JP7183906B2 - Wireless communication device and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wireless communication device having a wireless communication function and a program.

Conventionally, a mobile communication terminal device has been proposed in which a timer is activated when an instruction to change the display operation is input, and the operation of the display device is stopped after a predetermined period of time has passed regardless of whether there is any key input (for example, , see Patent Document 1).

JP-A-2002-314668

In the terminal device disclosed in Patent Literature 1, even when the user is inputting an instruction, the screen display disappears after a predetermined period of time measured by the timer has passed, regardless of the state of the terminal device. In this case, if the user performs an operation to check the state of the terminal device, the life of the battery will rather be shortened.

A wireless communication device according to the present invention is the wireless communication device in a system including a master station device and a plurality of wireless communication devices, wherein the master station device or another wireless communication device receives the master station device a wireless communication unit that receives downlink packets directed to its own device from the wireless communication unit, a timer unit that starts measuring a certain period of time when its own device is activated, and when its own device is activated, the master station device and a power-saving power-saving unit that performs attribution processing to set the attribution state to a state in which communication can be performed with the wireless communication device, and a state of the own device that consumes less power than the state in which communication is performed with the master station device or the other wireless communication device. and a state control unit for shifting to a state, wherein the state control unit, after the attribution processing unit performs the attribution processing, at the time when the timer unit has completed measuring the predetermined time, the own device is in the attribution state, the device is shifted to the power saving state.

Further, the program according to the present invention provides the radio communication apparatus in a system including a master station apparatus and a plurality of radio communication apparatuses with timer means for starting measurement of a certain period of time when the own apparatus is activated, and means for performing attribution processing to put the device in an attribution state in which the device can wirelessly communicate with the master station device when the device is activated, When the apparatus determines that it is in the belonging state, executing means for shifting the state of the own apparatus to a power saving state in which power consumption is lower than that in a state in which wireless communication is performed with the master station apparatus or another wireless communication apparatus. It is.

According to the present invention, when the timer unit is started, the timer unit starts measuring a certain period of time, performs the belonging process during the measurement, and after the belonging process, when the certain period of time expires while belonging to the master station apparatus, the saving is performed. Transition to a power state. Since the wireless communication device shifts to the power saving state while being able to communicate with the master station device, power consumption can be reduced while the wireless communication device operates normally.

1 is a block diagram showing one configuration example of a communication system including a wireless communication device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a GW device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a base station shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the wireless communication device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of the wireless communication device shown in FIG. 4; FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing an example of an operation procedure of the wireless communication device shown in FIG. 1; 2 is a flow chart showing an example of an operation procedure of the wireless communication device shown in FIG. 1; 2 is a flow chart showing another example of the operation procedure of the wireless communication device shown in FIG. 1;

Embodiment 1.
A wireless communication device according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one configuration example of a communication system including a wireless communication device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system has a plurality of wireless communication devices 31-3n (n is an integer equal to or greater than 2) and a base station 2 that communicates with the wireless communication devices 31-3n. A base station 2 is connected to a host device (not shown) via a gateway (GW) device 1 and a network (not shown). The base station 2 relays communication between the wireless communication devices 31 to 3n and a host device (not shown). The base station 2 is a parent station device for the radio communication devices 31 to 3n.

Each wireless communication device of the wireless communication devices 31 to 3n is directly connected to the base station 2 on a one-to-one basis. Communication connection may be made by a multi-hop method of communication connection with the station 2 . A system in which each of a plurality of wireless communication devices is connected to the base station 2 corresponds to a star network, and a multi-hop system corresponds to a mesh network.

For example, in a situation where the wireless communication devices 31 to 3n communicate in a multi-hop environment defined by the wireless communication standard IEEE802.15.4, the base station 2 periodically communicates between the wireless communication devices. determines the upstream communication route from the wireless communication devices 31 to 3n. The wireless communication devices 31 to 3n use the upstream communication path determined by the base station 2 to transmit data to a host device (not shown). A host device (not shown) uses a downstream communication path to transmit a control packet including control information regarding settings to the wireless communication devices 31 to 3 via the GW device 1 and the base station 2 .

