JP4954021B2 - RADIO COMMUNICATION RELAY DEVICE, COMMUNICATION CONTROL METHOD, RADIO COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, RADIO COMMUNICATION RELAY PROGRAM, AND RECORDING MEDIUM THEREOF - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless communication relay device, a communication control method, a wireless communication system, a wireless communication relay program, and a recording medium thereof.

  In recent years, in communication networks in offices and homes, wireless communication systems are becoming widespread in place of conventional wired communication systems with the development of short-range wireless communication technology.

  In particular, a wireless USB (Universal Serial Bus) that employs the UWB (Ultra Wide Band) method is capable of transferring a large amount of data at a higher speed than other wireless communication systems such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and wireless LAN (Local Area Network). Therefore, it is expected as a next-generation wireless communication technology. Further, unlike other wireless communication systems that assume many-to-many communication, wireless USB communication systems differ between devices that perform communication such as a “host (for example, a personal computer (PC) and a game machine”) and the like. The master-slave relationship “device (ie, peripheral device connected to the host)” is determined in advance, and the network connection form is limited to one-to-many, thereby reducing the circuit scale.

  In addition to such a wireless USB, a wireless communication system can be accessed from anywhere within a radio wave reach, unlike a wired communication system in which data exchange is limited within a cable. Therefore, in order to deal with unauthorized access in the 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.

Patent Document 1 discloses a wireless device that constitutes a wireless network that is autonomously established and performs wireless communication between a transmission source and a transmission destination, and includes a plurality of other wireless devices that constitute the wireless network. The position information storage means for storing absolute position information indicating the absolute position of the device with respect to the wireless device and the first wireless communication between the first transmission source and the first transmission destination are performed. Communication in which one of the first and second wireless communication is performed based on the absolute position information when there is a request for second wireless communication from the second transmission source to the second transmission destination. And information on all the wireless devices performing the one wireless communication based on the absolute position information and the information on all of the extracted wireless devices on the first and second wireless communication. One of the other radio The invention according to a wireless device and a notification unit configured to notify the signal source is disclosed. An object of the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 is to provide a wireless device that is constructed autonomously and that constitutes a wireless network that performs a plurality of wireless communications while suppressing a decrease in throughput.
JP 2006-186565 A

  However, in the communication system using wireless USB, the network connection forms are “host (for example, personal computer (PC), game machine, etc.)” and “device (that is, peripheral device connected to the host)”. Since the relationship is limited to a predetermined one-to-many relationship, there is a specific problem that communication between hosts and devices cannot be performed.

  Regarding the access restriction function in the wireless communication system including the wireless USB, the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 can easily measure the coordinates of the own terminal based on the distance to the reference point. In order to know the coordinates, it is necessary to measure the distances from a plurality of reference points to the partner terminal and to calculate by sharing information between the reference points. The system can be simplified if the coordinates are self-reported from the partner terminal, but there is a problem that it is not known whether the reported coordinates are correct. As described above, the conventional wireless communication system has a problem that access control with a high security level cannot be easily performed.

  In view of the above points, the present invention provides a wireless communication relay apparatus, a communication control method, and wireless communication capable of relaying communication between terminals that cannot perform communication according to network specifications while realizing high security level access control. An object is to provide a system, a wireless communication relay program, and a recording medium thereof.

  In order to achieve the above object, a wireless communication relay device of the present invention includes at least two wireless communication means that are wirelessly communicable with corresponding devices and connected to each other, and the at least two wireless communication means Respectively, a first transmission / reception means for transmitting / receiving a signal to / from a device corresponding to the wireless communication means, and a signal from the corresponding device received by the first transmission / reception means to another wireless communication means Transmitting to the other wireless communication means so as to transmit to another device corresponding to, and receiving a signal to be transmitted to the corresponding device by the first transmission / reception means from the other wireless communication means. 2 transmission / reception means.

  Each of the at least two wireless communication units functions as a device when the corresponding device is a host terminal, and functions as a host when the corresponding device is a device terminal.

  Accordingly, even in a wireless communication system that can perform communication only between devices having a predetermined relationship such as a host and a device such as a wireless USB, communication between hosts and devices can be performed.

  In addition, the wireless communication relay device of the present invention includes a position information holding unit having position information of the device, a distance measuring unit that measures a distance between the wireless communication relay device and each of the devices, and the distance measuring unit. A first communication speed between the devices when passing through the wireless communication relay device is estimated based on the distance measured by, and further, when not passing through the wireless communication relay device based on the position information A communication speed estimating means for estimating a second communication speed between the devices, and when one of the devices is a host terminal and the other is a device terminal, the first communication speed is the second communication speed. Control means for controlling the at least two wireless communication means to perform wireless communication with the host terminal and the device terminal if the speed is exceeded.

  Thus, in the wireless communication between the host terminal and the device terminal that does not originally require relay, it is determined whether or not the relay is actually performed in consideration of the communication speed. Communication speed can be improved.

  The wireless communication relay device of the present invention is a wireless communication relay device placed in a wireless communication network having a plurality of such wireless communication relay devices, and includes at least three wireless communication relay devices including the wireless communication relay device. Control means for controlling the at least two wireless communication means so as to perform wireless communication only with the device in the communicable area surrounded by.

  Accordingly, it is possible to provide security based on a physical position by setting a communicable area by a plurality of radio communication relay devices and relaying radio communication only for devices in the communicable area. it can.

  In addition, the wireless communication relay device of the present invention is configured to determine whether the device is in a communicable area from the position information holding unit having the position information of the wireless communication relay device and the wireless communication relay device. Distance measuring means for measuring the distance to the device, position information of the other wireless communication relay device from each of at least two other wireless communication relay devices, and the distance from the other wireless communication relay device to the device Position information acquisition means for acquiring information, the position information included in the position information holding means, the distance measured by the distance measurement means, and the position information and distance acquired by the position information acquisition means Based on the information, position calculating means for calculating the position of the device, position information of the wireless communication relay device and the at least two other wireless communication relay devices, and the position Based on the position of the device calculated by the calculation means, the device further comprising a communication possibility judging means for judging whether or not the communicable area.

  Preferably, the wireless communication relay device of the present invention indicates that one or a plurality of area designation marker devices placed on the wireless communication network are permitted or prohibited from wireless communication with the device within a predetermined range. Marker identification information acquisition means for acquiring marker identification information is further provided, wherein the position information acquisition means acquires position information of the area designation marker device from the area designation marker device, and the communication availability determination means further includes Based on the position information of the region designation marker device and the marker identification information, it is determined whether wireless communication with the device is possible.

  Thus, by using a wireless communication relay device and a region designation marker device by placing the region designation marker device used only for permitting or prohibiting wireless communication with a device within a predetermined range. It is possible to provide security based on multiple physical locations.

  In order to achieve the above object, a plurality of wireless communication relay devices of the present invention may be provided to form a wireless communication system, and the wireless communication system further includes one or a plurality of region designation marker devices. The area designation marker device permits or prohibits wireless communication between position information holding means for holding position information of the area designation marker device and the device within a predetermined range designated by the area designation marker device. Marker identification information holding means for holding marker identification information indicating that, and wireless communication with the wireless communication relay device, the position information and the marker identification information of the region designation marker device to the wireless communication relay device A wireless communication means for transmitting, wherein the wireless communication relay device acquires the marker identification information from the region designation marker device. Marker identification information acquisition means is further provided, wherein the position information acquisition means acquires position information of the area designation marker apparatus from the area designation marker apparatus, and the communication availability determination means further includes the area designation marker apparatus. Based on the position information and the marker identification information, it is determined whether wireless communication with the device is possible.

  Further, in the wireless communication relay device and the wireless communication system of the present invention, the predetermined range is a circular first region having a predetermined radius determined by the marker identification information with the position of one region designation marker device as a center. Alternatively, it is defined by an inner second region surrounded by three or more region specifying marker devices, or a combination of one or more first regions and / or second regions.

