JP6792576B2 - Wireless communication system, wireless communication method and access point - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to wireless communication systems, wireless communication methods and access points.

In recent years, the IoT (Internet of Things) related market has made remarkable progress, and the related technology is being actively studied in a wide range of fields from sensing and communication technology to applications. In addition to multi-terminal connectivity, high-reliability and low-delay communication is defined as a category for IoT. High reliability and low delay mean that communication is completed within a certain required time with high probability.

In the unlicensed band used in wireless LAN (Local Area Network) and the like, the transmitters of each system become radio wave interference sources and deteriorate the communication quality because they can be freely used by satisfying a certain standard. Therefore, in a wireless LAN, in order to suppress interference, it is necessary to measure the surrounding radio wave environment when the own station transmits data and implement carrier sense to transmit at the timing when other stations are not communicating. .. When carrier sense is implemented, transmission can be performed only at the timing when other stations are not communicating, so if a crowded channel with a large number of other stations or systems is selected, a large transmission delay will occur. Therefore, in order to suppress the occurrence of transmission delay and improve the communication quality, it is important to select a free channel.

The wireless LAN has a function of changing the channel used by DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection) or the like. The channel switching process is performed when the radar wave is detected during the observation of the channel used and the communication quality is deteriorated (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). The configuration of the conventional wireless communication system is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 15, the wireless communication system 1000 includes a conventional AP1100 and a conventional terminal 1200. Conventionally, since the conventional AP1100 observes a channel in use in a normal time, it is necessary to search for a channel to be switched after the channel switching trigger occurs.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of the conventional AP1100. Conventionally, the AP1100 includes a control unit 1101, a digital signal processing unit 1102, a channel control unit 1103, an RF unit 1104, and an antenna 1105.
When the transmission target data is input from the external application, the control unit 1101 executes the processing necessary for wireless communication, and performs the association processing, the authentication processing, and the communication connection management. The control unit 1101 outputs the received data received via the antenna 1105 to an external application.
The digital signal processing unit 1102 converts the data to be transmitted into a baseband signal.
The channel control unit 1103 determines the channel to be used by the own device and sets it in the RF unit 1104.
The RF unit 1104 up-converts the transmission target data to the frequency band set by the channel control unit 1103, and transmits the transmission target data via the antenna 1105. The RF unit 1104 down-converts the received signal received via the antenna 1105.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of the conventional terminal 1200. The conventional terminal 1200 includes a control unit 1201, a digital signal processing unit 1202, a channel control unit 1203, an RF unit 1204, and an antenna 1205.
When the transmission target data is input from the external application, the control unit 1201 executes the processing necessary for wireless communication, and performs the association processing, the authentication processing, and the communication connection management. The control unit 1201 outputs the received data received via the antenna 1205 to an external application.
The digital signal processing unit 1202 converts the data to be transmitted into a baseband signal.
The channel control unit 1203 determines the channel used by the own device and sets it in the RF unit 1204.
The RF unit 1204 up-converts the transmission target data to the frequency band set by the channel control unit 1203, and transmits the transmission target data via the antenna 1205. The RF unit 1204 down-converts the received signal received via the antenna 1205.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a flow of channel determination processing by the conventional AP1100 and the conventional terminal 1200. Here, the conventional AP1100 will be described as an example.
Conventionally, the channel control unit 1103 of the AP1100 measures the radio wave environment of all the surrounding channels (step S1001). Conventionally, the channel control unit 1103 of the AP1100 determines the channel to be used based on the measurement result (step S1002). Specifically, the channel control unit 1103 selects a channel used by another system having a small usage time rate, a channel having a small power of an interference signal from another system, or the like.

The channel control unit 1103 sets the selected channel in the RF unit 1104 (step S1003). After that, the channel control unit 1103 measures the radio wave environment again (step S1004), and determines whether or not channel switching is necessary based on the measurement result (step S1005). To determine whether or not channel switching is necessary, for example, in addition to measuring the interference time rate and power of the other system described above, the packet error rate of the own system is reduced, and in the case of the 5 GHz band, radar waves are used. Whether or not channel switching is necessary is determined by detection or the like.

When it is necessary to switch the channel (step S1005-YES), the conventional AP1100 executes the processes after step S1001.
On the other hand, when it is not necessary to switch the channel (step S1005-NO), the conventional AP1100 executes the processes after step S1004.

"Radar wave detection and transmission stop control", Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Information and Communications Council Information and Communications Technology Subcommittee, Information and Communications Council Advisory No. 2014 Technical conditions for 5 GHz band wireless access system, October 29, 2003 , Reference Material 2 p.68-72

As described above, since the conventional AP1100 and the conventional terminal 1200 have the same antenna for transmission / reception and observation, only the channel used is observed to determine the channel switching. Conventionally, in order to observe the channel in use in the normal state, it is necessary to search for the channel to be switched after the channel switching trigger occurs. Therefore, the time required for the search is required, and a time difference occurs between the measurement of the radio wave environment and the channel switching, so that the channel switching process cannot be performed in real time.

Further, the conventional method of determining the channel to be used is determined based on the norms such as a channel not used in the radar and a channel having high communication quality based on the measurement result of the radio wave environment. Channels with high communication quality generally use channels with high RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator), but since they are not indicators of the number of other stations or systems, check the congestion status of the channels. There was also the problem that it could not be done.

In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of grasping the channel state in real time and performing channel switching processing.