The GW device 1, the base station 2, and the host device (not shown) communicate using, for example, TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)/IP (Internet Protocol) communication protocols. The GW device 1 and the base station 2 communicate serially. The base station 2 and the wireless communication devices 31 to 3n communicate using, for example, a short-range wireless communication protocol whose basic specifications are standardized by the wireless communication standard IEEE802.15.4.

The configuration of the GW device 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing one configuration example of the GW apparatus shown in FIG. The GW device 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 111, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 112, a flash memory 113, a maintenance communication unit 114, a serial communication unit 115, and a USB (Universal Serial Bus) 116. have.

The flash memory 113 is a non-volatile memory that stores BOOT, which is a basic program to be executed by the CPU 111 at startup, and various programs. The CPU 111 executes processing according to programs stored in the flash memory 113 . The RAM 112 stores the program read from the flash memory 113 when the CPU 111 executes the program, and also stores the result of the arithmetic processing performed by the CPU 111 .

The maintenance communication unit 114 is a communication interface for connecting with a maintenance personal computer (PC) during debugging. The serial communication unit 115 is a communication interface used for external output. A USB 116 is a communication interface for communicating with the base station 2 .

Next, the configuration of the base station 2 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing one configuration example of the base station shown in FIG. The base station 2 is notified by wire from the GW apparatus 1 of information for communication connection between the GW apparatus 1 and the wireless communication apparatuses 31 to 3n. It plays the role of doing the conversion. As shown in FIG. 3, the base station 2 includes a CPU 121, a RAM 122, a flash memory 123, a wireless communication section 124, a serial communication section 125, a USB 126, an operation section 127, and an LED (Light Emitting Diode) 129. and

The flash memory 123 is a non-volatile memory that stores BOOT, which is a basic program to be executed by the CPU 121 at startup, and various programs. The CPU 121 executes processing according to programs stored in the flash memory 123 . The RAM 122 stores the program read from the flash memory 123 when the CPU 121 executes the program, and also stores the result of the arithmetic processing performed by the CPU 121 . A wireless communication unit 124 is a communication interface for communicating with the wireless communication devices 31 to 3n. A USB 126 is a communication interface for communicating with the GW device 1 . The operation unit 127 is operated by an operator when performing maintenance work on the base station 2 . The LED 129 displays the state of the base station 2 by lighting, blinking, or the like. The serial communication unit 125 is a communication interface used for external output.

Next, configurations of the wireless communication devices 31 to 3n shown in FIG. 1 will be described. Since the wireless communication devices 31 to 3n have the same configuration, the configuration of the wireless communication device 31 will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the wireless communication device shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4 , the wireless communication device 31 has a CPU 131 , a RAM 132 , a flash memory 133 , a wireless communication section 134 , a serial communication section 135 , a sensor 136 , an operation section 137 and an LED 139 .

The flash memory 133 is a non-volatile memory that stores BOOT, which is a basic program to be executed by the CPU 131 at startup, and various programs. The CPU 131 executes processing according to programs stored in the flash memory 133 . The RAM 132 stores the program read from the flash memory 133 when the CPU 131 executes the program, and also stores the result of the arithmetic processing performed by the CPU 131 . The wireless communication unit 134 is a communication interface for communicating with the base station 2 or other wireless communication devices 32-3n. Radio communication unit 134 receives a downlink packet directed to itself from either base station 2 or another radio communication device from a host device (not shown), and transmits base station 2 or another radio communication device. It transmits an upstream packet to a host device (not shown) via the network. The serial communication unit 135 is a communication interface used for external output.

