KR20190057254A - Method and apparatus for wi-fi connecting using wi-fi protected setup in a portable terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for Wi-Fi connection using Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS) in a portable terminal comprises: a process of entering a group owner mode of Wi-Fi direct when activation of WPS is confirmed to be requested; a process of entering a WPS session mode operable in a WPS registrar mode when entering the group owner mode; a process of searching whether an access point (AP) with an activated WPS session of the WPS registrar mode or a device with an activated group owner mode exists in the vicinity; and a process of deactivating the entered WPS registrar mode and group owner mode if an AP with an activated WPS registrar mode is searched as a result of the searching, and activating a WPS session to operate in a WPS enrollee mode to connect to the searched AP.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) and a Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS)

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to wireless communication, and more particularly, to an invention capable of easily connecting Wi-Fi communication devices using WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup).

Conventional wireless communication through a Wi-Fi connection has been proposed for the main purpose of a device providing a Wi-Fi function to use communication wirelessly through access to an AP (Access Point), so that devices providing Wi- There was a lack of consideration for direct communication between the two.

The Wi-Fi Alliance is named Wi-Fi Direct or Wi-Fi P2P (Wi-Fi P2P), because existing Wi-Fi does not provide the direct communication capabilities between devices Function.

This Wi-Fi Direct provides compatibility with existing Wi-Fi and provides the ability to directly connect Wi-Fi devices to each other without requiring an AP (for example, peer-to-peer communication).

Meanwhile, since Wi-Fi Direct is a proposed technology in consideration of compatibility with conventional Wi-Fi function, i.e., legacy Wi-Fi function, legacy Wi-Fi devices are basically connected using Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) Method.

The WPS connection method is a method in which a device attempting to establish a Wi-Fi connection can easily receive a wireless communication function using a WiBro by inputting a button using a PBC (Push Button Configuration) method or inputting PIN information using a PIN method .

When a WPS session is activated, a device attempting to establish a Wi-Fi connection detects the presence of an AP through frequency and channel scanning, and then initiates a WPS Registration Protocol with the AP with which the WPS session is activated, It obtains the Credentials (SSID, Security Info, Network Key) of the AP and automatically accesses the AP using the obtained Credentials.

Meanwhile, since the WPS connection method described above has an advantage of being able to receive a wireless communication function using a WiFi conveniently, if the WPS connection method is supported not only in the legacy WiFi but also in the WiFi direct function, the convenience of WiFi direct use .

However, since WiFiDirect is available only to devices conforming to the IEEE 802.11g or higher specification (for example, IEEE 802.11g or IEEE 802.11n), devices providing only legacy WiFi functions (for example, IEEE 802.11b Devices) will not be able to use Wi-Fi Direct.

Since all Wi-Fi devices do not support Wi-Fi Direct, so if you want to provide a WPS button connection method for Wi-Fi direct connection, you can also provide WPS button for Wi-Fi connection and WPS button for Wi-Fi direct connection separately There is a need.

However, if you provide separate WPS buttons for legacy Wi-Fi functionality (for example, using wireless communication via an AP connection) and Wi-Fi direct functionality (for example, P2P communication between Wi-Fi devices) There is a problem in that it does not meet the original purpose of using the Wi-Fi direct or Wi-Fi direct function. Further, it is convenient for a user to provide a kind of WiFi integration function that selectively connects legacy WiFi or WiFi direct according to the characteristics of a device corresponding to a connection target by selecting only one WPS button.

Therefore, the WPS connection method applied only to the legacy Wi-Fi connection is applied to the Wi-Fi direct connection, and only one WPS connection request menu (for example, the WPS button of the PBC connection method) is used to connect the legacy Wi- To be selectively connected automatically. That is, we propose a WPS connection method that can support both Wi-Fi connection and Wi-Fi direct connection by activating the WPS connection irrespective of the Wi-Fi support specification of the Wi-Fi device and the property of the Wi-Fi device.

