KR20140099808A - Wireless Device capable of Remote Control using Wireless Local Area Network and Control Method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a wireless device which is remotely controlled by using a wireless local area network and a control method thereof. According to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, an electronic device functions as an access point to provide a network service in an active state and functions as a client of the wireless local area network in a sleep state. Provided is a method for operating the electronic device which includes the steps of retrieving the network identifier of the wireless local area network which is received in the sleep state; and changing the sleep state into the active state by recognizing the network identifier which is received.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a wireless device capable of remote control using short-range wireless communication and a control method thereof,

The present embodiment relates to a wireless device that can be remotely controlled using short-range wireless communication and a control method thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a remote control method and apparatus capable of remotely controlling power and various functions of a wireless device functioning as an access point (an access point) for providing a network service using a short distance wireless communication.

The contents described in this section merely provide background information on the present embodiment and do not constitute the prior art.

A Wi-Fi access point (hereinafter abbreviated as "AP") is a wireless terminal having a Wi-Fi station function (such as a notebook computer, a portable game machine, a smart phone, a tablet, AP) having a broadband communication network function such as 3G, LTE, WiMAX, and WiBro is being developed in addition to a wired network in recent mobile mobility support.

The AP periodically broadcasts support capability information such as a wireless network identifier (SSID), a signal strength (Signal Strength), and an available bit rate (Rate) to the STA in order to communicate with each other as a beacon signal do. The STA identifies the SSID by searching for a compatible wireless network to access the wireless network, and when the authentication is successful, the STA associates with the AP.

In the IEEE 802.11 standard, the STA synchronizes the time with the AP through the beacon signal, and the 802.11 power saving mode (Power Save) which can operate in the idle state during the absence of the beacon signal in the beacon interval, For example, as shown in FIG. 1, when DTIM = 1 and the beacon period = 100 ms, the sleep state and the active state are repeated every 100 ms cycles.

On the other hand, the AP periodically transmits its information wirelessly and always turns on the power to authenticate the aperiodic connection of the STA, thereby being in a standby state for receiving a wireless signal.

The present embodiment is directed to a remote control method capable of remotely controlling power and various functions of a wireless device by using a switch between an AP mode and a STA mode as a wireless device operating as an access point for providing a network service, There is a main purpose in providing a device.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a first terminal, which is a remote control object, includes a network interface unit for connecting to a network, a wireless interface unit for performing short range wireless communication, a controller for controlling the wireless interface unit, And a power management unit for controlling power by the control unit. When the first terminal provides the network relay service, the first terminal operates in the AP mode. When the first terminal does not provide the network relay service, the first terminal switches to the STA mode and stops the power according to the 802.11 STA power saving mode ≪ / RTI > When a (specific) wireless terminal is recognized in the STA mode, the wireless terminal is switched from the STA mode to the AP mode to perform the network relay function again.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the short-range communication module of the first terminal is switched to the STA mode so that the first terminal in the idle state can be selectively activated by selectively recognizing only the network identifier of the specific second terminal A step of switching the communication module of the second terminal to the AP (HotSpot) mode; a step of recognizing the SSID of the HotSpot of the second terminal and the short-range communication module of the STA mode of the first terminal selecting the recognized HotSpot SSID And registering the network profile in the communication module.

The STA mode of the first terminal may be implemented in a concurrent (AP + STA) mode.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a separate application that is mounted on the second terminal and is capable of switching the first terminal from the AP mode to the STA power saving mode. The application switches the communication module of the second terminal from the STA to the AP (HotSpot) mode so that the hotspot function of the second terminal (e.g., a smart phone) is activated to wake up the first terminal of the STA mode.

The application includes a graphical user interface (GUI) capable of performing the above-described process in a single operation and a GUI capable of remotely controlling various functions of the first terminal in the STA mode using short-range wireless communication to provide.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide ease of use by controlling the power source remotely and turning on the power of the wireless device in the standby state without requiring the user to directly operate the wireless device.

1 is a diagram for explaining an operation of a power saving mode of a Wi-Fi STA according to an IEEE 802.11 standard.
2 is a general schematic diagram illustrating a remote power control system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a first terminal 110 as a remote power control target according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of a method of switching the first terminal 110 in the AP mode to the STA mode.
5 is a flowchart showing another embodiment of a method of switching the first terminal 110 in the AP mode to the STA mode.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of switching the first terminal 110 in the STA mode to the AP mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. It should be noted that, in adding reference numerals to the constituent elements of the drawings, the same constituent elements are denoted by the same reference symbols as possible even if they are shown in different drawings. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

In describing the components of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are intended to distinguish the constituent elements from other constituent elements, and the terms do not limit the nature, order or order of the constituent elements. Throughout the specification, when an element is referred to as being "comprising" or "comprising", it means that it can include other elements as well, without excluding other elements unless specifically stated otherwise . In addition, '... Quot ;, " module ", and " module " refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and may be implemented by hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software.

