JP2013162464A - Radio communication device, control method for the same, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem of probable incapability of normal communication between devices performing radio communication positioned extremely close to each other, by providing a desirable radio communication device capable of performing normal communication even when the distance from an access point is extremely short.SOLUTION: A radio communication device comprises: a first radio communication unit for enabling radio communication using a first radio communication system; a second radio communication unit for enabling radio communication using a second radio communication system; an antenna connected to the first or second radio communication unit; a switch capable of performing switching between connection between the first radio communication unit and the antenna and connection between the second radio communication unit and the antenna; a detection unit for detecting whether or not a distance from an external apparatus communicable by the first radio communication system is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value; and a control unit for switching the switch to the connection between the second radio communication unit and the antenna, when the first radio communication unit performs radio communication and a detection result by the detection unit shows that the distance from the external apparatus is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value.

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless communication device, a control method thereof, and a program. In particular, the present invention relates to a wireless communication apparatus including two wireless communication units having different systems, a control method thereof, and a program.

  In recent years, multi-functionalization in wireless communication devices such as mobile phones has been remarkable. A single wireless communication apparatus often includes a plurality of wireless communication means. For example, within one wireless communication device, short-range wireless communication means such as Bluetooth (registered trademark; the same shall apply hereinafter) and wireless communication means such as wireless LAN (IEEE802.11a / b / g / n) are provided. Often coexist.

  In recent years, there are storage cases (jackets) that support wireless LAN and the like. Such a wireless LAN-compatible jacket can be connected to the Internet by other communication means (for example, WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access)). A mobile phone or the like communicates with such a wireless LAN compatible jacket via a wireless LAN, and connects to the Internet via the wireless LAN compatible jacket. That is, such a wireless LAN-compatible jacket functions as a wireless LAN access point.

  Here, Patent Document 1 discloses a wireless communication apparatus that realizes communication by wireless LAN and communication by Bluetooth without switching operations.

JP 2011-035632 A

  The disclosure of the above prior art document is incorporated herein by reference. The following analysis was made by the present inventors.

  Here, a communication system using a wireless LAN is based on the assumption that the terminal and the access point are separated by a certain distance. Specifically, both are premised on being used several tens to several hundreds of meters away. Therefore, the system is constructed on the assumption that radio waves transmitted and received between the terminal and the access point antenna are attenuated to a considerable extent. In other words, it is not premised that the mobile phone or the like and a wireless LAN-compatible jacket are used at an extremely short distance so that they are in contact with each other. As a result, if the distance between the mobile phone or the like and the access point is extremely short, there is a concern that normal communication cannot be performed because the radio wave input to the antenna is too strong. That is, there may be a case where normal wireless communication cannot be realized in a situation where there is no attenuation between the antennas or in a very low electric field. Therefore, a wireless communication device that can perform normal communication even when the distance to the access point is extremely short, a control method therefor, and a program are desired.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the first wireless communication unit that enables wireless communication by the first wireless communication method and the second wireless communication that enables wireless communication by the second wireless communication method. A connection between the first wireless communication unit, the antenna connected to the first or second wireless communication unit, the connection between the first wireless communication unit and the antenna, and the connection between the second wireless communication unit and the antenna. Proximity detection unit that detects whether the distance between the switch and the external device that can communicate with the first wireless communication method is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and wireless communication by the first wireless communication unit, And a wireless communication unit comprising: a control unit that switches the switch to the connection between the second wireless communication unit and the antenna when the distance from the external device is equal to or less than a predetermined value as a result of detection by the proximity detection unit. An apparatus is provided.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the first wireless communication unit that enables wireless communication by the first wireless communication method and the second wireless communication that enables wireless communication by the second wireless communication method. A connection between the first wireless communication unit, the antenna connected to the first or second wireless communication unit, the connection between the first wireless communication unit and the antenna, and the connection between the second wireless communication unit and the antenna. A proximity detection unit that detects whether or not a distance between the switch capable of communication and an external device that can communicate with the first wireless communication method is equal to or less than a predetermined value, A step of activating the first wireless communication unit, a step of determining whether or not a detection result by the proximity detection unit has a distance from the external device equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, and a detection result by the proximity detection unit is the external device When the distance to the A step of switching a pitch to the antenna connection and the second wireless communication unit, a control method of a wireless communication device including a is provided.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the first wireless communication unit that enables wireless communication by the first wireless communication method and the second wireless communication that enables wireless communication by the second wireless communication method. A connection between the first wireless communication unit, the antenna connected to the first or second wireless communication unit, the connection between the first wireless communication unit and the antenna, and the connection between the second wireless communication unit and the antenna. A computer that controls a wireless communication apparatus that includes a proximity detection unit that detects whether a distance between the switch capable of communication and an external device that can communicate with the first wireless communication method is equal to or less than a predetermined value A process of starting the first wireless communication unit, a process of determining whether a detection result of the proximity detection unit is less than or equal to a predetermined value, and a detection of the proximity detection unit Results with the external device If the release is less than a predetermined value, the program for executing a processing for switching the switch to the antenna connection and the second wireless communication unit is provided. This program can be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium can be non-transient such as a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, a magnetic recording medium, an optical recording medium, or the like. The present invention can also be embodied as a computer program product.

