JP4890290B2 - Wireless communication apparatus, communication control method, communication system, and communication control support terminal - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless communication device, a communication control method, a communication system, and a communication control support terminal, and more particularly to a wireless communication system, communication control method, communication system, and communication control support capable of measuring a distance with a communication partner. Regarding terminals.

  In recent years, wired or wireless communication systems have become widespread in offices and homes. In such a communication system, how to increase the security level is important. For example, unlike a wired communication system, a wireless communication system can be accessed from anywhere.

Therefore, in order to deal with unauthorized access in a conventional wireless communication system, an access restriction function has been realized by setting information on accessible devices (communication devices) in advance by an administrator or the like (for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2003-204338 A

  However, in order to cope with unauthorized access in a conventional wireless communication system, it is necessary for an administrator or the like to set information on a communication device that can be accessed in advance. Wireless communication systems often carry and use communication devices such as notebook computers. In such a case, for example, if an access restriction is made such that only a communication device in the room can be accessed, the administrator or the like can access the information on the communication device that can be accessed each time a new communication device enters the room. Had to be reset and was not realistic.

  In addition, for example, when a conference participant brings a communication device to a meeting area or the like and attempts to restrict access so that only the communication device of the participant can access, the administrator or the like can access the device every time a new conference is held. It was necessary to reset information on possible communication devices, which was not realistic.

  Furthermore, in a conventional wireless communication system, for example, it is not possible to easily perform a highly flexible operation at a high security level such as dividing a room into a plurality of ranges and restricting access for each range.

  As described above, the conventional wireless communication system has a problem that access control with a high security level cannot be easily performed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wireless communication device, a communication control method, a communication system, and a communication control support terminal that can easily perform access control with a high security level. .

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention is a wireless communication apparatus capable of measuring a distance to a communication partner, based on communication with a communication control support terminal that indicates a reference point. A reference point acquiring means for acquiring a reference point, a distance measuring means for measuring a distance from the communication control support terminal, and a distance between at least three reference points of the communication control support terminal and the communication control support terminal. And a position calculation means for calculating the position of the own apparatus, and a communication availability determination means for determining communication availability based on a range specified by reference points of at least three communication control support terminals. To do.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a communication control method for a wireless communication apparatus capable of measuring a distance to a communication partner, based on communication with a communication control support terminal that indicates a reference point. A reference point obtaining step for obtaining a reference point designated by the communication control support terminal; a distance measuring step for measuring a distance from the communication control support terminal; and at least three reference points of the communication control support terminal and the communication control A position calculating step for calculating the position of the own device based on a distance from the support terminal; a communication enable / disable determining step for determining communication enable / disable based on a range specified by reference points of at least three of the communication control support terminals; It is characterized by having.

  In order to solve the above problem, the present invention is a communication system having a wireless communication device capable of measuring a distance to a communication partner and at least three communication control support terminals for indicating a reference point, The wireless communication apparatus measures a distance between a reference point acquisition unit that acquires a reference point indicated by the communication control support terminal and a communication control support terminal based on communication with a communication control support terminal that specifies a reference point Based on the distance between the distance measurement means, the reference points of the at least three communication control support terminals and the communication control support terminal, the position calculation means for calculating the position of the own device, and at least three communication control support And a communication availability determination unit that determines communication availability based on a range specified by a reference point of the terminal.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a communication control support terminal that communicates with a wireless communication apparatus capable of measuring a distance to a communication partner, and based on communication with the wireless communication apparatus, It has a position transmission means which transmits a position to the said radio | wireless communication apparatus as a position for specifying a communication permission range.

  Furthermore, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a communication control support terminal that communicates with a wireless communication apparatus capable of measuring a distance to a communication partner, and based on communication with the wireless communication apparatus, It has a position transmission means which transmits a position to the said radio | wireless communication apparatus as a position for specifying a communication prohibition range.

  In addition, what applied the component, expression, or arbitrary combination of the component of this invention to a method, an apparatus, a system, a computer program, a recording medium, a data structure, etc. is also effective as an aspect of this invention.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a wireless communication apparatus, a communication control method, a communication system, and a communication control support terminal that can easily perform access control with a high security level.

  Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described based on the following embodiments with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a PC on the host side and a printer (PRN) on the device side are described as examples of the wireless communication apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to the PC and the printer. For example, the wireless communication device may be a multifunction peripheral (MFP).

  In this embodiment, a marker is described as an example of a communication control support terminal that indicates a reference point, a communication permitted range, or a communication prohibited range. However, any terminal that indicates a reference point, a communication permitted range, or a communication prohibited range is used. There may be.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an example of a PC. The PC 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a configuration including a PC control unit 10, a wireless communication unit 11, an operation unit 12, a display unit 13, and a storage unit 14. The wireless communication unit 11 performs wireless communication by a communication method using WiMedia (registered trademark) capable of measuring the distance to the communication partner with high accuracy in the physical layer. The operation unit 12 receives an operation from the operator. The display unit 13 performs display for the operator. The storage unit 14 stores various information necessary for controlling the PC 1. The PC control unit 10 controls the wireless communication unit 11, the operation unit 12, the display unit 13, and the storage unit 14.

