JP6241312B2 - Wireless connection apparatus, wireless connection apparatus control method, and network system including wireless connection apparatus and mobile communication terminal - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless connection device and a network system including a wireless connection device and a mobile communication terminal.

  A wireless connection device such as an access point has an OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) reference model layer 3 data transfer function, in other words, a connection to a communication device existing on a WAN (Wide Area Network) (hereinafter referred to as “WAN”). Also called “connection to”.) Some devices do not have a function. On the other hand, mobile communication terminals such as smartphones conform to 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) such as 3G (3rd. Generation) and LTE (Long term Evolution), WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), etc. Usually, a connection function for connecting to a communication network is installed. For this reason, there has been a demand to realize connection to the WAN via the wireless connection device by using the connection function to the mobile communication network of the mobile communication terminal.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a cradle having a wireless local area network (LAN) access point function and a modem function, and a function of connecting to a mobile communication network of a mobile communication terminal (mobile phone) inserted in the cradle. A cradle that can be used to enable WAN connection from a personal computer is described. Further, in Patent Document 2, in a communication system in which a mobile communication terminal (mobile phone) and a personal computer are connected, a connection function to a mobile communication network possessed by the mobile communication terminal is used. It is described that the WAN connection is possible. In Patent Documents 3 and 4, a mobile communication terminal (portable terminal) and a wireless communication device are connected by a first communication unit and a second communication unit, respectively. It describes that connection setting information of one communication means is transmitted and received.

JP 2004-304720 A JP2013-102354A JP 2012-85269 A JP 2003-110579 A

  In the technique described in Patent Document 1, since it is necessary to mount a wireless LAN access point function and a modem function in the cradle, there is a problem that the cost for creating the cradle increases. Further, in the technique described in Patent Document 2, the mobile communication terminal connection function to the mobile communication network and the mobile communication terminal wireless LAN access point function cannot be used at the same time. However, there is a problem that only one of the behavior as a mobile communication terminal and the behavior as a wireless connection device can be realized. Further, in the techniques described in Patent Documents 3 and 4, WAN connection using a connection function to the mobile communication network of the mobile communication terminal is not considered.

  For this reason, in the wireless connection device, it has been desired to enable WAN connection using the mobile communication function of the mobile communication terminal while enabling wireless LAN connection via the wireless connection device.

The present invention has been made to solve at least a part of the problems described above . As one aspect of the present invention, a network system including a wireless connection device and a mobile communication terminal is provided. In this network system, the wireless connection device acquires from the mobile communication terminal setting information related to wireless communication set in the mobile communication terminal; and using the acquired setting information, A first connection control unit for connecting a wireless connection device as a wireless communication client to the mobile communication terminal; and a WAN connection request received from the wireless terminal connected to the wireless connection device to the mobile communication terminal A first relay processing unit that transmits and transmits the LAN connection request received from the wireless terminal to the destination of the LAN connection request. On the other hand, the mobile communication terminal includes a storage unit that stores the setting information; a second connection control unit that enables connection of the wireless connection device to the mobile communication terminal; A second relay processing unit may be provided that transmits the WAN connection request to a destination of the WAN connection request using a mobile communication network. Here, the storage unit of the mobile communication terminal stores information necessary in the wireless connection device for communication by a tethering function for WAN connection of the wireless connection device via the mobile communication terminal. And the second connection control unit of the mobile communication terminal detects whether the wireless connection device supports the tethering function when detecting proximity to the wireless connection device. Determining and enabling the tethering function of the mobile communication terminal when the wireless connection device supports the tethering function, and setting information for communication by the tethering function to the wireless connection It can be sent to the device.
In addition, the present invention can be realized as the following forms or application examples.

(1) According to an aspect of the present invention, a network system including a wireless connection device and a mobile communication terminal is provided. In the network system; the wireless connection device; an acquisition unit that acquires setting information related to wireless communication set in the mobile communication terminal from the mobile communication terminal; and using the acquired setting information, the acquisition unit A first connection control unit for connecting a wireless connection device as a wireless communication client to the mobile communication terminal; and a WAN connection request received from the wireless terminal connected to the wireless connection device to the mobile communication terminal A first relay processing unit that transmits and transmits a LAN connection request received from the wireless terminal to a destination of the LAN connection request; the mobile communication terminal; a storage unit that stores the setting information; A second connection control unit enabling connection of the wireless connection device to the mobile communication terminal; and transferring the WAN connection request received from the wireless connection device. And a second relay processing unit to be transmitted to the WAN connection request destination using somatic network. According to the network system of this aspect, the first relay processing unit of the wireless connection apparatus transmits the WAN connection request received from the wireless terminal connected to the wireless connection apparatus to the mobile communication terminal, and the mobile communication terminal The second relay processing unit transmits the WAN connection request received from the wireless connection device to the destination of the WAN connection request using the mobile communication network. For this reason, WAN connection using the mobile communication function of the mobile communication terminal can be made possible. In addition, the first relay processing unit of the wireless connection device transmits the LAN connection request received from the wireless terminal connected to the wireless connection device to the destination of the LAN connection request. Can be possible. As a result, according to the network system of the present embodiment, the wireless connection apparatus enables the WAN connection using the mobile communication function of the mobile communication terminal while enabling the LAN connection via the wireless connection apparatus. be able to.

(2) The network system according to the above aspect further includes: another mobile communication terminal having the same configuration as the mobile communication terminal together with the mobile communication terminal or instead of the mobile communication terminal; When disconnection of wireless communication between the wireless connection device and the mobile communication terminal is detected; the first connection control unit of the wireless connection device further connects the wireless connection device to a wireless communication client. The first relay processing unit of the wireless connection device further transmits the WAN connection request received from the wireless terminal to the other mobile communication terminal. Also good. According to the network system of this aspect, when disconnection of wireless communication between the wireless connection device and the mobile communication terminal is detected, the first connection control unit of the wireless connection device causes the wireless connection device to perform wireless communication. The first relay processing unit of the wireless connection device is connected to another mobile communication terminal as a client, and transmits the WAN connection request received from the wireless terminal to the other mobile communication terminal. As a result, even when the wireless communication between the wireless connection device and the mobile communication terminal is disconnected, the wireless connection device can perform WAN connection using the mobile communication function of another mobile communication terminal. can do.

(3) According to an aspect of the present invention, a wireless connection device is provided. The wireless connection device includes: an acquisition unit that acquires setting information related to wireless communication set in the mobile communication terminal from the mobile communication terminal; and the wireless connection device is wirelessly transmitted using the acquired setting information. A connection control unit for connecting to the mobile communication terminal as a client of communication; a WAN connection request received from the wireless terminal connected to the wireless connection device is transmitted to the mobile communication terminal and received from the wireless terminal A relay processing unit that transmits a LAN connection request to a destination of the LAN connection request. According to the wireless connection device of this aspect, the relay processing unit transmits the WAN connection request received from the wireless terminal connected to the wireless connection device to the mobile communication terminal. The WAN connection using the function can be made possible. Further, since the relay processing unit transmits the LAN connection request received from the wireless terminal connected to the wireless connection device to the destination of the LAN connection request, the LAN connection via the wireless connection device can be enabled. As a result, in the wireless connection device, it is possible to enable WAN connection using the mobile communication function of the mobile communication terminal while enabling LAN connection via the wireless connection device.

(4) In the wireless connection device of the above aspect; when disconnection of wireless communication between the wireless connection device and the mobile communication terminal is detected; the connection control unit further controls the wireless connection device to As a communication client, connect to another mobile communication terminal having the same configuration as the mobile communication terminal; the relay processing unit further: transmits the WAN connection request received from the wireless terminal to the other mobile communication terminal You may transmit to a terminal. According to the wireless connection device of this aspect, when disconnection of the wireless communication between the wireless connection device and the mobile communication terminal is detected, the connection control unit uses the wireless connection device as a client for wireless communication as another mobile unit. The relay processing unit transmits the WAN connection request received from the wireless terminal to another mobile communication terminal. As a result, even when the wireless communication between the wireless connection device and the mobile communication terminal is disconnected, the wireless connection device can perform WAN connection using the mobile communication function of another mobile communication terminal. can do.

