JP7418692B2 - Wireless communication device, wireless communication method, and wireless communication program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wireless communication device, a wireless communication method, and a wireless communication program.

Group communication is used in which a group is formed by a plurality of wireless communication devices and communication is possible within the formed group. As related techniques, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 are known. Patent Document 1 describes that wireless devices form groups based on position information acquired using GPS (Global Positioning System). Further, Patent Document 2 describes that in a network system, group communication is performed using an SSID (Service Set Identifier) of an access point of a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) that corresponds to a group ID.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-56621 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-68059

According to Patent Documents 1 and 2, group formation and group communication are possible based on position information by GPS and SSID of wireless LAN. However, in the technologies described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, only one of the position information by GPS or the SSID of the wireless LAN is taken into account, so depending on the environment of the wireless communication device, group communication may be performed in an appropriate group. The problem is that it is not possible to do so.

The present invention includes an acquisition unit that acquires current location information, a reception unit that receives identification information from a network device, and, when the location information is included in a predetermined range, selects a group corresponding to the predetermined range. , a selection unit that selects a group corresponding to the received identification information when the location information is not included in the predetermined range or when the location information cannot be acquired; and communication that performs wireless communication using the selected group. A wireless communication device is provided, comprising:

In the present invention, when the acquired location information is included in a predetermined range, a group corresponding to the predetermined range is selected, and when the acquired location information is not included in the predetermined range, and the location information is acquired If this is not possible, a wireless communication method is provided in which a group corresponding to identification information received from a network device is selected and wireless communication is performed using the selected group.

In the present invention, when the acquired location information is included in a predetermined range, a group corresponding to the predetermined range is selected, and when the acquired location information is not included in the predetermined range, and the location information is acquired If this is not possible, a wireless communication program is provided for causing a computer to select a group corresponding to the identification information received from the network device and perform wireless communication using the selected group.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a wireless communication device, a wireless communication method, and a wireless communication program that allow group communication to be performed in an appropriate group.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication environment of a wireless communication terminal according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration example of a wireless communication system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration example of a wireless communication terminal according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the wireless communication terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a specific example of the operation of the wireless communication terminal according to the first embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
Embodiment 1 will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<Overview of Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 shows an overview of a communication environment in which a wireless communication terminal 1 according to the present embodiment performs group communication. The specific area A1 is a specific area whose range is determined in advance, and is, for example, an outdoor area. The specific area A1 is an area where the location can be detected, and the location can be detected, for example, from location information obtained by the wireless communication terminal 1 using GPS or the like.

The network identification area A2 is an area in which a network such as a wireless LAN to which the wireless communication terminal 1 can be connected can be identified. The network identification area A2 includes, for example, an indoor area A3 outside the range of the specific area A1, and also includes a part of the specific area A1 (a part adjacent to the indoor area A3). The network identification area A2 is a wireless LAN communication area, and can receive radio waves from a wireless LAN access point installed within the indoor area A3, for example.

The inventor has developed a technology for group communication by applying technology that uses GPS location information as described in Patent Document 1 and technology that uses wireless LAN SSID as described in Patent Document 2 to such communication environments. We considered ways to do this. As a result, it was found that with these techniques, it may not be possible to form an optimal group and perform communication.

That is, if an attempt is made to form a group using only GPS position information, when the wireless communication terminal 1 is located in a specific area A1, group communication will be performed in the group G1 corresponding to the specific area A1. Furthermore, if you try to form a group using only the SSID of the wireless LAN, if the wireless communication terminal 1 is located in the network identification area A2, group communication will be performed in the group G2 corresponding to the network identification area A2. .

However, with the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, in an environment including a specific area A1 and a network identification area A2 as shown in FIG. It is not possible to clearly judge whether to use this group. For this reason, an optimal group cannot be formed in an environment where the specific area A1 whose location is specified by location information and the network identification area where the network is identified by SSID overlap.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the optimal group is selected by selecting which of the group in the specific area A1 based on location information and the group in the network identification area A2 based on SSID is to be prioritized. Formation is possible. Specifically, in the outdoor specific area A1, a group is formed by preferentially considering GPS position information, and in the indoor network identification area A2, a group is formed by preferentially considering the SSID.