  The WiMedia (registered trademark) standard is described in European standard ECMA-368 defined by ECMA-International (European association for standardizing information and communication systems). For example, the method described in “14. Ranging and location awareness” of ECMA-368 can be used for measuring the distance to the communication partner. As a communication method using WiMedia (registered trademark) in the physical layer, there are wireless USB (registered trademark), wireless IEEE 1394, next-generation Bluetooth (registered trademark), Winet, and the like. Note that these communication systems that use WiMedia (registered trademark) in the physical layer use short pulse waves, and therefore, distance measurement with higher accuracy than conventional communication systems is possible.

  FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an example of a printer. The printer 2 shown in FIG. 2 includes a printer control unit 20, a printer display unit 21, a printer operation unit 22, a wireless communication unit 23, a storage unit 24, and a printer unit 25. The printer display unit 21 performs display for the operator. The printer operation unit 22 receives an operation from the operator. The wireless communication unit 23 performs wireless communication by a communication method using WiMedia (registered trademark) capable of measuring the distance to the communication partner with high accuracy in the physical layer.

  The storage unit 24 stores various information necessary for controlling the printer 2. The printer unit 25 performs printing on paper or the like. The printer control unit 20 controls the printer display unit 21, the printer operation unit 22, the wireless communication unit 23, the storage unit 24, and the printer unit 25.

  FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an example of a marker. The marker 3 shown in FIG. 3 has a configuration including a marker control unit 30, a wireless communication unit 31, and a storage unit 32. The wireless communication unit 31 performs wireless communication by a communication method using WiMedia (registered trademark) that can measure the distance to the communication partner with high accuracy in the physical layer. The storage unit 32 stores various information necessary for controlling the marker 3. The marker control unit 30 controls the wireless communication unit 31 and the storage unit 32.

  Note that a protocol stack using WiMedia (registered trademark) is as shown in FIG. 4, for example. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a protocol stack using WiMedia (registered trademark). A mechanism for measuring the distance is included in the WiMedia layer. For distance measurement, a protocol higher than the WiMedia layer is not essential. That is, the distance can be measured even if the marker has only the function of the portion of the WiMedia layer surrounded by the dotted line in FIG.

  The marker has only the function of the portion of the WiMedia layer surrounded by the dotted line in FIG. 4, thereby reducing power consumption and enabling battery driving. Since the battery can be driven, the marker can be used even without an AC power source. Further, by providing the marker only with the function of the portion of the WiMedia layer surrounded by the dotted line in FIG. 4, the function can be limited, so that the cost can be suppressed.

  Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments of the communication system using the PC 1, the printer 2, and the marker 3 will be described in detail.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication system according to the present invention. The communication system in FIG. 5 limits the range in which communication can be performed when there are a plurality of PCs 1 and printers 2 depending on the installation position of the marker 3.

  For example, in the communication system of FIG. 5, markers 3 a to 3 d indicating (indicating) reference points are installed at the four corners of the room 50. It is assumed that the coordinates of the reference point are set in advance in the markers 3a to 3d. In the communication system of FIG. 5, the room 50 is a communicable range. The PCs 1a to 1d and the printers 2a and 2b determine the communicable range and perform communication control as follows. Note that when referring to any of the PCs 1a to 1d, it is simply referred to as PC1. When referring to either of the printers 2a and 2b, it is simply called the printer 2.

  FIG. 6 is a processing block diagram of an example realized on the PC. The processing block diagram shown in FIG. 6 is realized on the PC 1 having the configuration shown in FIG. 6 functions as a reference point acquisition unit 61, a distance measurement unit 62, a position calculation unit 63, a communication availability determination unit 64, and a table unit 65.

  The reference point acquisition unit 61 performs wireless communication with the markers 3a to 3d, and acquires the positions (coordinates) of the reference points set in advance on the markers 3a to 3d. The distance measuring unit 62 measures the distance from the markers 3a to 3d by WiMedia (registered trademark) that can measure the distance to the communication partner with high accuracy.

  The position calculation unit 63 calculates the position (coordinates) of its own device by solving simultaneous equations from the positions of the reference points acquired from the markers 3a to 3d and the measured distances to the markers 3a to 3d. FIG. 7 is an image diagram showing processing of the position calculation unit.

  The reference points are three of the reference points acquired from the markers 3a to 3d. FIG. 7 shows an example in which the reference points are (0, 0), (1 + √3, 0), (1 + √3, 2). The distances from the position (X, Y) of the device to the reference points (0, 0), (1 + √3, 0), (1 + √3, 2) are 2, √2, and √2. Yes.