The sensors 136 are, for example, a temperature sensor that detects temperature, a humidity sensor that detects humidity, a water immersion sensor that detects water immersion, and an acceleration sensor that detects vibration. In the first embodiment, the case where the sensor 136 is an acceleration sensor will be described. The LED 139 functions as a display unit that displays the state of the wireless communication device 31 by lighting, blinking, or the like. The operation unit 137 is operated by the operator when performing maintenance work on the wireless communication device 31 . The operation unit 137 has a switch (SW) 138 for displaying the state of the wireless communication device 31 on the LED 139 when the LED 139 is off.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of the wireless communication device shown in FIG. The CPU 131 executes a program to perform a data processing unit 51 that processes the detection value of the sensor 136, a state control unit 52 that monitors the state of the wireless communication device 31, and an attribution process that enables communication with the base station 2. A unit 53 and a timer unit 54 for measuring time are configured.

The timer unit 54 measures a certain period of time when the wireless communication device 31 is activated. The certain period of time is, for example, one hour. The timer unit 54 also serves as a clock that measures time in order to determine a reference time in the wireless communication device 31 .

The data processing unit 51 processes packets received from the base station 2 or another wireless communication device via the wireless communication unit 134 . For example, when the data processing unit 51 receives a control packet including control information from a host device (not shown) via the base station 2 and the GW device 1, the data processing unit 51 sets the sensor 136 according to the contents included in the control information. Perform setting processing. If the control information includes time information, the data processing unit 51 sets the time included in the control information as the standard time, and matches the time measured by the timer unit 54 with the standard time. The data processing unit 51 converts the sensor information obtained by attaching the time measured by the timer unit 54 to the value detected by the sensor 136 into a packet, and transmits the packet to the base station 2 via the wireless communication unit 134 .

When the wireless communication device 31 is activated, the belonging processing unit 53 performs belonging processing to put the wireless communication device 31 into a belonging state in which it can communicate with the base station 2 . The belonging state means that the wireless communication device 31 and the base station 2 are in a communicable state in which data can be exchanged between them.

The state control unit 52 controls lighting of the LED 139 according to the state of the wireless communication device 31 . For example, the state control unit 52 changes the color of the LED 139 to light, blinks the LED 139, or changes the blinking interval in accordance with the state of the wireless communication device 31 . Also, the state control unit 52 shifts the state of the wireless communication device 31 to a power saving state in which power consumption is lower than that of the state of communicating with the base station 2 or another wireless communication device. For example, the state control unit 52 determines that the wireless communication device 31 belongs to the base station 2 at the time when the timer unit 54 completes measuring a certain period of time after the belonging processing is performed by the belonging processing unit 53. Then, the wireless communication device 31 is shifted to the power saving state.

A specific example of the power saving state will be described. The state control unit 52 shifts the wireless communication device 31 to the power saving state by performing control to turn off the LED 139 indicating the state of the wireless communication device 31 . As another example of the power saving state, the state control unit 52 shifts the data processing unit 51 to sleep mode after the data processing unit 51 performs the setting process. The sleep mode is a mode in which a state in which packets can be received from the base station 2 or another wireless communication device is intermittently performed at a constant period T. FIG. The constant period T is, for example, 2 seconds. In the sleep mode, the data processing unit 51 checks whether or not packets are received from the base station 2 or other wireless communication devices, and if no packets are received, the data processing unit 51 performs an operation in which power is not consumed at regular intervals. Repeat with T. Also, the power saving state may be one in which the fixed period T is lengthened. Furthermore, although the sleep mode is applied to the data processing unit 51 in the description, it is not limited to the data processing unit 51 .

The wireless communication devices 31 to 3n of the first embodiment are sensor units each having a battery (not shown) and operating with power supplied from the battery. For example, wireless communication devices 31 to 3n are installed at different locations within a building. The wireless communication devices 31 to 3n periodically convert the sensor information including information on the detection value and detection time of the sensor 136 into a data packet and transmit the data packet to the base station 2 . Also, when an earthquake occurs, the wireless communication devices 31 to 3n convert the sensor information including the detection value and detection time information of the sensor 136 into a data packet and transmit it to the base station 2 . The base station 2 collects data packets from the wireless communication devices 31 to 3n, and transmits sensor information collected from the wireless communication devices 31 to 3n to a host device (not shown) via the GW device 1. FIG.

