KR20100068680A - Usb device having wireless modem and access point, and method for controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A USB device having a wireless modem and a wireless external modem into one and a method for controlling the same are provided to connect to internet in all places which can support a wireless internet by a user. CONSTITUTION: A DC/DC(Direct Current) converter(203) changes supplied power into power required for a wireless modem unit(211) or a wireless AP(Access Point) unit(213). The provided power source is provided through a USB port(201) from host. A power control unit(205) controls at least one of power between the wireless modem unit or the wireless AP(Access Point) unit by the control of the user power source. The wireless modem unit performs a wireless modem function. The wireless access point unit performs an AP function.

Description

USEB device equipped with wireless modem and wireless router and control method thereof {USB DEVICE HAVING WIRELESS MODEM AND ACCESS POINT, AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a USS device for supporting the wireless Internet, and more particularly to a USS device including a wireless modem and a wireless router and a control method thereof.

Recently, portable computer users use a variety of content information by accessing Internet servers through wireless Internet (eg, Wibro, WCDMA, WiMAX). In order to use various contents information in the portable computer as described above, the portable computer users start the wireless modem device (or wireless LAN card) mounted inside or outside the computer terminal to access the Internet server through the wireless Internet network.

On the other hand, in an environment in which a wireless LAN is supported, the portable computer may access the internal Internet through a wireless router (or a wireless access point), and may access an external wireless Internet server through this.

In the case of the wireless router according to the prior art, an external power source is always required, or when there is no external power source, an external Internet server can be connected by connecting to a host (portable computer or PC) through a USB interface.

Therefore, a technique for more convenient wireless data communication connection and no external power source is required.

Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is to provide a USB apparatus and a method of controlling the same, which are provided with a wireless modem and a wireless router, which can be more conveniently connected to a wireless data communication and do not require an external power source.

In addition, the present invention is to provide a USB device and a method of controlling the same, which is provided with a wireless modem and a wireless router that can be connected to any device that supports the Internet, and can be connected to any device that supports wireless LAN. .

In addition, the present invention is to provide a USB device and a method of controlling the same, including a wireless modem and a wireless router integrally that does not need to operate an operating system (OS) in the wireless router.

The USB apparatus including the wireless modem and the wireless router according to the embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems converts the power applied from the host through the USB port to the required power used by the wireless modem unit or the wireless AP unit. A DC / DC converter, a power control unit controlling the power used to control power supplied to at least one of the wireless modem unit or the wireless AP unit, and a wireless modem unit receiving the used power and performing a wireless modem function. And a wireless AP unit receiving the use power and performing a wireless access point function.

In addition, the control method of the USB device including a wireless modem and a wireless router according to an embodiment of the present invention, connected to the host via a USB port, the power supply from the host, and the wireless Internet from the client terminal Receiving and transmitting the related data to the host, receiving the wireless internet related data processed to be transmitted to the external network from the host, and modulating the wireless internet related data processed to be transmitted to the external network, thereby Transmitting to the network.

In addition, according to another embodiment of the present invention, a control method of a USB device including a wireless modem and a wireless router is connected to a host through a USB port, and receiving power from the host and receiving from an external network. Demodulating and transmitting external data to the host; receiving external data processed to be transmitted to the client terminal through the internal network; and receiving external data processed to be transmitted to the client terminal through the internal network. Transmitting the data to the client.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a wireless data communication connection can be more conveniently performed, and it is possible to provide a USS device including a wireless modem and a wireless router integrally without an external power source.

In addition, the user can access the Internet from any place where the wireless Internet support is possible, and can access any device supporting the wireless LAN.

 BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In describing the present invention, when it is determined that detailed descriptions of related known functions or configurations may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. Terms used in the present specification are terms used to properly express preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the definitions of the terms should be made based on the contents throughout the present specification.

1 shows an overall network configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the entire network configuration includes an external network 101, a USB device 103 including a wireless modem and a wireless router, a host 105, an internal network 107, and a plurality of client terminals 1 to 1. 3 (109, 111, 113) can be configured.

In this case, the external network 101 may be, for example, an internet network capable of transmitting and receiving data using a TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) protocol. In addition, the external network 101 may be a wireless Internet network using a wireless Internet protocol.

The USB device 103 refers to a device that performs a wireless modem function and a wireless router function and is accessible to a host (PC, notebook, etc.) through a USB port.

In this case, the USB device 103 may receive power from the host through the USB port.

