JP6741256B2 - Communication relay device, wireless communication system, communication relay device control method, and control program - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a communication relay device, a wireless communication system, a communication relay device control method, and a control program, and more particularly, to a communication relay device that relays communication with a wireless information terminal, a wireless communication system, a communication relay device control method, and control. Regarding the program.

In recent years, a wireless information terminal capable of wireless communication downloads various applications from a server that distributes the applications and executes them after installation. In addition, the updated version of each installed application is released at various times. Then, the wireless information terminal downloads the updated version of the corresponding application from the server by an operation by the user or an application for updating the application.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to a system that supports updating of applications in so-called information appliances. In the system according to Patent Document 1, a home server is connected to a plurality of home appliances and home terminals via a wireless home network. The home server connects the home network and the external network and has a gateway function and a router function. An application server that distributes the updated version of the application is connected to the external network side. At this time, the home terminal collects version information of each application installed in each home electric appliance, and inquires of the application server whether or not the latest version of each application exists. Then, when the latest version exists, the home terminal downloads the latest version of the corresponding application from the application server, transfers it to the corresponding home electric appliance, and causes the version upgrade of the application.

Here, wireless information terminals such as smartphones and tablet terminals often support a plurality of wireless communication systems such as mobile communication and wireless LAN (Local Area Network) communication. The mobile communication means, for example, communication using a mobile phone line such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) or 3G. In addition, the wireless LAN communication means, for example, communication using a wireless LAN line such as WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) (registered trademark). Then, it often takes a long time to download the updated version of the installed application in the wireless information terminal. Therefore, it is desirable to use wireless LAN communication, which enables more stable wireless communication, to download the updated version of the application. Therefore, the application management application that installs and updates the application in the wireless information terminal can select, for example, the following three types of settings as the application update settings. For example, there are three types: "do not update automatically", "always update automatically", and "update automatically only when connected to WiFi". By setting "automatically update only when connected to WiFi" as the initial setting of the application update setting, the application can be automatically updated in a more stable communication environment.

JP 2005-107737 A

However, when the wireless information terminal is connected to a wireless relay device such as a mobile router and the application update setting is the initial setting, the application may be unintentionally updated by the user. There is a point. First, the mobile router can relay communication between the information terminal and the external network by connecting to the wireless information terminal via the wireless LAN line and connecting to the external network via the mobile communication line. Then, the application management application in the information terminal determines that the application can be automatically updated in the case of initial setting because the information terminal is connected to the mobile router by the wireless LAN. Therefore, the mobile router may download the updated version from the external network through the mobile communication line. Therefore, although the user does not intend to download a large amount of data via the mobile communication line, as a result, an updated version of the application, which is a large amount of data over a long period of time, may be received via the mobile communication line. It may be downloaded. In particular, if the communication is unstable, the probability that automatic update will fail increases.

The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and a communication relay device, a wireless communication system, a control method and a control for a communication relay device that stably realize automatic update of an application in a wireless information terminal. The purpose is to provide the program.

A communication relay device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is
A first wireless communication unit that communicates with a wireless information terminal by a first wireless access method;
A second wireless communication unit that communicates with a communication device arranged on an external network by a second wireless access method;
A control unit that relays communication between the wireless information terminal and the communication device using the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit;
The control unit is
When the message received from the wireless information terminal is a request for updating the application in the wireless information terminal, the message is discarded and a notification that updating of the application has been stopped is returned to the wireless information terminal.

A wireless communication system according to a second aspect of the present disclosure,
A wireless information terminal that communicates by the first wireless access method,
A communication device arranged on the external network,
A communication relay device that relays communication by the first wireless access method with the wireless information terminal and communication by the second wireless access method with the communication device;
Equipped with
The wireless information terminal is connected to the communication relay device by the first wireless access method,
When the message received from the wireless information terminal is a request to update the application in the wireless information terminal, the communication relay device discards the message and stops updating the application to the wireless information terminal. Reply to that effect.

A control method for a communication relay device according to a third aspect of the present disclosure,
A method for controlling a communication relay device, which relays communication by a first wireless access method with a wireless information terminal and communication by a second wireless access method with a communication device arranged on an external network,
The wireless information terminal and the communication relay device are connected by the first wireless access method,
When the message received from the wireless information terminal by the communication relay device is a request for updating the application in the wireless information terminal, the message is discarded, and updating of the application is stopped for the wireless information terminal. To reply.

The control program of the communication relay device according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure,
A first wireless communication unit that communicates with the wireless information terminal by the first wireless access system, and a second wireless communication unit that communicates with the communication device arranged on the external network by the second wireless access system. A control program for a communication relay device,
A process of monitoring a message received from the wireless information terminal when the first wireless communication unit is connected to the wireless information terminal;
When the received message is a request to update the application in the wireless information terminal, a process of discarding the message and returning to the wireless information terminal that updating of the application has been stopped,
Is executed by the communication relay device.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a communication relay device, a wireless communication system, a control method of a communication relay device, and a control program that stably realize automatic update of an application in a wireless information terminal.

