JP2018207200A - Communication equipment, communication system, and control method of communication equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

To maintain TCP session, and the like, when switching a communication interface to be used.SOLUTION: Communication equipment 10 includes a device side IF11 for connection with the communication equipment, a wireless IF12, a wired IF13, an acquisition part 14 for acquiring the link state of the wired IF13, and a transfer part 15 operating in wired mode capable of transferring a frame mutually between the device side IF11 and the wired IF13, (a) when the link state acquired by the acquisition part 14 is connection state, and operating in wireless mode capable of transferring a frame mutually between the device side IF11 and the wireless IF12, (b) when the link state acquired by the acquisition part 14 is disconnection state of link state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device, a communication system, and a communication device control method.

  A service using IP (Internet Protocol) communication is used for the network layer. Services using IP communication include browsing web pages, sending / receiving e-mails, and sending / receiving SNS (Social Networking Service) content. In IP communication, communication using an IP address is performed between communication devices to which an IP address is assigned.

  On the other hand, there are various communication standards for the physical layer. There is also a communication device provided with communication interfaces of a plurality of different communication standards.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system capable of switching between using wired communication or wireless communication for communication between a display device and an arithmetic processing device.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-312155

  When the communication device performs IP communication while switching between a plurality of communication interfaces, the IP address is generally changed when the communication interface to be used is switched. If the IP address is changed in a state where a TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) session or an encryption communication session is established, communication of these sessions cannot be continued, and there is a problem that the session is disconnected.

  The present invention is intended to solve the above-described problem, and an object thereof is to provide a communication device that can maintain a TCP session or the like when switching a communication interface to be used.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a communication device according to an aspect of the present invention acquires an external interface connected to an external communication device or a network, a wireless interface, a wired interface, and a link state of the wired interface. And (a) when the link state acquired by the acquisition unit is a connection state, and operates in a wired mode capable of transferring frames between the external interface and the wired interface; (b) A transfer unit that operates in a wireless mode in which a frame can be transferred between the external interface and the wireless interface when the link state acquired by the acquisition unit is a disconnected state;

  According to this, the communication device uses the two interfaces, wireless and wired, according to the link state of the wired interface and transfers the frame. The IP address used by an external communication device or the like that performs communication using frame transfer by the communication device may be one, and the IP address by the external communication device or the like when switching the interface used by the communication device. No change is required. Therefore, the IP address of the communication device can be maintained when switching the communication interface used by the communication device, and as a result, the TCP session established by the communication device can be maintained.

  The external interface may be a device-side interface connected to a communication device.

  According to this, the communication device is connected to the communication device by the device-side interface and functions as an external communication interface. Then, the wireless and wired interfaces are selectively used according to the link state of the wired interface. At this time, one IP address used for communication is assigned by a driver in the communication apparatus. Therefore, when the communication apparatus using the communication device performs communication, it is not necessary to change the IP address by the communication apparatus when switching from one of the two interfaces to the other. Therefore, the IP address of the communication device can be maintained when switching the communication interface used by the communication device, and as a result, the TCP session established by the communication device can be maintained.

  Further, even when the transfer unit is operating in the wired mode, the transfer unit attempts to establish a radio link through the radio interface, and maintains the established radio link when the establishment is successful. Good.

  According to this, the communication device is in a state where a wireless link is established when the transfer unit switches from the wired mode to the wireless mode. Therefore, since the communication for authentication and belonging is not required after the transfer unit switches to the wireless mode, communication can be started using the wireless link in a relatively short time.

  The wired interface may be communicably connected to the wired interface of the first device, and the wireless interface may be communicably connected to the wireless interface of the first device.

  According to this, the communication device can be connected to the first device through two interfaces, wireless and wired. As a result, the wired interface is used when the distance between the communication device and the first device is small and the connection by the cable is possible, and the wireless interface is used when the separation distance is large and the connection by the cable is impossible. As used, communication with the first device can be continued while switching between the two interfaces.

  The wired interface may be communicably connected to a wired interface of the first device, and the wireless interface may be communicably connected to a wireless interface of a second device different from the first device.

  According to this, the communication device can be communicated with the second device that is accessible via the wireless interface and is different from the first device, so that the communication by the communication device can be continued without changing the IP address. Can do.

  The communication device may further include a setting unit that receives the setting of the control information of the wireless interface and sets the received control information in the wireless interface.

  According to this, the setting unit can set control information necessary for the communication device to connect to the second device via the wireless interface in the wireless interface.

