JP2016178594A - Radio communication equipment, and communication abnormality determination method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide radio communication equipment and a communication abnormality determination method therefor, capable of determining communication abnormality without packet transmission.SOLUTION: A printer 1 to which the radio communication equipment of the present invention is applied includes: a communication unit 110 which performs radio communication; a measuring unit 120 which measures a reception data amount received by the communication unit 110; a calculation unit 130 which calculates an accumulated value of the reception data amount measured by the measuring unit 120; and an abnormality determination unit 150 which determines abnormality in the communication unit 110 on the basis of the accumulated value of the reception data amount calculated by the calculation unit 130. The abnormality determination unit 150 determines the communication unit 110 to be abnormal if the accumulated value in a unit period LU is a predetermined first amount or smaller.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless communication device and a communication abnormality determination method for a wireless communication device.

  Conventionally, a method for monitoring network communication using a Ping packet is known. For example, in Patent Document 1, when a Ping packet is transmitted from the diagnosis execution printer to the diagnosis target printer and there is no response, it is determined that there is an abnormality in the path between the printers.

  On the other hand, in a printing system composed of a plurality of printers and a server, a method is also known in which a communication error (wireless LAN module abnormality) of each printer is determined by transmitting a Ping packet from each printer to the server.

JP 2006-172049 A

  However, in the case of the latter printing system, communication is generated by a Ping packet. For example, in an environment where hundreds of printers are installed, there is a possibility that network resources may be consumed more than necessary.

  In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a wireless communication device and a communication abnormality determination method for a wireless communication device that can determine a communication abnormality without performing packet transmission.

  The wireless communication device of the present invention includes a communication unit that performs wireless communication, a calculation unit that calculates an integrated value of the amount of received data received by the communication unit, and a communication unit based on the integrated value of the received data amount calculated by the calculation unit. An abnormality determination unit that determines an abnormality of the unit.

  The communication abnormality determination method for a wireless communication device of the present invention is a communication abnormality determination method for a wireless communication device provided with a communication unit, and includes a calculation step for calculating an integrated value of received data amounts received by the communication unit, and a calculation step And an abnormality determination step of determining an abnormality of the communication unit based on the integrated value of the received data amount calculated in (1).

  According to the configuration of the present invention, it is possible to determine an abnormality of the communication unit without transmitting a Ping packet by calculating the integrated value of the received data amount. Thereby, even in an environment where a large number of wireless communication devices are installed, network resources are not consumed more than necessary.

  In the above wireless communication device, the abnormality determination unit performs abnormality determination for each unit period LU, and if the integrated value in the unit period LU (where unit period LU> 0) is equal to or less than the first predetermined amount, the communication unit is abnormal. It is determined that it is.

  Generally, when communication is performed normally, the integrated value of the received data amount in the unit period LU should exceed a predetermined threshold. For this reason, as in the present invention, it is possible to easily perform an abnormality determination by setting the minimum expected received data amount in the unit period LU as a threshold (first predetermined amount).

  In the above wireless communication device, the first predetermined amount is set based on the calculation result of the calculation unit in the predetermined period L0 (provided that the predetermined period L0> unit period LU) from the establishment of the connection to the connection destination by the communication unit. A predetermined amount setting unit is further provided.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, it is possible to set a threshold value (first predetermined amount) suitable for the usage environment (access point setting, etc.) of the wireless communication device.

  In the above wireless communication device, the abnormality determination unit determines that the communication unit is abnormal when the integrated value in the unit period LU exceeds a second predetermined amount (provided that the first predetermined amount <the second predetermined amount). It is characterized by.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, even when the integrated value exceeds the normal value, it can be determined with high reliability by determining that the communication unit is abnormal.

  The wireless communication device may further include a printing unit that prints information to that effect when the abnormality determining unit determines that the communication unit is abnormal.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, it is possible to notify the user of an abnormality in the communication unit.

  In the above wireless communication device, when the communication unit is determined to be abnormal by the abnormality determination unit, the wireless communication device further includes a recovery processing unit that performs a recovery process, and the printing unit continuously recovers a predetermined number of times or more by the recovery processing unit. When processing is executed, information to that effect is printed.