1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a wireless communication system including a wireless information terminal and a communication relay device according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of a control method of the communication relay device according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a wireless communication system according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the application update list concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of a control method of the communication relay device according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the radio|wireless communications system concerning Embodiment 3 of this invention. 11 is a flowchart showing a flow of a control method of the communication relay device according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the radio|wireless communications system concerning Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the SSID list concerning Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the control method of the communication relay apparatus concerning Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the radio|wireless communications system concerning Embodiment 5 of this invention. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of a method of controlling a communication relay device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. 20 is a flowchart showing the flow of a method of controlling a communication relay device according to another example of the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and for the sake of clarity of explanation, duplicated description will be omitted as necessary.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a wireless communication system 1000 including a wireless information terminal 10 and a communication relay device 20 according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The wireless communication system 1000 includes a wireless information terminal 10, a communication relay device 20, and a communication device 40. Here, the wireless information terminal 10 and the communication relay device 20 are connected by the first wireless access method W1. The communication device 40 is an information processing device arranged on the external network 30. The communication relay device 20 and the external network 30 are connected by the second wireless access method W2. Therefore, the communication relay device 20 and the communication device 40 can communicate with each other by the second wireless access method W2. Here, it is assumed that the first wireless access method W1 has less restriction on the communication amount than the second wireless access method W2. For example, the first wireless access method W1 is an access method by wireless LAN communication, and the second wireless access method W2 is an access method by mobile communication.

The wireless information terminal 10 is an information terminal that communicates by the first wireless access method W1. The wireless information terminal 10 may be able to communicate by the second wireless access method W2. The wireless information terminal 10 is, for example, a smartphone or a tablet terminal, but is not limited to these. Further, the installed application software runs on the wireless information terminal 10.

The communication device 40 is an application management server that distributes an updated version of the application installed in the wireless information terminal 10. The communication device 40 is, for example, a server computer arranged on the Internet.

The external network 30 is a communication network including a mobile communication network and the Internet. Therefore, the external network 30 includes a gateway server or the like that mediates the communication between the mobile communication network and the Internet. Then, the communication relay device 20 is connected to the mobile communication network of the external network 30 by the second wireless access method W2, and can communicate with the communication device 40 via the gateway server.

The communication relay device 20 relays communication with the wireless information terminal 10 according to the first wireless access method W1 and communication with the communication device 40 according to the second wireless access method W2. The communication relay device 20 includes a first wireless communication unit 21, a second wireless communication unit 22, and a control unit 23. The first wireless communication unit 21 communicates with the wireless information terminal 10 by the first wireless access method W1. The second wireless communication unit 22 communicates with the communication device 40 by the second wireless access method W2. The control unit 23 uses the first wireless communication unit 21 and the second wireless communication unit 22 to relay communication between the wireless information terminal 10 and the communication device 40. Here, when the message received from the wireless information terminal 10 is a request to update the application in the wireless information terminal 10, the control unit 23 discards the message and updates the wireless information terminal 10 with the application. Reply that it stopped.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of a control method of the communication relay device according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. First, the first wireless communication unit 21 of the communication relay device 20 connects to the wireless information terminal 10 by the first wireless access method W1 (S11). For example, when the first wireless communication unit 21 receives a connection request from the wireless information terminal 10 based on the first wireless access method W1, the first wireless communication unit 21 establishes a connection with the wireless information terminal 10 based on the first wireless access method W1. To do.

Next, the communication relay device 20 monitors the message from the wireless information terminal 10 (S12). Then, when the message from the wireless information terminal 10 is received, the control unit 23 of the communication relay device 20 determines whether the received message is an application update request (S13). When determining that the received message is an application update request, the control unit 23 discards the received message (S14). Then, the control unit 23 uses the first wireless communication unit 21 to reply to the wireless information terminal 10 that the update of the application has been stopped (S15). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S13 that the received message is not an application update request, the control unit 23 uses the second wireless access method W2 to send the received message to the external network 30 using the second wireless communication unit 22. It is transmitted on the side (S16).

Here, the wireless information terminal 10 tends to have an illusion that the application can be updated stably because the directly connected wireless access method is the first wireless access method W1 having relatively high communication stability. is there. On the other hand, the communication relay device 20 is the second wireless access system W2 in which the wireless access system between itself and the external network 30 has relatively low communication stability. Therefore, the communication relay device 20 blocks the update request of the application and sends a reply to the wireless information terminal 10 indicating that the update has been stopped. Therefore, it is possible to avoid downloading the updated version of the application via the second wireless access method W2, which is relatively less stable in communication than the first wireless access method W1. Then, the wireless information terminal 10 can thereafter download the updated version of the application by the wireless access method having higher communication stability than the second wireless access method W2. Therefore, the automatic update of the application in the wireless information terminal 10 can be stably realized.

A mobile communication line, which is an example of the second wireless access method W2, may incur data communication charges depending on the line contract. Therefore, when the present embodiment is not used, when the wireless information terminal 10 is connected to a general mobile router by a wireless LAN, the wireless information terminal 10 is eventually updated by the mobile communication line via the mobile router. Download the version application. In this case, a large amount of communication data is generated via the mobile communication line, the packet usage amount is added, and a data communication charge is incurred. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the user from unexpectedly using a large capacity of the mobile communication line, and it is possible to further reduce the data communication charge.

<Second Embodiment>
The second embodiment is an example of the first embodiment described above. That is, when the received message is autonomously transmitted by the wireless information terminal, the control unit according to the second embodiment determines that it is an application update request in the wireless information terminal. To do. Thereby, for example, it is possible to block automatic update from an application for application update in the wireless information terminal. Conversely, with respect to other communication by the user's operation or the like in the wireless information terminal, the relay of the communication with the external network, which is the original operation, can be maintained.

