JP2012044494A - Relay device and relay method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a gateway device which does not unnecessarily consume electric power when the gateway device does not relay communication data between a radio terminal and a radio base station.SOLUTION: A control unit of a gateway device determines whether there is communication data to be relayed between a radio terminal and a radio base station in steps S402 and S403, and if there is communication data to be relayed, returns a beacon cycle to a default value in step S401. On the other hand, if there is no communication data to be relayed, the control unit extends the beacon cycle by a prescribed section in step S405. This enables the gateway device to reduce consumption power because in a case that the gateway device does not relay communication data between the radio terminal and the radio base station, the beacon cycle will become longer and frequency when beacon is output will become fewer when there is no need of relaying between the radio terminal and the radio base station.

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless terminal device and a wireless communication system using the wireless terminal device, and accommodates wide area wireless communication and local wireless communication in a small function box and easily performs wide area wireless communication using local wireless communication means. The present invention relates to a relay apparatus and a relay method for transmitting and receiving data using multi-radio.

  In recent years, with the widespread use of broadband communication, it has become possible to establish a network at home or in an office to exchange large amounts of data. In addition, wireless communication as a communication means that can easily handle data is rapidly spreading due to the low price and small size of devices. With the development of such communication technology, an environment has been established in which information exchange by wireless communication from information data such as a personal computer to home image and audio data can be easily realized. In addition, as a means for releasing the trouble of laying a cable, a relay device and a relay method for realizing a telephone system that simultaneously performs local wireless connection and wide area wireless connection are also provided (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Special table 2005-538653 gazette

  However, the multi-wireless gateway device, which is easy to carry for mobile use and features the advantages of high-speed communication, which is a feature of broadband communication performed wirelessly, is battery-driven, so that it can be used without worrying about battery consumption even when moving Is required to reduce the power consumption of the gateway device itself, and is positioned as a very important element for mobile use. In recent years, there has been a demand for a mobile device with low power consumption that solves this problem and maintains high-speed data communication.

  In order to solve the above problem, the present invention is a relay device that relays communication data between a wireless terminal and a base station, and there is communication data to be relayed between the wireless terminal and the base station. Determination means for determining whether or not and a period changing means for changing the period of a control signal for controlling the communication timing with the wireless terminal, and the determination means determines that there is no communication data to be relayed In this case, the period changing means is a relay apparatus and a relay method that lengthen the period of the control signal.

  In the present invention, when the communication data is not relayed between the wireless terminal and the base station, the control signal period becomes long. Therefore, when the relay between the wireless terminal and the base station is not necessary, the output of the control signal By reducing the frequency of relaying, the power consumption of the relay device can be reduced.

The figure which shows the radio | wireless communications system in embodiment of this invention The block diagram which shows the mobile gateway apparatus in embodiment of this invention 1 is a block diagram showing a wireless terminal in an embodiment of the present invention The block diagram which shows a part of mobile gateway apparatus in embodiment of this invention The flowchart which shows the implementation method by the clock control of modem data processing according to the communication state in Embodiment 1. A flowchart showing a method for realizing clock stop by clock control of modem data processing according to a communication state in the second embodiment The flowchart which shows the realization method which controls the beacon period which manages local radio | wireless communication according to the communication state in Embodiment 3 The flowchart which shows the beacon period expansion process in Embodiment 4. The flowchart which shows the expansion process of the beacon period in Embodiment 5. External appearance perspective view showing relay apparatus in embodiment 6 Block diagram showing the hardware of the relay device in the sixth embodiment

  A first invention made to solve the above problems is a relay device that relays communication data between a wireless terminal and a base station, and is a communication to be relayed between the wireless terminal and the base station A determination unit configured to determine whether or not data is present; and a period changing unit configured to change a cycle of a control signal for controlling a communication timing with the wireless terminal, and there is no communication data to be relayed by the determination unit. If it is determined, the period changing means is a relay apparatus that lengthens the period of the control signal.

  According to the first invention, when the communication data is not relayed between the wireless terminal and the base station, the period of the control signal becomes long. Therefore, when relaying between the wireless terminal and the base station is not necessary, By reducing the frequency of outputting the control signal, the power consumption of the relay device can be reduced.

  A second invention made to solve the above-mentioned problem is the first relay device, wherein the cycle changing means is predetermined from the time when the judging means judges that there is no communication data to be relayed. The relay device extends the period of the control signal after a lapse of time.

  According to the second aspect, since the control signal cycle is not changed immediately after it is determined that there is no communication data to be relayed, the radio terminal is good at the changed control signal cycle. Can follow.

  A third invention made to solve the above problem is the first relay device, and when the determination means determines that there is communication data to be relayed, the period changing means The relay device changes the cycle of the control signal so as to synchronize with the communication interval.