2 is a general schematic diagram illustrating a remote power control system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

2, a remote power control system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first terminal 110 connected to a network, a second terminal 110 connectable to the first terminal 110 in a short- (120).

The first terminal 110 is a device that provides an AP function so that various mobile devices (i.e., Wi-Fi STA) can wirelessly access the network. The first terminal 110 may be a fixed AP device or a mobile AP device (i.e., a mobile router), and may also include various electronic devices supporting the AP function, for example, an IPTV or a set-top box configured to perform an AP function in a home network, An infotainment system configured to perform an AP function in a vehicle, and the like.

The network may be implemented in any type of wireless network, such as a wired network such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) or a value added network (VAN), or a mobile communication network or a satellite communication network .

The second terminal 120 may be an object for remotely controlling power and / or various functions of the first terminal 110 and may be connected to the first terminal 110 using short-range wireless communication. Various wireless local area networks (WLANs), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, IrDA (IrDA), and the like may be used to connect the second terminal 120 to the first terminal 110. [ , UWB (Ultra WideBand), NFC (Near Field Communication), or the like can be used.

The second terminal 120 may be implemented as a computer or a portable terminal. Here, the computer includes, for example, a notebook computer, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, and the like, each of which is equipped with a Web browser, and the portable terminal may be a wireless communication device , Personal Communication System (PCS), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Personal Digital Cellular (PDC), Personal Handyphone System (PHS), Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), International Mobile Telecommunication (IMT) Based wireless communication apparatuses such as a W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) -2000, a W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), a Wibro (Wireless Broadband Internet) terminal, a smart phone, .

Also, the second terminal 120 may include a separate application for providing a graphical user interface (GUI) for remotely controlling power or various functions of the first terminal 110 through short-range wireless communication . More specifically, the application controls a hotspot by switching a communication module of the second terminal 120 into an AP (Hotspot) mode by a user's input. In addition, the present invention provides a GUI capable of remotely controlling various functions of the first terminal 110 by connecting to the first terminal in the STA mode using short-range wireless communication.

The first terminal 110 functions as an AP, and when the AP function is not used for a predetermined time, the setting is changed from the AP mode to the STA mode. That is, the operation mode is switched to perform the role of the client of the short-range wireless communication formed by the second terminal 120. [ For example, when the first terminal 110 is a mobile wireless router and the second terminal 120 is a portable terminal having a software-enabled access point (Soft-AP) function, i.e., a hot spot function, Mode and operates as an STA for the hotspot of the second terminal 120 in the power saving mode.

Hereinafter, a case where the second terminal 120 uses Wi-Fi to remotely control the power of the first terminal 110 will be described to describe the configuration of the first terminal 110 and the remote power control of the first terminal 110 The method will be described. As described above, the second terminal 120 is a short-range wireless communication method for remotely controlling the power of the first terminal 110. In addition to Wi-Fi, other short-range wireless communication methods such as Zigbee, bluetooth, Or a sensor network or the like.

3 is a schematic block diagram of a first terminal that is a target of remote power control according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3, the first terminal 110 according to the present embodiment includes a wireless interface unit 310, a network interface unit 320, a controller 350, a memory unit 340, a power management unit 330, .

The wireless interface unit 310 is a means for communicating with the second terminal 120 through the short-range wireless communication between the first terminal 110 and the soft-AP capable of switching to the AP mode or the STA mode, (Software enabled Access Point). The wireless interface unit 310 of the STA mode receives the beacon signal according to the peripheral short-range wireless communication and transmits the received beacon signal to the controller 350. [ The wireless interface unit 310 of the AP mode performs a network relay function so that various mobile devices (STA) can wirelessly access the network.

The network interface unit 320 functions as communication means for the first terminal to access the network so that the first terminal of the AP mode can provide the network relay service to the second terminal.

The power management unit 330 switches the first terminal 110 to the active mode or the power saving mode according to a command from the controller 350. [

The control unit 350 controls the power management unit 330 to switch the first terminal 110 to the active mode or the power saving mode. That is, when the first terminal 110 is not used for a predetermined time, or when a separate AP for providing a network relay service is found, a control message for entering the power saving mode is transmitted to the power management unit 330, And transmits a control message for switching the first terminal 110 to the active mode to the power management unit 330 when receiving the beacon signal from the second terminal 120. [

In addition, the control unit 350 controls the wireless interface unit 310 to switch to the AP mode or the STA mode by using the Soft-AP function. For example, when the AP function of the first terminal 110 is not used for a predetermined time, the wireless interface unit 310 is switched to the STA mode. When the beacon signal is received from the second terminal 120 in the STA mode And switches the first terminal 110 to the AP mode. The first terminal 110, which has been switched to the STA mode, operates in the STA Power Save Mode defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard, thereby minimizing power consumption.