  Alternatively, the wireless communication relay device of the present invention determines the distance from the wireless communication relay device to the device and at least two other wireless communication relay devices to determine whether the device is within the communicable area. Position information acquisition for acquiring distance information between each of the other wireless communication relay devices and between the other wireless communication relay devices from the distance measuring means for measuring the distance from the other wireless communication relay devices Means for determining whether or not the device is in the communicable region based on the distance measured by the distance measuring means and the distance information acquired by the position information acquiring means. It has further.

  As a result, even if the position information of the relay device is not stored in advance, if the distance from the relay device to the device can be measured, it can be confirmed whether the device is within the communicable area. Even if the reference relay device moves, security based on the physical position can still be provided.

  The wireless communication relay device of the present invention further includes device association means for associating the devices, and the at least two wireless communication means perform wireless communication only with the devices associated by the device association means.

  Accordingly, by performing wireless communication only with a device associated in advance with the wireless communication relay device, it is possible to realize safe wireless communication without directly associating the devices.

  In order to achieve the above object, the communication control method of the present invention is a communication control method in a wireless communication relay device that is capable of wireless communication with corresponding devices and has at least two wireless communication means connected to each other. Receiving a signal wirelessly from a device corresponding to the wireless communication means in one wireless communication means, transmitting a signal received by the one wireless communication means to another wireless communication means, And wirelessly transmitting the signal transmitted from the one wireless communication unit to another device corresponding to the other wireless communication unit.

  In the communication control method of the present invention, each of the at least two wireless communication means is a device when the corresponding device is a host terminal, and a host when the corresponding device is a device terminal. The wireless communication relay device is controlled to function.

  The communication control method of the present invention includes a distance measuring step for measuring a distance between each of the devices from the wireless communication relay device, and the wireless communication relay device based on the distance measured in the distance measuring step. The first communication speed between the devices when passing through the device is estimated, and further, the second communication speed between the devices when not passing through the wireless communication relay device is estimated based on the position information of the device. And when one of the devices is a host terminal and the other is a device terminal, if the first communication speed exceeds the second communication speed, the host The at least two wireless communication means are controlled to perform wireless communication with the terminal and the device terminal.

  Further, the communication control method of the present invention is a wireless communication network having a plurality of wireless communication relay devices, and only the device in the communicable area surrounded by at least three wireless communication relay devices including the wireless communication relay device. The at least two wireless communication means are controlled to perform wireless communication.

  In addition, the communication control method of the present invention includes a distance measurement step of measuring a distance from the wireless communication relay device to the device in order to determine whether the device is in a communicable region, and at least two other A position information acquisition step of acquiring position information of the other wireless communication relay device and distance information from the other wireless communication relay device to the device from each of the wireless communication relay devices; and A position calculating step for calculating the position of the device based on the position information, the distance measured in the distance measuring step, and the position information and distance information acquired in the position information acquiring step; and the wireless communication Based on the location information of the relay device and the at least two other wireless communication relay devices, and the location of the device calculated in the location calculation step, the device is Further comprising a communication possibility judging step of determining whether the signal area.

  Also preferably, the communication control method of the present invention is a marker indicating that wireless communication with the device within a predetermined range is permitted or prohibited from one or a plurality of region designation marker devices placed in the wireless communication network. A step of obtaining identification information; a step of obtaining position information of the region designation marker device from the region designation marker device; and a wireless communication with the device based on the position information of the region designation marker device and the marker identification information Further determining whether communication is possible.

Alternatively, the communication control method of the present invention determines the distance from the wireless communication relay device to the device and at least two other wireless communication relay devices in order to determine whether the device is in a communicable area. A distance measuring step for measuring, and a distance information acquiring step for acquiring distance information between the other wireless communication relay devices and between the other wireless communication relay devices from the other wireless communication relay devices. And a communication availability determination step for determining whether or not the device is in the communicable area based on the distance measured in the distance measurement step and the distance information acquired in the distance information acquisition step; The communication control method of the present invention further includes a device association step for associating the devices, and the communication control method according to the present invention further includes: The at least two wireless communication means are controlled to perform only wireless communication.

  In order to achieve the above object, a wireless communication relay program according to the present invention is a wireless communication relay program that allows a computer to wirelessly communicate with corresponding devices and to function as at least two wireless communication means connected to each other. A program comprising: a step of receiving a signal wirelessly from a device corresponding to the wireless communication means by one wireless communication means to a computer; and a signal received by the one wireless communication means to another wireless communication means A step of transmitting, and a step of wirelessly transmitting a signal transmitted from the one wireless communication unit to another device corresponding to the other wireless communication unit in the other wireless communication unit.

  Further, the present invention may be embodied as a computer-readable recording medium that records such a program.

  According to the present invention, a wireless communication relay device, a communication control method, a wireless communication system, and a wireless communication relay relay capable of relaying communication between terminals that cannot perform communication according to network specifications while realizing high security level access control A program and its recording medium can be provided.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiment of the present invention will be described by taking an example of a wireless USB in which communication between devices is limited between a device as a “host” and a device as a “device”. May be.

(Network connection form)
1. FIG. 1 shows a network connection form of a wireless communication relay device according to the present invention when a single wireless communication relay device relays wireless communication between external devices. FIG.

  FIG. 1A illustrates a wireless communication relay device 10a that relays wireless communication between two external devices 20a and 30a that are host terminals. The wireless communication relay device 10a includes two wireless communication units 110a and 120a that function as devices. The two wireless communication units 110a and 120a are connected to each other by wire, and one wireless communication unit 110a can wirelessly communicate with either one of the external devices 20a or 30a, and the other wireless communication unit 120a is connected to the external device. Wireless communication with the other 30a or 20a is possible. For example, when one wireless communication unit 110a receives a signal wirelessly from the external device 20a, the wireless communication unit 110a passes the signal received from the external device 20a to the other wireless communication unit 120a, and the other wireless communication unit 120a. Transmits this signal wirelessly to the other external device 30a. Thus, the wireless communication relay device 10a can relay wireless communication between the two external devices 20a and 30a which are host terminals.

  FIG. 1B illustrates a wireless communication relay device 10b that relays wireless communication between two external devices 20b and 30b that are device terminals. The wireless communication relay device 10b includes two wireless communication units 110b and 120b that function as hosts. The two wireless communication units 110b and 120b are connected to each other by wire, and one wireless communication unit 110b can wirelessly communicate with either one of the external devices 20b or 30b, and the other wireless communication unit 120b is connected to the external device. Wireless communication with the other 30b or 20b is possible. In this way, the wireless communication relay device 10b can relay wireless communication between the two external devices 20b and 30b, which are device terminals.

  FIG. 1C illustrates a wireless communication relay device 10c that relays wireless communication between an external device 20c that is a host terminal and an external device 30c that is a device terminal. Normally, wireless communication can be performed between the host terminal and the device terminal without using the wireless communication relay device 10c of the present invention. However, in the UWB system adopted in the example wireless USB, as shown in FIG. 2, the data rate decreases exponentially according to the distance between terminals, and the communicable distance is limited. When the distance between the terminals is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance, it is advantageous to use the wireless communication relay device 10c of the present invention as shown in FIG. The wireless communication relay device 10c has a wireless communication unit 110c that functions as a device and can wirelessly communicate with the host terminal 20c, and a wireless communication unit 120c that functions as a host and can wirelessly communicate with the device terminal 30c. The two wireless communication units 110c and 120c are connected to each other by wire. In this way, the wireless communication relay device 10c can relay wireless communication between the external device 20c that is a host terminal and the external device 30c that is a device terminal.

  As described above, the wireless communication relay device of this embodiment can relay wireless communication between devices that normally cannot perform wireless communication because a special relationship is set. Further, when a plurality of wireless communication relay apparatuses are used, security based on a physical position can be realized.

2. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a network connection form of a wireless communication relay device according to the present invention in a case where access control is realized using a plurality of wireless communication relay devices.

