JP2015154118A - channel selection device, channel selection system and channel selection method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To select a channel in response to the usage of a user.SOLUTION: An access point 2 includes an acquisition unit 241 for acquiring radio wave strength information, including the radio wave strength of the access point 2, measured by a terminal in the communicable area of the access point 2, the radio wave strength of other access point 5, and the channel used by other access point 5, from the terminal 1, a calculation system selection unit 242 for selecting one calculation system from a plurality of calculation systems calculating the interference degree for the radio wave emitted from the access point 2, based on the radio wave strength of other access point 5, a calculation unit 243 for calculating the interference degree each of a plurality of channels by using one calculation system thus selected, and a channel selection unit 247 for selecting the channel of a predetermined access point, based on the interference degree each of a plurality of channels thus calculated.

Description

  The present invention relates to a channel selection device, a channel selection system, and a channel selection method.

  With the widespread use of wireless LANs, the number of homes with a wireless LAN environment is increasing. The wireless LAN environment is maintained by installing one or a plurality of access points in the home, and enables access to the Internet or the like at any location in the home by performing wireless communication with the access points.

  By the way, when a wireless LAN environment is established in a neighboring house, radio waves transmitted from an access point installed in the user's home interfere with radio waves transmitted from other access points installed in the neighboring house. There are things to do.

  On the other hand, a technique for making interference with other access points less likely to occur in wireless communication channel setting has been proposed. For example, in Patent Document 1, information indicating an interference state is stored based on a result of performing a channel scan for each channel, and a channel related to the information indicating the interference state indicating that the interference is minimum is stored. An access point set for a channel used for wireless communication has been proposed.

JP 2013-201629 A

  By the way, a user terminal that performs wireless communication with an access point in the user's home is used at a plurality of points in the communicable area of the access point. For example, a place where the terminal is frequently used is a place near the access point or a place away from the access point. Further, depending on the user, a place where the terminal is frequently used may not be determined.

  In this respect, since the access point described in Patent Document 1 only selects a channel that is unlikely to cause interference at a point where channel scanning is performed, depending on the user's usage mode, the access point may be used in a place where the user frequently uses the terminal. There is still a problem that sufficient communication quality cannot be obtained due to interference with radio waves emitted by other access points.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve these problems, and provides a channel selection device, a channel selection system, and a channel selection method capable of selecting a channel corresponding to a user's usage mode. Objective.

  The channel selection device according to the first aspect of the present invention provides a radio wave intensity of the predetermined access point measured by a terminal in a communicable area of the predetermined access point and another access point different from the predetermined access point. An acquisition unit that acquires, from the terminal, radio field intensity information including a radio field intensity of the other access point and a channel used by the other access point, and a radio wave emitted by the predetermined access point based on the radio field intensity of the other access point A calculation method selection unit that selects one calculation method from a plurality of calculation methods for calculating the degree of interference; a calculation unit that calculates the degree of interference for each of a plurality of channels using the selected one calculation method; The channel of the predetermined access point is selected based on the calculated degree of interference of each of the plurality of channels Comprises a channel selector that, the.

  The plurality of calculation methods include a first calculation method for calculating the degree of interference based on a radio field strength that has a relatively strong influence on the predetermined access point among the radio field strengths of the other access points, and the communication And a second calculation method for calculating the degree of interference based on the radio field intensity of the other access point at a specific position in the possible area.

  The calculation method selection unit may select the second calculation method when the degree of interference of each of the plurality of channels calculated based on the first calculation method does not satisfy a predetermined condition. The calculation method selection unit may select the one calculation method by receiving a selection operation of the one calculation method from the plurality of calculation methods.

  A channel selection system according to a second aspect of the present invention is a channel selection system comprising a channel selection device and a terminal, wherein the terminal is a communication area of a predetermined access point, and the predetermined access point is A radio wave including a measurement unit that measures radio field intensity of another different access point and a channel used by the other access point, radio field intensity of the other access point, and a channel used by the other access point A transmitter that transmits strength information to the channel selection device, the channel selection device acquiring the radio field strength information from the terminal, and the predetermined access based on the radio field strength of the other access point. Select one calculation method from multiple calculation methods for calculating the degree of interference with radio waves emitted by multiple access points. A calculation method selection unit, a calculation unit for calculating the interference level of each of a plurality of channels using the selected one calculation method, and based on the calculated interference levels of the plurality of channels, A channel selection unit that selects a channel of a predetermined access point.

  The channel selection method according to the third aspect of the present invention includes a radio wave intensity of the predetermined access point measured by a terminal in a communicable area of the predetermined access point and another access point different from the predetermined access point. Acquiring from the terminal radio field intensity information including the radio field intensity of the other access point and the channel used by the other access point, and interference with the radio wave emitted by the predetermined access point based on the radio field intensity of the other access point A step of selecting one calculation method from a plurality of calculation methods for calculating the degree, a step of calculating the degree of interference of each of a plurality of channels using the selected one calculation method, and the plurality of calculated plurality The channel of the predetermined access point is selected based on the interference level of each of the channels. Includes a step, a.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, a channel can be selected corresponding to a user's usage form.

