wave. Preferably, the specific priority radio wave detection operation is performed for one minute after changing the channel to be performed to another channel, and this operation is repeated until the specific priority radio wave is no longer detected.

  In the wireless communication device according to the above aspect, it is preferable that the other wireless unit executes a data communication operation when the specific priority radio wave detection operation is completed.

  In the wireless communication device according to the above aspect, when the control unit executes the channel change, the control unit compares the reception levels in the at least two wireless units and determines the higher reception level for the data communication and the reception level. It is preferable to operate the lower one for detecting the specific priority radio wave.

  In the radio communication device according to the above aspect, the control unit further causes the radio unit in an idle state of the at least two radio units to execute the specific priority radio wave detection for a plurality of channels and obtains a detection result. When storing the profile in the storage unit and executing the channel change, it is preferable to select a channel with a low probability that the specific priority radio wave exists by referring to the profile.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the apparatus includes at least two radio units and a control unit that controls the radio units, and each radio unit can operate at different frequencies under the control of the control unit. A channel changing method in a wireless communication device, wherein each of the at least two wireless units has a specific priority radio wave detection function and a data communication function, and when the channel is changed, one of the wireless units temporarily performs data communication operation. Are provided in parallel so that the other wireless unit performs a specific priority radio wave detection operation, respectively.

  According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

  The first effect is that two radio units (transmission / reception circuits) are temporarily allocated to one for specific priority radio wave detection and the other for data communication, and specific priority radio wave detection and data communication are operated in parallel. Therefore, even if a radio unit dedicated to specific priority radio wave detection is not provided, when changing to a channel that may have a specific priority radio wave, the communication is not interrupted for one minute by the specific priority radio wave detection process. Changes can be made.

  The second effect is that each of the two radio units can operate at different frequencies, so that the radio environment can be monitored by the other radio unit in parallel with the data communication by one radio unit.

It is a figure for demonstrating embodiment of the communication between the wireless LAN access point (wireless communication apparatus) and wireless LAN subunit | mobile_unit by this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the channel change in the communication between the wireless LAN access point and wireless LAN subunit | mobile_unit by the 1st Example of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the wireless LAN access point by the 1st Example of this invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a channel change operation in the wireless LAN access point according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3. It is a figure for demonstrating communication between the wireless LAN access point (wireless communication apparatus) and wireless LAN subunit | mobile_unit by the 2nd Example of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the wireless LAN access point by the 2nd Example of this invention. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a channel change operation in a wireless LAN access point according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 6. It is the figure which showed the example of the profile produced by profiling of the channel condition of the specific priority radio wave in the channel change operation | movement by the 2nd Example of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the channel change operation | movement in the wireless LAN access point by the 3rd Example of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the communication between the conventional wireless LAN access point and a wireless LAN subunit | mobile_unit. FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining a channel change operation in the wireless LAN access point shown in FIG. 10.

  The present invention makes it possible to change a channel without interruption of communication when a channel is changed to a frequency band where a specific priority radio wave such as a weather radar may exist in a wireless communication device such as a wireless LAN.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of communication between a wireless LAN access point and a wireless LAN slave according to the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, a wireless LAN access point 10 is a wireless LAN device having two transmission / reception circuits 11-1 and 11-2. The wireless LAN slave unit 13 performs data communication with the wireless LAN access point 10 (15 in FIG. 1). The transmission / reception circuit 11-1 and the transmission / reception circuit 11-2 are wireless units including a wireless transmission / reception circuit and an antenna.

  Each of the two transmission / reception circuits has a frequency control unit, and each transmission / reception circuit operates at a different frequency, and can transmit / receive data and detect a specific priority radio wave. The specific priority radio wave (12 in FIG. 1) is a specific priority radio wave such as a weather radar existing in a specific frequency band. When a specific priority radio wave exists, it is prohibited to transmit a radio wave at that frequency. When the wireless LAN access point 10 is used in a channel of this frequency band, the channel is targeted before starting communication. It is necessary to detect the specific priority radio wave for 1 minute and confirm that the specific priority radio wave is not operated. This is stipulated in the Radio Law.