  The wireless communication system in FIG. 3 includes three wireless communication relay devices 10A, 10B, and 10C. An inner area surrounded by the three wireless communication relay devices 10A, 10B, and 10C forms a communicable area 40.

  In FIG. 3A, two external devices 20 and 30 are included in the communicable area 40. When the external device is in the communicable area 40 as described above, any one of the wireless communication relay devices 10A, 10B, or 10C (10B in the figure) performs wireless communication with each of the two external devices 20 and 30. Thus, wireless communication between the external devices 20 and 30 can be relayed.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3B, when one or both of the external devices to which wireless communication is relayed (30 in the figure) is outside the communicable area 40, any of the wireless communication relay devices is external. Wireless communication with the devices 20 and 30 is not performed. Accordingly, wireless communication between the external devices 20 and 30 is not relayed.

  As described above, the wireless communication relay device according to the present embodiment can set a communicable region by using a plurality of wireless communication relay devices, and can relay wireless communication only for external devices within the communicable region. In addition, the wireless communication relay device is placed in a network provided with a region designation marker device that is used only for permitting or prohibiting wireless communication with an external device within a predetermined range. Security based on the physical position can be realized in a complex manner by using the designated marker device.

3. FIG. 4 shows a case where the access control is performed in a network provided with an area designation marker device that permits or prohibits wireless communication with an external device within a predetermined range. It is a figure showing the network connection form of the radio | wireless communication relay apparatus according to invention.

  The wireless communication system of FIG. 4A has three area designation marker devices 50A, 50B, and 50C in addition to the three wireless communication relay devices 10A, 10B, and 10C. An area surrounded by the three wireless communication relay devices 10A, 10B, and 10C forms a communicable area 40, while an area surrounded by the three area designation marker devices 50A, 50B, and 50C is a communication permission / prohibition area 70. Form.

  On the other hand, the wireless communication system of FIG. 4B has only one region designation marker device 50 in addition to the three wireless communication relay devices 10A, 10B, and 10C. In this case, the communication permission / prohibition region 70 is formed by a circular region having a predetermined radius with one region designation marker device 50 as the center.

  4 (a) and 4 (b), the communicable area 40 includes three external devices 20, 30 and 60. Of these, the two external devices 20, 30 are further permitted to communicate. It is included in the forbidden area 70. For example, if the communication permission / prohibition area 70 is set to “communicable”, the external devices 20 and 30 included in this area are one of the wireless communication relay devices 10A, 10B, or 10C (10B in the figure). ) Can relay wireless communication with other external devices that are also included in the communication permission / prohibition region 70, but the external device 60 that is not included in this region can be relayed even if it is in the communicable region 40. Wireless communication with other external devices cannot be relayed. On the other hand, if the communication permission / prohibition area 70 is set to “communication prohibition”, the external devices 20 and 30 included in this area are connected to other external devices even if they are in the communicable area 40. On the other hand, the external device 60 that cannot be relayed by wireless communication and is not included in this area is another external device that is not included in the communication permission / prohibition region 70 by any of the wireless communication relay devices 10A, 10B, or 10C. The wireless communication with can be relayed.

  Thus, the wireless communication relay device of the present embodiment is placed in a network provided with an area designation marker device that is used only for permitting or prohibiting wireless communication with an external device within a predetermined range. Wireless communication with an external device in an area designated by the area designation marker device can be relayed or restricted.

  Hereinafter, functions realized by such a wireless communication relay device will be specifically described.

(Configuration of wireless communication relay device)
FIG. 5 shows a hardware configuration of the wireless communication relay device of the present invention.

  FIG. 5A shows a hardware configuration of the wireless communication relay device 10a shown in FIG. The wireless communication relay device 10a includes wireless device units 110a and 120a having an antenna unit, a wired device unit 130a, a display unit 140a, an operation unit 150a, a storage unit (ROM / RAM) 160a, and a control unit (CPU). 100a. In the wireless communication relay device 10a, these units are connected by a bus 200a.

  The wireless device units 110a and 120a correspond to the wireless communication units 110a and 120a shown in FIG. 1A, and can perform wireless communication with the external devices 20a and 30b, which are host terminals, via an antenna. The wired device unit 130a is used for cable association that connects the wireless communication relay device 10a and the external devices 20a and 30a with a cable before performing wireless communication, and associates the host and the device. The display unit 140a and the operation unit 150a are arbitrary modules, and are provided, for example, when association is performed between the wireless communication relay device 10a and the external devices 20a and 30a by ID input. The storage unit 160a stores a program for controlling each unit of the wireless communication relay device 10a, and the control unit 100a controls each unit by executing this program.

  FIG. 5B shows a hardware configuration of the wireless communication relay device 10b shown in FIG. Since both the external devices 20b and 30b that relay wireless communication are device terminals, the wireless communication relay device 10b includes wireless host units 110b and 120b as wireless communication units 110b and 120b, and further for cable association. The wireless communication relay device 10a shown in FIG. 5A differs from the wireless communication relay device 10a in that the wired host unit 130b is provided instead of the wired device unit. Other components are the same as those of the wireless communication relay device 10a shown in FIG.

  FIG. 5C illustrates a hardware configuration of the wireless communication relay device 10c illustrated in FIG. The wireless communication relay device 10c includes the wireless device unit 110c and the wireless host unit 120c as the wireless communication units 110c and 120c, because one of the external devices 20c and 30c that relay wireless communication is a host terminal and the other is a device terminal. Furthermore, it differs from the wireless communication relay device 10a shown in FIG. 1A in that it has not only the wired device unit 130c but also a wired host unit 170c for cable association. Other components are the same as those of the wireless communication relay device 10a shown in FIG.

  The wireless communication relay device of FIG. 5 has at least two wireless communication units that function exclusively as a host or a device according to the type of external device that relays wireless communication, and has a dedicated wireless communication relay device 10a for each network connection mode. -10b. However, the wireless communication relay device can be configured to support all connection modes by using a DRD (Dual Roll Device) having both functions of a host and a device as a wireless communication unit.

  FIG. 6 shows a functional configuration of the wireless communication relay device of the present invention. 6 includes a control unit 100, first and second wireless communication units 110 and 120, a marker identification information acquisition unit 135, a position information acquisition unit 180, and a position information holding unit 190. A communication speed estimation unit 200, a position calculation unit 205, a communication availability determination unit 210, and a device association unit 220.

  The control unit 100 is a module that controls each function of the wireless communication relay device 10 and may be included in a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

  The first and second wireless communication units 110 and 120 are modules that perform wireless communication with a communication partner (an external device, another relay device, and / or a region designation marker device), and each of them is a communication partner. When the communication partner is an external device, the external transmission / reception units 310 and 410 that transmit and receive signals wirelessly and the other wireless communication unit 110 or 120 transmit the signal from the external device to another external device. And internal transmission / reception units 320 and 420 that receive a signal to be transmitted to the external device from the other wireless communication unit 110 or 120, and a distance measurement unit that measures the distance from the wireless communication relay device 10 to the communication partner. 330, 430.

  The marker identification information acquisition unit 135 permits or prohibits wireless communication with an external device within a predetermined range from the region designation marker device when one or a plurality of region designation marker devices are placed in a network provided. This is a module for acquiring marker identification information indicating The marker identification information can be obtained, for example, by performing wireless communication with the area-designated marker device, or by receiving in a wired manner when initially performing a cable association with the area-designated marker device, or by user input .

  The position information acquisition unit 180 is a module that acquires position information (for example, coordinates) of a communication partner and distance information obtained by measurement by the communication partner. These pieces of information can be acquired, for example, by performing wireless communication with a communication partner, or by receiving in a wired manner when initially performing a cable association with a communication partner, or by user input.

  The position information holding unit 190 is a module that stores the position information of the own device and / or communication partner, and may be, for example, a part of the storage units (ROM / RAM) 160a to 160c illustrated in FIG. Alternatively, an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a flash memory, or the like provided as a separate storage unit may be used.

