JP7691082B2 - Mobile router, communication system and program - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a mobile router, a communication system, and a program.

In recent years, in order to keep data usage within the range of the contract and avoid increasing communication costs, there has been an increase in the number of cases where smartphones are used to communicate via different networks, such as connecting to a mobile router when outdoors and connecting to an access point inside the home when indoors. (For example, see Patent Document 1)

For example, when outdoors, using a mobile router with a large data volume contract and low communication fees can often be cheaper than the communication fees for a smartphone alone.

However, if your contract terms impose restrictions on your data usage or result in higher than expected communication costs, there may be no benefit to using a mobile router.

On the other hand, when using an indoor wireless router access point to bring in an Internet line via optical communication or other methods, it is common to have a contract with no limit on data usage, so there is no need to worry about data usage as with a mobile router.

Therefore, when users return home from outside and find that the access point in their home is available, they want to switch the connection of their client device from the mobile router to the access point as quickly as possible.

However, the connected handset would remain connected even when the user returned home, so in order to switch connections, the user had to turn off the mobile router.

JP 2016-119682 A

However, the connected device remains connected even when the user returns home, so there is a problem in that in order to switch the connection, the user must perform operations such as turning off the mobile router.

The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a mobile router, communication system, and program for users who communicate via an Internet line at home and via a mobile router when they are away from home, that can automatically switch the connection to the access point without the user of the slave device having to turn off the power to the mobile router.

The mobile router of one embodiment includes a first wireless communication unit capable of communicating with an external network, a second wireless communication unit capable of communicating with a client device and an access point, and a control unit that controls the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit, and when the second wireless communication unit detects a transmission frame from the access point, the control unit instructs the second wireless communication unit to transmit a scan request to the client device.

The communication system of one embodiment includes a mobile router and a child device, the mobile router includes a first wireless communication unit capable of communicating with an external network, a second wireless communication unit capable of communicating with the child device and an access point, and a control unit that controls the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit, and when the second wireless communication unit detects a transmission frame from the access point, the control unit instructs the second wireless communication unit to transmit a scan request to the child device.

In one embodiment, the program causes a computer to execute a step of monitoring whether the second wireless communication unit receives a transmission frame from the access point in a mobile router having a first wireless communication unit capable of communicating with an external network and a second wireless communication unit capable of communicating with a client device and an access point, and a step of instructing the second wireless communication unit to transmit a scan request to the client device when the second wireless communication unit detects a transmission frame from the access point.

The mobile router, communication system, and program disclosed herein allow the connection of the slave device to be automatically switched to the access point without the user of the slave device having to turn off the power of the mobile router.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a mobile router according to a first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of a communication system according to a second embodiment. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a mobile router according to the second embodiment; 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a mobile router according to the second embodiment; 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a mobile router according to the third embodiment.

First embodiment
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a mobile router according to the first embodiment. In Fig. 1, a mobile router 100 includes a first wireless communication unit 101, a second wireless communication unit 102, and a control unit 103.

The first wireless communication unit 101 is configured to be capable of wireless communication with the external network 10.

The second wireless communication unit 102 is configured to be capable of wireless communication with the handset 12. Furthermore, when the second wireless communication unit 102 detects a transmission frame from the access point 11, the second wireless communication unit 102 outputs the detection content to the control unit 103. Furthermore, the second wireless communication unit 102 transmits a scan request to the handset 12 according to an instruction from the control unit 103.

The control unit 103 controls the first wireless communication unit 101 and the second wireless communication unit 102. When the second wireless communication unit 102 detects a transmission frame from the access point 11, the control unit 103 instructs the second wireless communication unit 102 to send a scan request to the child device 12.

In this way, the mobile router of embodiment 1 can automatically switch the connection of the slave device to the access point without the user of the slave device having to turn off the power of the mobile router.

Embodiment 2
In the second embodiment, a communication system including a mobile router will be described. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a communication system according to the second embodiment. In Fig. 2, a communication system 20 includes a mobile router 200, an external network 10, an access point 11, and a child device 12.

The mobile router 200 includes a first wireless communication unit 101, a second wireless communication unit 102, a control unit 203, a linked terminal management unit 204, and a power supply unit 205. In FIG. 2, the same components as those in FIG. 1 are given the same numbers and will not be described.

The mobile router 200 is connected to a telecommunications carrier's network using a communication method such as LTE/5G (Long Term Evolution/5th Generation Mobile Communication System), and can communicate with an external network outdoors. The method of connection to the external network is not particularly limited. The mobile router 200 simultaneously operates as an access point and connects wirelessly to the slave device 12. Even if the slave device 12 is outdoors, it can connect to the network via the mobile router 200. In the second embodiment, the mobile router 200 operates as an access point.