  The wireless interface may perform wireless communication in conformity with an IEEE 802.11 series wireless communication standard, and the wired interface may perform wired communication in conformity with a USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard.

  According to this, the communication apparatus is specifically configured to establish a communication device at the time of interface switching by a wireless interface conforming to the IEEE802.11 series wireless communication standard and a wired interface conforming to the USB standard. Can maintain existing TCP sessions.

  The external interface may be a network side interface connected to a wired network.

  According to this, the communication device is connected to the wired network, and uses the two interfaces, wireless and wired, according to the link state of the wired interface. Therefore, when the communication apparatus using the communication device performs communication, it is not necessary to change the IP address by the communication apparatus when switching from one of the two interfaces to the other. Therefore, the IP address of the communication device can be maintained when switching the communication interface used by the communication device, and as a result, the TCP session established by the communication device can be maintained.

  The network side interface may have a plurality of physical ports.

  According to this, since a new communication apparatus can be easily connected to the network, operations such as flexible network configuration changes are possible.

  A communication system according to an aspect of the present invention includes a first communication device that is the communication device and a second communication device that is the communication device, and the wireless interface of the first communication device; The wireless interface of the second communication device is communicably connected to each other, and the wired interface of the first communication device and the wired interface of the second communication device are communicably connected to each other.

  According to this, the communication system selectively uses communication between the first communication device and the second communication device according to the link state of the wired interface. Therefore, when the communication device using the communication system performs communication, it is not necessary to change the IP address by the communication device when switching from one of the two interfaces to the other. Therefore, when switching the communication interface used by the communication system, the IP address can be maintained, and as a result, the TCP session established by the communication apparatus can be maintained.

  Each of the first communication device and the second communication device includes a setting unit configured to set control information common to the wireless interface of the first communication device and the wireless interface of the second communication device. You may prepare.

  According to this, the communication system can set control information common to the wireless interface between the first communication device and the second communication device. When at least one of the communication devices is replaced, a state in which the control information of the wireless interface is not common may occur. In such a case, the communication system can easily set control information common to the wireless interface between the communication devices.

  A communication device control method according to an aspect of the present invention is a communication device control method including an external interface connected to an external communication device or a network, a wireless interface, and a wired interface, the wired interface An acquisition step of acquiring a link state of the communication interface; and (a) a wired mode capable of transferring a frame between the external interface and the wired interface when the link state acquired in the acquisition step is a connection state (B) a transfer step that operates in a wireless mode in which a frame can be transferred between the external interface and the wireless interface when the link state acquired in the acquisition step is a disconnected state; Including.

  The same effect as the above communication device is obtained.

  The communication device according to the present invention can maintain a TCP session or the like when the communication interface to be used is switched.

1 is an external view of a communication system including a communication device according to an embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the communication system containing the communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the control method of a communication apparatus which the communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment performs. It is a schematic diagram which shows the communication aspect in the wired mode by the communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment, and the 1st communication aspect in wireless mode. It is explanatory drawing which shows the method of implement | achieving the communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment on OS of Linux (trademark). It is a schematic diagram which shows the 2nd communication aspect of communication in the radio | wireless mode by the communication apparatus which concerns on the modification 1 of embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the communication apparatus which concerns on the modification 1 of embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the communication system which concerns on the modification 2 of embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the sharing method of the setting information by the communication apparatus which concerns on the modification 2 of embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

  Each of the embodiments described below shows a preferred specific example of the present invention. The numerical values, shapes, materials, constituent elements, arrangement positions and connecting forms of the constituent elements, steps, order of steps, and the like shown in the following embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, among the constituent elements in the following embodiments, constituent elements that are not described in the independent claims indicating the highest concept of the present invention are described as optional constituent elements that constitute a more preferable embodiment. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component and description may be abbreviate | omitted.

(Embodiment)
In this embodiment, a communication device that can maintain a TCP session or the like when a communication interface to be used is switched will be described.

  FIG. 1 is an external view of a communication system 1 including communication devices 10 and 20 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the communication system 1 including the communication devices 10 and 20 according to the present embodiment.