The control unit 350 extracts the SSID included in the beacon signal transmitted from the wireless interface unit 310 in the STA mode, and if the extracted SSID matches the SSID registered / stored in the memory unit 340 Only the wireless interface unit 320 is switched to the AP mode.

In addition, according to an embodiment, the first terminal 110 may be configured to have a concurrent operation function defined in the WiFi P2P technology specification. In this case, the first terminal 110 in an active state may be configured as an AP It can operate not only as a role but also as an STA.

The memory unit 340 stores a short-range wireless communication of the second terminal 120, for example, a Wi-Fi SSID.

4 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of a method of switching the first terminal 110 in the AP mode to the STA mode.

In this embodiment, the first terminal 110 operates in the AP mode and is configured to switch to the STA mode when the AP function is not used for a predetermined time.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the first terminal 110 determines whether a preset time has elapsed after the AP activity last occurred in relation to the STA (S410). The absence of AP activity in the context of the STA may be, for example, the case where there is no STA coupled to the first terminal 110 or there is no association attempt and, in some embodiments, Even when the STA exists, the reception of the message from the STA or the transmission of the message to the STA does not exist.

If a new AP activity occurs before a preset time elapses in step S410 (No in step S420), the first terminal 110 maintains the AP mode and starts the process of S410 .

On the other hand, if a predetermined time has elapsed after the last AP activity in step S410 (Yes in S420), the first terminal 110 switches to the STA mode.

5 is a flowchart showing another embodiment of a method of switching the first terminal 110 in the AP mode to the STA mode.

For example, when the first terminal of the AP mode enters a specific place (for example, house, company, etc.) where a separate AP is installed and the AP function (network relay service) of the first terminal does not need to be used .

In this embodiment, the first terminal supports a Concurrent Operation mode. That is, the first terminal 110 in the active state operates not only as an AP but also as an STA.

As a preliminary process, the first terminal 110 performs a procedure of registering a Wi-Fi Hotspot Profile (hereinafter referred to as 'first network profile') of a separate AP installed in a specific place (S510).

The first terminal 110 operating in the concurrent operation mode in the active state periodically scans the Wi-Fi SSID in step S520 while providing the network relay service to the second terminal 120. [

If the Wi-Fi SSID is not detected as a result of the Wi-Fi SSID being scanned or the retrieved Wi-Fi SSID does not match the pre-registered first network profile (NO in S530) Continues to search for Wi-Fi SSIDs while maintaining the simultaneous operation mode.

If a Wi-Fi SSID matching the first network profile registered in the pre-process is searched (Yes in S530), the first terminal 110 switches from the simultaneous operation mode to the STA mode (S540). In other words, it operates in a rest state.

6 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of a method of switching the first terminal 110 in the STA mode to the AP mode.

As a preliminary process, the first terminal 110 performs a procedure of registering a Wi-Fi Hotspot Profile (hereinafter referred to as a 'second network profile') of a specific terminal (S610). That is, the Wi-Fi SSID of the specific terminal is registered and stored in the first terminal 110 of the STA mode in advance. The Wi-Fi SSID to be registered in advance may be plural.

The first terminal 110 operating in the STA mode periodically scans the Wi-Fi SSID (S620).

If the Wi-Fi SSID is not detected as a result of the scan of the Wi-Fi SSID, or if the found Wi-Fi SSID does not match the pre-registered second network profile in the pre-process (S610) (NO at S630) The first terminal 110 continues searching for the Wi-Fi SSID while maintaining the STA mode.

If a Wi-Fi SSID matching the second network profile previously registered in step S610 is searched (Yes in step S630), the first terminal 110 switches from the STA mode to the AP mode in step S640 ). In other words, it functions as a Wi-Fi AP that is an original function.

The method illustrated in FIG. 6 is an embodiment in which the first terminal 110 in the STA mode is configured to switch to the AP mode only by a specific terminal (e.g., a user's smartphone). That is, the first terminal 110 is configured to operate as an AP only when the searched Wi-Fi SSID matches the pre-registered Wi-Fi SSID. This configuration is suitable for the case where the first terminal 110 is used for personal use because it can prevent the wrong configuration from being misdirected by another Wi-Fi signal.

