JP5461300B2 - Radio relay apparatus and communication interface selection method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless relay device for connecting a wireless terminal (for example, a wireless LAN terminal) connectable to a specific access network (for example, a wireless LAN) to various types of access networks having different wireless interfaces, and a communication interface selection method thereof. .

  Here, as various types of access networks, for example, wireless LAN, 3rd generation and 3.5th generation mobile phones (hereinafter referred to as “3G / 3.5G mobile phones”), WiMAX (Worldwide interoperability for microwave access), etc. are assumed. doing. The 3G / 3.5G mobile phone standard includes, for example, HSDPA (High speed downlink packet access), WCDMA (Wide band code division multiple access), EDGE (Enhanced data rates for GSM evolution), and the like.

  Digital devices such as notebook computers, portable communication devices, and game devices are widespread and the market is expanding. Since these devices are equipped with a wireless LAN as a communication interface, it is possible to connect to the Internet through this device and to use services on the Internet by installing a web browser or the like on each device. Yes.

  On the other hand, due to the widespread use of broadband access, broadband lines such as FTTH and ADSL are generally used in Japanese homes, and wireless LANs are also spreading in home networks. Therefore, when the user of the device is at home, the device is considered to be in an environment where the device's Internet connection function can be fully exhibited.

  However, in order to connect the device to the Internet on the go, there is a method using a public wireless LAN spot. However, in such a spot-like service area, it is not always available when the user wants to use it. For this reason, the Internet connection function of the device cannot be fully exhibited when the user is away from home, and the user convenience is greatly impaired.

  Therefore, a method for solving this problem can be considered by using services such as 3G / 3.5G mobile phones and WiMAX that provide a wide range of wireless services outside the public wireless LAN spot area outside the office. That is, a wireless relay device that relays communication between a digital device that can be connected to a wireless LAN and a 3G / 3.5G mobile phone or WiMAX is used, and the wireless relay device and the digital device communicate with each other via a wireless LAN. By communicating between the relay apparatus and the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone base station or WiMAX base station using the respective communication methods, the digital device can be connected to the Internet anytime and anywhere. Further, when the high-speed Internet service of the public wireless LAN spot is used together, the convenience for the user is improved. For this purpose, a wireless relay device corresponding to a plurality of wireless interfaces is required, and this needs to be small for portability.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a conventional wireless relay device (Patent Document 1).
In FIG. 1, the wireless relay device 1 includes a WAN side communication unit 10 used for wireless communication with an external network and a LAN side communication unit 11 used for wireless communication with a wireless LAN terminal 19. The wireless relay device 1 includes a relay function unit 5 that transfers data between the WAN side communication unit 10 and the LAN side communication unit 11, and a plurality of communication interface units of the WAN side communication unit 10 via the relay function unit 5. The interface selection unit 8 for selecting one of the above is provided. Furthermore, the wireless relay device 1 includes a timer unit 9 that notifies the interface selection unit 8 of the elapse of a predetermined time, and a battery unit 6 that supplies power for operating the wireless relay device 1.

  The WAN side communication unit 10 includes a wireless LAN interface unit 2, a 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3, and a WiMAX interface unit 4.

  The LAN side communication unit 11 includes a wireless LAN interface unit 7. The LAN side communication unit 11 may include a plurality of communication interface units. For example, the LAN-side communication unit 11 may include a wireless communication interface unit that communicates according to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard, a communication interface unit that communicates according to the ZigBee (registered trademark) standard, and the like.

  The relay function unit 5 converts the data format according to each wireless communication standard when the wireless communication methods of the WAN side communication unit 10 and the LAN side communication unit 11 are different from each other.

  Here, the WAN communication unit 10 of the wireless relay device 1 operates differently depending on the situation where the wireless relay device 1 is placed. That is, when the wireless relay device 1 is located in the service area of the wireless LAN base station 13, the wireless LAN interface unit 2 is connected to and communicates with the wireless LAN base station 13. When the wireless relay device 1 is located in the service area of the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone base station 15, the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3 connects to and communicates with the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone base station 15. Further, when the wireless relay device 1 is located in the service area of the WiMAX base station 17, the WiMAX interface unit 4 is connected to the WiMAX base station 17 for communication.