According to the configuration of the present invention, when the return process is repeated, it is possible to notify the user to that effect.
If the return process is repeated, it is necessary to take some countermeasures. Therefore, it is preferable to print information indicating a countermeasure method. In this case, it is preferable to issue a warning such as sounding an electronic sound or lighting / flashing the LED together with printing by the printing unit.

  In the above wireless communication device, the calculation unit calculates an integrated value of the received data amount for a beacon signal transmitted from an access point.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, since the integrated value of the received data amount is calculated for the beacon signal transmitted from the access point, other received data (for example, reception of print data when the wireless communication device is a printer) ) And the abnormality of the communication unit can be determined more accurately.

1 is a configuration diagram of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a printer. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a printer. (A) is a figure which shows the example of printing of 1st error information, (b) is a figure which shows the example of printing of 2nd error information. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a printer communication abnormality determination process. It is a flowchart following FIG.

  Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, a wireless communication device and a communication abnormality determination method for the wireless communication device of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, a case where the wireless communication device of the present invention is applied to the printer 1 is illustrated.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a printing system SY according to an embodiment of the present invention. The printing system SY includes a printer 1, an access point 3, and a wireless network 5 that connects the two. The wireless network 5 is a wireless local area network (LAN) defined by, for example, IEEE 802.11x, and conforms to WiFi (registered trademark). Further, the printer 1 and the access point 3 of the present embodiment are in a state in which a common network name (ESS-ID, SSID, etc.), authentication / encryption method, and encryption key are set in advance.

  Although only one printer 1 is shown in the figure, a configuration in which a plurality of printers communicate with one access point 3 may be used. As an environment in which a plurality of printers 1 communicate with one access point 3, for example, a retail store such as a supermarket or a department store can be considered. In this case, the printer 1 is used as a receipt printer that issues an accounting receipt. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the printer 1 is a receipt printer. The printer 1 receives print data from a POS (Point of sale) terminal (not shown), prints on the long paper 10 (roll paper), and issues an accounting receipt by cutting the printed portion. .

  The access point 3 relays communication between clients (such as the printer 1 and the POS terminal) in the wireless network 5. When the access point 3 periodically transmits a beacon signal to the wireless network 5, the printer 1 as a client transmits a probe request for inquiring the network name to the access point 3. If the access point 3 has the same network name, it transmits a probe response. Thereby, both recognize the mutual existence. Thereafter, the access point 3 authenticates whether or not it is an official client using a preset authentication method. If the printer 1 is determined to be an official client, it makes a connection request to the access point 3. On the other hand, when the access point 3 sends a permission response, the connection between the two is established.

  Next, the hardware configuration of the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The printer 1 includes a control mechanism 11, a wireless LAN driver 12, a wireless LAN module 13, and a printing mechanism 14.

  The printing mechanism 14 includes a print head 71 that performs printing, a paper transport motor 72 and a paper transport roller 73 that transport the paper 10, a paper cutter motor 74 and a paper cutter 75 that cut the paper 10.

  The control mechanism 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 61, a network control firmware 62, and a print control firmware 63. The network control firmware 62 is firmware for performing communication control. The print control firmware 63 is firmware for controlling the printing mechanism 14. The CPU 61 performs communication control and print control based on the network control firmware 62 and the print control firmware 63. Further, the CPU 61 determines an abnormality of the wireless LAN module 13 based on the measurement result of the beacon signal transmitted from the access point 3. Details will be described later.

  The wireless LAN driver 12 operates the wireless LAN module 13 based on a command from the CPU 61. The wireless LAN module 13 is a module in which an RF (Radio Frequency) unit (not shown) and a wireless communication controller unit are integrated in addition to the antenna 13a. The RF unit outputs the analog information received from the antenna 13a to the wireless communication controller unit that digitizes the analog signal, and also converts the digital information generated by the wireless communication controller unit to analog and outputs it to the antenna 13a. Further, the wireless communication controller unit has a storage area for storing a MAC address and various setting information, and performs communication with the access point 3 based on these storage areas. The wireless communication controller unit also has a storage area for storing received packet statistical information.