Next, operations of the wireless communication devices 31 to 3n of the first embodiment will be described. Here, a case where a worker installs the wireless communication devices 31 to 3n in a building to be monitored for vibration and posture change due to an earthquake will be described.

6 and 7 are flow charts showing an example of the operation procedure of the wireless communication device shown in FIG. Since the operations of the wireless communication devices 31 to 3n are the same, the operation of the wireless communication device 3k will be described with k being an arbitrary integer from 1 to n. Also, a case where the transition to the power saving state is caused by turning off the LED 139 will be described.

When the operator turns on the wireless communication device 3k, the CPU 131 executes the basic program and the wireless communication device 3k is initialized (step S201). The data processing unit 51, the state control unit 52, the attribute processing unit 53, and the timer unit 54 are activated, and the timer unit 54 starts measurement (step S202). Here, it is assumed that the fixed period of time measured by the timer unit 54 is one hour.

The state control unit 52 determines whether or not the activation has succeeded (step S203). If the activation fails, the state control unit 52 blinks the LED 139 in red (step S204). The operator sees the red blinking LED 139, recognizes that the wireless communication device 3k has failed to start, and takes measures such as turning off the power once and then turning on the power again.

As a result of the determination in step S203, if the activation is successful, the state control unit 52 blinks the LED 139 in green (step S205). Here, the state control unit 52 controls the LED 139 so that the blinking interval is 0.5 seconds. The operator sees the LED 139 blinking in green and recognizes that the wireless communication device 3k has been successfully activated.

If the activation succeeds in step S203, the belonging processing unit 53 checks whether or not it is within the communication range of the base station 2 in order to enter the belonging state in which communication with the base station 2 is possible. When not within the communication range of the base station 2 , the belonging processing unit 53 enables communication with the base station 2 by using another wireless communication device within the communication range of the own device as a relay. The state control unit 52 enters a waiting state for the attribute processing by the attribute processing unit 53 (step S206). Upon receiving a packet from the base station 2 via the wireless communication unit 134 , the belonging processing unit 53 transmits an authentication request packet to which the identifier of its own device is attached to the base station 2 . Upon receiving the authentication request packet from the wireless communication device 3k, the base station 2 transmits an authentication permission packet including information indicating that authentication has been performed with the identifier of the own device attached. The belonging processing unit 53 receives the authentication permission packet from the base station 2, and the wireless communication device 3k and the base station 2 enter a belonging state in which they can communicate with each other.

When the attribution processing by the attribution processing unit 53 succeeds, the state control unit 52 changes the green flashing interval of the LED 139 from 0.5 seconds to 1 second (step S208). Looking at the LED 139, the operator can recognize that the attribution process of the wireless communication device 3k has succeeded since the green blinking interval has become 1 second.

When the wireless communication device 3k is in a state of belonging to the base station 2, the data processing unit 51 receives a control packet including control information from a host device (not shown) via the base station 2 and the GW device 1. FIG. The state control unit 52 enters a waiting state for setting processing by the data processing unit 51 (step S209). When the data processing unit 51 finishes setting the sensor 136 and the like according to the control information (step S210), the state control unit 52 changes the green blinking interval of the LED 139 from 1 second to 2 seconds (step S211). Looking at the LED 139, the operator recognizes that the setting process of the wireless communication device 3k has ended because the green blinking interval has become 2 seconds.

The state control unit 52 enters an idling state in which the wireless communication device 3k maintains the belonging state with the base station 2 and monitors whether or not it leaves the belonging state (step S212). The sensor 136 starts operating and passes the detected value to the data processing unit 51 according to the setting. The state control unit 52 determines whether or not the timer unit 54 is measuring a certain period of time (step S213). When the timer unit 54 is measuring the fixed time, the state control unit 52 determines whether or not the fixed time has expired (step S214), and turns off the LED 139 when the fixed time has expired ( step S215). After that, the state control unit 52 repeatedly determines whether or not to leave the belonging state (step S216).