It is a figure which shows the external environment of the channel selection system which concerns on 1st Embodiment, and the said channel selection system. It is a figure which shows the example of a relationship between the communicable area of the access point which concerns on 1st Embodiment, and the communicable area of several other access points. It is a function block diagram of the terminal which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a function block diagram of the access point which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the electromagnetic wave intensity information memorize | stored in a memory | storage part. It is a figure which shows the screen for receiving selection of the calculation system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the point which measured the field intensity of the electromagnetic wave emitted from each access point. It is a figure which shows the area | region where the grade of interference is relatively high for every channel in a user's house. It is a figure which shows the influence degree of the radio wave interference by the frequency interval of a channel. It is a figure which shows the field intensity and interference degree of each other access point of each of a plurality of channels when the first calculation method according to the first embodiment is selected. It is a figure which shows the field strength of each other access point of a some channel, and interference degree when the short distance priority system which concerns on 1st Embodiment is selected. It is a figure which shows the field intensity of each other access point of a some channel, and interference degree when the long distance priority system which concerns on 1st Embodiment is selected. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing until a channel is selected in the access point according to the first embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for calculating an interference degree of each channel based on a selected calculation method in the access point according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the screen for receiving selection of the calculation system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process until it selects a channel in the access point which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.
<First Embodiment>
[Configuration of channel selection system S]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a channel selection system S and an external environment of the channel selection system S according to the first embodiment. The channel selection system S is connected to a plurality of external servers 3 via a network N such as the Internet. The channel selection system S includes a terminal 1 and a predetermined access point 2 that functions as a channel selection device.

  The terminal 1 is a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone such as a smartphone, a tablet, and a game machine used by a resident of a predetermined house. The terminal 1 may be a fixed terminal such as a desktop personal computer.

  The predetermined access point 2 is installed in a predetermined house and communicates with the terminal 1 by radio. The predetermined access point 2 receives, for example, a broadcast signal such as cable television broadcast, converts it into a signal such as video and audio, and outputs it, or acquires content provided by the external server 3 on the Internet to obtain the terminal 1 It is a set-top box that can be transmitted wirelessly. The predetermined access point 2 may be a wireless LAN access point that does not have the above-described function. Hereinafter, the predetermined access point 2 is simply referred to as the access point 2.

  The plurality of other access points 5 are installed in a neighborhood of the predetermined residence where the access point 2 is installed, and communicate wirelessly with a user terminal (not shown) of the neighborhood home. . Hereinafter, the access point is also expressed as AP in the figure.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a relationship example between a communicable area indicating an area where the access point 2 according to the first embodiment can communicate wirelessly and a communicable area of a plurality of other access points 5.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the user home 100, the access point 2 is installed in the living room, and the wireless LAN environment is maintained. On the other hand, other access points 5-1, 5-2, and 5-3 are installed in neighboring homes 101-1, 101-2, and 101-3 near the user home 100.

  A plurality of ellipses indicated by broken lines in FIG. 2 indicate points where the radio wave intensity of each of the access points is equal, and the area inside the ellipse is an area that can be communicated via the access point. It is shown that. Here, the radio wave intensity refers to a received signal intensity (RSSI) of a radio wave transmitted from each access point.

  For example, in FIG. 2, three ellipses centered on the access point 2 are displayed. Of these three ellipses, the innermost ellipse indicates the point of the first radio wave intensity, and the inner ellipse indicates the second radio wave intensity point that is weaker than the first radio wave intensity. The outermost ellipse indicates a point of the third radio wave intensity that is weaker than the second radio wave intensity. Here, it is assumed that the terminal 1 can wirelessly communicate with the access point 2 in an area inside the outermost ellipse.

  In addition, radio waves transmitted from other access points 5-1, 5-2 and 5-3 reach the user home 100 and interfere with the wireless LAN environment of the user home 100. At this time, the degree of interference differs between the living room, the bedroom, and the child room of the user home 100. That is, in the living room, the other access point 5-1 of the neighboring house 101-1 interferes strongly, in the bedroom, the other access point 5-2 of the neighboring house 101-2 strongly interferes, and in the child room, the neighboring house 101-3. The other access point 5-3 interferes strongly.

  For this reason, for example, when the place where the terminal 1 is frequently used is a living room, the channel of the access point 2 is preferably set to a channel in which interference with other access points 5-1 does not easily occur. If the place where the phone is frequently used is a child's room, it is preferable to set the channel of the access point 2 to a channel in which interference with other access points 5-3 hardly occurs.

  In addition, when the location where the terminal 1 is frequently used is not determined and is used evenly in each room, interference is unlikely to occur at a plurality of points in the communicable area of the access point 2 and stable communication is performed. It is preferable to set a channel that can be used. In this regard, in the channel selection system S, one calculation method is selected from a plurality of interference degree calculation methods, and a channel corresponding to the user's usage mode is selected based on the calculation method. Hereinafter, functional configurations of the terminal 1 and the access point 2 constituting the channel selection system S will be described.

[Configuration example of terminal 1]
FIG. 3 is a functional configuration diagram of the terminal 1 according to the first embodiment.
The terminal 1 includes an input unit 11, a display unit 12, a wireless unit 13, a storage unit 14, and a control unit 15.

  The input unit 11 includes, for example, a button, a contact sensor arranged so as to overlap the display unit 12, and receives an operation input from the user of the terminal 1. When the terminal 1 is a desktop or notebook personal computer or the like, the input unit 11 may be configured with a mouse or a keyboard.

  The display unit 12 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The display unit 12 displays characters, graphics, and the like under the control of the control unit 15.

  The wireless unit 13 modulates the signal output from the control unit 15 to generate an RF (Radio Frequency) signal, and wirelessly transmits the RF signal to the access point 2 via an antenna (not shown). The radio unit 13 demodulates the RF signal received from the access point 2 via the antenna, and outputs a signal obtained by the demodulation to the control unit 15. Here, the wireless unit 13 is connected to the access point 2 by any one of the 13 channels defined in the 2.4 GHz band used in IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, and IEEE 802.11n, for example. Communicate. Note that the wireless unit 13 may perform communication at a frequency of 5 GHz band used in IEEE 802.11a and IEEE 802.11n.

  The storage unit 14 is configured by, for example, a ROM and a RAM. The storage unit 14 stores various programs for causing the terminal 1 to function. For example, the storage unit 14 stores a content acquisition program for causing the control unit 15 of the terminal 1 to function as a measurement unit 151, a transmission unit 152, and a content acquisition unit 153 described later. The storage unit 14 may read and store a program stored in a storage medium such as an external memory, or may store a program downloaded from an external device via the network N.