  In this embodiment, when changing the channel to the above frequency band during data communication on a channel different from the above frequency band, the transmission / reception circuit 11-1 (or 11-2) is temporarily given specific priority. By allocating the radio wave detection and transmission / reception circuit 11-2 (or 11-1) for data communication and operating them in parallel, data communication is prevented from being interrupted during a specific priority radio wave detection operation for one minute. As an operation, when a channel is changed to a channel in which a specific priority radio wave may exist during data communication, only the transmission / reception circuit 11-1 changes the channel to the channel, and the specific priority radio wave (for 1 minute ( Radar) is detected (14 in FIG. 1). In the meantime, the transmission / reception circuit 11-2 does not change the channel, and maintains the state of data communication (15 in FIG. 1) with the wireless LAN slave unit 13 while maintaining the other channel. After one minute, if the specific priority radio wave is not detected by the transmission / reception circuit 11-1, the transmission / reception circuit 11-2 also changes the channel to the channel, and data communication is performed by both the transmission / reception circuit 11-1 and the transmission / reception circuit 11-2. I do.

  In this way, in the present embodiment, the two transmission / reception circuits are temporarily allocated for specific priority radio wave detection and data communication, respectively, and by operating the specific priority radio wave detection and data communication in parallel, The channel can be changed to a frequency band in which specific priority radio waves may exist without stopping data communication for one minute. In particular, the transmission / reception circuits 11-1 and 11-2 both have a specific priority radio wave detection function and a data communication function, and are not in a fixed form such that one is dedicated to specific priority radio wave detection and the other is dedicated to data communication. Therefore, the transmission / reception circuit assigned to the specific priority radio wave detection can also be effectively used for data communication except during the specific priority radio wave detection operation.

[First embodiment]
Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a schematic configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 2, a wireless LAN access point 20 is a wireless LAN device provided with two transmission / reception circuits. The wireless LAN handset 22 performs data communication with the wireless LAN access point 20 (23 in FIG. 2). The Chain 0 radio unit 21-1 and the Chain 1 radio unit 21-2 correspond to the transmission / reception circuit described in FIG. 1, and are radio units including the radio transmission / reception circuit of the wireless LAN access point 20 and an antenna. The Chain 0 radio unit 21-1 and the Chain 1 radio unit 21-2 can perform transmission / reception of data and detection of specific priority radio waves at different frequencies, respectively. The wireless LAN access point 20 and the wireless LAN slave device 22 perform data communication (23 in FIG. 2). If the surrounding radio wave environment deteriorates during data communication (24 in FIG. 2), the currently used channel is changed to a channel with a good radio wave environment (25 in FIG. 2).

[Configuration of the first embodiment]
Referring to FIG. 3, the detailed configuration of the wireless LAN access point 20 shown in FIG. 2 is shown. The wireless LAN access point 20 according to the first embodiment includes two wireless units (transmission / reception circuits) including a transmission unit and a reception unit.

  In FIG. 3, Chain 0 antenna 301 and Chain 1 antenna 302 are antennas that can transmit and receive data and receive specific priority radio waves. Chain 0 SW 303 is a switch for switching between transmission and reception paths of signals transmitted and received from Chain 0 antenna 301. The Chain 1 SW 304 is a switch that switches between transmission and reception paths of signals transmitted and received from the Chain 1 antenna 302.

  The Chain 0 radio unit 305 includes a Chain 0 transmission unit 309 and a Chain 0 reception unit 310, and transmits and receives data and receives specific priority radio waves. The Chain1 radio unit 306 includes a Chain1 transmission unit 311 and a Chain1 reception unit 312, and transmits and receives data and receives specific priority radio waves. The Chain 0 frequency control unit 307 controls the operating frequency of the Chain 0 radio unit 305, and the Chain 1 frequency control unit 308 controls the operating frequency of the Chain 1 radio unit 306.