The present invention provides a Wi-Fi connection method using Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) in a portable terminal, comprising the steps of: entering a group owner mode of Wi-Fi direct when it is determined that activation of a WPS is requested; , Entering a WPS session mode capable of operating in a WPS registrar mode, checking whether there is an AP (Access Point) in which a WPS session in the WPS Registrar mode is activated or a device in which a group owner mode is activated And activating the WPS registrar mode and the group owner mode to activate the WPS registrar mode and the WPS session mode to operate in the WPS enrollee mode, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > AP. ≪ / RTI >

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a Wi-Fi connection apparatus using Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) in a wireless terminal, the Wi- Or a display unit. If it is determined that activation of the WPS is requested through the key input unit or the display unit, the WPS direct mode enters a WPS session mode in which a WPS registrar mode can be operated after entering a group owner mode of Wi-Fi direct, If an access point (AP) in which a WPS session in the WPS Registrar mode is activated or a device in which a group owner mode is activated exists, if an AP in which the WPS registrar mode is activated is searched for, the entered WPS registrar mode and group Disable owner mode, enable WPS session to operate in WPS Enrollee mode And to control access to the searched AP.

Even though Wi-Fi direct is widely used, devices that support only legacy Wi-Fi functions (for example, smart phones) exist. However, devices supporting Wi-Fi direct function can not use Wi-Fi direct- When connecting to a device that does not support the direct function, the compatibility with the devices is improved.

In addition, the present invention, which enables the use of the WIFI direct function using the WPS connection method, is also fully compatible with the WPS connection method for existing legacy WiFi.

In addition, the present invention provides a WiFi direct connection function simply by activating the WPS. The present invention provides a WiFi direct connection function through a device discovery, a service discovery, and a group creation process. The connection time is shortened compared with the Wi-Fi direct connection method.

1 is a schematic flowchart of a process of creating a P2P group through execution of a Wi-Fi P2P function.
2 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a flowchart illustrating a WiFi connection process according to a WPS activation request according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The Wi-Fi direct function described in the embodiment of the present invention can be provided by devices (for example, P2P device 1 and P2P device 2) that provide a Wi-Fi direct function to create a Wi-Fi P2P group.

A process of creating a Wi-Fi P2P group through a Wi-Fi direct function will be described as follows before explaining an embodiment of the present invention that supports both a legacy Wi-Fi connection and a Wi-Fi direct connection function through a WPS connection. The creation (or formation) of a Wi-Fi P2P group is performed through three steps: device discovery, service discovery, and group creation.

Device Discovery

The device discovery process is a function of Wi-Fi Direct. Wi-Fi devices (for example, P2P devices 1 and 2) recognize each other to create a Wi-Fi P2P group (Wi-Fi P2P group) .

A Wi-Fi P2P device (for example, a P2P device shown in FIG. 1) entering a menu to use a Wi-Fi Direct function (or a Wi-Fi P2P function) 1 or P2P device 2) searches the neighboring Wi-Fi devices by repeating channel scan, listen, and search of IEEE 802.11 for a predetermined time period.

The basic operation of the device search procedure performed during the creation of the Wi-Fi P2P group is performed by exchanging the probe request and the probe response messages of the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol. The probe request includes information such as the P2P IE, the WSC IE, and the Supp Reg IE, and the probe response includes the P2P IE, the WSC IE, the RSN IE, and the Supp Reg IE.

Service Discovery

The service search can be performed between the above-described searching process and a group creating process to be described later, and can be selectively performed. The service search process is a function of exchanging information about services that each P2P device can provide by confirming service protocols and services that each Wi-Fi device providing a Wi-Fi direct function can support through exchange of a request message and a response message Lt; / RTI >

Assuming that the P2P device 1 is a camera and the P2P device 2 is a printer, for example, when a user of the P2P device 1 wishes to output a picture, the P2P device 1 needs to check whether the P2P device 2 supports the picture output function It is possible to check whether or not the P2P device 2 can print the picture through the service search.