  The LAN side communication unit 11 of the wireless relay device 1 communicates by connecting to the wireless LAN terminal 19 via the wireless LAN interface unit 7. In the WAN side communication unit 10, when a plurality of communication interface units can be connected to the respective base stations, the interface selection unit 8 is configured to use the wireless LAN interface unit 2, 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit of the WAN side communication unit 10. 3. Select one of the WiMAX interface units 4.

  FIG. 2 shows a selection processing procedure of the communication interface unit of the conventional wireless relay device. The processing procedure shown here is for selecting a communication interface unit with low power consumption, but the selection process of the communication interface unit is not limited to this method, and there are various methods.

(1) Selection of Interface First, when the wireless relay device 1 is activated by a user operation, the interface selection unit 8 activates the LAN side communication unit 11. When the wireless LAN interface unit 7 provided in the LAN side communication unit 11 starts operating and receives an access signal from the wireless LAN terminal 19, the wireless LAN interface unit 7 notifies the interface selection unit accordingly.

  Next, the interface selection unit 8 that has received the connection notification of the wireless LAN terminal 19 activates the WAN side communication unit 10 via the relay function unit 5 and starts searching for a base station. As a result, the wireless LAN interface unit 2, 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3, and WiMAX interface unit 4 of the WAN side communication unit 10 each search for a base station and output the search result to the interface selection unit 8. (S1). The interface selection unit 8 determines whether one or more communication interface units have detected a base station (S2). When one communication interface unit detects a base station, the communication interface unit is selected. When two or more communication interface units detect a base station, they are stored in the interface selection unit 8 in advance. According to the power consumption value for each communication standard of the communication interface unit, the communication interface unit with the minimum power consumption is selected (S3). Here, the power consumption value for each communication standard is wireless LAN, WiMAX, 3G / 3.5G mobile phone in ascending order. If none of the communication interface units can detect the base station (S2; No), the interface selection unit 8 repeats the operations of steps S1 and S2.

(2) Interface switching When relay processing is started via the communication interface unit selected in step S3 (S4), the timer unit 9 starts counting, and when a certain period of time has elapsed, a certain period of time has passed to the interface selection unit 8. (S5; Yes). The interface selection unit 8 activates the WAN side communication unit 10 via the relay function unit 5. Thereby, the wireless LAN interface unit 2, the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3 and the WiMAX interface unit 4 of the WAN side communication unit 10 each search for a base station. Thereafter, the operations after step S1 are repeated. Here, if a base station of a communication interface unit different from the previous one is detected and selected due to movement of the wireless relay device or the like, handover to the base station is performed.

JP 2010-021878 A

  In a conventional wireless relay device, when a plurality of base stations are detected on the WAN side, for example, a communication interface unit with the minimum power consumption is selected. Further, in the sequence of starting the WAN side communication unit 10 and searching for a base station at regular intervals, it is possible to save power by suspending communication interface units not used for communication during that time.

  By the way, for example, even if a wireless relay device connected to a 3G / 3.5G mobile phone moves to a wireless LAN spot scattered in the service area of the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone, until a certain time elapses. Since the WAN side communication unit 10 does not search for a base station, it cannot immediately switch to the wireless LAN connection.

  On the other hand, if the base station is searched after a certain period of time during communication with the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone and both the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone and the wireless LAN are detected, the above algorithm is followed. For example, switching to a wireless LAN with low power consumption is performed. As a result, high-speed communication by the wireless LAN and power consumption of the wireless relay device can be reduced. However, since the WAN communication unit 10 searches for a base station at regular intervals, the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone that is communicating is interrupted, and switching to the wireless LAN or reconnection to the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone is possible. Done. In this way, the base station search is performed periodically regardless of the presence or absence of relaying traffic, and data communication with, for example, 3G / 3.5G mobile phones may be interrupted each time. there were.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a radio relay apparatus and a communication interface selection method that can switch to a more advantageous communication interface unit without interrupting communication.