  When the communication speed estimation unit 200 relays wireless communication between external devices by the wireless communication relay device 10 based on the distance measured by the distance measurement units 330 and 430 and the position information stored in the position information holding unit 190. / This module estimates the communication speed when not relaying. The communication speed estimation unit 200 may have, for example, the graph shown in FIG. 2 in the form of a lookup table, and the communication speed can be estimated in relation to the distance by referring to this table.

  When the position information of the communication partner is unknown, the position calculation unit 205 determines the position of the communication partner based on the distance measured by the distance measuring units 330 and 430 and the position information stored in the position information holding unit 190. This is a module to calculate. This calculation method will be described later in detail.

  The communication availability determination unit 210 is a module that determines whether to perform wireless communication with a communication partner based on position information, distance information, and / or communication speed.

  The device association unit 220 is a module for associating an external device with the wireless communication relay device 10 before actually performing wireless communication, and may be included in the wired association unit for cable association shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the wireless USB is taken as an example. In this case, the first and second wireless communication units 110 and 120 serve as distance measuring units 330 and 430 as WiMedia (a physical layer of wireless USB). Use the registered distance measurement function.

  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 communication methods using WiMedia (registered trademark) in the physical layer, there are wireless IEEE1394, next-generation Bluetooth (registered trademark), Winet, and the like in addition to wireless USB. Since these communication methods using WiMedia (registered trademark) in the physical layer use short pulse waves, distance measurement with higher accuracy than conventional communication methods is possible.

  Alternatively, in another embodiment, the distance measurement units 330 and 430 transmit distance measurement signals to the communication partner via the respective external transmission / reception units 310 and 410, and a response signal is returned from the communication partner. You may measure the distance from an own apparatus to a communicating party by measuring time. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the distance measuring units 330 and 430 do not directly measure the distance, but from the own device and the position information of the communication partner previously held in the position information holding unit 190, from the own device. The distance to the communication partner may be calculated. In these other embodiments, the distance measuring units 330 and 430 may be provided as separate modules outside the wireless communication units 110 and 120.

(External device configuration)
FIG. 7 shows a hardware configuration of a general external device.

  FIG. 7A shows a configuration example of a host terminal such as a PC. 7A, a host terminal 80a includes a wireless host unit 810a having an antenna unit, a wired host unit 820a, a display unit 830a, an operation unit 840a, a storage unit (ROM / RAM) 850a, and a control unit (CPU). ) 800a. In the host terminal 80a, these units are connected by a bus 860a.

  The wireless host unit 810a can perform wireless communication with a wireless communication unit that functions as a wireless device unit of the wireless communication relay device. The wired host unit 820a is connected to the wireless communication relay device with a cable before performing wireless communication, and is used to associate the wireless communication relay device as a device. The display unit 830a performs display for the user. The operation unit 840a receives an operation from the user. The storage unit 850a stores various information such as programs necessary for controlling the host terminal. The control unit 800a controls each unit of the host terminal 80a.

  FIG. 7B shows a configuration example of a device terminal such as a printer. 7B includes a wireless device unit 810b having an antenna unit, a wired device unit 820b, a display unit 830b, an operation unit 840b, a storage unit (ROM / RAM) 850b, a control unit ( CPU) 800b. In the device terminal 80b, these units are connected by a bus 860b.

  The wireless device unit 810b can perform wireless communication with a wireless communication unit that functions as a wireless host unit of the wireless communication relay device. The wired device unit 820b is connected to the wireless communication relay device with a cable before performing wireless communication, and is used to associate the wireless communication relay device as a host. The display unit 830b performs display for the user. The operation unit 840b receives an operation from the user. Note that the display unit 830b and the operation unit 840b are optional in the device terminal and may not be provided. The storage unit 850b stores various types of information such as programs necessary for controlling the host terminal. The control unit 800b controls each unit of the host terminal 80b.

  FIG. 8 shows a functional configuration of the external device regardless of the host terminal or the device terminal. 8 includes a wireless communication unit 810 and a position information holding unit 870. The wireless communication unit 810 performs wireless communication with a communication partner (that is, a wireless communication relay device and / or other external device). The position information holding unit 870 stores the position of the external device 80 as position information represented by coordinates, for example.

(Configuration of area designation marker device)
FIG. 9 shows a hardware configuration of the area designation marker device. 9 includes a wireless device / host unit 510 having an antenna unit, a wired host unit 520a, a wired device unit 520b, a storage unit (ROM / RAM) 530, and a control unit (CPU) 500. And have. In the area designation marker device 50, these units are connected by a bus 540.

  The wireless host / device unit 510 can perform wireless communication with the wireless communication unit of the wireless communication relay device. In this embodiment, the wireless host / device unit 510 is a DRD having both host and device functions so that wireless communication can always be performed regardless of whether the wireless communication unit functions as a host or a device. Is used. The wired host unit 520a and the wired device unit 520b are connected to the wireless communication relay device with a cable before performing wireless communication, and are used to associate the wireless communication relay device as a host or a device. The storage unit 530 stores various types of information such as a program necessary for controlling the region designation marker device 50. The control unit 500 controls each unit of the region designation marker device 50.

  FIG. 10 shows a functional configuration of the area designation marker device. 10 includes a wireless communication unit 510, a position information holding unit 550, and a marker identification information holding unit 560. The wireless communication unit 510 performs wireless communication with a communication partner (that is, a wireless communication relay device). The position information holding unit 550 stores the position of the region designation marker device 50 as position information represented by coordinates, for example. The marker identification information holding unit 560 stores marker identification information indicating that wireless communication with the external device within a predetermined range is permitted or prohibited.

  The operation of the wireless communication relay device of the present invention will be specifically described below.

(Operation for determining whether to perform relay between host and device)
As described above with reference to FIGS. 1C and 2, it is usually possible to perform wireless communication between the host terminal and the device terminal without using the wireless communication relay device of the present invention. However, when the distance between the terminals is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance, it is advantageous to use the wireless communication relay device of the present invention regarding the data rate.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation flow of the wireless communication relay device of the present invention for determining whether or not the wireless communication between the host and the device should be relayed. When the external devices are a host terminal and a device terminal, see FIG. 6 and FIG. 11 for the operation flow of the wireless communication relay device of the present invention that determines whether or not to relay wireless communication between these external devices. To explain.

  First, in step S <b> 101, the wireless communication relay device 10 acquires position information from an external device by wireless communication via the position information acquisition unit 180 and stores the position information in the position information holding unit 190.

  In step S <b> 102, the wireless communication relay device 10 uses the distance measurement function of the distance measurement unit 330 included in the first wireless communication unit 110, and a corresponding external device that can wirelessly communicate with the first wireless communication unit 110 ( For example, the distance to the host terminal) is measured. Further, the wireless communication relay device 10 uses a distance measurement function of the distance measurement unit 430 included in the second wireless communication unit 120, and a corresponding external device (for example, a device) that can wirelessly communicate with the second wireless communication unit 120. Measure the distance to the terminal.)

  In step S103, the wireless communication relay device 10 uses the communication speed estimation unit 200 to measure the measured distance from the wireless communication relay device 10 to each of the host terminal and the device terminal, and the wireless communication relay device generated during the relay. Based on the overhead of 10, the communication speed when relaying is estimated. In step S104, the wireless communication relay device 10 also uses the communication speed estimation unit 200 to determine the distance between the host terminal and the device terminal obtained from the position information of the external device stored in the position information holding unit 190. Based on the above, the communication speed when not relaying is estimated.

  Next, in step S <b> 105, the wireless communication relay device 10 determines in the communication availability determination unit 210 whether it is faster to relay from the estimated communication speed. If the relay is faster, in step S106, the wireless communication relay device 10 causes the control unit 100 to control the first and second wireless communication units 110 and 120 to perform wireless communication with corresponding external devices. On the other hand, if it is faster not to relay, the wireless communication relay device 10 performs wireless communication with the external device corresponding to the first and second wireless communication units 110 and 120 to the control unit 100 in step S107. Let them not control.