Further, the control unit acquires and holds a first list of applications installed in the wireless information terminal from the wireless information terminal using the first wireless communication unit. When the received message is an acquisition request for an application in the first list, the control unit preferably determines that the application is an update request for an application in the wireless information terminal. As a result, it is possible to accurately recognize that the download request for the installed application is an update request. Further, since the automatic update from the application for updating the application is for the applications included in the first list, it can be accurately grasped that the automatic update is autonomously transmitted.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the wireless communication system 2000 according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The wireless communication system 2000 is an example of the wireless communication system 1000 described above. The wireless communication system 2000 includes a slave terminal 100, a mobile router 200, and an application management server 400. Here, the slave terminal 100 is an example of the wireless information terminal 10. The mobile router 200 is an example of the communication relay device 20. The communication network 300 is an example of the external network 30. The application management server 400 is an example of the communication device 40, and is an information processing device arranged on the communication network 300. The application management server 400 stores an updated version application 401 and an application 402 in an internal storage device (not shown). Here, the updated version application 401 is the latest version of the program in the application 152 described later. Further, the application 402 is not installed in the slave terminal 100. That is, the application 402 can be said to be a new application for the slave terminal 100. Upon receiving the application acquisition request via the communication network 300, the application management server 400 identifies the application corresponding to the acquisition request and delivers it to the request source.

The slave terminal 100 and the mobile router 200 are connected by the wireless LAN communication W11. The mobile router 200 and the communication network 300 are connected by the LTE communication W21. Therefore, the mobile router 200 and the application management server 400 can communicate by the LTE communication W21. Here, the wireless LAN communication W11 is an example of the first wireless access method W1 and is, for example, WiFi. The LTE communication W21 is an example of the second wireless access method W2, and may be 3G or the like instead of LTE.

The slave terminal 100 includes an LTE wireless unit 110, a wireless LAN communication unit 120, a modem unit 130, a CPU 140, and a storage unit 150. The LTE wireless unit 110 can be connected to the communication network 300 by the LTE method. The wireless LAN communication unit 120 can be connected to the mobile router 200 by wireless LAN communication W11. In the description of the present embodiment, it is assumed that the slave terminal 100 is set to give priority to the wireless LAN communication W11.

The modem unit 130 is a circuit that mutually converts an analog signal and a digital signal. That is, the modem unit 130 converts the LTE analog signal received by the LTE wireless unit 110 into a digital signal and outputs the digital signal to the CPU 140. Further, the modem unit 130 converts the wireless LAN analog signal received by the wireless LAN communication unit 120 into a digital signal and outputs the digital signal to the CPU 140. Further, when the connection with the communication network 300 is established by the LTE wireless unit 110, the modem unit 130 converts the digital signal to be transmitted from the CPU 140 into an analog signal for LTE and transmits the analog signal for LTE to the outside by the LTE wireless unit 110. To do. Further, when the connection with the mobile router 200 is established by the wireless LAN communication unit 120, the modem unit 130 converts the digital signal to be transmitted from the CPU 140 into an analog signal for wireless LAN and causes the wireless LAN communication unit 120 to perform the conversion. Send to the outside.

The CPU 140 is a control circuit that controls each configuration of the slave terminal 100 and performs various processes. The storage unit 150 is a non-volatile storage device that stores the application update list 151, the application 152, and the like. The application 152 is an application installed in the slave terminal 100. The number of applications 152 is one or more. The application update list 151 is list information listing the applications 152 installed in the slave terminal 100. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the application update list 151 according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

It is assumed that the storage unit 150 also stores an operating system, application update application, and the like as a configuration not shown. The application update application manages the application update list 151, receives an update notification from a server that distributes an updated version of each application for each application in the application update list 151, and autonomously makes an application update request. The CPU 140 reads the operating system and the application 152 from the storage unit 150 and executes them. As a result, the child device terminal 100 executes various processes in the application 152. Further, the CPU 140 reads the application update application from the storage unit 150 and executes it. As a result, the slave terminal 100 autonomously transmits an update request for the application 152 to the application management server 400. Then, when the slave terminal 100 receives the updated version application 401 from the application management server 400, it installs the updated version application 401. As a result, the application 152 is updated.

The mobile router 200 includes an LTE wireless unit 210, a wireless LAN communication unit 220, a modem unit 230, a CPU 240, and a storage unit 250. The LTE wireless unit 210 is an example of the second wireless communication unit 22, and can be connected to the communication network 300 by the LTE communication W21. The wireless LAN communication unit 220 is an example of the first wireless communication unit 21, and can be connected to the wireless LAN communication unit 120 of the slave terminal 100 by the wireless LAN communication W11. In the description of this embodiment, it is assumed that at least the LTE wireless unit 210 and the communication network 300 are already connected by the LTE communication W21.

The modem unit 230 is a circuit that mutually converts an analog signal and a digital signal. That is, the modem unit 230 converts the LTE analog signal received by the LTE wireless unit 210 into a digital signal and outputs the digital signal to the CPU 240. Further, the modem unit 230 converts the wireless LAN analog signal received by the wireless LAN communication unit 220 into a digital signal and outputs the digital signal to the CPU 240. Further, the modem unit 230 converts a digital signal to be transmitted to the WAN (Wide Area Network) side received from the CPU 240 into an analog signal for LTE and transmits it to the communication network 300 by the LTE wireless unit 210. Further, the modem unit 230 converts the digital signal to be transmitted to the LAN side received from the CPU 240 into an analog signal for wireless LAN and transmits the analog signal for the wireless LAN to the slave terminal 100 by the wireless LAN communication unit 220.

