JP7180909B2 - Wireless system, wireless system control method, and wireless system control program - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an invention for controlling the activation of a wireless WAN (Wide Area Network)-wireless LAN (Local Area Network) router device (hereinafter referred to as a wireless router device) and restricting the use of the wireless WAN. In particular, using a USB wireless router device that is assumed to be used by connecting to the USB port in the vehicle, the usage conditions are set in a state where a terminal such as a smartphone owned by the connection service contractor exists and is owned by the contractor. The present invention relates to a method for restricting the use of a wireless system inside a vehicle.

In order to connect to the Internet using a wireless WAN (LTE: Long Term Evolution, WiMAX, etc.), in most cases, it is necessary to conclude a contract with a telecommunications carrier and pay communication charges. In addition, with the recent spread of connected cars, a method of collecting vehicle information through a wireless WAN line is spreading.

In this case, the automobile manufacturer makes a contract with the user and collects driving information from the user's vehicle, and the automobile manufacturer may bear the usage fee of the WAN line. At this time, by using a wireless router device as a device for WAN line connection, it is possible not only to collect vehicle information, but also to connect to the Internet via wireless LAN in the vehicle, and to provide Internet connection services to contracted users. can.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-280310 JP 2014-123843 A JP 2017-225184 A

However, automobile manufacturers want to limit the scope of use to the contractor and the vehicles registered by the contractor. On the other hand, as a device form of the wireless router device, it is easy to handle the one that supplies power from USB, but since USB is a general-purpose interface, it is possible to use the Internet line by connecting to other vehicles or PCs, etc. There is a problem that it is difficult to limit the range of use.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a wireless system that can be used only in a vehicle and with a subscriber.

A radio system according to one embodiment includes a terminal possessed by a passenger who boards a vehicle, a key device mounted on the vehicle and connected to the terminal by a first connection method, and a key device from the terminal. an authentication server that returns the approval or rejection of authentication to the terminal based on an authentication request; and a wireless router that is connected to the terminal by a second connection method and performs communication from the terminal to the authentication server via a communication line. and, the wireless router has a timer for disconnecting the communication line if authentication by the authentication server is not performed within a predetermined time, and in response to an authentication request from the terminal, the When authenticated by the authentication server, the timer is canceled and the state in which the communication line is connected is continued.

Further, in a wireless system control method according to an embodiment, a key device is connected to a terminal possessed by a passenger in a vehicle by a first connection method, and a second connection is made to the terminal. A wireless router is connected according to the method, and the authentication server returns the approval or disapproval of authentication to the terminal based on an authentication request sent from the terminal to the authentication server via a communication line, and the wireless router is set by a timer. If the terminal is not authenticated by the authentication server within a predetermined time, the connection to the communication line is disconnected, and if the terminal is authenticated by the authentication server, the timer is canceled and the communication line is terminated. continue to connect to

Further, a control program for a wireless system according to an embodiment is executed by a terminal connected to a key device by a first connection method and connected to a wireless router by a second connection method. When the terminal is authenticated by the authentication server by transmitting an authentication request from the terminal to the authentication server via a communication line and receiving approval or rejection of authentication from the authentication server, the wireless router executes , cancels the operation of the timer counting for disconnecting the communication line if it is not canceled within a predetermined time.

According to one embodiment, it is possible to provide a wireless system that can be used only in a vehicle and in the presence of a subscriber.

1 is a schematic diagram of a radio system according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration inside a vehicle according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram when authentication according to the first embodiment is successful; FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram when authentication fails according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a flowchart of operations of the wireless router according to the first embodiment; FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram according to a third embodiment; FIG. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram according to a fourth embodiment;

Embodiment 1
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the outline of the present invention and the configuration of a radio system. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wireless system installed in a vehicle in which a person who has a terminal boards. The configuration of the apparatus of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless system includes a terminal 100 such as a smartphone installed with a connect application 101, a key device 102 using Display Audio (DA) or the like, an authentication server 103, and a wireless router 105. Prepare. In the following description, the communication line includes at least one of WAN and LAN. Also, the terminal 100 will be described as the smart phone 100 below.

The smartphone 100 is a terminal owned by a person on board the vehicle. By the function of the connect application 101 installed in the smartphone 100, it is possible to connect with the key device 102 using Bluetooth connection (first connection method). Also, the smartphone 100 can be connected to the wireless router 105 via a wireless LAN (second connection method) using the connect application 101 . The connect application 101 also stores an ID associated with the smartphone 100 . Note that this ID is, for example, a contractor ID unique to the owner of smartphone 100 . Furthermore, the smartphone 100 can execute an authentication inquiry and receive an authentication result from an authentication server 103 installed outside via the connect application 101 .

