JP4258334B2 - Communication device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device that performs data communication using radio waves, and particularly relates to a communication device that forms a home network at home.

  In recent years, white appliances such as air conditioners and refrigerators, security devices such as intrusion sensors, and home controllers installed in the home are connected wirelessly and connected to a mobile phone via the home controller. In-home network systems have been developed that control devices such as air conditioners and notify security information in the home to a home away from home via a mobile phone.

  In Japan, the Echonet (R) standard has been established as an industry standard for the above-mentioned home network system. In the wireless network system using the Echonet (R) standard, each device constituting the network has two identification codes. One is a wireless system identification code that is assigned to each home and is common to all devices belonging to one home. The other one is a device identification code that is assigned a different code for each device. In order to perform communication between two devices, it is necessary to transmit by specifying that the wireless system identification code matches and that the communication device identification code is specified.

The wireless system identification code and device identification code are allocated from the home controller. A plurality of devices are connected to the home controller wirelessly. According to the Echonet (R) standard, it is determined that a plurality of channels are carrier-sensed and transmitted through vacant channels. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a communication device that performs communication using a plurality of channels (for example, see Patent Document 1) performs communication on another channel that does not have a carrier when a carrier is detected in a channel that the user is trying to communicate with.
JP 2002-300630 A

  However, communication is not always possible if the channel is free. The conventional configuration will be described using a home network as shown in FIG. Here, it is assumed that there are a plurality of channels, and all three devices A, B, and C belong to the same communication system. For example, when a transmission request event from A to B occurs, A detects an empty channel and transmits on channel 1, and B receives the radio wave. It is possible for C to attempt transmission to B during communication from A to B if there is an empty channel other than channel 1. However, B is already receiving radio waves from A, and cannot receive radio waves from C. Thus, there was a problem that communication was not possible even if the channel was free.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a communication apparatus that detects not only a communication channel but also a communication partner and communication within a communication system.

In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the present invention relates to a device in which a device identification code of a transmission source or a transmission destination is a communication partner to be transmitted in any channel among signals received by a wireless reception unit. When the identification code detection means detects, the wireless reception means continues receiving until the device identification code received on the channel is no longer the communication partner to be transmitted, and then provides a predetermined delay time, which is a wireless delay time. The shorter the time the receiving means receives on the channel, the longer it is set.

As a result, transmission to devices that are already communicating is not started, devices that have been waiting for communication are not started to communicate at the same time, wasteful transmission can be eliminated , and waiting for a long time. Priority can be given to existing equipment.

The communication apparatus provided with the carrier detection means and the wireless system identification code detection means of the present invention can eliminate useless transmission and give priority to a device that has been waiting for a long time.

A first invention is a communication device that performs wireless communication using a channel group composed of a plurality of channels, and detects whether a channel to be wirelessly transmitted prior to wireless transmission is open, Wireless transmission means comprising: a wireless reception means; a device identification code detection means for detecting a device identification code indicating a transmission source or a transmission destination from signals received by the wireless reception means; and a control means for controlling the means. Prior to the above, by performing the following operation (A) or (B), it is possible to give priority to a long-waiting device.
(A) Of the signals received by the wireless reception means, when the device identification code detection means does not detect that the source or destination device identification code is a communication partner to be transmitted in any channel, The vacant channel is detected by the carrier detection means, and the control means sets the transmission channel to one of the vacant channels and wirelessly transmits.
(B) When the device identification code detection means detects that the source or destination device identification code is a communication partner to be transmitted in any channel among the signals received by the wireless reception means The wireless receiving means continues to receive until the device identification code received on the channel is no longer the communication partner to be transmitted, and then provides a predetermined delay time and then again (A) or (B) The delay time is set longer as the time that the wireless reception means receives on the channel is shorter.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by this embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows a communication apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, 1 is an antenna of a communication apparatus, 2 is a wireless transmission means, 3 is a wireless reception means, 4 is a carrier detection means, 5 is a wireless system identification code detection means, 6 is a device identification code detection means, and 7 is a control means. , 8 are delay time generating means. 2 is a diagram showing a data format based on the Echonet standard, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a use state of radio waves in the radio system of the communication device, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing radio wave conditions of a communication destination of the communication device. Therefore, the operation will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Consider a case where there are at least four devices A, B, C, and D in the home, all four devices belong to the same wireless system, and each device is equipped with the communication device of FIG. First, it is assumed that a transmission request event addressed to A occurs in B. Then, B transmits a radio wave addressed to A on channel 1 as shown in FIG. 3, and A is receiving on channel 1 as shown in the figure.

