WO2022190313A1 - 通信装置及び通信方法 - Google Patents
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Definitions
- the present disclosure relates to communication devices and communication methods.
- a technology is known that uses the communication function of a communication device (master device) to connect a terminal device (slave device) to an upstream network.
- a technology called tethering is known, in which a terminal device such as a camera or a tablet connects to an upstream network using the communication function of a communication device such as a smartphone.
- a communication device that performs tethering establishes multiple communication paths, one for connecting to an upstream network, and the other for connecting to a terminal device.
- Techniques for selecting an optimum communication path in a device that establishes a plurality of communication paths in this way are known.
- a wired (cable) communication path using USB (Universal Serial Bus) or Ethernet (registered trademark) is often selected.
- NR New Radio
- millimeter waves from 52.6 GHz to 110 GHz
- millimeter waves Compared to the 2 GHz band currently used for cellular, millimeter waves have a higher propagation loss and higher straightness. Therefore, if a cable is used to connect the communication device and the terminal device, the cable may shield millimeter waves. In this way, if the communication path of the upstream network using millimeter waves is shielded by the cable that connects the communication device and the terminal device, there is a risk that the communication quality of the upstream network will be degraded.
- the present disclosure provides a mechanism that enables tethering with more optimal communication quality even when dependencies occur in upstream/downstream networks.
- a communication device includes a first communication section, a second communication section, and a control section.
- the first communication unit performs wireless communication via the upper communication path.
- the second communication unit communicates with the terminal device via a selected communication path, which is one of a plurality of lower communication paths including a wireless communication path and a wired communication path.
- the control unit detects whether or not the communication using the selected communication channel affects the upper communication channel, and if it detects that the upper communication channel is affected, the plurality of lower communication channels and the upper communication channel are detected. and the communication states of the upper communication channel and the lower communication channel included in the combination.
- FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a communication system according to proposed technology of the present disclosure
- FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining communication of a communication system according to proposed technology of the present disclosure
- FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining communication of a communication system according to proposed technology of the present disclosure
- FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a screen presented to a user by a master device according to the proposed technique of the present disclosure
- FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a parent device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. FIG. 4 is a chart describing an example of dependency information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. FIG. 4 is a chart describing an example of dependency information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 4 is a chart describing an example of dependency information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 4 is a chart describing an example of dependency information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. FIG. 4 is a chart describing an example of dependency information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. FIG. 4 is a chart showing another example of dependency information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of presentation information presented to a user by a prediction result display unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining another example of presentation information presented to the user by the prediction result display unit according to the embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining another example of presentation information presented to the user by the prediction result display unit according to the embodiment of the present disclosure
- 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a slave device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of update processing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
- 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of presentation processing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a parent device according to Modification 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 7 is a chart for explaining an example of dependency information according to Modification 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 11 is a chart for explaining another example of dependency information according to Modification 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. FIG. 11 is a chart for explaining another example of dependency information according to Modification 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. FIG. 11 is a chart for explaining another example of dependency information according to Modification 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of update processing according to Modification 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a parent device according to Modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a slave device according to Modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of capability information according to Modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. FIG. 11 is a chart showing an example of dependency information according to modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of capability information according to modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 11 is a chart showing another example of dependency information according to modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 11 is a chart showing another example of dependency information according to modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. FIG. 11 is a chart showing another example of dependency information according to modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of update processing according to modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of presentation processing according to Modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a parent device according to Modification 3 of the embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 11 is
- FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a communication system 1 according to proposed technology of the present disclosure.
- the communication system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a communication device 100 and a terminal device 200.
- the terminal device 200 uses the communication function of the communication device 100 to connect to an upstream network (hereinafter also referred to as an upper NW (Network)).
- NW Network
- the communication system 1 has a tethering function.
- the communication device 100 connects to an upper NW by wireless communication via an upper communication path, such as a smartphone or a mobile terminal.
- the communication device 100 connects to the upper NW by communicating with the base station 300 via the antenna 112_1.
- the upper NW is, for example, a cellular network.
- the communication device 100 connects to an upper NW by communicating with an access point (not shown).
- the upper NW is, for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark).
- the communication device 100 connects to the upper NW by wireless communication via one of the plurality of upper communication paths.
- the communication device 100 communicates with the terminal device 200 via one of a plurality of lower communication channels including wireless communication channels or wired communication channels.
- a network between the communication device 100 and the terminal device 200 is also referred to as a downstream network or a lower NW.
- the communication device 100 is connected to the terminal device 200 by a USB cable. communication with the terminal device 200 based on the x standard.
- the lower NW is not limited to USB, and may be, for example, a wired network such as Ethernet (registered trademark), or a wireless network such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark). good too.
- the terminal device 200 is, for example, a camera, a tablet, etc., and is connected to the upper NW via the communication device 100.
- the communication device 100 is also referred to as the parent device 100 hereinafter.
- the terminal device 200 is also described as a child device 200. FIG.
- the quality and speed of each communication are also improving. Therefore, the communication quality enjoyed by slave device 200 as a lower NW is also improved.
- the quality and speed of communication are improved by shifting USB from USB 3.0 to USB 3.1 and Wi-Fi (registered trademark) from 802.11ac to 802.11ax.
- a cable connection such as USB or Ethernet (registered trademark) is likely to be selected as the lower NW.
- base unit 100 can use millimeter waves for communication on the upper NW. Millimeter waves have a strong linearity and large propagation loss due to shielding.
- FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining communication of the communication system 1 according to the proposed technology of the present disclosure.
- base unit 100 connects to the upper NW using millimeter waves, it communicates using an antenna corresponding to the position of base station 300 that performs communication. For example, in FIG. 2, since base device 100 is used horizontally, base device 100 communicates with base station 300 using antenna 112_2 instead of antenna 112_1 (see FIG. 1).
- the cable acts as a shield, preventing master device 100 and base station 300 from being separated from each other. communication quality may be degraded.
- the upper NW is Wi-Fi (registered trademark)
- master device 100 selects Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark) as the lower NW
- a frequency band close to the frequency band used by the upper NW for example, 2.4 GHz
- the frequency band used by the upper NW and the frequency band used by the lower NW are close to each other, interference will occur, degrading the communication quality of the upper NW and the lower NW.
- base device 100 selects a lower communication channel in consideration of the usability and quality of the lower communication channel with child device 200, the communication quality of the upper communication channel is degraded due to the influence of the lower communication channel, resulting in higher communication.
- the communication quality of both the channel and the lower channel deteriorates.
- the selection of the lower NW degrades the quality of upper NW communication. In this way, there may be a dependency relationship between the lower NW and the upper NW.
- the communication quality does not deteriorate in the upper NW communication alone, the user is less likely to notice the dependency relationship between the upper NW and the lower NW and the resulting deterioration in communication quality. Therefore, there is a problem that the user is less likely to notice that the communication quality is improved by using another communication path that does not have or has a small dependency relationship as the lower NW.
- master device 100 determines whether the currently operating upper NW and lower NW are in a dependent relationship, specifically, whether the lower NW affects communication of the upper NW. to detect Such detection is performed, for example, on the basis of dependency information held in advance by master device 100 .
- master device 100 When master device 100 detects that there is a dependency relationship, master device 100 estimates the communication state of the communication channel for each combination of the upper communication channel and the lower communication channel. Such estimation includes detection of communication quality of currently used upper and lower communication channels and estimation of communication quality of unused upper and lower communication channels. Further, hereinafter, when simply describing a communication channel, unless otherwise specified, it means a communication channel combining a higher-level communication channel and a lower-level communication channel.
- the parent device 100 communicates with the child device 200 using one of a plurality of lower communication channels including wireless communication channels and wired communication channels. Therefore, when master device 100 detects that the upper communication channel and the lower communication channel are in a dependent relationship, the lower communication channel currently used for connection with child device 200 (which of the plurality of lower communication channels is 1) communication quality is detected. In addition, master device 100 estimates the communication quality of the lower communication channels (remaining communication channels among the plurality of lower communication channels) that can be used for connection with child device 200 .
- the master device 100 uses a cellular network as the upper NW and a USB wired network as the lower NW.
- the USB cable degrades the communication quality of the upper NW, thereby degrading the communication quality of the lower NW.
- the parent device 100 detects the dependency relationship between the upper NW and the lower NW. Therefore, master device 100 detects the current communication quality of the cellular network and the communication quality of USB communication.
- master device 100 estimates the communication quality of a communication path that can be selected as a lower NW, for example. As described above, master device 100 can select a plurality of communication paths such as Ethernet (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and Wi-Fi (registered trademark) as a lower NW with child device 200 .
- Ethernet registered trademark
- Bluetooth registered trademark
- Wi-Fi registered trademark
- FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining communication of the communication system 1 according to the proposed technology of the present disclosure.
- master device 100 when master device 100 communicates with slave device 200 using Wi-Fi (registered trademark), master device 100 does not use a cable that interferes with communication on the upper NW.
- the communication quality of the upper NW is less likely to be affected as compared with the case of connecting using the network. Therefore, it is presumed that the communication quality of the lower NW will be better than when USB is used.
- base device 100 estimates the communication quality of Wi-Fi (registered trademark) as a lower communication channel that can be selected as a lower NW has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this.
- Base device 100 estimates the communication quality of a plurality of lower-layer communication channels.
- master device 100 also estimates the communication quality of lower communication channels such as Ethernet (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark) that can be selected as the lower NW.