The second wireless communication unit 102 transmits and receives wireless frames and scans each channel.

The control unit 203 checks whether the frames received by the second wireless communication unit 102 contain a frame with a BSSID registered as a linked terminal, based on the BSSID (Basic Service Set Identifier) information notified by the linked terminal management unit 204.

Then, when the control unit 203 detects a wireless communication failure, it instructs the second wireless communication unit 102 to transmit a scan request, such as a Beacon Request, to the connected child device 12 to obtain the BSSID of the surrounding terminal.

The mobile router 200 checks whether the BSSID of the linked terminal is included in the Beacon Report information received as a response from the child device 12. If the BSSID is present, the power supply unit 205 of the mobile router 200 is turned off.

The linked terminal management unit 204 manages BSSID information, which is the wireless MAC (Media Access Control address) address of the linked terminal set by the user, and notifies the control unit 203 of the information.

The power supply unit 205 is a power supply that supplies power to each component of the mobile router 200.

When the slave unit 12 is outdoors, it connects to the mobile router 200 and communicates. When the slave unit 12 is indoors, it connects to the access point 11 in the house and communicates. Each slave unit 12 has a connection profile that it can connect to, and if it detects its presence while not yet connected, it automatically establishes a wireless connection.

The access point 11 is used by connecting a slave device 12 for communication within the home. As a linked terminal of the mobile router 200, the user registers the BSSID information of the access point 11 in the mobile router 200. The user is supposed to register and delete the BSSID information using a setting screen such as a WebGUI (World Wide Web Graphical User Interface), but other methods may be used. Also, the number of BSSIDs to be registered is not limited to one, and multiple entries can be registered.

Next, the connection switching of the handset 12 will be described. In FIG. 2, the user registers the BSSID, which is the wireless MAC address of the access point 11, as a linked terminal in the mobile router 200 from a setting screen such as the WebGUI, and the information is managed by the linked terminal management unit 204.

The control unit 203 checks whether any of the wireless frames received by the second wireless communication unit 102 have the corresponding BSSID based on the BSSID information of the linked terminal notified by the linked terminal management unit 204.

When a user who has been communicating with the slave device 12 connected to the mobile router 200 outdoors returns home, the second wireless communication unit 102 receives a transmission frame such as a beacon transmitted by the access point 11. The control unit 203 then detects the BSSID of the linked terminal from the received transmission frame.

The control unit 203 checks whether the connected slave device 12 has detected the access point 11. Specifically, the linked terminal management unit 204 notifies the control unit 203 of the BSSID information of the registered linked terminal. The control unit 203 monitors the wireless frames received by the slave device 12 based on that information to see if there are any frames with the corresponding BSSID.

For this reason, the control unit 203 issues a command to the second wireless communication unit 102 to transmit a scan command that can request BSSID information of nearby access points, such as a Beacon Request defined in the wireless standard 802.11k. Although a Beacon Request is a method used as a type of wireless measurement, other frames may be used as long as they can obtain BSSID information from the child device 12.

The second wireless communication unit 102 transmits a Beacon Request to the slave device 12. The slave device 12 transmits a scan response to the mobile router 200 with its own information as a Beacon Report.

The mobile router 200 can confirm that the BSSID of the associated terminal is included in the response from the slave device 12, and that the slave device 12 has also detected the access point 11 and is in a state where connection switching is possible. The number of associated terminal information registered is not limited to one, and if multiple terminals are registered, it is possible to associate with any of the terminals and switch the connection of the slave device 12 to the associated terminal.

The control unit 203 turns off the power supply unit 205 of the mobile router 200. Then, the handset 12, which has been disconnected from the mobile router 200, automatically connects to the access point 11 in the home using the connection profile it holds and communicates. When the user returns home, unnecessary communication volume of the mobile router 200 can be suppressed, reducing battery consumption, and the handset 12 can automatically connect to the access point 11 in the home.

表１に示すように、連携端末No.(Number)とBSSIDとが対応づけて管理されている。連携端末管理部２０４は、表１のように登録された連携端末のBSSID情報を管理する。 Next, the operation of the mobile router 200 of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Table 1, Figures 3 and 4. Table 1 shows linked terminal management information.

As shown in Table 1, the linked terminal number and the BSSID are managed in association with each other. The linked terminal manager 204 manages the BSSID information of the linked terminals registered as shown in Table 1.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the mobile router according to the second embodiment.
First, in step S301, the monitoring operation of the control unit 203 determines whether or not a linked terminal is registered.