  According to the third invention, an increase in power consumption can be suppressed by suppressing queuing of communication data that can occur when the cycle of the control signal and the communication interval are not synchronized.

  4th invention made | formed in order to solve the said subject is a 3rd relay apparatus, Comprising: The counting means which counts the communication interval of communication data is further provided, The said period change means is the said counting means. The relay apparatus is characterized in that the period of the control signal is changed to synchronize with the counted communication interval.

  According to the fourth invention, the period of the control signal can be synchronized with the accurate communication interval by counting the communication interval.

  A fifth invention made to solve the above problems is a third relay device, wherein the communication data is voice data.

  According to the fifth aspect of the invention, it is possible to suppress the jitter of the voice data due to excessive queuing, so that a good voice call can be performed.

  6th invention made | formed in order to solve the said subject is 1st relay apparatus, Comprising: When the period of the said control signal exceeds the predetermined period, the said period change means sets the period of the said control signal. The relay device is characterized in that it is shortened to a default value.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the cycle of the control signal can be prevented from becoming excessively long.

(Embodiment 1)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the mobile gateway device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The wireless communication system 500 includes a wireless terminal 300, a mobile gateway device 200, and a wide area channel wireless base station 103. The wireless terminal 300 and the mobile gateway device 200 are connected by WiFi (IEEE 802.11 communication system) which is an example of local wireless connection. The mobile gateway device 200 and the wide area channel radio base station 103 are connected by WiMAX (World Wide Interoperability for Microwave Access) which is an example of wide area radio connection. The mobile gateway device 200 is an example of a relay device and includes two wireless communication modems. One modem is a WiFi-compliant communication modem that is a local wireless connection, and the other modem is a WiMAX-compliant communication modem that is a wide-area wireless connection. The wideband radio base station 103 is an example of a base station, and is not wireless between the mobile gateway device and the base station, but is wired (Ethernet (registered trademark), that is, LAN cable, PLC (PowerLine Communication), coaxial line, telephone Line). Similarly, the wireless terminal and the mobile gateway device can be connected by a wired connection (Ethernet (registered trademark), that is, a LAN cable, a PLC (Power Line Communication), a coaxial line, a telephone line, etc.) instead of wireless connection.

  The local wireless connection is not limited to WiFi, and includes DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Communications). The wide area wireless connection is not limited to WiMAX but may be any communication network as long as it is a subscriber communication network. For example, cellular (for example, CDMA, TDMA, GSM) connection, PCS (Personal Communications) Service) connection, fixed wireless connection, and the like are included.

  When a user connects to an external network such as the Internet and performs data communication, for example, taking access from a notebook PC (not shown) as an example, an access address for a local wireless connection is noted from the mobile gateway device. It is distributed to a PC or the like, and based on this address, the access data of the Internet is communicated from the notebook PC to the wireless communication system by WiFi wireless. In the mobile gateway device, the data sent from the notebook PC to the Internet network is converted into an access address on the WiMAX side, which is a wide area wireless connection, using the modem interface in the mobile gateway device, and then transmitted to the Internet network using WiMAX communication. Make data communicate. After the Internet access is permitted, the Internet service is converted into WiFi, which is local wireless access from the notebook PC, and WiMAX, which is wide area wireless access, via the mobile gateway device, and data communication to the Internet access network becomes possible. In addition, the mobile gateway device can assign addresses to a plurality of wireless terminals having local wireless connections, and at the same time, allows local wireless connections to a plurality of wireless terminals, and provides wide area wireless access. You can share the net. In one embodiment, the wireless network is a dedicated subscriber line wireless network. In another embodiment, the wireless network is a cellular network or PCS network that is also used for mobile radio (eg, mobile phones). The wide area line wireless base station 103 is connected to the Internet network. In another embodiment, the base station is connected to the Internet network via a different telephone network, such as a private exchange or a private cellular network.

  The mobile gateway device 200 includes a wide area line wireless modem 207 and a local wireless modem 206. The wide area line wireless modem 207 is a wireless data communication modem and maintains a protocol or a radio wave interface for wireless data connection and communication with a wireless network such as a cellular network which is WiMAX or a subscriber line. The local wireless modem 206 is another wireless data communication modem, and can be used simultaneously with a wireless device having a plurality of wireless LAN communication means in a time division multiplex communication method, such as wireless LAN connection, It maintains a protocol or radio wave interface for local or short-range connection. In addition, although the mobile gateway apparatus was shown as an example of a relay apparatus, a mobile router may be sufficient. Further, since the relay device does not necessarily have portability, a gateway and a router are also included in the concept of the relay device. In the following description, the mobile gateway device 200 is hereinafter simply referred to as “gateway device 200”.