(5) In the wireless connection device according to the above aspect, the acquisition unit further includes: filter information set in the mobile communication terminal, the filter information defining filtering of the WAN connection request. Obtained from the terminal; The relay processing unit may further perform filtering of the WAN connection request received from the wireless terminal using the obtained filter information. According to the wireless connection device of this aspect, the relay processing unit can perform filtering of the WAN connection request received from the wireless terminal using the filter information that defines the filtering of the WAN connection request. Moreover, since the acquisition unit acquires the filter information set in the mobile communication terminal, the filter information set in the mobile communication terminal can be used, and convenience can be improved.

(6) In the wireless connection device of the above aspect, the connection control unit further includes: a plurality of movements based on a predetermined condition when there are a plurality of the mobile communication terminals capable of wireless communication. One mobile communication terminal may be selected from the body communication terminals. According to the wireless connection device of this aspect, when there are a plurality of mobile communication terminals capable of performing wireless communication, the connection control unit can select one of the plurality of mobile communication terminals based on a predetermined condition. One mobile communication terminal is selected, and a wireless connection device is connected to the selected one mobile communication terminal. As a result, by changing the predetermined condition variously, the wireless connection device selects one mobile communication terminal suitable for the condition from the plurality of mobile communication terminals, and the mobile communication function of the mobile communication terminal is selected. Utilized WAN connection can be made possible.

(7) In the wireless connection device according to the above aspect, the predetermined condition is that the remaining battery level of the mobile communication terminal and remaining communication until a communication speed limit in the mobile communication network of the mobile communication terminal is applied And / or the quality of the WAN connection of the mobile communication terminal and the quality of the wireless communication connection between the mobile communication terminal and the wireless connection device. According to the wireless connection device of this aspect, the predetermined conditions are the remaining battery level of the mobile communication terminal, the remaining communication amount until the communication speed limit in the mobile communication network of the mobile communication terminal is applied, It can be at least one of the quality of the WAN connection of the mobile communication terminal and the quality of the wireless communication connection between the mobile communication terminal and the wireless connection device. When the predetermined condition is the remaining battery level of the mobile communication terminal, it is possible to prevent the mobile communication terminal from running out of battery due to the use of the mobile communication terminal having a low remaining battery level. In addition, when the predetermined condition is the remaining communication volume until the communication speed limitation in the mobile communication network of the mobile communication terminal is applied, the communication speed is increased along with the use of the mobile communication terminal with a small remaining communication volume. It is possible to avoid the restriction being applied. Further, when the predetermined condition is the quality of WAN connection or the quality of wireless communication connection, a mobile communication terminal having a high quality of WAN connection or wireless communication connection can be selected as a connection destination.

(8) In the wireless connection device of the above aspect; the acquisition unit may acquire the setting information via short-range wireless communication. According to the wireless connection device of this aspect, since the acquisition unit acquires the setting information via the short-range wireless communication, the setting information can be acquired easily and safely.

(9) In the wireless connection device of the above aspect, further; a holding unit disposed outside a housing of the wireless connection device, wherein the mobile communication terminal is placed at a position where the short-range wireless communication is possible You may provide the holding | maintenance part for hold | maintaining. According to the wireless connection device of this aspect, the holding unit holds the mobile communication terminal at a position where short-range wireless communication is possible, outside the housing of the wireless connection device. For this reason, the user can reliably realize short-range wireless communication between the mobile communication terminal and the wireless connection device by setting the mobile communication terminal in the holding unit of the wireless connection device.

(10) The wireless connection device of the above aspect may further include a power supply unit for supplying power to the mobile communication terminal held in the holding unit. According to the wireless connection device of this aspect, the power supply unit supplies power to the mobile communication terminal held in the holding unit. For this reason, the user can charge the mobile communication terminal by setting the mobile communication terminal in the holding unit of the wireless connection device.

(11) In the wireless connection device of the above aspect, the relay processing unit further transmits the WAN connection request received from the wireless terminal to a destination of the WAN connection request when the mobile communication terminal cannot be connected. May be. According to the wireless connection device of this aspect, when the wireless connection device cannot connect to the mobile communication terminal, the relay processing unit itself transmits the WAN connection request received from the wireless terminal to the destination of the WAN connection request. Can do.

(12) According to one aspect of the present invention, a computer program executed by a mobile communication terminal is provided. The computer program includes: a tethering function for transmitting a WAN connection request received from a wireless connection device connected to the mobile communication terminal to a destination of the WAN connection request using a mobile communication network; and the wireless connection device An acquisition function for periodically acquiring identification information for identifying other mobile communication terminals with which wireless communication has been established; and the tethering function is enabled when the identification information cannot be acquired for a predetermined time The computer is realized with the switching function to turn on. According to the computer program of this aspect, the acquisition function periodically acquires identification information for identifying the mobile communication terminal with which the wireless connection device has established wireless communication, and the switching function has a predetermined time, Enable the tethering function when the identification information cannot be acquired. As a result, the mobile communication terminal equipped with this form of the computer program can spontaneously enable the tethering function triggered by the inability to acquire the identification information of other mobile communication terminals.

  A plurality of constituent elements of each embodiment of the present invention described above are not essential, and some or all of the effects described in the present specification are to be solved to solve part or all of the above-described problems. In order to achieve the above, it is possible to appropriately change, delete, replace with a new component, and partially delete the limited contents of some of the plurality of components. In order to solve some or all of the above-described problems or achieve some or all of the effects described in this specification, technical features included in one embodiment of the present invention described above. A part or all of the technical features included in the other aspects of the present invention described above may be combined to form an independent form of the present invention.

  For example, one aspect of the present invention can be realized as a method including a part or all of the three elements of the acquisition unit, the connection control unit, and the relay processing unit. Such a device can be realized as a wireless connection device, for example, but can also be realized as a device other than the wireless connection device. Any or all of the technical features of each form of the wireless connection device described above can be applied to this device.

  The present invention can also be realized in various forms other than the wireless connection device. For example, it is realized in the form of a method for controlling a wireless connection device, a network system including the wireless connection device, a computer program that realizes part or all of these methods, a non-temporary recording medium that records the computer program, and the like. can do.

It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the network system as one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of AP functionally. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a mobile communication terminal functionally. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the information of the mobile communication terminal memorize | stored in the terminal information storage area of AP. It is a sequence diagram which shows the procedure of a relay process. It is a block diagram which shows functionally the structure of AP and mobile communication terminal in 2nd Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows the procedure of a reconnection process. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of AP in 3rd Embodiment functionally. It is a sequence diagram which extracts and shows a part of procedure of the relay process in 3rd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows functionally the structure of AP and mobile communication terminal in 4th Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which extracts and shows a part of procedure of the relay process in 4th Embodiment.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the embodiment.

A. First embodiment:
A-1. System outline:
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a network system as an embodiment of the present invention. The network system 1 includes a wireless connection device 10, a mobile communication terminal 20, a first wireless terminal 30, a second wireless terminal 40, a mobile communication base station 50, and a server 60. . In FIG. 1, for convenience, other network relay devices, lines, terminals, and the like that are not necessary for description are not shown.

  The wireless connection device 10 is an access point device provided with a wireless communication interface compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard. Hereinafter, the wireless connection device is also referred to as “AP10”. The AP 10 can perform wireless communication CN <b> 1 between the first wireless terminal 30 and the second wireless terminal 40. Similarly, the AP 10 can perform wireless communication CN2 with the mobile communication terminal 20. In addition, the AP 10 includes a holding unit 11 that can hold the mobile communication terminal 20 on the outer side surface of the housing.

  The mobile communication terminal 20 includes a wireless communication interface conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard, 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) such as 3G (3rd. Generation) / LTE (Long term Evolution), or WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access). A mobile communication network communication interface compliant with the above. The mobile communication terminal 20 can perform wireless communication CN2 with the AP 10. Similarly, the mobile communication terminal 20 can perform mobile communication CN3 with the base station 50.

  The first wireless terminal 30 and the second wireless terminal 40 are personal computers having a wireless communication interface compliant with IEEE 802.11. Hereinafter, the first wireless terminal 30 and the second wireless terminal 40 are also collectively referred to as “wireless terminals”.