  Therefore, the Chain 0 radio unit 305 and the Chain 1 radio unit 306 can select frequencies to be used separately. Reference numeral 313 denotes an RF (Radio Frequency) baseband unit that modulates and demodulates data. A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 314 performs necessary calculations such as data processing and various controls. Reference numeral 315 denotes a control unit that controls the Chain 0 radio unit 305 and the Chain 1 radio unit 306. Reference numeral 316 denotes a storage unit that temporarily stores various data.

  In this embodiment, two control units 315 are shown, but these may be realized by one control unit, or the CPU 314 and the two control units 315 may be realized as one control means. The CPU 314 and the control unit 315 read a control program stored in the storage unit 316 in advance, and execute operations described below based on the read control program. The same applies to the second and third embodiments described later.

  Although the configuration of the first embodiment has been described above, the wireless LAN slave device 22 of FIG. 2 is well known to those skilled in the art and is not directly related to the present invention. Description is omitted.

  In the first embodiment, the wireless LAN access point 20 has two wireless units, but the same operation is possible even if it has three or more wireless units. A wireless LAN access point having a plurality of wireless units is, for example, a wireless communication device equipped with MIMO technology or a wireless communication device that operates as diversity.

[Operation of the first embodiment]
The operation of the first embodiment will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 together with FIGS.

  2 and 3, the wireless LAN access point 20 uses the Chain 0 wireless unit 305 and the Chain 1 wireless unit 306 to perform data communication with the wireless LAN slave unit 22 using a channel in which no specific priority radio wave exists (see FIG. 2). 23) is performed (step 401). The Chain 0 radio unit 305 and the Chain 1 radio unit 306 are connected to the frequency control unit 307 and the frequency control unit 308, respectively, and can operate at different frequencies.

  In the present embodiment, the Chain 0 radio unit 305 switches the operating frequency using the frequency control unit 307 during data communication, and periodically monitors the radio wave environment within the frequency band that can be used as a radio communication device (step). 402). When monitoring, if the interference wave level is low and there is no problem with the radio wave environment (step 403: N), the wireless LAN access point 20 continues data communication with the wireless LAN slave unit 22 (step 404). On the other hand, when the interference wave level is high and the radio wave environment deteriorates (step 403: Y), the wireless LAN access point 20 determines a channel having a good radio wave environment from the result of monitoring the radio wave environment, and starts changing the channel to that channel. (Step 405). Here, when there is no possibility that the specific priority radio wave exists in the channel to be changed (406: N), that is, when changing to a channel other than the W53 and W56 band channels, it is not necessary to detect the specific priority radio wave, and wireless LAN access The point 20 uses the frequency control units 307 and 308 to switch the operating frequency of the Chain 0 radio unit 305 and the Chain 1 radio unit 306 and immediately changes the channel (step 407). Then, the wireless LAN access point 20 starts data communication (step 408).

  When there is a possibility that the specific priority radio wave exists in the channel to be changed (step 406: Y), the Chain0 radio unit 305 (step 409: Chain0 radio unit 305) changes the channel by the frequency control unit 307 (step 411). The specific priority radio wave is detected for 1 minute in the changed channel (step 412). The specific priority radio wave detection process is performed using the Chain 0 receiving unit 310 and the RF baseband unit 313 in the Chain 0 radio unit 305. Here, when the specific priority radio wave is detected in the Chain 0 radio unit 305 (step 413: Y), the Chain 0 radio unit 305 gives up to communicate on that channel, and further changes to another channel (step 411). The specific priority radio wave is detected again (step 412). The Chain 0 radio unit 305 repeats this operation until a channel in which the specific priority radio wave is not operated is found.

  In parallel with the above operation (steps 411, 412, and 413), the Chain1 wireless unit 306 (Step 409: Chain1 wireless unit 306) does not change the channel and wirelessly uses a channel in which no specific priority radio wave exists. The data communication state with the LAN slave unit 22 is continued (step 410). Here, when the specific priority radio wave is not detected for one minute by the Chain0 radio unit 305 (step 413: N), the Chain1 radio unit 306 designates the channel changed in step 411 to the wireless LAN slave unit 22. A channel change command is sent, and the channel for data communication with the wireless LAN slave unit 22 is changed to the channel changed in step 411 (step 415).