  As described above, when the wireless communication relay device of this embodiment relays wireless communication between the host terminal and the device terminal, does the relay actually perform in consideration of the data rate (that is, the communication speed)? It can be determined whether or not.

  In the present embodiment, the wireless communication relay device receives the position information from the external device (see step S101). However, in the case of wireless USB, the wireless communication unit 810 of the external device also has a high-precision distance measuring function. Since a certain WiMedia (registered trademark) is provided in the physical layer, it is possible to receive distance information between external devices measured in advance by the external device.

(Access control using multiple wireless communication relay devices)
Next, the operation of the wireless communication relay device of the present invention related to access control realized in the network connection form of FIG. 3 will be described.

  As described with reference to FIG. 3, the wireless communication relay device sets a communicable region by a plurality of wireless communication relay devices, and relays wireless communication only for external devices within the communicable region. Can do. Therefore, it is necessary to execute processing for determining whether or not the external device is in the communicable area. The following two methods are considered as this determination method.

1. FIG. 12 shows a method for calculating the position of an external device based on the position information of the wireless communication relay device. FIG. 12 shows the position of the external device based on the position information of the wireless communication relay device. It is an image figure showing the process which determines whether or not.

  The reference point is the position of the wireless communication relay devices 10A to 10C shown in FIG. 3, and each wireless communication relay device has all the wireless communication relay devices constituting the wireless communication relay system in its own position information holding unit 190. Is stored. For example, the location information of the own device is obtained by user input, and the location information of the other device is also received by user input, by wireless communication, or by wire reception during association from another device. To be acquired. FIG. 12 shows an example in which the reference points are (0, 0), (1 + √3, 0), (1 + √3, 2). The position of the external device is represented by coordinates (X, Y). From the position (X, Y) to the reference points (0, 0), (1 + √3, 0), (1 + √3, 2) The distance is 2, √2, √2.

At this time, the position (X, Y) of the external device is 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).

  Such determination processing is performed in all or at least one of the wireless communication relay devices that constitute the wireless communication relay system. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the access control operation of the wireless communication relay device of the present invention that employs the determination method shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the access control operation of the wireless communication relay device of the present invention employing such a determination method will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, in step S201, the wireless communication relay device 10 acquires position information of its own device by user input via the position information acquisition unit 180, and from at least two other wireless communication relay devices, for example, by wireless communication. The position information is acquired and stored in the position information holding unit 190.

  In step S <b> 202, the wireless communication relay device 10 uses the distance measurement function of the distance measurement unit 330 included in the first wireless communication unit 110, and the corresponding first wireless communication unit 110 can perform wireless communication with the first wireless communication unit 110. Measure the distance to the external device. In addition, the wireless communication relay device 10 uses the distance measurement function of the distance measurement unit 430 included in the second wireless communication unit 120, and a corresponding second external device that can wirelessly communicate with the second wireless communication unit 120. Measure the distance to.

  In step S203, the wireless communication relay device 10 acquires the distance information obtained by the same measurement as in step S202 from other wireless communication relay devices by wireless communication via the position information acquisition unit 180. Note that, instead of step S201, the position information of another wireless communication relay device may be acquired at this time.

  In step S <b> 204, the wireless communication relay device 10 uses the position calculation unit 205 to store the position information of the wireless communication relay device including its own device stored in the position information holding unit 190, and another wireless communication by the position information acquisition unit 180. By solving the equations (1) to (3) based on the distance information acquired from the communication relay device and the distance to the external device measured by the distance measuring units 330 and 430, each of the external devices Get location information.

  Next, in step S <b> 205, the wireless communication relay device 10 uses the communication availability determination unit 210 to store the position information of the wireless communication relay device stored in the position information holding unit 190 and the position information of the external device calculated by the position calculation unit 205. From this, it is determined whether or not the external device is in the communicable area 40. If the external device is within the communicable area 40, in step S206, the wireless communication relay device 10 causes the control unit 100 to wirelessly communicate with the corresponding external device using the first and second wireless communication units 110 and 120. On the other hand, if one or both of the external devices are outside the communicable area 40, the wireless communication relay device 10 causes the control unit 100 to execute the first and second wireless communication in step S207. The communication units 110 and 120 are controlled not to perform wireless communication with the corresponding external device.

  In this way, the wireless communication relay device calculates the position of the external device to which wireless communication is relayed, confirms whether it is within the communicable area surrounded by the plurality of wireless communication relay devices, and the external device communicates. By relaying only when it is within the possible area, security based on the physical position can be realized.

2. Method by Heron's formula In the above-described method by calculating the position of the external device based on the position information of the wireless communication relay device, the user has to input the position information of the wireless communication relay device in advance. In the following, a process for determining whether or not an external device is within the communicable area from the distance between the wireless communication relay devices and between the wireless communication relay device and the external device without directly using the position information will be described.

  FIG. 14 is an image diagram showing processing for determining whether or not an external device is within a communicable area from the distances between the wireless communication relay devices and between the wireless communication relay device and the external device.

  When the external device 20 is in the communicable region 40 as shown in FIG. 14A, the area M of the triangular communicable region 40 formed by the three wireless communication relay devices is the first and second wireless The area M1 of the triangular area formed by the communication relay devices 10A and 10B and the external device 20, the triangular area formed by the second and third wireless communication relay devices 10B and 10C and the external device 20 It is equal to the sum of the area M2 and the area M3 of the triangular region formed by the first and third wireless communication relay devices 10A and 10C and the external device 20. That is, the relationship M = M1 + M2 + M3 is established.

  On the other hand, when the external device 20 is outside the communicable region 40 as shown in FIG. 14B, the area M of the entire communicable region 40 is formed by the three wireless communication relay devices 10A to 10C and the external device 20. Smaller than the sum M1 + M2 + M3 of the areas of the three regions. That is, the relationship of M <M1 + M2 + M3 is established.

In addition, the area of each area | region is calculated | required by the formula of Heron from the length of 3 sides which form a triangle. The distance between the first and second wireless communication relay devices 10A and 10B is L1, the distance between the second and third wireless communication relay devices 10B and 10C is L2, and the first and third wireless communication relay devices. Assuming that the distance between 10A and 10C is L3, the area M of the communicable region 40 is obtained as follows using the Heron formula:
M = √ (S (S−L1) (S−L2) (S−L3))
However, S = (L1 + L2 + L3) / 2. Similarly, the areas M1, M2, and M3 of other regions can be calculated using Heron's formula if the length of each side constituting the triangular region is known.

  Such determination processing is performed in all or at least one of the wireless communication relay devices that constitute the wireless communication relay system. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the access control operation of the wireless communication relay device of the present invention that employs the determination method shown in FIG. The access control operation of the wireless communication relay device of the present invention that employs such a determination method will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  First, in step S <b> 301, the wireless communication relay device 10 uses the distance measurement function of the distance measurement unit 330 included in the first wireless communication unit 110 to perform a corresponding first communication with the first wireless communication unit 110. A distance measurement function of the distance measurement unit 430 included in the second wireless communication unit 120, and a corresponding second wireless communication unit 120 capable of wireless communication with the second wireless communication unit 120. Measure the distance to 2 external equipment. Further, the wireless communication relay device 10 uses the distance measuring unit 330 and / or 430 to measure the distance to each of the other two adjacent wireless communication relay devices.

  In step S302, the wireless communication relay device 10 acquires distance information obtained by the same measurement as in step S301 from other wireless communication relay devices by wireless communication via the position information acquisition unit 180.

  In step S303, in the position calculation unit 205, the wireless communication relay device 10 uses the Heron formula from the obtained distance information, and the area M of the entire communicable region 40 and the wireless communication relay configuring the wireless communication relay system. The areas M1, M2, and M3 of the triangular regions formed by each of the devices and the external devices are calculated.