<System configuration>
FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of a wireless communication system 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the wireless communication system 100 according to the present embodiment includes a specific area A11 that is an outdoor area, a network identification area A12 that includes a part of the specific area A11, and an indoor area A14, as in FIG. This is a system that performs group communication with A13. Note that a plurality of specific areas may be provided as the outdoor area.

The network identification area A12 is an area where radio waves from the access point AP1 can be received, and for example, the SSID of the access point AP1 is "JKC1". Further, the network identification area A13 is an area where radio waves from the access point AP2 can be received, and for example, the SSID of the access point AP2 is "JKC2". The SSID is network identification information (network connection destination information) that identifies the network of the access point. An access point (transmitter) is a network device that transmits network identification information and relays communication using the network identification information. Note that the number of access points and network identification areas is not limited to two, and any number of access points and network identification areas may be provided.

In such an environment, the wireless communication system 100 includes a wireless communication terminal 1 and a plurality of wireless communication terminals 2 (for example, 2A to 2C) that perform group communication. For example, the wireless communication terminals 2A to 2C are located in specific area A11 and network identification areas A12 and A13, respectively. The wireless communication terminals 1 and 2 are wireless communication devices that can communicate wirelessly with each other. In this example, the user moves with the wireless communication terminal 1 and performs group communication with each of the wireless communication terminals 2A to 2C at the destination location. conduct.

For example, the specific area A11 is an area where group communication is possible with the group ID of group A, and the wireless communication terminal 2A in the specific area A11 is set so that group communication with other wireless communication terminals and group A is possible. ing. The network identification area A12 is an area where group communication is possible with the group ID of group B, and the wireless communication terminal 2B in the network identification area A12 is set so that group communication of group B with other wireless communication terminals is possible. ing. The network identification area A13 is an area where group communication is possible with the group ID of group C, and the wireless communication terminal 2C in the network identification area A13 is set so that group communication of group C with other wireless communication terminals is possible. ing.

The wireless communication terminal 1 is capable of, for example, business wireless communication in any area. Furthermore, the wireless communication terminal 1 can acquire position information using the GPS signal received from the GPS satellite 200 in the specific area A11. Furthermore, the wireless communication terminal 1 is capable of wireless LAN communication while acquiring SSIDs from the access points AP1 and AP2 in the network identification areas A12 and A13. In this embodiment, an arbitrary communication method is used for each of the cases where the current location is within the range of the specific area A11 and the case where the current location is outside the range of the specific area A11 and within the range of the network identification areas A12 and A13. Perform group communication corresponding to that area.

<Configuration of wireless communication terminal>
FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the wireless communication terminal 1 according to the present embodiment. Note that the wireless communication terminal 2 may have the same configuration as the wireless communication terminal 1, or may have another configuration that allows group communication with the wireless communication terminal 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, the wireless communication terminal 1 according to the present embodiment includes a control section 10, a storage section 11, a GPS reception section 12, a wireless LAN communication section 13, and a business wireless communication section 14. Furthermore, the wireless communication terminal 1 includes an operation section, a display section, an audio input/output section, etc. for communicating with other wireless communication terminals, etc., as necessary. Note that each configuration in FIG. 3 is an example, and other configurations may be used as long as the operations according to this embodiment are possible.

The control section 10 is a control section that controls the operation of each section of the wireless communication terminal 1. The functions of the control section 10 are realized by executing a program stored in the storage section 11 with a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). For example, the control unit 10 includes an acquisition unit 101, a determination unit 102, a selection unit 103, and the like. The acquisition unit 101 acquires current position information from the GPS reception unit 12 , and also acquires the SSID and radio field strength, which are network identification information, from the wireless LAN communication unit 13 .