One aspect of the present invention includes a radio wave monitoring device that measures the radio wave environment for each band, a control device that determines a channel to be used in the access point based on the measurement result, and notifies information of the determined channel. It is a wireless communication system including an access point that sets the channel notified by the control device and communicates with the terminal device using the set channel.

One aspect of the present invention is the wireless communication system described above, wherein the radio wave monitoring device measures the usage time of radio waves for each band.

One aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned wireless communication system, in which the access point is provided with the radio wave monitoring device inside the device and measures the radio wave usage time for each band around the own device.

One aspect of the present invention is the wireless communication system described above, wherein the access point includes the control device inside the device and determines a channel to be used by the own device and other access points.

One aspect of the present invention is the wireless communication system, wherein the radio wave monitoring device measures channel candidates that can be used by the access point in order or at the same time, and the access point and devices other than the access point are used. The ratio of the usage time of the band to be used is calculated, and the control device determines the channel to be used which is less affected by the interference of the channels based on the ratio of the usage time of the band.

One aspect of the present invention includes a step of measuring the radio wave environment for each band, a step of determining a channel to be used in the access point based on the measurement result, and a step of notifying the information of the determined channel, and the notification. It is a wireless communication method including a step of setting a channel and communicating with a terminal device using the set channel.

One aspect of the present invention is a radio wave monitoring device that measures the radio wave environment for each band, a channel setting unit that sets a channel to be used in the own device obtained based on the measurement result, and a terminal using the set channel. It is an access point including a communication unit that communicates with the device.

One aspect of the present invention is the access point, and the radio wave monitoring device measures the radio wave usage time for each band.

According to the present invention, it is possible to grasp the channel state in real time and perform channel switching processing.

It is a block diagram which shows the system structure of the wireless communication system in 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the specific example of the functional structure of the highly reliable AP in the 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the specific example of the functional structure of the highly reliable terminal in 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the specific example of the functional structure of the controller in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the determination process of the channel and the number of bands by a controller. It is a figure for demonstrating the difference between the conventional method and the technique of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the difference between the conventional method and the technique of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the system structure of the wireless communication system in 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the specific example of the functional structure of the highly reliable AP in the 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the specific example of the functional structure of the highly reliable terminal in 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the specific example of the functional structure of the radio wave monitoring device in 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the specific example of the functional structure of AP in 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the system structure of the wireless communication system in 3rd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the specific example of the functional structure of the highly reliable AP in the 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the conventional wireless communication system. It is a block diagram which shows the specific example of the functional structure of the conventional AP. It is a block diagram which shows the specific example of the functional structure of the conventional terminal. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the determination process of the use channel by the conventional AP and the conventional terminal.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(First Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a system configuration of the wireless communication system 100 according to the first embodiment. The wireless communication system 100 includes a highly reliable AP 10, a highly reliable terminal 20, and a controller 30. The highly reliable AP 10 is communicably connected to the controller 30 by wire or wirelessly. The highly reliable AP 10 and the highly reliable terminal 20 are wirelessly connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other. Further, in FIG. 1, it is assumed that another system 200 is in the vicinity of the wireless communication system 100 outside the control of the controller 30 included in the wireless communication system 100.

The highly reliable AP10 is a highly reliable and low latency access point. The highly reliable AP10 is provided with a plurality of antennas, and can communicate using a plurality of channels (for example, a maximum of two bands at the same time). The highly reliable AP10 has a radio wave monitoring function. Here, the radio wave monitoring function is a function for measuring and analyzing the radio wave environment for each band. More specifically, the radio wave monitoring function is a function for measuring and analyzing the usage time of radio waves for each band. The highly reliable AP 10 outputs the monitoring result obtained by using the radio wave monitoring function to the controller 30. The monitoring result is, for example, the time rate of the channels available to the device. The time rate represents the percentage of time the channel is in use. The high-reliability AP 10 communicates with the high-reliability terminal 20 using the channel determined by the controller 30. The high-reliability AP 10 transmits channel setting information including the channel information determined by the controller 30 to the high-reliability terminal 20.

The high-reliability terminal 20 is a high-reliability, low-delay communication terminal. The high-reliability terminal 20 is provided with a plurality of antennas, and can communicate using a plurality of channels (for example, a maximum of two bands at the same time). The highly reliable terminal 20 has a radio wave monitoring function. The high-reliability terminal 20 transmits the monitoring result obtained by using the radio wave monitoring function to the high-reliability AP 10. The information of each time rate acquired by the high-reliability terminal 20 is transmitted to the high-reliability AP10 using an access link for transmitting and receiving data, and the high-reliability AP10 notifies the controller 30. The high-reliability terminal 20 communicates with the high-reliability AP 10 by using the channel included in the channel setting information transmitted from the high-reliability AP 10.

The controller 30 acquires the monitoring result from the highly reliable AP10, and determines the channel and the number of bands used by the highly reliable AP10 based on the acquired monitoring result. The controller 30 notifies the highly reliable AP 10 of the determined channel and band number information.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of the highly reliable AP10. The highly reliable AP 10 includes a radio control unit 11, a channel setting unit 12, a plurality of radios 13-1 to 13-N (N is an integer of 2 or more), and a radio wave monitoring device 14.