  The control part 15 is comprised by CPU, for example. The control unit 15 comprehensively controls functions related to the terminal 1 by executing various programs stored in the storage unit 14. The control unit 15 includes a measurement unit 151, a transmission unit 152, and a content acquisition unit 153.

  The measuring unit 151 measures the radio field intensity of the access point 2, the radio field intensity of another access point 5 different from the access point 2, and the channel used by the other access point 5 in the communicable area of the access point 2. To do. The measurement unit 151 acquires the MAC address and ESSID of another access point 5 at the time of measurement. For example, the measurement unit 151 starts measurement in response to the execution of the content acquisition program.

  Note that the measurement unit 151 may perform measurement periodically (for example, once a week) when the content acquisition program is being executed. The measurement unit 151 may perform measurement in the background when the content acquisition unit 153 acquires content from the external server 3, that is, when the user of the terminal 1 is browsing the content. Good.

  The transmission unit 152 transmits the radio field intensity of the access point 2, information indicating the radio field intensity of the other access point 5, information indicating the channel used by the other access point 5, the MAC address and ESSID of the other access point 5. Then, the radio wave intensity information including the measured date and time is transmitted to the access point 2.

  The content acquisition unit 153 acquires content from the external server 3 via the access point 2 in response to the content acquisition operation performed by the input unit 11. When the acquired content is text information, image information, or video information, the content acquisition unit 153 displays the content on the display unit 12. When the acquired content includes audio information, the content acquisition unit 153 may output audio based on the audio information from a speaker (not shown) included in the terminal 1.

[Configuration example of access point 2]
Next, the functional configuration of the access point 2 will be described. FIG. 4 is a functional configuration diagram of the access point 2 according to the first embodiment. The access point 2 includes a wireless unit 21, a communication unit 22, a storage unit 23, and a control unit 24.

The radio unit 21 modulates the signal output from the control unit 24 to generate an RF signal, and wirelessly transmits the RF signal to the terminal 1 via an antenna (not shown). The radio unit 21 demodulates the RF signal received from the terminal 1 via the antenna and outputs a signal obtained by the demodulation to the control unit 24. Here, it is assumed that the wireless unit 21 performs wireless communication with the terminal 1 through any one of 13 channels defined in the 2.4 GHz band. The wireless unit 21 may perform wireless communication at a frequency of 5 GHz band.
The communication unit 22 communicates with an external device by wire. Specifically, the communication unit 22 communicates with the external server 3 via the network N.

  The storage unit 23 is configured by, for example, a ROM and a RAM. The storage unit 23 stores various programs for causing the access point 2 to function. The storage unit 23 may store a program downloaded from an external device via the network N.

  The control unit 24 is configured by a CPU, for example. The control unit 24 comprehensively controls functions related to the access point 2 by executing various programs stored in the storage unit 23. The control unit 24 includes an acquisition unit 241, a calculation method selection unit 242, a calculation unit 243, a channel selection unit 247, a channel setting unit 248, and a content transmission unit 249.

  The acquisition unit 241 measures the radio field intensity of the access point 2, the radio field intensity of the other access point 5, the channel used by the other access point 5, and the other measured by the terminal 1 in the communicable area of the access point 2. Radio wave intensity information including the MAC address and ESSID of the access point 5 and the measured date and time is acquired from the terminal 1.

  When acquiring the radio field strength information, the acquiring unit 241 obtains the value obtained by subtracting the radio field strength of the other access point 5 from the radio field strength of the access point 2 and the No. In addition, it is stored in the storage unit 23. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the radio wave intensity information stored in the storage unit 23. As shown in FIG. 5, the radio field intensity information includes date, time, radio field intensity (RSSI_0) of the access point 2, the MAC address of the other access point 5, the ESSID of the other access point 5, and the other access point 5. Channel used, radio wave intensity of other access point 5 (RSSI of other AP), value obtained by subtracting radio wave intensity of other access point 5 from radio wave intensity of access point 2 (RSSI_0−RSSI of other AP) It is included.

  The calculation method selection unit 242 selects one calculation method from a plurality of calculation methods for calculating the degree of interference with the radio wave emitted by the access point 2 based on the radio field intensity of the other access point 5.

  Here, the calculation method includes a first calculation method for calculating the degree of interference based on the radio field strength that has a relatively strong influence on the access point 2 among the radio field strengths of the other access points 5, and the access point 2. And a second calculation method for calculating the degree of interference based on the radio field intensity of another access point 5 at a specific position in the communicable area.

  The first calculation method is a method capable of performing stable communication regardless of the distance from the access point 2, in other words, at a plurality of points in the communicable area of the access point 2 (that is, wherever the communicable area is located). ) It is a system that can communicate stably. The first calculation method pays attention to an area (worst case) where the radio wave intensity of each of the other access points 5 is strong, and calculates the degree of interference.

  On the other hand, the second calculation method is a method that allows stable communication when the distance from the access point 2 is a specific distance, and is stable when the distance from the access point 2 is a short distance. The short distance priority method that allows communication, the medium distance priority method that enables stable communication when the distance from the access point 2 is a medium distance, and the long distance from the access point 2 A long-distance priority scheme that can stably communicate in some cases is included.

  Specifically, the calculation method selection unit 242 transmits screen information indicating a screen for accepting selection of the calculation method to the terminal 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a screen for accepting selection of a calculation method according to the first embodiment. In the example illustrated in FIG. 6, the user receives a communication method by selecting one of a plurality of communication modes. Here, the “anywhere communication mode” shown in FIG. 6 is the first calculation method, the “short distance priority mode” is the short distance priority method of the second calculation method, and the “medium distance priority mode” is the medium distance of the second calculation method. The priority method, “long distance priority mode”, corresponds to the long distance priority method of the second calculation method.

  When the user presses a radio button provided on the screen shown in FIG. 6 to select one of the modes and then presses the enter button, information indicating one calculation method corresponding to the selected mode is displayed. It is transmitted to the access point 2. The calculation method selection unit 242 selects one calculation method by receiving a selection operation for one calculation method from the terminal 1.