  The first invention includes a LAN side communication unit having at least one communication interface unit wirelessly connected to a wireless terminal, a WAN side communication unit having a plurality of communication interface units respectively wirelessly connected to base stations of a plurality of networks, A plurality of communication interface units of the WAN side communication unit are activated to search for connectable base stations. When one communication interface unit detects a base station, the communication interface unit is selected, and two or more communications are performed. When each interface unit detects a base station, one communication interface unit is selected according to a predetermined standard, and the selected communication interface unit and the LAN side communication unit are connected to each other to connect the wireless terminal and the communication interface. In a wireless relay device comprising relay processing means for performing relay processing with a network corresponding to The N-side communication unit monitors the traffic of the communication interface unit that is communicating, and when no traffic is detected for a certain period of time, if there is a communication interface unit that is more advantageous than the communication interface unit that is communicating, activates the communication interface unit. When the base station is detected, the transmission / reception monitoring unit performs control for switching to the advantageous communication interface unit after confirming again that traffic of the communication interface unit during communication is not detected.

In the wireless relay device of the first invention, the relay processing means activates a plurality of communication interface units of the WAN side communication unit, and when two or more communication interface units respectively detect a base station, a predetermined reference is used. A configuration may be adopted in which a communication interface unit with the lowest power consumption, the highest communication speed, or the highest priority determined by the user is selected.

In the wireless relay device of the first invention, the transmission / reception monitoring means includes a communication interface unit that consumes less power than the communication interface unit that is communicating when the communication interface unit that is communicating with the WAN side communication unit does not detect traffic for a certain period of time. When detecting a base station, it may be configured to switch to a communication interface unit with low power consumption.

In the wireless relay device of the first invention, the transmission / reception monitoring means is a communication interface unit having a higher communication speed than the communication interface unit in communication when the communication interface unit in communication with the WAN side communication unit does not detect traffic for a certain period of time. It is good also as a structure which switches to the communication interface part with the said high communication speed when detecting this.

In the wireless relay device of the first invention, the transmission / reception monitoring means has a higher priority determined by the user than the communication interface unit in communication when the communication interface unit in communication with the WAN side communication unit does not detect traffic for a certain period of time. When the communication interface unit detects a base station, the communication interface unit may be switched to a communication interface unit having a higher priority.

In the wireless relay device of the first invention, the transmission / reception monitoring means is configured so that the communication interface unit communicating with the WAN side communication unit is in communication with another communication interface unit for a certain period of time while there is traffic or until it is determined that there is no traffic. It is good also as a structure which sets to a dormant state.

In the wireless relay device according to the first invention, the transmission / reception monitoring means is configured to detect the traffic of the communication interface unit during communication for a certain period of time before starting another predetermined communication interface unit of the communication interface unit. The presence / absence of a wireless terminal connected to the side communication unit may be monitored, and the communication interface unit may not be activated if the wireless terminal is not connected.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the LAN side communication unit has at least one communication interface unit that is wirelessly connected to a wireless terminal, and the WAN side communication unit is wirelessly connected to base stations of a plurality of networks, respectively. And the relay processing means activates a plurality of communication interface units of the WAN side communication unit to search for connectable base stations, and when one communication interface unit detects the base station, the communication interface When two or more communication interface units detect a base station, one communication interface unit is selected based on a predetermined criterion, and the selected communication interface unit and the LAN side communication unit are connected. Communication interface of a wireless relay device that connects and relays between a wireless terminal and a network corresponding to the communication interface unit The selection method includes a transmission / reception monitoring unit that monitors traffic of a communication interface unit that is communicating with the WAN side communication unit, and when the transmission / reception monitoring unit does not detect traffic for a certain period of time, a communication interface unit that is more advantageous than the communication interface unit is provided. If it is activated, when the communication interface unit detects a base station, it is confirmed again that traffic of the communication interface unit in communication is not detected, and control to switch to the advantageous communication interface unit is performed. It is characterized by.

In the communication interface selection method of the wireless relay device of the second invention, the relay processing means activates a plurality of communication interface units of the WAN side communication unit, and when two or more communication interface units respectively detect a base station. The communication interface unit having the minimum power consumption, the maximum communication speed, or the highest priority determined by the user may be selected as the predetermined criterion.