  The base station 50 is a mobile communication base station compliant with 3GPP.

  The server 60 is a WEB server device for providing objects such as HTML (HyperText Markup Language) files and images to a WEB (WWW, World Wide Web) browser based on HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol). The server 60 is connected to the Internet INT.

  In the network system 1 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the wireless terminals, that is, the first wireless terminal 30 and the second wireless terminal 40 can communicate with each other via the wireless communication CN1. Further, the wireless terminal can communicate with the server 60 by connecting to the Internet INT via the wireless communication CN1, the wireless communication CN2, and the mobile communication CN3. In order to realize these, the AP 10 according to the present embodiment performs a relay process described later to process a LAN (Local Area Network) connection request received from the wireless terminal in the AP 10 and also from the wireless terminal. A WAN (Wide Area Network) connection request, that is, a connection request to the Internet INT is transmitted to the mobile communication terminal 20. The WAN connection request transmitted to the mobile communication terminal 20 is transmitted to the destination of the WAN connection request by the tethering function of the mobile communication terminal 20.

  The tethering function means a function for connecting a wireless terminal to a WAN using the mobile communication terminal 20 as an external modem. In addition, a device (for example, the server 60) connected to the Internet INT side with the mobile communication terminal 20 as a boundary is a WAN side device, and a device (for example, the first wireless terminal 30 or the first device connected to the AP 10 side) is used. When the second wireless terminal 40) is a LAN side device, the LAN connection request means all packets destined for the LAN side device, and the WAN connection request means all packets destined for the WAN side device. To do.

A-2. AP schematic configuration:
FIG. 2 is a block diagram functionally showing the configuration of the AP 10. The AP 10 includes a CPU 110, a flash ROM 120, an NFC (Near Field Communication) interface (I / F) 130, a power supply unit 140, a RAM 150, a wireless communication interface (I / F) 160, and a wired communication interface (I / F) 170, and each component is connected to each other by a bus.

  The CPU 110 controls the AP 10 by expanding and executing a computer program stored in the flash ROM 120 on the RAM 150. In addition, the CPU 110 implements the functions of the first relay processing unit 111, the acquisition unit 112, and the first connection control unit 113.

  The first relay processing unit 111 is a processing subject of relay processing in the AP 10. The first relay processing unit 111 transmits the LAN connection request received from the wireless terminal to the destination of the LAN connection request by executing the relay process, and transmits the WAN connection request received from the wireless terminal to the mobile communication terminal 20 is transmitted.

  The acquisition unit 112 acquires setting information related to wireless communication from the mobile communication terminal 20.

  The first connection control unit 113 connects the AP 10 to the mobile communication terminal 20 as a wireless communication client using, for example, the infrastructure mode of IEEE 802.11. The first connection control unit 113 uses the setting information regarding the wireless communication acquired by the acquisition unit 112 at the time of this connection.

  The flash ROM 120 includes a terminal information storage area 121. The terminal information storage area 121 is an area for storing information of the mobile communication terminal 20 acquired by the acquisition unit 112 in the relay process. Note that the terminal information storage area 121 may be included in the NFC tag 131 instead of the flash ROM 120.

  The NFC interface 130 is a short-range wireless communication interface compliant with ISO / IEC14443 and ISO / IEC18092. NFC is a short-range wireless communication in which a communicable distance is limited to about 10 cm, and wireless communication is possible even in a non-contact state between communication devices having an NFC interface. Also called wireless communication. The NFC interface 130 includes an NFC reader / writer and an antenna, and reads / writes information from / to an adjacent IC chip using radio waves transmitted / received via the antenna.

  An NFC tag 131 is built in the NFC interface 130. The NFC tag 131 is an IC chip, and identification information indicating whether or not the AP 10 supports relay processing is stored in advance in the IC chip. Various kinds of information can be used as the identification information. For example, in addition to the model number of AP10, an arbitrarily assigned flag or character string can be used.

  The power supply unit 140 wirelessly transmits power to the mobile communication terminal 20 held in the holding unit 11. As a wireless power feeding method, for example, “Qi” defined by WPC (Wireless Power Consortium) can be adopted. Qi is an electromagnetic induction wireless power feeding method, and the longest distance that can be transmitted is about 10 cm.

  The wireless communication interface 160 includes a transmission / reception circuit (not shown), and performs demodulation and generation of data received via the antenna, and generation and modulation of radio wave transmitted via the antenna. The wired communication interface 170 is connected to another device (for example, a NAS or a personal computer) via a wired cable.

  The holding part 11 is a rectangular frame having an opening in the upper part, and is arranged on the outer side surface of the housing of the AP 10. As illustrated, the mobile communication terminal 20 is inserted from above the holding unit 11, so that the holding unit 11 can fix the mobile communication terminal 20. Note that the holding unit 11 is preferably arranged in the vicinity of the NFC interface 130 in order to reliably read and write information by the NFC reader / writer. Similarly, the holding unit 11 is preferably disposed in the vicinity of the power supply unit 140 in order to reliably perform power supply by Qi.

A-3. General configuration of mobile communication terminal:
FIG. 3 is a block diagram functionally showing the configuration of the mobile communication terminal 20. The mobile communication terminal 20 includes a CPU 210, a flash ROM 220, an NFC interface (I / F) 230, a RAM 240, a wireless communication interface (I / F) 250, and a mobile communication network communication interface (I / F) 260. A touch panel 270 and a voice communication unit 280, and each component is connected to each other by a bus.

  The CPU 210 controls the mobile communication terminal 20 by developing and executing a computer program stored in the flash ROM 220 on the RAM 240. In addition, the CPU 210 implements the functions of the second relay processing unit 211 and the second connection control unit 212.

  The second relay processing unit 211 implements a tethering function. Specifically, the second relay processing unit 211 transmits the WAN connection request received from the AP 10 to the destination of the WAN connection request using the mobile communication network (FIG. 1, mobile communication CN3).

  The second connection control unit 212 connects another device (for example, the AP 10 or a wireless terminal) as a wireless communication client to the mobile communication terminal 20. In this case, the mobile communication terminal 20 operates as an access point for wireless communication.

  The flash ROM 220 includes setting information 221 and filter information 222. The setting information 221 is information necessary for realizing the tethering function in the second relay processing unit 211. The setting information 221 stores setting information related to wireless communication in advance. Here, “setting information related to wireless communication” includes, for example, an SSID (Service Set Identifier) for avoiding radio communication interference, and an authentication / encryption method (WEP: Wired Equivalent Privacy, WPA: Wi-Fi) in wireless communication. Protected Access, WPA2-PSK: Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 Pre-Shared Key, etc.), and encryption keys used for encryption. The flash ROM 220 including the setting information 221 functions as a “storage unit”.

  The filter information 222 is information defining filtering of WAN connection requests. Specifically, the filter information 222 is a so-called black list in which URL candidates that are not permitted to use a service provided by an external device (for example, the server 60) on the Internet INT are stored in advance.

  The NFC interface 230 is a short-range wireless communication interface compliant with ISO / IEC14443 and ISO / IEC18092. The NFC interface 230 includes an NFC reader / writer and an antenna, and reads / writes information from / to an adjacent IC chip using radio waves transmitted / received via the antenna.

  The wireless communication interface 250 includes a transmission / reception circuit (not shown), and performs demodulation and generation of radio waves received via an antenna, and generation and modulation of radio waves transmitted via an antenna. The mobile communication network communication interface 260 includes an antenna and a transmission / reception circuit (not shown), and performs data communication and voice communication with the base station 50 by a mobile communication method based on 3GPP, for example.

  The touch panel 270 has a structure in which a display device such as a liquid crystal screen and an input information acquisition device such as a colorless and transparent touch pad are stacked. When the user of the mobile communication terminal 20 presses a GUI (Graphical User Interface) such as an icon displayed on the liquid crystal screen with a finger, the touchpad inputs (for example, press) the position where the icon is displayed. And an electric signal indicating the detected position is transmitted to the CPU 210.

  Audio communication unit 280 includes a speaker for outputting audio, a microphone for inputting audio, a circuit for driving these, and the like. The mobile communication terminal 20 operates as a telephone by including the mobile communication network communication interface 260 and the voice communication unit 280.