  The calculation unit 243 calculates the degree of interference of each of the plurality of channels using the selected one calculation method. Specifically, the calculation unit 243 includes a radio wave intensity selection unit 244, a radio wave intensity estimation unit 245, and an interference degree calculation unit 246.

The radio wave intensity selecting unit 244 selects the radio wave intensity from the radio wave intensity information stored in the storage unit 23 based on the selected one calculation method.
When the first calculation method is selected, the radio wave intensity selection unit 244 selects the radio wave intensity of another access point 5 that has a relatively strong influence on the access point 2 from the radio wave intensity information stored in the storage unit 23. . Specifically, the radio field intensity selection unit 244 refers to the radio field intensity information stored in the storage unit 23, and for each of the other access points 5, the radio field intensity of the other access points 5 acquired by the acquisition unit 241. Of these, the highest radio field strength is selected. This selection method is referred to as method A.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating points where the terminal 1 measures the radio wave intensity of radio waves emitted from each access point. Points P1 to P7 shown in FIG. 7 indicate points where the terminal 1 measures the radio wave intensity emitted from each access point. Further, on the ellipse indicating a point having the same radio wave intensity shown in FIG. 7, the radio wave intensity at the point is shown. In method A, for each of the other access points 5, the highest radio field strength is selected from the radio field strengths of the other access points 5 acquired by the acquisition unit 241. In the example shown, the radio wave intensity measured at the point P1 corresponding to the other access point 5-1 is selected, the radio wave intensity measured at the point P3 corresponding to the other access point 5-2, The radio field intensity measured at the point P5 is selected corresponding to the other access point 5-3. Thereby, a channel can be set on the basis of the point which is easy to receive interference with several other access points 5-1, 5-2, and 5-3.

  The radio wave intensity selection unit 244 refers to the radio wave intensity information shown in FIG. 5 and selects “−40” [dBm] as the highest radio wave intensity for the other access point 5 whose ESSID is “OtherAP1”. Similarly, the radio field strength selection unit 244 sets the radio field strength of the other access point 5 corresponding to “OtherAP2” to “−62”, the radio field strength of the other access point 5 corresponding to “OtherAP3” to “−55”, The radio wave intensity of the other access point 5 corresponding to “OtherAP4” is “−40”, the radio wave intensity of the other access point 5 corresponding to “OtherAP5” is “−60”, and the other access point corresponding to “OtherAP6”. 5 is selected as “−65”.

  In addition, in the first calculation method, the radio wave intensity selection unit 244 selects a radio wave intensity that minimizes the value obtained by subtracting the radio wave intensity of the other access point 5 from the radio wave intensity of the access point 2 instead of the system A. Also good. This selection method is referred to as method B.

When the influence on the access point 2 is taken into consideration, there are cases where it is possible to appropriately calculate not only the other access point 5 but also the radio field intensity of the access point 2 itself. That is, if the radio wave intensity of the access point 2 is sufficiently high, the influence on the access point 2 may be small regardless of the radio wave intensity of the other access points 5, and the radio wave intensity of the access point 2 is low. If so, the influence on the access point 2 may be large even if the radio wave intensity of the other access point 5 is low.
Therefore, in method B, the radio wave intensity at which the value obtained by subtracting the radio wave intensity of the other access point 5 from the radio wave intensity of the access point 2 is selected as the radio wave intensity of the other access point 5.

  For example, in the example shown in FIG. 7, at the point P1, the radio wave intensity of the access point 2 is about −30 dBm, and the radio wave intensity of the other access points 5-1 is about −50 dBm. At the point P2, the radio wave intensity of the access point 2 is about −60 dBm, and the radio wave intensity of the other access points 5-1 is about −55 dBm. Therefore, although the radio wave intensity of the other access point 5-1 is weaker than that of the point P1, the radio wave intensity of the access point 2 is weaker at the point P2, and the access point 2 is less affected by interference than the point P1. It is easy to receive. Similarly, although the radio wave intensity at the point P4 is weaker than that at the point P3, the access point 2 is more susceptible to interference than the point P3.

  Therefore, when selecting the radio wave intensity by the method B, the radio wave intensity selecting unit 244 selects the radio wave intensity measured at the point P2 corresponding to the other access point 5-1, and sends it to the other access point 5-2. Correspondingly, the radio wave intensity measured at the point P4 is selected, and the radio wave intensity measured at the point P5 is selected corresponding to the other access point 5-3. By selecting in this way, the radio wave intensity selecting unit 244 can appropriately select a point where interference is likely to occur.

In addition, the radio field intensity selection unit 244 may select the radio field intensity of another access point 5 (dominant access point) that has a high influence on each channel in the first calculation system instead of the systems A and B. This method is referred to as method C.
The first calculation method is a method that enables stable communication anywhere in the communicable area of the access point 2, and calculates the degree of interference with the access point 2 in consideration of the worst case. In this respect, the systems A and B pay attention to the radio field intensity of the other access point 5, and the radio field intensity of the other access point 5 is highest or the radio field intensity of the other access point 5 is determined from the radio field intensity of the access point 2. The point where the subtracted value is minimum is specified as the worst case. On the other hand, in the system C, a point with a relatively high degree of interference is identified as the worst case for each channel, and the access point 2 is determined based on the radio field strength of other access points 5 measured at these points. The degree of interference with respect to is calculated.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a region where the degree of interference is relatively high for each channel in the user home 100. In FIG. 8, regions where the degree of interference is relatively high are shown for channels 1, 5, and 10, and the other channels are not shown.
In FIG. 8, an area 301 is an area where the degree of interference is relatively high when the access point 2 performs communication using the channel 1, and an area 302 is an area where the access point 2 performs communication using the channel 5. When the access point 2 performs communication, the region 303 is a region where the degree of interference is relatively high. When the access point 2 performs communication using the channel 10, the region 303 is a region where the degree of interference is relatively high. Therefore, focusing on channel 1, calculating the degree of interference with access point 2 based on the radio field intensity of other access points 5 measured in region 301 corresponds to the worst case in channel 1.