  The second wireless communication interface 205 connected to the wide area line wireless modem 207 and also connected to the second antenna 203 is a typical wireless interface, and includes a radio frequency (RF) component, a transmission / reception switch, a low noise amplifier. (LNA), bandpass filter (BPF), isolation device, and power amplifier. In order to transmit a signal using the wide area wireless connection, the wide area wireless modem 207 supplies a conversion signal to the second wireless communication interface 205. The second antenna 203 supplies a signal received from the wireless network to the duplexer. The duplexer supplies the amplified signal to the LNA for supplying the amplified signal to the BPF. The BPF supplies a filtered signal to the RF component, which supplies the signal to the wide area wireless modem 207.

  The local wireless modem 206 is connected to the first antenna 202 and the first wireless communication interface 204. The first wireless communication interface 204 and the first antenna 202 perform operations similar to those of the second wireless communication interface 205 and the second antenna 203, and transmit signals between the local wireless modem 206 and the terminal having the WiFi wireless function. And receive.

  Both the broadband wireless modem 207 and the local wireless modem 206 are connected to the modem interface 208. The modem interface 208 processes and passes signals between the two modems 206, 207. The modem interface 208 provides any interaction or formatting of signals and data to maintain the passing of data between the wireless terminal and the Internet network. For example, in one embodiment, the modem interface 208 receives the modulated signal from the local wireless modem 206 and pre-processes the signal to create a signal for the wide area wireless modem 207. In an alternative embodiment, wide area wireless modem 207 and local wireless modem 206 provide output data in an appropriate format for other modems and thus interact directly. In this case, the modem interface 208 is omitted or integrated in the modem.

  The gateway device 200 includes a control unit 209 and its associated storage unit 210 in order to maintain and control the operation of the gateway device 200. The control unit 209 and the modems 206 and 207 interact with each other to transmit and receive data via a wireless network. A command interface 211 is connected to the control unit 209. The command interface 211 processes the command from the terminal having the local radio and the command to the terminal having the local radio received by the gateway device 200. The control unit 209 and the command interface 211 perform related operations in order to execute the received command.

  The gateway device 200 includes a battery 213 that is a power source connected to a powered component of the gateway device 200, which is a typical additional component for a wide area line wireless connection terminal and a local wireless connection terminal, and buttons and switches. A user interface 212 including a display and the like is provided.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a wireless terminal in the embodiment of the present invention. The local wireless modem 304 is a wireless data communication modem, and a local connection or short distance with a wireless router that is a home network connection device such as a notebook PC having a wireless data connection and typical wireless communication means. A protocol or radio wave interface for wireless connection or a protocol or radio wave interface having a time division multiple connection method for wireless LAN connection is maintained. The local wireless modem 304 is connected to a wireless communication interface 303 that is also connected to the antenna 302. The wireless communication interface 303 and the antenna 302 perform operations similar to the wireless communication interface 204 and the antenna 202 described above, and transmit and receive signals between the local wireless modem 304 and the gateway device 200.

  The wireless terminal 300 includes a control unit 307 and a related storage unit 308. The control unit 307 and the local wireless modem 304 interact with each other to transmit and receive Internet communications through the gateway device and the wireless network. A command interface 309 is connected to the control unit 307. The command interface 309 processes the command for the gateway device received by the wireless terminal 300 and the command for the wireless terminal 300 received from the gateway device. The control unit 307 and the command interface 309 perform related operations in order to execute the received command.

  The wireless terminal 300 includes a battery 310 that is a power source connected to a powered component of the wireless terminal 300, a voice block 306 including a microphone and a speaker, buttons, A switch, display 305 is included.

  The gateway device 200 and the wireless connection terminal 300 further interact with each other so that the user can transmit and receive data via the Internet network connected to the wide area network for the gateway device 200. For example, a basic access connection process is performed so that a local wireless connection terminal is connected to the Internet through the gateway device 200 and can be accessed by WEB or the like.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a part of the mobile gateway device according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4, the gateway device 200 includes both wireless modems, that is, a wireless LAN modem that is local wireless communication that is the local wireless modem 206 and a WiMAX modem that is wireless communication for the wide area line that is the wide area line wireless modem 207. Have. The local wireless modem 206 includes a first RF modulation / demodulation unit 405, a first baseband processing unit 406, a first communication control unit 407, and a clock generation control unit 408. The wide area line wireless modem 207 includes a second RF modulation / demodulation unit 413, a second baseband processing unit 414, a second communication control unit 415, and a clock generation control unit 416. Further, the gateway device 200 has a first wireless communication interface 204 and a second wireless communication interface 205. The first wireless communication interface 204 includes a first transmission / reception changeover switch 402, a first power amplifier 403, and a first LNA 404. The second wireless communication interface 205 includes a second transmission / reception changeover switch 410, a second power amplifier 411, and a second LNA 412. In FIG. 4, the modem interface shown in FIG. 1 is omitted.