  Next, in step S304, the wireless communication relay device 10 checks whether or not the external device is in the communicable area 40 by checking whether or not the relationship of M = M1 + M2 + M3 is established in the communication availability determination unit 210. to decide. If the external device is within the communicable area 40, in step S305, the wireless communication relay device 10 causes the control unit 100 to wirelessly communicate with the corresponding external device using the first and second wireless communication units 110 and 120. On the other hand, if one or both of the external devices are outside the communicable area 40, in step S306, the wireless communication relay device 10 causes the control unit 100 to control the first and second wireless devices. The communication units 110 and 120 are controlled not to perform wireless communication with the corresponding external device.

  Actually, whether or not the external device is within the communicable area does not depend on whether the relationship of M = M1 + M2 + M3 is completely established, but the area M of the entire communicable area and each of the wireless communication relay devices. And the difference between the sum of the areas of the triangular regions M1 + M2 + M3 formed by each of the external devices is determined within a predetermined limit value.

  Thus, when adopting the determination method using Heron's formula, the wireless communication relay device does not need to have position information of the relay device in advance, and even measures the distance from the relay device to the external device If it is possible, it can be confirmed whether or not the external device is within the communicable area, so even if the reference relay device moves, security based on the physical position is still realized. Can do.

  In the above-described embodiment, a wireless communication relay system having three relay devices is considered. However, in the case where four or more relay devices are provided in other embodiments, it may be considered as a set of three relay devices. . For example, when the fourth wireless communication relay device 10D is further provided, the triangular area formed by any three of the wireless communication relay devices 10A to 10D is the example shown in FIG. It is desirable to divide as shown in FIG. 16B so that they do not overlap.

(Access control using an area-designated marker device)
Next, the operation of the wireless communication relay device of the present invention related to access control realized in the network connection form of FIG. 4 will be described.

  As described with reference to FIG. 4, the wireless communication relay device is placed in a network provided with an area designation marker device that is used only for permitting or prohibiting wireless communication with an external device within a predetermined range. Thus, it is possible to relay or restrict wireless communication with an external device in the area designated by the area designation marker device. Therefore, it is necessary to acquire marker identification information indicating what kind of region is designated by the region designation marker device.

  FIG. 17 shows an example of marker identification information possessed by each region designation marker device. The wireless communication relay device can recognize the communication permitted / prohibited region 70 designated by the region designation marker device as shown in FIG. 4 by receiving the marker identification information from each region designation marker device.

  The marker identification information is represented, for example, as 8-bit binary data as shown in FIG. The most significant bit 91 is an area where the communication permission / prohibition area 70 is surrounded by a plurality of area designation marker devices as shown in FIG. 4A, or is shown in FIG. 4B. As described above, whether the region is a circular region having a predetermined radius centered on a single region designation marker device is represented by a number of 0 or 1. The second most significant bit 92 represents whether the communication permission / prohibition area 70 is set to “communication permitted” or “communication prohibited” by a number of 0 or 1. The data area 93 composed of the third and fourth most significant bits indicates whether or not the area designation is performed in combination with the communicable area 40 designated by the wireless communication relay device. For example, “00” is an area designation marker. This indicates that only the communication permission / prohibition area 70 specified by the apparatus is considered, “01” indicates that the communication permission / prohibition area 70 and the communicable area 40 are ORed, and “10” indicates communication permission / prohibition. It represents taking the AND of the area 70 and the communicable area 40. Finally, the data area 94 consisting of the lower 4 bits represents a group of area designation marker devices forming the area when the area surrounded by the plurality of area designation marker devices is designated by the most significant bit 91. On the other hand, when a circle area centered on a single area designation marker device is designated by the most significant bit 91, the radius of the circle area is indicated.

  FIG. 18 is an image diagram showing some examples of communication permitted / prohibited areas designated by the area designation marker device.

  In the example shown in FIG. 18A, two communication permission / prohibition areas 710 and 720 that partially overlap each other are shown. The first area 710 is an area designated by the three area designation marker devices 50A to 50C. Therefore, the most significant bit is “0” to indicate that the area is surrounded by a plurality of area designation marker devices. Also, the lower 4 bits of these identification information have the same 4-digit binary number such as “1000” to indicate that they are the same group. Furthermore, when designating the 1st area | region 710 as a communication permission area | region, the 2nd upper bit of the identification information of area designation | designated marker apparatus 50A-50C is "0". Further, for example, without considering the communicable area 40 designated by a plurality of wireless communication relay devices, whether communication with an external device is permitted or not is considered only by the communication permitted / prohibited area 70 designated by the area designation marker device. When judging, “00” is put in the data area composed of the third and fourth most significant bits. Accordingly, the identification information of the area designation marker devices 50A to 50C is generally expressed as “00 ** 1000” (** is arbitrary).

  On the other hand, the second area 720 is an area designated by the other three area designation marker devices 50D to 50F. For example, the identification information of these area designation marker devices 50D to 50F is “01 ** 1001”. If it is, it can be seen that the communication prohibited area is located inside the area designation marker devices 50D to 50F of the group “1001”.

  In this case, the problem is whether the area where the first and second areas 710 and 720 overlap is “communication enabled” or “communication prohibited”. For example, the setting of “communication prohibited” If the priority is higher than the setting of “”, only the area that does not overlap with the second area 720 in the first area 710 (the part indicated by a halftone dot in the figure) is the communication permission range.

  In another example shown in FIG. 18B, two communication permission / prohibition areas 730 and 740 that are partially overlapped are shown.

  The third area 730 is an area designated by one area designation marker device 50G. Therefore, the most significant bit of this area designation marker device 50G is “1” to indicate that it is a circular area centering on a single area designation marker device. Further, the lower 4 bits of the identification information have a 4-digit binary number such as “0011” to indicate the radius of the designated circular area. If this 4-digit binary number indicates a distance expressed in unit meters when converted to a decimal number, for example, “0011” represents a range of a radius of 3 meters from the region designation marker device 50G. . Furthermore, when designating the 3rd area | region 730 as a communication permission area | region, the identification information 2nd high-order bit of the area designation | designated marker apparatus 50G is "0". Accordingly, the identification information of the area designation marker device 50G is expressed as “10 ** 0011” as a whole.

  On the other hand, the fourth area 740 is an area designated by another area designation marker device 50H. For example, if the identification information of this area designation marker device 50H is “10 ** 0010”, It turns out that it is a communication permission area | region which has the range of radius 2 meters centering on the single area | region designation | designated marker apparatus 50H.

  Accordingly, a region where the third and fourth regions 730 and 740 are combined (a portion indicated by a halftone dot in the drawing) is a communication permission range.

  The determination process of whether or not communication is possible based on the area recognized based on the identification information of the area designation marker device is performed in all or at least one of the wireless communication relay devices constituting the wireless communication relay system. FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an access control operation when an area designation marker device is provided outside in the wireless communication relay device of the present invention that employs the determination method shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the access control operation of the wireless communication relay device of the present invention when an area designation marker device is provided outside will be described with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. In order to simplify the description, in the marker identification information, the predetermined range designated by the region designation marker device is set to “communication permission”, and when determining whether communication is possible, It is assumed that AND is performed on the communicable area 40 specified by the wireless communication relay device.

  First, in step S401, the wireless communication relay device 10 acquires position information of its own device by user input via the position information acquisition unit 180, and from at least two other wireless communication relay devices, for example, by wireless communication. The position information is acquired and stored in the position information holding unit 190.

  In step S <b> 402, the wireless communication relay device 10 uses the distance measurement function of the distance measurement unit 330 included in the first wireless communication unit 110, and the corresponding first wireless communication unit 110 is capable of wireless communication with the first wireless communication unit 110. Measure the distance to the external device. In addition, the wireless communication relay device 10 uses the distance measurement function of the distance measurement unit 430 included in the second wireless communication unit 120, and a corresponding second external device that can wirelessly communicate with the second wireless communication unit 120. Measure the distance to.