The determining unit 102 determines whether the acquired current location information is included in a specific area, and also determines the radio field strength of the access points AP1 and AP2. The selection unit 103 selects a group ID for group communication based on the determination result of the current location information and the determination result of the radio field strength of the access points AP1 and AP2. For example, when the selection unit 103 sets a group ID in the business wireless communication unit 14, group communication via the business wireless communication becomes possible. Further, the selection unit 103 may set a group ID in the wireless LAN communication unit 13 to enable group communication via the wireless LAN.

The storage unit 11 stores programs and data necessary for the operation of the wireless communication terminal 1. The storage unit 11 is a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory, a hard disk, or the like. For example, the storage unit 11 stores specific area range information 111 indicating the range of the specific area A11, group ID table information 112 indicating group IDs for each area and network identification information, and the like. In addition, the storage unit 11 may store in advance communicable (connectable) SSIDs (for example, "JKC1", "JHC2"), and may store past communication history (call history), etc., as necessary.

The specific area range information 111 may be set in advance, or may be notified from a system such as a management device. The group ID table information 112 stores, for example, the specific area A11 and group A, the SSID "JKC1" and group B, and the SSID "JKC2" and group C in association with each other. Group ID table information 112 may be set in advance, or may be notified at the time of connection with access points AP1 and AP2.

The GPS receiving unit 12 receives a GPS signal from the GPS satellite 200, and calculates current position information (latitude and longitude) based on the received GPS signal. The GPS receiving unit 12 is also an acquisition unit that acquires current position information. Note that GPS is an example of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and position information may be acquired based on signals received from not only GPS but other positioning systems.

Either or both of the wireless LAN communication unit 13 and the business wireless communication unit 14 are communication units that perform group communication using a set group ID. In this embodiment, the communication method between wireless communication terminal 1 and wireless communication terminal 2 is not limited. For example, group communication is possible using any communication method by transmitting and receiving data with the group ID set in the header or by using a channel corresponding to the group ID. The wireless LAN communication unit 13 may communicate with the wireless communication terminal 2 using wireless LAN, and the business wireless communication unit 14 may communicate with the wireless communication terminal 2 using business wireless. For example, when a group corresponding to the specific area A11 is selected, the business wireless communication unit 14 performs group communication using the business wireless, and when a group corresponding to the SSID is selected, the wireless LAN communication unit 13 performs group communication using the wireless LAN. Group communication may be performed by

The wireless LAN communication unit 13 performs wireless communication with access points AP1 and AP2 via wireless LAN. Access points AP1 and AP2 periodically transmit beacon signals each including an SSID via a wireless LAN channel. The wireless LAN communication unit 13 receives beacon signals from the access points AP1 and AP2 in the network identification areas A12 and A13, thereby acquiring the respective SSIDs. The wireless LAN communication unit 13 is also a receiving unit that receives the SSID. The wireless LAN communication unit 13 connects to the access point by performing a connection procedure including authentication using the SSID of the access point with which communication is desired, and becomes capable of communication via the connected access point.

When a group ID is set, the wireless LAN communication unit 13 performs wireless LAN group communication via the corresponding access point AP1 or AP2 according to the set group ID. The wireless LAN communication unit 13 also measures the radio field strength of radio waves received from the access points AP1 and AP2, that is, the received signal strength indicator (RSSI). For example, the radio field strength of a beacon signal including the SSID may be measured, or the radio field strength of other signals may be measured. Note that the wireless LAN communication unit 13 and the access points AP1 and AP2 are not limited to wireless LAN, and may perform short-range communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The business wireless communication unit 14 performs wireless communication with the wireless communication terminal 2 using business wireless. The commercial radio communication unit 14 communicates directly with the radio communication terminal 2 (or via a commercial radio base station), for example, via a channel for commercial radio. When a group ID is set, the business wireless communication unit 14 performs business wireless group communication using the set group ID. Note that the business wireless communication unit 14 is not limited to business wireless, and may perform long-distance communication via a mobile base station such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), or 5G (5th Generation). .