Create group

Wi-Fi devices (for example, P2P device 1 and P2P device 2) perform Provision Discovery in order to create a Wi-Fi direct Wi-Fi P2P group, It is one of the features.

In order to utilize the functions of Wi-Fi Direct, P2P devices basically operate based on Wi-Fi Simple Configuration (WSC) (for example, based on Wi-Fi Protected Setup) , The WSC support of the connection device is optional but is mandatory in Wi-Fi Direct.

WPS, which is one of the specifications of WSC, has a push button configuration method in which a button is pressed and a pin method in which a pin number is input. In the case of a PBC method and a pin method, There was. For example, in the PBC scheme, the WSC registration protocol is started when the WPS button is input in the partner device within 120 seconds after requesting the wireless connection through the PBC scheme in one of the devices, and the SSID (service set identifier) and the credential (including information such as credentials, authentication type, encryption type, network key, and ssid as a sum of cryptographic information).

In order to improve the inconvenience of such a conventional WSC (or WPS), a standard newly defined in Wi-Fi Direct is a Provision Discovery method, and a predetermined Wi-Fi P2P device (for example, P2P device 1) Fi P2P device (for example, P2P device 2), a WSC Configuration Method message indicating that a connection is attempted when a connection is attempted through a conventional WSC (PBC method or PIN method) is transmitted to another Wi-Fi P2P And notifies the user of the device. The WSC Configuration Method message includes PBC, PIN from Display, and PIN from Keypad, where PBC is a button for users of other Wi-Fi P2P devices, and from Display and PIN from Keypad is a pin number for other Wi-Fi P2P devices Or an event that receives a pin number, may inform the user of another Wi-Fi P2P device that a Wi-Fi direct connection is requested.

When the user of the P2P device 1 and the P2P device 2 accept the Wi-Fi direct connection and the provision discovery is completed, a group owner negotiation process is performed between the Wi-Fi devices. Because WiFi Direct requires the decision (or setting) of the group owner (GO) to play a central role in the Wi-Fi P2P group being created, the WiFi Direct is responsible for the group owner A group owner negotiation process is required to determine a Wi-Fi device to be used. The group owner negotiation process is performed by exchanging a GO Negotiation Request, a GO Negotiation Response, and a GO Negotiation Confirm frame. The GO Negotiation Request and the GO Negotiation Response include the P2P IE information and the WSC IE information. The field of the P2P IE includes information such as P2P Capability, P2P Device Info, Group Owner Intent, Configuration Timeout, Listen Channel, Extended Listen Timing, Intended P2P Interface Address, Channel List and Operating Channel attributes, Field includes a DEVICE PASSWORD ID, a MANUFACTURER, a MODEL NAME, a MODEL NUMBER, a SERIAL NUMBER, and a DEVICE NAME.

The P2P device 1 and the P2P device 2 compare the Intent value included in the P2P IE and determine that the device having a large intent value is GO (Group Onwer), and the device having a small intent value is the GC ( Group Client). When P2P device 1 and P2P device 2 are determined as GO and GC, the group owner negotiation process is completed. The device set as the group owner operates as the WSC registrar and the device set as the group client operates as the WSC Enrollee, ) Is completed, the group setting process for forming the Wi-Fi P2P group is completed.

Then, when the group forming process is completed, the device of the group owner moves to the operating channel to start the role as the group owner, and the device of the group client accesses the group owner through the credentials confirmed through provisioning, Two P2P devices are connected to the Wi-Fi P2P group.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment of the present invention, the portable terminal is assumed to be a Wi-Fi device.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the portable terminal is an electronic device that can be easily carried by the portable device. The portable terminal may be a video phone, a mobile phone, a smart phone, an International Mobile Telecommunication 2000 (IMT-2000) terminal, a WCDMA terminal, a Universal Mobile Telecommunication Service terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player), a DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) terminal, an E-Book terminal, a portable computer (notebook, have. The portable terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The wireless transceiver 223 includes an RF unit and a modem. The RF unit includes an RF transmitter for up-converting and amplifying the frequency of the transmitted signal, and an RF receiver for low-noise amplifying the received signal and down-converting the frequency. A modem (MODEM) includes a transmitter for encoding and modulating a signal to be transmitted, and a receiver for demodulating and decoding a signal received by the RF unit.