Therefore, when selecting the radio wave intensity by the method C, the radio wave intensity selecting unit 244 selects the radio wave intensity of the other access point 5 measured at the point P11 in the region 301 for the channel 1 and for the channel 5 The radio wave intensity of another access point 5 measured at the point P12 in the area 302 is selected. For the channel 10, the radio wave intensity of the other access point 5 measured at the point P13 in the area 303 is selected.
In this way, it is possible to select the radio field intensity of another access point 5 at a point where interference is likely to occur for each of a plurality of channels.

When the second calculation method is selected, the radio field intensity selection unit 244 measures the measurement timing (date, time) when a predetermined radio field intensity is measured as the radio field intensity of the access point 2 from the radio field intensity information stored in the storage unit 23. ). Note that the predetermined radio field strength differs depending on the short distance priority method, the medium distance priority method, and the long distance priority method. In the case of (2), the radio wave intensity is less than the first threshold and greater than or equal to the second threshold (for example, −70 dBm), and in the case of the long distance priority method, the radio wave intensity is less than the second threshold.
The radio wave intensity selection unit 244 selects the radio wave intensity of another access point 5 measured at the same time as the measurement timing at which the predetermined radio wave intensity is measured.

  Specifically, when the near field priority method is selected, the radio field strength selection unit 244 specifies a radio field strength of the access point 2 that is equal to or higher than a first threshold and is measured simultaneously with the radio field strength. The radio wave intensity of another access point 5 is selected.

  For example, the radio wave intensity selection unit 244 refers to the radio wave intensity information shown in FIG. 5, specifies “−30” [dBm] as the radio wave intensity of the access point 2, and measures “OtherAP1” measured simultaneously with the radio wave intensity. The radio wave strength of the other access point 5 corresponding to “−40”, the radio wave strength of the other access point 5 corresponding to “OtherAP2” is “−62”, and the radio wave strength of the other access point 5 corresponding to “OtherAP6”. Select the intensity as “−70”. Here, since the other access points 5 corresponding to “OtherAP3”, “OtherAP4”, and “OtherAP5” are not measured at the same time, “−100” is assigned as the radio wave intensity having almost no influence.

  In addition, when the medium distance priority method is selected, the radio field intensity selection unit 244 identifies the radio field intensity of the access point 2 that is less than the first threshold value and greater than or equal to the second threshold value. The radio field intensity of another access point 5 measured simultaneously with the intensity is selected.

  In addition, when the long distance priority method is selected, the radio field strength selection unit 244 identifies the radio field strength of the access point 2 that is less than the second threshold, Select the radio wave intensity of the access point 5.

  Here, the radio wave intensity selecting unit 244 may select the radio wave intensity from the radio wave intensity of another access point 5 acquired within a predetermined period (for example, one week) from the current time. By doing so, even if there is a change in the arrangement status of other access points 5 in the neighborhood, the radio wave intensity of the other access points 5 can be selected in response to the change.

  The radio wave intensity estimation unit 245 estimates the radio wave intensity of each of the other access points 5 corresponding to each of the plurality of channels based on the influence level of radio wave interference caused by the channel frequency interval, which is stored in the storage unit 23 in advance. To do. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the influence ω (Δchi) of radio wave interference due to the channel frequency interval (Δchi). Here, “i” of Δchi is a value indicating an interval apart.

  FIG. 9 shows the degree of influence of radio wave interference due to the frequency interval of the channel in the 2.4 GHz band and the degree of influence of radio wave interference due to the frequency interval of the channel in the 5 GHz band. As shown in FIG. 9, the degree of influence of radio wave interference varies depending on the frequency band used in wireless communication. For example, in the 2.4 GHz band, when the channel is separated by 1, the influence ω (Δch1) of radio wave interference becomes −2 dBm, and when the channel is separated by 2, the influence ω (Δch2) of radio wave interference becomes −5 dBm. . In the 5 GHz band, when the channel is separated by 1, the influence ω (Δch1) of radio wave interference becomes −100 dBm.

  Specifically, the radio field intensity estimation unit 245 determines the influence of the radio wave interference due to the frequency interval of the channels and the other corresponding to each of the plurality of channels based on the radio field intensity selected for each of the other access points 2. The radio field intensity of each access point 5 is estimated. Hereinafter, the process of estimating the radio field intensity by the radio field intensity estimation unit 245 will be described using an example of estimating the radio field intensity of another access point 5 whose ESSID is “OtherAP1” when the first calculation method is selected. To do. Here, description will be made using an example in which the radio wave intensity is selected by the method A.

  First, the radio field intensity selection unit 244 selects “−40” as the highest radio field intensity for “OtherAP1” corresponding to the method A. Since the channel corresponding to “OtherAP1” is “6”, the radio wave intensity estimating unit 245 sets the radio wave intensity corresponding to the channel “6” to “−40”.

  Subsequently, the radio wave intensity estimating unit 245 converts the radio wave intensity of the channels “5” and “7” that are one channel away from the channel “6” into the radio wave intensity “−40” corresponding to the channel “6”. -2 "is added to estimate" -42 ". In addition, the radio wave intensity estimation unit 245 sets the radio wave intensity corresponding to the channels “4” and “8” that are two channels away from the channel “6” to the radio wave intensity “−40” corresponding to the channel “6”. It is estimated that “−45” is obtained by adding “−5”. Similarly, the radio wave intensity estimating unit 245 estimates the radio wave intensity corresponding to the channels “3” and “9” as “−50”, and sets the radio wave intensity corresponding to the channels “2” and “10” to “−68”. And the radio field intensity corresponding to the channels “1” and “11” is estimated to be “−140”.