<Operation of wireless communication terminal>
FIG. 4 shows an example of the operation of the wireless communication terminal 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a processing flow that makes it possible to determine whether to form a group based on GPS position information or network identification information. By periodically executing the processes of S101 to S107 shown in FIG. 4, the functions according to the present embodiment are realized.

As shown in FIG. 4, first, the wireless communication terminal 1 acquires position information (S101). The GPS receiving unit 12 periodically receives GPS signals from the GPS satellites 200 in an area including the specific area A11, and calculates current position information based on the received GPS signals. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 101 acquires current position information from the GPS reception unit 12. Note that if a GPS signal cannot be received from the GPS satellite 200 (in an area where the radio waves of the GPS satellite 200 cannot reach), position information cannot be acquired.

The wireless communication terminal 1 also acquires network identification information (S102). This network identification information acquisition process may be performed at the same timing as the location information acquisition process (S101), or may be performed at a subsequent timing. For example, it may be performed when the current location information is outside the specific area (S103/No).

The wireless LAN communication unit 13 receives beacon signals from access points AP1 and AP2 in network identification areas A12 and A13, respectively, acquires the SSIDs of access points AP1 and AP2, and measures the radio field strength of the beacon signals. Further, the acquisition unit 101 acquires the SSIDs and radio wave strengths of the access points AP1 and AP2 from the wireless LAN communication unit 13.

Next, the wireless communication terminal 1 determines whether the current position information acquired in S101 is within a specific area (S103). When the acquisition unit 101 acquires the current position information from the GPS reception unit 12, the determination unit 102 refers to the specific area range information 111 in the storage unit 11 and determines whether the acquired current position information is included in the specific area range information 111. Determine whether or not.

If the current location information is within the specific area (S103/Yes), the wireless communication terminal 1 selects a group corresponding to the specific area (S104). When the determining unit 102 determines that the current location information is included in the specific area range information 111, the selecting unit 103 refers to the group ID table information 112, selects the group A corresponding to the specific area A11, and, for example, selects the group A corresponding to the specific area A11. Group A is set as the group ID in the wireless communication unit 14.

Further, if the current location is outside the specific area or if the location information cannot be acquired (S103/No), the wireless communication terminal 1 determines whether the number of network identification information acquired in S102 is one (S105). At this time, it is preferable to determine whether there is only one preset communicable SSID among the plurality of acquired SSIDs.

If there is one network identification information (S105/Yes), the wireless communication terminal 1 selects the group corresponding to the network identification information (S106). If the determining unit 102 determines that there is only one SSID with which communication is possible, the selecting unit 103 refers to the group ID table information 112 and selects the group ID corresponding to the determined SSID. When the communicable SSID is "JKC1", group B is selected and, for example, group B is set as the wireless LAN communication unit 13 group ID. Further, when the communicable SSID is "JKC2", group C is selected and, for example, group C is set as the group ID in the wireless LAN communication section 13.

Furthermore, when there is a plurality of network identification information (S105/No), the wireless communication terminal 1 selects a group of network identification information of access points with strong radio field strength (S107). When the determining unit 102 determines that there are multiple SSIDs with which communication is possible, the selecting unit 103 compares the radio wave strengths of the multiple access points with which communication is possible, and selects a group ID corresponding to the SSID of the access point with the strongest radio field strength. do.

For example, if the radio field strength of access point AP1 is stronger than that of access point AP2, select group B corresponding to SSID "JKC1" of access point AP1, and set group B as the group ID in wireless LAN communication section 13. do. Additionally, if the radio field strength of access point AP2 is stronger than that of access point AP1, select group C corresponding to SSID "JKC2" of access point AP2, and set group C as the group ID in wireless LAN communication section 13. do. Note that one of the SSID groups may be selected based on not only the radio field strength but also other criteria. For example, a group of SSIDs with the highest priority may be selected according to a predetermined priority for each SSID. Further, one of the SSID groups may be selected according to the user's operation.