  Next, the functional configuration of the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The printer 1 includes a communication unit 110, a measurement unit 120, a calculation unit 130, a first predetermined amount setting unit 140, an abnormality determination unit 150, a printing unit 160, and a return processing unit 170 as functional configurations.

  The communication unit 110 (wireless LAN module 13) performs wireless communication in an infrastructure mode. The measuring unit 120 measures the number of received packets (received data amount) received by the communication unit 110. In the present embodiment, only the received packets of beacon signals are measured among all received packets that can be received by the communication unit 110. The measurement result of the measurement unit 120 is stored in a storage area in the wireless LAN module 13.

  The calculation unit 130 calculates an integrated value of the number of received packets (total value of the number of received packets within a certain period) based on the measurement result of the measurement unit 120. The calculation by the calculation unit 130 may be performed by the wireless LAN module 13 or the CPU 61 (network control firmware 62).

  The abnormality determination unit 150 performs abnormality determination for each unit period LU (where unit period LU> 0). Based on the integrated value of the number of received packets calculated by the calculation unit 130, the abnormality determination of the communication unit 110 is performed. Determine. Specifically, when the integrated value in the unit period LU is equal to or less than the first predetermined amount V1, and the integrated value in the unit period LU is the second predetermined amount V2 (provided that the first predetermined amount V1 <the second predetermined amount V2). When exceeding, it determines with the communication part 110 being abnormal. In general, a beacon signal is periodically transmitted from the access point 3, so that when the communication is normally performed, the integrated value of the number of received packets in the unit period LU should exceed a certain threshold. It is. Therefore, the number of received packets considered to be the minimum receivable within the unit period LU is set as the abnormality determination threshold (first predetermined amount V1), and when the integrated value is less than that, it is determined as abnormal. Further, when the integrated value exceeds the upper limit (second predetermined amount V2) of the normal value, it is determined as abnormal. For the second predetermined amount V2, a fixed value is stored in advance as part of the network control firmware 62 in consideration of the application of the printer 1 and the like. On the other hand, the first predetermined amount V1 is a variable value.

  The first predetermined amount setting unit 140 sets the first predetermined amount V1 based on the calculation result of the calculation unit 130 within a predetermined period L0 after the connection to the access point 3 (connection destination) by the communication unit 110 is established. That is, the predetermined period L0 from the connection to the access point 3 is set as an initial setting period for setting the first predetermined amount V1. Thereby, an abnormality determination threshold value (first predetermined amount V1) suitable for the environment of the printing system SY can be set. The predetermined period L0 is a period in which the predetermined period L0> the unit period LU.

  Here, the factors that cause the number of received packets of the beacon signal to differ depending on the environment of the printing system SY will be described. The first factor is the beacon cycle setting of the access point 3. This is because the normal access point 3 transmits a beacon signal at an interval of 100 ms, but there is an access point 3 having a function of changing the transmission interval. Further, as a second factor, there are DTIM (Delivery Traffic Indication Message) setting of the access point 3 and sleep mode setting of the printer 1. When the printer 1 is in a state set to the wireless sleep mode, the printer 1 returns from sleep every time specified by DTIM and receives a beacon signal. For example, when the access point 3 is in a state where “beacon cycle = 100 ms” and “DTIM = 3” are set, beacon signals are received at intervals of 300 ms. However, when the printer 1 is not in the state set to the sleep mode, a beacon signal is received at intervals of 100 ms. Thus, the number of received packets of the beacon signal differs depending on the settings of the printer 1 and the access point 3. For this reason, the first predetermined amount setting unit 140 variably sets the first predetermined amount V1, thereby enabling accurate communication abnormality determination.

  When the abnormality determining unit 150 determines that the communication unit 110 is abnormal, the printing unit 160 prints information to that effect. Hereinafter, the information to be printed when an abnormality is determined by the abnormality determination unit 150 is referred to as “first error information”. FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating a print example of the first error information. As shown in the figure, as the first error information, information indicating that a communication error has occurred, performing a return process, and an error code are printed.