- master device 100 estimates the communication quality of the upper NW and a plurality of lower communication channels. As a result, master device 100 can switch to a lower communication channel estimated to have good communication quality, or can propose switching to the user. Thereby, the communication system 1 can further improve the communication quality between the handset 200 and the base station 300 .
- FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a screen presented to the user by master device 100 according to the proposed technique of the present disclosure.
- Base device 100 presents the user with information about the communication quality when the lower communication channel is switched.
- master device 100 presents information indicating that the communication quality of upper NW is degraded and the communication quality of slave device 200 is degraded when USB is used as the lower communication channel.
- master device 100 presents information indicating that when Ethernet (registered trademark) is used as a lower communication path, the communication quality of the upper NW is degraded and the communication quality of slave device 200 is degraded. . Further, when the base device 100 uses Wi-Fi (registered trademark) as the lower communication channel, the communication quality of the upper NW does not change (that is, does not decrease), and the communication quality of the child device 200 does not change ( (i.e., does not decrease) is presented.
- Ethernet registered trademark
- Wi-Fi registered trademark
- the master device 100 presents the user with information regarding the communication quality of a plurality of lower communication channels, thereby enabling the user to select a lower communication channel with better communication quality.
- master device 100 prompts the user to switch the lower communication channel by presenting information about the communication quality of the lower communication channel to the user.
- the lower communication channel may be switched based on. In this case, a lower communication channel with better communication quality can be selected without bothering the user.
- Base device 100 is a communication device that communicates with other communication devices such as base station 300 , access point, and child device 200 .
- Base device 100 has a tethering function (tethering host function), and relays access to host NW by child device 200 .
- the master device 100 is, for example, a mobile phone, a smart device (smartphone or tablet), a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or a personal computer.
- the base device 100 may be an imaging device (for example, a camcorder) equipped with a communication function, or may be a motorcycle, mobile relay vehicle, or the like equipped with a communication device such as an FPU (Field Pickup Unit). good too.
- master device 100 may be an M2M (Machine to Machine) device or an IoT (Internet of Things) device.
- Base device 100 may be a router having multiple communication paths.
- master device 100 may be capable of LPWA communication with other communication devices (eg, base station 300, access point, and slave device 200).
- wireless communication used by base device 100 may be wireless communication using millimeter waves.
- the wireless communication used by master device 100 may be wireless communication using radio waves, or wireless communication using infrared rays or visible light (optical wireless).
- master device 100 performs wireless communication with base station device 300 or an access point using millimeter waves.
- the parent device 100 performs wireless communication or wired communication with the child device 200 using radio waves, infrared rays, or visible light.
- the master device 100 may be a mobile device.
- a mobile device is a mobile wireless communication device.
- master device 100 may be a wireless communication device installed in a mobile object, or may be the mobile object itself.
- master device 100 may be a vehicle that moves on a road, such as an automobile, bus, truck, or motorcycle, or a wireless communication device mounted on the vehicle.
- the moving object may be a mobile terminal, or a moving object that moves on land, underground, on water, or in water.
- the mobile object may be a mobile object such as a drone, a helicopter, or the like that moves in the atmosphere, or a mobile object that moves outside the atmosphere, such as an artificial satellite.
- Master device 100 may communicate with multiple base stations or multiple cells at the same time. For example, when one base station supports a communication area through multiple cells (for example, pCell, sCell), carrier aggregation (CA: Carrier Aggregation) technology and dual connectivity (DC: Dual Connectivity) technology,
- CA Carrier Aggregation
- DC Dual Connectivity
- the multi-connectivity (MC) technology enables communication between the base station and the base unit 100 by bundling the plurality of cells.
- base unit 100 it is also possible for base unit 100 to communicate with a plurality of base stations via cells of different base stations by CoMP (Coordinated Multi-Point Transmission and Reception) technology.
- CoMP Coordinatd Multi-Point Transmission and Reception
- FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the parent device 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.
- master device 100 includes communication unit 110 , storage unit 120 , input/output unit 130 , and control unit 140 .
- the configuration shown in FIG. 5 is a functional configuration, and the hardware configuration may differ from this. Also, the functions of the master device 100 may be distributed and implemented in a plurality of physically separated configurations.
- the communication unit 110 has first to N-th communication units 111_1 to 111_N (N is a natural number).
- the n-th communication unit 111_n is a network interface.
- the n-th communication unit 111_n is a LAN (Local Area Network) interface such as a NIC (Network Interface Card).
- the n-th communication unit 111 — n may be a wired interface or a wireless interface.
- the n-th communication unit 111 — n functions as communication means of the parent device 100 .
- the n-th communication unit 111 — n communicates with the child device 200 and the base station 300 under the control of the control unit 140 .
- the communication unit 110 uses one of the first to Nth communication units 111_1 to 111_N (for example, the Lth communication unit 111_L (L is a natural number from 1 to N)). 300 (see FIG. 1).
- the Lth communication unit 111_L functions as an upper communication unit.
- an upper communication path is formed between the L-th communication unit 111_L and the base station 300 .
- the communication unit 110 follows an instruction from the control unit 140 and uses one of the first to Nth communication units 111_1 to 111_N (for example, the Mth communication unit 111_M (M is a natural number from 1 to N)). 200 (see FIG. 2).
- the Mth communication unit 111_M functions as a lower communication unit.
- a lower communication path is formed between the M-th communication unit 111_M and the child device 200 .
- the storage unit 120 is a data readable/writable storage device such as a DRAM, an SRAM, a flash memory, or a hard disk. Storage unit 120 functions as storage means for master device 100 .
- the storage unit 120 stores, for example, a communication path dependency/communication quality information database (DB: Date table) 121 .
- the communication channel dependency/communication quality information database 121 is a database that stores, for example, dependency relationships between upper and lower communication channels and information on the communication quality of each communication channel (hereinafter also referred to as dependency information or influence information). be.
- the dependent information includes information on the communication quality of the upper and lower communication channels.
- the dependency information is obtained in advance by, for example, simulations and experiments during development, and is stored in the communication path dependency/communication quality information database 121 of the storage unit 120 by the time of shipment.
- FIG. 6 to 9 are diagrams illustrating examples of dependency information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 6 shows an example of dependency information when the upper communication path is Ethernet (registered trademark).
- FIG. 7 shows an example of dependency information when the upper communication channel is BT (Bluetooth (registered trademark)).
- FIG. 8 shows an example of dependency information when the upper communication channel is WLAN such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark).
- FIG. 9 shows an example of dependent information when the upper communication channel is cellular.
- FIGS. 6 to 9 show the case of Eth (Ethernet (registered trademark)), USB, BT (Bluetooth (registered trademark)), and WLAN as lower communication channels.
- FIGS. 6 to 9 show the degree of throughput deterioration during tethering as compared to non-tethering.
- Non-tethering means communication using the upper communication channel without using the lower communication channel, and communication using both the upper and lower communication channels during tethering. means.
- the priority connection has a throughput deterioration degree of "-30%" because, for example, the millimeter wave is shielded by the cable, which may affect the cellular communication channel, which is the upper communication channel.
- the control unit 140 determines the communication channel dependency/ Refer to the dependency information in the communication quality information database 121 . Based on the reference result, the control unit 140 detects whether or not the lower communication channel affects the upper communication channel, that is, whether or not the upper NW and the lower NW are in a dependent relationship. Also, the dependent information is used by the control unit 140 to detect and estimate the communication quality of each communication channel. Details of dependency detection and communication quality detection and estimation by the control unit 140 will be described later.
- the communication path dependency/communication quality information database 121 stores dependency information for each upper communication path here, the present invention is not limited to this.
- the dependency information shown in FIGS. 6 to 9 may be collectively stored in the communication path dependency/communication quality information database 121 as one piece of information.
- the communication path dependency/communication quality information database 121 stores the dependency in association with the lower communication path for each bearer such as cellular or WLAN as the upper communication path, but the present invention is not limited to this.
- the categories of upper-level communication channels that are associated with lower-level communication channels include the following.
- the communication channel dependency/communication quality information database 121 stores, for example, one or a combination of the following dependencies in association with lower communication channels.
- categories include physical layer information such as frequency bands and channels used by each communication channel, signal strength, and communication standards/protocols and methods.
- Communication standards include, for example, 802.11b/g/n/ax and WDCMA (registered trademark)/LTE/NR.
- the communication path dependency/communication quality information database 121 may store the dependency in association with the lower communication path for each of these communication standards.
- the categories include SSID (Service Set Identifier), BSSID (Basic Service Set Identifier), cell/adjacent cell information, and connection destination information such as the MAC address of the connection destination.
- SSID Service Set Identifier
- BSSID Basic Service Set Identifier
- cell/adjacent cell information cell/adjacent cell information
- connection destination information such as the MAC address of the connection destination.
- the control unit 140 can detect the dependency state at a more practical timing. For example, if the upper communication channel is cellular, and if a predetermined antenna module is used, the control unit 140 can detect the dependency with finer timing. can be done. Alternatively, in the case where the host communication path is WLAN, and a predetermined frequency band (for example, 2.4 GHz band) is used, a dependency relationship with Bluetooth (registered trademark) occurs in the same way.
- a predetermined frequency band for example, 2.4 GHz band
- FIGS. 6 to 9 show cases where the degree of throughput deterioration is used as an index as dependent information, but the present invention is not limited to this.
- the degree of deterioration of communication quality such as delay, jitter, and packet loss rate may be used as an index of the dependency information.
- index of dependency information a specific numerical value (for example, 100 Mbps in the case of throughput) may be used in addition to a relative value such as the degree of deterioration.