The key device 102 is mounted on a vehicle and has a MAC address. A Display Audio (DA) 200 (see FIG. 2), which will be described in detail later, or a car navigation system can be used as the key device 102 . In the following description, power is supplied from the key device 102 to the wireless router 105 and a DA is used as the key device 102 .

The authentication server 103 stores in advance a combination of the subscriber ID of the smart phone 100, the MAC address of the wireless router 104 used in the vehicle, and the MAC address of the DA used as the key device 102. is the server. For example, the authentication server 103 transmits and receives data to and from the smartphone 100 via the WAN, and performs authentication operations. More specifically, the smartphone 100 can request authentication from the authentication server 103 , and the authentication server 103 can return to the smartphone 100 whether or not the authentication has been approved.

Wireless router 105 is connected to smartphone 100 via a wireless LAN, and changes the state of WAN connection and the like based on the authentication state from authentication server 103 of smartphone 100 . Note that wireless router 105 outputs a signal to smartphone 100 to receive authentication from authentication server 103 . Further, the wireless router 105 has a timer that keeps the authentication waiting state for a predetermined time and automatically disconnects the communication line after the predetermined time. Here, wireless router 105 is the same as wireless WAN router 210 in FIG. 2, and the configuration of wireless router 105 will be described in detail later.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle includes a Display Audio (DA) 200 serving as a key device for limiting the vehicle, a wireless WAN router 210 having wireless and WAN functions, and an interlocking unit 220 for the ignition of the vehicle. are placed.

The DA 200 has, for example, an approximately 7-inch liquid crystal display, has a connection function with a smartphone or the like, and can execute various functions such as information display using software provided on the smartphone side. As will be described later, the DA 200 controls WAN connection using an application (connect app) installed on the smartphone.

The DA 200 is composed of a power supply unit 201 interlocked with ignition, a USB power supply 204 capable of external power supply, a Display Audio function unit (DA function unit) 202 and a Bluetooth unit 203 .

The power supply unit 201 is interlocked with an ignition, which is a switch for starting the engine of the vehicle and controlling the electric system. For example, the power of the DA 200 is turned on based on an operation by a passenger in a vehicle.

A USB power supply 204 supplies power to a device such as a smartphone connected to the DA 200 . For example, USB power supply 204 provides power to wireless WAN router 210 .

The DA function unit 202 has functions such as, for example, not only radio and music CD playback, but also connection with a portable music player. Note that the functions of the DA function unit 202 are not limited to these.

The Bluetooth unit 203 has a function of connecting to the smartphone 100 (see FIG. 1) using Bluetooth (registered trademark). Typically, the connection method (first connection method) using the Bluetooth unit 203 is classified as short-range wireless communication, and is characterized by weak radio waves compared to Wi-Fi communication, etc., and communication cannot be performed when the vehicle is away from the vehicle. state can be That is, communication by the Bluetooth unit 203 can be limited to inside the vehicle.

The wireless WAN router 210 controls operations of a power supply unit 214 that receives power from the USB power supply 204 of the DA 200, a wireless LAN communication unit 212, a wireless WAN communication unit 213 such as WiMAX and LTE, and the wireless LAN communication unit 212, It is composed of a CPU and a memory unit 211 capable of controlling the operation of the wireless WAN communication unit 213 and timer control. For example, this wireless WAN router 210 is the same as the wireless router 105 in FIG.

For example, the wireless WAN router 210 enables the terminal to connect to the WAN by communicating with a terminal having a wireless LAN slave device function using radio waves.

More specifically, the wireless LAN communication unit 212 has a communication function for connecting devices within a limited range using radio waves and performing mutual data communication. That is, the wireless LAN communication unit 212 controls connection to the LAN network. Note that the devices within a limited range here are, for example, devices existing in a vehicle.

The wireless WAN communication unit 213 has a communication function for connecting to a network connected to a remote location by radio waves and performing mutual data communication. That is, wireless WAN communication unit 213 has a function for connecting to a WAN such as the Internet.