  The communication system 1 is a communication system serving as a communication path for IP communication between the communication device 30 and the communication device 42. The communication system 1 switches between a wireless link and a wired link and uses the TCP link between the communication device 30 and the communication device 42 by maintaining the IP address used by the communication device 30 at the time of this switching. Sessions etc. can be maintained. For example, the communication device 20 is fixedly placed on the user's desk in the office. In addition, the communication device 10 is connected to a communication device 30 that is carried and used on a user's desk or a conference room. Communication between the communication device 30 and the communication device 42 connected to the office LAN is performed by the communication devices 10 and 20 using two interfaces, wired and wireless.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the communication system 1 includes a communication device 10 and a communication device 20.

  The communication device 10 and the communication device 20 can be communicably connected to each other by IP communication through the wireless link 32 and the wired link 34, respectively.

  The communication device 10 is connected to the communication device 30 and functions as an external communication interface of the communication device 30. The communication device 10 is a communication device having, for example, a so-called USB (Universal Serial Bus) dongle size and shape, but is not limited thereto. The communication device 30 is, for example, a personal computer. In this case, the communication device 10 is one of the peripheral devices of the personal computer. The communication device 10 corresponds to a first device.

  The communication device 20 is connected to the network 40. A communication device 42 that is a communication partner of the communication device 30 is connected to the network 40. Communication device 10 and communication device 20 establish communication between communication device 30 and communication device 42 using either wireless communication using wireless link 32 or wired communication using wired link 34. Let The communication device 20 is, for example, a communication device having a size and shape similar to that of a network hub, but is not limited thereto. The communication device 20 corresponds to a second device.

  The communication device 30 includes driver software (also simply referred to as a driver) for the communication device 10 and controls communication performed by the communication device 10 using the driver, thereby using the communication device 10 as an external communication interface. I do. Note that when the communication device 30 performs IP communication using the communication device 10 via the wireless link 32 or the wired link 34, since one IP address assigned to the driver is used for this IP communication, the wireless link 32 and This IP address is maintained when the wired link 34 is switched from one to the other.

  The communication device 10 and the communication device 20 perform communication using the wired link 34 when communication using the wired link 34 is possible, and perform communication using the wireless link 32 when communication using the wired link 34 is impossible. The communication device 10 and the communication device 20 are configured such that the communication device 30 uses the same IP address when communicating using the wireless link 32 and when communicating using the wired link 34. Yes. Therefore, a TCP session or the like can be maintained when switching the communication interface to be used.

  Hereinafter, details of the functions of the communication devices 10 and 20 will be described.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the communication device 10 includes a device-side IF (interface) 11, a wireless IF 12, a wired IF 13, an acquisition unit 14, and a transfer unit 15.

  The device-side IF 11 is a connection interface for connecting to the communication device 30. The device-side IF 11 is, for example, a USB interface. In this case, the communication device 10 functions as an external communication interface with USB connection. The device-side IF 11 is controlled by performing USB communication with a driver that operates in the communication device 30 and transmits / receives communication data. When the device-side IF 11 is a USB interface, there is an advantage that the communication device 30 can be operated by the power supplied from the communication device 30 and there is no need to provide other power supply means. The device-side IF 11 is an example of an external interface that is connected to an external communication device.

  The wireless IF 12 is a wireless communication interface that performs wireless communication. The wireless IF 12 always attempts to establish a wireless link 32 with the wireless IF 22 of the communication device 20. When the wireless link 32 is established, the wireless IF 12 can communicate with the communication device 20 through the wireless link 32. The wireless IF 12 is a communication interface compliant with, for example, the IEEE 802.11 series standard. In this case, the wireless IF 12 is set so as to try the wireless connection with the wireless IF 22 of the communication device 20 with the first priority. As will be described later with reference to FIG. 6, in another aspect, wireless connection with another wireless communication device may be possible.

  The wired IF 13 is a wired communication interface that performs wired communication. The wired IF 13 is connected to the wired IF 23 of the communication device 20 via a communication cable. The wired IF 13 always attempts to establish a wired link 34. When the wired IF 13 is connected to the wired IF 23 with a communication cable, it can establish the wired link 34 and communicate with the communication device 20 through the wired link 34. The wired IF 13 is a communication interface that conforms to, for example, the USB standard or the IEEE 802.3 series standard.

  The acquisition unit 14 is a processing unit that acquires the link state of the wired IF 13. The link state is a connection state in which the wired IF 13 establishes and maintains the wired link 34 with the wired IF 23 that is the communication partner, or a state in which the wired link 34 is not established. Indicates whether it is in a disconnected state. The acquisition unit 14 acquires either the connected state or the disconnected state as the link state of the wired IF 13.