  Further, since the channels “12” and “13” are separated from the channel “6” by 5 channels or more, the radio wave intensity estimating unit 245 sets the radio wave intensity corresponding to the channels “12” and “13” to the channel “12”. It is estimated that “−140” is obtained by adding the influence degree “−100” to the radio wave intensity “−40” corresponding to “6”.

Note that the radio field intensity estimation unit 245 estimates the radio field intensity of each of the plurality of other access points 5 in the same manner as described above in the method B and the second calculation method.
In addition, when the radio field intensity selection unit 244 selects the radio field intensity of another access point 5 using the method C, the radio field intensity estimation unit 245 uses the following procedure to determine the radio field intensity of a plurality of other access points 5 in each channel. Is estimated.

  First, the radio field intensity estimation unit 245 identifies the radio field intensity of another access point 5 measured simultaneously with the radio field intensity selected in each channel. Here, the radio field intensity estimation unit 245 assigns “−100” to the radio field intensity of the other access points 5 that have not been measured at the same time, and further adds the influence degree of the radio wave interference due to the frequency interval of the channel to thereby increase the radio field intensity. Is estimated. For example, when estimating the radio field strength of the other access point 5 in the channel “3”, if the channel of the other access point 5 that has not been measured at the same time is “6”, the radio field strength estimation unit 245 “−100” is assigned to. Furthermore, since the channels are separated from each other by three, the radio wave intensity estimating unit 245 sets “−110” obtained by adding the influence degree “−10” of radio wave interference to “−100” and the radio wave of the other access point 5. Estimated strength.

The interference degree calculation unit 246 calculates the degree of interference with respect to the radio wave emitted by the access point 2 based on the estimated radio field intensity of each of the other access points 5 for each of the plurality of channels. Specifically, the interference degree calculation unit 246 calculates a value (CIR-RSSI_0) obtained by subtracting the radio wave intensity (RSSI_0) of the access point 2 from the power ratio (CIR) of the carrier-to-interference wave as the interference degree. This degree of interference is obtained by the following equation. Here, N is the number of other access points 5.

  Here, when the value (CIR-RSSI_0) calculated by the equation (1) is large, the degree of interference of the other access point 5 with respect to the access point 2 is small, and when the value calculated by the equation (1) is small, the access is performed. The degree of interference of the other access point 5 with respect to the point 2 is large.

  FIG. 10 shows the radio field strengths of the other access points 5 estimated for each of the plurality of channels and the calculated values when the first calculation method (method A) according to the first embodiment is selected. It is a figure which shows an interference degree. In FIG. 10, since CIR-RSSI_0 of channel “1” is the largest, it can be confirmed that the degree of interference of other access point 5 with respect to access point 2 is the smallest in channel “1”.

  FIG. 11 shows the radio field strength of other access points 5 estimated for each of a plurality of channels and the calculated interference degree when the short distance priority method according to the first embodiment is selected. FIG. From the interference level of each channel shown in FIG. 11, it can be confirmed that the interference level of the other access point 5 with respect to the access point 2 becomes the smallest in the channel “11” at the position close to the access point 2.

  FIG. 12 shows the radio field strength of other access points 5 estimated for each of a plurality of channels and the calculated interference degree when the long distance priority method according to the first embodiment is selected. FIG. From the interference degree of each channel shown in FIG. 12, it can be confirmed that the interference degree of the other access point 5 with respect to the access point 2 becomes the smallest in the channel “1” at a position far from the access point 2.

  The channel selection unit 247 selects the channel of the access point 2 based on the calculated interference levels of the plurality of channels. Specifically, the channel selection unit 247 selects the channel having the highest value (CIR-RSSI_0) indicating the degree of interference of each of the plurality of channels.

  For example, since the CIR-RSSI_0 of channel 1 is the largest in the calculation result of the first calculation method (method A) shown in FIG. 10, the channel selection unit 247 selects channel “1”. Further, the channel selection unit 247 selects the channel “11” based on the result of the short distance priority method of the second calculation method illustrated in FIG. 11. Further, the channel selection unit 247 selects the channel “1” based on the result of the long distance priority method of the second calculation method shown in FIG.

  The channel setting unit 248 sets the channel used by the radio unit 21 to the channel selected by the channel selection unit 247 in response to the channel selection unit 247 selecting a channel. The channel setting unit 248 may set a channel when the content transmission unit 249 is not transmitting content.

  The content transmission unit 249 acquires content from the external server 3 in response to content acquisition operation performed by the input unit 11 of the terminal 1. The content transmission unit 249 transmits the content acquired from the external server 3 to the terminal 1 via the wireless unit 21.

[Flow chart for channel selection]
Next, a processing flow until the channel is selected by the access point 2 will be described. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a process flow until a channel is selected in the access point 2 according to the first embodiment. Here, it is assumed that the signal strength information is stored in the storage unit 23 by the acquisition unit 241.

First, the calculation method selection unit 242 receives one calculation method selection operation from the terminal 1 to select one calculation method (S1).
Subsequently, the radio wave intensity selection unit 244 acquires the radio wave intensity of each of the plurality of other access points 5 from the radio wave intensity information (S2).

  Subsequently, the radio field intensity selection unit 244, the radio field intensity estimation unit 245, and the interference level calculation unit 246 calculate the interference level of each channel based on the selected calculation method (S3). Details of this processing will be described later.

Subsequently, the channel selection unit 247 selects the channel of the access point 2 based on the calculated interference levels of the plurality of channels (S4).
Here, since the first calculation method calculates the interference degree with respect to the access point 2 in consideration of the worst case, when the radio wave intensity of the other access points 5 is too high, the interference degree calculated for each channel is All may be calculated low (the degree of interference with the access point 2 is high). In such a case, there is a possibility that stable communication cannot be performed if the channel of the access point 2 is selected based on the calculated interference degree. Therefore, the channel selection unit 247 may not select the channel of the access point 2 when all the interference degrees calculated for each channel do not exceed the predetermined threshold.