  In step S403, the wireless communication relay device 10 acquires distance information obtained by the same measurement as in step S402 from other wireless communication relay devices by wireless communication via the position information acquisition unit 180. Note that the location information of another wireless communication relay device may be acquired at this time instead of step S401.

  In step S <b> 404, the wireless communication relay device 10 uses the position calculation unit 205 to store the position information of the wireless communication relay device including the own device stored in the position information holding unit 190, and the position information acquisition unit 180 to perform another wireless communication. By solving the equations (1) to (3) based on the distance information acquired from the communication relay device and the distance to the external device measured by the distance measuring units 330 and 430, each of the external devices Get location information.

  In step S405, the wireless communication relay device 10 acquires the marker identification information from the region designation marker device, for example, by wireless communication via the marker identification information acquisition unit 135.

  In step S406, the wireless communication relay device 10 further acquires the position information from the area designation marker device via the position information acquisition unit 180, for example, by wireless communication.

  Next, in step S407, the wireless communication relay device 10 uses the communication availability determination unit 210 to store the position information of the wireless communication relay device stored in the position information holding unit 190 and the position information of the external device calculated by the position calculation unit 205. From this, it is determined whether or not the external device is in the communicable area 40. If the external device is in the communicable area 40, the wireless communication relay device 10 further uses the position information and marker identification information acquired from the area designation marker device in the communication availability determination unit 210 in step S408. It is determined whether or not there is an external device within a predetermined range. If the external device is within the predetermined range, in step S409, the wireless communication relay device 10 performs wireless communication with the external device corresponding to the first and second wireless communication units 110 and 120 in the control unit 100. Let them control.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 407 that the external device is outside the communicable area 40, or if it is determined in step 408 that the external device is not within the predetermined range, in step S410, the wireless communication relay is performed. The apparatus 10 causes the control unit 100 to control the first and second wireless communication units 110 and 120 so as not to perform wireless communication with corresponding external devices.

  Thus, the wireless communication relay device of the present embodiment is placed in a network provided with an area designation marker device that is used only for permitting or prohibiting wireless communication with an external device within a predetermined range. Wireless communication with an external device in an area designated by the area designation marker device can be relayed or restricted.

  In this embodiment, the wireless communication relay device receives the position information from the region designation marker device (see step S406). However, in the case of wireless USB, the wireless communication unit 510 of the region designation marker device also has high accuracy. Since WiMedia (registered trademark), which is a distance measuring function, is provided in the physical layer, when there are a plurality of region designation marker devices, the distance between the region designation marker devices measured in advance in the region designation marker device forming the same group You can also receive information.

(Association of external devices by wireless communication relay device)
For example, in a wireless communication system such as a wireless USB, an exchange of an encryption key generally called “association” is required before actual communication between terminals. Specifically, cable association using the USB cable as described above, numeric association for inputting numbers displayed on the terminal, and the like are considered. By performing the association, wireless communication is limited to terminals associated in advance by exchanging encryption keys, and security is improved. However, the step of associating in advance with all terminals that can be connected increases the burden on the user.

  According to the wireless communication relay device of the present invention, by relaying all wireless communication between external devices, all external devices need only associate with the wireless communication relay device, reducing the burden on the user. Can do.

  FIG. 20 is an image diagram showing an association between terminals. FIG. 20 (a) shows a conventional association between terminals in which the wireless communication relay device of the present invention is not used, and FIG. 20 (b) shows an association between terminals using the wireless communication relay device of the present invention. .

  As shown in FIG. 20, when there are two host terminals (PCs) 21 and 22 and three device terminals (printers) 31, 32 and 33, as shown in FIG. Each of the host terminals had to associate with each of the device terminals. On the other hand, if the wireless communication relay device 10 is used, as shown in FIG. 20B, if all the host terminals and device terminals associate only with the wireless communication relay device 10, the association between the terminals is established. It is possible to perform secure encrypted communication between terminals without performing the above.

  FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing an access control operation of the wireless communication relay device of the present invention by associating with an external device. Hereinafter, the access control operation of the wireless communication relay device of the present invention by associating external devices will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, in step S <b> 501, the wireless communication relay device 10 associates an external device via the device association unit 220.

  Thereafter, when the wireless communication relay device 10 receives a wireless signal from the external device in the external transmission / reception unit 310 or 410 of the wireless communication unit 110 or 120 in step S502, in step 503, the communication availability determination unit 210 transmits the wireless signal. It is determined whether or not the external device as the source is a device associated in advance.

  If the external device is associated in advance, in step S504, the wireless communication relay device 10 performs wireless communication with the external device corresponding to the first and second wireless communication units 110 and 120 in the control unit 100. On the other hand, if the external device is not associated in advance, in step S505, the wireless communication relay device 10 causes the control unit 100 to associate the first and second wireless communication units 110 and 120 with the corresponding external devices. Control not to perform wireless communication with the device.

  As described above, the wireless communication relay device according to the present embodiment performs wireless communication only with an external device previously associated with the wireless communication relay device, so that secure wireless communication can be performed without direct association between the external devices. Can be realized.

  In particular, in the wireless USB, only the connection between the host terminal and the device terminal is defined, and the connection between the host terminals and between the device terminals is not considered. Therefore, there is no association agreement regarding them. However, secure wireless communication can be performed between host terminals or between device terminals via the wireless communication relay device of the present invention.

(Modification)
As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, the wireless USB has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to any wireless communication system in which a master-slave relationship such as a host and a device is defined.

  The functions of the present invention may be realized by a program stored in a memory such as a hard disk (HDD) or a read-only memory (ROM) of the information processing apparatus or as hardware in the information processing apparatus.

  Although the best mode for carrying out the invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described in the best mode. Modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 shows a first example of a network connection form of a wireless communication relay device according to the present invention. The relationship between the distance and data rate in the communication system which employ | adopts UWB system is represented. The 2nd example of the network connection form of the radio | wireless communication relay apparatus according to this invention is represented. The 3rd example of the network connection form of the radio | wireless communication relay apparatus according to this invention is represented. 1 represents a hardware configuration of a wireless communication relay device. 2 shows a functional configuration of a wireless communication relay device. Indicates the hardware configuration of an external device. Represents the functional configuration of the external device. This represents the hardware configuration of the area designation marker device. This represents the functional configuration of the area designation marker device. 3 shows an operation flow of the wireless communication relay device of the present invention for determining whether or not to relay wireless communication between a host and a device. FIG. 5 is an image diagram showing a first method for determining whether or not an external device is in a communicable area. It is a flowchart showing access control operation | movement of the radio | wireless communication relay apparatus of this invention which employ | adopts the determination method represented by FIG. It is an image figure showing the 2nd method of determining whether an external apparatus exists in a communicable area | region. It is a flowchart showing the access control operation | movement of the radio | wireless communication relay apparatus of this invention which employ | adopts the determination method represented by FIG. FIG. 15 illustrates an example of area division for performing the method illustrated in FIG. 14 when there are four wireless communication relay apparatuses. It is an example of marker identification information. It is an image figure showing some examples of the communication permission / prohibition area | region designated by the area | region designation | designated marker apparatus. 13 is a flowchart showing an access control operation when an area designation marker device is provided outside in the wireless communication relay device of the present invention that employs the determination method shown in FIG. 12. It is an image figure showing the association between terminals. It is a flowchart showing the access control operation | movement of the radio | wireless communication relay apparatus of this invention by correlation of an external apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Wireless communication relay apparatus 20, 30, 60, 80 External apparatus 40 Communication area 50 Area designation | designated marker apparatus 70 Communication permission / prohibition area 100 Control part 110,120 Wireless communication part 135 Marker identification information acquisition part 180 Position information acquisition part 190 Position information holding unit 200 Communication speed estimation unit 205 Position calculation unit 210 Communication availability determination unit 220 Device association unit 310, 410 External transmission / reception unit 320, 420 Internal transmission / reception unit 330, 430 Distance measurement unit 510, 810 Wireless communication unit 550, 870 Position Information holding unit 560 Marker identification information holding unit