  At this time, the position (X, Y) of the device itself can be obtained by solving an equation consisting of the following equations (1) to (3).

2 = ((X-0) ² + (Y-0) ² ) ^1/2 (1)
√2 = ((X−1 + √3) ² + (Y−0) ² ) ^1/2 (2)
√2 = ((X−1 + √3) ² + (Y−2) ² ) ^1/2 (3)
Further, the communication feasibility determining unit 64 permits wireless communication when the position of the own apparatus is within the communicable range based on the communicable range surrounded by the reference points acquired from the markers 3a to 3d and the position of the own apparatus. The wireless communication is not permitted when the position of the own device is out of the communicable range. The table unit 65 holds the reference points acquired from the markers 3a to 3d, the calculated position of the own apparatus, and the received positions of other PCs 1 and 2 as position information.

  Note that the processing block diagram realized on the printer 2 is the same as the processing block diagram shown in FIG. 6 except for the processing block specific to the printer, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 8 is a processing block diagram of an example realized on the marker. The processing block diagram shown in FIG. 8 is realized on the marker 3 shown in FIG. The marker 3 in FIG. 8 functions as a reference point transmission unit 81 and a reference point holding unit 82.

  The reference point transmission unit 81 performs wireless communication with the PC 1 or the printer 2 and transmits a preset position of the reference point. Usually, the position of the reference point is the position of the marker 3. The reference point holding unit 82 holds the position of a reference point set in advance.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing for sharing position information. In the following description, the PC 1 and the printer 2 are collectively referred to as a terminal. In step S1, the terminal measures the distance to three or more reference points as described above.

  In step S2, the terminal calculates the position of the terminal from the position of the reference point and the distance to the reference point. In step S3, the terminal shares the calculated position of its own terminal with other terminals as position information, and therefore performs wireless communication with the other terminals and notifies each other of the positions. The terminal causes the table unit 65 to hold the notified position of the other terminal as position information.

  Proceeding to step S4, the terminal repeats the process of step S3 until sharing of the position information with all terminals is ended (NO in S4). When the terminal finishes sharing the position information with all terminals, the process of FIG. 9 ends (YES in S4).

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing at the time of terminal communication. Proceeding to step S11, the terminal determines whether or not the position of the own terminal is within the communicable range based on the communicable range surrounded by the reference points acquired from the markers 3a to 3d and the position of the own terminal.

  If the position of the terminal itself is within the communicable range, the terminal proceeds to step S12 and performs wireless communication. If the position of the terminal itself is not within the communicable range, the terminal ends the processing in FIG. 10 without performing wireless communication.

  In the communication system of FIG. 5, since the PCs 1a to 1c are within the communicable range, wireless communication can be executed. Note that since the PC 1d is out of the communicable range, wireless communication cannot be executed. In the communication system of FIG. 5, four reference points are used, but three reference points may be used as in the communication system of FIG. 11.

  In the case of the communication system of FIG. 11, it is assumed that the markers 3a to 3c are at three vertices of a quadrangle, and the position of the remaining one vertex is obtained by calculation. In the communication system according to the present invention, a terminal such as the PC 1 or the printer 2 may be used as a reference point instead of the marker 3. However, since the terminal is not always installed at the four corners of the room 50, if the terminal is to be used as a reference point, the position of the terminal used as the reference point must be measured. On the other hand, since the markers 3 can be easily installed at the four corners of the room 50, the positions of the respective markers 3 can be easily known from the vertical and horizontal lengths of the room.

  In the communication system according to the first embodiment, the reference point indicates the communicable range. In the communication system according to the second embodiment, in order to set a communication permission range in which communication is permitted and a communication prohibition range in which communication is prohibited in the room 50, in addition to a marker indicating a reference point, a communication permission range and a communication prohibition range are indicated. A marker is used.

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram of an example of a communication system according to the present invention in which a communication permission range is set by a plurality of markers. The communication system of FIG. 12 limits the communication permission range by the installation positions of the markers 4 a to 4 d when there are a plurality of PCs 1 and printers 2.

  For example, in the communication system of FIG. 12, markers 3 a to 3 d indicating reference points are installed at the four corners of the room 50. It is assumed that the coordinates of the reference point are set in advance in the markers 3a to 3d. In the communication system of FIG. 12, a range surrounded by the markers 4a to 4d is a communicable range. In the communication system according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 13, a predetermined range centered on the marker 5 may be a communicable range. FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram of an example of a communication system according to the present invention in which a communication permission range is set by one marker.

  The communication system of FIG. 12 or 13 may set a plurality of communication permission ranges. In the communication system of FIG. 12 or FIG. 13, the setting of the communication permission range by the plurality of markers 4 a to 4 c and the setting of the communication permission range by one marker 5 may be mixed.