In the communication interface selection method of the wireless relay device of the second invention, the transmission / reception monitoring means uses the power consumption from the communication interface unit during communication when the communication interface unit during communication at the WAN side communication unit does not detect traffic for a certain period of time. When a communication interface unit with a small power level detects a base station, the communication interface unit with a small power consumption may be switched.

In the communication interface selection method of the wireless relay device according to the second aspect of the invention, the transmission / reception monitoring means transmits a communication speed from the communication interface unit during communication when the communication interface unit during communication at the WAN side communication unit does not detect traffic for a certain period of time. When a communication interface unit with a high communication speed is detected, the communication interface unit with a high communication speed may be switched.

In the communication interface selection method of the wireless relay device of the second invention, the transmission / reception monitoring means is configured such that when the communication interface unit in communication with the WAN side communication unit does not detect traffic for a certain period of time, When a communication interface unit with a high priority level detects a base station, the communication interface unit with a high priority level may be switched to.

In the communication interface selection method of the wireless relay device of the second invention, the transmission / reception monitoring means has a fixed time until it is determined that there is traffic in the communication interface unit communicating with the WAN side communication unit or no traffic. Other communication interface units may be set to a dormant state.

In the communication interface selection method of the wireless relay device of the second invention, the transmission / reception monitoring means activates another predetermined communication interface unit of the communication interface unit when the traffic of the communication interface unit in communication is not detected for a certain period of time. Before the communication, the presence / absence of a wireless terminal connected to the LAN-side communication unit may be monitored, and if the wireless terminal is not connected, the communication interface unit may not be activated.

  In the present invention, when the traffic being relayed by the communication interface unit of the selected WAN side communication unit is interrupted for a certain period of time, for example, the power consumption is lower than that of the communication interface unit in communication, the communication speed is higher, or the priority is higher. If a base station of a high communication interface unit is searched and the base station of the communication interface unit can be detected, it is confirmed that there is no traffic being relayed at that time, and the communication interface unit is switched to. That is, when searching for a more advantageous base station of the communication interface unit and the traffic being relayed is restarted, the communication interface unit is not switched. Thereby, it is possible to switch to a more advantageous communication interface unit without interrupting the communication being relayed.

  In addition, the present invention provides a wireless relay device in which the other communication interface unit of the WAN side communication unit is set in a dormant state while there is traffic during communication or until it is determined that there is no traffic. Power saving can be realized.

  Further, the present invention avoids wasteful operation of the communication interface unit by setting so that the search process of the more advantageous communication interface unit is not started in a state where the wireless terminal is not connected to the LAN side communication unit. Thus, power saving in the wireless relay device can be realized.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the conventional wireless relay apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the selection processing procedure of the communication interface part of the conventional wireless relay apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structural example of Example 1 of the radio relay apparatus of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the selection processing procedure of the communication interface part in Example 1 of the wireless relay apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of Example 2 of the radio relay apparatus of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the selection processing procedure of the communication interface part in Example 3 of the wireless relay apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation example in Example 3 of the radio relay apparatus of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the selection processing procedure of the communication interface part in Example 4 of the wireless relay apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation example in Example 4 of the radio relay apparatus of this invention.

FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of Embodiment 1 of the wireless relay device of the present invention.
In FIG. 3, the WAN side communication unit 10, the LAN side communication unit 11, the relay function unit 5, the interface selection unit 8, the battery unit 6, and the wireless LAN interface unit that configure the WAN side communication unit 10 that constitute the wireless relay device 1. The 2, 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3, the WiMAX interface unit 4, and the wireless LAN interface unit 7 constituting the LAN side communication unit 11 have the same functions as the conventional configuration shown in FIG.

  The wireless relay device 1 of this embodiment is characterized in that the transmission / reception monitoring unit 12 monitors the transmission / reception level and traffic in the wireless LAN interface unit 2, 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3, and WiMAX interface unit 4. In addition, the selection control of the communication interface unit is performed via the relay function unit 5. The traffic monitoring period is set by a timer built in each communication interface unit.