<Specific example of operation of wireless communication terminal>
FIG. 5 shows a specific example of the operation of the wireless communication terminal 1 according to this embodiment. Similar to FIG. 2, in FIG. 5, group communication is performed in an outdoor specific area A11 and network identification areas A12 and A13 including an indoor area A14.

This example is an example in which the present embodiment is applied to a store such as a supermarket. For example, the indoor area A14 is a store area, the network identification area A12 side of the indoor area A14 is a warehouse area, the network identification area A13 side of the indoor area A14 is a sales floor area, and the specific area A11 is a security area outside the store.

Staff in charge of each area communicate using wireless communication terminals. In the security area of the specific area A11, the security staff performs group communication for group A using the wireless communication terminal 2A. In the warehouse area included in the network identification area A12, the warehouse staff performs group communication for group B using the wireless communication terminal 2B. In the sales area included in the network identification area A13, the sales staff performs group communication for group C using the wireless communication terminal 2C.

In such an environment, an explanation will be given of the operation when a concurrent staff member in charge of security, warehouse, and sales floor uses the wireless communication terminal 1 and moves in the order of S201 to S204.

First, as in S201, when the concurrent staff member who possesses the wireless communication terminal 1 is in the security area, the wireless communication terminal 1 determines that the current location is included in the specific area A11 from the GPS position information, and Set the corresponding group A as the group ID. As a result, the wireless communication terminal 1 becomes capable of group communication with the wireless communication terminal 2A and the group A, and calls are made between the concurrent staff and the security staff.

Subsequently, as in S202, the concurrent staff member moves to the vicinity of the entrance outside the store together with the wireless communication terminal 1. This location is within the specific area A11 and also included in the network identification areas A12 and A13. Therefore, the wireless communication terminal 1 acquires GPS position information and also acquires SSIDs from the access points AP1 and AP2. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, priority is given to a group in a specific area based on GPS position information. Then, since the current location is included in the specific area A11, the wireless communication terminal 1 performs group communication of the group A corresponding to the specific area A11, as in S201.

Note that in this embodiment, when the specific area A11 and the network identification areas A12 and A13 overlap as in S202, a group is selected based on the current location information, but other factors may be taken into consideration. . For example, a group with frequent communication may be selected by considering past communication history.

Subsequently, as in S203, the concurrent staff enters the store with the wireless communication terminal 1 and moves to the warehouse area. This location is outside the specific area A11 and is included in the network identification areas A12 and A13. Then, the wireless communication terminal 1 determines from the GPS position information that the current location is not included in the specific area A11. Similarly, when GPS position information cannot be acquired, it is determined that the current location is not included in the specific area A11. Next, the wireless communication terminal 1 selects the SSID group of either access point AP1 or AP2. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, priority is given to the SSID group of the access point with the strongest radio field strength. In S203, since the radio field intensity of the access point AP1 is stronger than that of the access point AP2, group B corresponding to the SSID "JKC1" of the access point AP1 is set as the group ID. As a result, the wireless communication terminal 1 becomes capable of group communication with the wireless communication terminal 2B and the group B, and calls are made between the concurrent staff and the warehouse staff.

Subsequently, as in S204, the concurrent staff member moves with the wireless communication terminal 1 from the warehouse area to the sales floor area within the store. Similar to S203, this location is outside the specific area A11 and is included in the network identification areas A12 and A13, so a group is selected according to the radio field strength of the access point. In S204, since the radio field strength of the access point AP2 is stronger than that of the access point AP1, group C corresponding to the SSID "JKC2" of the access point AP2 is set as the group ID. As a result, the wireless communication terminal 1 becomes capable of group communication with the wireless communication terminal 2C and the group C, and calls are made between the concurrent staff and the sales floor staff.

