JP2013090150A - Radio repeating device and channel control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure that channel bonding is achieved at the local side LAN and the network side LAN of a radio repeating device.SOLUTION: The radio repeating device includes a channel control unit which manages the working condition of channels used by a local side wireless LAN connection unit and those used by a network side wireless LAN connection unit, and if part or the whole of channels to be channel bonded on either side overlaps, exerts control on the local side wireless LAN connection unit and the network side wireless LAN connection unit to enable channel bonded for the channels to be achieved.

Description

The present invention relates to a radio relay apparatus and a channel control method for performing a relay process between a local-side wireless LAN terminal and a plurality of network-side access networks (wireless LAN and mobile communication network).
In particular, the present invention relates to a wireless relay device and a channel control method for performing wireless communication using channel bonding that bundles a plurality of channels in both a local wireless LAN and a network wireless LAN.

  In recent years, mobile terminals such as smartphones, tablets, and game machines have been equipped with wireless LAN interfaces, and these devices can be used to access the Internet via a high-speed wireless LAN not only at home or office, but also on the go. Is possible. In this specification, a wireless terminal having a wireless LAN interface including such a mobile terminal is referred to as a “wireless LAN terminal”.

  However, wireless LANs are fixedly installed in places such as stations, airports, and coffee shops, and wireless LAN terminals cannot maintain access to the Internet outside the wireless LAN communication range.

  As a device for solving this problem, there is a wireless relay device that connects to a wireless LAN within a wireless LAN communication area, and connects to, for example, a mobile communication network or WiMAX (Worldwide interoperability for microwave access) outside the wireless LAN communication area. Access to the Internet can be maintained by connecting a terminal to a wireless LAN, a mobile communication network, or WiMAX via the wireless relay device. The mobile communication network standards include HSPA (High speed packet access), WCDMA (Wide band code division multiple access), EDGE (Enhanced data rates for GSM (registered trademark) evolution), LTE (Long Term Evolution), etc. There is.

FIG. 5 shows a configuration example of a conventional wireless relay device (Patent Document 1).
In FIG. 5, the wireless relay device 10 includes a network side wireless LAN connection unit 11, network side wireless connection units 12 and 13, a local side wireless LAN connection unit 14, and a connection control unit 15. A wireless LAN 101, a mobile communication network 102, and a WiMAX 103 are connected to the backbone network 100 as an access network.

  The network-side wireless LAN connection unit 11 performs connection processing according to a protocol of the IEEE 802.11 standard with a base station of the wireless LAN 101 that is an access network on the network side. The network-side wireless connection units 12 and 13 perform connection processing according to the protocol of each wireless system with the mobile communication network 102 or the WiMAX 103 base station. The local wireless LAN connection unit 14 performs connection processing according to the protocol of the IEEE 802.11 standard with the local wireless LAN terminal 1. The connection control unit 15 selects either the network side wireless LAN connection unit 11 or the network side wireless connection units 12 and 13 and performs a relay process with the local side wireless LAN connection unit 14.

  With such a configuration, the wireless LAN terminal 1 is connected to the wireless relay device 10 via the local wireless LAN connection unit 14 and further to the network side wireless LAN 101 or the network side via the network side wireless LAN connection unit 11. The mobile communication network 102 and the WiMAX 103 are connected via the wireless connection units 12 and 13, and further connected to the backbone network 100.

  By the way, when both the wireless LAN interfaces of the wireless LAN terminal 1 and the wireless relay device 10 are compatible with the IEEE 802.11n standard (Non-patent Document 1), which is a wireless LAN speed-up standard, it has been established until then. It is possible to perform transmission using channel bonding that simultaneously uses two frequency channels used in the IEEE 802.11a / b / g standard (Non-Patent Document 2). Thereby, compared with the case where the wireless LAN of IEEE802.11a / b / g standard is used, communication at a speed twice or more becomes possible.

  In this channel bonding, two channels are used: a normally used channel (main channel) and an extended channel (subchannel) for speeding up. In the wireless LAN, in channel bonding in the 2.4 GHz frequency band defined by the IEEE 802.11 standard, communication is performed using a 40 MHz bandwidth channel using a main channel and a sub channel of 20 MHz bandwidth. In this case, the main channel and the sub channel for performing channel bonding are a combination of channels separated by 4 channels such as channel 1 and channel 5, for example.