Claims (18)

Wireless communication with corresponding devices, and at least two wireless communication means connected to each other;
The at least two wireless communication means are respectively
First transmission / reception means for transmitting / receiving a signal to / from a device corresponding to the wireless communication means;
The signal from the corresponding device received by the first transmission / reception means is transmitted to the other wireless communication means so as to be transmitted to another device corresponding to the other wireless communication means, and the first transmission / reception is performed. the signal to be transmitted to the corresponding device have a second receiving means for receiving from said another wireless communication device by means,
Each of the at least two wireless communication units functions as a device when the corresponding device is a host terminal, and functions as a host when the corresponding device is a device terminal . Position information holding means having position information of the device;
Distance measuring means for measuring the distance between each of the devices from the wireless communication relay device;
Based on the distance measured by the distance measuring means, a first communication speed between the devices when passing through the wireless communication relay device is estimated, and further, based on the position information, the wireless communication relay device is A communication speed estimating means for estimating a second communication speed between the devices when not passing through;
When one of the devices is a host terminal and the other is a device terminal, if the first communication speed exceeds the second communication speed, wireless communication is performed with the host terminal and the device terminal. as the further, and a control means for controlling at least two wireless communication means, a radio communication relay apparatus according to claim 1. A wireless communication relay device placed in a wireless communication network having a plurality of wireless communication relay devices according to claim 1 ,
Wireless communication further comprising control means for controlling the at least two wireless communication means to perform wireless communication only with the device in the communicable area surrounded by at least three wireless communication relay apparatuses including the wireless communication relay apparatus Relay device. Position information holding means having position information of the wireless communication relay device;
Distance measuring means for measuring the distance from the wireless communication relay device to the device;
Position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of the other wireless communication relay device and distance information from the other wireless communication relay device to the device from each of at least two other wireless communication relay devices;
Based on the position information included in the position information holding unit, the distance measured by the distance measuring unit, and the position information and distance information acquired by the position information acquiring unit, the position of the device is calculated. Position calculating means for
Whether or not the device is in the communicable area based on the position information of the wireless communication relay device and the at least two other wireless communication relay devices and the position of the device calculated by the position calculation means. The wireless communication relay device according to claim 3 , further comprising communication enable / disable determining means for determining. Marker identification information acquisition means for acquiring marker identification information indicating that wireless communication with the device within a predetermined range is permitted or prohibited from one or a plurality of region designation marker devices placed in the wireless communication network Have
The location information acquisition means acquires location information of the region designation marker device from the region designation marker device,
The wireless communication relay device according to claim 4 , wherein the communication availability determination unit further determines whether wireless communication with the device is possible based on position information of the region designation marker device and the marker identification information. Distance measuring means for measuring a distance from the wireless communication relay device to the device and at least two other wireless communication relay devices;
Position information acquisition means for acquiring distance information between each of the other wireless communication relay devices and between the other wireless communication relay devices from the other wireless communication relay device;
A communication availability determination unit that determines whether the device is in the communicable region based on the distance measured by the distance measurement unit and the distance information acquired by the position information acquisition unit; The wireless communication relay device according to claim 3 . A device association means for associating the device;
The wireless communication relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the at least two wireless communication units perform wireless communication only with the device associated by the device association unit. A communication control method in a wireless communication relay device capable of wireless communication with each corresponding device and having at least two wireless communication means connected to each other,
Receiving a signal wirelessly from a device corresponding to the wireless communication means in one wireless communication means;
Transmitting a signal received by the one wireless communication means to another wireless communication means;
Have a transmitting wirelessly to the other device corresponding signals transmitted from the one wireless communication means to the other wireless communication means in the other wireless communication means,
Control the wireless communication relay device so that each of the at least two wireless communication means functions as a device when the corresponding device is a host terminal, and functions as a host when the corresponding device is a device terminal. A communication control method. A distance measuring step of measuring a distance between each of the devices from the wireless communication relay device;
Based on the distance measured in the distance measurement step, a first communication speed between the devices when passing through the wireless communication relay device is estimated, and further, based on the position information of the device, the wireless communication relay A communication speed estimation step of estimating a second communication speed between the devices when not passing through the device,
When one of the devices is a host terminal and the other is a device terminal, if the first communication speed exceeds the second communication speed, wireless communication is performed with the host terminal and the device terminal. 9. The communication control method according to claim 8 , wherein said at least two wireless communication means are controlled. In a wireless communication network having a plurality of wireless communication relay devices, the at least two wireless devices perform wireless communication only with the device in a communicable area surrounded by at least three wireless communication relay devices including the wireless communication relay device. The communication control method according to claim 8 , wherein the communication means is controlled. A distance measuring step for measuring a distance from the wireless communication relay device to the device;
A position information acquisition step of acquiring position information of the other wireless communication relay device and distance information from the other wireless communication relay device to the device from each of at least two other wireless communication relay devices;
Position calculation for calculating the position of the device based on the position information of the wireless communication relay device, the distance measured in the distance measurement step, and the position information and distance information acquired in the position information acquisition step Steps,
Whether the device is in the communicable area based on the position information of the wireless communication relay device and the at least two other wireless communication relay devices and the position of the device calculated in the position calculation step. The communication control method according to claim 10 , further comprising a communication availability determination step of determining. Obtaining marker identification information indicating that wireless communication with the device within a predetermined range is permitted or prohibited from one or a plurality of region designation marker devices placed in the wireless communication network;
Obtaining position information of the region designation marker device from the region designation marker device;
The communication control method according to claim 11 , further comprising: determining whether wireless communication with the device is possible based on position information of the region designation marker device and the marker identification information. A distance measuring step for measuring a distance from the wireless communication relay device to the device and at least two other wireless communication relay devices;
A distance information acquisition step for acquiring distance information between the other wireless communication relay devices and between the devices from the other wireless communication relay devices from the other wireless communication relay devices;
A communication availability determination step of determining whether or not the device is in the communicable region based on the distance measured in the distance measurement step and the distance information acquired in the distance information acquisition step; The communication control method according to claim 10 . A device association step for associating the device;
Controlling said at least two wireless communication means to perform only radio communication with the device associated with the device associating step, a communication control method as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 13. A wireless communication system comprising a plurality of wireless communication relay devices according to claim 4 ,
It further has one or a plurality of area designation marker devices,
The region designation marker device is:
Position information holding means for holding position information of the region designation marker device;
Marker identification information holding means for holding marker identification information indicating permission or prohibition of wireless communication with the device within a predetermined range designated by the region designation marker device;
Wireless communication means capable of wireless communication with the wireless communication relay device, and transmitting the position information and the marker identification information of the region designation marker device to the wireless communication relay device,
The wireless communication relay device
Marker identification information acquisition means for acquiring the marker identification information from the region designation marker device,
In the position information acquisition means, the position information of the area designation marker device is obtained from the area designation marker device,
The wireless communication system, wherein the communication availability determination unit further determines whether wireless communication with the device is possible based on position information of the region designation marker device and the marker identification information. The predetermined range is a circular first region having a predetermined radius determined by the marker identification information with the position of one region specifying marker device as a center, or an inner first region surrounded by three or more region specifying marker devices. The wireless communication system according to claim 15 , defined by two regions or a combination of one or more first regions and / or second regions. A wireless communication relay program that allows a computer to function as at least two wireless communication means that are wirelessly communicable with corresponding devices and connected to each other.
Receiving a signal wirelessly from a device corresponding to the wireless communication means by one wireless communication means;
Transmitting a signal received by the one wireless communication means to another wireless communication means;
Wirelessly transmitting a signal transmitted from the one wireless communication unit to the other device corresponding to the other wireless communication unit in the other wireless communication unit ;
A wireless communication relay program that causes each of the at least two wireless communication means to function as a device when the corresponding device is a host terminal and as a host when the corresponding device is a device terminal . A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 17 is recorded.

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