<Effects of Embodiment 1>
As described above, in this embodiment, in an environment where a specific area based on GPS location information and a network identification area based on the SSID of an access point coexist, which group is prioritized, that is, the location It is now possible to control whether groups are formed based on information or SSID. In particular, in this embodiment, by giving priority to groups in specific areas based on location information, it is possible to provide users with optimal group formation. Furthermore, when a plurality of SSIDs are received in a network identification area, a more appropriate group can be formed by giving priority to a group of SSIDs with stronger radio field strength.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit. In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the SSID is acquired as network identification information from a wireless LAN access point, but the present invention is not limited to this, and identification information may be acquired from other transmitters using a beacon signal or the like. For example, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) iBeacon (registered trademark) may be used as the beacon signal.

Each configuration in the above-described embodiments is configured by hardware or software, or both, and may be configured from one piece of hardware or software, or from a plurality of pieces of hardware or software. The functions (processing) of each device may be realized by a computer having a CPU, memory, etc. For example, a program for performing the wireless communication method in the embodiment may be stored in a storage device, and each function may be realized by executing the program stored in the storage device by a CPU.

These programs can be stored and provided to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer readable media. Non-transitory computer-readable media includes various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, CD-R/W, semiconductor memory (for example, mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (random access memory)). The program may also be provided to the computer on various types of transitory computer readable media. Examples of transitory computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The temporary computer-readable medium can provide the program to the computer via wired communication channels, such as electrical wires and fiber optics, or wireless communication channels.

1, 2, 2A to 2C Wireless communication terminal 10 Control unit 11 Storage unit 12 GPS reception unit 13 Wireless LAN communication unit 14 Professional wireless communication unit 100 Wireless communication system 101 Acquisition unit 102 Determination unit 103 Selection unit 111 Specific area range information 112 Group ID table information 200 GPS satellite AP1, AP2 access point

Claims (7)

an acquisition unit that acquires current location information;
a receiving unit that receives identification information from a network device;
Based on specific area range information indicating the range of the specific area and group information corresponding to the specific area, it is determined whether the location information is included in the specific area, and the location information is included in the specific area. If it is determined that the location information is not included in the specific area , or if the location information cannot be obtained , the group corresponding to the received identification information is selected. a selection section for selecting
a communication unit that performs wireless communication by the selected group;
A wireless communication device comprising: The receiving unit receives network identification information from the network device as the identification information.
The wireless communication device according to claim 1. The communication unit performs wireless communication via the network device when a group corresponding to the identification information is selected.
The wireless communication device according to claim 2. When the receiving unit receives a plurality of pieces of identification information from a plurality of network devices,
The selection unit selects a group corresponding to identification information of a network device having the strongest radio wave intensity, based on the radio field intensity of radio waves received from the plurality of network devices.
A wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. When the receiving unit receives a plurality of pieces of identification information from a plurality of network devices,
The selection unit selects a group corresponding to identification information having the highest priority based on a predetermined priority set for the plurality of identification information.
A wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Based on specific area range information indicating the range of the specific area and group information corresponding to the specific area, it is determined whether the acquired location information is included in the specific area, and the acquired location information is included in the specific area . If it is determined that it is included in the area , select the group corresponding to the specific area ,
If it is determined that the acquired location information is not included in the specific area or if the location information cannot be acquired, select a group corresponding to the identification information received from the network device,
performing wireless communication with the selected group;
Wireless communication method. Based on specific area range information indicating the range of the specific area and group information corresponding to the specific area, it is determined whether the acquired location information is included in the specific area, and the acquired location information is included in the specific area . If it is determined that it is included in the area , select the group corresponding to the specific area ,
If it is determined that the acquired location information is not included in the specific area or if the location information cannot be acquired, select a group corresponding to the identification information received from the network device,
performing wireless communication with the selected group;
A wireless communication program that allows a computer to perform processing.

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