  The Chain 0 wireless unit 305 has already changed the channel for detecting the specific priority radio wave, and immediately starts data communication with the wireless LAN slave unit 22 (step 416).

  Thereafter, the wireless LAN access point 20 changes the channel of the Chain 1 wireless unit 306 to the channel changed in step 411 by the frequency control unit 308 (step 417). The Chain 1 wireless unit 306 also starts data communication with the wireless LAN slave device 22 (step 418).

  With the above apparatus configuration and operation, when changing to a channel that may have a specific priority radio wave, the channel can be changed without interruption of communication for one minute due to the detection process of the specific priority radio wave.

  In the present embodiment, the Chain 0 radio unit 305 monitors the radio wave environment and detects specific priority radio waves. However, the Chain 0 radio unit 305 and the Chain 1 radio unit 306 are not fixed in function, and data Since it has both a communication function and a specific priority radio wave detection function, it can be used more effectively than a radio unit that only performs specific priority radio wave detection, and the operations of the Chain 0 radio unit 305 and the Chain 1 radio unit 306 are interchanged. The same effect can be obtained.

  Also, in this embodiment, as a trigger for channel change, the radio wave environment is monitored, and when the radio wave environment deteriorates, the operation is automatically changed to a channel with a better radio wave environment. The same effect can be obtained when the channel is changed to a channel that may exist.

  Further, although the wireless communication device of the present embodiment has two wireless units, the same effect can be obtained if there are two or more frequency control units, regardless of the number of wireless units. That is, it is only necessary to select two types of frequencies for detection of specific priority radio waves and data communication. Even in the case of a wireless communication device in which a wireless circuit operating in the 2.4 GHz band (IEEE802.11b, IEEE802.11g) and a circuit operating in the 5 GHz band (IEEE802.11a) are mixed, data in the 2.4 GHz band is used. The same effect can be obtained when the channel is changed to the W53 band channel and the W56 band channel of 5 GHz band during communication.

[Effect of the first embodiment]
As described above, according to the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  The first effect is that two transmission / reception circuits (radio units) are temporarily allocated to one for specific priority radio wave detection and the other for data communication, and specific priority radio wave detection and data communication are operated in parallel. Therefore, even if a radio unit dedicated to specific priority radio wave detection is not provided, when changing to a channel that may have a specific priority radio wave, the communication is not interrupted for one minute by the specific priority radio wave detection process. It is possible to change.

  The second effect is that the two transmission / reception circuits can operate in parallel at different frequencies because the two transmission / reception circuits have separate frequency control units.

  The third effect is that, since each of the two transmission / reception circuits can operate at different frequencies, monitoring of the radio wave environment by the other transmission / reception circuit can be realized in parallel with the data communication by one transmission / reception circuit.

[Second Embodiment]
In the second embodiment of the present invention, channel selection at the time of channel change is devised. In a wireless LAN access point having a plurality of transmission / reception circuits (radio units), a transmission / reception circuit operating in the 2.4 GHz band (IEEE802.11b, IEEE802.11g) and a transmission / reception circuit operating in the 5 GHz band (IEEE802.11a) are mixed. The operation when doing this will be described. When the 5 GHz band transmission / reception circuit is not performing data communication or the like, the CPU causes the 5 GHz band transmission / reception circuit to successively detect the presence / absence of specific priority radio waves for each channel and record the detection results. Create a profile. When the CPU subsequently changes to a channel where the specific priority radio wave may exist, the CPU refers to the profile, selects a channel with a low probability of the specific priority radio wave, and changes the channel to the selected channel. Do. The channel changing procedure is the same as that in the first embodiment.