  According to each aspect of the present invention, a wireless communication apparatus that can perform normal communication even when the distance to an access point is extremely short, a control method thereof, and a program are provided.

It is a figure for demonstrating the outline | summary of one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the internal structure of the radio | wireless communication apparatus 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of the wireless communication device 1. 6 is a diagram for explaining an attenuation amount of transmission power between a wireless communication device 1 and an access point 2. FIG.

  First, an outline of an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the reference numerals of the drawings attached to the outline are attached to the respective elements for convenience as an example for facilitating understanding, and the description of the outline is not intended to be any limitation.

  As described above, normal communication may not be possible if devices that perform wireless communication are too close to each other. Therefore, a wireless communication device that can perform normal communication even when the distance to the access point is extremely short is desired.

  Therefore, as an example, the wireless communication device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is provided. The wireless communication device 100 includes a first wireless communication unit 101 that enables wireless communication by a first wireless communication method, a second wireless communication unit 102 that enables wireless communication by a second wireless communication method, An antenna 103 connected to the first wireless communication unit 101 or the second wireless communication unit 102; a connection between the first wireless communication unit 101 and the antenna 103; and a connection between the second wireless communication unit 102 and the antenna 103. The proximity detection unit 105 that detects whether the distance between the switch 104 that can switch between and the external device that can communicate with the first wireless communication method is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and the first wireless communication unit 101 When the communication is performed and the detection result of the proximity detection unit 105 indicates that the distance to the external device is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the switch 104 is switched to the connection between the second wireless communication unit 102 and the antenna 103. It includes a section 106, a.

  When the wireless communication device 100 communicates with an external device (for example, a wireless LAN compatible jacket) using the first wireless communication method, the switch 104 is used when the distance between the external device and the wireless communication device 100 is extremely short. Is switched to the second wireless communication unit 102 side instead of the first wireless communication unit 101 side. Then, since the distance between the wireless communication device 100 and the external device is too close, even when communication between the two cannot be performed, appropriate power can be obtained depending on the attenuation amount of the transmission power in the switch 104.

  In addition, the switch 104 is not a newly added component, but is a component that is mounted from the beginning in order to realize two wireless communication means, so that the circuit scale and cost of the wireless communication device 100 are not increased.

  Furthermore, the following forms are possible.

  [Mode 1] The wireless communication apparatus according to the first aspect.

  [Mode 2] The proximity detector preferably includes a proximity sensor or a proximity communication device.

  [Mode 3] It is preferable that the first wireless communication system conforms to the IEEE 802.11 standard.

  [Mode 4] The control method of the wireless communication apparatus according to the second aspect.

  [Mode 5] The program according to the third aspect.

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
The first embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of the wireless communication device 1 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 2, only the modules related to the wireless communication device 1 according to the present embodiment are shown for simplicity.

  The wireless communication device 1 can communicate with an access point such as a wireless LAN-compatible jacket by a wireless LAN.

  The wireless communication device 1 includes a wireless LAN circuit unit 10, a Bluetooth circuit unit 20, a switch 30, an antenna 40, a contact unit 50, and a control unit 60.

  The wireless LAN circuit unit 10 performs transmission / reception signal modulation / demodulation and data processing to realize communication by wireless LAN. The wireless LAN circuit unit 10 corresponds to the first wireless communication unit 101 described above. Similarly, the Bluetooth circuit unit 20 realizes wireless communication by Bluetooth. The Bluetooth circuit unit 20 corresponds to the second wireless communication unit 102 described above.

  The wireless LAN circuit unit 10 and the antenna 40 are connected via a switch 30. Similarly, the Bluetooth circuit unit 20 and the antenna 40 are connected via the switch 30.