A-4. Contents of terminal information storage area:
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of information of the mobile communication terminal 20 stored in the terminal information storage area 121 of the AP 10. The terminal information storage area 121 includes a terminal identifier, setting information, and filter information.

  The terminal identifier stores a character string for uniquely identifying the mobile communication terminal 20 from which the setting information and filter information are acquired. Arbitrary information can be used for the terminal identifier. For example, the order in which the acquisition unit 112 acquires the information, the telephone number of the mobile communication terminal 20, and the like can be employed. The setting information stores the same contents as the setting information 221 of the mobile communication terminal 20. The filter information stores the same contents as the filter information 222 of the mobile communication terminal 20. As illustrated, the terminal information storage area 121 can store a plurality of pieces of information corresponding to the plurality of mobile communication terminals 20.

A-5. Relay processing:
FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating a procedure of relay processing. The relay process is a process for relaying a LAN connection request or a WAN connection request received by the AP 10 from the wireless terminal. The relay process is triggered by the mobile communication terminal 20 being inserted into the holding unit 11 of the AP 10, in other words, triggered by the touch between the AP 10 and the mobile communication terminal 20 (step S102). In FIG. 5, a case where the first wireless terminal 30 is used as a wireless terminal will be described as an example.

  In step S102, the NFC interface 230 of the mobile communication terminal 20 detects a touch of the NFC tag 131 of the AP 10. In step S102, it may be detected that the NFC tag 131 is within the readable range of the NFC reader of the NFC interface 230, instead of detecting the touch. In step S104, the NFC reader of the NFC interface 230 reads the identification information stored in the NFC tag 131.

  In step S106, the second relay processing unit 211 of the mobile communication terminal 20 determines whether the AP 10 is compatible with the relay process based on the identification information. If the AP 10 does not support relay processing, the second relay processing unit 211 ends the relay processing.

  When the AP 10 supports the relay process, the second relay processing unit 211 of the mobile communication terminal 20 validates the tethering function by executing an application that provides the tethering function service in step S108.

  In step S <b> 110, the second relay processing unit 211 of the mobile communication terminal 20 acquires information stored in the setting information 221 of the flash ROM 220 and information stored in the filter information 222. In step S112, the second relay processing unit 211 transmits the acquired information to the AP 10 via the NFC interface 230.

  In step S <b> 114, the acquisition unit 112 of the AP 10 acquires information on the setting information 221 and information on the filter information 222 via the NFC interface 130. The acquisition unit 112 transmits the acquired information to the first relay processing unit 111. The first relay processing unit 111 assigns a terminal identifier for uniquely identifying the mobile communication terminal 20 from which information is acquired, and then stores the terminal identifier and the acquired information in the terminal information storage area 121. save.

  In step S116, the first relay processing unit 111 of the AP 10 determines whether the mobile communication terminal currently connected to the mobile communication terminal 20 that has acquired the information in step S112 is currently connected. Note that the currently connected terminal can be determined by referring to the internal status of the AP 10. When connecting to a different mobile terminal, the first relay processing unit 111 ends the relay processing.

  If not connected to a different mobile terminal, in step S118, the first connection control unit 113 of the AP 10 connects the AP 10 to the mobile communication terminal 20 as a wireless communication client (STA, station). At the time of this connection, the first connection control unit 113 uses the setting information acquired in step S112, that is, the setting information related to wireless communication.

  In step S120, the second connection control unit 212 of the mobile communication terminal 20 connects the AP 10 serving as a wireless communication client to the mobile communication terminal 20. Through steps S118 and S120, the wireless communication CN2 (FIG. 1) between the AP 10 and the mobile communication terminal 20 is established.

  In step S <b> 122, the first relay processing unit 111 of the AP 10 receives the WAN connection request from the first wireless terminal 30. The first relay processing unit 111 determines whether the received packet is a WAN connection request or a LAN connection request according to the destination IP address of the packet received from the first wireless terminal 30. it can. Specifically, when the destination IP address of the received packet is the same segment IP address, the first relay processing unit 111 determines that the received packet is a LAN connection request. On the other hand, if the destination IP address of the received packet is an IP address of a different segment, the first relay processing unit 111 determines that the received packet is a WAN connection request.

  In step S <b> 124, the first relay processing unit 111 filters the received WAN connection request using the filter information stored in the terminal information storage area 121 of the flash ROM 120. Specifically, when the WAN connection request includes a URL included in the filter information, the first relay processing unit 111 discards the request without transmitting it to the mobile communication terminal 20. . On the other hand, when the URL included in the filter information is not included in the WAN connection request, the first relay processing unit 111 transmits the request to the mobile communication terminal 20 (step S126).

  In step S128, the second relay processing unit 211 of the mobile communication terminal 20 transmits the received WAN connection request to the destination of the WAN connection request via the mobile communication CN3 (FIG. 1) to the base station 50. . In the example of the figure, a case where the server 60 is designated as the destination is illustrated.

  Similarly for the response from the server 60, the mobile communication CN3 (FIG. 1) between the base station 50 and the mobile communication terminal 20 and the wireless communication CN2 (FIG. 1) between the mobile communication terminal 20 and the AP 10 ( 1) and the wireless communication CN1 (FIG. 1) between the AP 10 and the first wireless terminal 30, the data is transmitted to the first wireless terminal 30.

  In step S <b> 130, the first relay processing unit 111 of the AP 10 receives the LAN connection request from the first wireless terminal 30. The first relay processing unit 111 transmits the received LAN connection request to the destination of the LAN connection request via the wireless communication CN1 (FIG. 1) (step S132). In the example of the figure, a case where the second wireless terminal 40 is designated as the destination is illustrated.

  As described above, in the relay processing of the first embodiment, the first relay processing unit 111 of the AP 10 (wireless connection device) receives the WAN received from the first wireless terminal 30 (wireless terminal) connected to the AP 10. The connection request is transmitted to the mobile communication terminal 20, and the second relay processing unit 211 of the mobile communication terminal 20 uses the mobile communication network to transmit the WAN connection request received from the AP 10 to the destination of the WAN connection request (described above). In this example, it is transmitted to the server 60). For this reason, WAN connection using the mobile communication function of the mobile communication terminal 20 can be made possible. Also, the first relay processing unit 111 of the AP 10 sends the LAN connection request received from the first wireless terminal 30 connected to the AP 10 to the destination of the LAN connection request (the second wireless terminal 40 in the above example). In order to transmit, wireless LAN connection via AP10 can be made possible. As a result, according to the network system 1 of the present embodiment, the AP 10 can perform the WAN connection using the mobile communication function of the mobile communication terminal 20 while enabling the wireless LAN connection via the AP 10. Can do.

  As described above, according to the AP 10 of the present embodiment, since the WAN connection using the mobile communication function of the mobile communication terminal 20 can be enabled, a virtual connection is made to the AP 10 having no WAN port. A wide WAN port can be created. Further, according to the AP 10 of the present embodiment, since wireless LAN connection via the AP 10 is possible, compared to the case where the mobile communication terminal 20 that is not a dedicated device for wireless LAN connection is used for wireless LAN connection, It is possible to expand the communicable range of the wireless LAN connection and to perform packet relay processing at high speed. Furthermore, according to the AP 10 of the present embodiment, for example, by replacing the existing AP 10 with an AP 10 compliant with a new standard, only the in-home wireless LAN connection environment can be independently improved.

  Furthermore, in the relay processing of the first embodiment, the first relay processing unit 111 of the AP 10 (wireless connection apparatus) uses the filter information that defines filtering of the WAN connection request to use the first wireless terminal 30 (wireless terminal). The WAN setting information received from) can be filtered. Further, since the acquisition unit 112 of the AP 10 acquires the filter information 222 set in the mobile communication terminal 20, the filter information set in the mobile communication terminal 20 can be diverted, improving convenience. Can be made.

  Furthermore, in the relay process of the first embodiment, the acquisition unit 112 of the AP 10 (wireless connection device) acquires setting information related to wireless communication from the mobile communication terminal 20 via NFC (near field communication). Setting information can be acquired simply and safely.