The CPU 240 is an example of the control unit 23, and is a control circuit that controls each configuration of the mobile router 200 and performs various processes. The storage unit 250 is a non-volatile storage device that stores the application update list 251 and the like. However, the storage unit 250 does not necessarily store the application update list 251. When the storage unit 250 does not store the application update list 251, the CPU 240 uses the wireless LAN communication unit 220 to acquire the application update list 151 from the slave terminal 100 and stores it in the storage unit 250.

Note that the storage unit 250 also stores an operating system, an application update control program, and the like as a configuration not shown. The application update control program is an example of the control program according to the present embodiment, and the control method of the communication relay device described later is installed. The CPU 240 reads the operating system and application update control program from the storage unit 250 and executes them. Thereby, the mobile router 200 realizes a communication relay device control method described later.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of a control method of the communication relay device according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Here, it is assumed that the storage unit 250 does not store the application update list 251 in advance.

First, the slave terminal 100 belongs to the mobile router 200 (S101). For example, when the wireless LAN communication unit 220 receives a connection request from the wireless LAN communication unit 120 via the wireless LAN communication W11, the wireless LAN communication unit 220 establishes a connection with the slave terminal 100 via the wireless LAN communication W11.

Next, the mobile router 200 requests the application update list 151 from the slave terminal 100 (S102). That is, the CPU 240 transmits an acquisition request for the application update list 151 to the slave terminal 100 via the wireless LAN communication unit 220. Then, the CPU 140 of the child device terminal 100 reads the application update list 151 from the storage unit 150 in response to the received acquisition request, and the application update list 151 is transmitted to the mobile router 200 by the wireless LAN communication W11 via the wireless LAN communication unit 120. Send to. Upon receiving the application update list 151 via the wireless LAN communication unit 220, the CPU 240 stores the application update list 151 in the storage unit 250 as the application update list 251 (S103). After that, the CPU 240 monitors the upstream data from the slave terminal 100. Uplink data is a transmission packet from the slave terminal 100 to the communication network 300. For example, the slave terminal 100 transmits an update request for the application 152 addressed to the application management server 400 by the application update application. At this time, the slave terminal 100 transmits an update request from the wireless LAN communication unit 120 to the mobile router 200 by wireless LAN communication W11.

Subsequently, the mobile router 200 receives the upstream data from the slave terminal 100 (S104). Specifically, the CPU 240 detects the upstream data received by the wireless LAN communication W11 in the wireless LAN communication unit 220. Then, the CPU 240 analyzes the received upstream data (S105). Subsequently, the CPU 240 determines whether or not the detected upstream data is data from the application update application (application update application) of the slave terminal 100 (S106). If the data is not from the application update application, the CPU 240 converts the detected upstream data into data for LTE and transmits it to the communication network 300 by LTE communication W21 using the LTE wireless unit 210 (S107). In this case, since the uplink data is from an application other than the application update application in the slave terminal 100, the uplink data is relayed to the communication network 300 side as usual.

On the other hand, in step S106, if the data is from the application update application, the CPU 240 determines whether the detected upstream data is an acquisition request for the application in the application update list 251 (S108). Here, when the detected upstream data is an acquisition request for an application in the application update list 251, it is an acquisition request for an application 152 already installed in the slave terminal 100, and thus is an acquisition request for an updated version. That is, it can be said that the acquisition request is an update request for the application 152. Therefore, in step S108, when the request is for the application in the application update list 251, the CPU 240 blocks the upstream data. Then, the CPU 240 notifies the slave terminal 100 that the update of the application 152 has been suspended (S109). Specifically, the CPU 240 discards the upstream data, and transmits to the slave terminal 100 that updating of the application 152 to be updated is stopped by the wireless LAN communication W11 using the wireless LAN communication unit 220.

On the other hand, in step S108, if the acquisition request is not for an application in the application update list 251, it can be said to be an acquisition request for a new application 402 that is not installed in the slave terminal 100. Then, in this case, it can be said that the request is not the automatic update by the application update application but a download request of the application 402 by an operation of the user of the slave terminal 100, for example. Therefore, the CPU 240 converts the detected upstream data into data for LTE and transmits it to the communication network 300 by the LTE communication W21 using the LTE wireless unit 210 (S110). After that, the acquisition request arrives at the application management server 400 via the communication network 300. The application management server 400 identifies the application 402 according to the received acquisition request. Then, the application management server 400 returns the application 402 via the communication network 300.

Then, the mobile router 200 receives the application 402 from the communication network 300 by the LTE communication W21 in the LTE wireless unit 210. Then, the CPU 240 of the mobile router 200 uses the wireless LAN communication unit 220 to transmit the application 402 to the slave terminal 100 by wireless LAN communication W11. At this time, the CPU 240 converts the download data of the new application 402 into data for wireless LAN, and transmits it to the slave terminal 100 by wireless LAN communication W11 using the wireless LAN communication unit 220 (S111). Then, it returns to step S102.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, when the application management application of the slave terminal 100 issues an update request to an installed application autonomously, the update request is blocked. On the other hand, in the case of a request for acquisition of communication data or a new application by another application, the mobile router 200 relays to the communication network 300 side as usual. With this, for example, even if the initial setting of the update setting of the application management application is “automatically update only when connected to WiFi”, it is prevented from being automatically updated when the user does not expect. You can Therefore, the application can be automatically updated in a more stable communication environment. Further, even when the communication charge is added according to the communication data amount of LTE, it is possible to prevent the automatic download of large-capacity data, and thus it is possible to suppress the communication charge.