The CPU+memory unit 211 controls the operations of the wireless LAN communication unit 212 and the wireless WAN communication unit 213, and also functions as a WAN disconnection timer. As will be described later, the wireless WAN router 210 disconnects from the WAN if a signal for canceling the WAN disconnection timer is not input within a predetermined period of time.

Here, the operation of the embodiment will be described using the sequence diagram shown in FIG. FIG. 3 describes a pattern in which authentication is successful when a smart phone issues an authentication request to an authentication server and WAN connection is maintained. Note that the wireless LAN will be described below as WLAN (Wireless LAN).

Display Audio 301 in FIG. 3 corresponds to DA 200 in FIG. A smartphone connect app (connect app) 302 in FIG. 3 corresponds to the connect app 101 in FIG. A wireless router 303 in FIG. 3 corresponds to the wireless router 105 in FIG. 1 and the wireless WAN router 210 in FIG. The authentication server 304 in FIG. 3 corresponds to the authentication server 103 in FIG.

First, when the ignition of the vehicle is turned on (310) by a user operation 300, power is supplied to the Display Audio (DA) 301. FIG. Furthermore, power is supplied from the DA 301 to the wireless router 303 via the USB power supply. That is, the DA 301 and the wireless router 303 each start to be activated by the user's operation (311).

The connect application 302 installed on the smartphone is activated (312). Here, the connect application 302 holds ID information unique to the contractor of the smart phone.

After activation (312) of the connect application 302, the connect application 302 requests a Bluetooth connection to the DA 301 and establishes the connection. After establishing this Bluetooth connection, the connect application 302 acquires the Bluetooth MAC address of the DA 301 .

Subsequently, a request for WLAN connection is made to the wireless router 303, and the WLAN connection is established. After establishing the WLAN connection, connect application 302 acquires the MAC address of wireless router 303 .

After the power is turned on (313), the wireless router 303 activates WLAN and WAN, establishes a connection with the first wireless LAN slave device, and sets a WAN disconnection timer. Here, it is assumed that the first wireless LAN slave device is a smart phone.

After completing the Bluetooth connection with the DA 301 and the connection with the wireless router 303, the connect application 302 inquires of the authentication server 304 about the contractor's ID, the MAC address of the DA 301, and the MAC address of the wireless router 303 (314).

It should be noted that transmission and reception of data related to the inquiry from the connect application 302 to the authentication server 304 can be executed not by direct packet communication from the smart phone but by connection via the WAN using the wireless router 303 .

The authentication server 304 confirms whether the registered information matches the information transmitted from the connect application 302, and if they match, notifies the connect application 302 of successful authentication.

The connect application 302 that receives the notification of successful authentication by the authentication server 304 outputs to the wireless router 303 a signal for canceling the counting performed by the WAN disconnection timer. As a result, the wireless router 303 cancels the WAN disconnection timer, and the wireless router 303 can be used as it is, and the state of being connected to the WAN is continued.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4, a pattern in which authentication fails when a smart phone issues an authentication request to an authentication server and WAN connection is disconnected will be described.

Here, the user operation 400, the display audio (DA) 401, the smartphone connect application 402, the wireless router 403, and the authentication server 404 shown in FIG. 303 , corresponds to the authentication server 304 .

Also, in FIG. 4, the operation up to the availability inquiry (410) is the same as in FIG.

That is, after power-on, the wireless router 403 activates WLAN and WAN, establishes connection with the first wireless LAN slave device, and sets the WAN disconnection timer.

After completing the Bluetooth connection with the DA 401 and the connection with the wireless router 403 , the connect application 402 inquires of the authentication server 404 about the contractor's ID, the MAC address of the DA 401 , and the MAC address of the wireless router 403 .

When the authentication server 404 determines that the information sent from the connect application 402 does not match the registration information stored in the authentication server 404, the authentication server 404 notifies the connect application 402 of authentication failure.

The connect application 402 notifies the user of an error indicating that authentication has failed.

Wireless router 403 disconnects the WAN connection after the WAN disconnection timer expires. As a result, use of the WAN via the wireless router 403 is disabled.

Here, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the operation flow of the wireless router. The wireless router establishes a WAN connection upon startup (500), and sets a WAN disconnection timer for disconnecting the WAN connection (501). After that, it is determined whether or not the WAN disconnection timer has been canceled, and if the WAN disconnection timer has been canceled (Yes in 502), the WAN connection is continued (505). If the WAN disconnection timer is not canceled (No in 502), it is determined whether or not the current elapsed time t is within the predetermined time T, and if the elapsed time t is within the predetermined time T (503 Yes), the determination of whether or not the WAN disconnection timer has been canceled is repeated. If the elapsed time t exceeds the predetermined time T (No in 503), the WAN connection is disconnected (504).