  The schematic configuration of the second embodiment is shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, as the configuration of the wireless unit of the wireless LAN access point, unlike the configuration of the first embodiment, the wireless LAN access point 70 of the second embodiment is a 5 GHz band wireless LAN (IEEE802.11a, IEEE802). .11n) as a radio unit operating at least one 5G transmission / reception circuit 71-1, and as a radio unit operating a 2.4 GHz band wireless LAN (IEEE802.11b, IEEE802.11g, IEEE802.11n). One or more 4G transmission / reception circuits 71-2 are provided, and the hardware configuration can be used for data communication at the same time.

  The wireless LAN handset 72 performs data communication (75 in FIG. 5) using the wireless LAN access point 70 and a 2.4 GHz band wireless LAN (IEEE802.11b, IEEE802.11g, IEEE802.11n). To do. The 5G transmission / reception circuit 71-1 and the 2.4G transmission / reception circuit 71-2 are wireless units including a wireless transmission / reception circuit of the wireless LAN access point 70 and an antenna. The 5G transmission / reception circuit 71-1 operates in the 5 GHz band, and can perform transmission / reception of data and detection of specific priority radio waves. The specific priority radio wave (73 in FIG. 5) is a specific priority radio wave such as a weather radar existing in a specific frequency band. The 2.4G transmission / reception circuit 71-2 operates in the 2.4 GHz band and can perform at least data transmission / reception among data transmission / reception and detection of specific priority radio waves.

  A detailed configuration of the wireless LAN access point 70 is shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 6, 2.4G antenna 801 and 5G antenna 802 are antennas that transmit and receive data and receive specific priority radio waves. The 2.4GSW 803 is a switch for switching between transmission and reception paths of signals transmitted and received from the 2.4G antenna 801. The 5GSW 804 is a switch for switching between transmission and reception paths of signals transmitted and received from the 5G antenna 802.

  The 2.4G wireless unit 805 includes a 2.4G transmission unit 809 and a 2.4G reception unit 810, and transmits and receives data and receives specific priority radio waves. The 5G wireless unit 806 includes a 5G transmission unit 811 and a 5G reception unit 812, and transmits and receives data and receives specific priority radio waves. Reference numeral 807 denotes a 2.4G frequency control unit that controls the operating frequency of the 2.4G wireless unit 805. Reference numeral 808 denotes a 5G frequency control unit that controls the operating frequency of the 5G wireless unit 806. Reference numeral 813 denotes a 2.4 GRF baseband unit that modulates and demodulates data of the 2.4 GHz band wireless LAN. Reference numeral 817 denotes a 5 GRF baseband unit that modulates and demodulates data of a 5 GHz band wireless LAN. A CPU 814 performs necessary calculations such as data processing and various controls. The 2.4G control unit 815 controls the operation of the 2.4G wireless unit 805. The 5G control unit 818 controls the operation of the 5G wireless unit 806. Reference numeral 816 denotes a storage unit that stores various data.

  The operation of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In FIG. 7, it is assumed that the 2.4G wireless unit 805 is performing data communication with the wireless LAN slave unit 72 (step 901). When the 5G wireless unit 806 is used for data communication (step 902: N), the 2.4G wireless unit 805 and the 5G wireless unit 806 continue data communication (step 903). When the 5G wireless unit 806 is not used for data communication (step 902: Y), that is, in an idle state, the 5G wireless unit 806 (step 904: 5G wireless unit 806) may have a specific priority radio wave. The presence or absence of specific priority radio waves is successively detected for each channel, and the channel status of specific priority radio waves is profiled (step 905). FIG. 8 shows a data table created as a profile.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of the W53 band channel, but the same applies to the W56 band channel. The profile is a plot of the presence or absence of specific priority radio waves for each channel by time zone (here, the time zone every hour). The wireless LAN access point 70 (CPU 814) stores the profile result in the storage unit 816 (step 906). During this time, the 2.4G wireless unit 805 continues the data communication (step 904: 2.4G wireless unit 805) (step 907), but when changing the channel to the W53 or W56 band channel due to deterioration of the communication environment or the like. (Step 908), the CPU 814 refers to the profile created by the 5G wireless unit 806, and in the past the specific priority radio wave has not been detected or is difficult to detect in the current time zone (the probability of the existence of the specific priority radio wave). The lower channel is selected (step 909), and the channel change is executed (step 910).