In this case, the wireless router function refers to a short range wireless relay function such as a general wireless router or a wireless access point (AP) used at home. However, hereinafter, it is assumed that the wireless router function mainly means a wireless access point.

The internal network 107 refers to a small network such as a wireless LAN mainly used in a notebook or the like or Bluetooth, which is a short-range wireless communication method.

On the other hand, the host 105 and the plurality of client terminals 1 to 3 (109, 111, 113) are, for example, devices such as PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), notebooks, smart phones, and the like. Any device that supports wireless LAN is possible.

2 is a block diagram of a USB device including a wireless modem and a wireless router according to an embodiment of the present invention. The USB device 200 of FIG. 2 may be applied to the USB device 103 of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 2, the USB device 200 may include a USB connection port 201, a DC / DC converter 203, a power control unit 205, a wireless modem unit 211, a wireless AP unit, and a USB hub 215. It can be configured to include.

The USB connection port 201 is an interface for connecting with the host, and may exchange data with the host or may receive power (for example, 5 Volt) from the host.

The DC / DC converter 203 converts DC power supplied from the host through the USB connection port 201 into usable power (for example, 4 to 4.6 volts) usable by the USB device 200.

Specifically, the DC / DC converter 203 converts the DC power supplied from the host into the power used by the wireless modem unit 211 or the wireless AP unit 213 to the power control unit 205 and the USB hub 215. Can provide.

The power controller 205 controls the power supplied to the at least one of the wireless modem unit 211 or the wireless AP unit 213 by controlling the used power output from the DC / DC converter 203.

For example, the power control unit 205 may limit the power supplied to the wireless modem unit 211 from exceeding a preset reference value (for example, 700 mA). The operation of the power control unit 205 may be implemented by firmware or by using (active or passive) devices such as transistors and diodes.

On the other hand, the power control unit 205 is limited so that the first control unit 207 for limiting the amount of power used supplied to the wireless modem unit does not exceed the first set value and the amount of power supplied to the wireless AP unit does not exceed the second set value. It may be configured to include a second control unit 209.

In this case, the first control unit 207 and the second control unit 209 may be implemented by firmware or by using (active or passive) devices such as transistors and diodes.

In this case, the first setting value and the second setting value may be set to have different values, or one value may be increased and the other value may be set to be small, or may be set to be optimized for the system.

For example, assuming that a current of 500 mA is supplied through the USB port 201, when either the wireless modem unit 211 or the wireless AP unit 213 brings too much current, the USB hub 215 ) May be down, and the first control unit 207 and the second control unit 209 may limit the supply of a current higher than the set value.

When connecting a wireless AP or a wireless modem to a general USB hub, if the modem uses too much current in a place where signal strength is weak, the general USB hub may be down. However, in the present invention, such a phenomenon can be prevented by controlling the power supply as described above.

The wireless modem unit 211 receives a used power output from the power control unit 205 and performs a wireless modem function.

The wireless AP unit 213 receives the used power output from the power control unit 205 and performs a wireless access point function. Therefore, any device supported by the wireless LAN can connect to the USB device 200.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the USB device 200 performs only basic operations for performing the wireless access point function, and the actual wireless access point function is controlled to be performed in the host.

Accordingly, the OS for performing the wireless access point function may be automatically installed when the host is initially connected, or may be pre-installed in the host.

For example, the wireless AP unit 213 receives wireless Internet-related data from a client terminal and transmits it to a host, and the wireless modem unit 211 receives the wireless Internet-related data from a host, and the wireless Internet-related data. Data can be modulated and sent to external networks.

As another example, the wireless modem unit 211 may demodulate and transmit external data received from an external network to a host, and the wireless AP unit 213 may receive the demodulated external data from the host and transmit the demodulated external data to a corresponding client. .

That is, the host may perform a function of granting a wireless IP to the internal network in order to perform a wireless access point function.

The USB hub 215 receives power from a DC / DC converter.

At this time, the USB hub 215 is provided for data transmission and reception between the host and the wireless modem unit or between the host and the wireless AP unit or between the wireless modem unit and the wireless AP unit.

3 illustrates a control method of a USB apparatus including a wireless modem and a wireless router according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, a USB device is first connected to a host through a USB port, and receives power from the host (S301).

In this case, the host may operate an OS for performing a wireless access point function, and perform a communication initialization function with client terminals to perform a wireless access point function.

The USB device receives wireless Internet-related data from the client terminal and transmits it to the host (S303, S305).

In this case, the host may know which client has received wireless Internet-related data through the IP assigned to each client.

