JP7066016B2 - Communication equipment and wireless communication method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a communication device, a server, and a wireless communication method for performing wireless communication.

In recent years, the number of cases where home appliances are connected to the Internet is increasing. Home appliances that do not have a communication function can be connected to a communication adapter that has a wireless communication function, and can be connected to the Internet via the communication adapter. Generally, when a home appliance is connected to the Internet via a communication adapter, the communication adapter and an access point installed by a communication carrier are connected by wireless communication. When a large number of access points are installed by a communication carrier, the home appliance adapter can select one communication path from a plurality of communication paths via different access points and connect to the Internet. In Patent Document 1, the wireless communication device calculates the communication time from transmitting a test frame to receiving a response test frame for each of a plurality of wireless communication paths, and selects the optimum wireless communication path. A technique for wirelessly communicating with a communication partner is disclosed.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-198563

However, according to the above-mentioned conventional technique, there is a problem that it is not possible to follow the fluctuation of the communication quality of the wireless communication path only by the communication time between the wireless communication device and the communication partner.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to obtain a communication device capable of selecting a communication path according to a communication quality when wireless communication is possible by a plurality of communication paths.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the communication device according to the present invention is a wireless communication system including a plurality of access points capable of wireless communication with the communication device, and a plurality of communication paths via different access points. It is a communication device that can communicate with the server. The communication device is a wireless communication quality measuring unit that measures the communication quality of each wireless communication section from the communication device to a plurality of access points, and a communication device for measuring the communication time required for transmitting and receiving signals between the communication device and the server. The first signal is transmitted to the server through a plurality of communication paths corresponding to each wireless communication section including the wireless communication section, and the second signal, which is a response to the first signal from the server, is received by the plurality of communication paths. It is equipped with a communication unit. Further, the communication device uses a plurality of communication paths using the transmission time of the first signal transmitted by the communication unit on the plurality of communication paths and the reception time of the second signal received by the communication unit on the plurality of communication paths. Select the communication route to be used for communication with the server by calculating the communication time of and using the calculated communication time of multiple communication paths and the communication quality of each wireless communication section from the communication device to multiple access points. A control unit and a control unit are provided. In the first time interval in which the wireless communication quality measuring unit periodically measures the communication quality of each wireless communication section, the communication unit periodically transmits the first signal through a plurality of communication paths to transmit the second signal. It is shorter than the second time interval, which is received by a plurality of communication paths and the control unit periodically calculates the communication time in the plurality of communication paths. The control unit selects the communication route to be used for communication with the server in the order of the shortest communication time, and selects it when the communication quality of the wireless communication section from the communication device to the access point via the selected communication route is equal to or higher than the threshold value. When a connection request is made to the server on the communication path and the communication quality of the wireless communication section from the communication device to the access point via the selected communication path is less than the threshold within the second time interval, the communication time is the next shortest. Select a communication path.

The communication device according to the present invention has an effect that the communication path can be selected according to the communication quality when wireless communication is possible with a plurality of communication paths.

The figure which shows the configuration example of the wireless communication system which concerns on Embodiment 1. A block diagram showing a configuration example of an IoT home appliance according to the first embodiment. Block diagram showing a configuration example of the server according to the first embodiment A flowchart showing an operation when the communication adapter according to the first embodiment starts communication with the server. A flowchart showing an operation when the communication adapter according to the first embodiment is communicating with the server. A flowchart showing the operation of the server according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows the example of the hardware configuration provided with the communication adapter which concerns on Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the 1st image of the operation which the control part of the communication adapter which concerns on Embodiment 2 estimates the future communication quality. The figure which shows the 2nd image of the operation which the control part of the communication adapter which concerns on Embodiment 2 estimates the future communication quality. A flowchart showing an operation in which the control unit of the communication adapter according to the second embodiment estimates the communication quality of the wireless communication section.

Hereinafter, the communication device, the server, and the wireless communication method according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the wireless communication system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The wireless communication system 100 includes IoT (Internet of Things) home appliances 10a and 10b, access points 40a and 40b, an access point 50, an Internet network 60, and a server 70.

The IoT home appliances 10a and 10b connect to the server 70 via the access point 40a or the access point 40b, the access point 50, and the Internet network 60. In the following description, when the IoT home appliances 10a and 10b are not distinguished, they may be referred to as the IoT home appliances 10.