  Furthermore, the AP 10 (wireless connection device) of the first embodiment includes a holding unit 11 that holds the mobile communication terminal 20 at a position where NFC (near field communication) is possible outside the housing of the AP 10. For this reason, the user can reliably realize short-range wireless communication between the mobile communication terminal 20 and the AP 10 by setting the mobile communication terminal 20 in the holding unit 11 of the AP 10. Furthermore, the AP 10 (wireless connection device) of the first embodiment includes a power supply unit 140 that supplies power to the mobile communication terminal 20 held in the holding unit 11. For this reason, the user can charge the mobile communication terminal 20 by setting the mobile communication terminal 20 in the holding unit 11 of the AP 10.

B. Second embodiment:
In the second embodiment of the present invention, a configuration capable of realizing relay processing with a reconnection function will be described. Below, only the part which has a different structure and operation | movement from 1st Embodiment is demonstrated. In the figure, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment described above, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

B-1. System outline:
In the network system 1 according to the second embodiment, the point that the AP 10a is provided instead of the AP 10, the point that the mobile communication terminal 20a is provided instead of the mobile communication terminal 20, and the point that the mobile communication terminal 20x is further provided. This is different from the first embodiment shown in FIG. The configuration of the mobile communication terminal 20x is the same as the configuration of the mobile communication terminal 20a.

B-2. AP schematic configuration:
FIG. 6 is a block diagram functionally showing the configuration of the AP and the mobile communication terminal in the second embodiment. FIG. 6A shows the configuration of the AP 10a. A difference from the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is that a CPU 110 a is provided instead of the CPU 110. The CPU 110a includes a first relay processing unit 111a, an acquisition unit 112, and a first connection control unit 113a. In addition to the relay process described in the first embodiment (FIG. 5), the first relay processing unit 111a and the first connection control unit 113a further perform a reconnection process described later. Specifically, when disconnection of wireless communication between the AP 10a and the mobile communication terminal 20a is detected, the first connection control unit 113a uses the AP 10a as a mobile communication terminal as another mobile communication terminal. Connect to the terminal 20x. The first relay processing unit 111a transmits the LAN connection request received from the wireless terminal to the mobile communication terminal 20x as another mobile communication terminal.

B-3. General configuration of mobile communication terminal:
FIG. 6B shows the configuration of the mobile communication terminal 20a. A difference from the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is that a CPU 210 a is provided instead of the CPU 210. The CPU 210a includes a second relay processing unit 211a and a second connection control unit 212. In addition to the relay processing described in the first embodiment (FIG. 5), the second relay processing unit 211a further performs reconnection processing described later. In the reconnection process, when the disconnection of the wireless communication between the AP 10a and the mobile communication terminal 20a is detected, the second relay processing unit 211a disables the tethering function to save power.

B-4. Contents of terminal information storage area:
In the terminal information storage area 121 of the AP 10a, information on the mobile communication terminal 20a and information on the mobile communication terminal 20x are stored in advance.

B-5. Relay processing:
The relay process of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described with reference to FIG.

B-6. Reconnection process:
FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing the procedure of reconnection processing. The reconnection process is a process for the AP 10a to establish a radio communication with another mobile communication terminal and continue the relay process when the radio communication between the AP 10a and one mobile communication terminal is disconnected. It is. The reconnection process is started when the AP 10a and the mobile communication terminal 20a detect the disconnection of the wireless communication during the execution of the relay process shown in FIG. 5 (steps S202 and S206). In FIG. 7, for convenience of explanation, some steps of the relay process after the reconnection process is also illustrated.

  In step S202, the second relay processing unit 211a of the mobile communication terminal 20a detects disconnection of the wireless communication CN2 (FIG. 1). In step S204, the second relay processing unit 211a disables the tethering function by terminating the execution of the application that provides the tethering function service.

  In step S206, the first relay processing unit 111a of the AP 10a detects disconnection of the wireless communication CN2 (FIG. 1). In step S <b> 208, the first connection control unit 113 a refers to the terminal information storage area 121 of the flash ROM 120. In step S210, the first connection control unit 113a stores, in the terminal information storage area 121, a mobile communication that is different from the mobile communication terminal that detected the disconnection of the wireless communication in step S206 (the mobile communication terminal 20a in the illustrated example). Whether or not the terminal information (mobile communication terminal 20x in the example in the figure) is stored is searched, and setting information and filter information are acquired. When there is no information on a different mobile communication terminal, the first connection control unit 113a ends the process.

  When there is information on a different mobile communication terminal, in step S212, the first connection control unit 113a of the AP 10a sets the AP 10a as a client for wireless communication and uses the different mobile communication terminal (hereinafter referred to as the mobile communication terminal 20x). Connect to. At the time of this connection, the first connection control unit 113a uses the setting information acquired in step S210, that is, the setting information related to wireless communication. Note that the first connection control unit 113a may determine that a beacon from the mobile communication terminal 20x is received before attempting the connection in step S212.

  In step S214, the second connection control unit 212 of the mobile communication terminal 20x connects the AP 10a as a wireless communication client to the mobile communication terminal 20x. Through the above steps S202 to S214, wireless communication can be re-established between the mobile communication terminal (mobile communication terminal 20x) different from the AP 10a. Steps S202 to S214 are called reconnection processing.

  After the reconnection process is completed, the AP 10a and the mobile communication terminal 20x continue the relay process. Specifically, the first relay processing unit 111a of the AP 10a transmits the WAN connection request (step S216) received from the first wireless terminal 30 to the mobile communication terminal 20x after filtering (step S218) (step S218). S220). At the time of filtering in step S218, the AP 10a uses the filter information of the mobile communication terminal 20x acquired in step S210. Details of the filtering are the same as in step S124 of FIG.

  The mobile communication terminal 20x that has received the WAN connection request transmits the received WAN connection request to the destination of the WAN connection request via the mobile communication to the base station 50 (step S222). Similarly, for the response from the server 60 as the destination, the mobile communication between the base station 50 and the mobile communication terminal 20x, the wireless communication between the mobile communication terminal 20x and the AP 10a, the AP 10a and the first The wireless communication with the wireless terminal 30 is transmitted to the first wireless terminal 30 via.

  The processing of the AP 10a when receiving the LAN connection request is the same as that in FIG.

  As described above, in the reconnection processing of the second embodiment, when disconnection of wireless communication between the AP 10a and the mobile communication terminal 20a is detected, the first connection control unit 113a of the AP 10a (wireless connection device). Connects the AP 10a as a wireless communication client to another mobile communication terminal 20x. In the subsequent relay processing, the first relay processing unit 111a of the AP 10a transmits the WAN connection request received from the first wireless terminal 30 (wireless terminal) to the other mobile communication terminal 20x. As a result, even if the wireless communication between the AP 10a and the mobile communication terminal 20a is disconnected, the AP 10a can enable WAN connection using the mobile communication function of the other mobile communication terminal 20x. Can do.

C. Third embodiment:
In the third embodiment of the present invention, a configuration in which processing contents in relay processing are different will be described. Below, only the part which has a different structure and operation | movement from 1st Embodiment is demonstrated. In the figure, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment described above, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

C-1. System outline:
The network system 1 according to the third embodiment is different from the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in that an AP 10b is provided instead of the AP 10 and that the mobile communication terminal 20x and the mobile communication terminal 20y are further provided. . The configurations of the mobile communication terminal 20x and the mobile communication terminal 20y are the same as the configuration of the mobile communication terminal 20.

C-2. AP schematic configuration:
FIG. 8 is a block diagram functionally showing the configuration of the AP in the third embodiment. A difference from the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is that a CPU 110 b is provided instead of the CPU 110. The CPU 110b includes a first relay processing unit 111, an acquisition unit 112, and a first connection control unit 113b. In the relay process described in the first embodiment (FIG. 5), the first connection control unit 113b selects one mobile communication terminal from a plurality of mobile communication terminals based on a predetermined condition. Establish wireless communication with the selected mobile communication terminal.

C-3. General configuration of mobile communication terminal:
The configuration of the mobile communication terminal 20 of the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

C-4. Contents of terminal information storage area:
In the terminal information storage area 121 of the AP 10b, information on the mobile communication terminal 20, information on the mobile communication terminal 20x, and information on the mobile communication terminal 20y are stored in advance.