  FIG. 4 shows a selection process procedure of the communication interface unit in the first embodiment of the wireless relay device of the present invention. Here, a selection process between the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3 with high power consumption and the wireless LAN interface unit 2 with low power consumption will be described as an example.

  First, the wireless relay device 1 is activated to activate the LAN side communication unit 11, and the interface selection unit 8 includes the wireless LAN interface unit 2, 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3 of the WAN side communication unit 10, WiMAX interface. The unit 4 is activated to search for a base station (S1). Then, it is determined whether one or more communication interface units have detected the base station (S2). When one communication interface unit detects a base station, the communication interface unit is selected. When two or more communication interface units detect a base station, the communication interface unit with the minimum power consumption is selected. (S3). If none of the communication interface units can detect the base station (S2; No), the operations of steps S1 and S2 are repeated. The above processing is the same as the conventional processing procedure shown in FIG.

  When one communication interface unit of the WAN side communication unit 10 is selected in step S3, if it is the wireless LAN interface unit 2 (S11; Yes), it goes through the wireless LAN interface unit 2 until it comes out of the wireless LAN area. Are connected and relay processing is performed (S18, S19). When the transmission / reception monitoring unit 12 detects that the wireless LAN has gone out of range due to a decrease in reception level or the like (S19; Yes), the interface selection unit 8 is controlled to return to step S1, and the WAN side communication unit 10 is started to search for a base station, and a handover to the detected WAN base station is performed.

  Further, when one communication interface unit of the WAN side communication unit 10 is selected in step S3, for example, if it is a 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3 (S11; No), the communication interface unit is connected via the communication interface unit. Connect and perform relay processing (S12). When the transmission / reception monitoring unit 12 detects that the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone has gone out of service area due to a decrease in reception level or the like (S13; Yes), the interface selection unit 8 is controlled to return to step S1, The WAN side communication unit 10 is activated to search for a base station, and a handover to the detected WAN side base station is performed.

  On the other hand, if the transmission / reception monitoring unit 12 detects that it is within the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone range by monitoring the reception level (S13; No), the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3 monitors the presence or absence of traffic. (S14). Here, the presence / absence of traffic is acquired from the transmission buffer or the reception buffer of the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3. If the traffic can be confirmed (S14; No), the process returns to step S12 and the connection in the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3 is continued. On the other hand, when the user stops the operation of the wireless LAN terminal 19 and does not detect the traffic of the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3 in spite of being able to communicate within the range of the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone. The 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3 starts a built-in timer, and when a state in which no traffic is detected continues to time out for a certain period of time (S14; Yes), the wireless LAN is connected to the transmission / reception monitoring unit 12. Instruct to search for base stations.

  The transmission / reception monitoring unit 12 activates the wireless LAN interface unit 2 via the interface selection unit 8 and the relay function unit 5 and starts searching for a base station (S15). If no wireless LAN base station is detected (S16; No), the process returns to step S12 and the connection in the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3 is continued. On the other hand, when a wireless LAN base station is detected (S16; Yes), the presence / absence of traffic in the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3 is confirmed again at that time (S17), and if the traffic can be confirmed (S17; Yes), return to step S12 without switching to the wireless LAN interface unit 2, and continue the connection in the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3. On the other hand, if the traffic of the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3 is not detected (S17; No), the wireless LAN interface unit 2 is switched to perform relay processing (S18). Then, connection is made through the wireless LAN interface unit 2 until it goes out of the wireless LAN area, and relay processing is performed (S18, S19).

  The above explanation is based on the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3 that can be connected first between the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3 with high power consumption and the wireless LAN interface unit 2 with low power consumption. In this example, the traffic is maintained while there is traffic, and when there is no traffic for a certain period of time, the wireless LAN interface unit 2 is switched to the one with lower power consumption. Similarly, even when switching from the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3 to the WiMAX interface unit 4 and switching from the WiMAX interface unit 4 to the wireless LAN interface unit 2 depending on the magnitude of power consumption, the corresponding communication in FIG. Similar processing can be performed by replacing the interface unit. The same applies to the case of using the communication speed of each communication interface unit and the priority level determined by the user as other criteria for selecting the communication interface unit. The same applies to the embodiments described below.