- a higher-level index such as the time required to download data of a predetermined size such as a 1 GB file, or profile and level information associated with a particular video compression standard, may be used.
- a video compression standard for example, H.264. 264 Baseline 4.1, 5 and the like.
- FIG. 10 is a chart showing another example of dependency information according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 10 shows a case where the cellular of the upper communication channel is more subdivided than in FIGS. Also, FIG. 10 shows a case where uplink throughput is used as an index of dependency information.
- the upper communication channel and lower communication are divided into the frequency band used (millimeter wave or Other) and the antenna modules used (Main Ant #1, #2). are associated with roads.
- the column where the lower communication channel is "none" shows the throughput when not tethered.
- the throughput is 300 Mbps regardless of the type of lower communication channel.
- the upper communication channel is millimeter wave cellular communication using Main Ant#1
- the throughput is 800 Mbps regardless of the type of the lower communication channel. In this case, it indicates that there is no dependency relationship between the upper communication channel and the lower communication channel.
- the throughput is 600 Mbps when wired connection (Eth (Ethernet (registered trademark)) and USB) is selected as the lower communication channel. is.
- the throughput is 800 Mbps during non-tethering (when the lower communication channel is "none") or when WLAN is selected as the lower communication channel.
- dependency information may be updated by the control unit 140, which will be described later.
- the control unit 140 updates the dependency information according to the communication path information and communication quality calculated when the actual communication is performed. The details of updating the dependency information will be described later.
- the input/output unit 130 is a user interface for exchanging information with the user.
- the input/output unit 130 is an operation device such as a keyboard, mouse, operation keys, touch panel, etc. for the user to perform various operations.
- the input/output unit 130 is a display device (display unit) such as a liquid crystal display (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL display (Organic Electroluminescence Display).
- the input/output unit 130 may be an audio device such as a speaker or buzzer.
- the input/output unit 130 may be a lighting device such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) lamp.
- Input/output unit 130 functions as input/output means (input means, output means, operation means, notification means, or display means) of master device 100 .
- Control unit 140 is a controller that controls each unit of master device 100 .
- the control unit 140 is implemented by a processor such as a CPU or MPU, for example.
- control unit 140 is realized by the processor executing various programs stored in the storage device inside master device 100 using RAM or the like as a work area.
- the control unit 140 may be implemented by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA.
- CPUs, MPUs, ASICs, and FPGAs can all be considered controllers.
- the control unit 140 may be realized by a GPU in addition to or instead of the CPU.
- the control unit 140 includes a communication channel information collection unit 141, a communication quality estimation unit 142, a dependence state estimation unit 143, and a prediction result display unit 144.
- Each block (communication path information collection unit 141 to prediction result display unit 144) constituting the control unit 140 is a functional block indicating the function of the control unit 140.
- FIG. These functional blocks may be software blocks or hardware blocks.
- each of the functional blocks described above may be one software module realized by software (including microprograms), or may be one circuit block on a semiconductor chip (die). Of course, each functional block may be one processor or one integrated circuit.
- the control unit 140 may be configured by functional units different from the functional blocks described above. The configuration method of the functional blocks is arbitrary.
- the communication channel information collection unit 141 acquires communication channel information regarding communication channels from the communication unit 110 .
- the communication channel information collection unit 141 outputs the acquired communication channel information to the communication quality estimation unit 142 and the dependency state estimation unit 143 .
- the communication quality estimating unit 142 estimates the communication quality of the communication channel based on the communication channel information about the communication channel collected by the communication channel information collecting unit 141, and obtains the dependency information stored in the communication channel dependence/communication quality information database 121. to update.
- the communication quality estimation unit 142 can estimate the communication quality using, for example, Link Speed information that can be obtained from the link layer of each communication channel that is currently connected, or a theoretical value that is tied to the protocol of each communication channel, as a reference value. For example, when 802.11b/g/n/ax is used as a communication path protocol, the communication quality estimating unit 142 calculates the communication quality using theoretical throughput values of 802.11b/g/n/ax as reference values. to estimate
- the communication quality estimating unit 142 may estimate, for example, using a general throughput theoretical value calculation formula from the signal strength (for example, RSSI (Reference Signal Strength Indicator)) in each communication channel, the used channel, and the frequency bandwidth. good. Also, the communication quality estimation unit 142 may estimate communication quality using Deep Learning for inferring communication quality, for example, using various elements including communication path information as input parameters.
- RSSI Reference Signal Strength Indicator
- the communication quality estimation unit 142 may calculate communication quality from actual communication packets, for example. For example, the communication quality estimation unit 142 calculates throughput from the size per unit time. Alternatively, the communication quality estimation unit 142 may calculate the delay from RTT (Round Trip Time) and the packet loss rate from the number of TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) retransmissions as communication quality, for example.
- RTT Random Trip Time
- TCP Transmission Control Protocol
- the communication quality estimation unit 142 updates the dependence information stored in the communication path dependence/communication quality information database 121 using the estimated or calculated communication quality. Alternatively, the communication quality estimation unit 142 may store the estimated or calculated communication quality in the storage unit 120 as new dependent information.
- the master device 100 can present the user with a more accurate quality estimation result.
- the communication quality enjoyed by the child device 200 has an upper limit of either the upper or lower communication channel, which is the bottleneck.
- the delay is approximated to the sum of the delay between the parent device 100 and the child device 200 and the delay from the parent device 100 to the destination via the upper NW. Therefore, the delay between parent device 100 and child device 200 can have a greater impact on the quality of communication between parent device 100 and child device 200 .
- Measurement of communication quality between parent device 100 and child device 200 includes the total number of IP (Internet Protocol) packets per unit time from a specific port and destination, and direct can be calculated from typical communications. However, in this case, it is assumed that some conditions are satisfied, such as IP packets not being encrypted, NAT (Network Address Translation), or NAPT (Network Address Port Translation).
- IP Internet Protocol
- NAT Network Address Translation
- NAPT Network Address Port Translation
- the communication quality can be calculated using a generic index such as the time required to download data of a predetermined size (hereinafter also referred to as download completion time).
- the communication quality estimator 142 may use L2 information such as MAC address, L3 or higher information such as IPv4/v6, transmission/reception address, port number, TX/RX, etc. as additional information of communication quality.
- the communication quality estimating unit 142 may receive information about each upper layer, for example, H.264, which is video compression standard information. 264/H. H.265 and its associated profile level may be used as additional information. Also, the communication quality estimation unit 142 may perform application identification by Deep Packet Inspection (a.k.a. DPI).
- H.264 which is video compression standard information.
- 264/H. H.265 and its associated profile level may be used as additional information.
- the communication quality estimation unit 142 may perform application identification by Deep Packet Inspection (a.k.a. DPI).
- DPI Deep Packet Inspection
- master device 100 can provide the user with information that matches the quality layer of the higher-level application that is affected by deterioration in communication quality.
- master device 100 can present to the user the FTP transmission throughput of a specific server (not shown) and the resolution/frame rate of moving images.
- the communication quality estimation unit 142 estimates and calculates the communication quality, so that the control unit 140 can handle the communication quality in the user's real environment, such as execution speed and delay, as absolute values. can.
- the control unit 140 can personalize the dependent information in accordance with the user's communication usage status, and can present to the user information on a communication environment that is more optimal for the user.
- the dependence state estimation unit 143 detects the dependence relation between the upper NW and the lower NW at the start of tethering, and estimates the communication states of the upper communication channel and the lower communication channel.
- the dependency state estimation unit 143 outputs the estimation result to the prediction result display unit 144 .
- the dependency state estimation unit 143 detects the upper NW and lower NW used for tethering, for example.
- the dependency state estimation unit 143 refers to the communication path dependency/communication quality information database 121 to detect whether or not the upper NW and the lower NW are in a dependency relationship.
- the dependency state estimating unit 143 refers to any of the dependency information shown in FIGS. 6 to 9 according to the detected upper NW type. Based on the dependency information, the dependency state estimation unit 143 detects the dependency according to whether the throughput is degraded by using the communication path corresponding to the detected lower NW. More specifically, the dependency estimation unit 143 detects the dependency by comparing the degree of throughput deterioration and a predetermined threshold, for example.
- the dependence state estimating unit 143 detects WLAN as the lower communication channel, and the degree of throughput deterioration is “0%”. Detect (see FIG. 9).
- USB is detected as the lower communication path, it detects that there is a dependency relationship between the upper NW and the lower NW because the deterioration degree of throughput is "-30%" (see FIG. 9).
- the dependency state estimation unit 143 estimates the communication state for each combination of a plurality of lower communication channels and at least one upper communication channel.
- the dependence state estimation unit 143 estimates the communication state for each combination, for example, by obtaining the communication quality estimated by the communication quality estimation unit 142 .
- estimation of the communication state may be referred to as estimation of the dependency state.
- the dependency state estimation unit 143 outputs the estimation result to the prediction result display unit 144.
- the prediction result display unit 144 presents information about the dependency state to the user based on the estimation result by the dependency state estimation unit 143 .
- the prediction result display unit 144 presents information about the dependence relationship to the user.
- the prediction result display unit 144 presents the user with information about the upper NW affected by the lower NW. More specifically, the prediction result display unit 144 notifies the user that, for example, the millimeter wave antenna module in use is affected by USB, or that Wi-Fi (registered trademark) is not affected. presented to
- FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of presentation information presented to the user by the prediction result display unit 144 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.
- the prediction result display unit 144 presents to the user a sentence indicating that deterioration of the upper NW has been detected due to the insertion of the USB cable.