In the idling state, after the state control unit 52 turns off the LED 139 (step S215), if the state control unit 52 does not detect detachment (step S216), the LED 139 remains off and the operation in the idling state continues. be. That is, the wireless communication device 3k belongs to the base station 2 and operates with the LED 139 turned off, and the state control unit 52 continues the detachment detection with the LED 139 turned off.

In step S215, the LED 139 is turned off, but usually the operator completes the installation work of the wireless communication device 3k within one hour after the wireless communication device 3k is activated. Therefore, the worker does not need to check the state of the wireless communication device 3k after the installation work is completed, and does not have to look at the display of the LED 139 . Although the sensor 136 continues to operate according to the setting, the power consumption of the wireless communication device 3k is reduced by turning off the LED 139 .

On the other hand, while the sensor 136 of each device of the wireless communication devices 31 to 3n has started to operate and the communication system is being operated, the wireless communication device 3k is in the belonging state due to the deterioration of the radio wave condition in the building. (step S216). When the wireless communication device 3k is disconnected, the state control unit 52 causes the timer unit 54 to start measuring a certain period of time (step S217). Then, the state control unit 52 performs control to turn on the LED 139 and blink the LED 139 at intervals of 0.5 seconds (step S218). After that, the state control unit 52 returns to step S206.

The state control unit 52 may determine whether the wireless communication device 3k is in the belonging state or has left the base station 2 as follows. For example, in the communication system according to the first embodiment, the wireless communication device 3k, while belonging to the base station 2, receives packets periodically transmitted from the base station 2 directly from the base station 2 or other It is assumed that it is received from the wireless communication device 3k. The state control unit 52 determines whether it is in the belonging state or has left, depending on whether or not the packet has been received. In this case, if the state control unit 52 does not receive the packet for a second fixed time different from the time measured by the timer unit 54, the state control unit 52 determines that the packet is disconnected, and receives the packet within the second fixed time. If it is received, it is determined that it belongs. Note that the state control unit 52 may use other methods to determine belonging or withdrawal.

Next, a method for the operator to check the state of the wireless communication device 3k when the LED 139 is turned off will be described. FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing another example of the operating procedure of the wireless communication device shown in FIG.

When the operator wants to check the state of the wireless communication device 3k while the LED 139 is turned off, the SW 138 is operated (step S301). The state control unit 52 causes the timer unit 54 to start measuring a certain period of time using the operation of the SW 138 as a trigger (step S302). The state control unit 52 blinks the LED 139 corresponding to the state of the wireless communication device 3k (step S303). When the timer unit 54 completes measuring the predetermined time (step S304), the state control unit 52 turns off the LED 139 (step S305).

The wireless communication device 3k of the first embodiment compares the state of the device itself with the state of communicating with the master station device or another wireless communication device through the wireless communication unit 134, the timer unit 54, and the belonging processing unit 53. and a state control unit 52 for shifting to a power saving state with low power consumption. The timer unit 54 starts measuring a certain period of time when the device itself is activated. When the self-apparatus is started, the belonging processing unit 53 performs belonging processing to put the self-apparatus into an belonging state in which the self-apparatus can communicate with the master station apparatus. After the attribute processing is performed by the attribute processing unit 53, the state control unit 52 determines that the device is in the attribute state at the time when the timer unit 54 completes the measurement of the predetermined time, and puts the device in the power saving state. move to

According to the first embodiment, when activated, the timer unit starts measuring a certain period of time, performs belonging processing during the measurement, and after the belonging processing, the certain period of time expires while belonging to the base station 2. Then, it shifts to the power saving state. In other words, the wireless communication device 3k actively determines that the wireless communication device 3k belongs to the base station 2, which is the parent station device, and then shifts to the power saving state. Since the radio communication device 3k shifts to the power saving state while being able to communicate with the base station 2, which is the master station device, power consumption can be reduced while the radio communication device 3k is operating normally. If the transition to the power saving state is caused by turning off the LED 139, the LED 139 is automatically turned off without any special operation after the installation of the wireless communication device 3k is completed. , the power consumption of the LED 139 for status display can be reduced.