<Third Embodiment>
The third embodiment is a modification of the above-described second embodiment. That is, in the control unit according to the third embodiment, when the message is received from the wireless information terminal, the first wireless communication unit is connected to the external network by the first wireless access method. It is determined whether or not there is. When the control unit determines that the received message is also connected to the external network, the control unit transfers the received message to the communication device using the first wireless communication unit without discarding the received message. To do. As a result, when the WAN side of the communication relay device communicates with a public WiFi device or a home WiFi device, the application can be automatically updated in a stable communication environment. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the automatic update of the application from being excessively suppressed.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a wireless communication system 2000a according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The wireless communication system 2000a is an improved example of the wireless communication system 2000 described above, and the mobile router 200 is replaced with the mobile router 200a. Since other configurations are the same as those of the wireless communication system 2000, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Unlike the mobile router 200, the mobile router 200a shows a state in which the wireless LAN communication unit 220 is connected to the communication network 300 by the wireless LAN communication W12. That is, the WAN side and the LAN side of the mobile router 200a are connected by wireless LAN communication. The mobile router 200a is the mobile router 200 in which the CPU 240 is replaced with the CPU 240a. When receiving the message from the slave terminal 100, the CPU 240a determines whether the wireless LAN communication unit 220 is also connected to the communication network 300 by the wireless LAN communication W12. Then, when the CPU 240a determines that the received message is also connected to the communication network 300, the received message is sent to the application management server 400 via the communication network 300 using the wireless LAN communication unit 220 without discarding the received message. Forward.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of a control method of the communication relay device according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 7, steps S201 and S202 are added between steps S104 and S105 in the flowchart of FIG. 5 described above. Therefore, the differences from FIG. 5 will be described below.

After step S104, the CPU 240a determines whether the WAN side is connected by the wireless LAN communication W12 (S201). When the WAN side is connected by the wireless LAN communication W12, the CPU 240a converts the detected upstream data into wireless LAN data and transmits it to the communication network 300 by the wireless LAN communication W12 using the wireless LAN communication unit 220 ( S202).

On the other hand, when the WAN side is not connected by the wireless LAN communication W12 in step S201, the CPU 240a executes the process of step S105 described above. Thereafter, the process continues to step S106.

<Embodiment 4>
The fourth embodiment is an improved example of the above-described second or third embodiment. That is, the communication relay device according to the fourth embodiment further includes a storage unit that stores a second list of wireless relay devices to which the wireless information terminal can connect by the first wireless access method. In this case, the control unit searches for a wireless relay device communicable by the first wireless access method when the wireless information terminal is connected to the first wireless communication unit. When the searched wireless relay device is included in the second list, the control unit disconnects the wireless information terminal and the first wireless communication unit. As a result, even when the communication relay device and the wireless information terminal are connected by the first wireless access method, if there is another wireless relay device to which the wireless information terminal can be connected by the first wireless access method, The wireless information terminal can be prompted to connect to the wireless relay device. Therefore, the wireless information terminal can more stably realize the automatic update of the application via the wireless relay device that is newly connected by the first wireless access method.

Further, it is preferable that the control unit stops the operation of the second wireless communication unit after disconnecting the connection between the wireless information terminal and the first wireless communication unit. As a result, it is possible to prevent extra battery consumption in the communication relay device.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the wireless communication system 2000b according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The wireless communication system 2000b is an improved example of the wireless communication system 2000 described above, and the mobile router 200 is replaced with the mobile router 200b. Since other configurations are the same as those of the wireless communication system 2000, detailed description thereof will be omitted. The mobile router 200b may be an improved version of the mobile router 200a.

In the mobile router 200b, the CPU 240 of the mobile router 200 is replaced by the CPU 240b. The storage unit 250 also stores an SSID (Service Set Identifier) list 252. The SSID is the identification name of the access point in the wireless LAN. The SSID list 252 is an example of a list of wireless relay devices that the slave terminal 100 can connect to via the wireless LAN communication W11, that is, a wireless LAN master device. The wireless LAN base unit is, for example, a public WiFi or a home WiFi base unit. The storage unit 250 is assumed to have the SSID list 252 registered in advance. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the SSID list 252 according to the fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The storage unit 250 may store the application update list 251.

Then, the CPU 240b searches for a wireless relay device communicable by the wireless LAN communication W11 when the slave terminal 100 is connected to the wireless LAN communication unit 220. Then, when the searched wireless relay device is included in the SSID list 252, the CPU 240b disconnects the slave terminal 100 and the wireless LAN communication unit 220. After that, the CPU 240b stops the operation of the LTE wireless unit 210.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of the method of controlling the communication relay device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 10, steps S301 to S305 are added between steps S101 and S102 in the flowchart of FIG. 5 described above. Therefore, the differences from FIG. 5 will be described below.