The access points 40a and 40b are communication devices capable of wireless communication with the IoT home appliance 10. The access points 40a and 40b are communication devices of, for example, LoRaWAN (LoRa Wide Area Network) standard, which perform LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) communication for wireless communication with the IoT home appliance 10. The access point 40a can perform wireless communication with the IoT home appliance 10 within the range of the zone 41a. The access point 40b can perform wireless communication with the IoT home appliance 10 within the range of the zone 41b. In the following description, when the access points 40a and 40b are not distinguished, they may be referred to as an access point 40, and when the zones 41a and 41b are not distinguished, they may be referred to as a zone 41.

The access point 50 is a communication device that connects the access points 40a and 40b to the Internet network 60. In FIG. 1, wireless communication is performed between the access points 40a and 40b and the access point 50, but this is an example and may be wired communication.

The Internet network 60 is a network that connects the access point 50 and the server 70. In the wireless communication system 100, the portion of the Internet network 60 may be configured by a dedicated network.

The server 70 connects to the IoT home appliance 10 via the Internet network 60, the access point 50, and the access point 40. The server 70 is an information processing device that provides services and the like to the IoT home appliances 10.

In FIG. 1, the IoT home appliance 10 may be a home electric appliance having a wireless communication function, or may be configured by connecting a communication adapter having a wireless communication function to a home electric appliance having no wireless communication function. In the present embodiment, the case where the IoT home appliance 10 is configured by connecting the communication adapter having the wireless communication function to the latter home appliance not having the wireless communication function will be described as an example. The configuration of the IoT home appliance 10 will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the IoT home appliance 10 according to the first embodiment. The IoT home appliance 10 includes a home appliance 20 and a communication adapter 30.

The home appliance 20 is a home appliance installed in the user's home. The home electric appliance 20 is, for example, an air conditioner, a hot water supply device, a lighting device, and the like, but is not limited thereto.

The communication adapter 30 is a communication device that is connected to the home electric appliance 20 and provides a wireless communication function to the home electric appliance 20. The communication adapter 30 can communicate with the server 70 by a plurality of communication paths via different access points 40 in the wireless communication system 100 including a plurality of access points 40 capable of wirelessly communicating with the communication adapter 30. In the IoT home appliance 10, the communication adapter 30 and the home appliance 20 are connected by serial communication such as UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter). The communication adapter 30 includes a communication unit 31, a wireless communication quality measurement unit 32, a control unit 33, and a storage unit 34.

The communication unit 31 is a communication device communication unit that communicates with the server 70 via a communication path via the access point 40. When communicating with the server 70, the communication unit 31 performs wireless communication with the access point 40. Under the control of the control unit 33, the communication unit 31 transmits a zone selection message for measuring the communication time required for transmission / reception of a signal between the communication adapter 30 and the server 70 to the server 70 via a plurality of communication paths. Further, the communication unit 31 receives the zone selection response message, which is a response to the zone selection message from the server 70, via a plurality of communication paths. In the example of FIG. 1, the plurality of communication paths are a communication path via the access point 40a and a communication path via the access point 40b. In the following description, the zone selection message may be referred to as a first signal, and the zone selection response message may be referred to as a second signal. As for the format of the zone selection message and the zone selection response message, it is sufficient that the information for identifying the communication path is included. Therefore, for example, the frame format described in Patent Document 1 of the prior art document should be used. However, it is not limited to this.

The wireless communication quality measuring unit 32 measures the communication quality of each wireless communication section from the communication adapter 30 to the plurality of access points 40, and in the example of FIG. 1, the access points 40a and 40b. The communication quality is, for example, SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio), but is not limited thereto. The communication quality may be RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator), BER (Bit Error Rate), or the like.

The control unit 33 is a communication device control unit that controls the operation of the communication adapter 30. Specifically, the control unit 33 uses the transmission time of the zone selection message transmitted by the communication unit 31 on the plurality of communication paths and the reception time of the zone selection response message received by the communication unit 31 on the plurality of communication paths. The communication time required for transmitting and receiving signals between the communication adapter 30 and the server 70 in a plurality of communication paths is calculated. The transmission time of the zone selection message and the reception time of the zone selection response message can be managed by the time stamp. The control unit 33 uses the calculated communication time of the plurality of communication paths and the communication quality of each wireless communication section from the communication adapter 30 to the plurality of access points 40 to determine the communication path used for communication with the server 70. select. When the communication unit 31 receives the connection response from the server 70 within the specified period after the communication unit 31 transmits the connection request, the control unit 33 starts communication with the server 70 by the selected communication path. .. The specified period in the communication adapter 30 is defined as the first period.