  The transfer unit 15 is a processing unit that transfers a frame between the device-side IF 11 and the wireless IF 12 or the wired IF 13. The transfer unit 15 can operate in one of two operation modes, a wired mode and a wireless mode. That is, the transfer unit 15 (a) operates in a wired mode in which a frame can be transferred between the device-side IF 11 and the wired IF 13 when the link state acquired by the acquisition unit 14 is a connection state, b) When the link state acquired by the acquisition unit 14 is a disconnected state, the wireless communication device operates in a wireless mode in which frames can be transferred between the device-side IF 11 and the wireless IF 12.

  That is, when operating in the wired mode, the transfer unit 15 transfers the received frame to the wired IF 13 and provides it to the communication device 20 via the wired IF 13 and the wired link 34 when the device side IF 11 receives the frame. To do. Further, when the frame is received by the wired IF 13, the transfer unit 15 transfers the received frame to the device-side IF 11 and provides the communication device 30 via the device-side IF 11. On the other hand, when operating in the wireless mode, when the frame is received by the device-side IF 11, the transfer unit 15 transfers the received frame to the wireless IF 12 and provides it to the communication device 20 via the wireless IF 12 and the wireless link 32. To do. In addition, when the frame is received by the wireless IF 12, the transfer unit 15 transfers the received frame to the device-side IF 11 and provides the communication device 30 via the device-side IF 11.

  As described above, the wireless IF 12 always tries to establish the wireless link 32 by the wireless IF 12 even when the transfer unit 15 is operating in the wired mode, and the wireless link 32 is successfully established. In such a case, the established wireless link 32 is maintained. If the establishment of the wireless link 32 is started after switching to the wireless mode, it is necessary to perform communication for authentication and belonging before starting communication on the wireless link 32. Even if the transfer unit 15 is operating in the wired mode, if the wireless link 32 is maintained, after the transfer unit 15 switches from the wired mode to the wireless mode, communication for authentication and attribution is required. Therefore, there is an advantage that communication can be started using the wireless link 32 in a relatively short time.

  A configuration in which the wired IF 13 and the wireless IF 12 can be communicably connected to the wired IF 23 and the wireless IF 22 of the communication device 20 will be described as an example. At this time, the communication device 20 corresponds to a first device.

  Note that the communication device 10 may communicate with a communication device (corresponding to the second device) different from the communication device 20 in the wireless mode. The configuration in this case will be described in the following modifications.

  On the other hand, the communication device 20 includes an NW (network) side IF 21, a wireless IF 22, a wired IF 23, an acquisition unit 24, and a transfer unit 25.

  The NW-side IF 21 is a communication interface for connecting to the network 40. The NW-side IF 21 is a communication interface that conforms to, for example, the IEEE 802.3 series standard. The NW-side IF 21 is an example of an external interface that is connected to an external communication device.

  The NW-side IF 21 has one or more physical ports (hereinafter also simply referred to as ports). Here, an example in which the NW-side IF 21 has three ports 21A, 21B, and 21C will be described. The ports 21A, 21B, and 21C function as bridge ports that bridge-transfer frames (layer 2 transfer) between the ports. In FIG. 2, as an example, a state where a LAN cable related to the network 40 is connected to the port 21A and nothing is connected to the ports 21B and 21C is shown. Since the NW-side IF 21 includes a plurality of ports 21A and the like, a new communication device can be easily connected to the network 40.

  The wireless IF 22 is a wireless communication interface that performs wireless communication. The wireless IF 22 can establish a wireless link 32 with the wireless IF 12 of the communication device 10 and can communicate with the communication device 10 through the wireless link 32. The wireless IF 22 is a standard communication interface that conforms to the wireless IF 12.

  The wired IF 23 is a wired communication interface that performs wired communication. The wired IF 23 is connected to the wired IF 13 of the communication device 10 with a communication cable, establishes a wired link 34, and can communicate with the communication device 10 through the wired link 34. The wired IF 23 is a standard communication interface that conforms to the wired IF 13.

  The acquisition unit 24 is a processing unit that acquires the link state of the wired IF 23. The acquisition unit 24 has the same function as the acquisition unit 14 of the communication device 10.

  The transfer unit 25 is a processing unit that transfers a frame between the NW-side IF 21 and the wireless IF 22 or the wired IF 23. The transfer unit 15 can operate in one of two operation modes, a wired mode and a wireless mode. That is, (a) when the link state acquired by the acquisition unit 24 is a connection state, the wired unit operates in a wired mode in which frames can be transferred between the NW-side IF 21 and the wired IF 23, and (b) the acquisition unit 24 When the link state acquired by is a disconnected state, the wireless communication device operates in a wireless mode in which frames can be transferred between the NW-side IF 21 and the wireless IF 22.