  FIG. 14 is a configuration diagram of an example of a communication system according to the present invention in which a communication prohibited range is set by a plurality of markers. The communication system of FIG. 14 limits the communication prohibition range by the installation positions of the markers 6a to 6d when there are a plurality of PCs 1 and printers 2. The communication prohibited range can be used, for example, when it is desired to prohibit wireless communication in a meeting area used by people in other departments.

  In the communication system of FIG. 14, markers 3 a to 3 d indicating reference points are installed at the four corners of the room 50. It is assumed that the coordinates of the reference point are set in advance in the markers 3a to 3d. In the communication system of FIG. 14, a range surrounded by the markers 6a to 6d is a communication prohibited range. In the communication system according to the present invention, a predetermined range centered on the marker 5 may be the communication prohibited range, as in FIG. In the communication system of FIG. 14, the range of the room 50 other than the communication prohibited range is a communicable range.

  In the communication system according to the present invention, the setting of the communication prohibited range by the plurality of markers 6 a to 6 d and the setting of the communication prohibited range by the single marker 5 may be mixed. Furthermore, in the communication system according to the present invention, the communication permission range and the communication prohibition range may be mixed.

  For example, the markers 4a to 4c surrounding the communication permitted range and the markers 6a to 6d surrounding the communication prohibited range have appearances as shown in FIG. Since the marker shown in FIG. 15 is marked with “□”, it can indicate that the enclosed range is a communication permitted range or a communication prohibited range. By determining the marking color such that the communication permitted range is blue and the communication prohibited range is red, the marker shown in FIG. 15 indicates whether the enclosed range is the communication permitted range or the communication prohibited range. Can be expressed.

  On the other hand, the marker 5 placed at the center of the communication permitted range and the center of the communication prohibited range has an appearance as shown in FIG. The marker shown in FIG. 16 is marked with “◯” to indicate that the predetermined range centering on the marker 5 is the communication permitted range or the communication prohibited range. If the marking color is determined to be blue for the communication-permitted range and the communication-forbidden range is red, the marker shown in FIG. 16 indicates whether the enclosed range is the communication-permitted range or the communication-prohibited range. Can be expressed.

  The operator or the like only looks at the marking on the marker, and whether the marker represents the communication permitted range or the communication prohibited range, the range surrounded by the marker represents the communication permitted range or the communication prohibited range. It can be easily understood whether the predetermined range centered on the marker represents the communication permitted range or the communication prohibited range. When a plurality of communication permission ranges or communication prohibition ranges are set, markers may be grouped with numbers such as “□ 1”, “□ 2”, etc. in the communication system according to the present invention.

  The PCs 1a to 1c and the printers 2a and 2b determine the communication permitted range and the communication prohibited range as follows and perform communication control. Note that when referring to any of the PCs 1a to 1c, it is simply referred to as PC1. When referring to either of the printers 2a and 2b, it is simply called the printer 2.

  FIG. 17 is a processing block diagram of an example realized on the PC. The processing block diagram shown in FIG. 17 is realized on the PC 1 having the configuration shown in FIG. 17 functions as a reference point acquisition unit 61, a distance measurement unit 62, a position calculation unit 63, a communication availability determination unit 64, a table unit 65, a communication permitted range acquisition unit 66, and a communication prohibited range acquisition unit 67.

  The reference point acquisition unit 61 performs wireless communication with the markers 3a to 3d, and acquires the positions (coordinates) of the reference points set in advance on the markers 3a to 3d. The distance measuring unit 62 measures the distance from the markers 3a to 3d by WiMedia (registered trademark) that can measure the distance to the communication partner with high accuracy. The position calculation unit 63 calculates the position of the terminal by solving the simultaneous equations as described above from the position of the reference point acquired from the markers 3a to 3d and the measured distance to the markers 3a to 3d.

  The communication feasibility determining unit 64 determines whether the position of the own terminal is based on the communication permitted range acquired by the communication permitted range acquiring unit 66 described later and the communication prohibited range acquired by the communication prohibited range acquiring unit 67 and the position of the own terminal. Wireless communication is permitted when it is within the permitted range, and wireless communication is not permitted when the position of the terminal is outside the communication permitted range or within the communication prohibited range.

  The table unit 65 holds the reference point acquired from the markers 3a to 3d, the calculated position of the own terminal, and the received position of the other PC 1 or printer 2 as position information. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a table held by the table unit.

  The table shown in FIG. 18 is configured to include, as items, a device number, a reference point flag, a marker flag, a terminal flag, a specified type, a range specification, a group / prohibited (permitted) distance, a reference coordinate, and a calculated coordinate.

  The device number is information uniquely given to a terminal such as the PC 1 or the printer 2 or the marker 3. The reference point flag is information for identifying a marker indicating the reference point. The marker flag is information for identifying a marker indicating a communication permitted range or a communication prohibited range. The terminal flag is information for identifying a terminal such as the PC 1 or the printer 2.