The storage unit 34 stores the communication quality information of each wireless communication section measured by the wireless communication quality measurement unit 32. The storage unit 34 also stores the communication quality information of each wireless communication section measured in the past by the wireless communication quality measurement unit 32 for a certain period of time. The storage unit 34 stores information on the transmission time of the zone selection message transmitted by the communication unit 31 on the plurality of communication paths, and information on the reception time of the zone selection response message received by the communication unit 31 on the plurality of communication paths. You may.

Next, the configuration of the server 70 will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the server 70 according to the first embodiment. The server 70 includes a communication unit 71 and a control unit 72.

The communication unit 71 is a server communication unit that communicates with the IoT home appliance 10. In the present embodiment, the communication unit 71 communicates with the communication adapter 30 of the IoT home appliance 10. The communication unit 71 receives a zone selection message from the communication adapter 30 for measuring the communication time required for transmitting and receiving a signal between the communication adapter 30 and the server 70 through a plurality of communication paths. Under the control of the control unit 72, the communication unit 71 transmits a zone selection response message, which is a response to the zone selection message, to the communication adapter 30 via a plurality of communication paths.

The control unit 72 is a server control unit that controls the operation of the server 70. Specifically, when the control unit 72 receives the connection request from the communication adapter 30 within the specified period after the communication unit 71 sends the zone selection response message, the control unit 72 uses the communication path that received the connection request as the communication adapter. Communication with 30 is started. The specified period on the server 70 is defined as the second period.

The server 70 can communicate with the communication adapter 30 by a plurality of communication paths via different access points 40 in the wireless communication system 100 including a plurality of access points 40 capable of wireless communication with the communication adapter 30.

Subsequently, the operation when the communication adapter 30 starts communication with the server 70 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation when the communication adapter 30 according to the first embodiment starts communication with the server 70.

In the communication adapter 30, the communication unit 31 transmits a zone selection message to the server 70 via a plurality of communication routes, that is, communication routes via different access points 40 (step S101). The communication unit 31 transmits a zone selection message including information for identifying the communication path to the access point 40 forming the zone 41 in which the communication adapter 30 is located. The communication unit 31 receives the zone selection response message from the server 70 via a plurality of communication paths, that is, communication paths via different access points 40 (step S102). The control unit 33 uses the transmission time of the zone selection message transmitted by the communication unit 31 on the plurality of communication paths and the reception time of the zone selection response message received by the communication unit 31 on the plurality of communication paths in a plurality of communication paths. The communication time required for transmitting and receiving signals between the communication adapter 30 and the server 70 is calculated (step S103). The communication time is the time difference between the reception time of the zone selection response message and the transmission time of the zone selection message. The control unit 33 compares the calculated communication times of each communication path, and selects a communication path having a short communication time as the communication path used for communication with the server 70 (step S104).

In the communication adapter 30, in parallel with the operation in which the communication unit 31 periodically transmits a zone selection message, the wireless communication quality measurement unit 32 periodically performs a plurality of access points, that is, access points 40a from the communication adapter 30. It is assumed that the communication quality of each wireless communication section up to 40b is measured. The time interval in which the wireless communication quality measuring unit 32 periodically measures the communication quality of each wireless communication section is set as the first time interval. The first time interval is a time interval of several tens of ms. The wireless communication quality measuring unit 32 stores the communication quality information obtained by the measurement in the storage unit 34.

The control unit 33 acquires information on the communication quality of the wireless communication section from the communication adapter 30 to the access point 40 via the selected communication path from the storage unit 34 (step S105). At this time, the control unit 33 acquires the latest communication quality information from the storage unit 34. The control unit 33 determines whether or not the acquired communication quality is equal to or higher than the specified threshold value (step S106). When the acquired communication quality is less than the threshold value (step S106: No), the control unit 33 determines whether or not the selected communication path has been selected a specified number of times (step S107). The specified number of times may be once or may be a plurality of times of two or more times. When the control unit 33 has been selected a specified number of times (step S107: Yes), the control unit 33 excludes the selected access point 40 from the selection target (step S108). If the control unit 33 has not been selected a specified number of times (step S107: No), the control unit 33 proceeds to the operation of step S104.