6, assuming, for example, that the first terminal 110 is a mobile wireless router (i.e., Wi-Fi Egg) and the second terminal 120 is a smartphone, Will be able to switch the mobile wireless router to the AP mode through a simple way to activate the hotspot function of the smartphone in the vicinity of the wireless router, without direct manipulation of the mobile wireless router.

6, the process of registering the hotspot profile of the second terminal 120 in advance (S610) and the process of determining whether the searched Wi-Fi SSID matches the registered hotspot profile (S630) Can be omitted. That is, in the idle state, the first terminal 110 functions as a Wi-Fi STA to periodically scan the Wi-Fi SSID. When the Wi-Fi SSID is searched, the first terminal 110 immediately enters the active state and operates as a Wi-Fi AP as an original function. If the Wi-Fi SSID is not scanned as a result of scanning the Wi-Fi SSID, continue to search for the Wi-Fi SSID while dormant. Such a configuration is suitable when it is necessary to be used by an unspecified number at a certain place such as a wireless router for a business operator.

The above-described Wi-Fi AP apparatus and its power supply control method can be utilized in various embodiments as follows.

For example, in the case of a fixed Wi-Fi AP in a general store, if there is no terminal connected to a Wi-Fi AP operating as an adapter power source in the service area, the standby power consumption can be reduced by switching to a power saving mode, It will automatically wake up immediately and return to the AP function. Thus, even if there is no terminal in the service area, the problem of existing Wi-Fi AP consuming standby power of 100 mW or more can be solved.

In the case of a mobile Wi-Fi AP, for example, a Wi-Fi AP installed in a train or a bus and operated by a vehicle, the Wi-Fi AP operates as an AP for a running time. In a car- Mode to reduce standby power consumption.

In addition, in the case of a mobile Wi-Fi AP router used for personal use, the hotspot function of the smart phone can be activated, so that the router can be activated without leaving the router itself in the power saving mode, for example, in a bag .

Meanwhile, each process of the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 can be implemented as a computer-readable code on a computer-readable recording medium. A computer-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording apparatuses in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. The computer-readable recording medium may also be distributed over a networked computer system so that computer readable code can be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present embodiment, and various modifications and changes may be made to those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the embodiments. Therefore, the present embodiments are to be construed as illustrative rather than restrictive, and the scope of the technical idea of the present embodiment is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present embodiment should be construed according to the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope of equivalents thereof should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

110: first terminal 120: second terminal
310: wireless interface unit 320: network interface unit
330: power management unit 340: memory
350:

Claims (15)

1. An electronic apparatus which operates as an access point (AP) for providing a network service in an active state and operates as a client (STA) in a short-range wireless communication in a sleep state,
Searching for a network identifier of a short-range wireless communication receivable in a dormant state; And
Recognizing the receivable network identifier and switching from the dormant state to the active state
And an operating method of the electronic device. The method according to claim 1,
In the idle state,
And operates in an IEEE 802.11 STA power saving mode. The method according to claim 1,
The active state,
And operating in a concurrent operation mode. The method of claim 3,
Searching for a network identifier of a short-range wireless communication that can be received in an active state; And
And switching from an active state to a dormant state when the recognized network identifier matches the pre-registered first network profile. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the first network profile is a separate AP device installed in a specific location. The method according to claim 1,
When the network service is not used for a predetermined period of time in the active state, switching to the idle state. The method according to claim 1,
The process of switching to the active state comprises:
And only when the recognized network identifier coincides with the pre-registered second network profile, switching to an active state is performed. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the second network profile is a hotspot profile of the mobile terminal. The method according to claim 1,
The short-
Wherein the method is any one of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, IrDA, UWB (Ultra Wide Band) and NFC (Near Field Communication) . The method according to claim 1,
The electronic device includes:
Wherein the mobile wireless router is a mobile wireless router. 1. An electronic device that operates as an access point for providing a network relay service in an active state and operates as a client of short-range wireless communication in a sleep state,
A network interface unit for connecting to the network;
A wireless interface unit for providing the network relay service through short-range wireless communication; And
A control unit for controlling the wireless interface unit to switch to the AP mode or the STA mode by using a software-enabled access point (Soft-AP)
. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein,
Wherein the controller controls to switch the wireless interface unit to the STA mode when the network relay service is not used for a predetermined time or when a separate AP to be provided with the network relay service is found. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein,
And controls the wireless interface unit to switch to the AP mode when the wireless interface unit of the STA mode recognizes the network identifier of the receivable short range wireless communication. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein,
And controls the wireless interface unit to switch to the AP mode only when the wireless interface unit of the STA mode recognizes the network identifier of the local wireless communication that matches the network profile registered in advance. 12. The method of claim 11,
Further comprising a power management unit for switching the electronic equipment into an active state and a dormant state according to a command from the control unit.

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