  The transfer unit 25 has the same function as the transfer unit 15 of the communication device 10. However, “device side IF11” in the description of the transfer unit 15 is replaced with “NW side IF21”.

  The operation of the communication device 10 configured as described above will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a method for controlling the communication device 10 executed by the communication device 10 according to the present embodiment.

  In step S101, the acquisition unit 14 acquires the link state of the wired IF 13. The acquisition unit 14 provides the acquired link state to the transfer unit 15.

  In step S102, the transfer unit 15 acquires the link state of the wired IF 13 from the acquisition unit 14, and determines whether the acquired link state is a connection state. If the link state is a connected state (Yes in step S102), the process proceeds to step S103. If the link state is not a connected state (that is, a disconnected state) (No in step S102), the process proceeds to step S104.

  In step S103, the transfer unit 15 operates in the wired mode. If the transfer unit 15 has already been operating in the wired mode, the transfer unit 15 maintains the operation in the wired mode. If the transfer unit 15 has been operating in the wireless mode, the transfer unit 15 changes to the wired mode and operates. When changing from the wireless mode to the wired mode, the IP address used by the communication device 30 for communication is not changed. When step S103 is completed, the processing from step S101 is executed again.

  In step S104, the transfer unit 15 operates in the wireless mode. The transfer unit 15 maintains the operation in the wireless mode when already operating in the wireless mode, and operates by changing to the wireless mode when operating in the wired mode. When changing from the wired mode to the wireless mode, the IP address used by the communication device 30 for communication is not changed. When step S104 is completed, the processing from step S101 is executed again.

  The communication device 20 also executes a series of processes shown in FIG. 3 independently of the communication device 10. For example, when the wired link 34 is established, both the transfer units 15 and 25 operate in the wired mode (step S103 above). At this time, communication between the communication device 30 and the communication device 42 is performed through the wired link 34. When the wired link 34 is disconnected, the transfer units 15 and 25 independently change the operation mode to the wireless mode (step S104 above), and the communication between the communication device 30 and the communication device 42 is performed by the wired link 34. Can be switched through. When the operation mode is switched, the IP address used by the communication device 30 is not changed. Therefore, even if the communication path is switched in a state where the communication device 30 and the communication device 42 have established the TCP session, the established TCP session is not disconnected.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a communication mode in the wired mode and a first communication mode in the wireless mode by the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment. 4 shows a communication path when the communication device 30 and the communication device 42 communicate with each other. The communication path (a) when the transfer unit 15 and the like operate in the wired mode, and the transfer unit 15 and the like are in the wireless mode. The communication path (b) in the case of operating in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, in the wired mode, the wired IF 13 of the communication device 10 and the wired IF 23 of the communication device 20 are connected by a wired link 34. In addition, the transfer unit 15 and the transfer unit 25 each operate in a wired mode. In this way, communication between the communication device 30 and the communication device 42 is performed via the wired link 34. FIG. 4A corresponds to a situation in which, for example, in the office, the communication device 20 and the communication device 30 to which the communication device 10 is connected are placed on the user's desk and the communication device 30 is being used.

  In the state of FIG. 4A, when the wired link 34 is disconnected due to disconnection of the communication cable or the like, the transfer unit 15 and the transfer unit 25 operate by changing to the wireless mode independently.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, in the wireless mode, the wireless IF 12 of the communication device 10 and the wireless IF 22 of the communication device 20 are connected by a wireless link 32. In addition, the transfer unit 15 and the transfer unit 25 each operate in a wireless mode. In this way, communication between the communication device 30 and the communication device 42 is performed via the wireless link 32. FIG. 4B corresponds to a situation in which, for example, in the office, the user carries away the communication device 30 to which the communication device 10 is connected, and continues to use the communication device 30 in a conference room or the like.

  In the state of FIG. 4B, when the wired link 34 is in a connected state due to insertion of a communication cable or the like, the transfer unit 15 and the transfer unit 25 operate by changing to the wired mode, respectively.

  When such an operation mode is changed, the IP address used by the communication device 30 is not changed. Therefore, a TCP session or the like is maintained even when the operation mode is changed.