  In the first modem, which is a local wireless connection communication modem, the first communication control unit 407 processes data transmitted / received by the wireless terminal 300 shown in FIG. 1 using a modem interface, and transmits / receives wireless communication. It has a function to control. The first baseband processing unit 406 performs communication data modulation / demodulation and data packetization encoding / decoding by baseband processing of the local wireless modem. The first RF modulation / demodulation unit 405 performs modulation / demodulation processing on the data baseband modulated by the first baseband processing unit 406 to the carrier frequency of the radio frequency. When data transmission is performed, the first power amplifier 403 amplifies the power of RF data, and when the transmission is active by the first transmission / reception changeover switch 402, the data is transmitted as radio data through the first antenna 202 to the space. As for reception, after the wireless data received through the first antenna 202 is subjected to data vibration amplification by the first LNA 404 via the first transmission / reception changeover switch 402, the first RF modulation / demodulation unit 405 demodulates the RF signal. Is called. Further, in the second modem, the second communication control unit 415 processes transmission / reception data transmitted to the wide area line base station 103 shown in FIG. 1 by the modem interface and controls transmission / reception of wireless communication. It has a function. Communication data is subjected to modulation / demodulation and encoding / decoding of data packetization by baseband processing of a local wireless modem in a proxy baseband processing unit 414. The second RF modulation / demodulation unit 413 performs modulation / demodulation processing on the data baseband modulated by the second baseband processing unit 414 to the carrier frequency of the radio frequency. When data transmission is active by the second power amplifier 411, it is transmitted as radio data over the space through the second antenna 203. Regarding reception, after the radio data received through the second antenna 203 is amplified by the second LNA 412 via the second transmission / reception selector switch 410, the second RF modulation / demodulation unit 413 demodulates the RF signal. Is called.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a method for realizing modem data processing by clock control according to the communication state in the first embodiment.

  First, when connecting to the Internet or the like, the wireless terminal 300 transmits data to the gateway device 200 via the gateway device 200 and local wireless. The gateway device 200 converts the data into a second modem that can communicate wirelessly over a wide area line. In step S101, the gateway apparatus 200 is connected to the Internet network via the wide area line wireless base station 103 to perform data communication. In step S102, the control unit 209 in the gateway apparatus 200 counts the communication rates of the first modem and the second modem. In step S103, the clocks of the first modem and the second modem are controlled. Specifically, based on the counting result, the clock generation control unit 408 determines the clock frequency of the first modem according to the communication rate, and the clock generation control unit 416 similarly determines the clock frequency in the second modem. To decide. In step S104, the control unit 209 in the gateway apparatus 200 counts the communication interval between the first modem and the second modem. On the basis of the counting result, in step S105, for example, when the communication interval is wide, the operation speed is lowered to reduce the processing speed when the communication interval is wide. When it is narrow, the operation speed is increased to increase the processing speed. Specifically, when the communication interval of the first modem is wide, the clock generation control unit 408 of the first modem of the gateway device 200 lowers the clock frequency to reduce the processing speed of the first modem. When the communication interval of the first modem is narrow, the clock generation control unit 408 of the first modem of the gateway device 200 increases the clock frequency to increase the processing speed of the first modem. Similarly, for the second modem, when the communication interval of the second modem is wide, the clock generation control unit 416 of the second modem of the gateway device 200 lowers the clock frequency to reduce the processing speed of the second modem. If the communication interval of the second modem is narrow, the clock generation control unit 416 of the second modem of the gateway device 200 increases the clock frequency to increase the processing speed of the first modem.

  As a result of this series of operations, the power consumption is applied to each of the first modem that is the local wireless modem and the second modem that is the wireless modem for the wide area line of the gateway device 200 based on the communication rate and the communication interval. The clock frequency to be changed can be dynamically changed, and the power consumption can be reduced without impairing the speeding up of communication.

(Embodiment 2)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a method for realizing clock stop by clock control of modem data processing according to the communication state in the second embodiment.