When the transmission target data is input from an external application, the radio control unit 11 duplicates N transmission target data and inputs the duplicated transmission target data to each radio 13-1 to 13-N. To do. Further, when the data is received by the radios 13-1 to 13-N, the radio control unit 11 receives the earliest received data from the radios 13-1 to 13-N as the first-come-first-served basis. Output the received data to an external application. The radio control unit 11 discards other received data.

The channel setting unit 12 sets the channel and the number of bands indicated by the channel setting information notified from the controller 30 for each of the radios 13-1 to 13-N.
The radios 13-1 to 13-N modulate the input data to be transmitted and transmit it to the highly reliable terminal 20. Further, the radios 13-1 to 13-N demodulate the received received data and output it to the radio control unit 11.

The radio 13-1 includes a radio control unit 131-1, a digital signal processing unit 132-1, an RF unit 133-1 and an antenna 134-1. Since the radios 13-2 to 13-N also have the same configuration as the radio 13-1, the radio 13-1 will be described as an example.

When the radio control unit 11 inputs data to be transmitted, the wireless control unit 131-1 performs processing necessary for wireless communication, and performs association processing, authentication processing, and communication connection management.
The digital signal processing unit 132-1 converts the data to be transmitted into a baseband signal.
The RF unit 133-1 up-converts the transmission target data to the frequency band set by the channel setting unit 12, and transmits the transmission target data via the antenna 134-1. The RF unit 133-1 down-converts the received signal received via the antenna 134-1.

The radio wave monitoring device 14 has a radio wave monitoring function. The radio wave monitoring device 14 includes an antenna 141, an RF unit 142, and a time rate calculation unit 143. The antenna 141 is an antenna used for radio wave monitoring, and receives radio waves around the own device. The antenna 141 converts the received radio wave into an electric signal and outputs it to the RF unit 142. The RF unit 142 demodulates the electric signal output from the antenna 141 into a baseband signal and outputs it to the time rate calculation unit 143. The time rate calculation unit 143 measures the channel candidates that can be used by the own device in order or at the same time, and calculates the time rate of the band used by the own system and other than the own system.

The time rate of the own system is the ratio of the time during which the own system is transmitting radio waves for transmitting and receiving packets per unit time. For example, the time rate calculation unit 143 determines that the received data is a packet addressed to its own system based on the information in the header of the packet, and obtains the time rate by counting the packet length and the number. Further, the time rate calculation unit 143 calculates the time rate other than that of the own system by adding up the time rate of the packet other than that of the own system by counting the packet length and the number of packets and the time occupied by the other radio waves. The time rate calculation unit 143 outputs the calculated time rate to the controller 30.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of the highly reliable terminal 20. The high-reliability terminal 20 includes a radio control unit 21, a channel setting unit 22, a plurality of radios 23-1 to 23-N, and a radio wave monitoring device 24.
When the transmission target data is input from an external application, the radio control unit 21 duplicates N transmission target data and inputs the duplicated transmission target data to each radio 23-1 to 23-N. To do. Further, when the data is received by the radios 23-1 to 23-N, the radio control unit 21 receives the earliest received data from each radio 23-1 to 23-N as the first-come-first-served basis. Output the received data to an external application. The radio control unit 21 discards other received data.

The channel setting unit 22 receives the channel setting information in-band from the highly reliable AP10 via any of the radios 23-1 to 23-N, and sets the channel and the number of bands indicated by the channel setting information to the radio 23-1. Set to each of ~ 23-N.
The radios 23-1 to 23-N modulate the input data to be transmitted and transmit it to the highly reliable AP10. Further, the radios 23-1 to 23-N demodulate the received received data and output it to the radio control unit 21.
The radio 23-1 includes a radio control unit 231-1, a digital signal processing unit 232-1, an RF unit 233-1 and an antenna 234-1. Since the radios 23-2 to 23-N also have the same configuration as the radio 23-1, the radio 23-1 will be described as an example.

When the radio control unit 21 inputs data to be transmitted, the wireless control unit 231-1 performs processing necessary for wireless communication, and performs association processing, authentication processing, and communication connection management.
The digital signal processing unit 232-1 converts the data to be transmitted into a baseband signal.
The RF unit 233-1 up-converts the transmission target data to the frequency band set by the channel setting unit 22, and transmits the transmission target data via the antenna 234-1. The RF unit 233-1 down-converts the received signal received via the antenna 234-1.

The radio wave monitoring device 24 has a radio wave monitoring function. The radio wave monitoring device 24 includes an antenna 241, an RF unit 242, and a time rate calculation unit 243. The antenna 241 is an antenna used for radio wave monitoring, and receives radio waves around the own device. The antenna 141 converts the received radio wave into an electric signal and outputs it to the RF unit 242. The RF unit 242 demodulates the electric signal output from the antenna 241 into a baseband signal and outputs it to the time rate calculation unit 243. The time rate calculation unit 243 measures the channel candidates that can be used by the own device in order or at the same time, and calculates the time rate of the band used by the own system and other than the own system. Since the method of calculating the time rate is the same as the method performed by the radio wave monitoring device 14, the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of the controller 30. The controller 30 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, an auxiliary storage device, and the like connected by a bus, and executes a control program. By executing the control program, the controller 30 functions as a device including an acquisition unit 31, an interference time rate calculation unit 32, an evaluation unit 33, a channel determination unit 34, and a notification unit 35. All or part of each function of the controller 30 may be realized by using hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). Further, the control program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium is, for example, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a portable medium such as a ROM or a CD-ROM, or a storage device such as a hard disk built in a computer system. Further, the control program may be transmitted and received via a telecommunication line.