  Hereinafter, an example of a method for realizing each of the communication devices 10 and 20 on a general Linux (registered trademark) OS (Operating System) will be described in detail. Here, USB Ether Gadget (g_ether) and Bridge (brctl) are used.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a method for realizing the communication devices 10 and 20 according to the present embodiment on a Linux (registered trademark) OS.

  (1) In the communication device 10, the USB device port is bound as an Ether device by loading USB Ether Gadget (g_ether) with the modprobe command. Thereby, the network interface usb0 is created. The same applies to the communication device 20.

  (2) Load the wireless communication interface driver with the insmod command to create the network interface wlan0. The same applies to the communication device 20.

  (3) The network interface eth0 is created in the host port by connecting the host port of the communication device 10 to the device port of the communication device 20 that is an Ether device by USB Ether Gadget (g_ether).

  (4) In the communication device 10, a bridge interface br0 is created by a brctl command, and br0 and usb0 are bridge-connected. When the wired link 34 is established, br0 and eth0 are bridge-connected. Thereby, the wired mode of the transfer unit 15 is realized. The same applies to the communication device 20.

  (5) When the communication device 10 detects disconnection of the wired link 34, the bridge of eth0 is deleted and switched to the bridge of br0 and wlan0. Thereby, the wireless mode of the transfer unit 15 is realized. The same applies to the communication device 20.

  In this manner, each of the communication devices 10 and 20 can be specifically realized on a Linux (registered trademark) OS.

(Modification 1 of embodiment)
In the present modification, a configuration in which the communication device 10 communicates with a communication device different from the communication device 20 in the wireless mode will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second mode of communication in the wireless mode by the communication device 10 according to the present modification.

  A base station 44 shown in FIG. 6 is a base station apparatus connected to the network 40. The wireless IF 12 of the communication device 10 establishes a wireless link 36 with the base station 44. Communication between the communication device 30 and the communication device 42 is performed through the network 40 via the wireless link 36 and the base station 44. Here, the base station 44 corresponds to a second device different from the communication device 20 corresponding to the first device. That is, the wired IF 13 can be communicably connected to the wired IF 23 of the communication device 20, and the wireless IF 12 can be communicably connected to the wireless IF of the base station 44 different from the communication device 20. In this way, when switching between the wired mode and the wireless mode, the IP address used by the communication device 30 is not changed, and the established TCP session is not disconnected.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the communication device 10A according to the present modification.

  As illustrated in FIG. 7, the communication device 10 </ b> A includes a device-side IF 11, a wireless IF 12, a wired IF 13, an acquisition unit 14, a transfer unit 15, and a setting unit 16. Since the components other than the setting unit 16 are the same as those in the embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  The setting unit 16 is a processing unit that receives control information of the wireless IF 12 in advance and sets the received control information in the wireless IF 12. The control information includes information necessary for wireless communication by the wireless IF 12, and specifically includes information such as a channel, an SSID (Service Set Identifier), and an encryption method. The setting unit 16 acquires control information for the wireless IF 12 to establish and connect to the base station 44 and the wireless link 36 by an appropriate method, and sets the acquired setting information in the wireless IF 12. The control information may be received by a method of acquiring information manually input by the user of the communication device 30 via the device-side IF 11 or a method of acquiring the information from another device by communication or the like.

  Since the setting unit 16 acquires the setting information of the wireless IF 12 for connecting to the base station 44, the communication device 10A can appropriately establish the wireless link 36 with the base station 44.

(Modification 2 of embodiment)
A method of sharing setting information between the communication device 10 and the communication device 20 will be described in this modification.

  As described in the above embodiment, the communication device 10 and the communication device 20 are used in pairs because they need to have control information common to the setting information of the wireless IF. However, due to a failure or loss of the communication device 10 or 20, one of the devices may be exchanged, and the control information may not be shared.

  According to the communication device 10 and the communication device 20 of this modification, control information can be easily shared with each other.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the communication system 1B according to the present modification. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a method for sharing setting information by the communication devices 10 and 20 according to the present modification.

  As illustrated in FIG. 8, the communication system 1B includes a communication device 10B and a communication device 20B.

  The communication device 10B includes a device-side IF 11, a wireless IF 12, a wired IF 13, an acquisition unit 14, a transfer unit 15, and a setting unit 16A. Since the components other than the setting unit 16A are the same as those in the embodiment, description thereof is omitted. The wired IF 13, the acquisition unit 14, and the transfer unit 15 are not shown.