After step S101, the CPU 240b searches for a wireless LAN master device (S301). Then, the CPU 240b compares the wireless LAN master device included in the search result with the SSID list 252 stored in the storage unit 250 (S302). Then, the CPU 240b determines whether or not the search result exists in the SSID list 252 (S303). When the search result exists in the SSID list 252, the CPU 240b disconnects the slave terminal 100 from belonging to the mobile router 200b (S304). As a result, the slave terminal 100 can connect to another wireless LAN access point included in the search result by the LTE communication W21 using the wireless LAN communication unit 120. Since the other wireless LAN access point is a public WiFi or a home WiFi master, the slave terminal 100 can directly connect to the WAN without the mobile router 200b. Therefore, the slave terminal 100 can stably and automatically update the application through the LTE communication W21.

Then, the CPU 240b transitions to the standby mode (S305). Specifically, the CPU 240b stops the operation of the LTE wireless unit 210. Thereby, the power consumption of the LTE wireless unit 210 can be suppressed. After that, the process returns to step S101.

On the other hand, when the search result does not exist in the SSID list 252 in step S303, the process of step S102 described above is executed. After that, the process continues to step S103.

The fourth embodiment is not necessarily an improvement of the second or third embodiment. That is, it is not necessary to acquire the application update list from the child device terminal 100. Therefore, the fourth embodiment may have the following configuration. That is, the communication relay device according to the fourth embodiment includes the first wireless communication unit, the second wireless communication unit, the control unit, and the storage unit. Here, the first wireless communication unit communicates with the wireless information terminal by the first wireless access method. The second wireless communication unit communicates with a communication device arranged on the external network by the second wireless access method. The control unit relays communication between the wireless information terminal and the communication device using the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit. The storage unit stores a list of wireless relay devices to which the wireless information terminal can connect by the first wireless access method. At this time, the control unit searches for a wireless relay device communicable by the first wireless access method when the wireless information terminal is connected to the first wireless communication unit. When the searched wireless relay device is included in the list, the control unit disconnects the wireless information terminal and the first wireless communication unit. Even with such a configuration, the communication relay device prevents the application update request from the wireless information terminal connected by the first wireless access method from being transferred to the external network by the second wireless access method. be able to. Therefore, the same effect as that of the first embodiment described above is obtained. Further, it is not necessary to acquire the application update list from the wireless information terminal, and the security risk can be reduced.

<Embodiment 5>
The fifth embodiment is an improvement example of the above-described second, third or fourth embodiment. That is, the communication relay device according to the fifth embodiment further includes a sensor that detects movement of the communication relay device. Then, the control unit uses the sensor to determine whether the communication relay device is moving after the wireless information terminal is connected to the first wireless communication unit. When the control unit determines that the communication relay device is moving, the control unit determines whether the message received from the wireless information terminal is an update request for an application in the wireless information terminal. .. As described above, when the communication relay device is moving, communication stability is low. Therefore, as described above, avoiding the application update request can suppress update failure.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the wireless communication system 2000c according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. The wireless communication system 2000c is an improved example of the above-described wireless communication system 2000b, and the mobile router 200b is replaced with the mobile router 200c. Since other configurations are the same as those of the wireless communication system 2000b, detailed description thereof will be omitted. The mobile router 200c may be an improved version of the mobile router 200 or 200a.

In the mobile router 200c, the CPU 240b of the mobile router 200b is replaced by the CPU 240c, and a sensor 260 is newly added. The sensor 260 has a function of detecting movement of the mobile router 200c. Then, when the movement of the mobile router 200c is detected, the sensor 260 outputs a detection signal indicating the detection to the CPU 240c. For example, the sensor 260 is a GPS (Global Positioning System), an acceleration sensor, or the like. Further, the CPU 240c determines whether or not the mobile router 200c is moving using the sensor 260 after the slave terminal 100 is connected to the wireless LAN communication unit 220. Then, when determining that the mobile router 200c is moving, the CPU 240c determines whether the message received from the slave terminal 100 is an update request for an application in the slave terminal 100.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of the method of controlling the communication relay device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 12, steps S401 and S402 are added between steps S101 and S301 of the flowchart of FIG. 10 described above, and the positions of steps S102 and S103 are changed. Therefore, the differences from FIG. 10 will be described below.

After step S101, the CPU 240c determines whether the mobile router 200c is moving (S401). Specifically, the CPU 240c determines the movement of the mobile router 200c based on the detection signal from the sensor 260. When it is determined in step S401 that the mobile router 200c has not moved, the above-described processing of S301 is executed.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S401 that the mobile router 200c is moving, the CPU 240c determines whether or not the application update list 251 has been acquired from the slave terminal 100 (S402). If the application update list 251 has not been acquired, the CPU 240c requests the application update list 151 from the slave terminal 100 (S102). Then, when the CPU 240c receives the application update list 151 by the wireless LAN communication unit 220, the CPU 240c stores the application update list 151 in the storage unit 250 as the application update list 251 (S103).

When it is determined in step S402 that the application update list 251 has not been acquired, or after step S103, step S104 described above is executed.

The control method of the communication relay device according to the fifth embodiment may be modified as follows. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of the control method of the communication relay device according to another example of the fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 shows the processing after step S402 in the flowchart of FIG. 12 described above changed from step S403 to S406. Therefore, the differences from FIG. 12 will be described below.