  As described above, in the second embodiment, when the transmission / reception circuit (wireless unit) in the 5 GHz band is not performing data communication, the specific priority radio wave is detected so as to be effectively used. Then, the presence or absence of specific priority radio waves for each channel is created as a profile and used when changing channels, so that the probability of finding specific priority radio waves when changing channels can be reduced.

  In the second embodiment, the operation has been described with the wireless LAN access point 70 in which the wireless unit operating in the 2.4 GHz band and the wireless unit operating in the 5 GHz band are mixed. If the Chain 0 wireless unit 305 and 5G wireless unit 806 of the first embodiment are replaced with the Chain 1 wireless unit 306 of the first embodiment, the wireless LAN access point 20 of the first embodiment can be realized. In the second embodiment, the profile is created when the 2.4 GHz band 2.4 GHz wireless unit 805 performs data communication. However, the 5 GHz wireless unit 806 operating in the 5 GHz band performs data communication. If not, you can create a profile at any time.

[Third embodiment]
In the third embodiment, the profile created in the second embodiment can be used not only when changing the channel but also when selecting a channel when starting up the wireless communication device. Also, the specific priority radio wave detection information at the time of activation is recorded in the profile. The configuration itself of the wireless communication device is the same as that of the second embodiment. When the wireless communication device is activated, when selecting the W53 band channel and the W56 band channel, the CPU refers to the profile, and the specific priority radio wave has not been detected or is difficult to detect in the current time zone in the past ( Select a channel with a low probability of the presence of specific priority radio waves).

  The operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In FIG. 9, the wireless communication device is activated (1101). For the sake of explanation, it is assumed that the W53 band and W56 band channels are selected as the channels at the time of activation. After activation, the wireless LAN access point 70 (CPU 814) refers to the profile stored in the storage unit 816 (step 1102), and the specific priority radio wave has not been detected or has been detected in the current time zone in the past. A difficult channel is selected (step 1103). The wireless LAN access point 70 (CPU 814) detects a specific priority radio wave for one minute after selecting a channel (step 1104). Here, when the specific priority radio wave is detected (step 1105: Y), the CPU 814 records the information in the profile of the storage unit 816 (step 1106). Then, the wireless LAN access point 70 (CPU 814) refers to the profile again (step 1102), selects another channel (step 1103), and repeats this operation until no specific priority radio wave is detected. When the specific priority radio wave is not detected (step 1105: N), the wireless LAN access point 70 (CPU 814) records the information in the profile of the storage unit 816 (step 1107), and starts data communication on the channel at that time. (Step 1108).

  As described above, in the third embodiment, by referring to the profile stored in the storage unit when the wireless communication device is activated and using it for channel selection, the probability of finding a specific priority radio wave can be reduced. The effect that it can be obtained. In addition, since the specific priority radio wave at the time of starting the wireless communication device is recorded in the profile as detection information, there is an effect that data is accumulated and the reliability of the profile is increased.

  Although the present invention has been described with reference to several examples, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to these examples.

  For example, in the channel change operation, the selection criterion for temporarily allocating one of the two radio units for specific priority radio wave detection and the other for data communication is the reception level of radio waves from the wireless LAN slave unit in the CPU. Are monitored for each of the two radio units, and the radio unit with the higher reception level is selected to be used for data communication and the one with the lower reception level is used for specific priority radio wave detection. By doing so, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the data communication speed when allocated.

  Further, when creating the profile, the number of times of detection of the specific priority radio wave (radar) may be counted. In this case, the details of the profile are as follows.