The audio processing unit 225 may constitute a codec, and the codec includes a data codec and an audio codec. The data codec processes packet data and the audio codec processes audio signals such as voice and multimedia files. The audio processor 225 converts an analog audio signal received from the modem into an analog audio signal through the audio codec or converts the analog audio signal generated from the microphone into a digital audio signal through the audio codec and transmits the digital audio signal to the modem Function. The codec may be provided separately or may be included in the controller 210.

The key input unit 227 may include keys necessary for inputting numeric and character information, and function keys or a touch pad necessary for setting various functions. The key input unit 227 may include only a predetermined minimum key and the display unit 250 may include a key input function of the key input unit 227, Can be partially replaced.

The memory 230 may include a program memory and data memories, and a program for controlling general operations of the portable terminal is stored in the program memory. The memory 230 further includes an external memory such as Compact Flash (CF), Secure Digital (SD), Micro Secure Digital (SD), Mini Secure Digital (SD-SD) You may. In addition, the memory 230 may include a disk such as a hard disk drive (HDD) and a solid state disk (SSD).

The Wi-Fi module 240 provides a short-range wireless communication function according to the IEEE 802.11 standard. The Wi-Fi module 40 according to the embodiment of the present invention satisfies the specification of Wi-Fi direct and provides a function of exchanging data between portable terminals in a Wi-Fi P2P group formed through a Wi-Fi direct function can do. In addition, since the Wi-Fi module 40 according to the embodiment of the present invention satisfies the specification of Wi-Fi direct, it is possible to provide the existing legacy Wi-Fi function (for example, have.

The display unit 250 may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic light emitting diode (PMOLED or AMOLED) as an organic light emitting diode (OLED), and outputs various display information generated from the portable terminal. The display unit 250 may include a touch screen such as an electrostatic type (or electrostatic capacity type) or a pressure sensitive type, and may operate as an input unit for controlling the portable terminal together with the key input unit 227.

The control unit 210 controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention and can switch and control the operation of the mobile terminal according to a user input inputted through the key input unit 227 or the display unit 250 have. The control unit 210 according to the embodiment of the present invention enters a group owner mode of Wi-Fi direct when it is determined that activation of the WPS is requested, and when the user enters the group owner mode, the control unit 210 operates in a WPS registrar mode The method comprising the steps of: entering a WPS session mode in which a WPS session mode is activated and a device in which an AP (Access Point) or a group owner mode in which a WPS session in the WPS registrar mode is activated is active; The WPS registrar mode and the group owner mode are deactivated and the WPS session for operating in the WPS enrollee mode is activated to access the discovered AP, The corresponding operation can be performed.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a WiFi connection process according to a WPS activation request according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

In step S301-S303, if it is determined that activation of the WPS is requested, the control unit 210 enters the WPS direct mode Group Owner mode and controls the WPS session mode to enter the WPS session mode that can operate in the WPS registrar mode.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the Wi-Fi connection includes a legacy Wi-Fi that performs wireless communication through an AP connection, and a Wi-Fi direct that can form another Wi-Fi device and a Wi-Fi P2P group.

When the user confirms that the WPS PBC button or the WPS PIN is requested through the key input unit 227 or the display unit 250 and the WPS is enabled, the control unit 210 displays the group owner of Wi-Fi direct The group owner (GO) mode is activated to obtain the group owner (GO) authority. After acquiring the group owner right, the control unit 210 controls the WPS session to activate the WPS session so that the wireless terminal can operate in the WPS registrar mode (registrar mode) at the time of Wi-Fi connection.