The control unit 33 determines whether or not a specified time interval has elapsed since the communication unit 31 transmitted the zone selection message last time (step S109). The communication unit 31 periodically transmits a zone selection message on a plurality of communication paths, receives a zone selection response message on a plurality of communication paths, and the control unit 33 periodically calculates the communication time on the plurality of communication paths. Let the time interval be the second time interval. The second time interval, which is the specified time interval, is a time interval in seconds. That is, the first time interval is shorter than the second time interval. When the specified time interval has elapsed since the communication unit 31 transmitted the zone selection message last time (step S109: Yes), the control unit 33 proceeds to the operation of step S101. If the specified time interval has not elapsed since the communication unit 31 transmitted the zone selection message last time (step S109: No), the control unit 33 proceeds to the operation of step S104.

When the acquired communication quality is equal to or higher than the threshold value (step S106: Yes), the control unit 33 makes a connection request to the server 70 on the selected communication path (step S110). Specifically, the control unit 33 controls the communication unit 31 so as to transmit a connection request to the server 70 to the access point 40 via the selected communication path. The communication unit 31 transmits a connection request to the server 70 by the communication path selected by the control unit 33 under the control of the control unit 33.

The control unit 33 determines whether or not the communication unit 31 has received the connection response from the server 70 to the connection request within the first period after the communication unit 31 transmits the connection request (step S111). If the communication unit 31 does not receive the connection response from the server 70 within the first period (step S111: No), the control unit 33 proceeds to the operation of step S107. When the communication unit 31 receives the connection response from the server 70 within the first period (step S111: Yes), the control unit 33 starts communication with the server 70 on the selected communication path (step S112). The control unit 33 resets the selection target of the communication path (step S113). Specifically, when there is an access point 40 excluded from the selection target in step S108, the control unit 33 returns the excluded access point 40 to the selection target.

Even after starting communication with the server 70, the communication adapter 30 continuously communicates with the server 70 so that the communication path can be changed when the communication time of the communication path becomes long or the communication quality of the communication path deteriorates. Perform the operation to check the status of. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation when the communication adapter 30 according to the first embodiment is communicating with the server 70. For the same operation as the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, the same step number is assigned and the description thereof will be omitted.

When the acquired communication quality is equal to or higher than the threshold value (step S106: Yes), the control unit 33 determines whether or not the selected communication path is the same as the current communication path (step S121). When the selected communication path is the same as the communication path currently used (step S121: Yes), the control unit 33 proceeds to the operation of step S109. When the selected communication path is different from the current communication path (step S121: No), the control unit 33 makes a connection request to the server 70 using the selected communication path (step S110). If the communication unit 31 does not receive the connection response from the server 70 within the first period (step S111: No), the control unit 33 proceeds to the operation of step S107. When the communication unit 31 receives the connection response from the server 70 within the first period (step S111: Yes), the control unit 33 changes the communication route to the selected communication route and communicates with the server 70. (Step S122). The control unit 33 proceeds to the operation of step S109 after the operation of step S113. When the power is on, the communication adapter 30 repeatedly performs the operation of the flowchart shown in FIG.

In this way, the control unit 33 selects the communication route used for communication with the server 70 in the order of the shortest communication time. When the communication quality of the wireless communication section from the communication adapter 30 to the access point 40 via the selected communication path is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the control unit 33 makes a connection request to the server 70 on the selected communication path. As a result, the control unit 33 can select the communication route used for communication with the server 70 according to the communication quality without increasing the transmission frequency of the zone selection message and congesting the Internet network 60. Specifically, the control unit 33 has a threshold value of the communication quality of the wireless communication section from the communication adapter 30 to the access point 40 via the selected communication path within the second time interval which is the transmission interval of the zone selection message. If it is less than, the next communication path with the shortest communication time can be selected.

Next, the operation of the server 70 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the server 70 according to the first embodiment. When the communication unit 71 receives the zone selection message from the communication adapter 30 on the plurality of communication paths in the server 70 (step S201), the communication unit 71 receives the zone selection response to the communication adapter 30 on the plurality of communication paths under the control of the control unit 72. Send a message (step S202). The control unit 72 determines whether or not the communication unit 71 has received the connection request from the communication adapter 30 within the second period after the communication unit 71 transmits the zone selection response message (step S203). If the communication unit 71 has not received the connection request from the communication adapter 30 within the second period (step S203: No), the communication unit 71 proceeds to the operation of step S201 under the control of the control unit 72. When the communication unit 71 receives the connection request from the communication adapter 30 within the second period (step S203: Yes), the communication unit 71 receives the connection request to the communication adapter 30 under the control of the control unit 72. The connection response is transmitted by the communication path (step S204). The control unit 72 starts communication with the communication adapter 30 on the communication path on which the communication unit 71 has received the connection request (step S205).