The USB device receives wireless Internet-related data processed to be transmitted to an external network from the host (S307).

Here, the wireless Internet-related data processed to be transmitted to the external network may be data to which an IP of the external network is assigned to be transmitted to the external network.

The USB device modulates the wireless Internet-related data processed to be transmitted to the external network (S309), and transmits the modulated data to the external network (S311).

In steps S303 to S311, the USB device limits the power required for performing the wireless modem function and the power required for performing the wireless AP function by the first reference value corresponding to the wireless modem function and the second reference value corresponding to the wireless AP function, respectively. Power control can be performed.

4 illustrates a control method of a USB apparatus including a wireless modem and a wireless router according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, a USB device is first connected to a host through a USB port, and receives power from the host (S401).

As in the description of FIG. 3, the host may operate an OS for performing a wireless access point function to perform a communication initialization function with client terminals to perform a wireless access point function.

The USB device demodulates external data received from an external network and transmits the demodulated data to the host (S403).

In this case, the host may process the external data to be transmitted to the client terminal through the internal network.

Here, the external data processed to be transmitted to the client terminal through the internal network may be data to which the IP of the internal network is assigned.

The USB device receives external data processed to be transmitted to the client terminal through the internal network from the host (S405).

The USB device transmits the external data processed to be transmitted to the client terminal through the internal network to the corresponding client (S407).

As described above, the present invention has been described by way of limited embodiments and drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains various modifications and variations from these descriptions. This is possible.

Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be determined not only by the claims below but also by the equivalents of the claims.

1 shows an overall network configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a block diagram of a USB device including a wireless modem and a wireless router according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 illustrates a control method of a USB apparatus including a wireless modem and a wireless router according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 illustrates a control method of a USB apparatus including a wireless modem and a wireless router according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (9)

A DC / DC converter for converting the power supplied from the host through the USB port into the power used required by the wireless modem unit or the wireless AP unit; A power control unit controlling the power supplied to at least one of the wireless modem unit and the wireless AP unit; A wireless modem unit receiving the power supply and performing a wireless modem function; And The USB device includes a wireless modem and a wireless router integrally provided with the power source and performing a wireless access point function. The method of claim 1, The wireless modem and the wireless router are integrally provided with the power supply, and further comprising a USB hub for transmitting and receiving data between the host and the wireless modem unit or between the host and the wireless AP unit or between the wireless modem unit and the wireless AP unit. USS device provided. The method of claim 1, The wireless AP unit receives the wireless Internet-related data from the client terminal and delivers it to the host, And the wireless modem unit receives the wireless internet related data from the host, modulates the wireless internet related data, and transmits the wireless internet related data to an external network. The method of claim 1, The wireless modem unit demodulates and transmits external data received from an external network to the host, And the wireless AP unit integrally includes a wireless modem and a wireless router, wherein the demodulated external data is received from the host and transmitted to the corresponding client. The method of claim 1, wherein the power control unit, A first control unit restricting the amount of power used supplied to the wireless modem unit from exceeding a first set value; And And a wireless modem integrated with a wireless router including a second control unit configured to limit a power supply amount supplied to the wireless AP to not exceed a second set value. Connected to a host through a USB port to receive power from the host; Receiving wireless internet related data from a client terminal and transmitting the wireless internet related data to the host; Receiving wireless Internet-related data processed to be transmitted to an external network from the host; And And controlling the wireless Internet-related data processed to be transmitted to the external network and transmitting the modulated data to the external network. The method of claim 6, The power supplied from the host is limited in that power required for performing a wireless modem function and power required for performing a wireless AP function are limited by a first reference value corresponding to a wireless modem function and a second reference value corresponding to a wireless AP function, respectively. A control method of a USB device, comprising a wireless modem and a wireless router, characterized in that integrated. Connected to a host through a USB port to receive power from the host; Demodulating external data received from an external network and transmitting the demodulated data to the host; Receiving from the host external data processed to be transmitted to a client terminal through an internal network; And A method for controlling a USB apparatus including a wireless modem and a wireless router, each of which is powered from a host through a USB port, comprising transmitting external data processed to be transmitted to a client terminal through the internal network to a corresponding client. . The method of claim 8, The power supplied from the host is limited in that power required for performing a wireless modem function and power required for performing a wireless AP function are limited by a first reference value corresponding to a wireless modem function and a second reference value corresponding to a wireless AP function, respectively. A control method of a USB device, comprising a wireless modem and a wireless router, characterized in that integrated.

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