  On the other hand, in the IEEE 802.11 standard, CSMA / CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance) access control that avoids collision as much as possible by carrier sense is performed, and a signal is transmitted to a channel by carrier sense before transmitting a radio signal. You must make sure that it is not. Furthermore, in the IEEE 802.11n standard, the subchannel to be bonded must be monitored for a certain period before performing this CSMA / CA access control.

  Therefore, the local side wireless LAN connection unit 14 of the wireless relay device 10 monitors the wireless channel usage status of the main channel and the sub channel before performing communication by channel bonding, and confirms that communication is not performed for a certain period of time. To do. If communication is not performed for a certain period in both channels, it is determined that the main channel and the sub channel can be used simultaneously, and channel bonding is performed. If communication is being performed on the sub-channel during this period, it is determined that the sub-channel cannot be used, and communication based on CSMA / CA access control is performed using only the main channel.

  The same applies to the network side wireless LAN connection unit 11 of the wireless relay device 10 and the base station of the wireless LAN 101 on the network side. Note that channel bonding control is performed at the base station of the wireless LAN 101.

JP 2010-021878 A

IEEE Std 802.11nTM-2009 20.3.22.5.2 IEEE Std 802.11TM-2007 Chapter 17.2.2.2

  When relay transmission using channel bonding is performed in the wireless relay device, as shown in FIG. 6, if the main channel and the sub channel used on the local side and the network side are all different, the local side and the network side are independent. Channel bonding. For example, channel bonding of channel 1 and channel 5 is performed on the one hand, and channel bonding of channel 9 and channel 13 is performed on the other hand. However, in order to perform channel bonding on the local side and the network side in this way, setting the channels so that they do not completely overlap is the fact that many mobile terminals use the 2.4 GHz band in the current frequency utilization efficiency. Not practical from the point of view.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, when the main channels are different from each other, but each sub-channel overlaps with the other main channel, it is detected that the sub-channel is being used mutually on the local side and the network side, There is a high possibility that bonding cannot be performed. For example, the network side uses the main channel 1 and the sub channel 5, and the local side uses the main channel 5 and the sub channel 1. In this case, the network side monitors the usage status of the subchannel 5 before performing channel bonding, but this channel is likely to be frequently used for the main channel on the local side. At this time, the network side detects that the sub-channel 5 is being used by carrier sense, so communication is performed using only the main channel 1 without performing channel bonding. The same applies to the local side.

  In the conventional wireless relay device, since the local side and the network side are separate networks, channels are allocated independently by respective interfaces. For this reason, there is a possibility that channels overlapping each other as shown in FIG. 7 on the local side and the network side. In this case, even though IEEE802.11n can be used, channel bonding is not performed, and the high speed of IEEE802.11n cannot be fully utilized.

  The present invention provides a radio relay apparatus and a channel control method capable of reliably performing channel bonding on a local side wireless LAN and a network side wireless LAN of the radio relay apparatus when performing wireless communication using IEEE802.11n. The purpose is to do.

  A first invention includes a local wireless LAN connection unit connected to a wireless LAN terminal, a network wireless LAN connection unit connected to a wireless LAN base station on the network side, a local wireless LAN connection unit, and a network wireless LAN Used in the wireless relay device including a connection control unit that controls relay connection between the wireless LAN terminal and the network side between the connection unit and the local side wireless LAN connection unit and the network side wireless LAN connection unit. Controls the usage status of the channel, and if some or all of the channels that perform channel bonding overlap, control that enables channel bonding using the channel is performed on the local side wireless LAN connection unit and network side wireless LAN connection Provided with a channel control unit for the unit.

  In the wireless relay device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the local wireless LAN connection unit and the network wireless LAN connection unit are configured to perform access control by CSMA / CA, and the local wireless LAN connection unit is used for channel bonding. When the carrier sense of the subchannel to be detected is detected and the carrier of the subchannel is detected, the channel controller is inquired about the usage status of the subchannel, and the subchannel is being used by the wireless LAN connection unit from the channel controller. When notified that there is, channel bonding using the subchannel is performed.

  In the wireless relay device of the first invention, the local side wireless LAN connection unit and the network side wireless LAN connection unit are configured to perform access control by CSMA / CA, and the network side wireless LAN connection unit is used for channel bonding. When the carrier of the subchannel to be detected is detected and the carrier of the subchannel is detected, the channel controller is inquired about the usage status of the subchannel, and the subchannel is being used by the local wireless LAN connection unit from the channel controller. When notified that there is, it is configured to transfer a notification indicating that channel bonding using the subchannel is possible to the wireless LAN base station on the network side, and the wireless LAN base station on the network side Channel bonding using notified subchannel It is configured to implement.