  In this way, when there is no traffic for a certain period of time in the communication interface unit used for relaying, a more advantageous communication interface unit base station is searched, and when the base station is found, it is further used for relaying. By reconfirming that there is no traffic in the communication interface unit and switching to the communication interface unit, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the communication being relayed is interrupted or stopped. That is, it is possible to switch to a more advantageous communication interface unit while giving priority to the communication being relayed.

  Note that while there is traffic in the communication interface unit used for relay or until it is determined that there is no traffic, other communication interface units can be put into a sleep state to save power in the wireless relay device. it can.

FIG. 5 shows a configuration example of a second embodiment of the wireless relay device of the present invention.
In the present embodiment, in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the transmission / reception monitoring unit 12 also monitors the state of the wireless LAN interface unit 7 of the LAN side communication unit 11 and controls the interface selection unit 8. .

  In the selection processing procedure of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the wireless relay device 1 is activated to activate the LAN side communication unit 11, and the WAN side communication unit 10 is activated to start searching for a base station (steps). S1). In the transmission / reception monitoring unit 12 of this embodiment, the wireless LAN terminal 19 is connected to the wireless LAN interface unit 7 of the LAN side communication unit 11 before the interface selection unit 8 activates the WAN side communication unit 10 via the relay function unit 5. A wireless LAN interface unit necessary for determining whether or not the wireless LAN terminal 19 is connected and waiting for a connection request from the wireless LAN terminal 19 without starting the WAN communication unit 10 when the wireless LAN terminal 19 is not connected. All functions other than 7 are set to a sleep state.

  Here, when detecting the access signal of the wireless LAN terminal 19, the wireless LAN interface unit 7 notifies the transmission / reception monitoring unit 12, and the transmission / reception monitoring unit 12 activates each functional unit of the wireless relay device 1. After the transmission / reception monitoring unit 12 confirms that the wireless LAN terminal 19 can communicate with the wireless LAN terminal 19 via the wireless LAN interface unit 7 of the LAN side communication unit 11, the interface selection unit 8 switches the relay function unit 5. Via the WAN side communication unit 10.

  This process is performed before step S15 for starting the next wireless LAN interface unit 2 when the traffic of the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3 is not detected for a certain period of time in step S14 shown in FIG. Also good. That is, whether the wireless LAN terminal 19 is connected to the wireless LAN interface unit 7 of the LAN side communication unit 11 when the transmission / reception monitoring unit 12 does not detect the traffic of the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit 3 for a certain period of time. Confirm. The transmission / reception monitoring unit 12 sends a connection request from the wireless LAN terminal 19 when the state in which the wireless LAN terminal 19 is not connected continues for a certain period of time or when disconnection from the wireless LAN terminal 19 is notified. All functions other than the wireless LAN interface unit 7 necessary for waiting are put into a dormant state.

  As a result, when there is no wireless LAN terminal 19 connected and no relay processing is required, the WAN side communication unit 10 is activated (S1), for example, wireless for switching from a 3G / 3.5G mobile phone to a wireless LAN. It is possible to prevent the LAN interface unit 2 from being activated (S15), and to effectively save the power of the wireless relay device.

  FIG. 6 shows a selection process procedure of the communication interface unit in the third embodiment of the wireless relay device of the present invention. FIG. 7 shows an operation example in Embodiment 3 of the wireless relay device of the present invention.

  In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4, when there is no traffic of the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit during communication for a certain time (S14; Yes), the wireless LAN interface unit with lower power consumption, for example, is activated (S15). When the base station can be detected (S16; Yes) and the traffic of the communication interface unit during communication has not been resumed, the procedure is to switch to the wireless LAN interface unit (S17; No, S18).