- the prediction result display unit 144 may also present a text prompting the user to try another tethering route.
- the user can notice the environment in which the communication quality of tethering deteriorates or does not deteriorate.
- the prediction result display unit 144 may present the presentation information to the user, including the index of the dependency information.
- the prediction result display unit 144 may present communication quality such as throughput and absolute value of delay, download completion time of data of a predetermined size, and the like to the user.
- the prediction result display unit 144 may present to the user the ratio of communication quality that can be improved by switching the lower communication channel.
- FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining another example of presentation information presented to the user by the prediction result display unit 144 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.
- the prediction result display unit 144 presents to the user a sentence indicating that the quality deterioration of tethering (USB/Ethernet (registered trademark) tethering) by wired connection is estimated in the current terminal environment. do. Also, the prediction result display unit 144 presents to the user a sentence indicating that the use of Wi-Fi (registered trademark) tethering may improve the communication quality by about 20%.
- USB/Ethernet registered trademark
- Wi-Fi registered trademark
- the prediction result display unit 144 presents the information on the communication quality index to the user, so that the user can select switching of the communication path based on the specific communication quality information.
- the prediction result display unit 144 may recommend user actions that improve communication quality.
- the user's actions include switching to a predetermined communication channel such as using Wi-Fi (registered trademark) tethering (see FIG. 12), changing the direction and position of the master device 100, and the like.
- prediction result display unit 144 may display base station 300 or change the placement of access points.
- FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining another example of presentation information presented to the user by the prediction result display unit 144 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.
- the prediction result display unit 144 indicates that the wired connection adapter covers the mobile antenna (an example of the antenna module used in the upper communication path) and the orientation of the terminal (master device 100). The user is presented with a sentence that recommends changing the .
- the user can suppress deterioration of communication quality by following instructions from master device 100 without making judgments regarding communication quality by himself/herself.
- the prediction result display unit 144 may present presentation information to the user before communication is performed on the detected upper communication channel and lower communication channel. You may present at the timing which deterioration generate
- the prediction result display unit 144 presents the presentation information when the tethering starts or when the communication quality deteriorates, but the present invention is not limited to this.
- the prediction result display unit 144 may present presentation information to the user in order to prevent deterioration that is not currently occurring. For example, the prediction result display unit 144 may present to the user that changing to a wired connection may degrade communication quality when WLAN is used as the lower communication path. Alternatively, the prediction result display unit 144 may present to the user that the communication quality may deteriorate due to changes in the direction and position of the master device 100, the arrangement of the base station 300 and access points, and the like. .
- the dependency state estimation unit 143 estimates the communication quality for each combination of upper and lower communication channels even if no dependency relationship is detected.
- the dependency information is stored in the storage unit 120 here, it is not limited to this.
- the communication system 1 includes a plurality of communication devices 100 operating as master devices, the plurality of communication devices 100 may share dependency information.
- the communication system 1 may have an information processing device (not shown) that manages dependency information.
- dependency information used by a plurality of communication devices 100 can be managed by one information processing device, for example.
- the information processing device may perform centralized management, such as Federated Learning in Deep Learning, and learn using information collected by a plurality of communication devices 100 to manage and update dependent information.
- Child device 200 is a communication device that communicates with other communication devices such as parent device 100 .
- Child device 200 has a tethering function (tethering client function) and accesses an upstream network via parent device 100 .
- the slave device 200 may have a function of directly accessing the upstream network without going through the master device 100 .
- handset 200 may be directly accessible to a base station or access point.
- the child device 200 is, for example, a mobile phone, smart device (smartphone or tablet), PDA, or personal computer. Further, the child device 200 may be an imaging device (for example, a camcorder) equipped with a communication function, or may be a motorcycle, mobile relay vehicle, or the like equipped with a communication device such as an FPU. Also, the slave device 200 may be an M2M device or an IoT device. Child device 200 may be a router.
- the slave device 200 may be capable of LPWA communication with another communication device (eg, the master device 100). Also, the wireless communication used by the slave device 200 may be wireless communication using millimeter waves. The wireless communication used by the slave device 200 may be wireless communication using radio waves, or wireless communication using infrared rays or visible light (optical wireless).
- the child device 200 may be a mobile device.
- a mobile device is a mobile wireless communication device.
- the slave device 200 may be a wireless communication device installed in the mobile body, or may be the mobile body itself.
- the slave device 200 may be a vehicle that moves on a road, such as an automobile, bus, truck, or motorcycle, or a wireless communication device mounted on the vehicle.
- the moving object may be a mobile terminal, or a moving object that moves on land, underground, on water, or in water.
- the mobile object may be a mobile object such as a drone, a helicopter, or the like that moves in the atmosphere, or a mobile object that moves outside the atmosphere, such as an artificial satellite.
- FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the child device 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.
- child device 200 includes communication section 210 , storage section 220 , input/output section 230 and control section 240 .
- the configuration shown in FIG. 14 is a functional configuration, and the hardware configuration may differ from this.
- the functions of the slave device 200 may be distributed and implemented in a plurality of physically separated configurations.
- the communication unit 210 has first to N-th communication units 211_1 to 211_N (N is a natural number).
- the n-th communication unit 211_n is a network interface.
- the n-th communication unit 211_n is a LAN (Local Area Network) interface such as a NIC (Network Interface Card).
- the n-th communication unit 211 — n may be a wired interface or a wireless interface.
- the n-th communication unit 211 — n functions as communication means for the child device 200 .
- the n-th communication unit 211 — n communicates with the parent device 100 under the control of the control unit 240 .
- the communication unit 210 uses one of the first to Nth communication units 211_1 to 211_N (for example, the Mth communication unit 211_M (M is a natural number from 1 to N)) according to the instruction from the control unit 240. 100 (see FIG. 2). As a result, a lower communication channel is formed between the M-th communication unit 211_M and the parent device 100 .
- the storage unit 220 is a data readable/writable storage device such as a DRAM, an SRAM, a flash memory, or a hard disk.
- the storage unit 220 functions as storage means for the slave device 200 .
- the input/output unit 230 is a user interface for exchanging information with the user.
- the input/output unit 230 is an operation device such as a keyboard, mouse, operation keys, touch panel, etc. for the user to perform various operations.
- the input/output unit 230 is a display device (display unit) such as a liquid crystal display (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL display (Organic Electroluminescence Display).
- the input/output unit 230 may be an acoustic device such as a speaker or buzzer.
- the input/output unit 230 may be a lighting device such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) lamp.
- the input/output unit 230 functions as input/output means (input means, output means, operation means, notification means, or display means) of the slave device 200 .
- Control unit 240 is a controller that controls each unit of master device 100 .
- the control unit 240 is implemented by a processor such as a CPU or MPU, for example.
- the control unit 240 is implemented by the processor executing various programs stored in the storage device inside the slave device 200 using the RAM or the like as a work area.
- the control unit 240 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as ASIC or FPGA. CPUs, MPUs, ASICs, and FPGAs can all be considered controllers.
- the control unit 240 may be realized by a GPU in addition to or instead of the CPU.
- FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of update processing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
- the update process shown in FIG. 15 is executed, for example, when any communication is performed by master device 100 .
- master device 100 first establishes an arbitrary communication channel (step S101).
- This communication channel includes a communication channel established for non-tethering communication in addition to the communication channel established when used for tethering.
- the master device 100 acquires communication channel information regarding the established communication channel (step S102).
- Base device 100 calculates or estimates arbitrary communication quality from the acquired communication path information (step S103).
- Master device 100 updates the dependency information using any calculated or estimated communication quality (step S104). Alternatively, master device 100 may create new dependency information using an arbitrary communication quality.
- master device 100 may execute update processing at arbitrary timing, such as a predetermined period.
- master device 100 may calculate the communication quality of the communication channel being used at the timing of executing the update process.
- master device 100 may select a communication channel to be updated, establish the selected communication channel in step S101, and calculate the communication quality of the selected communication channel.
- FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of presentation processing according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.
- the presentation process illustrated in FIG. 16 is executed, for example, when tethering is started.
- the master device 100 determines whether or not the communication of the upper NW on which the lower NW depends is operating by tethering (step S201). If it is determined that it is not operating (step S201; No), the process is terminated.
- master device 100 estimates the dependency state of the communication channel for each combination of the upper communication channel and the lower communication channel (step S202). ).
- Base device 100 presents presentation information to the user based on the estimated dependency state (step S203). Subsequently, master device 100 accepts selection/non-selection of a communication channel by the user (step S204).
- the parent device 100 detects the upper communication channel and the lower communication channel that are in a dependent relationship.
- master device 100 estimates a dependency state based on the combination for each combination of a plurality of upper-layer communication channels and lower-layer communication channels. As a result, master device 100 can present information for suppressing deterioration of communication quality to the user.
- the parent device 100 estimates the dependency state according to the dependency relationship between the upper communication channel and the lower communication channel, but the present invention is not limited to this.
- master device 100 may estimate deterioration of communication quality based on information other than the communication channel.
- the master device 100 may estimate the deterioration of the communication quality based on the position of the master device 100, such as home or office, and the setting of the master device 100, such as whether or not power saving is set. good. This point will be described as Modified Example 1.
- FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the parent device 100A according to Modification 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure.
- a master device 100A shown in FIG. 17 has the same configuration as the master device 100 shown in FIG. 5 in that the control unit 140A includes a communication quality estimation unit 142A, a dependency state estimation unit 143A, a prediction result display unit 144A, various parameter acquisition unit 145, and a communication environment estimation unit 146. It differs from the configuration of the parent device 100 .