  The second invention includes a local wireless LAN connection unit connected to a wireless LAN terminal, a network wireless LAN connection unit connected to a wireless LAN base station on the network side, a local wireless LAN connection unit, and a network wireless LAN In a channel control method of a wireless relay device comprising a connection control unit for controlling relay connection between a wireless LAN terminal and a network side with a connection unit, a local side wireless LAN connection unit and a network side wireless LAN connection A channel control unit that manages the usage status of the channels used by the unit, and the channel control unit overlaps a part or all of the channels that perform channel bonding in the local side wireless LAN connection unit and the network side wireless LAN connection unit, respectively. Control to enable channel bonding using the channel Performed on local side wireless LAN connections and network side a wireless LAN connection.

  In the channel control method of the second invention, the local wireless LAN connection unit and the network wireless LAN connection unit are configured to perform access control by CSMA / CA, respectively, and the local wireless LAN connection unit is used for channel bonding. When the carrier sense of the subchannel to be detected is detected and the carrier of the subchannel is detected, the channel controller is inquired about the usage status of the subchannel, and the subchannel is being used by the wireless LAN connection unit from the channel controller. When notified that there is, channel bonding using the subchannel is performed.

  In the channel control method of the second invention, each of the local side wireless LAN connection unit and the network side wireless LAN connection unit is configured to perform access control by CSMA / CA, and the network side wireless LAN connection unit is used for channel bonding. When the carrier of the subchannel to be detected is detected and the carrier of the subchannel is detected, the channel controller is inquired about the usage status of the subchannel, and the subchannel is being used by the local wireless LAN connection unit from the channel controller. When it is notified, the notification indicating that channel bonding using the subchannel is possible is transferred to the wireless LAN base station on the network side, and the wireless LAN base station on the network side is notified. Perform channel bonding using subchannels .

  The present invention enables conventional channel bonding using a channel when a part or all of the channels for performing channel bonding overlap at the local side wireless LAN connection unit and the network side wireless LAN connection unit, respectively. Channel bonding can be surely performed by segregation by street CSMA / CA access control.

  As a result, the local wireless LAN and the network wireless LAN can avoid the situation where channel bonding cannot be performed by using sub-channels with each other, and the frequency use efficiency is improved by actively using channels that can be channel bonded. Compared with the case where channel bonding is not performed, throughput improvement of twice or more can be realized, and the communication speed of the entire wireless LAN system can be improved.

It is a figure which shows the Example of the radio relay apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a channel setting which enables the channel bonding by this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the local side of the radio relay apparatus of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence by the side of the network of the radio relay apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the conventional wireless relay apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of channel allocation by channel bonding. It is a figure which shows the subject of the channel allocation by channel bonding.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a wireless relay device of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, the network side wireless LAN connection unit 11, the network side wireless connection units 12 and 13, the local side wireless LAN connection unit 14, and the connection control unit 15 constituting the wireless relay device have the same functions as those of the conventional wireless relay device. Have

  The wireless relay device of this embodiment is characterized in that the network side wireless LAN connection unit 11, the local side wireless LAN connection unit 14, and the channel control unit 16 connected to the connection control unit 15, the network side wireless LAN connection unit 11 and the local side The channel wireless LAN connection unit 14 manages the use status of the channels, and when some or all of the channels that perform channel bonding overlap each other, channel bonding using the channels is enabled.

  Specifically, the network-side wireless LAN connection unit 11 and the local-side wireless LAN connection unit 14 inquire the channel control unit 16 about the usage status of subchannels used in channel bonding. Then, the channel control unit 16 determines whether the sub-channel when the other side is in use, that is, when the sub-channel on the network side is in use on the local side or the sub-channel on the local side is in use on the network side. The network side wireless LAN connection unit 11 and the local side wireless LAN connection unit 14 are notified that channel bonding using a channel is possible.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 2 (1), for example, when each subchannel on the local side and the network side overlap with the other main channel, even if the use of the subchannel is detected on the local side and the network side, , Dare to perform channel bonding. Further, as shown in FIG. 2 (2), when the local side sub-channel overlaps with the main channel on the network side, the channel bonding is performed even if the use of the sub-channel is detected on the local side. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2 (3), when the subchannel on the network side overlaps with the main channel on the local side, channel bonding is performed even if the use of the subchannel is detected on the network side.