  The designated type is information for identifying whether the marker identified by the marker flag indicates the communication permitted range or the communication prohibited range. The designated type is information for identifying whether the marker identified by the marker flag permits or prohibits association described later.

  The range designation is information for identifying whether the marker identified by the marker flag surrounds the communication permitted range or the communication prohibited range, or whether the marker indicates the center of the communication permitted range or the communication prohibited range.

  The group / prohibited (permitted) distance is information for identifying a marker group when the marker identified by the marker flag surrounds the communication permitted range or the communication prohibited range. The group / prohibited (permitted) distance is a distance (for example, a radius) from the size of the communication permitted range or the communication prohibited range when the marker identified by the marker flag indicates the center of the communication permitted range or the communication prohibited range. It is information represented by.

  The reference coordinates are information representing the position of the reference point acquired from the markers 3a to 3d. The calculated coordinates are information representing the position calculated by solving the simultaneous equations as described above from the position of the reference point acquired from the markers 3a to 3d and the measured distance to the markers 3a to 3d.

  The communication permission range acquisition unit 66 acquires the communication permission range from the table of FIG. 18 held by the table unit 65 by wireless communication with the markers 4a to 4d or 5, for example. Moreover, the communication prohibition range acquisition part 67 acquires a communication prohibition range from the table of FIG. 18 which the table part 65 hold | maintains by radio | wireless communication with the marker 5 or 6a-6d, for example.

  Note that the processing block diagram realized on the printer 2 is the same as the processing block diagram shown in FIG. 17 except for the processing blocks specific to the printer, and a description thereof will be omitted. The processing block diagram realized on the marker 3 indicating the reference point is the same as the processing block diagram shown in FIG.

  FIG. 19 is a processing block diagram of an example realized on a marker indicating a communication permission range. The processing block diagram shown in FIG. 19 is realized on the marker 4 having the same configuration as that in FIG. 19 functions as a reference point acquisition unit 191, a distance measurement unit 192, a position calculation unit 193, a calculation coordinate transmission unit 194, and a calculation coordinate holding unit 195.

  The reference point acquisition unit 191 performs wireless communication with the markers 3a to 3d, and acquires the positions (coordinates) of the reference points set in advance on the markers 3a to 3d. The distance measuring unit 192 measures the distance from the markers 3a to 3d by WiMedia (registered trademark) that can measure the distance to the communication partner with high accuracy. The position calculation unit 193 calculates the position (calculated coordinates) by solving the simultaneous equations as described above from the position of the reference point acquired from the markers 3a to 3d and the measured distance to the markers 3a to 3d.

  The calculated coordinate transmission unit 194 performs wireless communication with the PC 1 or the printer 2 and transmits the calculated calculation coordinates. Usually, the calculated coordinate is the position of the marker 4. The calculation coordinate holding unit 195 holds the calculated calculation coordinates. The processing blocks realized on the markers 5 and 6 are the same as the processing block diagram of the marker 4 shown in FIG.

  In addition to the calculated calculation coordinates, the markers 4, 5 and 6 transmit various information necessary for creating the table of FIG. 18 to terminals such as the PC 1 and the printer 2. Therefore, a terminal such as the PC 1 or the printer 2 can create the table of FIG.

  FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing at the time of terminal communication. Proceeding to step S21, the terminal checks whether or not the terminal can communicate based on the communicable range and the communication prohibited range and the position of the terminal. Details of the communication availability check will be described later.

  Proceeding to step S22, the terminal determines whether or not communication is permitted by a communication availability check. If communication is permitted by the communication availability check, the terminal proceeds to step S23 and executes wireless communication. If the communication is not permitted by the communication availability check, the terminal proceeds to step S24, displays the communication impossibility on the display unit 13, for example, and ends the processing of FIG. 20 without executing the wireless communication.

  FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a communication availability check process. Proceeding to step S31, the terminal determines whether or not the terminal is within the communication prohibited range based on a communication prohibited range check described later. If the own terminal is not within the communication prohibited range (NO in S31), the terminal proceeds to step S32.

  In step S32, the terminal determines whether or not the terminal is within the communication permission range based on a communication permission range check described later. If the terminal itself is within the communication permission range (YES in S31), the terminal proceeds to step S33.

  In step S33, the terminal determines whether the partner terminal is within the communication prohibited range based on a communication prohibited range check described later. If the partner terminal is not within the communication prohibited range (NO in S33), the terminal proceeds to step S34.

  In step S34, the terminal determines whether the partner terminal is within the communication permission range based on a communication permission range check described later. If the counterpart terminal is within the communication permission range (YES in S34), the terminal proceeds to step S35.