In this way, use of the wireless router can be restricted based on authentication by the authentication server. At this time, by using a DA or a car navigation system fixed to the vehicle as a key device, which is one of the authentication keys for using the WAN, the range of wireless communication use restriction is limited to vehicles equipped with these key devices. be able to.

Furthermore, users can be limited by setting the conditions of use to the application installed on the smartphone. Therefore, it is possible to provide a wireless system that can be used only in the vehicle and in the presence of the contractor.

Furthermore, the authentication request from the terminal to the authentication server can be executed via the wireless router. As a result, it is possible to avoid a decrease in communication speed that may occur when packet communication is performed from the smartphone to the authentication server, and the effects of communication restrictions.

Furthermore, it is possible to immediately enable wireless communication after the completion of starting up the wireless router and to restrict the use of wireless communication at the same time.

Embodiment 2
In the first embodiment, the wireless router 105 has a WAN disconnection timer for disconnecting the WAN, but a LAN disconnection timer for disconnecting the LAN may be used instead of the WAN disconnection timer.

As a result, devices that have not been authenticated by the authentication server 103 are restricted from using not only the WAN via the wireless router 105 but also the LAN constructed in the vehicle in which the user is boarding. be.

Embodiment 3
A mechanism for resetting the WAN disconnection timer when the Bluetooth connection between the connect application 101 and the DA used as the key device 102 is disconnected can be added to the device configuration shown in the first embodiment. .

Here, the user operation 600, the display audio (DA) 601, the smartphone connect application 602, the wireless router 603, and the authentication server 604 shown in FIG. , correspond to the authentication server 304 .

As shown in FIG. 6, when Bluetooth is disconnected (610), connect application 602 requests wireless router 603 to start a WAN disconnection timer. Wireless router 603 implements setting the WAN disconnect timer based on the request to start the WAN disconnect timer.

After that, when the DA 601 and the connect application 602 are reconnected by Bluetooth, the authentication server 604 is inquired again, and if usable, the WAN disconnection timer is canceled.

As a result, the use of the wireless router can be stopped when the user leaves the DA with the smartphone in hand, that is, when the user leaves the vehicle.

Embodiment 4
A description will be given of a configuration in which, to the device configuration shown in the first embodiment, a mechanism is added that allows wireless communication to be used without requiring re-authentication when getting in and out of the vehicle.

Here, the user operation 700, the display audio (DA) 701, the smartphone connect application 702, the wireless router 703, and the authentication server 704 shown in FIG. , correspond to the authentication server 304 .

In FIG. 7, when the ignition is turned off (710), the DA 701 and wireless router 703 are turned off, and Bluetooth and wireless LAN are disconnected.

Here, when both the Bluetooth connection with the DA 701 and the wireless LAN connection with the wireless router 703 are disconnected, the connect application 702 determines that the engine has been turned off, and the MAC address of the DA 701 and the wireless router 703 MAC address and current location information. Location information is generally obtained using the functions of smartphones. For example, GPS (Global Positioning System) can be used to acquire position information. Here, it is assumed that the authentication server 704 performed authentication using the MAC address of the DA 701 and the MAC address of the wireless router 703 before the connection was disconnected.

After that, when the ignition is turned on again (711), the sequence is the same as in the first embodiment until the MAC address of DA 701 and the MAC address of wireless router 703 are acquired.

After obtaining the MAC address, the connect application 702 obtains the current location information. Then, the MAC address and location information recorded in the connect application 702 when both Bluetooth and wireless LAN are disconnected are collated and compared (712).

If the MAC address of the DA 701, the MAC address of the wireless router 703, and the location information match each other, the connect application 702 has no change in the authenticated device configuration, and the person only gets in and out of the vehicle. judge as a thing. Therefore, the connect application 702 outputs a signal for canceling the WAN disconnection timer to the wireless router 703 without making an inquiry to the authentication server 704 .

As a result, when only getting on and off the vehicle, by using the position information, wireless communication can be continuously used without making an inquiry to the authentication server.

On the other hand, if the MAC address of the DA 701, the MAC address of the wireless router 703, and the location information do not match before and after disconnection, an inquiry is made to the authentication server 704, as in the first embodiment. Sequence can be executed.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above. Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the invention.