  The communication device 20B includes an NW-side IF 21, a wireless IF 22, a wired IF 23, an acquisition unit 24, a transfer unit 25, and a setting unit 26. Since the components other than the setting unit 26 are the same as those in the embodiment, description thereof is omitted. The NW-side IF 21, the acquisition unit 24, and the transfer unit 25 are not shown.

  Then, the device-side IF 11 of the communication device 10B and the wired IF 23 of the communication device 20B can be communicably connected. In order to connect in this way, it is preferable that the device-side IF 11 of the communication device 10B and the wired IF 23 of the communication device 20B are compatible interfaces (for example, USB standard interface). However, the device-side IF 11 of the communication device 10B and the wired IF 23 of the communication device 20B may be interfaces that are not compatible with each other. In this case, connection is performed using a converter or a conversion cable having an interface conversion function. Can be done.

  Processing for copying the control information of the wireless IF 22 of the communication device 20 to the control information of the wireless IF 12 of the communication device 10 will be described. The flow of information in this process is indicated by solid arrows in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the device-side IF 11 of the communication device 10B and the wired IF 23 of the communication device 20B are connected, the control information of the wireless IF 22 of the communication device 20 is copied to the control information of the wireless IF 12 of the communication device 10. Is done.

  The setting unit 26 is a processing unit that sets control information common to the wireless IF 12 of the communication device 10B and the wireless IF 22 of the communication device 20B. The setting unit 26 determines whether the wired IF 23 is connected to the device-side IF 11 of the communication device 10B. When it is determined that the wired IF 23 is connected to the wireless IF 12, the setting unit 26 acquires control information from the wireless IF 22, and provides the acquired control information to the communication device 10B via the wired IF 23. An arbitrary method can be adopted as a method for the setting unit 26 to determine whether or not the wired IF 23 is connected to the device-side IF 11. For example, the apparatus IF 11 is configured to output a predetermined signal, and when the wired IF 23 receives the predetermined signal, the setting unit 26 determines that the wired IF 23 is connected to the apparatus IF 11. It can be determined.

  The setting unit 16A is a processing unit that sets control information common to the wireless IF 12 of the communication device 10B and the wireless IF 22 of the communication device 20B. The setting unit 16A determines whether or not the device-side IF 11 is connected to the wired IF 23 of the communication device 20B. When it is determined that the device-side IF 11 is connected to the wired IF 23, the setting unit 16A acquires control information provided by the communication device 20B and sets the control information in the wireless IF 12.

  In addition, the process similar to the above can also be performed to copy the control information of the wireless IF 12 of the communication device 10B to the control information of the wireless IF 22 of the communication device 20B. The flow of information in this case is indicated by broken arrows in FIG.

  As described above, the communication device according to the present embodiment uses the two interfaces, wireless and wired, according to the link state of the wired interface and transfers the frame. The IP address used by an external communication device or the like that performs communication using frame transfer by the communication device may be one, and the IP address by the external communication device or the like when switching the interface used by the communication device. No change is required. Therefore, the IP address of the communication device can be maintained when switching the communication interface used by the communication device, and as a result, the TCP session established by the communication device can be maintained.

  The communication device is connected to the communication device via the device-side interface and functions as an external communication interface. Then, the wireless and wired interfaces are selectively used according to the link state of the wired interface. At this time, one IP address used for communication is assigned by a driver in the communication apparatus. Therefore, when the communication apparatus using the communication device performs communication, it is not necessary to change the IP address by the communication apparatus when switching from one of the two interfaces to the other. Therefore, the IP address of the communication device can be maintained when switching the communication interface used by the communication device, and as a result, the TCP session established by the communication device can be maintained.

  The communication device is in a state where a wireless link is established when the transfer unit switches from the wired mode to the wireless mode. Therefore, since the communication for authentication and belonging is not required after the transfer unit switches to the wireless mode, communication can be started using the wireless link in a relatively short time.

  Further, the communication device can be connected to the first device through two interfaces, wireless and wired. As a result, the wired interface is used when the distance between the communication device and the first device is small and the connection by the cable is possible, and the wireless interface is used when the separation distance is large and the connection by the cable is impossible. As used, communication with the first device can be continued while switching between the two interfaces.

  In addition, the communication device can continue communication without changing the IP address by connecting to a second device that is accessible via a wireless interface and is different from the first device.

  In addition, the setting unit can set control information necessary for the communication device to connect to the second device via the wireless interface in the wireless interface.