  In step S35, as a result of checking whether or not the terminal can communicate, communication is permitted because the terminal and the partner terminal are not within the communication prohibited range and within the communication permitted range. On the other hand, when the own terminal is within the communication prohibited range at step S31 (YES at S31), when the own terminal is not within the communication permitted range at step S32 (NO at S32), the partner terminal is within the communication prohibited range at step S33. (Yes in S33) and when the partner terminal is not within the communication permission range (NO in S34), the terminal proceeds to Step S36, and as a result of checking whether communication is possible, at least one of the own terminal and the partner terminal is in the communication prohibited range. Communication is not possible because it is within the communication permission range.

  In the communication availability check shown in the flowchart of FIG. 21, the check is performed for both the own terminal and the partner terminal, but either one may be performed. For example, when the own terminal is a host side such as a PC and the counterpart terminal is a device side such as a printer, communication may be permitted if only the host side is permitted.

  For example, in the communication system of FIG. 13, when the communication availability check is performed on both the host side and the device side, communication between the PC 1a or PC 1c and the printer 2a is permitted. When the communication availability check is performed only on the host side, communication between the PC 1a or PC 1c and the printer 2a or 2b is permitted in the communication system of FIG.

  FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing for checking a communication prohibited range. In step S41, the terminal determines the distance from the coordinates of the marker (peripheral prohibition marker) 5 indicating the center of the communication prohibited range and the center indicating the size of the communication prohibited range held in the table of FIG. Compare distance (prohibited distance).

  Proceeding to step S42, the terminal determines whether the distance is within the prohibited distance based on the comparison result between the distance from the coordinates of the periphery prohibited marker 5 and the prohibited distance. The terminal determines that the distance is within the prohibited distance when the distance from the coordinates of the peripheral prohibited marker 5 is smaller than the prohibited distance.

  If it is determined that the distance is not within the prohibited distance, the terminal proceeds to step S43 and determines whether or not the processing of steps S41 and S42 has been performed for all the peripheral prohibited markers. If there is a periphery prohibition marker that has not been subjected to the processes of steps S41 and S42 (NO in S43), the terminal returns to step S41 and continues the process. If there is no peripheral prohibition marker that has not been subjected to the processes of steps S41 and S42 (YES in S43), the terminal proceeds to step S44.

  In step S44, the terminal refers to the table in FIG. 18 and extracts the coordinates of the markers (enclosure prohibited markers) 6a to 6d in the same group surrounding the communication prohibited range. Proceeding to step S45, the terminal determines whether or not it is within the prohibited range based on the comparison result between the coordinates of the enclosure prohibition markers 6a to 6d in the same group and the coordinates of its own terminal.

  The terminal determines that it is within the prohibited range when the coordinates of its own terminal are included in the range surrounded by the coordinates of the enclosed prohibition markers 6a to 6d of the same group. If it is determined that it is not within the prohibited range (NO in S45), the terminal proceeds to step S46, and determines whether or not the processing of steps S44 and S45 has been performed for all the groups of enclosure prohibited markers. If there is a group of enclosure prohibition markers not subjected to the processes of steps S44 and S45 (NO in S46), the terminal returns to step S44 and continues the process. If there is no surrounding prohibition marker group that has not performed the processes of steps S44 and S45 (YES in S46), the terminal proceeds to step S47 and determines that the terminal is out of the communication prohibited range. When the own terminal is within the prohibited distance in step S42 (YES in S42), when the own terminal is in the prohibited range in step S45 (YES in S45), the terminal proceeds to step S48, and the own terminal is within the communication prohibited range. It is determined that

  FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing for checking a communication permission range. In step S51, the terminal determines the distance from the coordinates of the marker (peripheral permission marker) 5 indicating the center of the communication permission range and the center indicating the size of the communication permission range held in the table of FIG. Compare distance (permitted distance).

  Proceeding to step S52, the terminal determines whether the distance is within the permitted distance based on the comparison result between the distance from the coordinates of the peripheral permitted marker 5 and the permitted distance. The terminal determines that the distance is within the permitted distance when the distance from the coordinates of the peripheral permitted marker 5 is smaller than the permitted distance.

  If it is determined that it is not within the permitted distance, the terminal proceeds to step S53, and determines whether or not the processing of steps S51 and S52 has been performed for all the peripheral permitted markers. If there is a peripheral permission marker that has not been subjected to the processes of steps S51 and S52 (NO in S53), the terminal returns to step S51 and continues the process. If there is no peripheral permission marker that has not been subjected to the processes in steps S51 and S52 (YES in S53), the terminal proceeds to step S54.

  In step S54, the terminal refers to the table in FIG. 18 and extracts the coordinates of markers (enclosure permission markers) 4a to 4d in the same group that surround the communication permission range. Proceeding to step S55, the terminal determines whether it is within the permitted range based on the comparison result between the coordinates of the enclosure permission markers 4a to 4d in the same group and the coordinates of the own terminal.