For example, although the terminal on which the connect application is installed is a smartphone, it is possible to acquire the ID of the terminal user, store the MAC address of the DA, and store the MAC address of the wireless router. Any terminal capable of communication via at least a wireless router may be used, and is not limited to a smartphone.

Although the present invention has been described as a hardware configuration in the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to this. Any processing other than the timer used in the present invention can also be realized by causing a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute a computer program. Also, the programs described above can be stored and supplied to computers using various types of non-transitory computer readable media. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (eg, flexible discs, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (eg, magneto-optical discs), CD-ROM (Read Only Memory) CD-R, CD - R/W, including semiconductor memory (eg Mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), Flash ROM, RAM (Random Access Memory)). The program may also be supplied to the computer on various types of transitory computer readable medium. Examples of transitory computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. Transitory computer-readable media can deliver the program to the computer via wired channels, such as wires and optical fibers, or wireless channels.

100 terminals (smartphones)
101 Connect application 102 Key device 103 Authentication server 105 Wireless router 200 Display Audio (DA)
201 Power supply unit 202 Display Audio function unit (DA function unit)
203 Bluetooth unit 204 USB power supply 210 Wireless WAN router 211 Memory unit 212 Wireless LAN communication unit 213 Wireless WAN communication unit 214 Power supply unit 220 Interlocking unit 300 User operation 301 Display Audio (DA)
302 Connect application 303 Wireless router 304 Authentication server 400 User operation 401 Display Audio (DA)
402 Connect application 403 Wireless router 404 Authentication server 600 User operation 601 Display Audio (DA)
602 Connect application 603 Wireless router 604 Authentication server 701 Display Audio (DA)
700 User operation 702 Connect application 703 Wireless router 704 Authentication server

Claims (3)

a key device mounted on a mobile body ;
a device at a distance at which a communication connection can be established with the key device by a first connection method;
an authentication server, based on an authentication request from the device, returning an authentication approval or disapproval to the device;
a device having a function of mutually connecting different networks , in which a communication connection is established with the device by a second connection method, and a communication connection is established from the device to the authentication server via a communication line; with
When requesting authentication by the authentication server, the device uses the identification information of the key device, the identification information of the device having the function of interconnecting the different networks , and the identification information of the device to obtain the Make an authentication request to the authentication server,
The device having the function of interconnecting different networks is provided with a predetermined disconnecting the communication connection established by the device having the function of interconnecting the different networks if authentication by the authentication server is not performed within the time of
When the authentication server authenticates the device, the state in which the communication connection with the communication line is established by the device having the function of interconnecting the different networks is continued.
radio system. A control method for a radio system according to claim 1,
A device mounted on a mobile body and located within a distance where a communication connection can be established by the first connection method with the key device establishes a communication connection with the key device by the first connection method,
the device establishes a communication connection with a device capable of interconnecting the different networks by the second connection method;
When requesting authentication by the authentication server , the device uses the identification information of the key device, the identification information of the device having the function of interconnecting the different networks , and the identification information of the device to obtain the making the authentication request to an authentication server;
Based on the authentication request sent from the device to the authentication server via a communication line, the authentication server returns the approval or disapproval of the authentication to the device ,
After the communication connection is established between the device and the device having the function of mutually connecting the different networks by the second connection method , the device having the function of mutually connecting the different networks is connected to the If authentication by the authentication server is not performed within a predetermined time, the device having a function of interconnecting the different networks disconnects the established communication connection;
Continuing the established communication connection with the device having a function of interconnecting the different networks when the authentication server authenticates the device . A radio system control program according to claim 1,
A device mounted on a mobile body and located within a distance where a communication connection can be established by the first connection method with the key device establishes a communication connection with the key device by the first connection method,
the device establishes a communication connection with a device capable of interconnecting the different networks by the second connection method;
When requesting authentication by the authentication server , the device uses the identification information of the key device, the identification information of the device having the function of interconnecting the different networks , and the identification information of the device to obtain the making the authentication request to an authentication server;
After the communication connection is established between the device and the device having the function of mutually connecting the different networks by the second connection method , the device having the function of mutually connecting the different networks is connected to the If the device is not authenticated by the authentication server within the predetermined time, the device having the function of interconnecting the different networks disconnects the established communication connection;
A control program for a wireless system, wherein, when the device is authenticated by the authentication server, the device having a function of interconnecting the different networks continues the established communication connection with the communication line.

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