  The feature of this embodiment is that, for example, a wireless LAN interface unit that consumes less power than the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit in communication is activated in the background to search for the base station (FIG. 6: S21), and 3G / When there is no traffic for the 3.5G mobile phone interface unit for a certain period of time (S14; Yes), when connected to the wireless LAN base station (S22; Yes), when traffic for the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit has not resumed Then, switch to the wireless LAN interface unit (S17; No, S18). Other procedures are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  Thus, when there is no traffic of the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit for a certain period of time, the wireless LAN interface unit has already searched for the base station in the background, so that it can immediately connect to the detected base station. Therefore, if the traffic of the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit is not resumed, the switching to the wireless LAN interface unit can be executed immediately.

  FIG. 8 shows a selection process procedure of the communication interface unit in the fourth embodiment of the wireless relay device of the present invention. FIG. 9 shows an operation example in Embodiment 4 of the wireless relay device of the present invention.

  The feature of this embodiment is that, instead of step S21 of Embodiment 3 shown in FIG. 6, a wireless LAN interface unit that consumes less power than the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit in communication is activated in the background. The base station is searched and connected to the detected base station (FIG. 8: S23). As a result, the processing in steps S22 and S17 becomes unnecessary, and when there is no traffic for a certain period of time in the 3G / 3.5G cellular phone interface unit, the wireless LAN interface unit is immediately switched (S14; Yes, S18). Other procedures are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  As a result, when there is no traffic on the 3G / 3.5G mobile phone interface unit for a certain period of time, the wireless LAN interface unit has already searched for and connected to the base station in the background, so it immediately switches to the wireless LAN interface unit. can do.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wireless relay apparatus 2 Wireless LAN interface part 3 3G / 3.5G mobile telephone interface part 4 WiMAX interface part 5 Relay function part 6 Battery part 7 Wireless LAN interface part 8 Interface selection part 9 Timer part 10 WAN side communication part 11 LAN side communication Unit 12 Transmission / reception monitoring unit 13 Wireless LAN base station 15 3G / 3.5G mobile phone base station 17 WiMAX base station 19 Wireless LAN terminal

Claims (14)