  In addition, the communication device, specifically, a TCP session established by the communication device at the time of interface switching between a wireless interface compliant with the IEEE 802.11 series wireless communication standard and a wired interface compliant with the USB standard. Etc. can be maintained.

  Further, the communication device is connected to a wired network, and uses two interfaces, wireless and wired, according to the link state of the wired interface. Therefore, when the communication apparatus using the communication device performs communication, it is not necessary to change the IP address by the communication apparatus when switching from one of the two interfaces to the other. Therefore, the IP address can be maintained when the communication interface used by the communication device is switched, and as a result, the TCP session established by the communication device can be maintained.

  In addition, since a new communication device can be easily connected to the network, operations such as flexible network configuration changes are possible.

  The communication system uses communication between the first communication device and the second communication device in accordance with the link state of the wired interface. Therefore, when the communication device using the communication system performs communication, it is not necessary to change the IP address by the communication device when switching from one of the two interfaces to the other. Therefore, when the communication interface used by the communication system is switched, the IP address of the communication device can be maintained, and as a result, the TCP session established by the communication device can be maintained.

  Further, the communication system can set control information common to the wireless interface between the first communication device and the second communication device. When at least one of the communication devices is replaced, a state in which the control information of the wireless interface is not common may occur. In such a case, the communication system can easily set control information common to the wireless interface between the communication devices.

  Although the communication device and the like of the present invention have been described based on the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Unless it deviates from the meaning of this invention, the form which carried out the various deformation | transformation which those skilled in the art can think to this embodiment, and the structure constructed | assembled combining the component in different embodiment is also contained in the scope of the present invention. .

  The present invention can be applied to a communication device that maintains a TCP session or the like when a communication interface to be used is switched.

1, 1B communication system 10, 10A, 10B, 20, 20B communication equipment 11 device side IF
12, 22 Wireless IF
13, 23 Wired IF
14, 24 Acquisition unit 15, 25 Transfer unit 16, 16A, 26 Setting unit 21 NW-side IF
21A, 21B, 21C Port 30, 42 Communication device 32, 36 Wireless link 34 Wired link 40 Network 44 Base station

Claims (12)

An external interface connected to an external communication device or network;
A wireless interface;
A wired interface;
An acquisition unit for acquiring a link state of the wired interface;
(A) When the link state acquired by the acquisition unit is a connection state, the link unit operates in a wired mode capable of transferring a frame between the external interface and the wired interface;
(B) a transfer unit that operates in a wireless mode capable of transferring frames between the external interface and the wireless interface when the link state acquired by the acquisition unit is a disconnected state; machine. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the external interface is a device-side interface connected to a communication device. The transfer unit
The communication device according to claim 2, wherein even when operating in the wired mode, an attempt is made to establish a wireless link by the wireless interface, and when the establishment is successful, the established wireless link is maintained. . The wired interface is communicably connected to the wired interface of the first device,
The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the wireless interface is communicably connected to the wireless interface of the first device. The wired interface is communicably connected to the wired interface of the first device,
The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the wireless interface is communicably connected to a wireless interface of a second device different from the first device. The communication device further includes:
The communication device according to claim 5, further comprising a setting unit configured to receive setting of control information of the wireless interface and set the received control information to a wireless interface. The wireless interface performs wireless communication conforming to the wireless communication standard of IEEE 802.11 series,
The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the wired interface performs wired communication in conformity with a USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the external interface is a network side interface connected to a wired network. The communication device according to claim 8, wherein the network side interface has a plurality of physical ports. A first communication device which is the communication device according to any one of claims 2 to 7,
A second communication device which is the communication device according to claim 8 or 9,
The wireless interface of the first communication device and the wireless interface of the second communication device are communicably connected to each other,
A communication system in which the wired interface of the first communication device and the wired interface of the second communication device are communicably connected to each other. Each of the first communication device and the second communication device is:
The communication system according to claim 10, further comprising a setting unit configured to set control information common to the wireless interface of the first communication device and the wireless interface of the second communication device. A method for controlling a communication device comprising an external interface connected to an external communication device or network, a wireless interface, and a wired interface,
An acquisition step of acquiring a link state of the wired interface;
(A) When the link state acquired in the acquisition step is a connection state, the link interface operates in a wired mode capable of transferring a frame between the external interface and the wired interface;
And (b) a transfer step that operates in a wireless mode in which a frame can be transferred between the external interface and the wireless interface when the link state acquired in the acquisition step is a disconnected state. Method.

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