- the sensor unit 150 includes sensors that detect the position and orientation of the parent device 100, such as GPS (Global Positioning System) sensors and acceleration sensors. Note that the sensor unit 150 may have various sensors without being limited to the above.
- GPS Global Positioning System
- the various parameter acquisition unit 145 acquires, for example, the setting information of the parent device 100A stored in the storage unit 120 and the sensing results of the sensor unit 150 as parameters.
- Various parameter acquisition unit 145 notifies communication environment estimation unit 146 of the acquired parameters.
- the communication environment estimation unit 146 uses the parameters acquired from the various parameter acquisition unit 145 to estimate the communication environment of the master device 100A.
- the communication environment estimation unit 146 estimates, for example, whether or not power saving settings are set, whether or not the master device 100A is connected to a VPN (Virtual Private Network), and generates communication environment information. Further, communication environment estimation unit 146 estimates the current location (eg, home/office, etc.) of master device 100A based on, for example, the location information of master device 100A, and generates communication environment information.
- Communication environment estimation section 146 is not limited to the above, and may perform various estimations such as whether or not base device 100A is moving.
- the communication environment estimation unit 146 outputs the estimated communication environment information to the communication quality estimation unit 142A.
- the communication quality estimation unit 142A estimates communication quality according to the acquired communication environment information. For example, the communication quality estimation unit 142A estimates whether or not the communication quality is degraded according to whether or not the power saving setting is set, and uses the estimation result as dependency information to Store in the quality information database 121 .
- FIG. 18 is a chart for explaining an example of dependency information according to Modification 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 18 shows a case where the communication quality estimation unit 142A estimates whether or not the communication quality is degraded according to whether or not the power saving setting is set.
- the communication quality estimation unit 142A does not depend on the upper communication path ("Any"), and the throughput changes depending on whether the power consumption setting is "OFF” or “ON.” presumed to occur. For example, when the power consumption setting is "OFF", the communication quality estimation unit 142A sets the degree of throughput deterioration to "0%”, whereas when the power consumption setting is "ON”, the degree of throughput deterioration is is "-5%”. It should be noted that the power consumption setting is set to "OFF" by default when no particular setting is made by the user.
- the communication quality estimation unit 142A estimates whether or not the communication quality is degraded according to whether or not the VPN connection is being performed, and uses the estimation result as dependency information to obtain the communication channel dependence/communication quality information of the storage unit 120. Store in database 121 .
- FIG. 19 is a chart for explaining another example of dependency information according to Modification 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 19 shows a case where the communication quality estimating unit 142A estimates whether or not the communication quality is degraded depending on whether the VPN connection is being made.
- the communication quality estimation unit 142A does not depend on the upper communication channel ("Any"), and the throughput changes depending on whether the VPN connection is "absent” or “yes.” I'm assuming. For example, the communication quality estimation unit 142A determines that the degree of throughput deterioration is "0%” when the VPN connection is “absent”, whereas the degree of throughput deterioration is "0%” when the VPN connection is “yes”. ⁇ 10%”. It should be noted that the VPN connection is set to "none" by default unless the user makes particular settings.
- communication quality estimation unit 142A estimates whether or not communication quality is degraded according to the location (position) of master device 100A, and uses the estimation result as dependency information to store communication channel dependence/communication quality information in storage unit 120. Store in database 121 .
- FIG. 20 and 21 are charts for explaining another example of dependency information according to Modification 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 20 shows a case where the communication quality estimating unit 142A estimates deterioration of communication quality by associating a location with a lower communication channel when the upper communication channel is Wi-Fi (registered trademark).
- FIG. 21 shows a case where the communication quality estimating unit 142A estimates deterioration of communication quality by associating a location with a lower communication channel when the upper communication channel is cellular.
- the communication quality estimator 142A estimates that the degree of deterioration of throughput is "0%" at both home and office when the lower communication path is wired. Further, when the lower communication path is Wi-Fi (registered trademark), the communication quality estimation unit 142A, for example, determines that the deterioration degree of throughput at home is "-10%" and the deterioration degree at the office is "-30%”. %”.
- the communication quality estimating unit 142A determines that, when the lower communication path is wired, for example, the degradation level of throughput at home is "-10%" and the degradation level at the office is " 0%”. Further, when the lower communication path is Wi-Fi (registered trademark), the communication quality estimation unit 142A, for example, determines that the deterioration degree of throughput at home is "0%” and the deterioration degree at the office is "-20%.” ”.
- the dependency state estimation unit 143A When estimating the dependency state based on the combination of communication channels, the dependency state estimation unit 143A also estimates the communication state based on the combination of the environment and the communication channel, for example. For example, when detecting that the upper communication channel used for tethering is cellular using millimeter waves, the dependency state estimation unit 143A estimates deterioration of communication quality by combining the location of the base device 100A and the upper communication channel. do.
- the prediction result display unit 144A can present presentation information including environment information to the user based on the estimation result of the dependency state estimation unit 143A.
- the prediction result display unit 144A presents a sentence recommending turning off the power saving setting to the user as presentation information. presented to
- base device 100A estimates the communication state in consideration of environmental information other than communication, and presents the presentation information to the user, so that the user can set the settings of base device 100A and the environmental conditions according to the communication state. can be selected.
- FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating an example of update processing according to Modification 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure. Among the update processing shown in FIG. 22, the same processing as the update processing shown in FIG.
- the master device 100A acquires the environment information in addition to the communication path information (step S301). In addition, master device 100A performs arbitrary calculation or estimation of communication quality according to the environment information (step S302).
- the base device 100A estimates the communication quality according to the environment information and generates dependency information. This makes it possible to present to the user information for suppressing deterioration of communication quality according to the environment of base device 100A.
- FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the parent device 100B according to Modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure.
- Base device 100B shown in FIG. 23 is similar to base device 100A shown in FIG. Different from configuration.
- the capability reception unit 147 receives capability information from the child device 200B.
- the capability information is, for example, information on the upper or lower communication channel desired to be selected by the child device 200B, information on communication quality of tethering desired by the child device 200B, such as a communication quality index and a threshold value for the index. is included.
- the capability reception unit 147 notifies the communication quality estimation unit 142B and the dependency state estimation unit 143B of the received capability information.
- the communication quality estimation unit 142B estimates the communication quality based on the capability information and updates the dependency information. For example, the communication quality estimation unit 142B estimates communication quality using an index included in the capability information.
- the communication quality estimation unit 142B updates the dependency information when the storage unit 120 stores the dependency information related to the index included in the capability information. Also, when the dependency information related to the index included in the capability information is not stored in the storage unit 120, the communication quality estimation unit 142B calculates the communication quality of the communication channel using the index and generates new dependency information.
- the dependency state estimation unit 143B estimates the dependency state of the communication channel that satisfies the conditions included in the capability information. For example, the dependency state estimating unit 143B acquires the degree of deterioration of communication quality from among communication environments that satisfy the conditions included in the capability information, and estimates a combination of communication channels with a small degree of deterioration. For example, when the capability information includes information about the upper communication channel or the lower communication channel desired to be selected by the child device 200B, the dependency state estimation unit 143B acquires the communication quality according to the combination of the communication channels desired by the child device 200B. Then, a combination of communication paths with the least deterioration in communication quality is determined.
- the dependency state estimation unit 143B notifies the prediction result display unit 144B of the estimation result.
- the prediction result display unit 144B receives a combination of communication channels with the smallest degree of deterioration in communication quality as an estimation result, and presents information on the received combination of communication channels to the user as presentation information. Also, the prediction result display unit 144B notifies the child device 200B of the presentation information via the communication unit 110.
- FIG. 1 A block diagram illustrating an estimation result display unit 144B of the estimation result.
- FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a child device 200B according to Modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure. Child device 200B shown in FIG. 24 differs from child device 200 shown in FIG.
- the capability transmission unit 251 generates the above-described capability information and transmits it to the base device 200B via the communication unit 210.
- the estimation result receiving unit 252 receives presentation information as an estimation result from the parent device 200B via the communication unit 210 .
- the estimation result display unit 253 presents the received presentation information to the user via the input/output unit 230.
- the capability information transmitted by the child device 200B includes, for example, communication standards (for example, Ethernet (registered trademark), USB, Bluetooth (registered trademark), and Wi-Fi (registered trademark)) supported by the child device 200B. Information may be included.
- communication standards for example, Ethernet (registered trademark), USB, Bluetooth (registered trademark), and Wi-Fi (registered trademark) supported by the child device 200B. Information may be included.
- the capability information may include protocol information such as 100/1000/10GBASE-T and 802.11ax/ac.
- Capability information may include communication quality indicators and corresponding thresholds. Examples of indicators include throughput, delay, and jitter. Also, the threshold may include the lower limit or upper limit of the index, such as 50 Mbps or RTT 10 ms.
- the capability information may include information that designates communication quality for the domain or IP address of a specific server, or an index related to communication quality that specifies the direction of communication, such as Uplink/Downlink.
- the capability information may include information that can be calculated based on communication quality.
- the index may include, for example, FTP upload time for data of a predetermined size (eg, 1 GB), and information about the estimated resolution when live uploading a moving image.
- Any format can be adopted for the format of data such as capability information exchanged between the parent device 100B and the child device 200B.
- Examples of such formats include XML, JSON, protobuf, and YAML.
- FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating an example of capability information according to Modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure.
- the capability information transmitted by the child device 200B includes, for example, a communication quality index “require-type” desired by the child device 200, a threshold value “require-value” for the index, The type of the desired lower communication channel "client capabilities" is included.