  When the abnormality determining unit 150 determines that the communication unit 110 is abnormal, the return processing unit 170 performs a recovery process (system restart process) of the printer 1. When the return processing unit 170 continuously performs a return process more than a predetermined number of times, the printing unit 160 prints information to that effect. Hereinafter, information to be printed when the return process is repeated is referred to as “second error information”. FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating a print example of the second error information. As shown in the figure, as the second error information, information indicating that a communication abnormality has occurred, its target method, and an error code are printed.

  Next, the flow of the communication abnormality determination process of the printer 1 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 shows a flow of initial setting for setting the first predetermined amount V1, and FIG. 6 shows a flow of abnormality determination in the subsequent normal operation. At the time of initial setting, reception of received packets other than beacon signals (for example, packets corresponding to print data) is prohibited.

  The printer 1 determines whether or not a connection with the access point 3 has been established after startup (S01). If the connection has been established (S01: Yes), the printer 1 starts measuring the number of received beacon signals (S02). ). And it is discriminate | determined whether time L0 passed since connection establishment (S03), and when not having passed (S03: No), it returns to S02 and continues measurement. When the time L0 has elapsed since the connection was established (S03: Yes), the integrated value of the number of received packets of the beacon signal in the predetermined period L0 is calculated (S04), and the first predetermined amount V1 is calculated based on the calculation result. Is set (S05).

  The first predetermined amount V1 is “integrated value of the number of received packets of the beacon signal in the predetermined period L0” + α or “integrated value of the number of received packets of the beacon signal in the predetermined period L0” multiplied by a predetermined coefficient, etc. Calculation is performed according to a predetermined algorithm using “the integrated value of the number of received packets of beacon signals in the predetermined period L0” as a parameter. The set first predetermined amount V1 is stored in a predetermined storage area in the printer 1. As described above, S01 to S05 are the flow at the time of initial setting.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the printer 1 that has shifted to the normal operation starts measuring the number of received packets of the beacon signal (S11), and calculates the integrated value of the number of received packets in the unit period LU (S12). For example, the unit period LU is several hundred ms to several s. If the integrated value is equal to or less than the first predetermined amount V1 set in S05 of FIG. 5 (S13: Yes), the process proceeds to S14.

  On the other hand, when the integrated value of the number of received packets in the unit period LU exceeds the first predetermined amount V1 (S13: No), it is determined whether or not the integrated value exceeds the second predetermined amount V2 (S17). When exceeding (S17: Yes), it progresses to S14. If the integrated value is equal to or smaller than the second predetermined amount V2 (S17: No), the process returns to S11 and the measurement of the beacon signal is continued. In S14, it is determined whether or not restarting has been performed continuously X times (where X is an integer satisfying X ≧ 2) (S14). If the system has not been restarted X times so far (S14: No), the first error information is printed (S15, see FIG. 4A), and the system is restarted (S16). After the system is restarted, the process returns to S01 in FIG. If it is determined that the restart has been performed continuously X times (S14: Yes), the second error information is printed (S18, see FIG. 4B), and the system is terminated.

  As described above, the printer 1 according to the present embodiment determines that the communication unit 110 is abnormal when the integrated value of the number of received packets in the unit period LU is equal to or less than the first predetermined amount V1. There is no need to send Ping packets for the purpose. Thereby, even in an environment where a large number of printers 1 are installed on the same floor, network resources are not consumed more than necessary.

  In addition, since the first predetermined amount V1 is variably set by the first predetermined amount setting unit 140, an abnormality determination threshold value suitable for the setting of the printer 1 and / or the access point 3 can be set. In addition, not only when the integrated value of the number of received packets becomes equal to or less than the first predetermined amount V1, but also when the second predetermined amount V2 is exceeded, the communication unit 110 determines that there is an abnormality. A high determination can be made.

  Further, when the abnormality determining unit 150 determines that the communication unit 110 is abnormal, and when the return process is repeated, the error information is printed, so that it can be notified to the user. In addition, since the integrated value of the number of received packets is calculated for the beacon signal, it is possible to eliminate the influence of other received data (for example, reception of print data) and to determine the abnormality of the communication unit 110 more accurately. Can do.