  First, when connecting to the Internet or the like, the wireless terminal 300 transmits data to the gateway device 200 via the gateway device 200 and local wireless. The gateway device 200 converts the data into a second modem that can communicate over a wide area wireless network, and is connected to the Internet network via the wide area wireless base station 103 and performs data communication in step S201. In step S202, the control unit 209 in the gateway device 200 confirms the presence / absence of data communicated by the first modem and the second modem. Based on the result, in step S203, for example, when there is a certain period or more in which there is no data to be communicated with the first modem, the first modem is controlled to sleep. Further, when there is a certain period or more in which there is no data to be communicated with the second modem, the second modem is controlled to sleep. Specifically, when there is a certain period of time when there is no data to be communicated with the first modem, the control unit 209 in the gateway device 200 determines sleep control of the first modem unit, and the clock generation control unit of the first modem The clock generation at 408 is temporarily stopped. Similarly, when there is a certain period in which there is no data to be communicated with the second modem, the control unit 209 in the gateway device 200 determines the sleep control of the second modem unit, and the clock of the clock generation control unit 416 of the second modem. Temporarily stop generation. Conversely, when there is data to be communicated with the first modem, the clock generation control unit 408 of the first modem generates a clock so that the control unit 209 in the gateway device 200 operates the first modem unit. carry out. Similarly, when there is data to be communicated with the second modem, the clock generation control unit 416 of the second modem performs a clock operation so that the control unit 209 in the gateway device 200 operates the second modem unit. Perform generation.

  In step S204, the control unit 209 in the gateway device 200 counts the communication interval between the first modem and the second modem. Based on the count result, in step S205, for example, when the communication interval is wide, sleep control is performed to stop the clock for the vacant interval according to the communication interval. Specifically, when the communication interval of the first modem is wide, the clock generation control unit 408 of the first modem of the gateway device 200 finds a section where communication is not performed, stops the clock section, and operates the first modem. Stop. When the communication interval of the first modem is narrow, the clock generation control unit 408 of the first modem of the gateway device 200 cancels the clock stop and performs the processing of the first modem. Similarly, when the communication interval of the second modem is wide for the second modem, the clock generation control unit 416 of the second modem of the gateway apparatus 200 finds a section where communication is not performed, stops the clock for that section, Stop modem operation. When the communication interval of the second modem is narrow, the clock generation control unit 416 of the second modem of the gateway device 200 cancels the clock stop and performs the processing of the second modem.

  As a result of this series of operations, the presence or absence of communication is confirmed with respect to each of the first modem that is the local wireless modem and the second modem that is the wireless modem for the wide area line of the gateway device 200, and a section where communication is not performed is found. It is possible to reduce the power consumption without impairing the communication operation by using a sleep function that dynamically stops the operation of each modem.

(Embodiment 3)
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an implementation method for controlling a beacon period for managing local wireless communication according to a communication state in the third embodiment.

  First, when connecting to the Internet or the like, the wireless terminal 300 transmits data to the gateway device 200 via the gateway device 200 and local wireless. The gateway device 200 converts the data into a second modem that can communicate over a wide area wireless network. In step S301, the gateway apparatus 200 connects to the Internet network via the wide area wireless base station 103 to perform data communication.

  In step S <b> 302, the control unit 209 in the gateway device 200 confirms the presence / absence of data communicated by the first modem that is a local wireless line. Based on this result, in step S303, for example, when there is a certain section or more where there is no data to be communicated with the first modem, the first communication control unit 407 that controls the period of the first modem uses the local wireless network. The beacon period for controlling the communication is widened, the communication load is reduced, and the power consumption is reduced. On the other hand, when there is data to be communicated with the first modem, the first communication control unit 407 for controlling the period of the first modem returns the beacon period for controlling the network of the local wireless line and can communicate normally. Set to periodic intervals. In step S304, the communication interval of the first modem is counted by the control unit 209 in the gateway device 200. Based on the count result, in step S305, the local wireless network is controlled by the first communication control unit 407 that controls the period of the first modem in accordance with the communication interval, for example, when the communication interval is wide. Extend the beacon period to reduce communication load and reduce power consumption. On the other hand, when there is data to be communicated with the first modem, the first communication control unit 407 for controlling the period of the first modem returns the beacon period for controlling the network of the local wireless line and can communicate normally. Set to periodic intervals.

  As a result of this series of operations, the presence or absence of communication is confirmed with respect to each of the first modem that is the local wireless modem and the second modem that is the wireless modem for the wide area line of the gateway device 200, and a section where communication is not performed is found. It is possible to reduce the power consumption without impairing the communication operation by using a sleep function that dynamically stops the operation of each modem.

  As described above, the wireless communication system of the present invention can implement local wireless communication and wide area wireless communication with a single device, and the wireless communication system can be used even in a wireless terminal having only a local wireless device. In this system, it is possible to use wide area wireless communication.

  In addition, the present invention is an important consumption as a portable battery-powered mobile device by dynamically switching the clock frequency supplied to the modem in the system according to the communication load of the local radio and the radio for the wide area line. It is a system that can execute power reduction, and it is possible to provide a device that can realize portability without worrying about power supply during movement.