The acquisition unit 31 acquires the monitoring result from the highly reliable AP10. The acquisition unit 31 outputs the acquired monitoring result to the interference time rate calculation unit 32.
The interference time rate calculation unit 32 calculates the interference time rate in each channel based on the time rate of the radio wave environment of all channels included in the monitoring result acquired by the acquisition unit 31. The interference time rate represents the percentage of time that channel interference occurs.

The evaluation unit 33 evaluates the reliability using a predetermined evaluation function based on the calculated interference time rate. Reliability means the probability that a packet can be successfully received within a desired delay time when using a channel with a highly reliable AP10. The channel determination unit 34 determines the channel to be used for each radio 10-1 to 10-N of the highly reliable AP10 based on the evaluation result of the evaluation unit 33. The number of bands is also determined by the channel determination unit 34 determining the channel to be used.
The notification unit 35 generates channel setting information including information on the channels used and the number of bands determined by the channel determination unit 34, and notifies the highly reliable AP10 of the generated channel setting information.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of a channel and band number determination process by the controller 30. Note that FIG. 5 describes a channel selection algorithm that satisfies R when R is a desired reliability. Let n be the number of bands that can be used at the same time (the number of radios 13 that are used at the same time), and let n _max be the maximum value of the number of bands that can be used at the same time (the number of radios 13).
The interference time rate calculation unit 32 calculates each interference time rate based on the time rate of the radio wave environment of all channels included in the monitoring result acquired by the acquisition unit 31 (step S101). _Let I _ob (i) be the observed interference time rate in channel i. Further, the n-dimensional interference time rate vector having the channel set σ _n as the selected subset of n channels from the set of available channels and the interference time rate of the channels of the subset σ _n as elements is I _ob (σn). And. For example, if the set of available channels is (1,2, ..., 13) and n = 2, an example of σ _n is (1,2). Since the combination of σ _{n is} a combination in which two are selected from the 13 channels, the total is ₁₃ C ₂ .

The evaluation unit 33 sets the number of multiples to n = 1 (step S102), and the highly reliable AP10 selects one channel from the available channels (step S103). The evaluation unit 33 evaluates the reliability by using the evaluation function of the following formula 1.

In Equation 1, the first term on the right side represents the maximum value of the amount of interference that can satisfy the desired reliability when n pieces are used. The second term on the right side represents the amount of interference for each channel used that affects reliability. That is, when the evaluation function exceeds the threshold value f _th (> 0), the desired reliability can be satisfied by using the selected channel set σ _n . Here, I _max (n, R) represents the maximum interference time rate that can satisfy the desired reliability R in n channels when the interference time rates of all n channels are the same.

The evaluation unit 33 determines whether or not the condition of the evaluation function of Equation 1 is satisfied (step S104). When the condition of the evaluation function of Equation 1 is not satisfied (step S104-NO), the evaluation unit 33 determines whether or not all the channel sets σ _n have been selected (step S105). If all the lines are not selected (step S105-NO), the controller 30 executes the processes after step S103.
On the other hand, when all the selections are made (step S105-YES), the evaluation unit 33 increases the number of bands n by one (step S106). After that, the evaluation unit 33 determines whether or not the number of bands n is n _max or more (step S107).

When the number of bands n is n _max or less (step S107-NO), the controller 30 repeatedly executes the processes after step S103.
On the other hand, when the number of bands n is n _max or more (step S107-YES), the evaluation unit 33 determines that the desired reliability cannot be satisfied no matter which available channel is selected. Then, the evaluation unit 33 causes the notification unit 35 to notify the highly reliable AP10 that the desired reliability cannot be satisfied in the current radio wave environment. The notification unit 35 notifies the highly reliable AP10 that the desired reliability cannot be satisfied in the current radio wave environment according to the instruction from the evaluation unit 33 (step S108). After that, the controller 30 waits for a certain period of time (step S109). Then, after waiting for a certain period of time, the controller 30 executes the processes after step S101.

If the condition of the evaluation function of Equation 1 is satisfied in the process of step S104 (step S104-YES), the evaluation unit 33 notifies the channel determination unit 34 to that effect. The channel determination unit 34 determines the channel set σ _n that satisfies the condition of the evaluation function of Equation 1 as the channel to be used for each of the radios 13-1 to 13-N of the highly reliable AP10. After that, the channel determination unit 34 causes the notification unit 35 to notify the determined channel set σ _n information as channel setting information. The notification unit 35 notifies the highly reliable AP10 of the channel setting information (step S110). After that, the controller 30 waits for a certain period of time (step S111).

Then, after the controller 30 waits for a certain period of time, the interference time rate calculation unit 32 determines each interference time rate based on the time rate of the radio wave environment of all channels included in the monitoring result acquired by the acquisition unit 31. Calculate (step S112). The evaluation unit 33 evaluates the reliability by using the evaluation function of the above formula 1. The evaluation unit 33 determines whether or not the condition of the evaluation function of Equation 1 is satisfied (step S113). When the condition of the evaluation function of Equation 1 is not satisfied (step S113-NO), the controller 30 executes the processes after step S103.
On the other hand, when the condition of the evaluation function of Equation 1 is satisfied (step S113-YES), the controller 30 executes the processes after step S111.