The server 70 repeatedly executes the operation of the flowchart shown in FIG. When the server 70 receives a connection request from a communication path different from the current communication path after starting communication with the communication adapter 30, the server 70 changes to the communication path newly receiving the connection request and continues communication with the communication adapter 30. do.

Next, the hardware configuration of the communication adapter 30 will be described. In the communication adapter 30, the communication unit 31 is a communication device. The storage unit 34 is a memory. The wireless communication quality measuring unit 32 and the control unit 33 are realized by a processing circuit. The processing circuit is, for example, a processor 91 that executes a program stored in the memory 92, and a memory 92.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration included in the communication adapter 30 according to the first embodiment. When the processing circuit is composed of the processor 91 and the memory 92, each function of the processing circuit is realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or firmware is written as a program and stored in the memory 92. In the processing circuit, each function is realized by the processor 91 reading and executing the program stored in the memory 92. It can also be said that these programs cause the computer to execute the procedure and method of the operation performed by each device.

Here, the processor 91 may be a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a processing device, a computing device, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or the like. Further, the memory 92 includes, for example, non-volatile or volatile such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), and EPROM (registered trademark) (Electrically EPROM). This includes semiconductor memory, magnetic disk, flexible disk, optical disk, compact disk, mini disk, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), and the like.

The processing circuit may be dedicated hardware. When the processing circuit is composed of dedicated hardware, the processing circuit may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate). Array), or a combination of these. For the processing circuit of each device, each function may be realized by a plurality of processing circuits for each function, or each function may be collectively realized by one processing circuit.

For each function of the processing circuit of each device, a part may be realized by dedicated hardware and a part may be realized by software or firmware. As described above, the processing circuit can realize each of the above-mentioned functions by the dedicated hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

Next, the hardware configuration of the server 70 will be described. In the server 70, the communication unit 71 is a communication device. The control unit 72 is realized by a processing circuit. The configuration of the processing circuit is the same as the configuration of the processing circuit of the communication adapter 30 described above.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the communication adapter 30 measures the communication quality of the wireless communication section up to the access point 40 at the first time interval, and the communication related to the transmission / reception of the signal to the server 70. The time is calculated in a second time interval that is longer than the first time interval. The communication adapter 30 has decided to select a communication route to be used for communication with the server 70 by using the calculated communication time and the measured communication quality of the wireless communication section. As a result, the communication adapter 30 can select the communication path to be used for communication with the server 70 according to the communication quality when wireless communication is possible through a plurality of communication paths.

In the communication adapter 30, the control unit 33 operates in step S109 of the flowchart shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and the specified time interval has not elapsed since the communication unit 31 transmitted the zone selection message last time. In the case (step S109: No), the specified time interval, that is, the second time interval may be waited for. In the case of step S109: No, the control unit 33 waits, and after a predetermined time interval has elapsed since the communication unit 31 transmitted the zone selection message last time (step S109: Yes), the operation of step S101. Proceed to. Compared with the operation of the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the number of times the control unit 33 selects a communication path is reduced, but even in this case, the communication adapter 30 is capable of wireless communication in a plurality of communication paths. In, the communication path used for communication with the server 70 can be selected according to the communication quality. Further, in the communication adapter 30, if the control unit 33 has not been selected a specified number of times in the operation of step S107 in the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 (step S107: No), the control unit 33 may proceed to the operation of step S109. good. Further, the number of times that the control unit 33 selects the communication path is reduced, but even in this case, the communication adapter 30 can communicate with the server 70 according to the communication quality when wireless communication is possible through a plurality of communication paths. You can select the communication route to use.

Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the communication adapter 30 is connected to the home electric appliance 20 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. A home electric appliance having a wireless communication function may perform the same operation as the above-mentioned communication adapter 30. Further, a single communication device that is not connected to a home electric appliance or the like may perform the same operation as the above-mentioned communication adapter 30.