  Next, the flow of processing for calculating the interference level of each channel based on each calculation method will be described. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for calculating the interference degree of each channel based on the selected calculation method in the access point 2 according to the first embodiment.

First, the radio wave intensity selection unit 244 determines whether or not the selected calculation method is the first calculation method (S31). When the selected calculation method is the first calculation method (when the determination is YES), the radio wave intensity selection unit 244 moves to S32, and when the selected calculation method is not the first calculation method (the determination is In the case of NO), the process proceeds to S33.
Here, the radio wave intensity selection unit 244 selects the radio wave intensity based on the method A of the first calculation method. Specifically, the radio field intensity selection unit 244 selects the highest radio field intensity for each of the other access points 5 (S32), and moves the process to S38.

The radio wave intensity selection unit 244 determines whether or not the selected calculation method is the short distance priority method of the second calculation method (S33). When the selected calculation method is the short distance priority method (when the determination is YES), the radio wave intensity selection unit 244 moves the process to S34, and when the selected calculation method is not the short distance priority method (the determination is In the case of NO), the process proceeds to S35.
The radio field intensity selection unit 244 selects the radio field intensity of the other access point 5 at the point where the radio field intensity of the access point 2 is equal to or greater than the first value threshold for each of the other access points 5 (S34), Move.

  The radio wave intensity selection unit 244 determines whether or not the selected calculation method is the middle distance priority method of the second calculation method (S35). When the selected calculation method is the medium distance priority method (when the determination is YES), the radio wave intensity selection unit 244 moves the process to S36, and when the selected calculation method is not the medium distance priority method (the determination is In the case of NO), the process proceeds to S37.

  For each of the other access points 5, the radio field strength selection unit 244 selects the radio field strength of the other access point 5 at a point where the radio field strength of the access point 2 is less than the first value threshold and greater than or equal to the second threshold ( The process proceeds to S36) and S38.

  If the selected calculation method is not a medium distance priority method, the selected calculation method is a long distance priority method. In this case, the radio field strength selection unit 244 selects the radio field strength of another access point 5 at a point where the radio field strength of the access point 2 is less than the second value threshold for each of the other access points 5 (S37). The processing is moved to S38.

Subsequently, the radio wave intensity estimating unit 245 performs other access corresponding to each of the plurality of channels based on the influence degree of radio wave interference due to the frequency interval of the channel and the radio wave intensity selected for each of the other access points 2. The radio wave intensity of each point 5 is estimated (S38).
Subsequently, the interference level calculation unit 246 calculates the interference level for each channel based on the equation (1) (S39).

[Effect in the first embodiment]
As described above, the access point 2 of the channel selection system S according to the first embodiment selects one calculation method from a plurality of calculation methods, and the interference of each of the plurality of channels calculated using the one calculation method. The channel of access point 2 is selected based on the degree. Since each calculation method corresponds to various user usage patterns, the access point 2 can select an optimum channel corresponding to the user usage pattern.

  As a result, the access point 2 selects a channel that can stably communicate at a point that is relatively susceptible to the interference of the other access points 5 by selecting the first calculation method. Thus, stable communication can be performed in the entire communicable area in the access point 2. Further, the access point 2 can select a channel capable of performing stable communication at a specific position in the communicable area by selecting the second calculation method.

  Further, the access point 2 can select a channel based on a calculation method that the user himself / herself determines to be appropriate by accepting an operation for selecting one calculation method from a plurality of calculation methods.

<Second Embodiment>
[Select one calculation method automatically]
Next, the second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, the user selects one calculation method from a plurality of calculation methods, and selects a channel based on the calculation method. In contrast, in the second embodiment, the access point 2 performs stable communication in the entire communicable area of the access point 2 by preferentially selecting the first calculation method among the one calculation methods. This is different from the first embodiment in that the channel is set with priority, and the other points are the same.

  In the second embodiment, the calculation method selection unit 242 transmits screen information indicating a screen for receiving selection of a calculation method to the terminal 1. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a screen for accepting selection of a calculation method according to the second embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 15, an “auto mode” is provided in addition to the four modes shown in FIG. 6. “Auto mode” is a mode in which the access point 2 automatically selects a calculation method.

  When “auto mode” is selected, the calculation method selection unit 242 first selects the first calculation method with priority. Then, the calculation method selection unit 242 selects the second calculation method when the degree of interference of each of the plurality of channels calculated based on the first calculation method does not satisfy the predetermined condition, and the calculation method selection unit 242 2 Interference based on the calculation method is calculated. For example, the calculation method selection unit 242 selects the short distance priority method as the second calculation method, but may select the medium distance priority method or the long distance priority method.

[Flow chart for channel selection]
Next, a processing flow until the channel is selected by the access point 2 will be described. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a process flow until a channel is selected in the access point 2 according to the second embodiment. Here, it is assumed that the radio wave intensity information is stored in the storage unit 23 by the acquisition unit 241 and “auto mode” is selected by the user. In the first calculation method, the radio wave intensity is selected based on method A.

First, the radio field intensity selection unit 244, the radio field intensity estimation unit 245, and the interference level calculation unit 246 calculate the interference level based on the first calculation method by executing the processing from S51 to S54.
Specifically, the radio field intensity selection unit 244 acquires the radio field intensity of each of the plurality of other access points 5 from the radio field intensity information (S51). Subsequently, the radio field strength selection unit 244 selects the highest radio field strength among the radio field strengths of the other access points 5 acquired by the acquisition unit 241 for each of the other access points 5 (S52).

  Subsequently, the radio wave intensity estimating unit 245 estimates the radio wave intensity of each of the other access points 5 corresponding to each of the plurality of channels based on the influence degree of radio wave interference due to the frequency interval of the channels (S53). Subsequently, the interference level calculation unit 246 calculates the interference level with respect to the radio wave emitted by the access point 2 based on the estimated radio field intensity of each of the other access points 5 for each of the plurality of channels (S54).