In addition, the following modifications can be employed.
[Modification 1]
In the above embodiment, the integrated value of the number of received packets is calculated for the beacon signal, but the integrated value may be calculated for a predetermined signal other than the beacon signal. Further, the integrated value may be calculated for all the received packet numbers received by the communication unit 110.

[Modification 2]
In the above embodiment, the number of received packets is measured.

[Modification 3]
In the above embodiment, the communication abnormality determination is performed based on the integrated value of the number of received packets in the unit period LU. However, the communication abnormality determination may be performed by looking at the change in the integrated value of the number of received packets. For example, when it is determined that the integrated value of the number of received packets in the unit period LU is equal to or less than the first predetermined amount V1, or the integrated value of the number of received packets in the unit period LU is equal to or less than the first predetermined amount V1. You may determine with the communication part 110 being abnormal when the ratio determined to exist becomes more than predetermined value.

[Modification 4]
In the above embodiment, the first predetermined amount V1 is variably set in the initial setting process. Similarly, the second predetermined amount V2 is set based on the integrated value of the number of received packets of the beacon signal in the predetermined period L0 from the connection establishment. It may be variably set.

[Modification 5]
Also, the user may manually set the first predetermined amount V1 and / or the second predetermined amount V2. In this case, the printer 1 may be provided with an input unit, or the setting information input to the external apparatus may be received and set by the communication unit 110.

[Other variations]
You may provide each component of printing system SY (printer 1) shown in said embodiment and modification as a program. The program may be provided by being stored in various recording media (CD-ROM, flash memory, etc.). That is, a program for causing a computer to function as each component of the printer 1 and a recording medium on which the program is recorded are also included in the scope of rights of the present invention. In addition, at least a part of the calculation unit 130, the first predetermined amount setting unit 140, and the abnormality determination unit 150 of the printer 1 is realized by cloud computing, or the wireless communication device of the present invention is applied to an electronic device other than the printer 1. In the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, it can change suitably.

  1: Printer 3: Access point 5: Wireless network 10: Paper 11: Control mechanism 12: Wireless LAN driver 13: Wireless LAN module 13a: Antenna 14: Printing mechanism 61: CPU 62: Network control firmware 63: Print control firmware 110: Communication unit 120: Measurement unit 130: Calculation unit 140: First predetermined amount setting unit 150: Abnormality determination unit 160: Printing unit 170: Return processing unit SY: Printing system

Claims (8)

A communication unit for wireless communication;
A calculation unit that calculates an integrated value of the amount of received data received by the communication unit;
A wireless communication device comprising: an abnormality determination unit that determines an abnormality of the communication unit based on an integrated value of the received data amount calculated by the calculation unit.   The abnormality determination unit performs abnormality determination for each unit period LU, and when the integrated value in the unit period LU (where unit period LU> 0) is equal to or less than a first predetermined amount, the communication unit is abnormal. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is determined.   A first predetermined amount setting unit that sets the first predetermined amount based on a calculation result of the calculation unit in a predetermined period L0 (provided that the predetermined period L0> unit period LU) from the connection establishment to the connection destination by the communication unit. The wireless communication device according to claim 2, further comprising:   The abnormality determining unit determines that the communication unit is abnormal when the integrated value in the unit period LU exceeds a second predetermined amount (where the first predetermined amount <the second predetermined amount). The wireless communication device according to claim 2 or 3.   5. The wireless communication according to claim 1, further comprising: a printing unit that prints information to that effect when the abnormality determining unit determines that the communication unit is abnormal. 6. machine. When the abnormality determination unit determines that the communication unit is abnormal, the abnormality determination unit further includes a return processing unit that performs a return process,
6. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the printing unit prints information to that effect when the return processing unit has continuously executed the return processing a predetermined number of times or more.   The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit calculates an integrated value of the received data amount for a beacon signal transmitted from an access point. A communication abnormality determination method for a wireless communication device including a communication unit,
A calculation step of calculating an integrated value of the amount of received data received by the communication unit;
An abnormality determination step of determining an abnormality of the communication unit based on the integrated value of the received data amount calculated in the calculation step.

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