- the communication quality index "require-type” is “throughput” and the threshold “require-value” is "85 Mbps”. This indicates that the slave device 200B desires communication with a "throughput” of "85 Mbps” or higher as the communication quality during tethering.
- client capabilities is, in other words, information indicating the communication standard supported by the slave device 200B.
- “client capabilities” is "Any”, indicating that child device 200B supports all communication standards that parent device 100B supports as lower-level communication channels.
- the communication quality estimation unit 142B of the base device 100B estimates throughput as communication quality and updates the dependent information.
- FIG. 26 is a chart showing an example of dependency information according to Modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure.
- the communication quality estimation unit 142B uses the received capability information to generate or update dependency information shown in FIG.
- the estimated throughput of the slave device 200 in the combination of WLAN and cellular as upper communication channels and Eth (Ethernet (registered trademark)), USB, BT (Bluetooth (registered trademark)) and WLAN as lower communication channels is shown.
- the dependency state estimating unit 143B when estimating the dependency state between the lower-level communication channel and the upper-level communication channel, the dependency state estimating unit 143B satisfies the condition included in the capability information shown in FIG. Estimate the dependence state for the combination of
- the combination of communication channels that satisfy the conditions of the capability information is Eth (Ethernet (registered trademark)), USB, and WLAN as lower communication channels when the upper communication channel is WLAN.
- Eth Ethernet (registered trademark)
- USB USB
- WLAN Wireless Local Area Network
- the combination of the lower communication channel with WLAN satisfies the capability information condition.
- the combinations satisfying the conditions of the capability information are hatched.
- the dependency state estimation unit 143B estimates a combination that can further improve communication quality from the combinations that satisfy the conditions, and notifies the prediction result display unit 144B of the estimation result.
- the prediction result display unit 144B can present the information on the communication quality of the tethering, which is the communication quality of the communication path that satisfies the request of the child device 200B, to the user via the master device 100B and the child device 200B. can.
- FIG. 27 is a diagram showing another example of capability information according to Modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure.
- the communication quality index "require-type” is “latency” and the threshold “require-value” is not specified (null).
- client capabilities are Ethernet (registered trademark) and Wi-Fi (registered trademark).
- the communication quality estimation unit 142B of the master device 100B estimates delay as communication quality and updates the dependency information.
- FIG. 28 is a chart showing another example of dependency information according to Modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure.
- the communication quality estimation unit 142B uses the received capability information to generate or update dependency information shown in FIG.
- the upper communication channel is not particularly specified (Any), and the delay deterioration degree compared to the time of non-tethering when the lower communication channels are Eth (Ethernet (registered trademark)), USB, and WLAN. It is shown.
- the dependency state estimation unit 143B assumes that the conditions included in the capability information shown in FIG. (registered trademark)).
- the lower communication channels that satisfy the conditions of the capability information are cases where the lower communication channels are Eth (Ethernet (registered trademark)) and WLAN.
- Eth Ethernet (registered trademark)
- WLAN Wireless Local Area Network
- the dependency state estimation unit 143B estimates a communication channel that can further improve communication quality from the communication channels that satisfy the conditions, and notifies the prediction result display unit 144B of the estimation result.
- the prediction result display unit 144B can present to the user, via the master device 100B and the slave device 200B, the information regarding the communication path with the communication quality that satisfies the requirements of the slave device 200B.
- the child device 200B may include information regarding applications used during tethering in the capability information.
- master device 100B updates or generates dependent information based on the application information and the index included in the capability information.
- FIG. 29 is a chart showing another example of dependency information according to Modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure.
- the communication quality estimation unit 142B uses the received capability information to generate or update the dependent information shown in FIG.
- the capability information includes information on an application that performs live video distribution and information that designates an estimated resolution at the time of distribution as an index.
- the quality estimation unit 142B estimates the resolution at which moving images can be distributed in the combination of the upper communication channel and the lower communication channel.
- the quality estimating unit 142B uses the video codec H.264 in Live delivery of video.
- the distributable resolution when distributing H.264 at 60 fps is estimated for each combination of communication channels.
- the dependency state estimation unit 143B estimates the dependency state for a combination of communication channels that satisfies the conditions (for example, minimum resolution) included in the capability information. .
- the dependency state estimation unit 143B may detect a combination of communication channels that satisfy a plurality of conditions (for example, a delay condition and a resolution condition). In FIG. 29, combinations of communication paths that satisfy a plurality of conditions are hatched.
- FIG. 30 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of update processing according to Modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure.
- the master device 100B establishes an arbitrary upper communication channel (step S401).
- parent device 100B establishes a lower-level communication channel with child device 200B (step S402).
- the child device 200B notifies the capability information using the established lower-level communication channel (step S402).
- the master device 100B acquires communication path information and parameter information (step S404).
- master device 100B Upon receiving the capability information, master device 100B determines whether or not there is dependency information corresponding to the capability information (step S405).
- step S405 If the corresponding dependency information does not exist (step S405; No), base device 100B calculates the index included in the capability information as communication quality (step S406), and generates dependency information corresponding to the capability information (step S407). ).
- base device 100B calculates the communication quality of the corresponding dependency information (step S408), and updates the dependency information corresponding to the capability information (step S409). ).
- FIG. 31 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of presentation processing according to Modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure.
- the parent device 100B determines whether or not a communication channel has been established with the child device 200B (step S501). Note that the communication channel determined here is the lower communication channel.
- step S501 If a communication path has not been established with the child device 200B (step S501; No), the process ends. On the other hand, if a communication path has been established with slave device 200B (step S501; Yes), master device 100B determines whether communication dependent on the communication path is operating (step S502). ). Note that the communication here is communication using a higher-level communication path.
- step S502 If the dependent communication is not operating (step S502; No), the process ends. On the other hand, if the dependent communication is operating (step S502; Yes), base device 100B adds information (capability information) from child device 200B to the estimated communication quality and environmental conditions (step S503).
- Parent device 100B estimates the dependency state for each combination that satisfies the conditions included in the capability information (step S503).
- Parent device 100B determines whether there is a request for transmission of the estimation result from child device 200B (step S504). If there is no transmission request (step S504; No), the process proceeds to step S509.
- step S504 When there is a transmission request (step S504; Yes), master device 100B notifies presentation information to slave device 200B (step S505).
- the child device 200B that has received the presentation information displays the received presentation information on the input/output unit 230 (step S506), and accepts selection/non-selection of the communication channel by the user (step S507).
- Master device 100B which has transmitted the presentation information to child device 200B in step S506, displays the presentation information on input/output unit 130 of its own device (step S508), and receives selection/non-selection of a communication channel by the user (step S509).
- the parent device 100B estimates the dependency state based on the combination of communication channels based on the capability information received from the child device 200B.
- master device 2100B can prompt the user to select a communication channel that satisfies the capabilities and requirements of slave device 200B.
- parent device 100B transmits presentation information to child device 200B.
- the user can select a communication channel also from the slave device 200B side.
- master devices 100, 100A, and 100B present the presentation information to the user, but the present invention is not limited to this.
- the lower communication channel may be automatically switched according to the dependency state estimated by the master device 100B. This point will be described as a third modification.
- FIG. 32 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the parent device 100C according to Modification 3 of the embodiment of the present disclosure.
- Base device 100C shown in FIG. 32 has the same configuration as base device 100B shown in FIG.
- the terminal setting control unit 148 changes the communication environment to a communication environment that improves the communication quality based on the dependence state estimation result by the dependence state estimation unit 143B.
- the terminal setting control unit 148 selects, for example, a lower communication channel that satisfies the capability information from the child device 200B and has the best communication quality, and changes to the selected lower communication channel.
- the terminal setting control unit 148 may change terminal settings such as upper communication paths and power saving settings.
- the terminal settings may include restrictions on operations of the master device 100C, such as restrictions on predetermined application functions and restrictions on communications other than tethering.
- the changes made by the terminal setting control unit 148 may include changes unintended by the user. Therefore, master device 100C may acquire permission from the user in advance. In this case, master device 100C may obtain permission by presenting the user with possible changes such as stopping a specific application.
- FIG. 33 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of presentation processing according to Modification 3 of the embodiment of the present disclosure.
- the same reference numerals are assigned to the same processes as in FIG. 31, and the description thereof is omitted.
- the master device 100C which has estimated the dependency state in step S503, changes to an improved communication environment based on the estimated dependency state (step S601).
- the master device 100C automatically changes the communication environment.
- the tethering communication environment can be improved without bothering the user.
- slave device 200B may change the communication environment, such as slave device 200B automatically changing the subordinate communication channel in response to a change in the subordinate communication channel of master device 100C.
- the control device that controls the communication devices 100, 100A to 100C and the terminal devices 200, 200B of this embodiment may be realized by a dedicated computer system or by a general-purpose computer system.
- a communication program for executing the above operations is distributed by storing it in a computer-readable recording medium such as an optical disk, semiconductor memory, magnetic tape, or flexible disk.
- the control device is configured by installing the program in a computer and executing the above-described processing.
- the control device may be a device (for example, a personal computer) external to the communication devices 100, 100A to 100C and the terminal devices 200, 200B.
- the control device may be a device inside the communication devices 100, 100A to 100C and the terminal devices 200, 200B (for example, the control units 140, 140A to 140C, the control units 240, 240B).
- the above communication program may be stored in a disk device provided in a server device on a network such as the Internet, so that it can be downloaded to a computer.