  Now, in the Echonet standard, the data format of the transmission radio wave is as shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, (1) shows the entire data format configuration. In (1) of FIG. 2, section (a) is called a header portion and corresponds to intermittent reception, so that the bit (synchronization signal 1 + frame synchronization signal 1 + data signal 1) is one block and is longer than the intermittent reception cycle. The block is repeatedly transmitted N times. The section (b) is called an information part. The section (C) is a signal indicating the end of transmission, but may not be present. The detailed configuration of data 1 is shown in (2) of FIG. The detailed configuration of data 2 is shown in (3) of FIG. The data 1 includes a receiving device identification code indicating a destination and a partial radio system identification code which is a part of the radio system identification code. The partial radio system identification code is a radio system identification code divided into three parts. Data 2 includes a wireless system identification code and a transmission device identification code indicating a transmission source. The normal section (a) occupies a longer time than the section (b).

In FIG. 3, it is assumed that a transmission request event addressed to A occurs in B. Then, B transmits a radio wave addressed to A on channel 1, and A is receiving as shown in the figure. Next, when a transmission request event addressed to A occurs in C at the timing shown in FIG. 3 , C receives radio waves of a plurality of channels by the wireless reception means 2 prior to transmission, and whether A as a transmission partner is communicating. Check if.

In order to confirm whether or not A as a transmission partner is communicating, it is checked whether or not the transmission destination or transmission source of the radio wave detected in any channel in the channel group is A. Then, the Knowing that A is communicating a transmission partner from any channel, C is continued to receive the radio wave of the channel by the radio receiving unit 3, A communication end as soon radio system identification code detection If the means 5 is activated and communication is not performed in the same communication system, transmission to A is started.

On the other hand, if the transmission partner is not communicating, as shown in FIG. 4, a vacant channel is found by the carrier detection means 4 and transmission is started. For example, in Figure 4, A is a case of detecting a radio wave in any channel in the channel group, detecting the destination or source of the radio wave by the device identification code detection means 6 or not in B, the If the radio wave transmission destination or transmission source is not B, the carrier detection means 4 finds a vacant channel and starts transmission. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, when D detects a radio wave in any channel in the channel group, the device identification code detection means 6 can detect that the transmission destination or transmission source of the radio wave is not C. When D is detected , D finds a free channel by the carrier detection means 4 and starts communication.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 5 shows a radio wave situation using the delay time of the communication device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  In the first embodiment, the order in which communication should be performed immediately after a transmission request occurs with a certain device has been described. However, in this embodiment, transmission cannot be performed immediately after a transmission request occurs, and a certain amount of time has been awaited. The timing at which the second and subsequent transmissions should be performed will be described later.

  In FIG. 5, it is assumed that a transmission request event addressed to B first occurs in A (12a in FIG. 5). Then, A transmits a radio wave addressed to B and is being transmitted from A to B as indicated by 11a in FIG.

In FIG. 5, next, when a transmission request event addressed to A occurs at D at the timing 12b in FIG. 5, D is already performed in the wireless system to which D belongs through the same steps as in the first embodiment prior to transmission. It is confirmed whether there is any communication that is present, and whether the other party A is communicating is also confirmed to enter a communication waiting state (9d).

  Next, similarly to C, a transmission request event addressed to A occurs at the timing 12c in FIG. Like D, C goes through the same steps as in the first embodiment, detects that A is transmitting, and enters a state of waiting for communication (9b). D and C wait until the communication of A is completed, and as soon as the communication ends, after a certain delay time, the wireless system identification code detection means 5 is activated again to detect whether communication is being performed within the same communication system.

  The delay times 10a to 10d shown as delays in FIG. In order to prevent two or more devices from starting transmission at the same time, the devices waiting on the same channel have different delay times for each device based on the device identification code detected by the device identification code detection device 6. 8 is provided.