  The contact unit 50 determines whether or not the access point is in contact with the wireless communication device 1. It is desirable that the contact unit 50 can detect only when a specific access point (such as a wireless LAN compatible jacket) and the wireless communication device 1 are in contact with each other. For example, it is conceivable to provide switches and the like that are effective only when the wireless communication device 1 is correctly attached to a wireless LAN-compatible jacket. When the contact unit 50 detects the connection of the access point, the contact unit 50 outputs the detection result to the control unit 60 as an electrical signal. The contact unit 50 corresponds to the proximity detection unit 105 described above.

  The control unit 60 controls switching of the switch 30. More specifically, when performing communication by wireless LAN, the switch 30 is controlled so that the wireless LAN circuit unit 10 and the antenna 40 are connected. Similarly, when performing communication by Bluetooth, the switch 30 is controlled so that the Bluetooth circuit unit 20 and the antenna 40 are connected. Furthermore, the control unit 60 switches the connection destination of the switch 30 according to the signal output from the contact unit 50.

  Next, the operation of the wireless communication device 1 will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the wireless communication device 1.

  The wireless communication device 1 activates the wireless LAN circuit unit 10 when starting communication by wireless LAN (step S01). Then, the control part 60 confirms the signal which the contact part 50 outputs (step S02). The control unit 60 switches the connection destination of the switch 30 according to the result. Specifically, if the wireless communication device 1 and the access point are in contact, the connection destination of the switch 30 is switched to the Bluetooth circuit unit 20 side (step S03). On the other hand, if the wireless communication device 1 and the access point are not in contact, the connection destination of the switch 30 is switched to the wireless LAN circuit unit 10 side (step S04).

  After such switching, the wireless LAN circuit unit 10 transmits data (step S05). If the data transmission has not ended, the process proceeds to step S02 and the process is continued (step S06).

  As described above, the wireless communication device 1 switches the connection destination of the switch 30 depending on whether or not it is in contact with the access point.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the attenuation amount of the transmission power between the wireless communication device 1 and the access point 2. In FIG. 4, the transmission power from the wireless LAN circuit unit 10 included in the wireless communication device 1 is expressed as X, the attenuation amount at the switch 30 is expressed as Y, and the attenuation amount between the antennas of the wireless communication device 1 and the access point 2 is expressed as Z. .

  Here, the transmission power X from the wireless LAN circuit unit 10 is often designed to be about 10 to 20 dBm. Here, the transmission power X is 10 dBm. Further, the attenuation Y in the switch 30 differs depending on whether the connection destination of the switch 30 is the wireless LAN circuit unit 10 side or the Bluetooth circuit unit 20 side. In the case of the wireless LAN circuit unit 10 side, the attenuation is about 1 dB, and in the case of the Bluetooth circuit unit 20 side, an attenuation of about 40 dB is normal. The inter-antenna attenuation Z depends on the distance between two antennas (communication distance). Specifically, if the space is free of obstacles or the communication distance is about 10 m, the inter-antenna attenuation Z is about 60 dB.

  Assuming the above, the access in the case where the wireless communication device 1 and the access point 2 are in a normal operation state (both are relatively separated) and in the case where the wireless communication device 1 and the access point 2 are in contact with each other The received power P at point 2 is calculated.

  First, when the wireless communication device 1 and the access point 2 are separated, the transmission power X = 10 dBm, the attenuation at the switch 30 is Y = 1 dB, and the inter-antenna attenuation Z = 60 dB. Therefore, the received power P of the wireless LAN circuit unit 70 of the access point 2 can be calculated as P = X−Y−Z = 10−1−60 = −51 dBm.

  Here, since the range in which the wireless LAN circuit unit 70 of the access point 2 can normally receive is normally about −10 dBm to −95 dBm, it can be said that the received power P is within the receivable range. .

  Next, when the wireless communication device 1 and the access point 2 are in contact with each other, the attenuation amount Y in the switch 30 is 40 dB, so the received power of the wireless LAN circuit unit 70 of the access point 2 is P = X− YZ = 10−40−0 = −30 dBm can be calculated. Therefore, even in such a case, it can be said that the received power P is within the receivable range for the access point 2.

  However, when the connection destination of the switch 30 is not set on the Bluetooth circuit unit 20 side as in the wireless communication device 1 according to the present embodiment, the attenuation amount Y in the switch 30 is 1 dB. P = XYZ = 10-1-0 = 9 dBm can be calculated. Such a high received power P is not a power in a receivable range for the access point 2. Therefore, there is a high possibility that the access point 2 cannot normally communicate with the wireless LAN.

  Note that the present embodiment has been described on the assumption that the access point 2 does not determine whether or not the wireless communication device 1 is in contact. In such a case, the power transmitted from the access point 2 may exceed the power in the receivable range of the wireless communication device 1. In that case, it is desirable that the access point 2 side also has a function like the contact unit 50 and suppresses transmission power when contact with the wireless communication device 1 is detected.