6 and 7 are diagrams for explaining the difference between the conventional method and the technique of the present invention.
In FIG. 6, the vertical axis represents the interference time rate and the horizontal axis represents time. Further, in FIG. 7, the vertical axis represents reliability and the horizontal axis represents time.
The reliability characteristics of the first embodiment are shown by an example of transmitting a control packet of 64 bytes. The transmission delay time is defined as the time from the packet input to the normal reception, and the packet error rate with a transmission delay time of 1 ms or less is defined as reliability. The processing delay time in the physical layer is not considered in the transmission delay time. The number of terminals accommodated in the own system was set to 10, and all the terminals of the own system were highly reliable terminals. The parameters shown in Table 1 were used as the parameters of the MAC layer. The desired reliability R was set to R = 99%.

The band used was the 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz band, and it was assumed that there were candidates for a total of 7 channels, 3 channels (Ch1 to 3) and 4 (Ch4 to 7) channels, respectively. The technique of the present invention selects one channel from each band and transmits and receives at the same time using a maximum of two bands. In the conventional method, one of the channel candidates is selected and used. The figure shows the time change of the time rate of other systems. FIG. 7 shows the time change of the reliability of the technique and the conventional method in the present invention when there is a change in the time rate of another system as shown in FIG. Compared with the conventional method using a single band, the technique in the present invention using two bands at the same time causes channel switching processing when the reliability is likely to fall below 99%, so communication is performed without falling below 99%. Can be realized.

According to the wireless communication system 100 configured as described above, the highly reliable AP 10 and the highly reliable terminal 20 are provided with a radio wave monitoring device for measuring and analyzing the radio wave usage time for each band to monitor the radio wave condition. , Grasp the free channels. Then, the controller 30 can satisfy the desired reliability by determining the channel and the number of bands to be used according to the channel situation. As a result, it becomes possible to grasp the channel status in real time and reflect it in the channel switching process, and to determine the channel to be used by using the time rate at which another system uses the band.

<Modification example>
When a plurality of highly reliable AP10s are provided, the controller 30 determines the channel and the number of bands of each of the highly reliable AP10s by executing the process of FIG. 5 for the number of the highly reliable AP10s.
In the present embodiment, both the high-reliability AP10 and the high-reliability terminal 20 have a radio wave monitoring function, that is, a configuration in which a radio wave monitoring device is provided, but one of them may be configured to include a radio wave monitoring device. .. Specifically, the high-reliability AP10 does not have to be equipped with a radio wave monitoring device and the high-reliability terminal 20 does not have a radio wave monitoring device, and the high-reliability AP10 does not have a radio wave monitoring device and is provided with a high-reliability terminal 20. May be equipped with a radio wave monitoring device. If the highly reliable AP10 does not have a radio wave monitoring device, the following processing is performed. The high-reliability terminal 20 transmits the monitoring result to the high-reliability AP 10. The high-reliability AP 10 outputs the monitoring result transmitted from the high-reliability terminal 20 to the controller 30. The controller 30 determines the channel and the number of bands of the highly reliable AP10 by using the monitoring result obtained by the highly reliable terminal 20.

(Second Embodiment)
In the second embodiment, the wireless communication system includes an independent radio wave monitoring device, and the controller determines the channel and the number of bands of each highly reliable AP.
FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram showing a system configuration of the wireless communication system 100a according to the second embodiment. The wireless communication system 100a includes a highly reliable AP 10a, a highly reliable terminal 20a, a controller 30a, a highly reliable AP 40, a highly reliable terminal 50, a radio wave monitoring device 60, an AP 70, and a conventional terminal 80. The highly reliable AP10a, the highly reliable AP40, the radio wave monitoring device 60, and the AP70 are communicably connected to the controller 30a by wire or wirelessly. The high-reliability AP10a, the high-reliability terminal 20a, and the high-reliability terminal 50 are wirelessly communicably connected to each other. The high-reliability AP40, the high-reliability terminal 20a, and the high-reliability terminal 50 are wirelessly connected to each other so as to be communicable. The AP 70 and the conventional terminal 80 are wirelessly connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other.

The high-reliability AP10a performs the same processing as the high-reliability AP10. The high-reliability AP10a differs from the high-reliability AP10 in that it communicates with the high-reliability terminal 20 and the high-reliability terminal 50 using the number of channels and bands determined by the controller 30a, and is determined by the controller 30a. The point is that channel setting information including information on the number of channels and the number of bands is transmitted to the high-reliability terminal 20 and the high-reliability terminal 50.

The high-reliability terminal 20a performs the same processing as the high-reliability terminal 20. The difference between the high-reliability terminal 20a and the high-reliability terminal 20 is that the high-reliability terminal 20a and the high-reliability AP 10a or the high-reliability AP 40 use the number of channels and bands included in the channel setting information transmitted from the high-reliability AP 10a or the high-reliability AP 40. It is a point to communicate with.

The controller 30a acquires monitoring results from the highly reliable AP10, the radio wave monitoring device 60, and the AP70, and determines the number of channels and bands used by the highly reliable AP10, the highly reliable AP40, and the AP70 based on the acquired monitoring results. The controller 30a notifies the highly reliable AP10, the highly reliable AP40, and the AP70 of the channel setting information including the determined channel and band number information.