  In FIG. 6, when the 5G wireless unit 806 is not used for data communication (idle state or between data communication), specific priority radio waves (for each channel where specific priority radio waves may exist) Radar) is detected, and the channel status of the specific priority radio wave is profiled (step 905 in FIG. 7). For example, in order from the channel with the lowest frequency (52 ch → 56 ch → 60 ch → 64 ch → 100 ch →... → 140 ch → 52 ch. If a specific priority radio wave is found in seconds, the number of detections is set to +1. The information to be profiled includes not only the detection channel and time zone described with reference to FIG. 8, but also the number of times of detection, and records these to create a profile. When changing the channel, the priority of the channel to be changed is determined with reference to the profile.

10, 20, 70 Wireless LAN access point 13, 22, 72 Wireless LAN handset

Claims (10)

In a wireless communication device including at least two wireless units and a control unit that controls them, and each wireless unit can operate at different frequencies under the control of the control unit,
Each of the at least two radio units has a specific priority radio wave detection function and a data communication function,
Under the control of the control unit, when the channel is changed, one radio unit temporarily operates in parallel so that the data communication operation is performed, and the other radio unit performs a specific priority radio wave detection operation. Wireless communication equipment. The control unit monitors a radio wave environment using one of the at least two radio units during data communication, and executes a channel change when the radio wave environment deteriorates,
When changing the channel during data communication, the one radio unit continues data communication using the channel until then, while the other radio unit performs the specific priority radio wave detection operation for 1 minute on the channel to be changed, 2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein, when the specific priority radio wave is not detected, the one wireless unit performs data communication by changing to the channel to be changed.   The other radio unit performs the specific priority radio wave detection operation on the channel to be changed for one minute. As a result, when the specific priority radio wave is detected, the channel to be changed is changed to another channel. The wireless communication device according to claim 2, wherein the specific priority radio wave detection operation is performed for one minute, and this operation is repeated until the specific priority radio wave is not detected.   When performing the channel change, the control unit compares the reception levels in the at least two radio units and uses the higher reception level for the data communication and the lower reception level for the specific priority radio wave detection. The wireless communication device according to claim 2, wherein the wireless communication device is operated.   The control unit causes the radio unit in an idle state among the at least two radio units to execute the specific priority radio wave detection for a plurality of channels, stores the detection result as a profile in the storage unit, and changes the channel The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein a channel having a low probability that the specific priority radio wave exists is selected with reference to the profile. A channel changing method in a radio communication device comprising at least two radio units and a control unit for controlling them, wherein each radio unit can operate at different frequencies under the control of the control unit. ,
Each of the at least two radio units has a specific priority radio wave detection function and a data communication function,
A channel changing method for a wireless communication device, characterized in that, when changing a channel, one radio unit temporarily operates in parallel so that one radio unit performs a data communication operation and the other radio unit performs a specific priority radio wave detection operation. . During data communication, monitor the radio wave environment using one of the at least two radio units, and execute a channel change when the radio wave environment deteriorates,
When changing the channel during data communication, the one radio unit continues data communication using the channel until then, while the other radio unit performs the specific priority radio wave detection operation for one minute on the channel to be changed. The wireless communication device according to claim 6, wherein, when the specific priority radio wave is not detected, the one wireless unit is changed to the channel to be changed to perform data communication. Channel change method.   As a result of performing the specific priority radio wave detection operation on the channel to be changed with respect to the other radio unit for one minute, when the specific priority radio wave is detected, the channel to be changed is changed to another channel. 8. The radio communication device channel changing method according to claim 7, wherein the specific priority radio wave detection operation is performed for one minute, and this operation is repeated until the specific priority radio wave is not detected.   When performing the channel change, the reception levels in the at least two radio units are compared and the higher reception level is operated for the data communication and the lower reception level is used for the specific priority radio wave detection. The method for changing a channel of a wireless communication device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that:   Of the at least two radio units, when the radio unit in an idle state is caused to execute the specific priority radio wave detection for a plurality of channels, the detection result is stored in a storage unit as a profile, and the channel change is executed. 10. The channel change method for a wireless communication device according to claim 6, wherein a channel with a low probability that the specific priority radio wave exists is selected with reference to the profile.

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