  Furthermore, the present invention is a system in which the home and the subscriber line are replaced with wireless in consideration of the portability in which the wireless router device widely used in the home can be carried. However, the present invention relays the home and the subscriber line. The system is not limited, and may be a system including three or more modems for exchanging wireless communication.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing beacon cycle extension processing in the fourth embodiment. Gateway device 200 transmits a beacon to wireless terminal 300 at a predetermined cycle (hereinafter referred to as “beacon cycle”). A beacon is an example of a control signal, and various control information is stored in the beacon. The beacon period is usually constant, but can be changed as appropriate. In the present embodiment, information of a default value (for example, 20 ms) is stored in the storage unit 210 as an initial value of the beacon.

  In step S401, the control unit 209 of the gateway device 200 sets the beacon period to a default value. In step S <b> 402, the control unit 209 determines whether there is communication data addressed to the wireless terminal 300. The wideband radio base station 103 periodically transmits a beacon to the gateway device 300, and information on whether there is communication data addressed to the radio terminal 300 is stored in the beacon transmitted by the base station 103. ing. Therefore, the control unit 209 monitors information in the beacon transmitted from the base station 103 and determines whether communication data addressed to the wireless terminal 300 exists.

  If it is determined that there is communication data addressed to the wireless terminal 300 (Yes in S402), the process returns to step S401, and the beacon period is set to a default value. When it is determined that there is no communication data addressed to the wireless terminal 300 (No in S402), in step S403, the control unit 209 determines whether communication data transmitted from the wireless terminal 300 exists. Since the wireless terminal 300 is under the gateway device 200, all communication data from the wireless terminal 300 passes through the gateway device 200. Therefore, by monitoring these communication data, it is determined whether there is communication data transmitted from the wireless terminal 300.

  When it is determined that there is communication data from the wireless terminal 300 (Yes in S403), the process returns to step S401. When it is determined that there is no communication data from the wireless terminal 300 (No in S403), in step S404, the control unit 209 waits for a predetermined period. For example, after waiting for a period of an integral multiple of the beacon period, the process proceeds to the next step. In step S405, the control unit 209 extends the beacon period by a predetermined interval. For example, when setting to count up every 10 ms, the default value is 20 ms and the beacon period is extended to 30 ms (= 20 ms + 10 ms).

  In step S406, the control unit 209 determines whether or not the beacon period P (n) exceeds the maximum value MAX. If it is determined that the beacon period P (n) does not exceed the maximum value MAX (No in S406), the process returns to step S402. “N” in the beacon period P (n) indicates the number of loops in steps S402 to S406. For example, when the count-up is every 10 ms, the default value is 20 ms, and the number of laps n is 5, the beacon period P (5) is 70 ms (= 20 ms + 10 ms × 5).

  When it is determined that the beacon period P (n) exceeds the maximum value MAX (Yes in S406), in step S407, the control unit 209 performs the same process as in step S402. When it is determined that there is communication data addressed to the wireless terminal 300 (Yes in S407), the process returns to step S401, and the beacon period P (n) is returned to the default value. If it is determined that there is no communication data addressed to the wireless terminal 300 (No in S407), in step S408, the control unit 209 performs the same process as in step S403. If it is determined that there is communication data from the wireless terminal 300 (Yes in S408), the process returns to step S401, and the beacon period P (n) is returned to the default value. If it is determined that there is no communication data from the wireless terminal 300 (No in S408), the process returns to step S407.

  For example, it is assumed that the wireless terminal 300 is a voice call (VoIP [Voice over Internet Protocol]) using a wireless LAN, but is not currently talking. In this case, since there is no communication data addressed to and from the wireless terminal, the beacon period P (n) is incremented via No in step S402 and No in S403. When the beacon period P (n) reaches the maximum value MAX (for example, 100 ms) and the state where the voice call is not performed continues, the loop of No in step S407 and No in S408 is entered, and the beacon period exceeds the maximum value MAX. Maintained by value.

  Here, when the user starts a voice call using the wireless terminal 300, it is determined in step S408 that there is communication data from the wireless terminal 300 (Yes in S408). Therefore, in step S401, the beacon period P (n ) Returns to the default value. By setting this default value in advance as the communication interval of voice data in a voice call, the beacon period and the communication interval can be matched. Thereby, an efficient voice call can be performed without unnecessary queuing of voice data. For example, in SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), the default value may be set to a communication interval of 20 ms. Note that the communication interval refers to a time width between two communication data adjacent in time.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when communication data is not relayed between the wireless terminal and the base station, the beacon period is lengthened, so that relaying between the wireless terminal and the base station is not necessary. By reducing the frequency of outputting beacons, the power consumption of the gateway device can be reduced. In particular, in a “mobile” gateway device using a battery as a power source, the usage time can be extended due to low power consumption.