The highly reliable AP40 is a highly reliable and low latency access point. The highly reliable AP40 is provided with a plurality of antennas, and can communicate using a plurality of channels (for example, a maximum of two bands at the same time). The high-reliability AP 40 communicates with the high-reliability terminal 20 and the high-reliability terminal 50 using the channel determined by the controller 30a. The high-reliability AP 40 transmits channel setting information including the channel information determined by the controller 30a to the high-reliability terminal 20 and the high-reliability terminal 50.

The high-reliability terminal 50 is a high-reliability, low-delay communication terminal. The high-reliability terminal 50 is provided with a plurality of antennas, and can communicate using a plurality of channels (for example, a maximum of two bands at the same time). The high-reliability terminal 50 communicates with the high-reliability AP10 or the high-reliability AP40 by using the channel included in the channel setting information transmitted from the high-reliability AP10 or the high-reliability AP40.

The radio wave monitoring device 60 measures and analyzes the radio wave environment for each band. More specifically, the radio wave monitoring device 60 measures and analyzes the usage time of radio waves for each band. The radio wave monitoring device 60 is installed near, for example, a highly reliable AP that does not have a radio wave monitoring function, and measures and analyzes the radio wave usage time for each band around the highly reliable AP. The installation location of the radio wave monitoring device 60 is not particularly limited, and may be installed in another location (for example, in the vicinity of a highly reliable AP having a radio wave monitoring function, in the vicinity of a highly reliable terminal, or the like). The radio wave monitoring device 60 outputs the monitoring result to the controller 30a.

The AP 70 is an access point that communicates with the conventional terminal 80. The AP70 includes one antenna. The AP 70 communicates with the conventional terminal 80 using the channel determined by the controller 30a. The AP 70 transmits channel setting information including channel information determined by the controller 30a to the conventional terminal 80.

The conventional terminal 80 is a communication terminal that communicates with the AP 70. The conventional terminal 80 includes one antenna. The conventional terminal 80 communicates with the AP 70 by using the channel included in the channel setting information transmitted from the AP 70.

Hereinafter, a specific configuration of each device will be described. Since the high-reliability AP10a, the high-reliability terminal 20a and the controller 30a have the same configurations as the high-reliability AP10, the high-reliability terminal 20 and the controller 30, the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of the highly reliable AP40. The highly reliable AP40 includes a radio control unit 41, a channel setting unit 42, and a plurality of radios 43-1 to 43-N.
When the transmission target data is input from an external application, the radio control unit 41 duplicates N transmission target data and inputs the duplicated transmission target data to each radio 43-1 to 43-N. To do. Further, when the data is received by the radios 43-1 to 43-N, the radio control unit 41 receives the earliest received data from the radios 43-1 to 43-N as the first-come-first-served basis. Output the received data to an external application. The radio control unit 41 discards other received data.

The channel setting unit 42 sets the channel and the number of bands indicated by the channel setting information notified from the controller 30a for each of the radios 43-1 to 43-N.
The radios 43-1 to 43-N modulate the input transmission target data and transmit it to the high-reliability terminal 20a and the high-reliability terminal 50. Further, the radios 43-1 to 43-N demodulate the received received data and output it to the radio control unit 41.

The radio 43-1 includes a radio control unit 431-1, a digital signal processing unit 432-1, an RF unit 433-1 and an antenna 434-1. Since the radios 43-2 to 43-N also have the same configuration as the radio 43-1, the radio 43-1 will be described as an example.

When the radio control unit 41 receives input of transmission target data, the wireless control unit 431-1 executes processing necessary for wireless communication, and performs association processing, authentication processing, and communication connection management.
The digital signal processing unit 432-1 converts the data to be transmitted into a baseband signal.
The RF unit 433-1 up-converts the transmission target data to the frequency band set by the channel setting unit 42, and transmits the transmission target data via the antenna 434-1. The RF unit 433-1 down-converts the received signal received via the antenna 434-1.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of the highly reliable terminal 50. The high-reliability terminal 50 includes a radio control unit 51, a channel setting unit 52, and a plurality of radios 53-1 to 53-N.
When the transmission target data is input from an external application, the radio control unit 51 duplicates N transmission target data and inputs the duplicated transmission target data to each radio 53-1 to 53-N. To do. Further, when the data is received by the radios 53-1 to 53-N, the radio control unit 51 receives the earliest received data from the radios 53-1 to 53-N as the first-come-first-served basis. Output the received data to an external application. The radio control unit 51 discards other received data.

The channel setting unit 52 receives channel setting information in-band from the high-reliability AP10a or the high-reliability AP40 via either radio 23-1 to 23-N, and wirelessly transmits the channel and the number of bands indicated by the channel setting information. Set for each of the machines 53-1 to 53-N.
The radios 53-1 to 53-N modulate the input data to be transmitted and transmit it to the highly reliable AP10a and the highly reliable AP40. Further, the radios 53-1 to 53-N demodulate the received received data and output the received data to the radio control unit 51.

The radio 53-1 includes a radio control unit 531-1, a digital signal processing unit 532-1, an RF unit 533-1 and an antenna 534-1. Since the radios 53-2 to 23-N also have the same configuration as the radio 53-1, the radio 53-1 will be described as an example.

When the radio control unit 51 inputs data to be transmitted, the wireless control unit 531-1 performs processing necessary for wireless communication, and performs association processing, authentication processing, and communication connection management.
The digital signal processing unit 532-1 converts the data to be transmitted into a baseband signal.