C-5. Relay processing:
FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing an excerpt of a part of the procedure of the relay process in the third embodiment. In the relay processing in the third embodiment, steps S302 to S308 shown in FIG. 9 are executed instead of steps S118 and S120 of the relay processing shown in FIG.

  In step S302, the first connection control unit 113b of the AP 10b refers to the terminal information storage area 121 of the flash ROM 120. In step S304, the first connection control unit 113b determines a mobile communication terminal to be connected based on a predetermined condition. Although the conditions in this case can be determined arbitrarily, for example, at least one of the following conditions a1 to a6 or a combination of a plurality of conditions can be employed.

(A1) The AP 10b has received a beacon from a mobile communication terminal. By adopting this condition, it is possible to select a mobile communication terminal that is currently capable of communication as a connection destination.
(A2) A mobile communication terminal having information in the terminal information storage area 121 of the AP 10b. If this condition is adopted, a mobile communication terminal capable of acquiring setting information and filter information by referring to the terminal information storage area 121 can be selected as a connection destination.

(A3) The remaining battery level of the mobile communication terminal is greater than or equal to a predetermined amount. In order to apply this condition, in steps S112 and S114 of the relay process (FIG. 5), the AP 10b acquires the remaining battery level of the mobile communication terminal in addition to the setting information and the filter information in advance. The information can be stored in the information storage area 121. The “predetermined amount” of the remaining battery level can be arbitrarily set, and the setting by the user may be accepted. If this condition is adopted, it is possible to avoid selecting a mobile communication terminal with a small remaining battery level as a connection destination. As a result, it is possible to suppress inducing battery exhaustion of the mobile communication terminal with the use of the mobile communication terminal with a small remaining battery level.

(A4) The remaining communication amount until the communication speed limit in the mobile communication network of the mobile communication terminal is applied is a predetermined amount or more. In order to apply this condition, in steps S112 and S114 of the relay process (FIG. 5), the AP 10b acquires in advance the remaining communication amount of the mobile communication terminal in addition to the setting information and the filter information, and the terminal The information can be stored in the information storage area 121. The “predetermined amount” of the remaining communication amount can be arbitrarily set, and the setting by the user may be accepted. If this condition is adopted, it is possible to avoid selecting a mobile communication terminal with a small remaining communication amount as a connection destination. As a result, the use of a mobile communication terminal with a small remaining communication volume can prevent the communication speed restriction determined by the communication carrier or the like from being applied to the mobile communication terminal.

(A5) WAN connection quality of the mobile communication terminal. In order to apply this condition, in steps S112 and S114 of the relay process (FIG. 5), the AP 10b obtains in advance an index of the quality of the WAN connection of the mobile communication terminal in addition to the setting information and the filter information. And stored in the terminal information storage area 121. For example, the following can be used as an index of the quality of the WAN connection.
The speed of mobile communication established between the mobile communication terminal and the base station 50 (for example, LTE> 3G)
-The strength of the radio wave received by the mobile communication terminal from the base station 50-The frequency of switching the communication method (for example, LTE / 3G, etc.) in the mobile communication terminal If this condition is adopted, the mobile communication terminal having high WAN connection quality Can be selected as the connection destination.

(A6) Quality of wireless communication connection between the mobile communication terminal and the AP 10b. In order to apply this condition, in steps S112 and S114 of the relay processing (FIG. 5), in addition to the setting information and the filter information, the AP 10b acquires in advance an index of the quality of the wireless communication connection, and the terminal information It can be stored in the storage area 121. Further, the AP 10b may acquire an index of the quality of wireless communication connection each time. For example, the following can be used as an indicator of the quality of the wireless communication connection.
-Type of communication method between the mobile communication terminal and the AP 10b (Wi-Fi> Bluetooth (registered trademark)> NFC)
・ Intensity of radio waves received from the mobile communication terminal by the AP 10b ・ Magnitude of noise superimposed on the wireless communication between the mobile communication terminal and the AP 10b ・ Supply from the DHCP server function built in the mobile communication terminal If several IP address conditions are adopted, a mobile communication terminal with high quality of wireless communication connection between the mobile communication terminal and the AP 10b can be selected as a connection destination.

  When there are a plurality of mobile communication terminals that satisfy the above conditions a3 to a6, the first connection control unit 113b of the AP 10b preferably determines a mobile communication terminal in a more advantageous state as a connection destination. The advantageous state means that the remaining amount of battery is larger in the case of condition a3, and the remaining communication amount is larger in the case of condition a4. The condition a5 means that the WAN connection quality is higher, and the condition a6 means that the wireless communication connection quality is higher.

  In step S306, the first connection control unit 113b of the AP 10b connects the AP 10b as a wireless communication client to the mobile communication terminal determined in step S304. In step S308, the second connection control unit 212 of the mobile communication terminal (mobile communication terminal 20x in the illustrated example) connects the AP 10b as a wireless communication client to the mobile communication terminal 20x. Through steps S302 to S308, wireless communication is established between the AP 10b and the mobile communication terminal that satisfies a predetermined condition. Thereafter, the AP 10b transitions to step S122 of the relay process (FIG. 5) and continues the process.

  In addition, although 3rd Embodiment was demonstrated as a deformation | transformation of 1st Embodiment, it is also possible to be a deformation | transformation of 2nd Embodiment. When the third embodiment is applied as a modification of the second embodiment, the processing described in FIG. 9 may be executed instead of steps S212 and S214 in the reconnection processing (FIG. 7).

  As described above, in the relay process of the third embodiment, the first connection control unit 113b of the AP 10b (wireless connection device) has a plurality of mobile communication terminals that can perform wireless communication (in the above example, the mobile body). When there is a communication terminal 20, a mobile communication terminal 20x, and a mobile communication terminal 20y), one mobile communication terminal (above described) is selected from a plurality of mobile communication terminals based on predetermined conditions a1 to a4. In the example, the mobile communication terminal 20x) is selected, and the AP 10b is connected to the selected one mobile communication terminal 20x. As a result, by changing the predetermined condition variously, the AP 10b selects one mobile communication terminal suitable for the condition from the plurality of mobile communication terminals, and uses the mobile communication function of the mobile communication terminal. A WAN connection may be possible.

D. Fourth embodiment:
In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, a configuration in which processing contents in relay processing are different will be described. Below, only the part which has a different structure and operation | movement from 1st Embodiment is demonstrated. In the figure, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment described above, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

D-1. System outline:
In the network system 1 according to the fourth embodiment, a point provided with an AP 10c instead of the AP 10, a point provided with a mobile communication terminal 20c instead of the mobile communication terminal 20, and a mobile communication terminal 20x and a mobile communication terminal The point provided with 20y and the management server 70 differs from 1st Embodiment shown in FIG. The configurations of the mobile communication terminal 20x and the mobile communication terminal 20y are the same as the configuration of the mobile communication terminal 20c.

D-2. AP schematic configuration:
FIG. 10 is a block diagram functionally showing the configuration of the AP and the mobile communication terminal in the fourth embodiment. FIG. 10A shows the configuration of the AP 10c. A difference from the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is that a CPU 110 c is provided instead of the CPU 110. The CPU 110c includes a first relay processing unit 111, an acquisition unit 112, and a first connection control unit 113c. In addition to the relay process described in the first embodiment (FIG. 5), the first connection control unit 113c further executes a process described later. Specifically, the first connection control unit 113c notifies the management server 70 of the mobile communication terminal with which the AP 10c has established wireless communication.

D-3. General configuration of mobile communication terminal:
FIG. 10B shows a configuration of the mobile communication terminal 20c. The difference from the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is that a CPU 210 c is provided instead of the CPU 210. The CPU 210c includes a second relay processing unit 211c and a second connection control unit 212. In addition to the relay process described in the first embodiment (FIG. 5), the second relay processing unit 211c further executes a process described later. Specifically, the second relay processing unit 211c acquires identification information for identifying the mobile communication terminal with which the AP 10c has established wireless communication from the management server 70. Then, when the identification information cannot be acquired for a predetermined time, the second relay processing unit 211c enables the tethering function and enters a standby state.