  In addition, since it is determined that there is no communication data relayed between the wireless terminal and the wireless base station for the wide area line, the beacon period is not immediately changed. It is possible to follow the cycle well.

(Embodiment 5)
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the beacon period extension process in the fifth embodiment. In step S501, the control unit 209 of the gateway device 200 sets the beacon period to a default value. In step S <b> 502, the control unit 209 determines whether there is communication data addressed to the wireless terminal 300. The determination method is the same as step S402 in FIG. If it is determined that there is communication data addressed to the wireless terminal 300 (Yes in S502), the communication interval of the communication data from the wireless terminal 300 or the communication data addressed to the wireless terminal 300 is counted in step S503. In step S504, the control unit 209 determines whether the beacon period and the communication interval match. If it is determined that the beacon period matches the communication interval (Yes in S504), the process returns to step S502. If it is determined that the beacon period does not match the communication interval (No in S504), in step S505, the control unit 209 changes the beacon period to synchronize the beacon period with the communication interval.

  When it is determined that there is no communication data addressed to the wireless terminal 300 (No in S502), in step S506, the control unit 209 determines that communication data from the wireless terminal 300 exists. If it is determined that there is communication data from the wireless terminal 300 (Yes in S506), the process proceeds to step S503. That is, when there is communication data addressed to or transmitted from the wireless terminal 300 (that is, when the wireless terminal 300 performs data communication via the gateway device), the beacon period and the communication interval are synchronized. . When it is determined that there is no communication data from the wireless terminal 300 (No in S506), in step S507, the control unit 209 waits for a predetermined period (for example, an integral multiple of the beacon period). In step S508, the control unit 209 extends the beacon period by a predetermined interval.

  In step S509, the control unit 209 determines whether or not the beacon period P (n) exceeds the maximum value MAX. If it is determined that the beacon period P (n) does not exceed the maximum value MAX (No in S509), the process returns to step S502. When it is determined that the beacon period P (n) has exceeded the maximum value MAX (Yes in S509), in step S510, the control unit 209 performs the same process as in step S502. If it is determined that there is communication data addressed to the wireless terminal 300 (Yes in S510), the process returns to step S501 to return the beacon period P (n) to the default value. If it is determined that there is no communication data addressed to the wireless terminal 300 (No in S510), the control unit 209 performs the same process as in Step S506 in Step S511. If it is determined that there is communication data from the wireless terminal 300 (Yes in S506), the process returns to step S501, and the beacon period P (n) is returned to the default value. When it is determined that there is no communication data from the wireless terminal 300 (No in S511), the process returns to step S510.

  As described above, in this embodiment, since the beacon period and the communication interval are synchronized, an increase in power consumption is suppressed by suppressing queuing of communication data that may occur when the beacon period and the communication interval are not synchronized. Can be suppressed. By applying to voice data, jitter of voice data due to excessive queuing can be suppressed, so that a good voice call can be performed.

(Embodiment 6)
FIG. 10 is an external perspective view showing a relay device according to the sixth embodiment. The gateway device 200 in the present embodiment is a gateway device that manages a plurality of wireless terminals. This embodiment describes the internal configuration of the gateway device in detail, and this internal configuration is applicable to the first to fifth embodiments.

  As illustrated in FIG. 10, the gateway device 200 includes a housing 11, and an LED 12 such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) is provided on the front surface of the housing 11 for displaying an operation state or the like. . On the rear surface of the housing 11, a LAN jack that is a modular jack for LAN such as RJ45 is provided. A LAN cable is connected to the LAN jack.

  FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating hardware of the relay device according to the sixth embodiment. The gateway device 200 has a circuit module 110 in the housing 11 indicated by a broken line. In the circuit module 110, an LED 12, a LAN jack 14, a main IC 111, a battery 116, a wireless module 117, and a wireless module 123 are mounted.