  Subsequently, the calculation method selection unit 242 determines whether there is a channel that satisfies a predetermined condition (S55). Specifically, the calculation method selection unit 242 determines whether or not the interference level of each of the plurality of channels calculated in S54 includes an interference level exceeding a predetermined threshold. If the calculation method selection unit 242 determines that the interference level exceeding the predetermined threshold is included (when the determination is YES), the calculation method selection unit 242 moves the process to S59 and does not include the interference level exceeding the predetermined threshold. When it determines (when determination is NO), a process is moved to S56.

Subsequently, the radio field intensity selection unit 244, the radio field intensity estimation unit 245, and the interference level calculation unit 246 calculate the interference level based on the second calculation method by executing the processing from S56 to S58.
Specifically, the radio wave intensity selection unit 244 selects the radio wave intensity of each of the plurality of other access points 5 at a point where the radio wave intensity of the access point 2 is within a predetermined range (S56). Specifically, the radio field intensity selection unit 244 selects the radio field intensity of another access point 5 at a point where the radio field intensity of the access point 2 is equal to or higher than the first threshold corresponding to the short distance priority mode.

Subsequently, the radio field intensity estimation unit 245 estimates the radio field intensity of each of the other access points 5 corresponding to each of the plurality of channels based on the influence degree of radio wave interference due to the channel frequency interval (S57). Subsequently, the interference degree calculation unit 246 calculates the interference degree with respect to the radio wave emitted by the access point 2 based on the estimated radio field intensity of each of the other access points 5 for each of the plurality of channels (S58).
Subsequently, the channel selection unit 247 selects the channel of the access point 2 based on the interference levels of the plurality of channels calculated in S54 or S58 (S59).

[Effects of Second Embodiment]
As described above, the calculation method selection unit 242 of the second embodiment selects the second calculation method when the interference degrees of the plurality of channels calculated based on the first calculation method do not satisfy the predetermined condition. A channel can be set with priority given to stable communication in the entire communicable area of the access point 2.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be added to the above embodiment. In particular, the specific embodiments of the distribution / integration of the devices are not limited to those illustrated above, and all or a part thereof may be added in arbitrary units according to various additions or according to functional loads. It can be configured functionally or physically distributed and integrated. For example, the function of the control unit 24 of the access point 2 described in the present embodiment may be implemented in another device different from the access point of the wireless LAN. Here, the other device may be, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet having a tethering function that allows itself to function as an access point.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Terminal, 11 ... Input part, 12 ... Display part, 13 ... Radio | wireless part, 14 ... Memory | storage part, 15 ... Control part, 151 ... Measuring part, 152. ..Transmission unit, 153... Content acquisition unit, 2... Access point, 21... Radio unit, 22. ..Acquisition unit, 242 ... calculation method selection unit, 243 ... calculation unit, 244 ... radio wave intensity selection unit, 245 ... radio wave intensity estimation unit, 246 ... calculation unit, 247 ... Channel selection unit, 248 ... Channel selection unit, 249 ... Content transmission unit, 3 ... External server, N ... Network, S ... Channel selection system

Claims (6)

The radio field intensity of the predetermined access point, the radio field intensity of another access point different from the predetermined access point, and the channel used by the other access point, measured by the terminal in the communicable area of the predetermined access point And an acquisition unit for acquiring radio wave intensity information including:
A calculation method selection unit that selects one calculation method from a plurality of calculation methods for calculating the degree of interference with the radio wave emitted by the predetermined access point based on the radio field intensity of the other access point;
A calculation unit that calculates the degree of interference of each of a plurality of channels using the selected one calculation method;
A channel selection unit that selects a channel of the predetermined access point based on the calculated degree of interference of each of the plurality of channels;
A channel selection device comprising: The plurality of calculation methods are:
A first calculation method for calculating the degree of interference based on a radio wave intensity that has a relatively strong influence on the predetermined access point among the radio wave intensity of each of the other access points;
A second calculation method for calculating the degree of interference based on the radio wave intensity of the other access point at a specific position in the communicable area,
The channel selection device according to claim 1. The calculation method selection unit selects the second calculation method when the degree of interference of each of the plurality of channels calculated based on the first calculation method does not satisfy a predetermined condition.
The channel selection device according to claim 2. The calculation method selection unit selects the one calculation method by receiving a selection operation of the one calculation method from the plurality of calculation methods.
The channel selection device according to claim 2 or 3. A channel selection system comprising a channel selection device and a terminal,
The terminal
In a communicable area of the predetermined access point, a measurement unit that measures the radio field intensity of another access point different from the predetermined access point and the channel used by the other access point;
A transmitter that transmits radio field intensity information including the radio field intensity of the other access point and a channel used by the other access point to the channel selection device;
The channel selection device includes:
An acquisition unit for acquiring the radio field intensity information from the terminal;
A calculation method selection unit that selects one calculation method from a plurality of calculation methods for calculating the degree of interference with the radio wave emitted by the predetermined access point based on the radio field intensity of the other access point;
A calculation unit that calculates the degree of interference of each of a plurality of channels using the selected one calculation method;
A channel selection unit that selects a channel of the predetermined access point based on the calculated degree of interference of each of the plurality of channels.
Channel selection system. The radio field intensity of the predetermined access point, the radio field intensity of another access point different from the predetermined access point, and the channel used by the other access point, measured by the terminal in the communicable area of the predetermined access point Obtaining from the terminal radio field intensity information including:
Selecting one calculation method from a plurality of calculation methods for calculating the degree of interference with the radio wave emitted by the predetermined access point based on the radio field intensity of the other access point;
Calculating the degree of interference of each of a plurality of channels using the selected one calculation method;
Selecting a channel of the predetermined access point based on the calculated degree of interference of each of the plurality of channels;
A channel selection method comprising:

Images