Embodiment 2.
In the first embodiment, in the communication adapter 30, the control unit 33 uses the latest communication quality as the communication quality of the wireless communication section from the communication adapter 30 to the access point 40 via the communication path selected. In the second embodiment, the control unit 33 estimates the future communication quality of the wireless communication section from the communication adapter 30 to the access point 40 via the selected communication path.

In the second embodiment, the configurations of the wireless communication system 100, the communication adapter 30, and the server 70 are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. In the communication adapter 30, the storage unit 34 stores information on the past communication quality of each wireless communication section measured by the wireless communication quality measuring unit 32. By referring to the past communication quality information of each wireless communication section, the control unit 33 can estimate the future communication quality for the wireless communication section whose communication quality fluctuates periodically. The case where the communication quality fluctuates periodically is, for example, the case where an obstacle periodically passes between the communication adapter 30 and the access point 40.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a first image of an operation in which the control unit 33 of the communication adapter 30 according to the second embodiment estimates future communication quality. In FIG. 8, the threshold value 80 is the above-mentioned threshold value for the communication quality of the wireless communication section. The curve 81 is a curve showing the fluctuation of the communication quality obtained from the transition of the past communication quality in a certain wireless communication section. The control unit 33 can obtain the curve 81 for a certain wireless communication section from the transition of the past communication quality value stored in the storage unit 34. Here, in the case of the first embodiment, the control unit 33 determines that the communication quality is less than the threshold value at the time a (step S106: No). However, referring to the transition of the communication quality in the past, it is expected that the communication quality will exceed the threshold value after the time a. Therefore, in the second embodiment, when the control unit 33 estimates that the communication quality becomes equal to or higher than the threshold value after the current time a, the control unit 33 determines that the communication quality is equal to or higher than the threshold value at time a (step S106: Yes).

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a second image of the operation in which the control unit 33 of the communication adapter 30 according to the second embodiment estimates the future communication quality. In FIG. 9, the threshold value 80 is the above-mentioned threshold value for the communication quality of the wireless communication section. The curve 82 is a curve showing the fluctuation of the communication quality obtained from the transition of the past communication quality in a certain wireless communication section. The control unit 33 can obtain the curve 82 from the transition of the past communication quality values stored in the storage unit 34 for a certain wireless communication section. Here, in the case of the first embodiment, the control unit 33 determines that the communication quality is equal to or higher than the threshold value at the time b (step S106: Yes). However, referring to the transition of the communication quality in the past, it is expected that the communication quality will be less than the threshold value after the time b. Therefore, in the second embodiment, when the control unit 33 estimates that the communication quality is less than the threshold value after the current time b, the control unit 33 determines that the communication quality is less than the threshold value at the time b (step S106: No).

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation in which the control unit 33 of the communication adapter 30 according to the second embodiment estimates the communication quality of the wireless communication section. The control unit 33 acquires communication quality information from the past to the present from the storage unit 34 for the wireless communication section from the communication adapter 30 to the access point 40 via the selected communication path (step S131). The control unit 33 determines whether or not the acquired communication quality value from the past to the present is periodically fluctuating (step S132). When the communication quality value fluctuates periodically (step S132: Yes), the control unit 33 starts from the communication adapter 30 in the specified future period from the transition of the communication quality value from the past to the present. The communication quality of the wireless communication section up to the access point 40 via the selected communication path is estimated. The defined future period can be, for example, a period until the control unit 33 next selects a communication path (step S104), but is not limited to this. The control unit 33 performs the operation of step S106 using the estimated communication quality. When the communication quality value does not fluctuate periodically (step S132: No), the control unit 33 ends the operation. Step S132: In the case of No, the determination of the control unit 33 in step S106 has the same result as in the first embodiment.

In this way, the control unit 33 uses the communication quality information stored in the storage unit 34 to wirelessly reach the access point 40 via the communication path selected from the communication adapter 30 for a specified future period. Estimate the communication quality of the communication section.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the communication adapter 30 is an access point via a communication path selected from the communication adapter 30 for a specified future period by using the information of the past communication quality. It was decided to estimate the communication quality of the wireless communication section up to 40. As a result, the communication adapter 30 can more flexibly select the communication route used for communication with the server 70 according to the communication quality as compared with the first embodiment.

The configuration shown in the above embodiments shows an example of the contents of the present invention, can be combined with another known technique, and is one of the configurations as long as it does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. It is also possible to omit or change the part.