A LAN side communication unit having at least one communication interface unit for wireless connection to a wireless terminal;
A WAN-side communication unit having a plurality of communication interface units that wirelessly connect to base stations of a plurality of networks,
A plurality of communication interface units of the WAN side communication unit are activated to search for connectable base stations. When one communication interface unit detects a base station, the communication interface unit is selected, and two or more When each of the communication interface units detects a base station, the communication interface unit selects one of the communication interface units based on a predetermined criterion, connects the selected communication interface unit and the LAN side communication unit, and In a wireless relay device comprising relay processing means for performing relay processing with a network corresponding to the communication interface unit,
When the traffic of the communication interface unit during communication is monitored by the WAN side communication unit and no traffic is detected for a certain period of time, if there is a communication interface unit more advantageous than the communication interface unit during communication, the communication interface unit is activated. A transmission / reception monitoring unit that performs control to switch to the advantageous communication interface unit after confirming again that traffic of the communication interface unit in communication is not detected when the unit detects a base station. A wireless relay device characterized by comprising. The wireless relay device according to claim 1 ,
The relay processing unit activates a plurality of communication interface units of the WAN side communication unit, and when two or more communication interface units respectively detect a base station, the power consumption is minimized or communicated as the predetermined reference A wireless relay device characterized by selecting a communication interface unit having a maximum speed or a maximum priority determined by a user. The wireless relay device according to claim 1 ,
The transmission / reception monitoring unit detects a base station by a communication interface unit that consumes less power than the communication interface unit in communication when the communication interface unit in communication with the WAN side communication unit does not detect traffic for a certain period of time. In addition, the wireless relay device is configured to switch to a communication interface unit with low power consumption. The wireless relay device according to claim 1 ,
The transmission / reception monitoring means detects the communication interface unit having a higher communication speed than the communication interface unit in communication when the communication interface unit in communication with the WAN side communication unit does not detect traffic for a certain period of time. A wireless relay device characterized by switching to a communication interface unit having a high communication speed. The wireless relay device according to claim 1 ,
The transmission / reception monitoring unit is configured such that when a communication interface unit in communication with the WAN side communication unit does not detect traffic for a certain period of time, a communication interface unit having a higher priority determined by a user than the communication interface unit in communication has a base station A wireless relay device, characterized in that when it is detected, the communication interface unit switches to a communication interface unit having a higher priority. The wireless relay device according to claim 1 ,
The transmission / reception monitoring means is configured to set other communication interface units to a dormant state for a certain period of time while there is traffic in the communication interface unit communicating with the WAN side communication unit or until it is determined that there is no traffic There is a wireless relay device. The wireless relay device according to claim 1 ,
The transmission / reception monitoring unit is connected to the LAN side communication unit before starting another predetermined communication interface unit when the traffic of the communication interface unit in communication is not detected for a certain period of time. The wireless relay device, wherein the presence or absence of the wireless terminal is monitored and the communication interface unit is not activated unless the wireless terminal is connected. The LAN side communication unit has at least one communication interface unit for wireless connection to a wireless terminal,
The WAN-side communication unit has a plurality of communication interface units that wirelessly connect to base stations of a plurality of networks,
The relay processing means activates a plurality of communication interface units of the WAN side communication unit, searches for each connectable base station, and selects one communication interface unit when one communication interface unit detects the base station. When two or more communication interface units each detect a base station, one communication interface unit is selected according to a predetermined standard, and the selected communication interface unit is connected to the LAN side communication unit. In the communication interface selection method of the wireless relay device that performs relay processing between the wireless terminal and the network corresponding to the communication interface unit,
A transmission / reception monitoring means for monitoring traffic of a communication interface unit communicating with the WAN side communication unit;
When the transmission / reception monitoring unit does not detect traffic for a certain period of time, if there is a communication interface unit that is more advantageous than the communication interface unit, the communication interface unit is activated, and when the communication interface unit detects a base station, the communication interface in communication A method for selecting a communication interface of a wireless relay device, comprising: reconfirming that no traffic is detected from the communication unit and switching to the advantageous communication interface unit. The communication interface selection method for a wireless relay device according to claim 8 ,
The relay processing unit activates a plurality of communication interface units of the WAN side communication unit, and when two or more communication interface units respectively detect a base station, the power consumption is minimized or communicated as the predetermined reference A method for selecting a communication interface of a wireless relay device, comprising: selecting a communication interface unit having a maximum speed or a priority determined by a user. The communication interface selection method for a wireless relay device according to claim 8 ,
The transmission / reception monitoring unit detects a base station by a communication interface unit that consumes less power than the communication interface unit in communication when the communication interface unit in communication with the WAN side communication unit does not detect traffic for a certain period of time. And switching to a communication interface unit that consumes less power. The communication interface selection method for a wireless relay device according to claim 8 ,
The transmission / reception monitoring means detects the communication interface unit having a higher communication speed than the communication interface unit in communication when the communication interface unit in communication with the WAN side communication unit does not detect traffic for a certain period of time. A method for selecting a communication interface of a wireless relay device, characterized by switching to a communication interface unit having a high communication speed. The communication interface selection method for a wireless relay device according to claim 8 ,
The transmission / reception monitoring unit is configured such that when a communication interface unit in communication with the WAN side communication unit does not detect traffic for a certain period of time, a communication interface unit having a higher priority determined by a user than the communication interface unit in communication has a base station A communication interface selection method for a wireless relay device, wherein, when detected, the communication interface unit is switched to a communication interface unit having a higher priority. The communication interface selection method for a wireless relay device according to claim 8 ,
The transmission / reception monitoring means sets other communication interface units in a dormant state for a certain period of time while there is traffic in the communication interface unit communicating with the WAN side communication unit or until it is determined that there is no traffic. A communication interface selection method for a wireless relay device. The communication interface selection method for a wireless relay device according to claim 8 ,
The transmission / reception monitoring unit is connected to the LAN side communication unit before starting another predetermined communication interface unit when the traffic of the communication interface unit in communication is not detected for a certain period of time. A method for selecting a communication interface of a wireless relay device, wherein the presence / absence of the wireless terminal is monitored, and control is performed such that the communication interface unit is not activated if the wireless terminal is not connected.

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