D-4. Contents of terminal information storage area:
In the terminal information storage area 121 of the AP 10c, information on the mobile communication terminal 20c, information on the mobile communication terminal 20x, and information on the mobile communication terminal 20y are stored in advance.

D-5. Relay processing:
FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an excerpt of a part of the procedure of the relay process in the fourth embodiment. In the relay processing according to the fourth embodiment, after step S120 of the relay processing shown in FIG. 5 is completed, steps S402 to S408 shown in FIG. 11 are periodically and repeatedly executed in parallel with the relay processing of FIG.

  In step S402, the first connection control unit 113c of the AP 10c notifies the management server 70 of the current connection destination and the communication status between the current connection destination. As the current connection destination, for example, identification information for identifying the mobile communication terminal with which the AP 10c is currently establishing wireless communication can be used. Note that various types of information can be used as the identification information. For example, a serial number assigned to the mobile communication terminal, a telephone number of the mobile communication terminal, or the like can be used. The communication status with the current connection destination can be omitted. In the example of the figure, the case where the mobile communication terminal 20x is used as the current connection destination is illustrated.

  In step S404, the management server 70 stores the notified information in a storage medium such as a flash ROM.

  In step S406, the second relay processing unit 211c of another mobile communication terminal (in the example of the figure, the mobile communication terminal 20c and the mobile communication terminal 20y) receives the current connection destination of the AP 10c, the current connection destination from the management server 70. Get the communication status with the connection destination.

In step S408, the second relay processing unit 211c of another mobile communication terminal (the mobile communication terminal 20c and the mobile communication terminal 20y in the example in the figure) satisfies at least one of the following conditions b1 and b2. In this case, the tethering function is enabled by executing an application that provides the tethering function service.
(B1) When “current connection destination” cannot be acquired from the management server 70 for a predetermined time. The predetermined time can be arbitrarily determined.
(B2) When the “communication status with the current connection destination” acquired from the management server 70 is bad.

  In addition, although 4th Embodiment was demonstrated as a deformation | transformation of 1st Embodiment, it is also possible to be a deformation | transformation of 2nd Embodiment. When the third embodiment is applied as a modification of the second embodiment, the processing described in FIG. 11 may be executed in parallel after step S214 of the reconnection processing (FIG. 7).

  As described above, in the relay processing of the fourth embodiment, the mobile communication terminal 20c and the second relay processing unit 211c of the mobile communication terminal 20y are configured such that the AP 10c (wireless connection device) establishes wireless communication. Has an acquisition function for periodically acquiring identification information for identifying the mobile communication terminal (the mobile communication terminal 20x in the illustrated example). Further, the second relay processing unit 211c of the mobile communication terminal 20c and the mobile communication terminal 20y has a switching function for enabling the tethering function when the identification information cannot be acquired for a predetermined time. As a result, the mobile communication terminal provided with the second relay processing unit 211c can spontaneously enable the tethering function triggered by the inability to acquire the identification information of other mobile communication terminals.

E. Variations:
In the above embodiment, a part of the configuration realized by hardware may be replaced by software, and conversely, a part of the configuration realized by software may be replaced by hardware. Good. In addition, the following modifications are possible.

・ Modification 1:
In the above embodiment, an example of the configuration of the network system has been given. However, the configuration of the network system in the above embodiment is merely an example, and various modifications can be made. For example, the deformation | transformation which abbreviate | omits a part of a component, adds a further component, or changes a part of a component is possible. For example, the network system may be configured to include other network devices such as a router and a modem.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the AP is illustrated as an example of the wireless connection device. However, various devices can be used as the wireless connection device as long as it is a network device having a function of relaying at least layer 2 wireless communication of the OSI reference model. For example, the wireless connection device may be a portable wireless connection device including a battery, instead of the stationary wireless connection device illustrated in FIG.

  For example, in the said embodiment, the smart phone was shown as an example of a mobile communication terminal. However, as long as the mobile communication terminal is a communication device having a function of connecting to a mobile communication network, various devices can be adopted. For example, a mobile phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), etc. may be adopted as the mobile communication terminal.

  For example, in the above embodiment, a personal computer is shown as an example of a wireless terminal. However, the wireless terminal can employ any device as long as it has a wireless communication interface compliant with IEEE 802.11 and functions as a wireless communication client. For example, a PDA, a smartphone, a NAS (Network Attached Storage), or the like may be adopted as a wireless terminal.

  For example, in the above embodiment, a WEB server is illustrated as an example of a server connected to the Internet. However, various server devices that provide arbitrary services can be employed as the server.

Modification 2
In the above embodiment, an example of the configuration of the wireless connection device has been given. However, the structure in the said embodiment is an example to the last, and various changes are possible. For example, the deformation | transformation which abbreviate | omits a part of a component, adds a further component, or changes a part of a component is possible.

  For example, in addition to the wireless communication interface for LAN compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard, the wireless connection device further includes a mobile communication network communication interface, a wired or wireless communication interface for WAN, a short-range wireless communication interface other than NFC, etc. A plurality of different communication interfaces may be provided. Further, for example, a wired communication interface or an NFC interface may be omitted.

  For example, the wireless connection device may further have a function of relaying layer 3 wireless communication of the OSI reference model. For example, it may have a function of relaying packets by routing between a mobile communication network communication interface or WAN communication interface and a LAN communication interface. In this case, the “WAN connection using the connection function to the mobile communication network of the mobile communication terminal” described in the above embodiment is for some reason (for example, the remaining battery level of the mobile communication terminal, the mobile communication terminal As a substitute, the wireless connection device can make a WAN connection even if it is not possible due to the radio wave condition of

  For example, the illustrated shape of the holding portion is merely an example, and various modifications are possible. For example, one side of the housing of the wireless connection device has a surface (holding portion) that is hard to slide, and the mobile communication terminal is held in a form in which the mobile communication terminal is placed on this surface May be. Further, for example, the holding unit and the power supply unit may be omitted.

  For example, in the terminal information storage area, in addition to the setting information and the filter information, other information related to the mobile communication terminal may be stored. The other information is, for example, past connection history in relay processing, information on the owner of the mobile communication terminal, information indicating the performance of the mobile communication terminal, and the like. For example, the filter information in the terminal information storage area may be omitted.

  For example, in the wireless connection device, the flash ROM may be composed of different storage media. For example, the wireless connection device may include a removable storage medium such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or a USB hard disk instead of the flash ROM. For example, the information described as being stored in the flash ROM in the above embodiment may be distributed and stored in a plurality of storage media.

  For example, the power supply unit may supply power to the mobile communication terminal held in the holding unit using a method other than Qi. For example, the power supply unit may supply power to the mobile communication terminal using USB VBUS. In this case, a configuration may be adopted in which the mobile communication terminal side terminal and the VBUS terminal are connected and power is supplied by inserting the mobile communication terminal into the holding unit.

・ Modification 3:
In the said embodiment, an example of the structure of the mobile communication terminal was given. However, the structure in the said embodiment is an example to the last, and various changes are possible. For example, the deformation | transformation which abbreviate | omits a part of a component, adds a further component, or changes a part of a component is possible.

  For example, the mobile communication terminal includes a LAN wireless communication interface conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard and a mobile communication network communication interface, a WAN wireless communication interface, and a short-range wireless communication interface other than NFC. A plurality of communication interfaces of different types may be provided.

  For example, the mobile communication terminal is configured to include a USB interface or a Bluetooth interface. The second relay processing unit may be capable of realizing a tethering function using USB or a tethering function using Bluetooth.

  For example, filter information stored in the flash ROM may employ a white list (candidate URLs permitted to use services provided by external devices on the Internet) instead of the black list.

  For example, in the wireless connection device, the flash ROM may be composed of different storage media. For example, the wireless connection device may include a removable storage medium such as a USB memory or a USB hard disk instead of the flash ROM. For example, the information described as being stored in the flash ROM in the above embodiment may be distributed and stored in a plurality of storage media.

-Modification 4:
In the above embodiment, an example of relay processing has been described. However, the processing procedure in the above embodiment is merely an example, and various modifications are possible. For example, some steps may be omitted, and other steps may be added. Further, the order of the steps to be executed may be changed.