The RF unit 533-1 up-converts the transmission target data to the frequency band set by the channel setting unit 52, and transmits the transmission target data via the antenna 534-1. The RF unit 533-1 down-converts the received signal received via the antenna 534-1.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of the radio wave monitoring device 60. The radio wave monitoring device 60 includes an antenna 61, an RF unit 62, and a time rate calculation unit 63.
The antenna 61 is an antenna used for radio wave monitoring, and receives radio waves around the own device. The antenna 61 converts the received radio wave into an electric signal and outputs it to the RF unit 62. The RF unit 62 demodulates the electric signal output from the antenna 61 into a baseband signal and outputs it to the time rate calculation unit 63. The time rate calculation unit 63 measures the channel candidates that can be used by the own device in order or at the same time, and calculates the time rate of the band used by the own system and other than the own system. Since the method of calculating the time rate is the same as the method performed by the radio wave monitoring device 14, the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of the AP70. The AP 70 includes a radio 71 and a channel setting unit 72.
The radio 71 modulates the input data to be transmitted and transmits it to the conventional terminal 80. Further, the radio 71 demodulates the received received data and outputs it to an external application.
The radio 71 includes a radio control unit 711, a digital signal processing unit 712, an RF unit 713, and an antenna 714.

When the transmission target data is input from the external application, the wireless control unit 711 executes the processing necessary for wireless communication, and performs the association processing, the authentication processing, and the communication connection management.
The digital signal processing unit 712 converts the data to be transmitted into a baseband signal.
The RF unit 713 up-converts the transmission target data to the frequency band set by the channel setting unit 72, and transmits the transmission target data via the antenna 714. The RF unit 713 down-converts the received signal received via the antenna 714.

According to the wireless communication system 100a configured as described above, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.
Further, by providing the independent radio wave monitoring device 60 in the wireless communication system 100a, the highly reliable AP40 can be used even when the highly reliable AP40 having no radio wave monitoring function is in the wireless communication system 100a. The number of channels and bands can be determined. As a result, it becomes possible to grasp the channel status in real time and reflect it in the channel switching process, and to determine the channel to be used by using the time rate at which another system uses the band.

<Modification example>
When a plurality of high-reliability AP10a, high-reliability AP40, and AP70 are provided, the controller 30a executes the process of FIG. 5 for the number of high-reliable AP10a, high-reliability AP40, and AP70 to each AP. Determine the channel and number of bands.
The number of each device (high-reliability AP10a, high-reliability terminal 20a, controller 30a, high-reliability AP40, high-reliability terminal 50, radio wave monitoring device 60, AP70, and conventional terminal 80) included in the wireless communication system 100a is shown in FIG. It does not have to be limited to. For example, the wireless communication system 100a may not be provided with the AP 70 and the conventional terminal 80, or may be provided with a plurality of any or all of the devices.

(Third Embodiment)
In the third embodiment, one highly reliable AP has the function of a controller for determining the channel and the number of bands used, and determines the channel and the number of bands of the other highly reliable AP.
FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram showing a system configuration of the wireless communication system 100b according to the third embodiment. The wireless communication system 100b includes a highly reliable AP10b, a highly reliable terminal 20a, a highly reliable AP40b, a highly reliable terminal 50, and a radio wave monitoring device 60b. The highly reliable AP10b, the highly reliable AP40b, and the radio wave monitoring device 60b are communicably connected by wire or wirelessly. The high-reliability AP10b, the high-reliability terminal 20a, and the high-reliability terminal 50 are wirelessly communicably connected to each other. The high-reliability AP40b, the high-reliability terminal 20a, and the high-reliability terminal 50 are wirelessly communicably connected to each other.

The high-reliability AP10b performs the same processing as the high-reliability AP10a. Further, the highly reliable AP10b has the functions of the controller 30 shown in FIG. 1 or the controller 30a shown in FIG. 8, and determines the channels and the number of bands of the highly reliable AP10b and the highly reliable AP40b.

The highly reliable AP40b is a highly reliable and low latency access point. The high-reliability AP40b performs the same processing as the high-reliability AP40a. The high-reliability AP40b differs from the high-reliability AP40 in that communication is performed between the high-reliability terminal 20a and the high-reliability terminal 50 using the channel determined by the high-reliability AP10b.

Hereinafter, a specific configuration of each device will be described. Since the high-reliability terminal 20a, the high-reliability AP40b, the high-reliability terminal 50, and the radio wave monitoring device 60b have the same configuration as the functional unit having the same name in the second embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of the highly reliable AP10b. The highly reliable AP10b includes a radio control unit 11, a channel setting unit 12b, a plurality of radios 13-1 to 13-N, a radio wave monitoring device 14b, and a controller function unit 15.
The high-reliability AP10b is different from the high-reliability AP10 in that it includes a channel setting unit 12b and a radio wave monitoring device 14b instead of the channel setting unit 12 and the radio wave monitoring device 14, and a controller function unit 15 is newly provided. Other configurations are the same as those of the highly reliable AP10. Therefore, the channel setting unit 12b, the radio wave monitoring device 14b, and the controller function unit 15 will be described.

The controller function unit 15 includes a function unit similar to the function unit included in the controller 30 shown in FIG. Therefore, the description of each functional part will be omitted.
The radio wave monitoring device 14b includes an RF unit 142 and a time rate calculation unit 143b. The time rate calculation unit 143b performs the same processing as the time rate calculation unit 143. The time rate calculation unit 143b outputs the calculated time rate information to the controller function unit 15.
The channel setting unit 12b sets the channel and the number of bands indicated by the channel setting information notified from the controller function unit 15 for each of the radios 13-1 to 13-N.