When it is determined in step S401 that the mobile router 200c is moving, the CPU 240c monitors upstream data from the slave terminal 100 (S403). Then, the mobile router 200c is assumed to have received the uplink data from the slave terminal 100. At this time, the CPU 240c determines whether or not the detected upstream data is data from the application update application of the slave terminal 100 (S406). If it is not the data from the application update application, the CPU 240c converts the detected upstream data into data for LTE and transmits it to the communication network 300 by the LTE communication W21 using the LTE wireless unit 210 (S405).

On the other hand, in step S404, if the data is from the application update application, the CPU 240c blocks the detected upstream data and notifies the slave terminal 100 that the application update has been interrupted (S406). In this case, since the mobile router 200c is moving, it is desirable to avoid downloading the application, not just updating or new, as long as it is upstream data from the application updating application. Instead of step S406, only the application update may be suppressed as in step S108 and the subsequent steps described above.

<Other Embodiments>
In addition, although the hardware configuration has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. The present disclosure can also be realized by causing a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute a computer program for arbitrary processing.

In the above example, the program can be stored using various types of non-transitory computer readable media and supplied to the computer. Non-transitory computer readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of the non-transitory computer readable medium include a magnetic recording medium (for example, flexible disk, magnetic tape, hard disk drive), magneto-optical recording medium (for example, magneto-optical disk), CD-ROM (Read Only Memory), CD-R, It includes a CD-R/W, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), and a semiconductor memory (for example, a mask ROM, a PROM (Programmable ROM), an EPROM (Erasable PROM), a flash ROM, and a RAM (Random Access Memory)). Further, the program may be supplied to the computer by various types of transitory computer readable media. Examples of transitory computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transitory computer-readable medium can supply the program to the computer via a wired communication path such as an electric wire and an optical fiber, or a wireless communication path.

It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Further, the present disclosure may be implemented by appropriately combining the respective embodiments.

The whole or part of the exemplary embodiments disclosed above can be described as, but not limited to, the following supplementary notes.
(Appendix 1)
A first wireless communication unit that communicates with a wireless information terminal using a first wireless access method;
A second wireless communication unit that communicates with a communication device arranged on an external network by a second wireless access method;
A control unit that relays communication between the wireless information terminal and the communication device using the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit;
The control unit is
When the message received from the wireless information terminal is an update request for an application in the wireless information terminal, the message is discarded, and a reply that the update of the application is stopped is returned to the wireless information terminal. apparatus.
(Appendix 2)
The control unit is
The communication relay device according to appendix 1, wherein when the received message is autonomously transmitted by the wireless information terminal, it is determined that the received message is an application update request in the wireless information terminal.
(Appendix 3)
The control unit is
Acquiring a first list of applications installed in the wireless information terminal from the wireless information terminal using the first wireless communication unit, and holding the acquired list;
The communication relay device according to appendix 1 or 2, wherein when the received message is an acquisition request for an application in the first list, it is determined to be an update request for an application in the wireless information terminal.
(Appendix 4)
The control unit is
When the message is received from the wireless information terminal, it is determined whether the first wireless communication unit is also connected to the external network by the first wireless access method,
If it is determined that the received message is also connected to the external network, the received message is transferred to the communication device by using the first wireless communication unit without discarding the received message. The communication relay device according to item 1.
(Appendix 5)
The wireless information terminal further includes a storage unit that stores a second list of wireless relay devices connectable by the first wireless access method,
The control unit is
When the wireless information terminal is connected to the first wireless communication unit, searches for a wireless relay device capable of communicating by the first wireless access method,
When the searched wireless relay device is included in the second list, the connection between the wireless information terminal and the first wireless communication unit is disconnected. The communication relay according to any one of appendices 1 to 4. apparatus.
(Appendix 6)
The control unit is
The communication relay device according to appendix 5, wherein the operation of the second wireless communication unit is stopped after disconnecting the connection between the wireless information terminal and the first wireless communication unit.
(Appendix 7)
Further comprising a sensor for detecting movement of the communication relay device,
The control unit is
After the wireless information terminal is connected to the first wireless communication unit, the sensor is used to determine whether the communication relay device is moving,
When it is determined that the communication relay device is moving, it is determined whether the message received from the wireless information terminal is an update request for an application in the wireless information terminal. The communication relay device according to item 1.
(Appendix 8)
The communication relay device according to any one of appendices 1 to 7, wherein the first wireless access method has less restriction on the communication amount than the second wireless access method.
(Appendix 9)
The first wireless access method is an access method by wireless LAN communication,
The second wireless access method is an access method by mobile communication,
The communication relay device according to attachment 8.
(Appendix 10)
A wireless information terminal that communicates by the first wireless access method,
A communication device arranged on the external network,
A communication relay device that relays communication by the first wireless access method with the wireless information terminal and communication by the second wireless access method with the communication device;
Equipped with
The wireless information terminal is connected to the communication relay device by the first wireless access method,
If the message received from the wireless information terminal is an update request for an application in the wireless information terminal, the communication relay device discards the message and stops updating the application for the wireless information terminal. A wireless communication system that sends back a message.
(Appendix 11)
A method for controlling a communication relay device, which relays communication by a first wireless access method with a wireless information terminal and communication by a second wireless access method with a communication device arranged on an external network,
The wireless information terminal and the communication relay device are connected by the first wireless access method,
When the message received from the wireless information terminal by the communication relay device is a request for updating the application in the wireless information terminal, the message is discarded, and updating of the application is stopped for the wireless information terminal. A method for controlling a communication relay device that returns a message.
(Appendix 12)
A first wireless communication unit that communicates with a wireless information terminal by a first wireless access system, and a second wireless communication unit that communicates with a communication device arranged on an external network by a second wireless access system. A control program for a communication relay device,
A process of monitoring a message received from the wireless information terminal when the first wireless communication unit is connected to the wireless information terminal;
When the received message is a request to update the application in the wireless information terminal, a process of discarding the message and returning to the wireless information terminal that updating of the application has been stopped,
A control program that causes the communication relay device to execute.
(Appendix 13)
A first wireless communication unit that communicates with a wireless information terminal using a first wireless access method;
A second wireless communication unit that communicates with a communication device arranged on an external network by a second wireless access method;
A control unit that relays communication between the wireless information terminal and the communication device using the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit;
A storage unit for storing a list of wireless relay devices connectable to the wireless information terminal by the first wireless access method,
The control unit is
When the wireless information terminal is connected to the first wireless communication unit, searches for a wireless relay device capable of communicating by the first wireless access method,
A communication relay device that disconnects the connection between the wireless information terminal and the first wireless communication unit when the searched wireless relay device is included in the list.