  The main IC 111 includes a CPU 111a, a bus such as the main bus 111f and the local bus 111g, a BCU (Bus Control Unit) 111b for controlling the flow of data on the bus, and an Ethernet (registered trademark) MAC (Media Access Control) layer. EMAC 111c of the MAC block that controls the SDIO, an SDIOC 111d that controls the SDIO bus, and a PCIU (PCI Unit) 111e that controls the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus. The CPU 111a and the BCU 111b in the main IC 111 are connected to the memory block 114 via the main bus 111f. The CPU 111a and the BCU 111b are connected to an oscillator 112 that supplies a clock to the main IC 111, the LED 12, and a reset IC 113 that outputs an initialization signal to the main IC 111 via a local bus 111g. The EMAC 111 c in the main IC 111 is connected to an EPHY (Ethernet (registered trademark) PHYsical layer) 115 that is an IC that controls the physical layer of the Ethernet (registered trademark), and the EPHY 115 is connected to the LAN jack 14. The SDIOC 111d in the main IC 111 is connected to a wireless module 123 having an SDIO interface. The PCIU 111e in the main IC 111 is connected to a wireless module 117 having a PCI interface. The memory block 114 includes an SDRAM 114a which is a volatile memory and a Flash ROM 114b which is a nonvolatile memory. The battery 116 is not connected to other parts by wires, but supplies power to all necessary parts. The wireless module 117 includes a wireless controller 118, an RF (Radio Frequency) module 119, and antennas 121 and 122. The wireless controller 118 includes a MAC block 118a that controls the MAC layer and a PHY block 118b that controls the physical layer. The PCIU 111e in the main IC 111 is connected to the PHY block 118b via the MAC block 118a. The RF module 119 is set to a transmission or reception state from the main IC 111, and transmission / reception switching SW 119a and SW 119b, LNA 119c and LNA 119d for amplifying a reception signal, PA 119e and PA 119f for amplifying a transmission signal, modulation to a radio signal, and radio And an RF modulator / demodulator 119g for performing demodulation from the signal. An oscillator 120 that supplies a clock is connected to the RF module 119, and an RF modulator / demodulator 119 g in the RF module 119 is connected to a PHY block 118 b in the wireless controller 118. Transmission / reception switching SW 119 a and SW 119 b in the RF module 119 are connected to the antennas 202 and 203. The wireless module 123 differs from the wireless module 117 in the wireless standard used. The wireless module 123 corresponds to the first wireless communication interface 204 and the local wireless modem 206 in FIG. 2, and the wireless module 117 corresponds to the second wireless communication interface 204 and the wide area wireless modem in FIG. 207. Accordingly, the wireless module 123 executes a wireless LAN, and the wireless module 117 executes WiMax. The wireless module 117 is the same as the internal configuration of the wireless module 123, and thus the details of the internal configuration are omitted. Further, the main IC 111 corresponds to the control unit 209 in FIG. 2, and the memory block 114 corresponds to the storage unit 210 in FIG.

  Provided a relay device and a relay method that can be applied not only to mobile phones, wireless LAN electronic devices, home data distribution devices (STB), but also to applications that realize a system that wirelessly distributes images, voice, data, telephones, etc. To do.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 103 Wireless base station for wide area lines 200 Mobile gateway apparatus 202 1st antenna 203 2nd antenna 204 1st wireless communication interface 205 2nd wireless communication interface 206 Local wireless modem 207 Wireless modem for wide area lines 208 Modem interface 209 Control part 210 Storage Unit 211 Command interface 212 User interface 213 Battery 300 Wireless terminal 302 Antenna 303 Wireless communication interface 304 Local wireless modem 305 Button, switch, display 306 Microphone, speaker 307 Control unit 308 Storage unit 309 Command interface 310 Power supply 402 First transmission / reception switching Switch 403 First power amplifier 404 First LNA
405 First RF modulation / demodulation unit 406 First baseband processing unit 407 First communication control unit 408 Clock generation control unit 410 Second transmission / reception changeover switch 411 Second power amplifier 412 Second LNA
413 Second RF modulation / demodulation unit 414 Second baseband processing unit 415 Second communication control unit 416 Clock generation control unit 500 Wireless communication system

Claims (7)

A relay device that relays communication data between a wireless terminal and a base station,
Determining means for determining whether there is communication data to be relayed between the wireless terminal and the base station;
A period changing means for changing a period of a control signal for controlling a communication timing with the wireless terminal,
The relay apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the determination unit determines that there is no communication data to be relayed, the cycle changing unit lengthens the cycle of the control signal.   2. The relay according to claim 1, wherein the cycle changing unit lengthens the cycle of the control signal after a predetermined time has elapsed from the time when the determination unit determines that there is no communication data to be relayed. apparatus.   The said period change means changes the period of the said control signal so that it may synchronize with the communication interval of communication data, when it is judged by the said judgment means that there exists communication data which should be relayed. The relay device according to 1. Furthermore, a counting means for counting communication intervals of communication data is provided,
The relay apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the period changing unit changes the period of the control signal so as to be synchronized with the communication interval counted by the counting unit.   The relay apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the communication data is voice data.   The relay apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the period changing unit shortens the period of the control signal to a default value when the period of the control signal exceeds a predetermined period. A relay method for relaying communication data between a wireless terminal and a base station,
A determination step of determining whether there is communication data to be relayed between the wireless terminal and the base station;
A cycle changing step for changing a cycle of a control signal for controlling communication timing with the wireless terminal,
A relay method characterized in that, when it is determined that there is no communication data to be relayed in the determination step, the cycle of the control signal is lengthened in the cycle change step.

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