For example, by controlling the WPS session that can operate in the WPS registrar mode to enter the active mode, the control unit 210 controls various communication parameters (SSID, frequency channel, authentication method, Cryptosystem, cryptographic key, etc.) to another apparatus.

In step S304-S306, the control unit 210 searches for the existence of an AP in which the WPS session in the WPS registrar mode is activated or a device in which the group owner mode is activated (for example, a portable terminal) The WPS session in the WPS Registrar mode is terminated and the GO mode is disabled, and then the WPS session is activated to operate in the WPS Enrolllee mode.

In step S304, the controller 210 searches for a device capable of performing Wi-Fi communication through a channel scanning method (IEEE 802.11 scan mode) defined in the IEEE 802.11 specification, and searches for various communication parameters (SSID , A frequency channel, an authentication method, an encryption method, an encryption key, and the like), thereby searching for an AP (e.g., a Wi-Fi device operating as an AP) in which a WPS session in the WPS registrar mode is activated.

Also, in step S304, the controller 210 can confirm the device having the GO (Group Owner) right (the group owner mode is activated) through the message exchange of the probe request and the probe response described in FIG. 1 of Wi-Fi direct. This is because the SSID has a characteristic prefix (prefix) when the discovered device has the group owner right.

If it is determined in step S304 that the AP having the WPS session activated in the WPS registrar mode is found, the controller 210 controls the WPS session and the group owner mode activated in steps S302-S303 to be deactivated. Then, in steps S305-S306, the control unit 210 activates a WPS session in which a Wi-Fi device (e.g., a mobile terminal) operates in a WPS enrollee mode and searches for a WPS session in the WPS registrar mode To the active AP). That is, in steps S305-S306, the control unit 210 accesses the AP and controls the legacy WiFi function to provide a wireless communication function.

Through the steps S304-S306, the embodiment of the present invention provides an invention capable of connecting both legacy Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi direct through a connection method using WPS, Of legacy WiFi functionality.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S304 that the apparatus having the GO authority (for example, the apparatus in which the Group Onwer mode is activated) is found to have been searched, the controller 210 determines the group owner of Wi-Fi direct in step S307, So as to form a Wi-Fi P2P group corresponding to the result.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the WPS connection method (for example, the PBC method), which has been applied only when using the existing legacy WiFi, is utilized for utilizing the WIFI direct. Thus, when the WPS connection is requested, The group owner mode is automatically activated. The embodiment of the present invention provides a legacy Wi-Fi function through a WPS connection when the AP is searched in step S304, and provides a Wi-Fi direct function when the group owner (GO) is searched in step S304.

Accordingly, when a device having GO authority is searched in the result of step S304, it is determined whether a device (GO owner) to operate as a GO (group owner) among the portable terminal and the discovered device (having GO authority) according to the embodiment of the present invention The process of selecting a group owner must be accompanied.

Meanwhile, the group owner setting process described with reference to FIG. 1 has described an example in which a group owner is determined by comparing intent values of Wi-Fi devices. However, the mobile terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention already has a group owner right in step S302 , The group owner device searched in step S304 has the group owner right even if it is a name. Therefore, in step S307, the present invention needs to reset the group owner between the two apparatuses as the group owner.

Meanwhile, the Wi-Fi Direct specification stipulates that the SSID name of a corresponding Wi-Fi device should have a Direct-xy prefix so that the Wi-Fi Direct device can distinguish it from an existing legacy Wi-Fi AP when the group owner operates.

Accordingly, in step S307, the control unit 210 uses the prefix Direct-xy, which is a prefix prefixed to the SSID name, to determine Group Ownership. Since the prefix Direct- The group owner is determined by comparing xy values.

For example, if the mobile terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention obtains the group owner right in step S302 and has the SSID name of direct-10, the device found to have the group owner right in step S304 is the SSID name of direct-09 The controller 210 can set the group owner by comparing the value of 10 and the value of 09. [ For example, when a device having a high xy value is set to have the group owner right, the mobile terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention having a value of 10 acquires the group owner right, The device obtains the authority of the group client. In this case, although a device having a prefix of a large value is described as having a group owner right, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that a device having a prefix of a small value has a group owner right.