If the BSSID of the linked terminal has not been registered by the user, i.e., if the BSSID information has not been notified by the linked terminal management unit 204, the control unit 203 does not perform monitoring operations. Then, the process ends. If the BSSID information of the linked terminal has been notified, the process proceeds to step S302.

In step S302, it is determined whether the handset 12 is connected to the mobile router 200. If the handset 12 is not connected, no monitoring operation is performed, and the process ends. If the handset 12 is connected, the process proceeds to step S303.

In step S303, in order to determine whether the connection with the child device 12 can be switched from the mobile router 200 to the access point 11, the second wireless communication unit 102 starts monitoring whether any wireless frames received include the BSSID of the linked terminal.

Next, the operation of frame monitoring of the linked terminal in step S303 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the mobile router according to the second embodiment.

First, in step S401, a user connects the slave device 12 to the mobile router 200 outdoors to perform communication, and when the user returns home, the slave device 12 comes within range of the radio waves from the access point 11 of the linked terminal. The slave device 12 monitors for frames containing the BSSID of the linked terminal. Then the process proceeds to step S402.

In step S402, the control unit 203 determines whether or not a frame is detected.
When a frame having the BSSID of the access point 11 is detected from the constantly transmitted Beacon frames, it is determined that the mobile router 200 and the access point 11 are within a communication range. Then, the process proceeds to step S403. At this point, it is unclear whether the child device 12 connected to the mobile router 200 has detected the access point 11.

Also, if a frame with the BSSID of access point 11 is not detected, step S402 is repeated.

In step S403, the control unit 203 issues a command to the second wireless communication unit 102 to send a Beacon Request to the slave unit 12 to acquire BSSID scan information of nearby access points in order to check whether the slave unit 12 has detected an access point. Specifically, the second wireless communication unit 102 sends a Beacon Request, i.e., a scan request, to the slave unit 12. Then, the process proceeds to step S404.

In step S404, a Beacon Report is received as a response from the child device 12. The control unit 203 then checks whether a Beacon Report has been received by the second wireless communication unit 102. If no response has been received, the process returns to step S403, and a Beacon Request transmission request is again made to the second wireless communication unit 102. If a response has been received, the process proceeds to step S405.

In step S405, the slave device 12 checks whether the Beacon Report containing the BSSID information of the surrounding terminals it has acquired contains a BSSID registered as an associated terminal. If there is no BSSID information of the associated terminal, the process returns to step S402. Since the slave device 12 is unable to detect the access point 11 and is therefore unable to switch the connection to the access point 11, it does not turn off the power supply unit 205 of the mobile router 200 and continues to monitor frames.

If the BSSID information of the linked terminal is available, i.e., if the child device 12 has detected the access point 11, proceed to step S406.

In step S406, since the child device 12 has detected the access point 11 and it is determined that the connection destination can be switched, the control unit 203 turns off the power supply unit 205 of the mobile router 200. The child device 12 is disconnected from the mobile router 200, and can automatically switch the connection to the access point 11 side using the connection profile it holds, enabling communication.

The mobile router 200 can automatically turn off the power supply unit 205 when it detects the access point 11, thereby reducing unnecessary communication volume after returning home and achieving power saving such as reducing battery consumption. Furthermore, even if the user does not operate the power supply unit 205 of the mobile router 200 to turn off, the child device 12 can switch the connection to the access point 11 side and continue communication.

In this way, the mobile router of the second embodiment can automatically switch the connection to the access point without the user having to power off the child device. In addition, the mobile router of the second embodiment can suppress the amount of communication that is unnecessary after the user returns home, thereby reducing battery consumption of the mobile router.

Embodiment 3
In the third embodiment, an example will be described in which the slave unit 12 is automatically connected to the mobile router 200 by determining the absence of an associated terminal by monitoring frames having BSSID information of a registered associated terminal.

The operations that differ from those in embodiment 2 will be explained using Figure 5. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a mobile router in embodiment 3.

First, in step S501, when the BSSID of the linked terminal information is received from the slave device 12, the control unit 203 does not turn off the power supply unit 205 of the mobile router 200 as in the second embodiment, but proceeds to step S502 to transition to standby operation.

In step S502, the system transitions to standby mode, where it only monitors whether or not there is a frame containing the BSSID information of the linked terminal. Then, it proceeds to step S503.

In step S503, the monitoring timer is initialized. The control unit 203 continues to monitor wireless frames received by the second wireless communication unit 102, and is provided with a monitoring timer to check whether the BSSID of the linked terminal can be detected. In the third embodiment, the timer is set to one minute as an example, but it may be set freely. Then, the process proceeds to step S504.

In step S504, monitoring begins to determine whether there are wireless frames from the linked terminal. Then, the process proceeds to step S505.