  The terminal determines that it is within the permitted range when the coordinates of its own terminal are included in the range surrounded by the coordinates of the enclosure permission markers 4a to 4d of the same group. If it is determined that it is not within the permitted range (NO in S55), the terminal proceeds to step S56, and determines whether or not the processing of steps S54 and S55 has been performed for all the groups of enclosed permission markers. If there is a group of enclosure permission markers not subjected to the processes of steps S54 and S55 (NO in S56), the terminal returns to step S54 and continues the process. If there is no group of enclosure permission markers not subjected to the processes of steps S54 and S55 (YES in S56), the terminal proceeds to step S57 and determines that the terminal is out of the communication permission range. When the own terminal is within the permitted distance at step S52 (YES at S52), when the own terminal is within the permitted range at step S55 (YES at S55), the terminal proceeds to step S58 and is within the permitted communication range. It is determined that

  When wireless USB (registered trademark) is used as a protocol, wireless USB (registered trademark) is referred to as association, which terminal is allowed to connect to which terminal before communication of each terminal. Set in the procedure. Therefore, in the communication system of the present invention, it is possible to prevent unauthorized connection by setting a range in which the association is permitted / prohibited using the marker 3 or the like.

(Summary)
In the present invention, since the marker 3 that specifies the communicable range is used as a reference point, the range in which wireless communication can be performed is easily limited, and the limited range can be visually recognized. In addition, in the present invention, the markers 4 to 6 that specify the communication permitted range or the communication prohibited range can be used separately from the marker 3 that designates the reference point, so that the communication permitted range and the communication prohibited range can be finely set. Further, by changing the appearance of the markers 4 to 6, it is possible to visually distinguish the peripheral permission marker, the peripheral prohibition marker, the surrounding permission marker, and the surrounding prohibition marker. In the present invention, it is possible to set a range in which association is permitted / prohibited using the marker 3 or the like. Furthermore, since the marker 3 and the like are realized with the minimum functions in the present invention, it is possible to provide the marker 3 and the like that are inexpensive and have low power consumption (that can be driven by a battery).

  The present invention is not limited to the specifically disclosed embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the claims.

It is a block diagram of an example of PC. 1 is a configuration diagram of an example of a printer. It is a block diagram of an example of a marker. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a protocol stack using WiMedia (registered trademark). It is a schematic diagram of an example of the communication system by this invention. It is a process block diagram of an example implement | achieved on PC. It is an image figure showing processing of a position calculation part. It is a process block diagram of an example implement | achieved on a marker. It is a flowchart of an example showing the process for sharing positional information. It is a flowchart of an example showing the process at the time of communication of a terminal. It is a schematic diagram of the other example of the communication system by this invention. It is a block diagram of an example of the communication system by this invention which sets the communication permission range with a some marker. It is a block diagram of an example of the communication system by this invention which sets the communication permission range by one marker. It is a block diagram of an example of the communication system by this invention which sets the communication prohibition range by a some marker. It is an external view which shows an example of a marker. It is an external view which shows the other example of a marker. It is a process block diagram of an example implement | achieved on PC. It is a figure showing the table which a table part hold | maintains. It is a process block diagram of an example implement | achieved on the marker which shows a communication permission range. It is a flowchart of an example showing the process at the time of communication of a terminal. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a communication availability check process. It is a flowchart of an example showing the process of the communication prohibition range check. It is a flowchart of an example showing the process of the communication permission range check.

Explanation of symbols

1,1a ~ 1d PC
2, 2a, 2b Printer 3, 3a-3d, 4a-4d, 5, 6a-6d Marker 10 PC control unit 11 Wireless communication unit 12 Operation unit 13 Display unit 14 Storage unit 20 Printer control unit 21 Printer display unit 22 Printer operation Unit 23 Wireless communication unit 24 Storage unit 25 Printer unit 30 Marker control unit 31 Wireless communication unit 32 Storage unit 61 Reference point acquisition unit 62 Distance measurement unit 63 Position calculation unit 64 Communication availability determination unit 65 Table unit 66 Communication permission range acquisition unit 67 Communication prohibition range acquisition unit 81 Reference point transmission unit 82 Reference point holding unit 191 Reference point acquisition unit 192 Distance measurement unit 193 Position calculation unit 194 Calculation coordinate transmission unit 195 Calculation coordinate storage unit

Claims (19)