  For example, the communication means in steps S102, S104, and S112 may employ short-distance wireless communication other than NFC or communication means other than short-range wireless communication. For example, as a communication means in each of the above steps, pre-paired Bluetooth communication may be used, or wireless communication complying with IEEE 802.11 may be used. Further, Felica (registered trademark), MIFARE (registered trademark), TransferJET (registered trademark), RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification), and other general wireless tags / IC tags may be used.

  For example, the filtering in steps S124 and S218 may be omitted. Further, for example, filtering in steps S124 and S218 may be performed only when the wireless connection apparatus can acquire filter information from the mobile communication terminal.

  For example, when the condition a4 is adopted in step S304, the wireless connection device does not have to acquire the remaining communication amount of the mobile communication terminal. The wireless connection device estimates the remaining communication amount of the mobile communication terminal by accumulating the data amount of the WAN connection request transmitted to the mobile communication terminal through the relay process, and the condition a4 based on the estimated remaining communication amount The determination may be made.

-Modification 5:
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, examples, and modifications, and can be realized with various configurations without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the technical features in the embodiments, examples, and modifications corresponding to the technical features in each embodiment described in the summary section of the invention are to solve some or all of the above-described problems, or In order to achieve part or all of the above-described effects, replacement or combination can be performed as appropriate. Further, if the technical feature is not described as essential in the present specification, it can be deleted as appropriate.

    DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Wireless connection apparatus, 11 ... Holding part, 20, 20a, 20c, 20x, 20y ... Mobile communication terminal, 30 ... 1st wireless terminal, 40 ... 2nd wireless terminal, 50 ... Base station, 60 ... Server 70, management server, 110, 110a, 110b, 110c, CPU, 111, 111a, first relay processing unit, 112, acquisition unit, 113, 113a, 113b, 113c, first connection control unit, 120, flash ROM, 121 ... terminal information storage area, 140 ... power supply unit, 160 ... wireless communication interface, 170 ... wired communication interface, 210, 210a, 210c ... CPU, 211, 211a, 211c ... second relay processing unit, 212 ... Second connection control unit, 220 ... flash ROM, 221 ... setting information, 222 ... filter information, 250 ... wireless communication interface Over scan, 260 ... mobile communication network communication interface, 270 ... touch panel, 280 ... voice communication unit, CN1 ... wireless communication, CN2 ... wireless communication, CN3 ... mobile communications, INT ... Internet

Claims (13)

A network system comprising a wireless connection device and a mobile communication terminal,
The wireless connection device is:
An acquisition unit that acquires setting information related to wireless communication set in the mobile communication terminal from the mobile communication terminal;
A first connection control unit that connects the wireless connection device to the mobile communication terminal as a client of wireless communication using the acquired setting information;
A first relay for transmitting a WAN connection request received from a wireless terminal connected to the wireless connection device to the mobile communication terminal and transmitting a LAN connection request received from the wireless terminal to a destination of the LAN connection request A processing unit;
With
The mobile communication terminal is
A storage unit for storing the setting information;
A second connection control unit that enables connection of the wireless connection device to the mobile communication terminal;
A second relay processing unit that transmits the WAN connection request received from the wireless connection device to a destination of the WAN connection request using a mobile communication network;
Equipped with a,
The storage unit of the mobile communication terminal stores, as one of the setting information, information necessary for the wireless connection device for communication by a tethering function for connecting the wireless connection device to the WAN via the mobile communication terminal. Remember as
When the second connection control unit of the mobile communication terminal detects proximity to the wireless connection device, the second connection control unit determines whether the wireless connection device supports the tethering function, and the wireless connection device A network system that validates the tethering function of the mobile communication terminal and transmits setting information for communication by the tethering function to the wireless connection device when it is determined that the tethering function is supported . The network system according to claim 1, further comprising:
Along with the mobile communication terminal or in place of the mobile communication terminal, another mobile communication terminal having the same configuration as the mobile communication terminal is provided.
When disconnection of wireless communication between the wireless connection device and the mobile communication terminal is detected,
The first connection control unit of the wireless connection device further connects the wireless connection device to the other mobile communication terminal as a wireless communication client,
The network system, wherein the first relay processing unit of the wireless connection device further transmits the WAN connection request received from the wireless terminal to the other mobile communication terminal. A wireless connection device,
Identification information for identifying the wireless connection device is transmitted to the mobile communication terminal close to the wireless connection device, and the wireless connection device is connected to the tethering function via the mobile communication terminal by the identification information. When the mobile communication terminal determines that it is compatible, it is setting information related to wireless communication set in the mobile communication terminal, and is necessary in the wireless connection device for communication by the tethering function An acquisition unit for acquiring setting information including information from the mobile communication terminal that has enabled the tethering function ;
Using the acquired setting information, a connection control unit that connects the wireless connection device to the mobile communication terminal as a wireless communication client;
A relay processing unit that transmits a WAN connection request received from a wireless terminal connected to the wireless connection device to the mobile communication terminal, and transmits a LAN connection request received from the wireless terminal to a destination of the LAN connection request; ,
A wireless connection device. The wireless connection device according to claim 3,
When disconnection of wireless communication between the wireless connection device and the mobile communication terminal is detected,
The connection control unit further causes the wireless connection device to connect to another mobile communication terminal having the same configuration as the mobile communication terminal as a client of wireless communication,
The relay processing unit further includes:
A wireless connection device that transmits the WAN connection request received from the wireless terminal to the other mobile communication terminal. The wireless connection device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein
The acquisition unit further includes:
Filter information set in the mobile communication terminal, the filter information defining filtering of the WAN connection request is acquired from the mobile communication terminal,
The relay processing unit further includes:
A wireless connection device that performs filtering of the WAN connection request received from the wireless terminal using the acquired filter information. The wireless connection device according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
The connection control unit further includes:
Wireless connection for selecting one mobile communication terminal from the plurality of mobile communication terminals based on a predetermined condition when there are a plurality of the mobile communication terminals capable of wireless communication apparatus. The wireless connection device according to claim 6,
The predetermined conditions are: a remaining battery level of the mobile communication terminal, a remaining communication amount until a communication speed limit in the mobile communication network of the mobile communication terminal is applied, and a WAN connection of the mobile communication terminal A wireless connection device, and at least one of a quality of wireless communication connection between the mobile communication terminal and the wireless connection device. The wireless connection device according to any one of claims 3 to 7,
The acquisition unit is a wireless connection device that acquires the setting information via short-range wireless communication. The wireless connection device according to claim 8, further comprising:
A wireless connection device, comprising: a holding unit disposed outside a housing of the wireless connection device, the holding unit holding the mobile communication terminal at a position where the short-range wireless communication is possible. The wireless connection device according to claim 9, further comprising:
A wireless connection apparatus comprising: a power supply unit for supplying power to the mobile communication terminal held in the holding unit. The wireless connection device according to any one of claims 3 to 10,
The relay processing unit further transmits the WAN connection request received from the wireless terminal using the function of relaying layer 3 wireless communication of the OSI reference model when the mobile communication terminal cannot be connected. A wireless connection device that transmits to the destination of the request. A method for controlling a wireless connection device, comprising:
(A 1) a step of holding identification information for identifying a wireless connection device so as to be readable by a mobile communication terminal close to the wireless connection device;
(A2) When the mobile communication terminal determines that the wireless connection device supports a tethering function for WAN connection via the mobile communication terminal based on the read identification information, the mobile communication terminal Setting information relating to wireless communication set in the terminal, including setting information required in the wireless connection device for communication by the tethering function, from the mobile communication terminal that has enabled the tethering function A process of acquiring;
(B) using the acquired setting information, connecting the wireless connection device to the mobile communication terminal as a wireless communication client;
(C) transmitting a WAN connection request received from a wireless terminal connected to the wireless connection device to the mobile communication terminal, and transmitting a LAN connection request received from the wireless terminal to a destination of the LAN connection request When,
A method for controlling a wireless connection device.   The network system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
  The wireless connection device has a holding unit for holding the mobile communication terminal,
  The second connection control unit of the mobile communication terminal detects proximity to the wireless connection device when the mobile communication terminal is held by the holding unit.
  Network system.

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