In step S505, it is determined whether or not there is a frame having the BSSID of the linked terminal among the wireless frames received from the second wireless communication unit 102. If there is a frame having the BSSID of the linked terminal among the wireless frames received from the second wireless communication unit 102, the process returns to step S503. If there is no frame having the BSSID of the linked terminal among the wireless frames received from the second wireless communication unit 102, the process proceeds to step S506.

In step S506, the control unit 203 determines whether the monitoring timer has expired. For example, the control unit 203 checks whether the monitoring timer of one minute has elapsed. If the monitoring timer has expired, the control unit 203 proceeds to step S507. If the monitoring timer has not expired, the control unit 203 returns to step S504.

In step S507, the control unit 203 starts the transmission operation of the mobile router 200. This operation causes the mobile router 200 to return to normal operation. The child device 12, which is unable to connect due to the absence of the access point 11 of the linked terminal, can switch its connection to the mobile router 200, which has switched to normal operation, and communicate.

In this way, in the mobile router of embodiment 3, when the user goes out and is unable to detect the access point of the in-home linked terminal, the mobile router automatically starts normal operation and the client device can connect. As a result, when the user returns home and is able to detect the access point of the linked terminal, the mobile router automatically goes into standby mode and the client device can switch its connection to the access point.

Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the first wireless communication unit 101 and the second wireless communication unit 102 may be configured as a single communication circuit.

Each element depicted in the drawings as a functional block performing various processes can be configured in hardware with a CPU, memory, and other circuits, and in software with a program loaded into memory. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms using only hardware, only software, or a combination of both, and are not limited to any of these.

The above-mentioned program can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer-readable media. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of tangible recording media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, CD-R/Ws, and semiconductor memories (e.g., mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, and RAMs (Random Access Memory)). The program may also be supplied to a computer by various types of temporary computer-readable media. Examples of temporary computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The temporary computer-readable media can supply the program to a computer via wired communication paths such as electric wires and optical fibers, or wireless communication paths.

10 External network 11 Access point 12 Child device 20 Communication system 100, 200 Mobile router 101 First wireless communication unit 102 Second wireless communication unit 103, 203 Control unit 204 Linked terminal management unit 205 Power supply unit

Claims (8)

A first wireless communication unit capable of communicating with an external network;
A second wireless communication unit capable of communicating with the slave unit and the access point;
a control unit that controls the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit,
A mobile router, wherein when the second wireless communication unit detects a wireless frame having the BSSID (Basic Service Set Identifier) of the access point, the control unit instructs the second wireless communication unit to send a scan request to the child device. a power supply unit for supplying power to the mobile router;
2. The mobile router according to claim 1, wherein when the second wireless communication unit confirms that access point information is present in a scan response from a child device, the control unit instructs the power supply unit to stop supplying power to the mobile router. A linkage terminal management unit that manages BSSID information , which is a wireless MAC (Media Access Control address) address of a linkage terminal set by a user,
The linked terminal management unit notifies the control unit of BSSID information,
The control unit monitors whether a frame having the BSSID is present among wireless frames received by the second wireless communication unit;
2. The mobile router of claim 1, wherein when the control unit detects a frame having the BSSID in a wireless frame received by the second wireless communication unit, the control unit instructs the second wireless communication unit to send a scan request to the child device. The mobile router according to claim 3, wherein the associated terminal management unit manages associated terminal numbers (numbers) and BSSIDs in association with each other. The mobile router according to claim 3, wherein the second wireless communication unit transmits a Beacon Request to the child device as a scan request and receives a Beacon Report from the child device. A mobile router and a handset are provided.
The mobile router comprises:
A first wireless communication unit capable of communicating with an external network;
A second wireless communication unit capable of communicating with the slave device and the access point;
a control unit that controls the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit,
When the second wireless communication unit detects a wireless frame having a BSSID (Basic Service Set Identifier) of the access point, the control unit instructs the second wireless communication unit to transmit a scan request to the child device;
When the slave device receives the scan request, it searches for an access point.
Communication systems. A mobile router including a first wireless communication unit capable of communicating with an external network, and a second wireless communication unit capable of communicating with a slave unit and an access point,
monitoring whether the second wireless communication unit receives a wireless frame having a BSSID (Basic Service Set Identifier) of the access point;
A program that causes a computer to execute a step of instructing the second wireless communication unit to send a scan request to the child device when the second wireless communication unit detects a wireless frame having the BSSID (Basic Service Set Identifier) of the access point. The mobile router includes a power supply unit that supplies power to the mobile router;
The program according to claim 7, which causes a computer to execute a step of instructing the power supply unit to stop supplying power to the mobile router when the second wireless communication unit confirms that access point information is present in a scan response from the child device.

Images