When the group owner is determined through comparison of the prefixes, a Wi-Fi direct Wi-Fi P2P group is formed correspondingly. For example, when the portable terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention acquires the group owner right, the controller 210 controls the portable terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention to maintain the WPS session so as to operate as a registrar, The device discovered as having the group owner right is reset to the group client and operates as Enrollee.

That is, the portable terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention has the authority of the group owner, and the devices found to have the group owner authority in step S304 have authority of the group client, exchange the credentials with each other, P2P group.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of example, It is to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.

Claims (10)

A Wi-Fi connection method using Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) in a wireless terminal,
If it is determined that the activation of the WPS is requested, a process of entering the group owner mode of Wi-Fi direct,
Entering a WPS session mode capable of operating in a WPS registrar mode upon entering the group owner mode,
Searching for an AP (Access Point) in which a WPS session in the WPS Registrar mode is activated or a device in which a group owner mode is activated exists,
If the WPS registrar mode of the search result is found, the WPS registrar mode and the group owner mode are deactivated, the WPS session to operate in the WPS enrollee mode is activated, The method comprising the steps of:
The method according to claim 1,
Determining a group owner of the Wi-Fi direct from among the portable terminal and the searched device when the device having the group owner mode activated is found as a result of the search, and forming a Wi-Fi P2P group corresponding to the determination result Wifi connection method.
The method of claim 2, wherein the forming of the WiFi P2P group comprises:
Comparing the prefix of the SSID name of the portable terminal and the prefix of the SSID name of the searched device when the device having the group owner mode activated is searched for as a result of the search,
And forming the Wi-Fi P2P group according to a comparison result of the prefix.
The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the forming of the WiFi P2P group comprises:
And a step in which a device corresponding to a prefix having a large value among the prefix of the SSID name of the portable terminal and the prefix of the SSID name of the searched device obtains a group owner right to form the WiFi P2P group Wifi connection method.
The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the forming of the WiFi P2P group comprises:
And a step in which the device corresponding to the prefix having a smaller value among the prefix of the SSID name of the portable terminal and the prefix of the SSID name of the searched device acquires the group owner right to form the WiFi P2P group Wifi connection method.
A Wi-Fi connection apparatus using a Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) in a portable terminal,
A Wi-Fi module for providing a short-range wireless communication function conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard,
A key input unit or a display unit receiving a key input of a user,
If it is determined that activation of the WPS is requested through the key input unit or the display unit, the WPS enters a WPS session mode that can operate in a WPS registrar mode after entering a group owner mode of Wi-Fi direct, The WPS registrar mode and the group owner mode are disabled if an access point (AP) in which the WPS session of the WPS session is activated or a device in which the group owner mode is activated exists, And activating a WPS session for operating in a WPS Enrollee mode to control access to the searched AP.
7. The apparatus of claim 6,
Wherein the control unit determines the group owner of the Wi-Fi direct from among the portable terminal and the searched apparatus when the device having the group owner mode activated is found as a result of the search, and controls to form a Wi-Fi P2P group corresponding to the determination result Device.
8. The apparatus of claim 7,
If the device having the group owner mode activated is searched, the mobile terminal compares the prefix of the SSID name of the portable terminal and the prefix of the SSID name of the searched device,
And controls to form the Wi-Fi P2P group according to the comparison result of the prefix.
9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the device corresponding to the prefix having a large value among the prefix of the SSID name of the portable terminal and the prefix of the SSID name of the searched device obtains the group owner right to form the WiFi P2P group. .
9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the device corresponding to the prefix having a smaller value among the prefix of the SSID name of the portable terminal and the prefix of the SSID name of the searched device obtains the group owner right to form the WiFi P2P group. .

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