  Here, how to provide the delay time will be described. For example, the delay time is set by multiplying the last 3 digits of the device serial number or device identification code by 0.01 seconds, or when the device serial number or device identification code is an even number, 0.1 seconds and 1 Is multiplied by an even number between 20 and 20 to set the delay time. Even if the serial number or device identification code is an odd number, the same calculation is performed, or the last digit of the serial number or device identification code is taken, and if it is 2, a multiple of 2 between 1 and 20 and 0.1 second are calculated. If the last digit is 3, there is a method of setting a delay time of 0.3 seconds obtained by multiplying a multiple of 3 and 0.1 seconds. In order to make the delay time more diverse, the last two digits may be used.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the delay time 10b of C is 2 seconds and the delay time 10d of D is different from 1 second, and D, which has the short delay time, next communicates with A as in the first embodiment. (12d). C, who has a long delay time, must wait until the communication between A and D ends again, but during this waiting time 9c, a transmission request addressed to A is generated at B at the timing 12f in FIG.

  B, like C, must wait until the communication between A and D ends. As soon as communication between A and D is completed, B sets 1.5 seconds of delay time 10a, C starts wireless system identification code detection means 5 after 1 second of delay time 10c, and communication is performed within the same communication system. Detect if not done. Here, the delay time generation means 8 provides a new delay time to each device every time communication is waited so that the first delay time of C is 2 seconds and the second delay time is 1 second.

  Further, the control means 7 measures the communication waiting time of each device, and gives a device having a short delay time to a device waiting for a longer time than a certain waiting time, to a device having a time shorter than a certain waiting time. Can be provided with a long delay time. For example, if the fixed time is 1.5 seconds, 2 seconds of the first waiting time 9d of D is longer than 1.5 seconds, so a short delay time of 1 second is provided, and the first waiting time of C Since 1 second of 9b is shorter than 1.5 seconds, a long delay time of 2 seconds is provided. Here, one fixed time is set, but two times may be set as threshold values, and the delay time may be divided into three stages.

  Also, instead of providing different delay times for each device, it is also possible to group a plurality of devices and provide different delay times for each group. Further, the delay time provided by the delay time generating means 8 or the control means 7 can be set for each device group in advance. For example, since devices such as security are highly urgent, it is possible to register a short delay time in advance in the delay time generating means 8 so that communication can be preferentially performed after waiting for communication.

  In this case, it is necessary to set the delay time in the delay time generating means 8 of the device other than the security so that the delay time is equal to or longer than the security device. When the security delay time is set to 0.1 seconds, the delay time of the other device is set to 0.1 seconds multiplied by an integer from 2 to 20, for example.

  Further, all or a part of the configuration shown in FIG. 1 can be configured using a microcomputer. The present invention may be programmed and executed by a microcomputer.

  As described above, the communication device according to the present invention performs transmission after confirming the communication partner's wireless system and the communication partner's status, so that it can be used for applications such as a network using a plurality of devices outside the home. Is also applicable.

Configuration diagram of communication apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention Data format diagram based on the Echonet standard FIG. 3 is a radio wave condition diagram in the wireless system of the communication device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Radio wave condition diagram of communication destination of communication apparatus in embodiment 1 of the present invention Radio wave condition diagram using delay time of communication device in embodiment 2 of the present invention Radio wave status diagram of conventional communication equipment

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Antenna 2 Wireless transmission means 3 Wireless reception means 4 Carrier detection means 5 Wireless system identification code detection means 6 Equipment identification code detection means 7 Control means 8 Delay time generation means

Claims (1)

A communication device for performing wireless communication using a channel group composed of a plurality of channels, carrier detection means for detecting whether a channel to be wirelessly transmitted prior to wireless transmission is open, wireless reception means, A device identification code detection unit that detects a device identification code indicating a transmission source or a transmission destination from signals received by the wireless reception unit, and a control unit that controls each of the units, and prior to wireless transmission, the following ( A communication apparatus that performs the operation of A) or (B) .
(A) Of the signals received by the wireless reception means, when the device identification code detection means does not detect that the source or destination device identification code is a communication partner to be transmitted in any channel, The vacant channel is detected by the carrier detection means, and the control means sets the transmission channel to one of the vacant channels and wirelessly transmits.
(B) When the device identification code detection means detects that the source or destination device identification code is a communication partner to be transmitted in any channel among the signals received by the wireless reception means The wireless receiving means continues to receive until the device identification code received on the channel is no longer the communication partner to be transmitted, and then provides a predetermined delay time and then again (A) or (B) The delay time is set longer as the time that the wireless reception means receives on the channel is shorter.

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