  However, when channel bonding is performed on the local side, the local wireless LAN connection unit 14 performs channel bonding using the subchannel based on the notification from the channel control unit 16. When performing channel bonding on the network side, the network-side wireless LAN connection unit 11 notifies the base station of the wireless LAN 101 on the network side that channel bonding is possible by notification from the channel control unit 16, and the base of the wireless LAN 101 The station controls channel bonding with the network side wireless LAN connection unit 11.

  When channel bonding is performed on the local side and the network side in such a situation, transmissions in the overlapping main channel and sub channel are divided by conventional CSMA / CA access control, and the main channel and sub channel are transmitted. When the right is acquired and transmitted, channel bonding can be reliably performed, so that the communication speed of the entire wireless LAN system can be improved. That is, even when the sub-channel is in use, by using channels that can be channel-bonded positively, it is possible to realize a throughput improvement that is twice or more that of a case where channel bonding is not performed.

FIG. 3 shows a processing procedure on the local side of the wireless relay device of the present invention.
In FIG. 3, the local-side wireless LAN connection unit 14 performs carrier sense on the subchannel to be bonded for a predetermined α period before starting channel bonding in accordance with the conventional IEEE 802.11n standard (S11). In this subchannel, when a carrier is detected during the α period (S12: Yes), the channel control unit 16 is inquired as to whether or not the subchannel is being used by the network side wireless LAN connection unit 11.

  The channel control unit 16 acquires the status of the used channel from the network-side wireless LAN connection unit 11 and confirms whether or not the subchannel inquired from the local-side wireless LAN connection unit 14 is in use (S13). . If the sub-channel is in use in the network-side wireless LAN connection unit 11 (S13: Yes), the local-side wireless LAN connection unit 14 is notified that channel bonding using the sub-channel is possible, and the local-side wireless In response to this notification, the LAN connection unit 14 performs channel bonding using the subchannel (S14).

  In step S12, if the local wireless LAN connection unit 14 does not detect the carrier of the subchannel during the α period (S12: No), the subchannel is used without making an inquiry to the channel control unit 16. The channel bonding performed is performed (S14).

  In step S13, the channel control unit 16 determines that the subchannel that has received an inquiry from the local wireless LAN connection unit 14 is not in use (S13: No), and that the subchannel is used by another radio system. Therefore, the local wireless LAN connection unit 14 is notified that channel bonding using the subchannel is impossible, and the local wireless LAN connection unit 14 does not perform channel bonding by this notification (S15). .

FIG. 4 shows a processing procedure on the network side of the wireless relay device of the present invention.
In FIG. 4, the network-side wireless LAN connection unit 11 performs carrier sense on the subchannel to be bonded for a predetermined α period before starting channel bonding in accordance with the conventional IEEE 802.11n standard (S21). In this subchannel, when a carrier is detected during the α period (S22: Yes), the channel control unit 16 is inquired whether the subchannel is being used by the local wireless LAN connection unit.

  The channel control unit 16 acquires the status of the used channel from the local wireless LAN connection unit 14 and confirms whether or not the subchannel inquired from the network side wireless LAN connection unit 11 is in use (S23). . If the sub-channel is in use at the local-side wireless LAN connection unit 14 (S23: Yes), the network-side wireless LAN connection unit 11 is notified that channel bonding using the sub-channel is possible, and the network-side wireless The LAN connection unit 11 transfers this notification to the base station of the wireless LAN 101 on the network side (S24). The base station of the wireless LAN 101 performs channel bonding using the subchannel transferred from the network side wireless LAN connection unit 11 (S25).

  In step S22, when the network side wireless LAN connection unit 11 does not detect the carrier of the subchannel during the α period (S22: No), the subchannel is used without making an inquiry to the channel control unit 16. The fact that the existing channel bonding is possible is transferred to the base station of the wireless LAN 101 on the network side (S24). The base station of the wireless LAN 101 performs channel bonding using the subchannel transferred from the network side wireless LAN connection unit 11 (S25).