- the functions described above may be realized through cooperation between an OS (Operating System) and application software.
- the parts other than the OS may be stored in a medium and distributed, or the parts other than the OS may be stored in a server device so that they can be downloaded to a computer.
- each component of each device illustrated is functionally conceptual and does not necessarily need to be physically configured as illustrated.
- the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to the illustrated one, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in arbitrary units according to various loads and usage conditions. Can be integrated and configured. Note that this distribution/integration configuration may be performed dynamically.
- the present embodiment can be applied to any configuration that constitutes a device or system, such as a processor as a system LSI (Large Scale Integration), a module using a plurality of processors, a unit using a plurality of modules, etc. Furthermore, it can also be implemented as a set or the like (that is, a configuration of a part of the device) to which other functions are added.
- a processor as a system LSI (Large Scale Integration)
- module using a plurality of processors a unit using a plurality of modules, etc.
- it can also be implemented as a set or the like (that is, a configuration of a part of the device) to which other functions are added.
- the system means a set of multiple components (devices, modules (parts), etc.), and it does not matter whether all the components are in the same housing. Therefore, a plurality of devices housed in separate housings and connected via a network, and a single device housing a plurality of modules in one housing are both systems. .
- this embodiment can take a configuration of cloud computing in which one function is shared by a plurality of devices via a network and processed jointly.
- the present technology can also take the following configuration.
- a first communication unit that performs wireless communication via an upper communication path;
- a second communication unit that communicates with a terminal device through a selected communication path that is one of a plurality of lower communication paths including a wireless communication path and a wired communication path; detecting whether or not the communication using the selected communication channel affects the upper communication channel, and if the influence is detected, for each combination of the plurality of lower communication channels and the upper communication channel a control unit for estimating the communication state of the upper communication channel and the lower communication channel included in the combination;
- a communication device comprising: (2) The communication device according to (1), wherein the control unit causes a display unit to display information about the estimation result of the communication state.
- control unit changes the selected communication channel according to the estimation result of the communication state.
- control unit estimates the communication state according to at least one of the antenna module used by the first communication unit and information related to communication of the first communication unit.
- the communication device according to . (5) Any one of (1) to (4), wherein the control unit estimates the communication state according to at least one of the antenna module used by the second communication unit and information related to communication of the second communication unit.
- the communication device according to . (6) The communication device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the control unit estimates the communication state according to an environment in which the communication device is used.
- control unit detects whether or not the lower communication channel affects the upper communication channel based on influence information indicating whether or not the lower communication channel affects the upper communication channel;
- a communication device according to any one of (8) The communication device according to (7), wherein the control unit updates the influence information based on communication path information acquired from the first communication unit and the second communication unit.
- the control unit estimates the communication state based on the influence information.
- the communication device any one of (1) to (9), wherein the control unit estimates the communication state based on information acquired from the terminal device.
- control unit estimates the communication states of the upper communication channel and the lower communication channel included in the combination that satisfies a condition included in the information acquired from the terminal device.
- first communication unit performs wireless communication using millimeter waves.
- (13) performing wireless communication via an upper communication path; communicating with a terminal device through a selected communication path that is one of a plurality of lower communication paths including a wireless communication path and a wired communication path; detecting whether or not the communication using the selected communication channel will affect the upper communication channel, and if it is detected that the upper communication channel will be affected, for each combination of the plurality of lower communication channels and the upper communication channel estimating the communication state of the upper communication channel and the lower communication channel included in the combination; communication methods, including
- Communication Systems 100, 100A, 100B, 100C Communication Device (Master) 110, 210 communication units 120, 220 storage units 130, 230 input/output units 140, 140A, 140B, 140C, 240, 240B control units 200, 200B terminal devices (child devices)
Abstract
Description
<1.1.通信システムの一例>
まず、本開示の提案技術に係る通信システム1の概要について説明する。図1は、本開示の提案技術に係る通信システム1の構成例を示す図である。
上述したように、スマートフォン等の親機100がデザリングを行う場合、下位NWとしてBluetooth(登録商標)や、Wi-Fi(登録商標)、USB、Ethernet(登録商標)など複数の経路(下位通信路)が存在する。
そこで、本開示の提案技術では、親機100が、現在動作している上位NWと下位NWとが依存関係にあるか、具体的には、下位NWが上位NWの通信に影響を与えるか否かを検出する。かかる検出は、例えば、親機100が予め保持する依存関係に関する情報に基づいて行われる。
親機100は、下位通信路を切り替えた場合の通信品質に関する情報をユーザに提示する。図4の例では、親機100は、下位通信路としてUSBを使用した場合に、上位NWの通信品質が低下し、子機200の通信品質が低下することを示す情報を提示する。
<2.1.親機の構成例>
親機100は、基地局300、アクセスポイント、子機200等の他の通信装置と通信する通信装置である。親機100は、テザリング機能(テザリングホスト機能)を有し、子機200による上位NWへのアクセスを中継する。
通信部110は、第1~第N通信部111_1~111_N(Nは自然数)を有する。第n通信部111_n(n=1~Nの自然数)は、他の装置と通信するための通信インタフェースである。である。例えば、第n通信部111_nは、ネットワークインタフェースである。例えば、第n通信部111_nは、NIC(Network Interface Card)等のLAN(Local Area Network)インタフェースである。なお、第n通信部111_nは、有線インタフェースであってもよいし、無線インタフェースであってもよい。第n通信部111_nは、親機100の通信手段として機能する。第n通信部111_nは、制御部140の制御に従って、子機200、基地局300と通信する。
