JP7271128B2 - Wireless communication system and wireless terminal - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wireless communication system, its control method and its program, and more particularly to a wireless communication system capable of backing up various data and its control method.

Electronic devices such as digital cameras are equipped with wireless communication functions such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and can share various data such as image data with other electronic devices. .

Also, there is a wireless communication system that uses a wireless communication function to transmit image data captured by an electronic device to an external storage device such as a hard disk of a PC via a repeater and stores the data for backup.

In such a wireless communication system, an invention has been proposed that relates to handover of an operation mode between an electronic device and an electronic device to be wirelessly communicated with.

For example, Patent Literature 1 below discloses providing a method of performing handover-related operations by an electronic device (mobile station) in a power consumption prevention mode in a wireless mobile communication system.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-546346

As in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, by constantly activating the system of the electronic device in order to receive commands from the base station, the operation mode of the electronic device can be efficiently shifted from the sleep state to the active state. can do.

However, after the electronic device has transitioned to the active state, various user operations are required to back up various data from the electronic device to the base station, and improvement in operability has been desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to improve the operability of an electronic device when backing up various data from the electronic device to an external device using wireless communication.

An embodiment of the present invention comprises: a first wireless terminal; a second wireless terminal communicating wirelessly with the first wireless terminal in a first wireless system; a repeater; and the first wireless terminal connected to the repeater. and a storage device that stores data received from the second wireless terminal, when a parameter indicating the stability of wireless communication established with the repeater is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, receiving from the repeater a first signal indicating that data can be stored by the storage device, transmitting a second signal for activating the first wireless terminal in response to the first signal, and receiving the second signal from the repeater; When the received signal strength of the radio communication with the second radio terminal is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, the first radio terminal that has received the signal wirelessly communicates with the repeater using a second radio system different from the first radio system. It is characterized by establishing communication.

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the operability of a wireless terminal when backing up various data from an electronic device to an external device using wireless communication.

1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining configurations of a first wireless terminal device 1, a repeater 2, a storage device 3, and a second wireless terminal device 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the sequence when the wireless communication system backs up data according to the embodiment of the present invention;

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments used in the following description are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

(First embodiment)
A radio communication system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the wireless communication system of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication system includes a first wireless terminal device 1 that is an imaging device, a repeater 2 that functions as an access point for wireless communication, a storage device 3 that backs up data, and a terminal such as a smartphone. It is composed of a second wireless terminal device 4 .

Details of each device constituting the wireless communication system will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the configurations of the first wireless terminal device 1, repeater 2, storage device 3 and second wireless terminal device 4 shown in FIG.

First, the configuration of the main body of the first wireless terminal device 1 will be described.

Reference numeral 101 denotes a CPU for controlling the first wireless terminal device 1 as a whole. Reference numeral 102 denotes an imaging unit including an imaging element (CCD, etc.) for capturing an image; 103, an image processing unit for performing various image processing on the image obtained by imaging; and 104, the processed image is stored as image data. It is a storage unit for

A rear display unit 105 displays and reproduces a captured image. Reference numeral 106 denotes an operation unit for performing operations such as photographing instruction to the first wireless terminal device 1 . Reference numeral 107 denotes a first wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication using Bluetooth, which is the first wireless method. A second wireless communication unit 108 performs wireless communication using a wireless LAN (Wi-Fi), which is a second wireless method.

Although not shown in FIG. 2, the CPU 101 is further connected with various circuits necessary for photographing by the imaging unit 102 and display and reproduction by the rear display unit 105 . Furthermore, the CPU 101 controls operations according to a predetermined program stored in a flash ROM (not shown).

Next, the repeater 2 will be explained.

201 is a CPU for controlling the repeater 2 as a whole. A storage unit 202 stores data and the like.

A first wireless communication unit 203 performs wireless communication using Bluetooth, and may be capable of using BeamForming technology. A second wireless communication unit 204 performs wireless communication using a wireless LAN (Wi-Fi), and may be capable of using BeamForming technology. A wired communication unit 205 uses a wired LAN.

Although not shown in FIG. 2, the CPU 201 is further connected with various circuits necessary for the operation of the repeater 2 . Furthermore, the CPU 201 controls operations according to a predetermined program stored in a flash ROM (not shown).

Next, the storage device 3 will be explained.

A CPU 301 controls the storage device 3 . A storage unit 302 stores data and the like. A communication unit 303 uses a wired LAN.

Although not shown in FIG. 2, the CPU 301 is further connected with various circuits necessary for the operation of the storage device 3 . Furthermore, the CPU 301 controls operations according to a predetermined program stored in a flash ROM (not shown).

Next, the configuration of the main body of the second wireless terminal device 4 will be described.

401 is a CPU for controlling the second wireless terminal device 4 as a whole. Reference numeral 402 denotes an imaging unit including an imaging element (such as a CCD) for capturing an image; 403, an image processing unit for processing the captured image; and 404, a storage unit for storing image data.