  In step S23, the channel control unit 16 determines that the subchannel inquired from the network side wireless LAN connection unit 11 is not in use (S23: No), and the subchannel is used by another radio system. Therefore, the network-side wireless LAN connection unit 11 notifies the network-side wireless LAN connection unit 11 that channel bonding using the subchannel is impossible, and the network-side wireless LAN connection unit 11 notifies the base station of the wireless LAN 101 on the network side. (S26). The base station of the wireless LAN 101 does not perform channel bonding by this notification (S27).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wireless LAN terminal 10 Wireless relay apparatus 11 Network side wireless LAN connection part 12, 13 Network side wireless connection part 14 Local side wireless LAN connection part 15 Connection control part 16 Channel control part 100 Core network 101 Wireless LAN
102 Mobile communication network 103 WiMAX

Claims (6)

A local side wireless LAN connection unit connected to the wireless LAN terminal;
A network-side wireless LAN connection unit connected to a wireless LAN base station on the network side, between the local-side wireless LAN connection unit and the network-side wireless LAN connection unit, between the wireless LAN terminal and the network side A wireless relay device comprising a connection control unit for controlling the relay connection of
Channel bonding using the channel when the local wireless LAN connection unit and the network side wireless LAN connection unit manage the usage status of the channels, and when some or all of the channels for channel bonding overlap each other A wireless relay device comprising: a channel control unit that performs control for enabling the local side wireless LAN connection unit and the network side wireless LAN connection unit. The wireless relay device according to claim 1,
The local wireless LAN connection unit and the network wireless LAN connection unit are configured to perform access control by CSMA / CA,
When the local wireless LAN connection unit senses a subchannel used in the channel bonding and detects a carrier of the subchannel, the local side wireless LAN connection unit inquires of the channel control unit about the usage status of the subchannel, and performs the channel control. The wireless relay device is configured to perform channel bonding using the sub-channel when the sub-channel notifies that the sub-channel is being used by the network-side wireless LAN connection unit. The wireless relay device according to claim 1,
The local wireless LAN connection unit and the network wireless LAN connection unit are configured to perform access control by CSMA / CA,
When the network-side wireless LAN connection unit senses a subchannel used in the channel bonding and detects a carrier of the subchannel, the network side wireless LAN connection unit inquires of the channel control unit about the usage status of the subchannel, and controls the channel control. Notification that the sub-channel is in use at the local-side wireless LAN connection unit, a notification indicating that channel bonding using the sub-channel is possible is sent to the base of the network-side wireless LAN. It is a configuration to transfer to the station,
The wireless LAN base station on the network side is configured to perform channel bonding using the notified subchannel. A local side wireless LAN connection unit connected to the wireless LAN terminal;
A network-side wireless LAN connection unit connected to a wireless LAN base station on the network side, between the local-side wireless LAN connection unit and the network-side wireless LAN connection unit, between the wireless LAN terminal and the network side A channel control method for a wireless relay device comprising a connection control unit for controlling the relay connection of
A channel control unit that manages the usage status of channels used by the local wireless LAN connection unit and the network wireless LAN connection unit;
The channel control unit enables channel bonding using the channel when a part or all of the channels that perform channel bonding overlap in the local side wireless LAN connection unit and the network side wireless LAN connection unit, respectively. A channel control method comprising: performing control on the local side wireless LAN connection unit and the network side wireless LAN connection unit. The channel control method according to claim 4, wherein
The local wireless LAN connection unit and the network wireless LAN connection unit are configured to perform access control by CSMA / CA,
When the local wireless LAN connection unit senses a subchannel used in the channel bonding and detects a carrier of the subchannel, the local side wireless LAN connection unit inquires of the channel control unit about the usage status of the subchannel, and performs the channel control. A channel control method using the sub-channel when the sub-channel is notified that the sub-channel is being used by the network-side wireless LAN connection unit. The channel control method according to claim 4, wherein
The local wireless LAN connection unit and the network wireless LAN connection unit are configured to perform access control by CSMA / CA,
When the network-side wireless LAN connection unit senses a subchannel used in the channel bonding and detects a carrier of the subchannel, the network side wireless LAN connection unit inquires of the channel control unit about the usage status of the subchannel, and controls the channel control. Notification that the sub-channel is in use at the local-side wireless LAN connection unit, a notification indicating that channel bonding using the sub-channel is possible is sent to the base of the network-side wireless LAN. Forward to the station,
The wireless LAN base station on the network side performs channel bonding using the notified subchannel. A channel control method, comprising:

Images