Further, by performing the SW operation, the wireless communication device 3k causes the LED 139 to blink corresponding to the device state, using the operation of the SW 138 as a trigger. Therefore, even if the LED 139 is turned off, the operator can check the state of the wireless communication device 3k whenever he wants to.

When each of the wireless communication devices 31 to 3n is a star network connected to the base station 2, the host device (not shown) cannot receive data from the wireless communication device 3k, and the wireless communication device 3k is in a disconnected state. can be determined. On the other hand, when the wireless communication devices 31 to 3n communicate by the multi-hop method, if the host device (not shown) cannot receive data from the wireless communication device 3k, it determines whether the wireless communication device 3k itself is disconnected or not. It cannot be determined whether or not another wireless communication device has been disconnected. Therefore, it is important for the operator to be able to determine the state of each device, which of the wireless communication devices 31 to 3n is disconnected. In the first embodiment, in such a case, the operator can confirm the status of each device by operating the SW 138 of the wireless communication devices 31 to 3n. When the communication system is operating normally, the wireless communication devices 31 to 3n turn off the LEDs 139, thereby saving the power consumption of each device. It is possible to achieve both ease of maintenance required for system operation and reduction of power consumption.

1 GW device 2 base station 31 to 3n wireless communication device 51 data processing unit 52 state control unit 53 belonging processing unit 54 timer unit 111 CPU
112 RAMs
113 flash memory 114 communication unit for maintenance 115 serial communication unit 116 USB
121 CPUs
122 RAMs
123 flash memory 124 wireless communication unit 125 serial communication unit 126 USB
127 operation unit 129 LED
131 CPUs
132 RAMs
133 flash memory 134 wireless communication unit 135 serial communication unit 136 sensor 137 operation unit 138 switch 139 LED

Claims (5)

The wireless communication device in a system including a master station device and a plurality of wireless communication devices,
a wireless communication unit that receives, from either the master station device or another wireless communication device, a downlink packet directed from the master station device to its own device;
a timer unit that starts measuring a certain period of time when the device is activated;
a belonging processing unit that, when the own device is activated, performs belonging processing to set the own device to a belonging state in which the own device can communicate with the master station device;
a state control unit that shifts the state of the own device to a power saving state that consumes less power than the state of communicating with the master station device or the other wireless communication device,
After the attribution processing is performed by the attribution processing unit, the state control unit determines that the device is in the attribution state at the time when the timer unit has completed measuring the predetermined time, transitioning to the power saving state;
wireless communication device. Having a display unit that indicates the attribution state of the device,
The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the state control unit causes the device to transition to the power saving state by turning off the display unit. a data processing unit that processes the packet received from the master station device or the other wireless communication device via the wireless communication unit;
2. The wireless communication according to claim 1, wherein the state control unit transitions the device to the power saving state by transitioning the data processing unit to a state in which the packet can be received intermittently at a constant cycle. Device. It has an operation unit that can be operated from the outside,
3. The wireless communication device according to claim 2, wherein when the state control unit detects that the operation unit is operated in the power saving state of the device, the state control unit lights the display unit according to the state of the device. . to the wireless communication device in a system including a master station device and a plurality of wireless communication devices,
timer means for starting measurement of a certain period of time when the device itself is activated;
means for performing belonging processing to set a belonging state in which the own device can wirelessly communicate with the master station device when the own device is activated;
After the attribution process is performed, at the time when the measurement of the predetermined time is completed, if the device determines that the device is in the attribution state, the state of the device is wirelessly communicated with the master station device or another wireless communication device. A program for executing means for shifting to a power saving state in which power consumption is lower than that in a communication state.

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