A wireless communication device capable of measuring a distance with a communication partner,
Based on communication with a communication control support terminal that indicates a reference point, reference point acquisition means for acquiring a reference point that the communication control support terminal indicates;
Distance measuring means for measuring the distance to the communication control support terminal;
Position calculation means for calculating the position of the own device based on at least three reference points of the communication control support terminal and the distance from the communication control support terminal;
A wireless communication apparatus comprising: communication enable / disable determining means for determining communication enable / disable based on a range specified by a reference point of at least three communication control support terminals.   The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication availability determining unit permits communication within the range and restricts communication outside the range. Based on communication with a communication control support terminal that indicates a communication permission range, the communication control support terminal further includes a communication permission range acquisition unit that acquires a communication permission range specified by the communication control support terminal,
The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication permission / inhibition determining unit permits communication within the communication permission range and restricts communication outside the communication permission range based on the communication permission range. . Based on communication with a communication control support terminal that instructs a communication prohibited range, the communication control support terminal further includes a communication prohibited range acquisition unit that acquires a communication prohibited range specified by the communication control support terminal,
The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication availability determination unit prohibits communication within the communication prohibited range based on the communication prohibited range.   5. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the communication availability determination unit specifies the communication permitted range or the communication prohibited range based on a range surrounded by at least three of the communication control support terminals.   The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the communication availability determination unit specifies the communication permitted range or the communication prohibited range based on a predetermined range centered on the communication control support terminal.   The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising table means for holding a reference point acquired from the communication control support terminal, a calculated position of the own apparatus, and a position acquired from another wireless communication apparatus. . A communication control method for a wireless communication device capable of measuring a distance with a communication partner,
Based on communication with a communication control support terminal that indicates a reference point, a reference point acquisition step for acquiring a reference point that is instructed by the communication control support terminal;
A distance measuring step for measuring a distance from the communication control support terminal;
A position calculating step for calculating a position of the own apparatus based on a reference point of at least three of the communication control support terminals and a distance from the communication control support terminal;
A communication control method comprising: a communication enable / disable determining step of determining communication enable / disable based on a range specified by a reference point of at least three communication control support terminals. A communication system having a wireless communication device capable of measuring a distance to a communication partner and at least three communication control support terminals for indicating a reference point,
The wireless communication device
Based on communication with a communication control support terminal that indicates a reference point, reference point acquisition means for acquiring a reference point that the communication control support terminal indicates;
Distance measuring means for measuring the distance to the communication control support terminal;
Position calculation means for calculating the position of the own device based on at least three reference points of the communication control support terminal and the distance from the communication control support terminal;
A communication enable / disable determining unit that determines whether or not communication is possible based on a range specified by a reference point of at least three of the communication control support terminals.   The communication system according to claim 9, wherein the communication availability determination unit permits communication within the range and restricts communication outside the range. The wireless communication device
Based on communication with a communication control support terminal that indicates a communication permission range, the communication control support terminal further includes a communication permission range acquisition unit that acquires a communication permission range specified by the communication control support terminal,
The communication system according to claim 9, wherein the communication availability determination unit permits communication within the communication permission range based on the communication permission range and restricts communication outside the communication permission range. The wireless communication device
Based on communication with a communication control support terminal that instructs a communication prohibited range, the communication control support terminal further includes a communication prohibited range acquisition unit that acquires a communication prohibited range specified by the communication control support terminal,
The communication system according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the communication availability determination unit prohibits communication within the communication prohibited range based on the communication prohibited range.   The communication system according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the communication availability determination unit specifies the communication permission range or the communication prohibition range based on a range surrounded by at least three communication control support terminals.   The communication system according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the communication availability determination unit specifies the communication permitted range or the communication prohibited range based on a predetermined range centered on the communication control support terminal.   The wireless communication device further includes table means for holding a reference point acquired from the communication control support terminal, a calculated position of the own device, and a position acquired from another wireless communication device. 9. The communication system according to 9. A communication control support terminal that communicates with a wireless communication device capable of measuring a distance with a communication partner,
Based on communication with a communication control support terminal that indicates a reference point, reference point acquisition means for acquiring a reference point that the communication control support terminal indicates;
Distance measuring means for measuring the distance to the communication control support terminal;
Position calculating means for calculating the position of the own terminal based on a reference point of at least three of the communication control support terminals and a distance from the communication control support terminal;
A communication control support terminal having position transmitting means for transmitting the position of its own terminal to the wireless communication apparatus as a position for specifying a communication permission range based on communication with the wireless communication apparatus. A communication control support terminal that communicates with a wireless communication device capable of measuring a distance with a communication partner,
Based on communication with a communication control support terminal that indicates a reference point, reference point acquisition means for acquiring a reference point that the communication control support terminal indicates;
Distance measuring means for measuring the distance to the communication control support terminal;
Position calculation means for calculating the position of the own device based on at least three reference points of the communication control support terminal and the distance from the communication control support terminal;
A communication control support terminal having position transmitting means for transmitting the position of its own terminal to the wireless communication apparatus as a position for specifying a communication prohibition range based on communication with the wireless communication apparatus. The communication control support terminal is characterized in that the own terminal is visually represented as one of at least three of the communication control support terminals surrounding a communication permission range or a communication prohibition range. The communication control support terminal according to claim 16 or 17 . It said communication control assistance terminal, the terminal itself, that it is the communication control support terminal which represents the center of the communication permission range or communication prohibited range, according to claim 1 6 or 1, characterized in that they are visually represented 7. The communication control support terminal according to 7 .

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