A rear display unit 405 displays a captured image and a reproduced image. Reference numeral 406 denotes an operation unit for performing an operation such as a photographing instruction to the second wireless terminal device 4 . A first wireless communication unit 407 performs wireless communication using Bluetooth. A second wireless communication unit 408 performs wireless communication using a wireless LAN (Wi-Fi).

Although not shown in FIG. 2, the CPU 401 is further connected with various circuits and the like necessary for the second radio terminal device 4 to capture and reproduce images. Furthermore, the CPU 401 controls operations according to a predetermined program stored in a flash ROM (not shown).

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a sequence when the wireless communication system of this embodiment performs data backup (data storage). A control sequence in the radio communication system will be described with reference to FIG.

Note that the first wireless terminal device 1, the repeater 2, and the second wireless terminal device 4 are already paired for wireless communication, and the first wireless terminal device 1 and the second wireless terminal device 4 are connected to the first wireless communication unit. 107 and the first wireless communication unit 407 are used for wireless communication to establish a constant connection. The description below is based on the above content.

In S<b>101 , the second wireless terminal device 4 searches for the repeater 2 and transmits a connection request to the repeater 2 from the second wireless communication unit 408 of the second wireless terminal device 4 .

At S<b>131 , the repeater 2 receives the connection request sent by the second wireless terminal device 4 . After that, in S132, the CPU 201 of the repeater 2 determines whether the connection with the second wireless terminal device 4 is possible.

If NO in S132, that is, if the repeater 2 cannot connect to the second wireless terminal device 4, the repeater 2 waits to receive a connection request from another wireless terminal device.

On the other hand, if Yes in S132, that is, if the repeater 2 can be connected to the second wireless terminal device 4, the process proceeds to S133.

At S133, the repeater 2 transmits a connection permission signal to the second wireless terminal device 4 that transmitted the connection request.

At S<b>102 , the CPU 401 of the second wireless terminal device 4 confirms whether or not the connection permission signal has been received from the repeater 2 .

If No in S102, that is, if the second wireless terminal device 4 has not received the connection permission signal from the repeater 2, the second wireless terminal device 4 waits for reception of the connection permission signal. If Yes in S102, that is, if the second wireless terminal device 4 has received the connection permission signal from the repeater 2, the process proceeds to S103.

In S103 and S134, a wireless communication connection is established between the repeater 2 and the second wireless terminal device 4 by the second wireless communication unit 204 and the second wireless communication unit 408. FIG.

In S135, the CPU 201 of the repeater 2 checks whether the link rate of the wireless communication established with the second wireless terminal device 4 is equal to or higher than the threshold.

If Yes in S135, that is, if the link rate is equal to or higher than the threshold value and the stability of communication satisfies a certain standard, then in S136 the repeater 2 can back up data to the second wireless terminal device 4. message signal (first signal).

On the other hand, if No in S135, that is, if the link rate is less than the threshold, the repeater 2 maintains the state of establishing wireless communication with the second wireless terminal device 4, the stability of wireless communication improves, and the link Wait for a certain period of time until the rate reaches or exceeds the threshold.

In the present embodiment, the link rate is used as the trigger for the repeater 2 to transmit a message to the effect that backup is possible to the second wireless terminal device 4, but the trigger is not limited to this. Other parameters may be used. For example, throughput or the like can be used as a parameter.

In S104, the second wireless terminal device 4 receives a message from the repeater 2 indicating that backup is possible. After the reception, the second wireless terminal device 4 sends a message signal from the first wireless communication unit 407 to the first wireless communication unit 107 of the first wireless terminal device 1 to activate the first wireless terminal device 1. (second signal) and connection information for connecting to the second wireless communication unit 204 of the repeater 2 are transmitted.

The first wireless terminal device 1 stores the message to the effect that it has been received from the second wireless terminal device 4 and the connection information for connecting with the second wireless communication unit 204 of the repeater 2 to the storage unit of the first wireless terminal device 1 . 104.

In S151, the CPU 101 of the first wireless terminal device 1 receives the RSSI (receive signal strength) is above the threshold.

If Yes in S151, that is, if the RSSI is greater than or equal to the threshold, the CPU 101 of the first wireless terminal device 1 activates the main system of the first wireless terminal device 1 in S152.

On the other hand, if No in S151, that is, if the RSSI is less than the threshold, the first wireless terminal device 1 does not activate the main system, and the first wireless communication between the first wireless communication unit 107 and the second wireless terminal device 4 is performed. The unit 407 maintains the established state of wireless communication, waits for a certain period of time until the stability of wireless communication improves and the RSSI becomes equal to or greater than the threshold.

In S<b>153 , the CPU 101 of the first wireless terminal device 1 performs wireless communication handover from the first wireless communication unit 107 to the second wireless communication unit 108 . That is, wireless communication with the second wireless terminal device is switched from Bluetooth to wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) by handover.

In S154, the CPU 101 of the first wireless terminal device 1 confirms whether the handover of wireless communication has been completed. If the result of S154 is No, that is, if the wireless communication handover has not been completed, the handover process continues.

On the other hand, if Yes in S154, that is, if the handover is completed, in S155, the second wireless communication unit 108 of the first wireless terminal device 1 transmits a connection request to the second wireless communication unit 204 of the repeater 2. do.