記憶部120は、DRAM、SRAM、フラッシュメモリ、ハードディスク等のデータ読み書き可能な記憶装置である。記憶部120は、親機100の記憶手段として機能する。記憶部120は、例えば、通信路依存関係・通信品質情報データベース(DB:Date table)121を記憶する。通信路依存関係・通信品質情報データベース121は、例えば、上位通信路及び下位通信路の依存関係及び各通信路の通信品質に関する情報(以下、依存情報又は影響情報とも記載する)を記憶したデータベースである。
図5に戻る。入出力部130は、ユーザと情報をやりとりするためのユーザインタフェースである。例えば、入出力部130は、キーボード、マウス、操作キー、タッチパネル等、ユーザが各種操作を行うための操作装置である。又は、入出力部130は、液晶ディスプレイ(Liquid Crystal Display)、有機ELディスプレイ(Organic Electroluminescence Display)等の表示装置(表示部)である。入出力部130は、スピーカー、ブザー等の音響装置であってもよい。また、入出力部130は、LED(Light Emitting Diode)ランプ等の点灯装置であってもよい。入出力部130は、親機100の入出力手段(入力手段、出力手段、操作手段、通知手段又は表示手段)として機能する。
制御部140は、親機100の各部を制御するコントローラである。制御部140は、例えば、CPU、MPU等のプロセッサにより実現される。例えば、制御部140は、親機100内部の記憶装置に記憶されている各種プログラムを、プロセッサがRAM等を作業領域として実行することにより実現される。なお、制御部140は、ASICやFPGA等の集積回路により実現されてもよい。CPU、MPU、ASIC、及びFPGAは何れもコントローラとみなすことができる。また、制御部140は、CPUに加えて、或いは代えて、GPUにより実現されてもよい。
通信路情報収集部141は、通信部110から通信路に関する通信路情報を取得する。通信路情報収集部141は、取得した通信路情報を、通信品質推定部142及び依存状態推定部143に出力する。
通信品質推定部142は、通信路情報収集部141が収集した通信路に関する通信路情報に基づき、通信路の通信品質を推定し、通信路依存関係・通信品質情報データベース121に記憶される依存情報を更新する。
依存状態推定部143は、テザリング開始時に、上位NW及び下位NWの依存関係を検出し、上位通信路及び下位通信路の通信状態を推定する。依存状態推定部143は、推定結果を予測結果表示部144に出力する。
予測結果表示部144は、依存状態推定部143による推定結果に基づき、依存状態に関する情報をユーザに提示する。
次に、子機200の構成を説明する。
通信部210は、第1~第N通信部211_1~211_N(Nは自然数)を有する。第n通信部211_n(n=1~Nの自然数)は、他の装置と通信するための通信インタフェースである。である。例えば、第n通信部211_nは、ネットワークインタフェースである。例えば、第n通信部211_nは、NIC(Network Interface Card)等のLAN(Local Area Network)インタフェースである。なお、第n通信部211_nは、有線インタフェースであってもよいし、無線インタフェースであってもよい。第n通信部211_nは、子機200の通信手段として機能する。第n通信部211_nは、制御部240の制御に従って、親機100と通信する。
記憶部220は、DRAM、SRAM、フラッシュメモリ、ハードディスク等のデータ読み書き可能な記憶装置である。記憶部220は、子機200の記憶手段として機能する。
入出力部230は、ユーザと情報をやりとりするためのユーザインタフェースである。例えば、入出力部230は、キーボード、マウス、操作キー、タッチパネル等、ユーザが各種操作を行うための操作装置である。又は、入出力部230は、液晶ディスプレイ(Liquid Crystal Display)、有機ELディスプレイ(Organic Electroluminescence Display)等の表示装置(表示部)である。入出力部230は、スピーカー、ブザー等の音響装置であってもよい。また、入出力部230は、LED(Light Emitting Diode)ランプ等の点灯装置であってもよい。入出力部230は、子機200の入出力手段(入力手段、出力手段、操作手段、通知手段又は表示手段)として機能する。
制御部240は、親機100の各部を制御するコントローラである。制御部240は、例えば、CPU、MPU等のプロセッサにより実現される。例えば、制御部240は、子機200内部の記憶装置に記憶されている各種プログラムを、プロセッサがRAM等を作業領域として実行することにより実現される。なお、制御部240は、ASICやFPGA等の集積回路により実現されてもよい。CPU、MPU、ASIC、及びFPGAは何れもコントローラとみなすことができる。また、制御部240は、CPUに加えて、或いは代えて、GPUにより実現されてもよい。
<3.1.依存情報の更新処理>
次に、図15を用いて、親機100が実行する依存情報の更新処理について説明する。図15は、本開示の実施形態に係る更新処理の一例を示すフローチャートである。図15に示す更新処理は、例えば、親機100によって任意の通信が行われる場合に実行される。
続いて、図16を用いて、親機100が実行する提示情報の提示処理について説明する。図16は、本開示の実施形態に係る提示処理の一例を示すフローチャートである。図16に示す提示処理は、例えば、テザリング開始時に実行される。
<4.1.変形例1>
上述した実施形態では、親機100が上位通信路及び下位通信路の依存関係に応じて依存状態を推定するとしたが、これに限定されない。例えば、親機100が、通信路以外の情報に基づいて通信品質の劣化を推定するようにしてもよい。具体的に、例えば、親機100は、自宅かオフィスかといった親機100の位置や、省電力設定がされているか否かといった親機100の設定に基づいて通信品質の劣化を推定してもよい。かかる点を変形例1として説明する。
上述した実施形態及び変形例1の構成に加え、子機200Bからケイパビリティ情報を受信するようにしてもよい。かかる点を変形例2として説明する。
上述した実施形態及び変形例では、親機100、100A、100Bが提示情報をユーザに提示するとしたが、これに限定されない。例えば、親機100Bが推定した依存状態に応じて下位通信路を自動で切り替えるようにしてもよい。かかる点を変形例3として説明する。
以上、本開示の各実施形態について説明したが、本開示の技術的範囲は、上述の各実施形態そのままに限定されるものではなく、本開示の要旨を逸脱しない範囲において種々の変更が可能である。また、異なる実施形態及び変形例にわたる構成要素を適宜組み合わせてもよい。
(1)
上位通信路を介して無線通信を行う第1通信部と、
無線通信路及び有線通信路を含む複数の下位通信路のうちの1つである選択通信路を介して端末装置と通信を行う第2通信部と、
前記選択通信路を使用した通信によって前記上位通信路に影響を与えるか否かを検出し、前記影響を与えることを検出した場合に、前記複数の下位通信路と前記上位通信路との組み合わせごとに、当該組み合わせに含まれる前記上位通信路及び前記下位通信路の通信状態を推定する制御部と、
を備える通信装置。
(2)
前記制御部は、前記通信状態の推定結果に関する情報を表示部に表示させる、(1)に記載の通信装置。
(3)
前記制御部は、前記通信状態の推定結果に応じて前記選択通信路を変更する、(1)に記載の通信装置。
(4)
前記制御部は、前記第1通信部が使用するアンテナモジュール及び前記第1通信部の通信に関する情報の少なくとも一方に応じて前記通信状態を推定する、(1)~(3)のいずれか1つに記載の通信装置。
(5)
前記制御部は、前記第2通信部が使用するアンテナモジュール及び前記第2通信部の通信に関する情報の少なくとも一方に応じて前記通信状態を推定する、(1)~(4)のいずれか1つに記載の通信装置。
(6)
前記制御部は、前記通信装置が使用される環境に応じて前記通信状態を推定する、(1)~(5)のいずれか1つに記載の通信装置。
(7)
前記制御部は、予め算出された前記下位通信路が前記上位通信路に影響を与えるか否かを示す影響情報に基づき、前記影響を与えるか否かを検出する、(1)~(6)のいずれか1つに記載の通信装置。
(8)
前記制御部は、前記第1通信部及び前記第2通信部から取得した通信路情報に基づき、前記影響情報を更新する、(7)に記載の通信装置。
(9)
前記制御部は、前記影響情報に基づき、前記通信状態を推定する、(7)又は(8)に記載の通信装置。
(10)
前記制御部は、前記端末装置から取得した情報に基づき、前記通信状態を推定する、(1)~(9)のいずれか1つに記載の通信装置。
(11)
前記制御部は、前記端末装置から取得した前記情報に含まれる条件を満たす前記組み合わせに含まれる前記上位通信路及び前記下位通信路の前記通信状態を推定する、(10)に記載の通信装置。
(12)
前記第1通信部は、ミリ波を使用した無線通信を行う、(1)~(11)のいずれか1つに記載の通信装置。
(13)
上位通信路を介して無線通信を行うことと、
無線通信路及び有線通信路を含む複数の下位通信路のうちの1つである選択通信路を介して端末装置と通信を行うことと、
前記選択通信路を使用した通信によって前記上位通信路に影響を与えるか否かを検出し、前記影響を与えることを検出した場合に、前記複数の下位通信路と前記上位通信路との組み合わせごとに、当該組み合わせに含まれる前記上位通信路及び前記下位通信路の通信状態を推定することと、
を含む通信方法。
100、100A、100B、100C 通信装置(親機)
110、210 通信部
120、220 記憶部
130、230 入出力部
140、140A、140B、140C、240、240B 制御部
200、200B 端末装置(子機)
Claims (13)
- 上位通信路を介して無線通信を行う第1通信部と、
無線通信路及び有線通信路を含む複数の下位通信路のうちの1つである選択通信路を介して端末装置と通信を行う第2通信部と、
前記選択通信路を使用した通信によって前記上位通信路に影響を与えるか否かを検出し、前記影響を与えることを検出した場合に、前記複数の下位通信路と前記上位通信路との組み合わせごとに、当該組み合わせに含まれる前記上位通信路及び前記下位通信路の通信状態を推定する制御部と、
を備える通信装置。 - 前記制御部は、前記通信状態の推定結果に関する情報を表示部に表示させる、請求項1に記載の通信装置。
- 前記制御部は、前記通信状態の推定結果に応じて前記選択通信路を変更する、請求項1に記載の通信装置。
- 前記制御部は、前記第1通信部が使用するアンテナモジュール及び前記第1通信部の通信に関する情報の少なくとも一方に応じて前記通信状態を推定する、請求項1に記載の通信装置。
- 前記制御部は、前記第2通信部が使用するアンテナモジュール及び前記第2通信部の通信に関する情報の少なくとも一方に応じて前記通信状態を推定する、請求項1に記載の通信装置。
- 前記制御部は、前記通信装置が使用される環境に応じて前記通信状態を推定する、請求項1に記載の通信装置。
- 前記制御部は、予め算出された前記下位通信路が前記上位通信路に影響を与えるか否かを示す影響情報に基づき、前記影響を与えるか否かを検出する、請求項1に記載の通信装置。
- 前記制御部は、前記第1通信部及び前記第2通信部から取得した通信路情報に基づき、前記影響情報を更新する、請求項7に記載の通信装置。
- 前記制御部は、前記影響情報に基づき、前記通信状態を推定する、請求項7に記載の通信装置。
- 前記制御部は、前記端末装置から取得した情報に基づき、前記通信状態を推定する、請求項1に記載の通信装置。
- 前記制御部は、前記端末装置から取得した前記情報に含まれる条件を満たす前記組み合わせに含まれる前記上位通信路及び前記下位通信路の前記通信状態を推定する、請求項10に記載の通信装置。
- 前記第1通信部は、ミリ波を使用した無線通信を行う、請求項1に記載の通信装置。
- 上位通信路を介して無線通信を行うことと、
無線通信路及び有線通信路を含む複数の下位通信路のうちの1つである選択通信路を介して端末装置と通信を行うことと、
前記選択通信路を使用した通信によって前記上位通信路に影響を与えるか否かを検出し、前記影響を与えることを検出した場合に、前記複数の下位通信路と前記上位通信路との組み合わせごとに、当該組み合わせに含まれる前記上位通信路及び前記下位通信路の通信状態を推定することと、
を含む通信方法。
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Citations (4)
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JP2000151832A (ja) * | 1998-11-09 | 2000-05-30 | Canon Inc | 通信装置及びその制御方法 |
JP2015015680A (ja) * | 2013-07-08 | 2015-01-22 | キヤノン株式会社 | 撮像装置、その制御方法及びプログラム |
WO2017130593A1 (ja) | 2016-01-25 | 2017-08-03 | 日本電気株式会社 | リレー選択のための装置及び方法 |
JP2019102917A (ja) * | 2017-11-30 | 2019-06-24 | キヤノン株式会社 | 無線通信装置およびその制御方法 |
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US9867220B2 (en) * | 2014-07-01 | 2018-01-09 | Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc | Tethering parameters for a tethering connection |
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WO2020080044A1 (ja) * | 2018-10-16 | 2020-04-23 | ソニー株式会社 | 通信制御装置、通信装置、通信制御方法、通信方法、通信制御プログラム、通信プログラム、及び通信システム |
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JP2000151832A (ja) * | 1998-11-09 | 2000-05-30 | Canon Inc | 通信装置及びその制御方法 |
JP2015015680A (ja) * | 2013-07-08 | 2015-01-22 | キヤノン株式会社 | 撮像装置、その制御方法及びプログラム |
WO2017130593A1 (ja) | 2016-01-25 | 2017-08-03 | 日本電気株式会社 | リレー選択のための装置及び方法 |
JP2019102917A (ja) * | 2017-11-30 | 2019-06-24 | キヤノン株式会社 | 無線通信装置およびその制御方法 |
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