According to the wireless communication system 100b configured as described above, the same effect as that of the second embodiment can be obtained.
Further, in the wireless communication system 100b, one highly reliable AP has a controller function for determining the channel to be used and the number of bands. As a result, the system can be simplified because it is not necessary to provide a separate controller.

<Modification example>
In the present embodiment, the highly reliable AP10b having a radio wave monitoring function is configured to have a controller function for determining the used channel and the number of bands, but the controller function for determining the used channel and the number of bands has a radio wave monitoring function. It may be provided in a highly reliable AP40b that does not have. When configured in this way, the highly reliable AP10b and the radio wave monitoring device 60b transmit the monitoring result to the highly reliable AP40b.
The wireless communication system 100b may include the AP 70 and the conventional terminal 80 as in the second embodiment.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes designs and the like within a range that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

10, 10a, 10b ... Highly reliable AP (access point), 20, 20a ... Highly reliable terminal, 30, 30a ... Controller (control device), 31 ... Acquisition unit, 32 ... Interference time rate calculation unit, 33 ... Evaluation unit, 34 ... Channel determination unit, 35 ... Notification unit, 40, 40b ... Highly reliable AP, 50 ... Highly reliable terminal, 60, 60b ... Radio monitoring device, 70 ... AP, 80 ... Conventional terminal, 11 ... Radio control unit, 12 , 12b ... Channel setting unit, 13-1 to 13-N ... Radio, 14b ... Radio monitoring device, 15 ... Controller function unit, 21 ... Radio control unit, 22 ... Channel setting unit, 23-1 to 23-N ... Radio, 24 ... Radio monitoring device, 41 ... Radio control unit, 42 ... Channel setting unit, 43-1 to 43-N ... Radio, 51 ... Radio control unit, 52 ... Channel setting unit, 53-1 ~ 53-N ... Radio, 60 ... Radio monitoring device, 61 ... Antenna, 62 ... RF section, 63 ... Time rate calculation section, 70 ... AP, 71 ... Radio, 72 ... Channel setting section, 131-1 to 131 -N ... Radio control unit, 132-1 to 132-N ... Digital signal processing unit, 133-1 to 133-N ... RF unit, 134-1 to 134-N ... Antenna, 141 ... Antenna, 142 ... RF unit, 143, 143b ... Time rate calculation unit, 231-1 to 231-N ... Radio control unit, 232-1 to 232-N ... Digital signal processing unit, 233-1 to 233-N ... RF unit, 234-1 to 234 -N ... Antenna, 241 ... Antenna, 242 ... RF section, 243 ... Time rate calculation section, 4311-1431-N ... Radio control section, 432-1-432-N ... Digital signal processing section, 433-1 to 433-N ... RF unit, 4341-1434-N ... Antenna, 531-1 to 531-N ... Radio control unit, 532-1 to 532-N ... Digital signal processing unit, 533-1 to 533-N ... RF unit, 534-1 to 534-N ... antenna, 711 ... wireless control unit, 712 ... digital signal processing unit, 713 ... RF unit, 714 ... antenna

Claims (7)

A radio wave monitoring device that measures the radio wave environment for each band,
A control device that determines the channel to be used by the access point based on the measurement result of the radio wave monitoring device and notifies the information of the determined channel.
An access point that sets the channel notified by the control device and communicates with the terminal device using the set channel.
Equipped with a,
The radio wave monitoring device measures channel candidates that can be used by the access point in order or at the same time, calculates the ratio of the usage time of the band used by the access point and the device other than the access point, and calculates the ratio.
The control device is a wireless communication system that determines a channel to be used, which is less affected by channel interference, based on the ratio of the usage time of the band . The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the radio wave monitoring device measures the usage time of radio waves for each band. The wireless communication system according to claim 2, wherein the access point includes the radio wave monitoring device inside the device and measures the usage time of radio waves for each band around the device. The wireless communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the access point includes the control device inside the device and determines a channel to be used by the own device and another access point. A radio wave monitoring step that measures the radio wave environment for each band,
A control step that determines the channel to be used by the access point based on the measurement result in the radio wave monitoring step and notifies the information of the determined channel.
A communication step of setting the notified channel and communicating with the terminal device using the set channel,
Have a,
In the radio wave monitoring step, channel candidates that can be used by the access point are measured in order or simultaneously, and the ratio of the usage time of the band used by the access point and the device other than the access point is calculated.
In the control step, a wireless communication method in which a channel to be used is determined to use a channel that is less affected by channel interference, based on the ratio of the usage time of the band . A radio wave monitoring unit that measures the radio wave environment for each band,
A channel setting unit that sets a channel to be used in the own device obtained based on the measurement result of the radio wave monitoring unit, and a channel setting unit.
A communication unit that communicates with the terminal device using the set channel,
Equipped with a,
The radio wave monitoring unit measures channel candidates that can be used by the own device in order or at the same time, calculates the ratio of the usage time of the band used by the own device and the device other than the own device, and calculates the ratio.
The channel setting unit determines to use a channel that is less affected by channel interference based on the ratio of the usage time of the band . The access point according to claim 6 , wherein the radio wave monitoring unit measures the radio wave usage time for each band.

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