1000 wireless communication system 10 wireless information terminal 20 communication relay device 21 first wireless communication unit 22 second wireless communication unit 23 control unit 30 external network 40 communication device W1 first wireless access method W2 second wireless access method 2000 Wireless communication system 2000a Wireless communication system 2000b Wireless communication system 2000c Wireless communication system 100 Handset terminal 110 LTE wireless unit 120 Wireless LAN communication unit 130 Modem unit 140 CPU
150 storage unit 151 application update list 152 application 200 mobile router 200a mobile router 200b mobile router 200c mobile router 210 LTE wireless unit 220 wireless LAN communication unit 230 modem unit 240 CPU
240a CPU
240b CPU
240c CPU
250 storage unit 251 application update list 252 SSID list 260 sensor W11 wireless LAN communication W12 wireless LAN communication W21 LTE communication 300 communication network 400 application management server 401 update version application 402 application

Claims (9)

A first wireless communication unit that communicates with a wireless information terminal using a first wireless access method;
A second wireless communication unit that communicates with a communication device arranged on an external network by a second wireless access method;
A control unit that relays communication between the wireless information terminal and the communication device using the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit;
The control unit is
When the message received from the wireless information terminal is an update request for an application in the wireless information terminal, the message is discarded, and a reply that the update of the application is stopped is returned to the wireless information terminal. apparatus. The control unit is
Acquiring a first list of applications installed in the wireless information terminal from the wireless information terminal using the first wireless communication unit, and holding the acquired list;
The communication relay device according to claim 1 , wherein when the received message is an acquisition request for an application in the first list, it is determined to be an update request for an application in the wireless information terminal. The control unit is
When the message is received from the wireless information terminal, it is determined whether the first wireless communication unit is also connected to the external network by the first wireless access method,
If it is determined to be connected with the external network, without destroying the the received message, a message that the received to claim 1 or 2 transfers to the communication device using the first radio communication unit The communication relay device described. The wireless information terminal further includes a storage unit that stores a second list of wireless relay devices connectable by the first wireless access method,
The control unit is
When the wireless information terminal is connected to the first wireless communication unit, searches for a wireless relay device capable of communicating by the first wireless access method,
If the retrieved radio relay device is included in the second list, the communication according to any one of claims 1 to 3 disconnects the connection to the wireless data terminal and the first radio communication unit Relay device. The control unit is
The communication relay device according to claim 4 , wherein after the connection between the wireless information terminal and the first wireless communication unit is disconnected, the operation of the second wireless communication unit is stopped. Further comprising a sensor for detecting movement of the communication relay device,
The control unit is
After the wireless information terminal is connected to the first wireless communication unit, the sensor is used to determine whether the communication relay device is moving,
When the communication relay apparatus is determined to be moving, either the wireless information the message received from the terminal, of the wireless information request determines whether the application update request of the terminal section 1 to 5 The communication relay device according to item 1. A wireless information terminal that communicates by the first wireless access method,
A communication device arranged on the external network,
A communication relay device that relays communication by the first wireless access method with the wireless information terminal and communication by the second wireless access method with the communication device;
Equipped with
The wireless information terminal is connected to the communication relay device by the first wireless access method,
When the message received from the wireless information terminal is a request to update the application in the wireless information terminal, the communication relay device discards the message and stops updating the application to the wireless information terminal. A wireless communication system that sends back a message. A method for controlling a communication relay device, which relays communication by a first wireless access method with a wireless information terminal and communication by a second wireless access method with a communication device arranged on an external network,
The wireless information terminal and the communication relay device are connected by the first wireless access method,
When the message received from the wireless information terminal by the communication relay device is a request for updating the application in the wireless information terminal, the message is discarded, and updating of the application is stopped for the wireless information terminal. A method for controlling a communication relay device that returns a message. A first wireless communication unit that communicates with the wireless information terminal by the first wireless access system, and a second wireless communication unit that communicates with the communication device arranged on the external network by the second wireless access system. A control program for a communication relay device,
A process of monitoring a message received from the wireless information terminal when the first wireless communication unit is connected to the wireless information terminal;
When the received message is an update request for an application in the wireless information terminal, a process of discarding the message and returning to the wireless information terminal that updating of the application has been stopped,
A control program that causes the communication relay device to execute.

Images