In S<b>137 , the CPU 201 of the repeater 2 confirms whether or not the second wireless communication unit 204 can wirelessly communicate with the second wireless communication unit 108 of the first wireless terminal device 1 .

If No in S137, that is, if the repeater 2 cannot connect to the first wireless terminal device 1, the repeater 2 waits to receive a connection request from another wireless terminal device.

On the other hand, if Yes in S137, that is, if the repeater 2 can be connected to the first wireless terminal device 1, the process proceeds to S138.

At S138, the repeater 2 transmits a connection permission signal to the first wireless terminal device 1 that transmitted the connection request.

At S<b>156 , the first wireless terminal device 1 checks whether the CPU 101 has received the connection permission signal from the repeater 2 .

If No in S156, that is, if no connection permission signal has been received from the repeater 2, the first wireless terminal device 1 waits for a connection permission signal.

If Yes in S156, that is, if the first wireless terminal device 1 has received the connection permission signal from the repeater 2, the process proceeds to S157.

In S157, the second wireless communication unit 108 of the first wireless terminal device 1 and the second wireless communication unit 204 of the repeater 2 establish wireless communication, and the second wireless communication unit 108 communicates with the second wireless communication unit In 204, data transfer is started for backup in the storage device.

In S<b>139 , the CPU 201 of the repeater 2 transfers the data received by the second wireless communication section 108 to the storage device 3 via the wired communication section 205 . After that, the CPU 301 of the storage device 3 stores the data received via the wired communication section 303 in the storage section 302 . Communication between the repeater 2 and the storage device 3 may be performed by wireless communication instead of wired communication. Furthermore, a form in which the storage device 3 incorporates the repeater 2 may be used.

At S158 and S140, the CPU 101 of the first wireless terminal device 1 and the CPU 201 of the repeater 2 confirm whether or not the data transfer is completed.

If No in S158 and S140, that is, if the transfer of data from the second wireless communication unit 108 of the first wireless terminal device 1 to the second wireless communication unit 204 of the repeater 2 has not ended, the data transfer continues.

If Yes in S158, that is, if the transfer of data from the second wireless communication unit 108 of the first wireless terminal device 1 to the second wireless communication unit 204 of the repeater 2 has ended, the first wireless terminal device 1 CPU 101 of repeater 2 and CPU 201 of repeater 2 disconnect the wireless communication established between second wireless communication unit 108 and second wireless communication unit 204, and complete all processing.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the image data of the first wireless terminal device 1 is backed up in the storage device 3 using wireless communication, the user does not need to perform manual operation for wireless connection, so operability is improved. can be improved.

(Other embodiments)
Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist.

It goes without saying that the present invention can also be achieved by supplying a storage medium recording software program codes for implementing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device.

In this case, the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus reads and executes the program code stored in the storage medium, thereby realizing the above functions. In this case, the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD-R, non-volatile memory card, ROM, etc. can be used. .

Further, the functions of the above-described embodiments are not limited to being realized by executing the program code read by the computer.

For example, based on the instructions of the program code, the OS running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments. Needless to say.

Furthermore, when the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized. is also included.

In other words, after the program code is written in the memory, based on the instruction of the program code, the CPU provided in the function expansion board or the like performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing may be realized by the processing. included.

1 first wireless terminal device 2 repeater 3 storage device 4 second wireless terminal device

Claims (5)

a first wireless terminal, a second wireless terminal wirelessly communicating with the first wireless terminal in a first wireless system, a repeater, and a memory connected to the repeater for storing data received from the first wireless terminal In a wireless communication system comprising an apparatus,
When a parameter indicating the stability of wireless communication established with the repeater is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the second wireless terminal indicates that data can be stored by the storage device from the repeater. receiving a first signal and transmitting a second signal for activating the first wireless terminal in response to the first signal;
When the received radio wave intensity of wireless communication with the second wireless terminal is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the first wireless terminal that has received the second signal uses a second wireless method different from the first wireless method to perform the A wireless communication system characterized by establishing wireless communication with a repeater. The first wireless terminal transmits data to the repeater using wireless communication according to the second wireless method,
2. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein said storage device stores said data received via said repeater. the first wireless system is Bluetooth;
3. The radio communication system according to claim 1, wherein said first radio terminal and said second radio terminal are always connected. 4. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein said second wireless system is a wireless LAN. a first wireless terminal, a second wireless terminal wirelessly communicating with the first wireless terminal by a first wireless system, a repeater, and a memory connected to the repeater for storing data received from the first wireless terminal A method of controlling a wireless communication system comprising:
When a parameter indicating the stability of wireless communication established between the second wireless terminal and the repeater is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, the second wireless terminal indicates that data can be stored by the storage device from the repeater. receiving a first signal and controlling to transmit a second signal for activating the first wireless terminal in response to the first signal;
When the first wireless terminal that has received the second signal has a received radio wave intensity of wireless communication with the second wireless terminal that is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the second wireless method different from the first wireless method A control method for a wireless communication system, comprising: controlling to establish wireless communication with a repeater.

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