  In addition, the means for the contact part 50 to detect the contact of an access point is not limited to a physical and mechanical thing. For example, a proximity communication device used for a proximity sensor, FeliCa (registered trademark), or the like may detect a proximity distance that prevents contact or normal communication in a wireless LAN.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the wireless communication device 1 has been described on the premise that the wireless communication device 1 supports two communication methods, wireless LAN and Bluetooth, but the present invention is not limited to these communication methods. Of course, the same effect can be expected even with a combination of other wireless communication means.

  As described above, the wireless communication device 1 detects whether or not it is in contact with the access point or close to the access point. When the wireless communication device 1 and the access point are close to each other at an extremely short distance, the switch 30 is set so that the wireless LAN circuit unit 10 and the antenna 40 are disconnected. As a result, large attenuation occurs in the switch 30, and normal communication can be performed even when the wireless communication apparatus 1 and the access point are very close to each other.

  In addition, it is not necessary to add a new circuit in order to suppress transmission power from the wireless communication device 1. That is, normal communication with the access point can be realized without increasing the circuit scale and cost of the wireless communication device 1. Furthermore, in order to suppress transmission power, complicated processing (complex program) is unnecessary in the control unit 60 and the like, and the design cost of the wireless communication apparatus 1 can be reduced.

  The disclosure of the cited patent document is incorporated herein by reference. Within the scope of the entire disclosure (including claims) of the present invention, the embodiments and examples can be changed and adjusted based on the basic technical concept. Various disclosed elements (including each element of each claim, each element of each embodiment or example, each element of each drawing, etc.) within the scope of the claims of the present invention, Selection is possible. That is, the present invention of course includes various variations and modifications that could be made by those skilled in the art according to the entire disclosure including the claims and the technical idea.

1, 100 Wireless communication device 2 Access point 10, 70 Wireless LAN circuit unit 20 Bluetooth circuit unit 30, 104 Switch 40, 80, 103 Antenna 50 Contact unit 60, 106 Control unit 101 First wireless communication unit 102 Second wireless Communication unit 105 Proximity detection unit

Claims (5)

A first wireless communication unit that enables wireless communication by the first wireless communication method;
A second wireless communication unit enabling wireless communication by the second wireless communication method;
An antenna connected to the first or second wireless communication unit;
A switch capable of switching between the connection between the first wireless communication unit and the antenna, and the connection between the second wireless communication unit and the antenna;
A proximity detection unit that detects whether or not a distance from an external device that can communicate by the first wireless communication method is equal to or less than a predetermined value;
When the wireless communication is performed by the first wireless communication unit, and the detection result by the proximity detection unit has a distance from the external device equal to or less than a predetermined value, the switch is connected to the second wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit. A control unit that switches to antenna connection;
A wireless communication apparatus comprising:   The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the proximity detection unit includes a proximity sensor or a proximity communication device.   The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first wireless communication system conforms to an IEEE 802.11 standard. A first wireless communication unit that enables wireless communication by the first wireless communication method;
A second wireless communication unit enabling wireless communication by the second wireless communication method;
An antenna connected to the first or second wireless communication unit;
A switch capable of switching between the connection between the first wireless communication unit and the antenna, and the connection between the second wireless communication unit and the antenna;
A proximity detection unit that detects whether or not a distance from an external device that can communicate by the first wireless communication method is equal to or less than a predetermined value;
A method for controlling a wireless communication device comprising:
Activating the first wireless communication unit;
A step of determining whether or not a detection result by the proximity detection unit has a distance from the external device equal to or less than a predetermined value;
A step of switching the switch to the connection between the second wireless communication unit and the antenna when the distance between the proximity detection unit and the external device is a predetermined value or less;
A control method for a wireless communication apparatus, comprising: A first wireless communication unit that enables wireless communication by the first wireless communication method;
A second wireless communication unit enabling wireless communication by the second wireless communication method;
An antenna connected to the first or second wireless communication unit;
A switch capable of switching between the connection between the first wireless communication unit and the antenna, and the connection between the second wireless communication unit and the antenna;
A proximity detection unit that detects whether or not a distance from an external device that can communicate by the first wireless communication method is equal to or less than a predetermined value;
A program for causing a computer to control a wireless communication device comprising:
Processing to activate the first wireless communication unit;
A process of determining whether a detection result by the proximity detection unit is a distance from the external device is a predetermined value or less;
A process of switching the switch to the connection between the second wireless communication unit and the antenna when the distance between the proximity detection unit and the external device is a predetermined value or less;
A program that executes.

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