10,10a,10b IoT home appliances, 20 home appliances, 30 communication adapters, 31,71 communication units, 32 wireless communication quality measurement units, 33,72 control units, 34 storage units, 40a, 40b, 50 access points, 60 internet networks , 70 servers, 100 wireless communication systems.

Claims (4)

In a wireless communication system including a plurality of access points capable of wireless communication with a communication device, the communication device capable of communicating with a server through a plurality of communication paths via different access points.
A wireless communication quality measuring unit that measures the communication quality of each wireless communication section from the communication device to the plurality of access points, and a wireless communication quality measuring unit.
A first signal for measuring the communication time required for transmitting and receiving a signal between the communication device and the server is transmitted to the server by the plurality of communication paths corresponding to each wireless communication section including the wireless communication section. A communication unit that transmits and receives a second signal, which is a response to the first signal from the server, via the plurality of communication paths.
The plurality of communication paths using the transmission time of the first signal transmitted by the communication unit on the plurality of communication paths and the reception time of the second signal received by the communication unit on the plurality of communication paths. The communication time in the above is calculated, and the calculated communication time of the plurality of communication paths and the communication quality of each wireless communication section from the communication device to the plurality of access points are used for communication with the server. A control unit that selects the communication route to be used, and
Equipped with
The first time interval in which the wireless communication quality measuring unit periodically measures the communication quality of each wireless communication section is such that the communication unit periodically transmits the first signal through the plurality of communication paths. It is shorter than the second time interval in which the second signal is received by the plurality of communication paths and the control unit periodically calculates the communication time in the plurality of communication paths.
The control unit selects a communication path to be used for communication with the server in the order of shortest communication time, and the communication quality of the wireless communication section from the communication device to the access point via the selected communication path is equal to or higher than the threshold value. If so, make a connection request to the server using the selected communication path.
If the communication quality of the wireless communication section from the communication device to the access point via the selected communication path is less than the threshold value within the second time interval, the communication path having the next short communication time is selected.
Communication device. A storage unit for storing communication quality information of each wireless communication section measured by the wireless communication quality measuring unit is provided.
Using the communication quality information stored in the storage unit, the control unit uses the communication quality information of the wireless communication section from the communication device to the access point via the communication path selected by the communication device for a specified future period. To estimate,
The communication device according to claim 1 . A wireless communication method in the communication device capable of communicating with a server through a plurality of communication paths via different access points in a wireless communication system including a plurality of access points capable of wireless communication with the communication device.
A measurement step in which the wireless communication quality measuring unit measures the communication quality of each wireless communication section from the communication device to the plurality of access points.
The communication unit uses the first signal for measuring the communication time required for transmitting and receiving a signal between the communication device and the server as the plurality of communication paths corresponding to the respective wireless communication sections including the wireless communication section. A communication step of transmitting to the server and receiving a second signal, which is a response to the first signal from the server, in the plurality of communication paths.
The control unit uses the transmission time of the first signal transmitted by the communication unit on the plurality of communication paths and the reception time of the second signal received by the communication unit on the plurality of communication paths. A calculation step for calculating the communication time in a plurality of communication paths, and
A communication path used by the control unit for communication with the server using the calculated communication time of the plurality of communication paths and the communication quality of each wireless communication section from the communication device to the plurality of access points. The selection step to select and
Including
The first time interval in which the wireless communication quality measuring unit periodically measures the communication quality of each wireless communication section is such that the communication unit periodically transmits the first signal through the plurality of communication paths. It is shorter than the second time interval in which the second signal is received by the plurality of communication paths and the control unit periodically calculates the communication time in the plurality of communication paths.
In the selection step, the control unit selects a communication path to be used for communication with the server in the order of shortest communication time, and communicates in a wireless communication section from the communication device to an access point via the selected communication path. If the quality is equal to or higher than the threshold value, a connection request is made to the server using the selected communication path.
If the communication quality of the wireless communication section from the communication device to the access point via the selected communication path is less than the threshold value within the second time interval, the communication path having the next short communication time is selected.
Wireless communication method. In the selection step, the control unit is defined by using the communication quality information stored in the storage unit that stores the communication quality information of each wireless communication section measured by the wireless communication quality measuring unit. Estimate the communication quality of the wireless communication section from the communication device to the access point via the selected communication path in the future period.
The wireless communication method according to claim 3 .

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